Book completed

[eve_prime]

Midnight Bargain, by C.L. Polk. Reread. This book was delightful, so I chose it for my recent bedtime reading. It’s set in a country much like Regency England, except that most men of standing are also sorcerers, having made a pact with a greater spirit that co-inhabits their body and does helpful things at their bidding. Women can’t do that, at least not during childbearing years, however, because a greater spirit would automatically possess the child they carry instead, and in their country that’s a capital crime for the child and its mother. So, upon marriage, women are required to wear a magic-muting collar that also mutes their emotions, basically causing mild depression.

Beatrice is having none of that. She wants to be a sorcerer, just like any man, and makes the lesser bargain with a spirit to help her get there. She needs a particular book to learn how to get a greater spirit, though, since she has no access to the magical school for young men – but when she finds the book, politeness requires she surrender it to another young woman who wants it. The other young woman, Ysbeta, also wants to be a sorcerer. Ysbeta is extremely wealthy, and Beatrice befriends her not only to get access to the book but also because the connection would be great for her father’s business. Meanwhile, Ysbeta has a brother who is gorgeous, also rich, with an ideal personality sympathetic to the female perspective, and who falls head over heels in love with Beatrice. But Beatrice can’t marry him because of that collar problem.

Or can she? Can Beatrice and Ysbeta really have it all?

It’s very entertaining, and the first time I read it I laughed out loud when I read the author’s concluding note, which included the phrase “Pokémon, but make it Jane Austen.”.

Comments

[kaishin108]

That sounds kind of fun! I added it to my B&N Wishlist.:)

[eve_prime]

I found it quite delightful! :)

[claidheamhmor]

That does sound like a lot of fun!

[eve_prime]

It's a book I'll happily reread. :)