Outcrossing

Mysterious Charm #1

by Celia Lake

Enjoy this kind and gentle 1920s historical fantasy romance series set in the magical community of Great Britain.

Ferry found freedom as a governess.

Born and raised to be an obedient daughter of the upper class, Ferry refused to marry the awful man her parents chose for her. Instead, she took a position as a governess in a country house deep in the New Forest.

Now spring has come to England, she can finally spend time in the nearest village and explore the magical, mysterious, and possibly dangerous forest around her chosen home.

Rufus has great power and no future.

The Great War changed everything for the worse. Rufus came home terrified of being buried alive and without the magical training he desperately needed. Now he's lost all of his family and any hope of building a better life.

Rufus is down to his last few coins when he saves one of Ferry's charges from a cranky New Forest pony. She's grateful, but she's also kind, the first kindness he's known in weeks.

When a local smuggler offers him a lifechanging amount of money to do just one job, he knows there must be a catch. But it's the only way to have a future, never mind one with Ferry. She comes from a different world, and Rufus has the sense to know it.

When the smuggler's demands, interference from the newly returned local lord, and the remaining scars from World War I all tangle together, Rufus and Ferry find themselves in grave danger.

Outcrossing is the first novel in the Mysterious Charm series. All of Celia Lake's Albion books exploring the magical community of the British Isles can be read in any order. Full of magical creatures, New Forest ponies, village life, and first love, Outcrossing is a gentle romantic fantasy with a swirl of sex set in 1922 with a happily ever after ending. Enjoy!

Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Historical, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fantasy, Paranormal

238 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 19, 2018

About the author

Celia Lake spends her days as a librarian in the Boston (MA) metro area, and her nights and weekends at home happily writing, reading, and researching.

Born and raised in Massachusetts to British parents, she naturally embraced British spelling, classic mysteries, and the Oxford comma before she learned there were any other options.

Reviews

[Christina]

DNF @ 19%
I can handle. Sentence fragments. But? Question marks at the end of declarative. You know. Sentences? I can't do it?

[Sonia189 · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea of this book made me curious: magic and romance in a small community in the 1920s.
Sadly, none of the elements worked out for me. I liked some passages, I liked the possibilities but the end result was not that amazing. I also struggled to feel eager to keep reading, the writing style wasn't appealing either, most of the time.

[Shaz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly none of the various elements of this story came together in a way to make it work for me. The 1920s kind of rural England with magic setting has potential and clearly some fascinating bits of research have gone into it, but the flip side is almost every conversation in the book has to focus on telling us about the world building as this isn't a very long book and has to fit in characterization, a smuggling plot being thwarted, kidnapping and breaking out, and a romance on top of introducing the setting.

[Lola · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first heard of this author I was so excited as her stories sound exactly like the type of books I want to read. I didn't know where to start as she has a huge backlist, but luckily her website has a lot of good information and eventually I decided to start with Outcrossing. I am glad I did as this felt like a good introduction to the world and I really enjoyed it.

I had a great time reading this one. I liked both Ferry and Rufus. Ferry grew up in one of the upper class families and is expected to marry well, she doesn't like that and takes a job as governess in the New Forest. While Rufus has lived his whole life here, he's struggling financially and has trouble finding jobs after the war. He has a lot of magical power, but little knowledge on how to use it. I liked seeing these two meet and grow closer. They both felt like very real characters and I liked how they talk to each other about what they know about magic and the forest and this way me as the reader also grew to understand more of the world.

I liked their romance, it does develop rather quickly and heats up after a few meeting, but I thought it worked here. I could feel their connection and enjoyed seeing them grow closer over the course of the book. I liked these two together, the way they interacted and figured things out together. I also like the way they team up to deal with some danger regarding smugglers.

There are some interesting side characters as well like Lord Carrilon and Ferry's best friend Pross. I looked up early on to confirm they both get their own romances. The dialogue was a bit unusual at times with it reading very much like spoken speech, but I actually kinda liked it as it really conveyed the vibe of their conversation and it felt pretty real. I do sometimes struggle a bit with historical settings and they can take me a bit of time to get used to, but I got into this book rather easily.

One of the things I enjoyed most besides the realistic and interesting characters was the world building and magic. I really got a good feel for the vibe of the world and the way magic works, despite also feeling like I've only seen a very little bit of what's possible. And the whole magic system just was so fascinating, the way it worked and got used. It was quite different from most books I read and I liked it. There are these scenes for example were Rufus steadies the bogs and makes the ground steady for a bit. The magic could be quite practical. There also are magical creatures, a magical police, magic school and a sort of magic related to a place and how both characters know they belong in this village. It was all fascinating and I can't wait to read more of the stories set in this world.

To summarize: I had a great time reading this book. It's a great introduction to the author's world. I quickly got into this story and enjoyed reading about Ferry and Rufus, they were both interesting characters and felt real. I liked seeing them grow closer and figure things out and also deal with some dangerous smugglers together. I liked seeing them team up and work together. There's a bit of steam in this one as well. I liked them together and enjoyed seeing were they ended up. I also really liked the world building, it's all very fascinating and fun to read about and I enjoyed learning more about it from the characters conversations and things they did and encountered in this book. This was such a solid start to this series and I can't wait to read more!

[David H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really interesting romance in a really fun setting (1920s England). I was surprised to realize that the New Forest is a real place and that half of what I thought the author was making up was actually real. Both leads were ones I rooted for, and I loved how they supported each other. That said, a couple quirks--the chapters seemed a bit needlessly short which made the sex scenes span multiple chapters, and the dialogue may have been a bit naturalistic for me (lots of self-interruption as the characters rethought what they were saying, etc.). That said, I'm intrigued enough by the setting to want to continue.

[Susy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars. I really liked this story. The two protagonists, Ferry and Rufus are both adrift and seeking a place to belong. And someone to belong to. I’ve decided that I enjoy reading about characters who don’t play silly games with each other. The whole “she bit her lip in consternation” thing or worse, the “s/he kept (something) to themselves” trope. Ugh. There’s nothing worse than miscommunication. That’s just lazy writing as far as I’m concerned.

What I didn’t really like in this story was the written dialogue. It was too hesitant. But overall, this was a quick, satisfying read.

[Jerome’s Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming magical mystery

Just after the First World War work is hard to find in the New Forest, even for a man with magic. This is a charming alternate history, and reading it during the Covid-29 lockdown adds to pathos of the mourning death from Spanish Flu, recession and interrupted education and training for survivors. A sunny romance with magic and an appealing heroine.

[Emilie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally got around to reading the first book in the series. I got the impression that there were a few more typos in here than later books in the author's series. There was an instance of "fight" rather than "fit" that was in a bad place, for example. And that's something that spell-check wouldn't catch, because "fight" is an actual word. I also noticed some repetitions of phrases, and words like "grinned." I'm trained -- and supposed to -- pick up on repetitions like that, but other reviewers took note of it, too.

For pleasure reading, I can sort of ignore that kind of thing, though, since I'm not the one who needs to fix it. Nor do I need to fix punctuation, sentence flow or dialogue tags, though ordinarily I'm fierce about dialogue tags. I could also kind of ignore those small flaws, enough to enjoy the story itself. Part of it was that I enjoyed seeing Lord Carillon, quite new to being one of the lords of the land. It was fun to get a couple of outsiders' views of him, and to learn that he himself has a tenor voice.

I liked the protagonists, too. Especially I liked that Ferry knew her own mind, and clearly asked for what she wanted. She was strong on what she didn't want, also, despite the expectations of her elders, and pressure from them. Rufus was struggling, but seemed to be a kind and helpful person by nature. He was naturally embittered by his experiences in war, and other losses, and by the way the villagers treated him as something of a scapegoat, projecting their own issues of grief and their feelings of superiority about knowing how to run a household onto him. It was like, if you're a villager, and you know that Rufus doesn't know how to fix a house, give him some help. Geeze, people.

[Sarah Margolin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this, it was recommended as exactly what I was craving right now (cosy historical fiction, not all fluff, preferably a chunky book or long series to really get into), and I appreciate the author making this first book available for free so that readers can test if it's to their taste, so I really tried to silence my quibbles...

I just can't. This book is the biggest grammatical mess I've seen since I worked as an ESL tutor. Not understanding who'd publish such a mess, I looked up the author's about me page. The author is supposed to be a librarian?! Who includes their preference for the Oxford comma in their bio?! I call bullshit. I know several librarians, I even have a family member who's a librarian in Boston as this author claims to be, and none of them would consider such sloppy writing in any way publishable. They're all readers, they know what sloppy writing looks like for Christ's sake! As a first draft, sure, it's fine, but you don't publish first drafts!!!

Also, I only read 7 chapters, and 4 out of those 7 chapters are titled True Eyeworth. Based on 2 of the other chapter titles being place names, I'm guessing that's the name of the village, but so far there's been no mention of the village's name, so who knows. Seriously. WTF.

[Ruth Coulson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The setting for "Outcrossing" is the New Forest area of southern England, an ancient woodland, and there is a lovely mix of magic, legend and the practical present of post World War 1. In this reality it seems that magic of one kind or another is inherent in many people if they are taught how to use it and need it enough. And it is magic that makes the story what it is. Magic makes the characters what they are and magic allows Ferry and Rufus to escape when they are kidnapped.

This sets out appearing to be a gentle, reflective, tentative love story. And that was OK as far as I was concerned. Ferry and Rufus are slowly getting to know one another despite their positions in life being so different. But then the tension and excitement really ramp up in the last third of the book.

The writing is clear and good and I was delighted with the fact that the story came to a strong resolution, despite the fact it is part of a series of books by Celia Lake. I do appreciate a book that is complete, and without a "cliff-hanger".

Definitely recommended and definitely worth checking for follow up books.

[Emily Barlow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable story with neat magic system

Rufus and Ferry are part of an intriguing alternate England where magic is commonplace. The Great War has still occurred, and it's left its mark on the world just as vividly as it did in the real one, carrying away humans and animals alike and leaving families broken in the aftermath. Their story is one of healing and of finding a place where they both can belong.

You will like this book if:
- you don't mind a bit of spice (not the main focus, but does have a bit)
- quaint settings are your jam
- you prefer less violence in your reads

You will NOT like this book if:
- you prefer clean/closed door books
- constant action is necessary to keep you interested (the pacing is good, but it's not adventure-y)
- you like FMCs who don't try to save themselves when they're in trouble

I did knock off a star for the dialogue in this story; it's stylistically different from what I usually prefer, but it does get the point across. The rest of the prose is well-written and as error-free as any book can hope to be.

I look forward to picking up the next book to see where it goes.

[Cbx · Rating 1 out of 5]

The elements of this were promising, but none of it really worked. The premise was awkward from the start. The male love interest is from a magical farming family that raises the forest ponies, and is a returnee from the war who was never trained to use his magic and is now fallen on hard times. The female love interest is from a wealthy family, has been formally trained in small magics, and is working as a governess. There is some attempt by the author to make you think the "outcrossing" of the title refers to the ponies, but no, it was only ever referring to the characters.
Also the dialogue was. How do I, um. Full of brief sentences. That do not really work? But are maybe intended. To read as spoken fragments with hesitations? Lots of questions. There, it is hard to read. That's. I found it nearly incomprehensible at times.

[Adena Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a different take on the 1920s than I normally find in novels. This has nothing to do with the desperate gaiety of the speakeasies or Charleston dances and everything to do with the painful social aftermath of World War 1, as two young people find their way away from strangling expectations and traditions towards a meaningful life together. Toss in various dangers such as arranged marriages, lack of understanding of PTSD and bullying smugglers make the road towards said meaningful life rockier but lead to a more solid understanding. The author did a great job with this story - it feels a lot like the romance of Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane (with less flamboyance, derring-do and explosions).

[SeasaltRose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve gotten a few of this authors books in indie book sales and decided to start here, the first book in a series.

It’s a cozy fantasy romance set in an alternate England where magic exists. The author has definitely done a lot of research into real historical events and has carefully considered the magical worldbuilding as well.

I really liked the depiction of the romance leads as normal people (not supermodels) and the sex was on the more realistic side than most romance novels portray. They are also 25 or so and some characters who are leads in later books are even older!

The only nitpick is some of the dialogue is written in a very strange style. I have highlighted an example.

Anyway, I’m looking forward to the next book and learning more about the setting!

[Deena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rounded up from 2 1/2 stars because I'm giving the author the benefit of the doubt for now.

Decent premise, although not wildly original, and good characters. Rather non-specific world building, but not entirely absent. My biggest problem with this was the extremely irritating style of conversation. It was unrealistic and sloppy, and frequently took me out of the story - which is actually not easy to do.

I liked the story and the world well enough to try again, but if the conversation style isn't better I won't bother to continue.

[Olga Godim]

DNF at 32%
I can't read it anymore. I tried. The story is so slow, it hardly crawls. And the dialog is awful. I understand what the author wanted to convey with its disjointed words. She wanted to make sure her characters' vulnerabilities and insecurities come through. Instead, every single piece of dialog between the protagonists reads like it was written by a foreigner who doesn't speak English. No grammar. No flow. No full sentences. Just spasmodic nouns and verbs separated by dots, as if the author's keyboard stuttered as she typed.
No.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Book 4 in this series and then decided to go back to the beginning and read Book 1 (all the books are standalones). I liked the story and the characters but the dialogue style was incredibly annoying. I can't remember is this was in issue in the previous book or not. That one was published several years later so maybe her writing style has evolved and the irritating dialogue issues have been resolved (Many sentence fragments. Oddly phrased questions?). I can't decided whether to read more by this author or not. Maybe if no one talks in the book?

[Celia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The dialogue quirks in this book drove me absolutely bonkers. Both main characters "speak... a bit like this? Very hesitantly... with a lot of pauses... changing the topic of their... I mean, it really drove me up the wall." Apart from that I thought this was a fun romance, although to be honest I was more interested in the world-building itself than the romance, and wished there had been more of that, and less of the hesitant mumbling between the two main characters.

[Clementine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this one. Especially how the two main characters talked to each other and the story wasn't driven by misunderstandings. It's nice to have characters who talk about their feelings like grown-ups and work things out together. I also enjoyed the world-building and feel like it's a world I will enjoy spending time in. I already have the next book in the series queued. Happy to have found this author.

[Yasaman · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel bad giving this one star, but the dialogue was bizarrely and distractingly awful. It was so stilted and unnatural, almost none of it sounded like the way actual people speak. The rest of the prose wasn't notable one way or another, so I don't know what was going on with the dialogue. Terrible dialogue aside, this was just too flat and bland to hold my interest.

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Class differences define the central relationship but a smuggler's plot keeps it from really being explored. Quite a bit about the adjustment back to civilian life after the losses of the first World War or its equivalent in this alt-England. I read the Mysterious Powers which was published later and now I'm going back to the earlier series. Continues to be low stakes, but emotional reads.

[Kimberley Stafford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cozy historical fantasy mystery romance

Outcrossing is a lovely, quiet historical fantasy romance with some mystery thrown in. It is a bit uneven but enjoyable. Having read some of Celia Lake’s other books, it is obvious that this was an early work. I very much liked Ferry and especially Rufus. Looking forward to continuing the series.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up. The premise and world building were interesting, but the dialogue was so bizarre that it ruined everything else. I understood the authors intentions, using sentence fragments to convey the tentative nature of the characters' interactions, but it was so removed from the reality of how people talk that it just didn't work.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fantasy romance is so different and so sweet! I devoured it in two days and had a lovely time. I'm also very impressed by the author's careful themes about consent woven all through the book. If you are a romance fan, you need this book!

[Allison Henle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely delightful. Both characters are well-rounded and their romance works, in so many different ways.

Spoiler Alert: although both characters are threatened by the bad guys, nothing really bad happens to either of them. I liked that.

[Anne Libera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just decided to continue through all of the series at this point. This book was clearly written much earlier in the series than some that I have read, it's slighter too - the world feels less complex and layered.

[Susan Scribner]

DNF at 30%. Just couldn't get into the writing style or the world building, and the characters never came alive for me. The author admits on her website that this debut novel wasn't her best work, so maybe I'll try another one in this series someday.

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. Not unlike Dorothy Sayers with magic. The dialog, however, was the worst. Short. Choppy sentences. Missed sentence subjects. Fragments. The dialog caused my brain to stutter while reading, and it was unpleasant. I will try another.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute

I really enjoyed the magic and the characters in this book. I’m excited to see more of them and get more stories. The dialogue was a little weird at times with lots of periods and weird stops, but it was okay to read.

[Vae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just charming and lovely, if a bit uneven. Thoroughly enjoyed it.