The Wycherleys by Annaliese Avery

Fans of romantic fantasy are sure to enjoy The Wycherleys, set in the popular Regency period, with its unique magic, a slow burning romance, beautiful ballgowns and deadly danger. Seventeen-year-old Aurelia Wycherley has been looking forward to her debutante season as a witch but the Nightly Curse changed her magic, turning her hair grey and leaving her peers afraid. To practise her magic, she needs a tether, a perfect match to work with, but no one wants to be near her and without a tether she will lose her magic completely. Jules Nightly is a descendant of the Nightly who cursed the Wycherleys and when Aurelia learns that he is trying to find a way for witches to retain their magic without a tether, she reluctantly joins forces with him, searching through old spell books and tracing links to a deadly group that is murdering witches. Together they face a growing attraction and deadly danger.

The Regency setting is delightful to read about. Aurelia and her friend Constance agonise over what gowns to wear to the masked ball; flowers are sent by prospective partners and beautifully illustrated invitations are scattered throughout the book. Against this background the author outlines the fear that Aurelia has of losing her magic and the determination that Jules has of finding a solution and helping his sister and Aurelia keep their magic. The author deftly manages the love-hate relationship between Jules and Aurelia, while describing their discovery of runes that leads to a breakthrough about magic connections and the exploration of who could be murdering witches and how it threatens the magical world.

The Wycherleys is an engaging story that is sure to please readers who have enjoyed the Twin Crowns series by Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber and Divine rivals by Rebecca Ross and they will want to pick up the next in the series, Love and other curses.

Themes: Regency period, Witches, Magic, Murder, Romance.

Pat Pledger