“Opposites attract in Martha Waters’s stylish and charming Spellstruck…Waters’s world is well-built and great fun, including the potions and the people in it. Like Vesper’s ubiquitous Champagne, this story is sparkling refreshment, sure to delight readers.”
—BookPage (starred review)
Description
“A whimsical, fantastical romp of a historical romance.” —Emily Krempholtz, USA TODAY bestselling author
Chemistry isn’t only for cocktails in this lightly magical, enemies-to-lovers rom-com about the owner of a speakeasy supplying magical drinks and an enforcer of the ban on magic who must team up when potions begin to go awry—from acclaimed author Martha Waters.
In an alternate version of 1920s London, vestiges of England’s magical past exist, but the use of magic has been outlawed, leading families still with powers to operate illegal speakeasies for a public still hungry for magic. Vesper Holloway runs her family club, where a dash of spell powder or an enchanted cocktail can add a little extra intrigue to the evening. But when a spate of accidents strikes these establishments, she worries patrons will flee her family’s business.
Enter Maxwell Ashbridge, a onetime friend of Vesper’s brother, who has joined the government agency tasked with enforcing the ban, and who has a personal vendetta against the magical elite. But he does not have a vendetta against Vesper; in fact, he finds her rather enticing. He promises immunity for her club if she teams up with him to investigate, which does little to quell the growing chemistry they share. As accidents continue and the fight to repeal the ban gains ground in Parliament, Vesper and Max will have to decide—is the magic between them worth fighting for?
Reviews
“Waters makes clever use of her 1920s London setting with a Prohibition-style ban on magic effectively paired with a deliciously fanciful plot, a flawlessly crafted cast of characters, and her effervescent sense of comic timing. Spellstruck is proof positive that Waters possesses her own brand of literary magic as potent as anything served up at Holloways.”
—Booklist (starred review)
“[S]tylish… [this] simmering, opposites attract romance allures, as does the supernaturally tinged Jazz Age scene-setting. Waters fans are sure to be entranced.”
—Publishers Weekly
"Waters (“Regency Vows” series) adds some magic to her historical romance with a fun romp as fizzy as the champagne Vesper prefers."
—Library Journal
