Many years ago, Regency romances used to be my preferred reading, a taste I shared with my mother, so there was always a plentiful supply of them around the house. More recently, I have preferred reading books with more emphasis on an interesting plot, not the formulaic "girl meets boy" romances in which the impediments the couple face on their way to the altar are the whole point of the story. I am happy to report that I just finished a book that meets both of these requirements: The Twelfth Enchantment (#435) by David Liss.
It's a Regency romance (complete with Lord Byron and the mystical poet William Blake) where a battle is being fought for the heart and soul of England and her people through the Industrial Revolution. If the mill owners succeed, humanity will be stamped out of every worker and magic will be banished from the Sceptered Isle. Only a penniless young woman, Lucy Derrick, has the power to prevent this bleak future from becoming reality, but she has no idea why these forces are rallying around her or what she is supposed to do about it, until a mysterious young woman and the man from Lucy's past who ruined her reputation and blighted her prospects arrive in Nottingham to assist her.
I could not put this book down. The supernatural creatures that surround Lucy and her married sister are frightening. Perhaps the pre-Halloween period is the best possible time to read such a tale, but it certainly fills the bill for an interesting story in which the romance is secondary, but still satisfying. I can't wait to read David Liss' newest book The Day of Atonement. I hope it matches the standard set by The Twelfth Enchantment.
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