This might be the most incredible story I have ever read. It has echoes of Bridgerton, The Good Witch and a host of mysteries, friendships and power surging throughout the pages.
Aurelia is a cursed debutante in her first season and since she inherited a curse on her 17th birthday, she has been scorned and cast out from friendships and potential matches. On her way to her first event of the season, the line of carriages is attacked and Aurelia begins to hover in an attempt to call her magic and help. Finding herself grabbed and locked into a carriage by her family’s foe just fuels her anger. She is a Wycherley and he is a Nightly, of the family who caused the original curse on her family.
Over time, Aurelia continues to be scorned by her fellow debutants but finds a shared goal with Jules Nightly. They both wish and feel a need to figure out how a witch can still have magic without being tethered to another witch. Both have a deep need to find the answers and are brought together by this shared love of treachery, bribery, forgery and each other.
While you read, you are swept away in a magical Romeo and Juliet though Aurelia and Jules are more determined and savvy that the Shakespearean couple. They find love and an enhanced set of magic that eventually leads them to the devastating truth behind the danger facing witches.
I was completely enamoured with the love story, the mystery and history of the magic surrounding them. Intensely brilliant and an absolute top pick for this year.
My Shelves Are Full 