This 2013 novel has been a recurring title that’s popped up in recommendation threads ever since I started looking intentionally for gay protagonists. I’ve read quite a few of Charles’ other works, primarily historical fiction romance instead of historical fantasy romance, and I think readers who enjoyed those will get a lot out of this book (and similarly, fans here should read later books; I generally think she’s improved as an author as time has gone on). The Magpie Lord is a romantasy from before the romantasy boom, and it doesn’t follow the same conventions as what’s being published now. While I’ve got some quibbles with this book, I’ll definitely be picking up the sequels sometime soon!
Read if Looking For: quick romance reads, assertive/submissive dynamics, sassy butlers, historical British settings
Avoid if Looking For: fleshed out mysteries, supernatural elements beyond magicians, queernormative worlds, slow burn romances
Elevator Pitch:
Lucien Vaudrey has lived in exile for decades, working as a smuggler and merchant in China. When his father and brother die from suicide however, he’s summoned home to accept his inheritance. When he realizes he’s living under the same curse that caused the death of his family, he summons a local magician Stephen Day to help him solve the problem. It turns out that something far more sinister is going on, and they travel to the countryside to unravel the mystery of Vaudrey’s family, and those seeking to exploit it. It doesn’t hurt that Stephen Day is quite attractive, either.
What Worked For Me:
The highlight of this book was definitely Lucien as a lead character. Gay leads in romance books tend to be one of three things: excessively insecure, sarcastic and self-sabotaging, or a sunshine himbo. Lucien is none of these. He’s assertive, competent, and quick thinking. Plus he’s got a ton of tattoos. This may not be notable today, but in 2013 certainly painted a different portrait of a ‘bad boy’ (even moreso in the historical British setting). I’m excited to see how he gets into more trouble in future books, and really hope that at least one of the sequels takes him back to China to meet some of his old contacts.
I also think the polish level of the writing is worth noting. Generally speaking, I want my romances to be easily understandable, have great dialogue, and keep things moving. This story hit all those beats, and didn’t do it in a way that felt forced, or trying to imitate the classic romance style. The setting was dark and gloomy, with just enough suspicion and terror to keep things rooted in a sense of urgency. It also did a good job with not shying away from the homophobia of the past – not that we’re rid of it yet – which has consistently been a high point for Charles’ writing.
It was a smooth, enjoyable listen, and at ~250 pages, it’s a book most readers will be able to get through far more quickly than the average fantasy read.
What Didn’t Work for Me:
Put simply, this book has a lot of classic issues that I find when women write gay men. I’ve enjoyed some of Charles’ later gay romances (and did quite like this one) but I really had to suspend my disbelief during sex scenes, as it didn’t feel like Charles had ever thought through the logistics of gay sex. It isn’t unusual in these types of books, but still disappointing. Some of her later books do a better job with this. Charles definitely has a trend of tall leads with short love interests, which isn’t a bad thing, just an interesting observation).
Similarly, while the vibes of the thriller were excellent, I couldn’t help but get the feeling that this was attempting to verge into mystery territory, and it just didn’t quite ‘click’ in that way. I didn’t see some of the plot beats or twists coming, but I also didn’t feel they were ‘earned’ or particularly engaging. Had the romance been stripped away from this story, I think it would have been a rather boring read, as the plot felt very ‘we went here, and things happened’. This was something I noticed in Slippery Creatures, one of Charles’ historical fiction romances.
In Conclusion: an engaging and well-written romantasy that had some issues with depictions of gay men, but overall was very enjoyable.
- Characters – 4
- Worldbuilding – 3
- Craft – 3
- Themes – 2
- Enjoyment – 4
Marked for Plot 
Charles’ later books are DEFINITELY better than the early ones (though I’m not 100% certain I understand the very devoted following she has). I don’t remember a lot of the details of this one, but I remember not being very impressed when I read it.
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