Cbr18bingo Summer (my final book review of astronomical summer, which officially ends September 22, 2026, at 8:05 pm ET)
What a delightful way to end summer! This book had me from page one, and the fact that I hadn’t read the first book in the series did not get in the way of enjoying this one. India Holton imagines a Victorian England in which witches and pirates, who are mortal enemies, abound. They are all thieves of some taste and class (depending on who you talk to), and they are highly skilled combatants. When a particular magical object goes on display at the museum — just begging to be stolen — it’s every man, woman, pirate, and witch for themselves, but one particular pirate and one particular witch are going to go at it and at each other in the most hilarious and libidinous ways.
The novel opens with a very funny action scene that made me think of the classic Barbra Streisand/Ryan O’Neil film “What’s Up, Doc?” Prim little Miss Charlotte Pettifer, witch, unleashes chaos in a tea shop (for completely justifiable reasons) and walks off with a gentleman’s briefcase. The gentleman, however, is no gentleman; he is the Irish pirate Captain Alex O’Riley, who detests witches on principle partly due to being a pirate but also for very personal reasons. The two claim most vociferously to detest each other, but they can’t seem to get enough of each other either. When the rare magical item is finally, inevitably stolen from the museum, Charlotte and Alex find themselves in hot pursuit of both it and each other.
This is a very amusing enemies to lovers romance with plenty of sexy scenes, but there is more to the story of Alex and Charlotte. Both are struggling with obstacles that make a serious relationship seem undesirable and impossible. Alex’s childhood trauma involving a witch and Catholic nuns feeds into his desire to have control over his own life and to protect himself, to not risk the hurt that he has already experienced. As he spends more time with Charlotte, however, he comes to recognize that she is extraordinary and maybe not like all the other witches.
Charlotte, for her part, starts out wanting to do exactly what society expects of her. Society in this case is The Wicken League, a secret (because witches can still be burned) group of witches under the leadership of her aunt Miss Judith Plim. The League is made up of society women with magical powers who spend their days in thievery (much like pirates although they would never admit it), aggressive competitive philanthropy, and social visits. Charlotte imagines herself as an Austen heroine, and aunt Plim sees Charlotte as her heir, the one who will lead the League in the future. If Charlotte can steal the museum artifact, it will cement her future and serve as proof that she is the rightful heir to lead. There are a few problems though. One is that EVERYONE wants to steal the artifact, even other witches in the League. Charlotte is determined to get it and never doubts her superior powers to do so. Yet once she encounters Alex and some of his pirate friends, Charlotte’s thoughts and desires seem to want to go in another direction, toward friendship (with pirates! Unheard of!) and even love/romance (with a pirate! SCANDALOUS!). The scenes in which pirates and witches interact and verbally spar with one another are highlights of the story. Everyone is invested in maintaining the animosity no matter how much they might actually enjoy and benefit from letting it go.
Lots of zany adventure ensues as the pirates take off in pursuit of the artifact in their flying houses. There are chase scenes, crashes, and plenty of bar and tearoom fights, and all the while Alex and Charlotte are getting to know each other better. I love the writing in this novel; it’s very witty and offers constant homage to Austen, Shakespeare and other literary figures. I also found Charlotte and Alex to be charming leads. It’s a cute, fun story and it made me smile.
