Blurb:
A cozy, cottage-core Regency fantasy perfect for fans of Bridgerton
Elena Whitstone and her seven brothers, abandoned by her mother, find
themselves with a new stepmother. At first she seems more neglectful than evil,
until just after Christmas she proves herself to be worse than evil; she is an
actual magician, a Master of Water, who attempts to muder Elena's seven
brothers when they are skating. When they survive that attempt by transforming
into swans, she drives them away.
But the shock of having all of his heirs perish in a frozen pond is too much
for Elena's father. He dies, and his widow is abruptly confronted with the
inconvenient truth that the estate is entailed, and she not only must leave,
she is lawfully in charge of Elena.
Furious, and possessing "only" what was gifted to her during her
marriage, the stepmother retreats to Bath, to take up residence in the
luxurious townhouse that was bought for her, and resume her former profession
as a "Cyprian," a very exclusive courtesan, with Elena reluctantly
posing as a page-boy and her servant. Nothing lasts forever, of course, and
three years later, Elena is rapidly maturing too much to continue that
ruse--and the stepmother is facing the ravages of time. The stepmother concocts
a plan to establish an exclusive brothel and regain her wealth by selling Elena
to the highest bidder.
Alone, Elena must not only find a way to save herself, but to reverse the spell
that has transformed her brothers.
The latest in Mercedes Lackey's Elemental Masters series is a stand-alone
romantasy based on Hans Christian Anderson’s The Wild Swans.
My review:
This is a retelling of Hans Christian Anderson’s The
Wild Swans told as only Mercedes Lackey can.
Elena is the youngest and only female in a family of eight
siblings. She is largely ignored by her father and she likes it that way. But
the new stepmonster is another story. Using her skills and quick wit she manages
to get by but her brothers aren’t so lucky. It falls to Elena to save them but
first she has to save herself.
Magic, lust, cruelty and greed this tale has it all. Highly
recommend.
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