So I felt like I was slumming, in a literary kind of way, when reading this JAFF (Jane Austen fanfiction). One of my GR friends *waves to Shifra* loveSo I felt like I was slumming, in a literary kind of way, when reading this JAFF (Jane Austen fanfiction). One of my GR friends *waves to Shifra* loves JAFF and gave this one 5 stars, and I was all, hey, it's on Kindle Unlimited so why not?
In this variant of the Pride and Prejudice story, Elizabeth meets up with Darcy much earlier, when she's staying with her aunt and uncle Gardiner up in the area of Pemberley for several weeks one summer. Their initial meetings lead to some tension between them, but without Elizabeth's family in the way, the two of them come to an understanding much quicker and with far less drama. That is, until Elizabeth's father catches wind of her romance.
Mr Bennet doesn't even know who Darcy is, other than a rich guy who is - thinks Mr Bennet - certainly untrustworthy with his favorite daughter's affections. Plus, Mr Bennet has his own plans for Elizabeth's future. So he immediately takes steps to squelch their romance. Of course, it's not that easy.
I've read my share of JAFF (usually to my regret). This was a particularly odd version because Mr Bennet and Mr Collins have SERIOUSLY different characters than they do in the original, to their detriment. (I know, it's hard to believe Mr Collins' character could be worse, but Mary Smythe found a way.) It's necessary to make the plot here work, but I could never really get on board with this one. On the plus side, Mrs Bennet got a character upgrade from the original.
The writing style is okay, if rather uneven, and the book had a few funny and interesting scenes. It was weirdly fun seeing various famous lines from P&P pop up in the narrative, except they often came out of the mouths of different characters. So if you're a fan of P&P fanfic (and not picky about character makeovers or historical accuracy), you … could do worse?...more
So after two swings and misses on the Jane Austen fanfic, I went back to my GR friend Shifra's list of her top 10 JAFF novels, and read the Kindle samSo after two swings and misses on the Jane Austen fanfic, I went back to my GR friend Shifra's list of her top 10 JAFF novels, and read the Kindle sample of the one that came out on top, which was this one. It hooked me in enough that I actually decided to pay for it (it wasn't cheap, fair warning, but I was really needing some good P&P fanfic to take the taste of the mediocre ones out of my mouth).
In this iteration of Elizabeth Bennet and Darcy's tale, the point of divergence occurs when Darcy makes his first proposal to Elizabeth while she's visiting her friend Charlotte (who recently married Mr Collins). Rather than turning Darcy down flat, she asks him for some time to think about his proposal. Yes, she's still angry about his interference in Jane's and Wickham's lives, but he's intelligent, rich and handsome, and he inexplicably (to Elizabeth) has fallen in love with her, and he's promising to take care of her family if and when needed ... I guess this version of Elizabeth is a little more practical-minded than the original.
So after several days of mulling things over, Elizabeth accepts Darcy's proposal, though she warns him that she's not in love with him. Not a problem! says Darcy, sure that she'll fall for him soon. But as things develop, there are naturally bumps in the road (many of them familiar to P&P fans), Elizabeth isn't falling in love very quickly, and there are ample reasons during the engagement for both Elizabeth and Darcy to wonder if they're really doing the right thing. These being Regency times, it's very difficult to back out of an engagement, though.
So yes, I really did enjoy this one. It's much more romantic and relationship-focused than the original P&P, but it's pretty true to the original story and characters, and far more intelligently written than your run-of-the-mill fanfic. Lara Ormiston does a great job of digging into the characters' flaws and making them work through issues with a fair degree of realism.
And I'm a romantic at heart, I guess. This one got me in the feels. I probably wouldn't recommend this book to those who aren't down with Regency romance. But if you are, this one really is well done for the genre. It’s up near the top of my own JAFF list too! Will def reread when I need a romance fix....more
Thoughtful, introspective and slow-paced story of the middle Bennet sister, Mary, who’s studious and priggish in Pride and Prejudice. She’s a lot moreThoughtful, introspective and slow-paced story of the middle Bennet sister, Mary, who’s studious and priggish in Pride and Prejudice. She’s a lot more nuanced and complex in this novel, which begins some time before P&P and ends a few years after.
With some help from Mrs Gardiner and others, Mary begins to find herself and develop self-confidence, and possibly find some romance along the way. Her time staying at Longbourne with Mr Collins and his wife Charlotte was one of the more intriguing interludes in this novel.
It’s interesting, reasonably well-written, and pretty true to the Regency era, but slow-moving. It has some amusing callbacks to the original story. Recommended mostly for Jane Austen fans who want to revisit that world. ...more
3 stars for this Nebula and Locus award-nominated fantasy novel. Review first posted on FantasyLiterature.com:
Regency romance gets both a fantasy and3 stars for this Nebula and Locus award-nominated fantasy novel. Review first posted on FantasyLiterature.com:
Regency romance gets both a fantasy and a feminist twist in C.L. Polk’s The Midnight Bargain. Beatrice Clayborn’s family has fallen on hard times and, as a final, last-gasp strategy for recouping the family fortunes and position, has spent money they don’t really have to rent a reasonably townhome in a good part of town, buy fashionable outfits for Beatrice (making her younger sister Harriet envious), and otherwise get Beatrice ready for the Bargaining Season, when the country’s gentry gather to make matches.
Despite her family’s strained finances, Beatrice is an attractive marriage prospect because of her strong magical abilities. The catch: As soon as she is married, she’ll have a metal collar locked around her neck that nullifies her magic, and it will be kept on her until her childbearing years are over, with her husband holding the only key, because the spirits attracted by magic are so extremely dangerous to unborn fetuses. The prospect appalls Beatrice: she’d much rather give up marriage and become a full-fledged mage.
When Beatrice lucks upon a grimoire that could hold the key to her future, she loses it to a rival young woman magician, Ysbeta Lavan, who has far more wealth and social status. As the two sorceresses face off, Beatrice seeks the help of a spirit to get the book back from Ysbeta. Part of the spirit’s price for helping is experiencing a kiss while sharing Beatrice’s body … and hey, there’s Ysbeta’s handsome and kind brother Ianthe. Attraction strikes like lightning, as it usually does in Regency romances, and Beatrice is soon faced with a seemingly-impossible choice between love and her family’s well-being, on the one hand, and her deeply desired destiny as an independent woman and mage, on the other.
Polk hits the subjugated women and oppressive patriarchy angles hard in The Midnight Bargain. Beatrice’s 15-year-old sister Harriet argues eloquently for the charms of a social season, lovely clothing, and “proper” behavior, but it’s abundantly clear that Beatrice is never going to be happy fitting into a highborn woman’s typical place in this society. Almost none of the men in her world — and in fact, very few women, for that matter — have sympathy for Beatrice’s dilemma and desires to be a practicing mage rather than a wife and mother. And as Beatrice makes a series of reckless and sometimes ill-thought-out choices, aided and abetted by Ysbeta, it was hard for me to sympathize with her as much as I wanted to.
The social themes in this novel are on the heavy-handed side, but there’s a strong scene toward the end between Beatrice and her mother, who wants to prepare her for the shock of wearing the magic-suppressing collar, that humanized her mother greatly and helped to clarify the awfulness of what married women are forced to do in this society. With all the angst of the plot, it was a bit of a shock to hit the last few chapters, when Polk waves the author wand and everything and everyone (at least, everyone important) suddenly and rather dubiously fall into place for a happily-ever-after ending....more
3.75 stars. Pretty much the quintessential Regency romance/fantasy mix, with elves (of the cruel sort) supplying the magical element. It's clean and o3.75 stars. Pretty much the quintessential Regency romance/fantasy mix, with elves (of the cruel sort) supplying the magical element. It's clean and on the lighter side - it feels like a YA romance - but it does do a quite good job of delving into social issues relating to society's treatment of the poor.
Kindle freebie romance time again, and this one falls squarely into the "brain candy" category.
[image]
Jacintha, the lovely third daughter of a duke,Kindle freebie romance time again, and this one falls squarely into the "brain candy" category.
[image]
Jacintha, the lovely third daughter of a duke, has never quite gotten over her almost-kiss with her friend Henry Musgrave when she was younger. But then Henry was sent off by his family to parts unknown to learn to take care of his family estates. He's just recently come back after some years, but now that he's reached his majority he's only interested in drinking and partying (and, it is implied, sleeping around). So, though it pains her heart, Jacintha blows Henry off - I have to say I liked that part - and tries to talk herself into accepting the attentions of Lord Slate.
Little does Jacintha know that between her pointed words and a stern talking to by his uncle, Henry has finally realized that by heedlessly enjoying his freedom, he's been hurting his family and damaging his own and his sister's prospects. He quickly resolves to turn over a new leaf and, by the way, try to impress Jacintha with his changed ways and try to convince her to give him another chance.
Uncle Roderick's grand idea is to have Henry join him in fighting smuggling operations on the coast of England. It just so happens that this is right where Lord Slate's mansion is. (Here's where the coincidences start to pile up.) And maybe Lord Slate is involved in smuggling ... (view spoiler)[And OF COURSE there's a hidden tunnel from his mansion to the caves down the sea. Duh. How could that possibility not have occurred to Uncle Roderick's anti-smuggling task force? I called it immediately. (hide spoiler)]
The characters are pretty much one-dimensional and the plot falls on the unbelievable side of contrived for me. There's also this weird thing where Jacintha keeps talking about how she just wants a "marriage of convenience," by which she actually means a practical union that's not complicated by love, not one where the couple isn't sharing a bed. She's saying this for no apparent reason that I can see, especially since when she's presented with the perfect practical option with Lord Slate, she totally drags her heels. Because Henry! (view spoiler)[And personally I think an author is taking the too-easy way out when they make the other potential love interest turn out to be a villain. (hide spoiler)]
On the plus side, the plot moves along at a good smart clip and I didn't see any painful (for me) proofing errors in the text. (Some earlier reviews mention a bunch of errors, but I think they must have been fixed.) It's a very fluffy story and very unrealistic as far as being true to Regency times, but it's enjoyable for a brain candy romance and a Kindle freebie. This is the third in a series but worked fine as a stand-alone read.
Content note: squeaky clean, other than some veiled references to Henry's wild ways in the past and some not-so-veiled threats by the villain ("you'll sleep with me and do whatever I want, haha" kind of thing)....more
This Kindle bundle has three of Georgette Heyer's most well-known novels: The Grand Sophy, Arabella, and Frederica, along with a so-so novella, “A MatThis Kindle bundle has three of Georgette Heyer's most well-known novels: The Grand Sophy, Arabella, and Frederica, along with a so-so novella, “A Matter of Honour.” Those really are three of her best novels (except Venetia should be included. But I digress.).
These three novels shouldn't be missed if you're a Georgette Heyer fan or are interested in checking her out. They're old-fashioned Regencies, but with the emphasis more on witty dialogue, interesting characters and the occasional farcical comedy scene, than the actual romance part. So set your expectations accordingly....more
99c Kindle Regency romance. I found the hook so interesting that I had to give it a shot: Our American heroine is married (at age 13 1/2) to a handsom99c Kindle Regency romance. I found the hook so interesting that I had to give it a shot: Our American heroine is married (at age 13 1/2) to a handsome English young man who's about 5 years older ... for her own protection, as she has an uncle who's stolen her rightful inheritance in England. So it's to be a marriage in name only for a few years, and her husband Christian heads back to England with his father. Unfortunately there's a shipwreck, and all are lost.
Or maybe not. Five years later the orphaned Azalea (yep, that's her name) heads to England herself. There she unexpectedly meets Christian, who's now a lord ... and who has absolutely no recollection of ever meeting her, let alone marrying her. To make matters worse, Chris is engaged to Azalea's cousin, who she's living with. And Chris has a major chip on his shoulder against Americans, even beautiful redheaded ones. And let's not forget the dastardly conniving uncle!
I will say it was a fun read if you like Regency romances, but in the cold light of morning the contrived nature of the plot, and all of the many coincidences, was just too much for me to take it even a little bit seriously. Read for brain candy only!
Content note: a couple of intimate scenes, including one short but explicit bedroom scene. Of course they are actually married ... (view spoiler)[and by the time they sleep together he has remembered that. But the earlier kissing scene, in which clothing starts to come off even though Chris doesn't know they're married, really has no place in a traditional Regency novel. It's totally unbelievable. (hide spoiler)]...more
Kindle freebie Regency romance, March 3, 2020. Indie author, but if you like old-fashioned Regency romances it's worth a look. I've read about 4 of heKindle freebie Regency romance, March 3, 2020. Indie author, but if you like old-fashioned Regency romances it's worth a look. I've read about 4 of her other books over the years and thought they were pretty decent. ...more
Kindle freebie romance time again! 3.5 stars for this one - I'm rounding up because I'm giving an indie author the benefit of the break here.
Esther FoKindle freebie romance time again! 3.5 stars for this one - I'm rounding up because I'm giving an indie author the benefit of the break here.
Esther Fox is an orphaned young woman living with her well-meaning but fairly indifferent stepbrother and his wife. Her only relative, her brother Isaac, is on the Continent fighting Napoleon's armies. When she ends up in not one, but two, somewhat compromising situations with an old friend of her brother's, Silas Riley, an earl, he decides he needs to protect her reputation and announces to all and sundry that they're betrothed. (Silas was already attracted to Esther so it wasn't too tough of a choice for him).
Esther is already highly sensitive about being a burden and being told what to do by others, so Silas's somewhat high-handed actions rub her the wrong way, and she doesn't feel like she really belongs with him, his friends, or in his world. And so we have a couple in a marriage of convenience who are attracted to each other but having a hard time understanding the other's personality and needs, and aren't doing the best job at communicating with each other. And then another unexpected tragic event makes life for Esther and Silas even more difficult.
Most of the book revolves around their personality conflicts and lack of understanding. It got a little slow and bland for me at times, and I wasn't entirely onboard with Esther's issues relating to interpersonal relationships. But their characters are well-drawn and the book was reasonably interesting and well-written. Recommended if you like the squeaky-clean Regencies (kisses only, and those were pretty chaste)....more
I picked this up as a Kindle freebie ages ago and finally got around to reading it. Jaima Fixsen does some unusual things here with the normal RegencyI picked this up as a Kindle freebie ages ago and finally got around to reading it. Jaima Fixsen does some unusual things here with the normal Regency romance tropes: the heroine, Sophy, is an illegitimate child and the hero, Tom, is the gruff son of a wealthy merchant and his socially clueless wife, who are viewed by the gentry as social upstarts. (Their last name of Bagshot doesn't help matters.)
The story starts with Sophy's childhood, as the daughter of a governess who had an affair with the master of the house, Lord Fairchild (who, to be fair, really did love her). When Sophy's mother dies, Lord and Lady Fairchild take her in. Lady Fairchild feels about this the way you'd expect a betrayed wife to feel, but over the years she and Sophy gradually grow closer. Tom and Sophy meet when she gets caught in a storm and injured, and takes refuge in Tom’s and his mother’s home.
The story is a little slow at first and takes a while to get going, and even then I'd call it "deliberately paced" rather than a fast-paced, exciting read. The romance is fairly understated. At the same time, it's well-written and thoughtful, with interesting characters who often act in surprising ways. I recommend it if you enjoy the more traditional types of Regencies (as opposed to the spicy ones)....more
3.75 stars for this pair of Regency romance novellas (still priced at 99c for the Kindle version, if you're a Loretta Chase fan). They were fun, thoug3.75 stars for this pair of Regency romance novellas (still priced at 99c for the Kindle version, if you're a Loretta Chase fan). They were fun, though the second one is very short, more a short story than a novella.
4.25 stars for Lord Lovedon's Duel: Chloe's older sister Althea is getting married to Prince Louis, and the sisters overhear the Earl of Lovedon (seriously, that name) joking with his friends about how Louis is just marrying Althea for her money and was in love with someone else. After convincing her distraught sister that (a) Lovedon was drunk and didn't know anything about their relationship, and (b) Louis really does love her, Chloe sends Althea off and then (herself rather drunk) confronts Lovedon, insults him and challenges him to a duel. Chloe is swept away by her friend and her sister, but now she's caught Lovedon's attention ... and interest.
There's some great witty banter here, and I always enjoy reading romances where the couple is particularly intelligent. It's hilarious when they start sending notes to each other the next day, with Lovedon now demanding satisfaction from Chloe in a duel.
3.25 stars for The Jilting of Lord Rothwick: The Marquess of Rothwick takes a fast, stormy ride from London to the country home of Barbara Findley 50 miles away, wanting to find out exactly why she's calling off her engagement; she wrote him a letter breaking it off because they "don't suit." It's pretty simple, actually: Barbara - who has a startlingly large dowry of 200,000 pounds - knows that Rothwick is just marrying her for her money. (view spoiler)[She thought she was good with that, but she made the mistake of falling in love with him and has decided she doesn't want to marry someone she loves who doesn't love her back (which she doesn't want to admit to Rothwick). (hide spoiler)] It plays out about the way you might expect. It's a pretty standard RR, not really memorable or unusual in any way, but Chase writes well and I enjoyed the read.
Content note: These stories aren't nearly as steamy as Chase romances usually are. I'd call them PG....more
3.33 stars. A pleasant, short Regency romance, very loosely based on Beauty and the Beast. I mean, the Baron is a grumpy guy (but handsome; whatever b3.33 stars. A pleasant, short Regency romance, very loosely based on Beauty and the Beast. I mean, the Baron is a grumpy guy (but handsome; whatever beastliness there is, is solely internal), and the girl, Rose, comes to live in his mansion and be his servant and, eventually his friend. Oh, and Rose loves books. But that's about it for the fairy tale connection, so if you're into fairy tale retellings, don't get your hopes up here.
[image]
Rose Sinclair has fallen on extremely hard times, with her father in prison because his gambling addiction led to unpaid debts. Rose was the manager and bookkeeper of the family bookstore (sold to pay some of their debts). She musters up her courage and asks the Baron, Henry Covington, to let her handle his books. He's appalled by the idea - some of the money her father gambled away was Covington's investment with him - but her sad story and teary eyes lead him to offer her a job ... as an undermaid. With no home and nowhere else to go, Rose accepts.
It's a very rough job - especially since the main housekeeper hates Rose and the other servants resent her - but Rose starts to adjust. And of course she and Henry start to connect and overcome their differences. But ... there are Complications.
It's a cute, sweet romance novella. Nothing really new going on here, but fine to download as a freebie if you like this sort of pleasant, fluffy little diversion....more
Olivia, a bookish Regency lady who wears spectacles, gets a surprise proposal from the handsome Duke of Ashmont and agrees Runaway bride alert!
[image]
Olivia, a bookish Regency lady who wears spectacles, gets a surprise proposal from the handsome Duke of Ashmont and agrees to marry him. Everyone is thrilled ... except Olivia. She's sure Ashmont doesn't really care about her. The morning of her wedding, her courage bolstered by some alcohol, she climbs out of a window before the ceremony and takes off for ... who knows where? Not Olivia, that's for sure.
[image]
Ashmont's close friend, the Duke of Ripley, sees her and takes off after her, with the plan of protecting her from harm and persuading her to come back and marry Ashmont. As one thing after another goes wrong, Ripley and Olivia start to connect. But clearly it's impossible to pursue a relationship between them, especially in Regency society. Clearly. Of course.
Loretta Chase is usually a great choice if you’re looking for a well-written historical romance with interesting characters, humorous dialogue, and a large helping of steaminess, but this one just didn’t do it for me. The first half follows Olivia's and Ripley's misadventures around town. For whatever reason I found it incredibly tedious.
The second half - though much more interesting - involves (sort of a spoiler but, c’mon, could anyone really be surprised?) (view spoiler)[Olivia cheating on her fiancé with his friend. I mean, couldn’t you wait a day and officially break the engagement first? (hide spoiler)] But what’s a couple to do when they’re out in a rainstorm, but luckily there’s an empty cottage nearby (there always is) where they can take shelter from the storm?
Another swing and a miss on the Kindle freebie romances. This would be maybe a 3 star book - a pleasant Regency romance, though predictable and not weAnother swing and a miss on the Kindle freebie romances. This would be maybe a 3 star book - a pleasant Regency romance, though predictable and not well written, sorry - but I'm docking it a full star for, seriously, the WORST spelling and punctuation I've seen in a long, long time. Random capitalization in the middle of sentences ("What The Dowager didn't understand"), apostrophes in plural words and other words ending in “s” that don't need them ("The new Countess send's her apologies"), commas sneaking out of sentences they should have been in ("Their lips exploring demanding more") and into sentences where they don't belong ("Now he rolled his eyes, 'I doubt it, besides. It is not just you...' ").
But my FAVORITES were the misspellings! Like these:
"... the man understood his very lively hood depended upon his next statement." Which made me think of this:
[image]
... or maybe this:
[image]
Even better: "the chicken coup." Somewhere there's a gang of chickens plotting to overthrow the government.
[image]
The plot is cute if totally unrealistic: wealthy and handsome (of course) duke, Norwich, goes incognito at his friend's newly inherited estate so he can investigate why the estate isn't making as much money as it should. While roaming the estate he comes across lovely Anne Stafford up in an apple tree, stealing apples because she and her two younger sisters and their aunt ("Aunt Ester," who is apparently a chemical compound in disguise) are so impoverished. They chat, the tree branch breaks and he catches her, and it's love or at least lust at first sight. Norwich doesn't tell her he's actually a duke, but he knows there's no way he can pursue a relationship with a destitute commoner. Too bad fate has other plans ...
Anyway, it's cute if you like super fluffy, rather silly romances (with some steaminess, though it's pretty much all post-marriage) as long as you don't mind that the author apparently used a 5th 3rd grader to do her proofreading.
Kindle freebie romance time again! Nineteen year old Christine Devon, raised in the country and enthusiastic about horses, is on the verge of making hKindle freebie romance time again! Nineteen year old Christine Devon, raised in the country and enthusiastic about horses, is on the verge of making her debut in London society. Her hardhearted widowed father is counting on her making a match that will benefit their family. But her social graces are lacking despite her beauty and intelligence (a little improbable, but just roll with it), and she becomes aware of it after stepping in it at a couple of neighborhood parties. More improbably, she lands on the idea of asking Thomas Gilbert, a handsome young man she knows, to help her be a better conversationalist. And, oh yes, a better flirt too. Let's not forget that!
As they secretly meet for Christine's social lessons, the inevitable (in romance novels anyway) starts to happen. But there's a major barrier: Tom is DEFINITELY not wealthy or titled enough to satisfy Christine's father.
The Social Tutor has a draggy start ... and middle ... and I was starting to skim ... but it picks up nicely toward the end. The writing is decent for a self-published book, but there are a few noticeable spelling errors, like "his son poured over their records" (it's "pored"). It does get bonus points for using - not once, but twice - my favorite misspelling in Regency romances: "ring a peel". Bells peal, oranges peel!...more
Final comments and a DNF: So after a helpful discussion in the comment thread below, I read the first chapter, in which the heroine Nell, who's been mFinal comments and a DNF: So after a helpful discussion in the comment thread below, I read the first chapter, in which the heroine Nell, who's been married for a year to a nice (and wealthy, handsome and titled) guy, acts like an idiot and annoys me in more ways than I want to count. Okay, actually I will count: She's been wildly extravagant in her spending. She's giving money to her gambling addict brother to get him out of debt after her husband, Cardross, expressly forbade her from giving her brother more of his money. She flat-out lies about it when he asks her if she's done that again. She quivers like a rabbit. And she's decided, based on rumors and innuendos, that her husband doesn't love her, so she doesn't show him any love either. I wanted to smack her upside the head. (It's also clear that they both actually love each other but somehow this is getting lost in translation and their relationship is rocky.)
Anyway, it's clear that things are going to get a lot worse before they get better, so I skipped to the end just to get the HEA. Hah!
[image]
NO REGRETS.
Original post: Maybe I want to read this? I’m a Heyer fan, after all. But I checked this out from the library a couple of weeks ago so I could join this month’s group read of this book in the Georgette Heyer group, and I still haven’t been able to motivate myself to start reading it. Because I detest Big Misunderstandings in romance novels, especially when they’re between a married couple. USE YOUR WORDS PEOPLE.
Can anyone convince me this is worth my time? Because otherwise I think this book is heading back to the library unread ......more
For over seventeen hundred and fifty years, ever since the great Boudicca herself had sent the Romans fleeing Angland with the help of her second husband’s magery, a clearly defined line had been drawn in the public arena, never to be broken. The hard-headed ladies of Angland saw to the practicalities of rule whilst the more mystical and emotional gentlemen dealt with magic.
In this magical, alternative-history version of England, called Angland, traditional roles are genderbent: the women handle politics and rule the country, while men are the magicians. For many years Cassandra Harwood was the only female magician in Angland, a single exception to a fixed tradition that many in power regret having allowed. Cassandra is still kicking against the rules of society, even though she can no longer exercise her magical powers due to a deeply regretted choice in her past. But Cassandra recovered from her disappointment at her loss of magic and, following the maxim that “those who cannot do, teach,” she is now scandalizing society in a brand new way by setting up a College of Magic for young women at her ancestral home, Thornfell. Even if she’s teaching most of the classes herself and only has nine students, she feels strongly about giving magically-gifted young women the chance to exercise their talents.
But nothing’s ever simple for Cassandra: her newlywed husband, Rajaram Wrexham, was pulled away from her the morning of the day they were married five weeks ago by his job, handling magical crises all over the country for the women’s ruling council, the Boudiccate, and hasn’t been permitted to come home since. The Boudiccate has also sent a hostile delegation to inspect her new magical college, with the power to shut it down. And now someone is at Thornfell is tapping into sinister powers, leaving behind evidence of a dangerous blood bargain with a fey that could prove disastrous for everyone at Thornfell.
Thornbound is on the lighter side of Regency fantasy, but it has an amusing mystery plot (even if the villain isn’t too hard to suss out) and enjoyable characters. In fact, I liked this even better than the first book in this series, Snowspelled (having the second book in a series not be a letdown is always cause for cheering.) Along with Cassandra, Wrexham and a few other familiar characters from Snowspelled, we meet some appealing young women in the first class of female magicians ― it’s great to see them begin to learn how to use their magical powers ― and a half-fey housekeeper whom one had best not offend. Some characters develop unexpected new facets to their personalities. I liked the way Cassandra, a strong, fiercely independent woman, learns to rely on both family and friends around her to solve problems, rather than trying to handle everything herself.
The genderbent roles, which struck me as interesting but a bit gimmicky in Snowspelled, play out in some really interesting ways here. One of the politician women who is inspecting the Thornfell College of Magic tries to convince Cassandra to close her school by pointing out how, if women are allowed to practice magic, men will then start to demand the right to political roles … and that could eventually result in the men taking over the rule of Angland. It’s an entirely understandable fear! More amusing is this society’s solicitude for the reputation of unmarried gentlemen. Cassandra straight-facedly tells one man:
Given the circumstances, I’m sure no one will question your virtue if you choose to stay in Thornfell with the rest of us tonight. We’ll find you a room well away from any ladies, with a door that locks firmly from the inside.
While he appreciates others’ concerns, he bravely carries on (“With a married gentleman in residence, my reputation should be safe enough”).
Thornbound is a light, quick read, but Stephanie Burgis tucks a few significant social points into its plot along with the mystery and gender role humor. If you like light Regency fantasy, the HARWOOD SPELLBOOK series is worth checking out.
I received a free copy of this ebook for review from the author. Thank you!
Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽
>
Books:
regency
(160)
Loading...
