Mistress and Mage

by Blythe Brandenburg

Delphine Leighton is a widow with a serious her late husband gambled away their wealth, leaving her with a mountain of debts and a bookie harassing her. When she overhears that a mysterious foreign gentleman needs a governess, she takes a chance on an interview.

But Varrick Allard isn’t a gentleman—he’s not even human, and he doesn’t need a governess. He’s a mage who’s been forced from his studies to track down a magical creature stalking the streets of Delphine’s city. What he needs is a fake mistress who can help him infiltrate the high class gambling dens connected to the series of attacks.

Although it will ruin her reputation, Delphine is desperate enough to sign a contract with him. While they seek signs of their quarry in the glitter of high society, they can’t deny the growing attraction between them. Delphine is unsure she’s ready to trust a man again, and despite his extensive education, love wasn’t part of Varrick’s curriculum. As they follow the trail of victims, their precarious affection is threatened by the discovery that Delphine could be the creature's next prey.

360 pages, Paperback

Published February 10, 2026

About the author

Among other things, Blythe has been a theater kid, English teacher, and homeschool mom. She is a self-taught artist who draws her own character art and mini comics. Her first literary loves were The Lord of the Rings, Les Miserables, and The Three Musketeers, with a heavy dose of Pride and Prejudice, Rebecca, and The Scarlet Pimpernel. Her stories reflect her love for other worlds, swashbuckling adventure, magic, and romance. She'd take the mountains over the beach, unless the beach is rocky, foggy, and overshadowed by a mysterious forest. She lives in rural Wyoming with her husband, six children, three cats, and one very tolerant dog.
She has fifteen short stories published in three anthologies in the "Season for Romance" series.

Reviews

[Cassia Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delphine is newly widowed, left destitute by her late husband’s gambling debts. Varrick is a non-human jaglin, a foreign scholar summoned by his mysterious benefactor to capture a sinister creature stalking innocent victims. When she’s hired to play the part of his mistress, their contract is clear and business-like. The stakes are sky high, so they cannot afford to be distracted. But, in the best fantasy romance tradition, the heart wants what it wants.

Mistress and Mage stands out for its intricate and immersive world-building and the sizzling chemistry between the leads, each vulnerable in different ways. The magic is well-conceived and the story well-paced. I particularly enjoyed the drakes and the gryphons, and found myself frantically turning the pages as the action builds to a climax.

If you enjoy a detailed fantasy world, plenty of magic, and a delicious slow-burn, you’ll love Mistress and Mage, sure to appeal to readers of fantasy romance.

[Bevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

CW: referenced loss of spouse, referenced DV and other types of spousal abuse, racism, addiction, some others

Thank you to 5 Prince Publishing and the author for the physical ARC! “Mistress and Mage” is available now!

This one was just a good time.

Delphine’s husband has died, and if that wasn’t bad enough, he left her with astronomical amounts of gambling debt. Money gone and magic destroyed, Delphine’s left with no option but to seek employment as a governess for a strange new gentleman. But the gentleman’s not what he seems, and that job opening? It’s for a mistress, not a governess.

Is this my new favorite ultra-niche genre? Very possibly. This is a historical romance-fantasy-cozy-mystery blend, and I loved it. It’s almost giving gaslamp/victorian vibes, but nailing down specific historical categories is far outside of my wheelhouse. Think Sherlock Holmes vibes, but make magic a regular thing.

Whatever the actual classification, this story was just *enjoyable*. It’s got a solid mystery, it has some really sweet romantic aspects, the magic is amazing, and it gives off lowkey cozy vibes. Is it supposed to be cozy? No idea, but it was, and here we are. Oh, and major bonus points for the best fantasy pets ever?! I’m obsessed.

I binged this one in about two days, and I wish there was more. I want to see more of the daily lives here, more of the magic, more of the fantastical being ordinary while the ordinary is still there. This book managed to pull in the best aspects of all its genres without losing the issues in each. Debutantes and upper class elite and all the shining frivolity balanced with the fall from grace, the comparative lack of power that even women within those groups held, the rampant condescension towards those on the outside. Magic and cleverness and creatures as a counterpoint to what’s left behind when that magic is ripped away without explanation (there’s some solid allegory here for other ways that confidence and power is stolen). It’s a delightfully layered story that delivers these messages while maintaining a plot that exists because and outside of these themes.

And if all that isn’t enough to make you want to read it, the MMC’s eyes do the cat thing where they get all big and shiny (and it’s usually when he’s looking at her).

[Naito Diamond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mistress and Mage is one of those books that easily earns five stars, yet feels almost impossible to review concisely because there are so many elements worth discussing. Still, I’ll try.

First, this book is a perfect choice for readers who enjoy Regency-style romance mixed with scandal and adventure. I loved how Delphine, a widow burdened with her late husband’s debts, agrees to play the role of mistress to the enigmatic mage Valrick. Together they brush boldly against society’s rigid expectations, and watching them unsettle the social order is incredibly satisfying.

The fake relationship trope is used brilliantly here—honestly one of the best executions I’ve seen in years. Their supposed affair becomes the perfect cover for espionage, allowing them to move through elite circles and gather information without suspicion.

The worldbuilding is equally impressive: drakes, tiny griffons, anima and arcs, dangerous summoned creatures, and even a black market for sacred artifacts create a vivid and layered setting. At the same time, the story touches on prejudice against Valrick’s race, adding meaningful political tension.

Delphine is a wonderfully strong heroine—clever, determined, and unafraid to seek justice once she learns the truth. Valrick, meanwhile, may be the continent’s most powerful mage, yet he’s charmingly clueless when it comes to courting a lady.

An excellent blend of Regency intrigue, fantasy adventure, and romance—highly recommended.