Review by Booklist Review
An uprising has rocked Avon, upending the nation with a daunting demand: The current rulers will be replaced by whoever can kill them first. Callum, the prince of Scota, faces crushing pressure from his father and family to take on this gruesome task. Meanwhile, courtesan Cate has been using her magical gifts for good, healing the emotional pain of clients through intimate relations. But now, she's being forced to seduce Callum to clear the path for others to claim his presumed throne. Their immediate attraction is undeniable, yet both are cautious as they enter a sizzling agreement, each hiding secrets that could unravel everything. The publisher bills Something Wicked as Macbeth meets Moulin Rouge!, and the book delivers some seriously spicy moments that weave together those stories' themes (if slightly awkwardly). As the first book in contemporary-romance author Ballard's Idle Reputations romantasy series, it paves a path with its world building and political intrigue so that future books should be able to dive headfirst into the steamy elements and focus less on explaining political machinations.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Troublesome politics, fanciful magic, and spicy romance combine but never quite cohere in this rocky romantasy from Ballard (Lease on Love). Courtesan Lady Caterine, Cate to her friends, is Gifted, possessed of innate magical powers for which she and those like her are oppressed in the erstwhile kingdom of Avon. Meanwhile, Prince Callum was heir to the throne of Scota, one of Avon's four provinces, before the Uprising successfully staged a revolution. When the Uprising decrees that Avon will be run by an elected president, but would-be candidates must kill their province's current monarch to qualify, Callum hatches a plan to kill his own father. His and Cate's destinies become intertwined when he seeks out her Gift to assist in his plot, despite his bias against the Gifted. This thorny premise is plenty entertaining, the pace is swift, and the eventual romance between the leads is satisfyingly erotic, but both the politics and the magic system feel sketchy and convoluted. The muddled plot, which falls apart in the third act, is also mired in allusions to Macbeth that never amount to much. Readers may still have a good time with this, but only if they don't think about it too hard. Agent: Kimberly Whalen, Whalen Agency. (Dec.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A magical courtesan and a dethroned prince must work together to protect the future of their country. Lady Caterine works at Avon's fanciest "pleasure club," La Puissance, but she isn't just any courtesan--she's also Gifted, a person who possesses magical powers. Cate's power is an unusual one--she can influence the emotions of anyone who has an orgasm in her presence. Gifted people have long been discriminated against in Avon and are subject to many restrictive laws, but that's all about to change, thanks to the Uprising that overthrows the monarchy. Callum Reid, a now-dethroned prince, knows that he would be the best ruler for his country, but a new law states that presidential candidates must kill the current monarch of their respective provinces. This means that Callum would have to kill his own father, and he can't overcome his guilt at the thought of assassinating a parent. Luckily, there's someone who can help--Lady Caterine. Callum holds a deep prejudice against the Gifted, while Cate harbors resentment against the ruling class. But they'll have to trust each other when it becomes clear that there are many people working against them--people who'd love to take over La Puissance and the country. Try as they might to resist the feelings growing between them, it turns out that spending a week together in a pleasure club makes it difficult to avoid falling in love. Ballard, who's known for her contemporary romances, jumps into the romantasy subgenre with both feet and creates a believable world that's full of betrayal, sex, royals, magic, and shades of Shakespeare. An extremely steamy fantasy filled with romantic and political intrigue. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
