London Calling Box Set

Border Magic, 1920s London #1-3

by A.L. Lester

Queer British Lovecraftian historical romantic suspense set in 1920s London.
Lew Tyler is dragged from 2016 to 1920 by an accident with border magic whilst he’s searching for his missing friend. He’s struggling to get to grips with life a century before he was born. Detective Alec Carter is trying to solve gruesome murders in his patch of London, weighed down with exhaustion and a jaded attitude to most of his fellow humans after four years of war. In the middle of a murder investigation that involves wild magic, mysterious creatures and illegal sexual desire, will Alec and Lew work out who is safe to trust?
Sergeant Will Grant, Alec’s right-hand man, is drawn to the mysterious Fenn. Is Fenn a man or a woman? Does Will care? And Fenn ... Fenn has a secret. They live beyond the border between 1920s London and the magical Outlands and they need to get home. Are they prepared to achieve that by double crossing Alec, Will, and Lew?
Two couples hold the fabric of reality in their hands. Will it make them or break them?
Contains the stories:
Lost in Time: Gruesome murders taking place across 1920s London draw Lew and Alec together through the desolation of the East End and the smoky music clubs of Soho. They both have secrets that could get them arrested or killed. In the middle of a murder investigation that involves wild magic, mysterious creatures and illegal sexual desire, who is safe to trust?
Shadows on the Border: In 1920s London, Lew and his lover Detective Alec Carter are working out the parameters of their new relationship. Lew is torn between staying in the past and trying to get back to 2016. Alec is wrestling with the idea both of being in love and Lew being a magician. Meanwhile Alec’s sergeant, Will Grant, is drawn to the mysterious Fenn, a hunter from the Outlands.
The Hunted and the Hind: Inadvertently tumbling through the border after Fenn, Sergeant Will Grant of the Metropolitan Police has spent three months in prison. When Fenn frees him, they step through the border to the Egyptian desert. It’s a two week trip back to England, with the possibility of pursuit. Will the journey give Fenn and Will time to resolve the feelings they have been dancing around since the day they met?

525 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 5, 2022

About the author

Writer of queer, paranormal, historical, romantic suspense. Lives in the South West of England with Mr AL, two children, a badly behaved dachshund, a terrifying cat and some hens. Likes gardening but doesn't really have time or energy. Not musical. Doesn't much like telly. Non-binary. Chronically disabled. Has tedious fits.
For updates, giveaways and general shenanigans: My newsletter and a free novella - my facebook group - twitter - instagram - tiktok.
I also write higher-heat contemporary MM romance as Frances Fox.

Reviews

[A.L. Lester]

The box set of my 1920s London Border Magic trilogy is out! MM and M/enby.

1920s London. Paranormal. Grumpy detectives. Irritated newspaper photographers. Monsters. Elves with swords! In London! (One elf. One sword. And he's very decent about it).

Tea! Model-T Fords! Atmospheric period-appropriate smoking in darkened alleyways! Kissing! Surprise magician!

[WY_reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

The London Calling Box Set introduces the reader to a world both familiar and eerie, and is a spooky yet believable take on historical fantasy. The magic involved is simple and ordered, and the concept of the boundary between worlds a classic. The historical setting of post-WWI London sets up a parallel "fish out of water" experience for the 20th century Lew, who is navigating a past he has only read about, and his closeted historical counterpart Alec, who lacks Lew's self-assurance. Shadows at the Border continues to blend the action and intrigue of a historical mystery with the fantastical, and it is at its most intriguing when juxtaposing the human world's perception of the murderous creatures beyond the Border with the charming and adept Fenn. The Hunted and the Hind has more romantic overtones than its predecessors, with a focus on the relationship between Grant and Fenn and its implications. All told, this trilogy is a satisfying historical mystery with excellent world-building and a paranormal twist.

Disclaimer: I received a copy for free and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions are my own.

[Paige Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 1: Mostly pleased how true-to-form the wording is for the 20s without being difficult to follow. That being said, I don’t think near strangers, especially ones partnered with a vicar, would be so open to immediately discussing who they “bed” even if they’re sure they’re talking to a fellow lesbian. An interesting twist to have a gender confused MC set in this time. It is good to have a quick pace action-wise and moderated by the old-timey talk, but it feels a tad off mark, unbelievable though played rather coy and cute. About a couple-hour read.

[Ren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly wonderful. I devoured the entire box set in a weekend and can’t stop thinking about it. Lester has created this alt world separated from our own by the Border, or Shimmer, and it’s so real I’m half expecting to come across it myself.

[emily curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable story that is well written with likeable characters and good world building.