Mattinesh Jay (Matti to almost everyone), dutiful heir to his family’s struggling wool business, needs to hire an experienced swordsman to serve as best man for his arranged marriage. His fiance Sofia Cooper, heir to a thriving wine business, is the object of obsession love for one Adrean Vane. (Who also happens to be, awkwardly, the son of the Jay family business’s senior agent.) A successful Sword-challenge at the ceremony would destroy any hope of restoring his family’s wealth (and keeping their reputation), something that Matti has been trying—and failing—to do for the past ten years. (It would help if his father was less interested in being part of the Guild Council than in running the business, but what else is Matti to do than make himself small so his father can do what he wants and the family has someone to rely on?)
What he can afford, unfortunately, after a scam that takes a large chunk of the money he can ill-afford to spend, is part-time con artist and full-time charming menace Luca Piere. (Two guesses who ran the scam that cost Matti that money in the first place.)
Luca, meanwhile, is just trying to reinvent himself in a new city, eager to escape the shame of the crime he committed in his hometown, and maybe make some easy money while he does so. Nowhere in those plans was being blackmailed into giving swords lessons (on top of being the Best Man/Swordsman at the wedding) to an anal retentive regimented, responsible—and inconveniently handsome— Matti.
However, neither Matti’s troubles nor Luca himself are quite what they seem. As the wedding draws ever nearer, they both become entangled in the circumstances that have brought Matti’s house to the brink of ruin. But when Luca’s secrets rear their ugly heads, will they make it through? Or is it better to keep to the safe lies and strangle the painful (and dangerous) truths?
This book turned out to be a lot better at the end then it was at the beginning or in the middle, which is great because I almost DNF’ed it (which I pretty much never do.) Maybe because I am getting tired of Romantasy, maybe because I didn’t find either Matti or Luca particularly likable at first, maybe because for some reason the manipulations, mild dominance kink, and self-recrimination and anxiety were tiring; who knows. At least the writing got a lot better as it went on.
It’s set in some kind of Venetian/Low Countries city, if either of those places were within easy carriage distance to what sounds a whole lot like India/Bangladesh. With a Guild system that is somewhat similar to what Venice had at one time, with Guilds dedicated to all the types of commerce (wine, wool, fabric, paper, marble, glassblowing, shipping, etc.) and Houses that make up those Guilds with each Guild dedicated to a different Patron Deity. The system is slightly confusing, but don’t worry; Marske will not explain any of it. You are on your own to keep track of it all. Props to Markse though for writing mild solicitation/control kinks into the story; that is new to me in the world of Romantasy.
Several of the plot points I could see coming from a mile away (Luca’s true identity for one, who was going to blow that identity out of the water, what happened to the ship that cost the Jays their fortunes; even what happens between Matti’s fiance Sofia and his sister Maya.) Adrean was so central casting Romantasy character, except for in most books he would be going after either Luca or Mattinesh instead of Sofia (silly boy; don’t you know you’re supposed to be interested in one of the romantic leads, not a side character? You’re in a Romantasy after all.) Who winds up behind it all is also just your typical low-class, social-climbing yet bitter about having to social climb, betrayer.
Good to see trans and POC being represented, and in such a normalized way, on top of homosexuality being accepted (and I’m pretty sure Luca, if not Matti, are leaning towards bisexuality). On top of all the other problems, at least Matti and Luca don’t have to deal with ostracism for who they want to be with. Points also to having Matti written as someone who has ADHD; it’s nice to see Anxiety Bi and ADHD Bi as the leads in a romance (also nice to see that the most emotionally put together people in this entire book are two women.)
Though I will ding that outside of fiction (be it licensed or fanfiction) vitriol like what Matti and Luca hurl at each other wouldn’t be glossed over that quickly and with a good shag, especially with how tightly wound Matti is. Or the fact that it is the societal norm to have affairs as often as you like while engaged, as long as they stop when you marry. Glad everyone is understanding about that kind of promiscuity; I would hate for someone to be gauche and pitch a fit about their fiance (arranged or otherwise) sleeping with someone else.
In some very strange way, Matti, Luca, and Maya reminded me of Alec, Magnus, and Izzy from The Mortal Instruments (people would probably say Luca reminds them of Jace, and I guess I could see it slightly, but I’m leaning more towards Magnus). Am glad that Marske went the route she did with Sofia, Tomas, and Nessa (Tomas and Nessa are Mattinesh, Mayanesh, and their two younger siblings Merrinesh and Markonesh parents; yes, the naming is bordering on a little too cute.), instead of her being a cold bitch and them not caring they were driving their son into a slow-burn nervous breakdown. I think Luca’s theme to Matti would be Vivez! from The Scarlet Pimpernel;
Vivez!
You have one life let it be gay
Don’t put it off ’til you’re dying –
Now is the time to be flying!
Grap up your one golden chance!
Darlings, life is such romance!Vivez maintenant! Come dance!
Life is tossing you a new bouquet!
Meet your heart halfway,
And your heart will say:
Vivez!
(I know I have a habit of going back to Scarlet Pimpernel in a lot of my reviews, but it is one of my favorite plays and has a lot of really quotable songs in its score.) Props to one wedding taking down 2 Houses and 1 family and cementing two relationships; let no one ever say that people can’t multi-task. There are very explicit (and kinky) sex scenes, so if that’s not your scene, I wouldn’t read this.
But all in all, I would recommend it.
