Genre: Historical Fantasy, Romance
LGBTQ+ Category: Bi, Gay
Reviewer: Tony
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About The Book
Theodore Burnett has never been a hero. He prefers comfort to combat-spells, and jam-slathered scones to muddy boots. Fortunately, as the youngest-ever head librarian at the Royal College of Wizardry, Theo can spend his days with books and bibliomancy in place of battle-magic or politics — and in any case Napoleon’s been defeated and the war’s been won.
But now there’s a wounded captain of the Magicians’ Corps in Theo’s library. And he needs Theo’s help. And Theo can never resist a mystery, especially when that mystery’s tall and tempting and handsome.
Captain Henry Tourmaline, formerly of His Majesty’s Army and the Magicians’ Corps, requires assistance. He’s returned to London with scars on his body, soul, and heart — war, after all, will do that to anyone. But one of those scars refuses to heal, a curse that’s slowly draining Henry’s magic and eventually his life. The physicians have no answers, so Henry turns to the College’s books … and the College’s attractive head librarian. But the curse is unpredictable, and the last thing Henry wants is to drag someone else into the line of fire, particularly someone as kind and innocent and brilliant as Theo.
Theo wants to save Henry. Henry wants to keep Theo safe. Together, perhaps they can do both … while uncovering a perilous secret behind a spell, a deadly puzzle in the archives, and their own heart’s desires.
The Review
Spells and Sensibilities‘ title is a play on Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibilities and is set about the same time. It also has some similarities with Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell, being set during the Napoleonic Wars and having magicians playing a part in the wars. Unlike in Jonathan Strange, English magic is still active. Not just English magic – the French have got some powerful magicians of their own too.
So it’s set in the Regency period, but it did not really feel like it, other than references to titled gentry and their lifestyles, attending balls, and being presented at court. We don’t 0really experience that life here – what we get instead, are lots of well buttered crumpets and toast, cakes and tarts, with plenty of jam thrown in.
Theodore Burnett is a magician and the head librarian for the Royal College of Wizardry, and is happy with his very ordered life until some muddy boots turn it upside down. The muddy boots belong to Captain Henry Tourmaline, lately of His Majesty’s and the Magicians’ Corps, who has fallen asleep in the library.
Henry is a damaged hero in need of healing on a number of fronts. It so happens that Theo may be the man for the job.
The story follows them over a period of about a week, as they investigate what’s been done to Henry and how they can put it right. That part of the story is very good.
What is less good is the amount of time we spend inside the two protagonists’ heads, going over and over the same stuff and, to a certain extent, in their pants. I struggled with how many times some things were repeated – that Theo was short, kind and fond of sweet things, or that Henry was tall, thin and suffering from PTSD.
That aside, this is an intriguing tale with some intelligent insights into two very different character traits and how they might mesh. The pace is a bit slow until near the end, but it was well worth waiting for when things get going.
The Reviewer
Tony is an Englishman living amongst the Welsh and the Other Folk in the mountains of Wales. He lives with his partner of thirty-six years, four dogs, two ponies, various birds, and his bees. He is a retired lecturer and a writer of no renown but that doesn’t stop him enjoying what he used to think of as ‘sensible’ fantasy and sf. He’s surprised to find that if the story is well written and has likeable characters undergoing the trails of life, i.e. falling in love, falling out of love, having a bit of nooky (but not all the time), fending off foes, aliens and monsters, etc., he’ll be happy as a sandperson who has just offloaded a wagon of sand at the going market price. As long as there’s a story, he’s in. He aims to write fair and honest reviews. If he finds he is not the target reader he’ll move on.
