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Mysterious Charm #2
Goblin Fruit
Enjoy this kind and gentle 1920s historical fantasy romance series set in the magical community of Great Britain.
Lizzie loves her sister.
After their father and uncle were lost in a diastrous expedition, Lizzie has done her best to keep everything together. Her younger sister Laura survived tubeculosis, but a decade in and out of treatment has left her stubbornly insistent on doing for herself.
When Lizzie gets hired by a private agency, she thinks she can finally relax. Steady work will help them both keep the family home and rebuild their lives after their many losses.
Carillon is made of curiosity.
Carillon fled his memories of the Great War, preferring adventures and natural history expeditions in Africa and Asia. That was before he unexpectedly inherited his family's title and had to return to England.
Now he's been back for two years, finding his place as a lord of the land. When he stumbles across an addictive magical drink that brings visions of distant places, he simply must investigate.
After Carillon collides with Lizzie outside a masked ball, they quickly realise they can learn far more if they work together. The only question is whether they can save Laura and stop other people being hurt or even killed.
Goblin Fruit is the second 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. Goblin Fruit is full of magical potions, an aristocratic investigator, fae beings, a fake relationship, and several house parties. Enjoy this gentle romantic fantasy with a swirl of sex set in 1924 with a happily ever after ending!
Lizzie loves her sister.
After their father and uncle were lost in a diastrous expedition, Lizzie has done her best to keep everything together. Her younger sister Laura survived tubeculosis, but a decade in and out of treatment has left her stubbornly insistent on doing for herself.
When Lizzie gets hired by a private agency, she thinks she can finally relax. Steady work will help them both keep the family home and rebuild their lives after their many losses.
Carillon is made of curiosity.
Carillon fled his memories of the Great War, preferring adventures and natural history expeditions in Africa and Asia. That was before he unexpectedly inherited his family's title and had to return to England.
Now he's been back for two years, finding his place as a lord of the land. When he stumbles across an addictive magical drink that brings visions of distant places, he simply must investigate.
After Carillon collides with Lizzie outside a masked ball, they quickly realise they can learn far more if they work together. The only question is whether they can save Laura and stop other people being hurt or even killed.
Goblin Fruit is the second 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. Goblin Fruit is full of magical potions, an aristocratic investigator, fae beings, a fake relationship, and several house parties. Enjoy this gentle romantic fantasy with a swirl of sex set in 1924 with a happily ever after ending!
282 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 13, 2019
About the author
Celia Lake
51 books77 followersCelia 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 27, 2024
Magical mystery, surprise collaboration. Low-key, gentle, delightful.
July 9, 2025
3.25 stars.
Pleasant f/m romance (with bi MMC) set in alt 1920s Great Britain, with magic.
This has an old fashioned quality that I don’t quite know how to describe. The language feels a little more formal than contemporary romances. And there’s a sort of emotional distance that I associate with books written in the 20th C, especially earlier in the century. Because of that, I found this book pleasant but a little annoying and not particularly riveting.
In the afterward, the author says she was inspired by golden age mysteries, especially Dorthy Sayers, which makes sense.
SBTB 2025 summer romance bingo: class differences (also magic!)
Pleasant f/m romance (with bi MMC) set in alt 1920s Great Britain, with magic.
This has an old fashioned quality that I don’t quite know how to describe. The language feels a little more formal than contemporary romances. And there’s a sort of emotional distance that I associate with books written in the 20th C, especially earlier in the century. Because of that, I found this book pleasant but a little annoying and not particularly riveting.
In the afterward, the author says she was inspired by golden age mysteries, especially Dorthy Sayers, which makes sense.
SBTB 2025 summer romance bingo: class differences (also magic!)
March 9, 2019
4.5 stars, try this lovely story
I love this series! The writing style, the world, the characters, all of it! It's the magical 1920's, in which magic does many of the things technology does for us: listening spells instead of bugging a room, portals instead of high speed rail or flying... There are magical beings as well, in this case Belin, a kind of Welsh dwarves. You're 're dropped into the world without a lot of exposition, and it just kind of coalesces around you. I preordered this book after really liking the first one, and it's so charming, I can't wait for the next!
The plot turns on a new addictive drink, possibly illegal. The heroine, Elspeth works for a ministry of magic and is tasked with investigating, along with Lord Carrillon, a war veteran who has developed a persons of a foolish gentleman obsessed by horses. I like that they actually have jobs they do, an
I love this series! The writing style, the world, the characters, all of it! It's the magical 1920's, in which magic does many of the things technology does for us: listening spells instead of bugging a room, portals instead of high speed rail or flying... There are magical beings as well, in this case Belin, a kind of Welsh dwarves. You're 're dropped into the world without a lot of exposition, and it just kind of coalesces around you. I preordered this book after really liking the first one, and it's so charming, I can't wait for the next!
The plot turns on a new addictive drink, possibly illegal. The heroine, Elspeth works for a ministry of magic and is tasked with investigating, along with Lord Carrillon, a war veteran who has developed a persons of a foolish gentleman obsessed by horses. I like that they actually have jobs they do, an
April 3, 2022
Excellent Fantasy Romance
Goblin Fruit is a lovely fantasy romance with a mystery inside. Carillon and Lizzie make a good couple. (On a side note, I appreciated the bi rep in the story being part of the character but not the central focus of the character.) While I enjoyed Outcrossing, I felt Goblin Fruit was definitely an improvement in storytelling and in craft. I have enjoyed the world of Albion in the Mysterious Powers and Charms of Albion series that I read, and look forward to continuing to learn about the people who live within Lord Carillon’s sphere.
Goblin Fruit is a lovely fantasy romance with a mystery inside. Carillon and Lizzie make a good couple. (On a side note, I appreciated the bi rep in the story being part of the character but not the central focus of the character.) While I enjoyed Outcrossing, I felt Goblin Fruit was definitely an improvement in storytelling and in craft. I have enjoyed the world of Albion in the Mysterious Powers and Charms of Albion series that I read, and look forward to continuing to learn about the people who live within Lord Carillon’s sphere.
April 20, 2022
A cute romance following two characters who must work together to stop a magical drug. It's a fairly low-key mystery, and a lot is left unsaid about said mystery, but we're really just here to see Carillon and Lizzie be cute together, which they are.
January 6, 2026
Delightful
I very much enjoyed this book, especially after reading the prequel story (gifted by the author when you sign up to her email list).
The main character, Lord Geoffrey Carillon, is a very attractive character, complex, with great emotional depth. I can quite see why the author describes him as her homage to Lord Peter Wimsey (a long-standing favourite of mine). Carillon and his future love, Lizzie (hints of Harriet Vane’s prickly nature?) become involved while both are trying to track down the source of a sinister addictive new drink.
There is good character development, an intriguing mystery to solve, and an enjoyable mix of magic. A series I am certainly going to pursue.
I very much enjoyed this book, especially after reading the prequel story (gifted by the author when you sign up to her email list).
The main character, Lord Geoffrey Carillon, is a very attractive character, complex, with great emotional depth. I can quite see why the author describes him as her homage to Lord Peter Wimsey (a long-standing favourite of mine). Carillon and his future love, Lizzie (hints of Harriet Vane’s prickly nature?) become involved while both are trying to track down the source of a sinister addictive new drink.
There is good character development, an intriguing mystery to solve, and an enjoyable mix of magic. A series I am certainly going to pursue.
April 5, 2026
Delightful
Elspeth, called Lizzie, and Geoffrey, Lord Carrilon, meet when he stumbles over her as they are both trying to find a way into a masquerade party requiring couples with matching costumes. The two work well with each other and soon are engaged in undercover work to foil a ring of "entrepreneurs" who are introducing a new, dangerous alcoholic drug to exclusive crowds. Seeing the two learn to trust each other while solving the mystery was a delight. Bonus #1: they are kind and considerate with each other, both requesting consent for even minor touches. Bonus #2: The dialog feels more real than most written dialog. Highly recommend.
Elspeth, called Lizzie, and Geoffrey, Lord Carrilon, meet when he stumbles over her as they are both trying to find a way into a masquerade party requiring couples with matching costumes. The two work well with each other and soon are engaged in undercover work to foil a ring of "entrepreneurs" who are introducing a new, dangerous alcoholic drug to exclusive crowds. Seeing the two learn to trust each other while solving the mystery was a delight. Bonus #1: they are kind and considerate with each other, both requesting consent for even minor touches. Bonus #2: The dialog feels more real than most written dialog. Highly recommend.
October 19, 2024
4.5/5 stars! My problems with the dialogue are resolved and this book had a stronger plot. The mystery was fun and the romance was pretty good. I love the worldbuilding which has a strong historical basis and I just wish it were a tad better explained within the novel. The end notes had an excellent explanation and real references where history was concerned.
I’m definitely going to read more books in this world!
I’m definitely going to read more books in this world!
June 5, 2021
This one (as the author freely admits in the notes afterwards) is something of Lord Peter fanfic mixed with magic. As per usual, the mystery is solved slightly earlier and with less complexity than I might like but sinking into the charming characters and specifics of the world is its own pleasure.
December 17, 2021
TLDR: Still lots of editing issues that kept taking me out of the story.
https://klishis.com/reading/archives/...
https://klishis.com/reading/archives/...
August 7, 2022
Lord Peter Wimsey-esque character with romance (and sex) minus anti-semitism. Very entertaining!
April 20, 2025
My third Celia Lake book. This one was obviously a play on the Peter Wimsey books, specifically the costume party/drug investigation part of Murder Must Advertise. Desperate for work, Lizzie Penhallow becomes mixed up in an investigation of an addictive new drink– not to mention aristocratic Lord Geoffrey Carillon, who is still shaken by his time in World War I.
This was a fun book, but it didn’t have the charm of Dorothy Sayers– always the risk that an homage runs. It was also profoundly straight about bisexual Lord Geoffrey in a way that wasn’t strictly offensive but was also tiresomely straight. Coincidentally, this is also where I stopped going through Celia Lake’s backlist.
This was a fun book, but it didn’t have the charm of Dorothy Sayers– always the risk that an homage runs. It was also profoundly straight about bisexual Lord Geoffrey in a way that wasn’t strictly offensive but was also tiresomely straight. Coincidentally, this is also where I stopped going through Celia Lake’s backlist.
October 2, 2023
Hired by a magical consultant agency to Albion's government, Elspeth is assigned to a task force negotiating with British goblins. After work, she tries to protect her younger sister Lorelei, who spent her adolescence in a TB sanitarium & now works in a business office, from being caught up in post-WWI Albion's wild party/drug culture. Infiltrating a party with the aid of a British lord/espionage agent, they identify Goldwasser. a drug deadly to dragons & magic-users. While on the track of the manufacturers, they fall in love.
May 23, 2023
Quite a delightful romance.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews