Tag Archives: regency

Quick Take: Glamourist Histories by Mary Robinette Kowal

Shades of Milk and HoneyGlamour in GlassWIthout a SummerValor and Vanity

 

 

As part of my quest to find books set in the Regency period, especially fantasy, I found this delightful series by Mary Robinette Kowal. It starts with Shades of Milk and Honey (Glamourist Histories) and continues with three more, most recent published this year. I don’t see any reason for the series to stop. It seems like it could keeping going for a while and I wouldn’t get tired of it. Jane Austen is a huge inspiration for the series, especially the first book. If you can imagine Jane Austen with magic, this might be what she wrote. Unlike the Regency romance novels found in the romance aisle, this series follows the same two main characters from the first book as they have more adventures. And adventures they have! This structure also gives the opportunity to deeply explore a marriage and some of the pressures on a marriage from the time period. I think the second book and the fourth book have been my favorites, but that’s just personal preference. They are all wonderful. Highly recommended.

Quick Take: Hawkwood by James McGee

I picked this up as one of the few books, other than straight romance novels, that I could find at the library set in early nineteenth century England/Regency period. I found the book started off a little slow, especially as I got used to a more distant writing style/POV than I am used to, but it picked up and proved to be a fascinating might-have-been involving a French plot, Bow Street Runners and early submarine warfare. The details of the period were numerous and intricate. I appreciated getting a view of the grittier side of London during that time. Overall, a good read featuring a mysterious hero. Mature readers only.

Quick Take: A Matter of Magic by Patricia Wrede

A Matter of Magic by Patricia WredeI read A Matter of Magic by Patricia Wrede as part of my quest to read more books set in the Regency period, with the goal to get ideas of how to do things in my Dakotashi series. A very enjoyable fantasy, just the type of thing I was looking for. The characters were delightful. The authentic dialect was a little overwhelming. I’d like to add more of that kind of flavor to my dialogue without going too far.