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French Letters #2
The Mischievous Letters of the Marquise de Q
Paris, 1825 . Losing her husband is the best thing to happen to Delphine in ages. After he used magic to control her, Delphine’s only regret is that she didn’t kill that petty tyrant herself. Widowed, Delphine can pursue her dashing rescuer, the androgynous novelist Camille Dupin—and solve the mystery of her first love, a man called Ari who disappeared before Delphine could tell him she was pregnant with his child. Ari isn’t dead. Three years ago, he stole a magical weapon from a powerful man and was exiled to a distant prison. When a stroke of luck allows him to escape, he sets out to confront the man who ruined his life and reunite with Delphine. He never expected to find her in bed with Camille, or to find himself falling in love with both of them.
Camille loves Delphine and was almost ready to let her guard down. Ari’s reappearance stirs up old hurts and threatens them all—Ari’s enemy will stop at nothing to get his stolen artifact back. Camille’s conscience won’t let her abandon Delphine and Ari in danger, but she won’t stay to have her heart broken once they’re safe. Before Delphine, Camille, and Ari can imagine a happy future, they’ll have to reckon with the past.
Camille loves Delphine and was almost ready to let her guard down. Ari’s reappearance stirs up old hurts and threatens them all—Ari’s enemy will stop at nothing to get his stolen artifact back. Camille’s conscience won’t let her abandon Delphine and Ari in danger, but she won’t stay to have her heart broken once they’re safe. Before Delphine, Camille, and Ari can imagine a happy future, they’ll have to reckon with the past.
374 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 14, 2023
2 people are currently reading
146 people want to read
About the author
Felicia Davin
15 books198 followersWhen not writing and reading fiction, Felicia Davin (she/they) can be found teaching or translating French. She loves linguistics, singing, and baking. She is bisexual, but not ambidextrous.
Originally from Kentucky, she currently lives in Massachusetts with her partner and their cat.
Originally from Kentucky, she currently lives in Massachusetts with her partner and their cat.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 5, 2023
Disclaimer: I received an advanced reader's copy courtesy of the author (this was my first ever ARC, very exciting!) in return for an honest review.
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I really enjoyed the first entry in Felicia Davin's French Letters series, which the author herself describes as "Balzac, but horny and queer and magic". If this description does not appeal to you, then I can only assume you didn't share my school-girl fascination with the Be Gay Do Crime trailblazer Vautrin, and instead perhaps spent your teenage years actually having a social life (but were that true, would you be spending your free time on goodreads. com? unlikely).
In any case, while I was of course super grateful for the opportunity to read "The Scandalous Letters of V and J" over daily e-mail updates, I did have a few niggles, which in hindsight might all boil down to the book simply being a tad too long. Now, I am well aware that Davin had a whole magic system to set up while simultaneously keeping up an engaging romantic and dramatic plot going, so the 500+ pages and the at times heavy-handed exposition were perhaps to be expected. Even with those criticism, I could clearly see that the world Davin had created, with its strange magical artefacts, gender-altering art, and dastardly villains, was one I would gladly returned to.
So I was pleased as punch when one of her regular newsletters came with an offer to sign up for an ARC of the next book, which I'd already known would be a poly romance between the George Sand-esque novelist Camille, her beloved Delphine, and Delphine's long lost (and presumed dead) lover Ari. (Again, if this description does not spark joy, I don't know what to tell you. A handsome female novelist walking around in men's clothes, flouting all convention!! A beautiful, charming young widow determined to win her heart! A man who is clearly a Count of Monte Christo stand-in!!! What's not to like??)
Once again, the story was told almost exclusively though the epistolary form, be it through letters exchanged by the protagonists, notes to their friends, or in private diary entries. Davin already showed she was a master of the form in the first book, but in "The Mischievous Letters of the Marquise de Q" she somehow exibits an even stronger understanding of how to wield the epistolary form to her advantage. "Mischievous Letter" is a *much* tighter novel than its predecessor - all of the worldbuilding, intrigue and character work that Davin painstakingly laid out in book one are already familiar to the reader, so the actual narrative feels much more focused. Instead of the protagonists (and by extention, the readers) being overwhelmed with an onslaught of revelations and new information, the characters' main concern (other than, you know, thwarting dastardly villains, that bit hasn't changed) is how to find happines and love, and whether they can make it work as a throuple (spoiler alert: they can).
While in book one I at times struggled to understand and fully sympathise with Victor, I had no such problems with the protagonists of book two, as I found them all an unmitigated delight. The whole novel is in a way structured around Delphine as its lynchpin, so right from the get-go the readers get the chance to develop an especially strong sense of her voice. Camille in turn we already know and love as Julie(n)'s friend and confidant, and Ari, while only entering the narrative at about the half-way point, had been so constantly present in Delphine's thoughts that the readers already had the chance to buy into him as a lovable character way before his writing ever graced the page.
While these books do deal in some heavy topics (Davin provides detailed content warnings at the beginning of the book, but if you know that the premise is "what if terrible, power-hungry men who love control also had magic at their disposal" then it won't be too hard for you to fill in the blanks), there is such a steady, bubbling undercurrent of joy in them. Davin's protagonists are queer (sometimes as pertains to gender, always as pertains to sexuality) and this is never a source of conflict, censure or shame - rather, queerness is celebrated, but also kind of taken as a given? Which is an approach I am seeing more and more of in the fantasy I am reading, and I can't say I mind it one bit.
All in all, a delightful time, would wholeheartedly recommend. If you shared my experience of enjoying book one but feeling like it was just a tad too rambly and unfocused, I think this one will do the trick very nicely. Many thanks to the author for the ARC, and I really hope she continues on with the tradition, bcs my copy of "The Mischievous Letters" also contained the first chapter of book three and hnghhh I NEED IT I WANT IT I CRAVE IT!!! I knew from book one that there was more to [redacted] than meets the eye and now you're telling me he's a [redacted] ripoff???? frothing at the mouth, biting at the walls of my enclosure, howling at the moon etc. etc. Also Isabelle's narrative voice is super neat, I love a crabby immortal lady!
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I really enjoyed the first entry in Felicia Davin's French Letters series, which the author herself describes as "Balzac, but horny and queer and magic". If this description does not appeal to you, then I can only assume you didn't share my school-girl fascination with the Be Gay Do Crime trailblazer Vautrin, and instead perhaps spent your teenage years actually having a social life (but were that true, would you be spending your free time on goodreads. com? unlikely).
In any case, while I was of course super grateful for the opportunity to read "The Scandalous Letters of V and J" over daily e-mail updates, I did have a few niggles, which in hindsight might all boil down to the book simply being a tad too long. Now, I am well aware that Davin had a whole magic system to set up while simultaneously keeping up an engaging romantic and dramatic plot going, so the 500+ pages and the at times heavy-handed exposition were perhaps to be expected. Even with those criticism, I could clearly see that the world Davin had created, with its strange magical artefacts, gender-altering art, and dastardly villains, was one I would gladly returned to.
So I was pleased as punch when one of her regular newsletters came with an offer to sign up for an ARC of the next book, which I'd already known would be a poly romance between the George Sand-esque novelist Camille, her beloved Delphine, and Delphine's long lost (and presumed dead) lover Ari. (Again, if this description does not spark joy, I don't know what to tell you. A handsome female novelist walking around in men's clothes, flouting all convention!! A beautiful, charming young widow determined to win her heart! A man who is clearly a Count of Monte Christo stand-in!!! What's not to like??)
Once again, the story was told almost exclusively though the epistolary form, be it through letters exchanged by the protagonists, notes to their friends, or in private diary entries. Davin already showed she was a master of the form in the first book, but in "The Mischievous Letters of the Marquise de Q" she somehow exibits an even stronger understanding of how to wield the epistolary form to her advantage. "Mischievous Letter" is a *much* tighter novel than its predecessor - all of the worldbuilding, intrigue and character work that Davin painstakingly laid out in book one are already familiar to the reader, so the actual narrative feels much more focused. Instead of the protagonists (and by extention, the readers) being overwhelmed with an onslaught of revelations and new information, the characters' main concern (other than, you know, thwarting dastardly villains, that bit hasn't changed) is how to find happines and love, and whether they can make it work as a throuple (spoiler alert: they can).
While in book one I at times struggled to understand and fully sympathise with Victor, I had no such problems with the protagonists of book two, as I found them all an unmitigated delight. The whole novel is in a way structured around Delphine as its lynchpin, so right from the get-go the readers get the chance to develop an especially strong sense of her voice. Camille in turn we already know and love as Julie(n)'s friend and confidant, and Ari, while only entering the narrative at about the half-way point, had been so constantly present in Delphine's thoughts that the readers already had the chance to buy into him as a lovable character way before his writing ever graced the page.
While these books do deal in some heavy topics (Davin provides detailed content warnings at the beginning of the book, but if you know that the premise is "what if terrible, power-hungry men who love control also had magic at their disposal" then it won't be too hard for you to fill in the blanks), there is such a steady, bubbling undercurrent of joy in them. Davin's protagonists are queer (sometimes as pertains to gender, always as pertains to sexuality) and this is never a source of conflict, censure or shame - rather, queerness is celebrated, but also kind of taken as a given? Which is an approach I am seeing more and more of in the fantasy I am reading, and I can't say I mind it one bit.
All in all, a delightful time, would wholeheartedly recommend. If you shared my experience of enjoying book one but feeling like it was just a tad too rambly and unfocused, I think this one will do the trick very nicely. Many thanks to the author for the ARC, and I really hope she continues on with the tradition, bcs my copy of "The Mischievous Letters" also contained the first chapter of book three and hnghhh I NEED IT I WANT IT I CRAVE IT!!! I knew from book one that there was more to [redacted] than meets the eye and now you're telling me he's a [redacted] ripoff???? frothing at the mouth, biting at the walls of my enclosure, howling at the moon etc. etc. Also Isabelle's narrative voice is super neat, I love a crabby immortal lady!
November 10, 2023
I defy anyone to resist this sentence:
Yes, the epistolary format is an artifice. Ugh, so what, haven't you ever eaten a dish that was highly elaborated, and delicious, and surprisingly substantial? Thus both of Felicia Davin's French Letters novels, the equally excellent Scandalous Letters of V & J being the first. What I mean to say is that they're gorgeous, moving, plotty love stories nested in a trickily constructed architecture. Also, they're funny and sexy.
Mischievous Letters picks up where Scandalous Letters left off, but focuses on three different characters: Delphine (the woman rescued from the will-destroying emerald necklace at the end of Scandalous Letters); Camille (the androgynous novelist whose Virginie is the favorite book of Delphine and ...); Ari (Delphine's lover, who at the book's start has mysteriously disappeared). Victor and Julie/Julien are around, as well, as is the villain, Maximilien Taillefer, a person so terrible that when he gets his hideous comeuppance you will be exactly as sorry as our protagonists are: not at all.
I could write a review that consisted of nothing but laudatory adjectives, but how about some quotes instead?
Delphine writing to Ari during his disappearance: I wanted to tell you something happy. Every happiness in my life is like watered wine now. The flavor is familiar, but it used to taste better.
If you come back, I’ll be drunk so fast that my face will redden and I’ll trip into your arms. Entirely unsuitable, but I never wanted to be suitable for anyone but you.
Camille, crushing on Delphine: In plain brown wool, with one of my old cloaks covering her from shoulder to ankle, the hem decorated with clumps of snow and broken straw, still she looks like a tempting confection I can’t afford.
Delphine, at her wits' end: “I want to go outside and scream. I want to spit and hiss and howl. I want to shoot a gun. I want a cigar. I want wine, or brandy, or laudanum, or absinthe. I want to smash something— my skull against the wall, perhaps.”
Delphine, on meeting the protagonist of the next book in this series: A strange woman breaking into my home and offering me lessons in murder is a solid foundation for friendship, I think.
Ari, writing about his experiences while he was gone: What I wanted most was to die or come back to you. In both cases, almost fails to satisfy.
Ari describing how Camille shaves him and cuts his hair when he can't do it himself: Camille was merely trying to make me slightly more presentable without hurting me, and still I could have melted. It would always be between us now, this moment. She’d made me feel something I hadn’t felt in years. That was a power she’d always have over me, and I’d yielded it to her.
Delphine, of Camille: It’s not every day you meet someone who hears you threaten to kill a man and then patiently explains that they are worried about you, not him. I must do everything in my power to keep her.
I'm not quoting any of the sex scenes, because snippets would be even more useless in conveying their full effect than are the non-sexy snippets above. Let's just say that if you have any questions about the logistics of a threesome, Felicia Davin can answer them to your satisfaction.
Yes, I got an ARC from the author. I asked for it because on the basis of past performance I figured I'd be in for a good time. I was right.
The best thing to do when two men have recently died mysterious and abrupt deaths in your home is to withdraw to the countryside.
Yes, the epistolary format is an artifice. Ugh, so what, haven't you ever eaten a dish that was highly elaborated, and delicious, and surprisingly substantial? Thus both of Felicia Davin's French Letters novels, the equally excellent Scandalous Letters of V & J being the first. What I mean to say is that they're gorgeous, moving, plotty love stories nested in a trickily constructed architecture. Also, they're funny and sexy.
Mischievous Letters picks up where Scandalous Letters left off, but focuses on three different characters: Delphine (the woman rescued from the will-destroying emerald necklace at the end of Scandalous Letters); Camille (the androgynous novelist whose Virginie is the favorite book of Delphine and ...); Ari (Delphine's lover, who at the book's start has mysteriously disappeared). Victor and Julie/Julien are around, as well, as is the villain, Maximilien Taillefer, a person so terrible that when he gets his hideous comeuppance you will be exactly as sorry as our protagonists are: not at all.
I could write a review that consisted of nothing but laudatory adjectives, but how about some quotes instead?
Delphine writing to Ari during his disappearance: I wanted to tell you something happy. Every happiness in my life is like watered wine now. The flavor is familiar, but it used to taste better.
If you come back, I’ll be drunk so fast that my face will redden and I’ll trip into your arms. Entirely unsuitable, but I never wanted to be suitable for anyone but you.
Camille, crushing on Delphine: In plain brown wool, with one of my old cloaks covering her from shoulder to ankle, the hem decorated with clumps of snow and broken straw, still she looks like a tempting confection I can’t afford.
Delphine, at her wits' end: “I want to go outside and scream. I want to spit and hiss and howl. I want to shoot a gun. I want a cigar. I want wine, or brandy, or laudanum, or absinthe. I want to smash something— my skull against the wall, perhaps.”
Delphine, on meeting the protagonist of the next book in this series: A strange woman breaking into my home and offering me lessons in murder is a solid foundation for friendship, I think.
Ari, writing about his experiences while he was gone: What I wanted most was to die or come back to you. In both cases, almost fails to satisfy.
Ari describing how Camille shaves him and cuts his hair when he can't do it himself: Camille was merely trying to make me slightly more presentable without hurting me, and still I could have melted. It would always be between us now, this moment. She’d made me feel something I hadn’t felt in years. That was a power she’d always have over me, and I’d yielded it to her.
Delphine, of Camille: It’s not every day you meet someone who hears you threaten to kill a man and then patiently explains that they are worried about you, not him. I must do everything in my power to keep her.
I'm not quoting any of the sex scenes, because snippets would be even more useless in conveying their full effect than are the non-sexy snippets above. Let's just say that if you have any questions about the logistics of a threesome, Felicia Davin can answer them to your satisfaction.
Yes, I got an ARC from the author. I asked for it because on the basis of past performance I figured I'd be in for a good time. I was right.
November 5, 2023
I received a review copy from the author in return for my honest review.
I adored The Scandalous Letters and The Mischievous Letters is just as absurdly, deliciously good. It's a book you devour like a bottle of wine, intending only to have one glass and then noticing you're hot and dizzy and you've drunk the whole bottle. I almost wish I had savoured it more...but that's why I'll buy the paperback when it's out, and read it more slowly and indulgently on a second visit.
This is a bi polyamorous romance, by which I mean it's bi4bi4bi and VERY sexy and VERY tender. The characters are hungrily and hornily in love with each other. The forced proximity of Delphine's two lovers and the hurt/comfort that stokes their attraction is excellent. I love the journey they take and the natural conclusion they come to: that all three of them belong together and that is a choice they can make.
Other things I love about this book include the adorable child who lends a bit of unexpected glue to the main characters and the family they create together; the interesting and/or terrible new magical artifacts we encounter; glimpses of V and J and other characters I love from the first book; and, of course, Davin's vivid writing which seems to flirt with the words themselves as much as it flirts with the reader - and seems to come more from the characters' pens than an external creator (this all makes the experience of reading and the marvel of the writing that much more remarkable!).
Thank you enormously to the author for the early copy! I am biting my fingernails to find out what Isabelle and [redacted; unrevealed but I have a guess!] get up to in the next book.
As always, remember to check the content warnings!
I adored The Scandalous Letters and The Mischievous Letters is just as absurdly, deliciously good. It's a book you devour like a bottle of wine, intending only to have one glass and then noticing you're hot and dizzy and you've drunk the whole bottle. I almost wish I had savoured it more...but that's why I'll buy the paperback when it's out, and read it more slowly and indulgently on a second visit.
This is a bi polyamorous romance, by which I mean it's bi4bi4bi and VERY sexy and VERY tender. The characters are hungrily and hornily in love with each other. The forced proximity of Delphine's two lovers and the hurt/comfort that stokes their attraction is excellent. I love the journey they take and the natural conclusion they come to: that all three of them belong together and that is a choice they can make.
Other things I love about this book include the adorable child who lends a bit of unexpected glue to the main characters and the family they create together; the interesting and/or terrible new magical artifacts we encounter; glimpses of V and J and other characters I love from the first book; and, of course, Davin's vivid writing which seems to flirt with the words themselves as much as it flirts with the reader - and seems to come more from the characters' pens than an external creator (this all makes the experience of reading and the marvel of the writing that much more remarkable!).
Thank you enormously to the author for the early copy! I am biting my fingernails to find out what Isabelle and [redacted; unrevealed but I have a guess!] get up to in the next book.
As always, remember to check the content warnings!
June 29, 2024
ahhhhh this was so fun!!! some plot about killing abusers and getting free from awful situations, but mostly about love and friendship and family. my second poly book in a manner of days and very into how authors manage to get all of the characters together. love the continuation of this world, happy to know there will be a third one soon!
November 7, 2023
Davin's done it again. The world they created in The Scandalous Letters of V and J becomes even richer in its sequel. The mechanics of the magic artifacts, a major driver of plot in the first book, instead serve as scaffolding to the narrative, which focuses on the healing power of queer love in the face of trauma and pain. Each character has a strong voice and motivations, and the romance feels earned and satisfying.
For anyone who has read a story about a love triangle and asked themselves, 'Why not both?', this book is for you.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of the eBook.
For anyone who has read a story about a love triangle and asked themselves, 'Why not both?', this book is for you.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of the eBook.
Read
August 21, 2025We read all books in the series and reviewed them together. Find more at The Scandalous Letters of V and J and The Anonymous Letters of C Forestier, and our full review can be read at The Smut Report.
Heat Factor: Fairly explicit
Character Chemistry: The attraction may be instant, but I absolutely believed the connection
Plot: We are dealing with dangerous magical objects and writing lots of letters
Overall: I really enjoyed this series; book 3 is an absolute banger
The eponymous Marquise de Q (Delphine) is married to the terrible Marquis de Q, who is one of those guys who likes to collect cursed artifacts for the fun of it. At the end of The Scandalous Letters of V and J, the terrible Marquis has put an emerald necklace on his wife that allows him to control her actions completely; Victor and Julie(n) rescue her and destroy the necklace. Her husband is killed (by another guy who wants the necklace, more on him in a minute) in the aftermath.
While this book also includes the timeframe when Delphine is under control of the necklace, most of this book is about the love triangle Delphine finds herself in after the death of her husband. She is torn between her long lost love from before her marriage (Ari, spent some intervening time in prison for unjust causes, very Jean Valjean of him) and the person who gave her a ton of support right after she escaped the necklace (Camille, very sexy and successful author).
Obviously, the best solution to a love triangle situation in romance is a throuple and that’s where we end up…but I did feel like the attraction between Ari and Camille was not well-developed.
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Heat Factor: Fairly explicit
Character Chemistry: The attraction may be instant, but I absolutely believed the connection
Plot: We are dealing with dangerous magical objects and writing lots of letters
Overall: I really enjoyed this series; book 3 is an absolute banger
The eponymous Marquise de Q (Delphine) is married to the terrible Marquis de Q, who is one of those guys who likes to collect cursed artifacts for the fun of it. At the end of The Scandalous Letters of V and J, the terrible Marquis has put an emerald necklace on his wife that allows him to control her actions completely; Victor and Julie(n) rescue her and destroy the necklace. Her husband is killed (by another guy who wants the necklace, more on him in a minute) in the aftermath.
While this book also includes the timeframe when Delphine is under control of the necklace, most of this book is about the love triangle Delphine finds herself in after the death of her husband. She is torn between her long lost love from before her marriage (Ari, spent some intervening time in prison for unjust causes, very Jean Valjean of him) and the person who gave her a ton of support right after she escaped the necklace (Camille, very sexy and successful author).
Obviously, the best solution to a love triangle situation in romance is a throuple and that’s where we end up…but I did feel like the attraction between Ari and Camille was not well-developed.
Blog | Bluesky | Facebook | Instagram | Threads | Pinterest
November 11, 2023
I received an ARC from the author and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Earlier this year, I had the pleasure to read the first in Felicia Davin’s new series, The Scandalous Letters of V and J, when they chose the creative choice to deliver the book initially in installments, due to its largely epistolary format. While that book was a little long, that made the presentation in installments work. While the follow–up, The Mischievous Letters of the Marquise de Q is similar in style, also evoking a similar style and feel to Balzac and other 19th-century French literature, the first book relied a lot on setting up the unique, subtle magic and intricate relationships, meriting the longer length, whereas this book can build on where that one left off, while still being a solid, self-contained romance.
Davin has mastered the primarily epistolary format, with her characters fliriting and romancing through letters in as efficient a way as they would in person. It’s also balanced by diary entries and other scenes that further flesh out the characters and relationships, and I very much rooted for them. I enjoyed the complex interplay between Delphine, Camille, and Ari, with Delphine and Ari having a past attachment that ended when he was sent to prison, and now they’re reunited. In the present, Delphine is involved with Camille, and Ari’s return shakes it up. It was fun to not just see Delphine reckoning with her complex feelings, but also see Camille and Ari bonding, first as reluctant friends who happen to both love Delphine, and then falling in love on their own terms.
And while each book follows a different romance, I love that there is overlap, with some peeks at what Julien/Julie and Victor are up to, due to their epistolary interactions with this book’s main characters, not to mention the gradual centering the next book’s protagonist, the intriguing Isabelle.
This was an amazing read, and I’m excited for what’s next. If you’re looking for a queer historical fantasy romance, I’d recommend checking this out, especially if classic literature references are your thing.
Earlier this year, I had the pleasure to read the first in Felicia Davin’s new series, The Scandalous Letters of V and J, when they chose the creative choice to deliver the book initially in installments, due to its largely epistolary format. While that book was a little long, that made the presentation in installments work. While the follow–up, The Mischievous Letters of the Marquise de Q is similar in style, also evoking a similar style and feel to Balzac and other 19th-century French literature, the first book relied a lot on setting up the unique, subtle magic and intricate relationships, meriting the longer length, whereas this book can build on where that one left off, while still being a solid, self-contained romance.
Davin has mastered the primarily epistolary format, with her characters fliriting and romancing through letters in as efficient a way as they would in person. It’s also balanced by diary entries and other scenes that further flesh out the characters and relationships, and I very much rooted for them. I enjoyed the complex interplay between Delphine, Camille, and Ari, with Delphine and Ari having a past attachment that ended when he was sent to prison, and now they’re reunited. In the present, Delphine is involved with Camille, and Ari’s return shakes it up. It was fun to not just see Delphine reckoning with her complex feelings, but also see Camille and Ari bonding, first as reluctant friends who happen to both love Delphine, and then falling in love on their own terms.
And while each book follows a different romance, I love that there is overlap, with some peeks at what Julien/Julie and Victor are up to, due to their epistolary interactions with this book’s main characters, not to mention the gradual centering the next book’s protagonist, the intriguing Isabelle.
This was an amazing read, and I’m excited for what’s next. If you’re looking for a queer historical fantasy romance, I’d recommend checking this out, especially if classic literature references are your thing.
March 31, 2024
Whoops I read this out of series order apparently but YOU KNOW WHAT
Do YOU want to read a book that makes you feel like a Victorian lady corrupting your mind with DEBAUCHERY and MAGICK and ancient artifacts, with a very classic but still accessible writing style? Then oh BOY this is the book for YOU. (Think "This Is How You Lose the Time War" if the characters still communicated largely in letters but were in close enough proximity to have sex with each other.)
Delphine is a Marquise with an asshole husband, a thought-dead lover named Ari, and a new obsession with Camille, the dark-eyed, genderfluid author of her favorite romance novel. Meanwhile, her husband is involved in the collection of magical artifacts and the underground therein-- all of which come knocking.
What a thrilling book this is that I only knew about because of the author's bluesky account finding their way to me. Put the Jane Austen retellings down and give them their flowers, and I am SO SERIOUS. I'm very rarely a lover of classics and I really enjoyed this while still appreciating that it has the FEEL of a classic novel. Give it a shot.
Do YOU want to read a book that makes you feel like a Victorian lady corrupting your mind with DEBAUCHERY and MAGICK and ancient artifacts, with a very classic but still accessible writing style? Then oh BOY this is the book for YOU. (Think "This Is How You Lose the Time War" if the characters still communicated largely in letters but were in close enough proximity to have sex with each other.)
Delphine is a Marquise with an asshole husband, a thought-dead lover named Ari, and a new obsession with Camille, the dark-eyed, genderfluid author of her favorite romance novel. Meanwhile, her husband is involved in the collection of magical artifacts and the underground therein-- all of which come knocking.
What a thrilling book this is that I only knew about because of the author's bluesky account finding their way to me. Put the Jane Austen retellings down and give them their flowers, and I am SO SERIOUS. I'm very rarely a lover of classics and I really enjoyed this while still appreciating that it has the FEEL of a classic novel. Give it a shot.
November 12, 2024
My favourite book series. Can't believe we're getting a 3rd book so soon AND who it's about!
Some thoughts:
"Imagine that! To be friends with one's husband!"
LOVE the fat representation in this. Delphine feels like a real person and she's so comfortable in her own skin, gets confused when people aren't attracted to her, the focus is not just on her large breasts, butt and thighs but also on her belly.
The scandalous letters rewired my brain with their gender exploration, the mischievous letters put decades of conditioning and trauma on their head. I have such deep love for these books and I'm stoked that there's going to be another book (next week!!!!!!)
May 21st 1825 holds my favourite letter exchange.
The dress up scene, oh my god.
Holy shit Taillefer's comeuppance
Octave ❤️
My heart!!!!
Delphine's last letter in the book, so good.
That ending. Wow.
Some thoughts:
"Imagine that! To be friends with one's husband!"
LOVE the fat representation in this. Delphine feels like a real person and she's so comfortable in her own skin, gets confused when people aren't attracted to her, the focus is not just on her large breasts, butt and thighs but also on her belly.
The scandalous letters rewired my brain with their gender exploration, the mischievous letters put decades of conditioning and trauma on their head. I have such deep love for these books and I'm stoked that there's going to be another book (next week!!!!!!)
May 21st 1825 holds my favourite letter exchange.
The dress up scene, oh my god.
Holy shit Taillefer's comeuppance
Octave ❤️
My heart!!!!
Delphine's last letter in the book, so good.
That ending. Wow.
November 3, 2024
yet another masterpiece
How are you this damned good at writing. I am deeply offended.
I am sorry it took me this long to read this one, but true to form, once I started it only took me a couple of days to tear through it. I adore these characters, I adore this setting, I love the masterful weaving of letters and prose.
Absolutely it made me cry more than once, but it also made me cackle more than once. What a great series, I cannot wait to read book 3. Throwing this bodily at the entirety of my writing discord.
How are you this damned good at writing. I am deeply offended.
I am sorry it took me this long to read this one, but true to form, once I started it only took me a couple of days to tear through it. I adore these characters, I adore this setting, I love the masterful weaving of letters and prose.
Absolutely it made me cry more than once, but it also made me cackle more than once. What a great series, I cannot wait to read book 3. Throwing this bodily at the entirety of my writing discord.
January 4, 2024
This is a FABULOUS book. I loved it. The writing is flirty and flawless (and easy to pick up as I haven’t read the first book in the series). I loved all three of the main characters and their supporting cast. I loved Ari before he even graced the page! The setting and mystery were entertaining and the romance was sublime! The polyamory evolved natural and the explicit scenes were expertly written. Looking forward to reading more of Davin’s work 5⭐️
June 8, 2024
I feel overcome and frankly unable to write a thoughtful review, but I have to say I am ridiculously delighted by the state of writing in the first quarter of the 21st century, if this is the kind of book we all get to read.
There is LONGING and even ANGST and yet somehow my frail heart was able to cope. Will wonders never cease!
There is LONGING and even ANGST and yet somehow my frail heart was able to cope. Will wonders never cease!
November 17, 2023
each main character: incredible. the dynamics: incredible. made me want to hole up in a corner and eat my kindle but maybe i actually was because i was 2/3 through after only two sittings
anyway: series wonderful, 11/10 recommend, thank you
anyway: series wonderful, 11/10 recommend, thank you
November 26, 2023
Great book, very character driven, and I really liked the epistolary format. I must admit that I have not read the first book in the series so there may be a few things that I missed out on, but it was still really easy to understand. I also really loved all of the characters
September 6, 2025
Queer magical realism & romance. Lovely continuation of this series - should NOT stand alone - that continues to hit the winning combination of actual plot and nicely paced romantic development. The heat remains high.
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