If one is to believe the gossip, she might be some kind of malign enchantress. And there are few less desirable than Lady Georgianna Landrake-a brooding, alluring young woman sardonically nicknamed “the Duke of Annadale”-who may or may not have murdered her own father and brothers to inherit their fortune. However, as the curse progresses to more fatal proportions, Miss Mitchelmore must seek out aid, even if that means mixing with undesirable company. It begins innocuously enough with her dress slowly unmaking itself over the course of an evening at a high-profile ball, a scandal she narrowly manages to escape. Miss Maelys Mitchelmore finds her entry into high society hindered by an irritating curse. There are balls to attend, fashions to follow, marriages to consider, and, of course, the tiny complication of existing in a world swarming with fairy spirits, interfering deities, and actual straight-up sorcerers. It is the year 1814, and life for a young lady of good breeding has many difficulties. (Jan.A young noblewoman must pair up with an alleged witch to ward off a curse in this irresistible sapphic romance from the bestselling author of Boyfriend Material. Agent: Courtney Miller-Callihan, Handspun Literary. This is Hall playing in the shallow end of his considerable reservoir of talent, and it lacks the heartache and romantic apotheosis of his strongest works. Hijinks ensue via a string of rom-com tropes alternately subverted and played straight as the men chase after her-and of course fall in love along the way. by Arabella’s outraged and very camp brother, Bonaventure, who is seeking assistance in intercepting her on her presumed flight to Dover. Their botched engagement leads to Valentine being dragged from his bed at four a.m. It kicks off with runaway bride Arabella Tarleton, who is quite hyperbolically opposed to matrimony with the very correct (even prim) Valentine, Duke of Malvern. The result is a sometimes overextended comic skit with 19th-century set dressing, scant on atmosphere and feels, focused instead on the rapid-fire dealing of the next sparkling and implausible gag. Lest readers be tempted to take the latest from Hall ( Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake) at face value as a Regency romance, attention is directed to the word “fabulous” in the title-as well as “lumberjack,” “debrief,” and any number of other anachronisms that pepper this wonderfully queer mash-up/send-up of buddy movies, Austen novels, and classic rom-coms.

Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall