A lord in danger. A magician in turmoil. A snowball in hell.
A Charm of Magpies, Book 1
Exiled to China for twenty years, Lucien Vaudrey never planned to return to England. But with the mysterious deaths of his father and brother, it seems the new Lord Crane has inherited an earldom. He’s also inherited his family’s enemies. He needs magical assistance, fast. He doesn’t expect it to turn up … assistance, fast. He doesn’t expect it to turn up angry.
Magician Stephen Day has good reason to hate Crane’s family. Unfortunately, it’s his job to deal with supernatural threats. Besides, the earl is unlike any aristocrat he’s ever met, with the tattoos, the attitude… and the way Crane seems determined to get him into bed. That’s definitely unusual.
Soon Stephen is falling hard for the worst possible man, at the worst possible time. But Crane’s dangerous appeal isn’t the only thing rendering Stephen powerless. Evil pervades the house, a web of plots is closing round Crane, and if Stephen can’t find a way through it — they’re both going to die.
Warning: Contains hot m/m sex between a deeply inappropriate earl and a very confused magician, dark plots in a magical version of Victorian England, family values (not the good kind), and a lot of swearing.
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I listened to the excellent audiobooks of this series and they were stellar. Loved Stephen and Crane SO much, and as always, KJ Charles is excellent with plotty plots and mysteries. The paranormal aspect was expertly handled as well in the balance between it and the historical setting. Steamy sex, compelling characters, and a page-turning plot. …
Loved it!
Lord Crane has returned to England after the death of his brother and father, to settle their legal matters and deal with the estate. Almost immediately he’s struck down by the relentless desire to take his own life and after several failed attempts, desperate measures are called for in the form of the mysterious but clearly troubled …
Absolutely freaking fantastic! This book blew me away and grabbed me in just the first few lines! I have a new author to add to my favorites list. Who knew a book set in Victorian England featuring magic, some gore, m/m leads and lots and lots of magpies would be so, well, magical?
If the thought of m/m sex makes you turn away from this story, …
A super start to a series I hadn’t read before – I loved the whole idea of the magpies, and the magic which carries over from some of K J Charles’ other books. The book is the usual mix of angst, romance and high-octane action and I enjoyed every single page. Looking forward to reading more in the series now!
This was such a fun and exciting read, made better by the MCs being who they were. I adored Stephen the most, he was small, but mighty and not afraid of anyone. He knew what he believed in, and did not waiver on that. Crane was a wonderful character as well in that he also was unapologetic in his practices and was happy to distance himself from …
Quel livre surprenant ! Difficile d’être original dans le monde de l’édition aujourd’hui, mais cette histoire de Harry Potter adulte et gay en lutte (sans baguette) contre les forces obscures dans l’Angleterre du XIXème siècle est surprenante et particulièrement divertissante. Les personnages sont bien campés, les dialogues alertes, l’histoire …
Engrossing. Can’t wait to read the next adventure of Crane and Day.
What a truly unique and absorbing book this was! I so look forward to delving deeper into what promises to be an engaging series by KJ Charles. Gothic Victorian setting, with a horror-lite/paranormal twist, and some sexy M/M chemistry and hot, hot lovin’! I was in heaven and couldn’t get to book 2 fast enough!
I adore this book. I bought it a while ago, but I never got around to reading it. Now I’m kicking myself that it took me so long. I loved everything from the plot to the characterization of Lord Crane and Stephen Day, to the world building and snappy dialogue. Crane and Day are both well-developed characters with their own strengths and …
The Magpie Lord is the first book of a six-book series. This book is a Victorian gothic fantasy that really appealed to me and I wanted so much to love it. After a few days, I realized that for me it turned out to be just an okay read. I really enjoyed the setting and the mystery in the book, and this still holds true even after a few days of …
Love love love this series!
This book is all about the marvelous characters. I loved Crane and Steven so much, which will likely carry me forward into the next book in the series. And this is coming from a reader who doesn’t like scary! Both men are fascinating and sooo sexy. I listened to the book in audio and it was narrated by Cornell Collins, who was fantastic and added …
It’s not that often I come across books like this in the MM romance genre. Not that I mind slice-of-life/drama stories in the least, but every now and again I come across gems like this that have a much wider narrative scope – pair this with my love of fantasy/the supernatural in general and I’m sold. The writing is excellent as well, and drew me …
Okay, it’s official. I’m in love with K J Charles. Picked up a copy of The Magpie Lord and couldn’t put it down. I love a good M/M, but this is even better, it’s a GREAT M/M, set in an historical fantasy world. Fantastic writing and page-turner storyline, perfectly complimented by some very steamy scenes. Heaven.
Fans of C S Pacat should check …
I love this whole series. Adore it. Wish there was either more of it, or more like it. I now own the paperbacks, that’s how much I love it. The main two leads are just so perfectly, unapologetically themselves and it shows throughout the books. If you want a fantasy/mystery/romance, you can’t do better than this series.
I will always pick up a magical mystery. That said, I adored this series beyond words and have read it several times. It’s got great characters, a good pace to the action, and I couldn’t predict everything that would happen. And that’s saying something, I’ve dropped many a book because I could see where the storyline was going. I highly recommend …
Audible Review
Overall 4 out of 5 stars
Performance 4 out of 5 stars
Story 4 out of 5 stars
Creepy, sweet, and overall really enjoyable.
I really enjoyed the previous series I’ve listened to by KJ Charles so I was excited to dive into this one, especially after seeing all the recommendations in the different audio groups I’m in on FB. The book …
I loved the attraction between Crane and Stephen and the mystery too….can’t wait to dig into all of her backlist! yay!
I loved the world building, the unusual setting (18th century London), the unique system of magic, and most of all, the romance. This is the first book in a terrific series that I would love to see more of.
An absolutely fan-bloody-tastic read.