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Mysterious Charm #3
Magician's Hoard
Enjoy this kind and gentle 1920s historical fantasy romance series set in the magical community of Great Britain.
Pross has a simple research question.
A widow raising her daughter on her own, Pross has begun taking on research projects as well as running the village bookstore. When she visits the Research Society in London for a consulation, it is nothing like she remembers. Books and materials are hidden away, and nearly everyone is dismissive.
Ibis is as prickly as a hedgehog
Too British for Egypt and far too Egyptian for England, Ibis has found a place for himself since the Great War translating and examining materials from excavations in Egypt. The work is wonderful and he's able to be close to his youngest sister, but the other scholars ignore or insult him.
When Pross asks for his help investigating tales of an ancient Roman hoard, Ibis is intrigued. It turns out they aren't the only ones interested. Ibis and Pross must use all their wits and every one of their skills - even the one Ibis is terrified to reveal - to protect themselves and the hidden hoard.
Magician's Hoard is the third novel in the Mysterious Charm series. All of Celia Lake's Albion books exploring the magical community of the British Isles can be read in any order. It is full of archaeology, magical artefacts, research, motherhood, an urgent trip to Paris, and the dangers of empire. Enjoy this gentle romantic fantasy with a swirl of sex set in 1926 with a happily ever after ending!
Pross has a simple research question.
A widow raising her daughter on her own, Pross has begun taking on research projects as well as running the village bookstore. When she visits the Research Society in London for a consulation, it is nothing like she remembers. Books and materials are hidden away, and nearly everyone is dismissive.
Ibis is as prickly as a hedgehog
Too British for Egypt and far too Egyptian for England, Ibis has found a place for himself since the Great War translating and examining materials from excavations in Egypt. The work is wonderful and he's able to be close to his youngest sister, but the other scholars ignore or insult him.
When Pross asks for his help investigating tales of an ancient Roman hoard, Ibis is intrigued. It turns out they aren't the only ones interested. Ibis and Pross must use all their wits and every one of their skills - even the one Ibis is terrified to reveal - to protect themselves and the hidden hoard.
Magician's Hoard is the third novel in the Mysterious Charm series. All of Celia Lake's Albion books exploring the magical community of the British Isles can be read in any order. It is full of archaeology, magical artefacts, research, motherhood, an urgent trip to Paris, and the dangers of empire. Enjoy this gentle romantic fantasy with a swirl of sex set in 1926 with a happily ever after ending!
284 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 30, 2019
12 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Celia Lake
47 books75 followersCelia Lake spends her days as a librarian in the Boston (MA) metro area, and her nights and weekends at home happily writing, reading, and researching.
Born and raised in Massachusetts to British parents, she naturally embraced British spelling, classic mysteries, and the Oxford comma before she learned there were any other options.
Born and raised in Massachusetts to British parents, she naturally embraced British spelling, classic mysteries, and the Oxford comma before she learned there were any other options.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 19, 2019
2.5 stars
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Pross' is a widowed bookseller and when someone approaches her with a research project, she can't help but take it on. When she realizes she needs help, she goes to the Research Society. There she gets directed to someone named Ibis.
Due to racism and classism, Ibis is stuffed into a corner in the offices of the Research Society but when Pross gets sent up to him, it will set-off a chain of discoveries that will shake the very fabric of their lives, in more ways than one.
“Are you saying there’s something wrong at the Society? Badly wrong?” He’d said that, but she needed to hear him admit it flat out.
Ibis looked up to meet her eyes , and then he nodded. “I am. I do think there is. I just don’t know what. That’s why we’re here.”
The Magician's Hoard is book three in the Mysterious Charm series and I wish that I had started with book one. The setting is 1920's England, with some forays into Paris, and while the history of the world seems to be based in reality, there is mention of “the war”, magic is part of everyday life. When kids go to school, they are sent off and put into different factions, Fox, Owl, Seal, and etc.; close to Harry Potter-ish. No one really knows how and why people are put into the categories they are but this directs their courses of study. People also travel by portals, which makes going from London to Paris a simple, not time consuming trip. There really wasn't an explanation or relaying of the structure of this world, probably provided in book one, so starting in book three with no help, I was lost in the framing of the world and therefore, very lost in the meanings of things and how magic existed.
Singularly, Pross and Ibis were interesting characters. Pross a widowed bookseller with a daughter in school. We get some scenes with Pross and her daughter, more towards the middle and end that helped fill out her character and some talk about her previous marriage. Ibis is half Egyptian, with a sister in school and other family members living in Egypt. He has a flatmate, we see them interact together, but otherwise his background feels a bit murky. While there was some sketching out of these two, I wanted some color pencils used, I had trouble feeling them and their emotions for the first half of the book. The second half they start to warm up and I felt we got to know them more but it was a little difficult to make it there. Their attraction starts off mild, shy, and then moves into the bedroom. There was an ending bedroom scene that felt a tad out of place, in regards to how the story was flowing previously, with a sexy toy joining in on the fun. They were cute together but their relationship felt more studious than steamy.
The reason for Pross joining up with Ibris, the search for a Roman hoard, was hard for me to keep track of; the aforementioned magic and how it existed in this world, the secondary characters who pop up and aren't really fleshed out, and the time jumps. There would be a scene with something learned by Pross or Ibris and then a week or some sort of time jump would occur. This gave the story a stop and go feel and hurt the flow for me. I honestly felt lost in the plot about the hoard, from how it was important, to what it was, and who the villain/s going against Pross and Ibris' search for it.
The writing was wonderfully technically sound but the overall story structure felt off, but again, I didn't read the previous two books in the series, so I could have missed out on key information that would have helped out here. It took until the second half for me to feel like I finally felt the emotions from characters and feel like I had solid grip on them but I'm not sure I ever accomplished even that with the Roman hoard plot. The 1920's era doesn't usually show up in new romance releases, so if looking for that time period and a bit different vibe with some magic in your stories, back track to book one before taking this one on.
He felt her hand slip into his, and the delighted whisper in his ear, “Keeping you.”
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Pross' is a widowed bookseller and when someone approaches her with a research project, she can't help but take it on. When she realizes she needs help, she goes to the Research Society. There she gets directed to someone named Ibis.
Due to racism and classism, Ibis is stuffed into a corner in the offices of the Research Society but when Pross gets sent up to him, it will set-off a chain of discoveries that will shake the very fabric of their lives, in more ways than one.
“Are you saying there’s something wrong at the Society? Badly wrong?” He’d said that, but she needed to hear him admit it flat out.
Ibis looked up to meet her eyes , and then he nodded. “I am. I do think there is. I just don’t know what. That’s why we’re here.”
The Magician's Hoard is book three in the Mysterious Charm series and I wish that I had started with book one. The setting is 1920's England, with some forays into Paris, and while the history of the world seems to be based in reality, there is mention of “the war”, magic is part of everyday life. When kids go to school, they are sent off and put into different factions, Fox, Owl, Seal, and etc.; close to Harry Potter-ish. No one really knows how and why people are put into the categories they are but this directs their courses of study. People also travel by portals, which makes going from London to Paris a simple, not time consuming trip. There really wasn't an explanation or relaying of the structure of this world, probably provided in book one, so starting in book three with no help, I was lost in the framing of the world and therefore, very lost in the meanings of things and how magic existed.
Singularly, Pross and Ibis were interesting characters. Pross a widowed bookseller with a daughter in school. We get some scenes with Pross and her daughter, more towards the middle and end that helped fill out her character and some talk about her previous marriage. Ibis is half Egyptian, with a sister in school and other family members living in Egypt. He has a flatmate, we see them interact together, but otherwise his background feels a bit murky. While there was some sketching out of these two, I wanted some color pencils used, I had trouble feeling them and their emotions for the first half of the book. The second half they start to warm up and I felt we got to know them more but it was a little difficult to make it there. Their attraction starts off mild, shy, and then moves into the bedroom. There was an ending bedroom scene that felt a tad out of place, in regards to how the story was flowing previously, with a sexy toy joining in on the fun. They were cute together but their relationship felt more studious than steamy.
The reason for Pross joining up with Ibris, the search for a Roman hoard, was hard for me to keep track of; the aforementioned magic and how it existed in this world, the secondary characters who pop up and aren't really fleshed out, and the time jumps. There would be a scene with something learned by Pross or Ibris and then a week or some sort of time jump would occur. This gave the story a stop and go feel and hurt the flow for me. I honestly felt lost in the plot about the hoard, from how it was important, to what it was, and who the villain/s going against Pross and Ibris' search for it.
The writing was wonderfully technically sound but the overall story structure felt off, but again, I didn't read the previous two books in the series, so I could have missed out on key information that would have helped out here. It took until the second half for me to feel like I finally felt the emotions from characters and feel like I had solid grip on them but I'm not sure I ever accomplished even that with the Roman hoard plot. The 1920's era doesn't usually show up in new romance releases, so if looking for that time period and a bit different vibe with some magic in your stories, back track to book one before taking this one on.
He felt her hand slip into his, and the delighted whisper in his ear, “Keeping you.”
December 14, 2024
Another good book by Ms Lake! I particularly enjoyed the look at another cultures magical traditions. I’m not an expert on Egyptian mythology but I knew enough for it to follow along and appreciate the research that went into writing that part of the book.
I also liked the look at class and race in England in this period, which some historical novels gloss over (especially romances). Theres good representation of older protagonists (30s) and blended families.
I also liked the look at class and race in England in this period, which some historical novels gloss over (especially romances). Theres good representation of older protagonists (30s) and blended families.
April 8, 2022
Interesting Take
Magician’s Hoard is a gaslamp fantasy romance involving an Anglo-Egyptian scholar and an English bookseller. The book includes dealing with the racial, cultural and gender discrimination in 1920s Albion (magical England) as well as a mystery/quest regarding a hidden Roman hoard.
I liked Ibis and Pross very much and the way they each valued the other in ways most of the people they met in daily life did not. The secondary characters were also enjoyable.
Something I like about Lake’s stories is the lack of a Great Confrontation between a Big Bad and the main characters at the end of a mystery. In real life (yes, remembering this is a fantasy), law enforcement such as the Garda and more senior officials would deal with that. The identified problems aren’t always immediately solved. Sometimes things take time and multiple steps.
I am enjoying stepping into the world of Albion and am looking forward to the next book.
Magician’s Hoard is a gaslamp fantasy romance involving an Anglo-Egyptian scholar and an English bookseller. The book includes dealing with the racial, cultural and gender discrimination in 1920s Albion (magical England) as well as a mystery/quest regarding a hidden Roman hoard.
I liked Ibis and Pross very much and the way they each valued the other in ways most of the people they met in daily life did not. The secondary characters were also enjoyable.
Something I like about Lake’s stories is the lack of a Great Confrontation between a Big Bad and the main characters at the end of a mystery. In real life (yes, remembering this is a fantasy), law enforcement such as the Garda and more senior officials would deal with that. The identified problems aren’t always immediately solved. Sometimes things take time and multiple steps.
I am enjoying stepping into the world of Albion and am looking forward to the next book.
April 15, 2021
I just love how Lake looks at magic systems as well as power dynamics within groups. In this case I really enjoyed the idea of Egyptian magic being fundamentally different from English magic (of course it would be! But so rarely considered in fantasy). I also liked the worldbuilding on how shifters are perceived. Really interesting.
Also: MAGIC SEX TOYS. I've asked around and this is pretty much just a thing in fanfiction. But really, YES any world with magic charms would have something to make a dildo extra fun, right?
4.5 rounding up.
Also: MAGIC SEX TOYS. I've asked around and this is pretty much just a thing in fanfiction. But really, YES any world with magic charms would have something to make a dildo extra fun, right?
4.5 rounding up.
June 13, 2021
I very much like the diversity (of all sorts) in Lake's magical Britain. Ibis and Pross are smart, competent characters with a great deal to offer and their discoveries as researchers and as humans are a joy to read. As with previous parts of this series, the world is thicker and deeper than the mystery at the center of the novel but in a book with such interesting characters and a deep mythology, it's easy to look past.
July 4, 2022
I liked this fine, but I had hoped I would've liked it better--the two romantic leads are great and complement each other well, but the dialogue is similarly written to the two earlier books in a way that's distracting. There's also a weird plot thing that seemed to be left hanging, which confused me.
July 2, 2023
I love Ibis and had been looking forward to Pross’ story since her introduction in Outcrossing. This is a delightful mystery with lots of the research side and just a great romance. I’m looking forward to Jonas getting a story!
May 29, 2021
I found this one a little frustrating. Pross is an absolute delight and I'd been hoping she would get her own romance, but the ending just didn't quite gel for me.
May 14, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
February 25, 2022
TLDR: I really want this book to be heavily edited.
https://klishis.com/reading/archives/...
https://klishis.com/reading/archives/...
January 9, 2024
Another reread of one of my favorite authors!
Proserpina Gates, widowed mother, visits the Research Society for help researching the possibility of some sort of treasure hoard on a client’s property.
She is pawned off on half-Egyptian research fellow Ibis Ward, who is generally ignored by the rest of the society because of his background. Together they investigate the hoard and some unsavory doings at the society.
This isn’t one of my favorites by Lake, but it’s still a fun read and I enjoyed reviewing the back story of some characters. One of her newer books, Ilusion of a Boar features two of the younger characters in this book once they’re grown up.
There’s also some fun shape shifting magic in the book which I liked.
Proserpina Gates, widowed mother, visits the Research Society for help researching the possibility of some sort of treasure hoard on a client’s property.
She is pawned off on half-Egyptian research fellow Ibis Ward, who is generally ignored by the rest of the society because of his background. Together they investigate the hoard and some unsavory doings at the society.
This isn’t one of my favorites by Lake, but it’s still a fun read and I enjoyed reviewing the back story of some characters. One of her newer books, Ilusion of a Boar features two of the younger characters in this book once they’re grown up.
There’s also some fun shape shifting magic in the book which I liked.
October 10, 2023
A gaslight fantasy romance between an Anglo-Egyptian scholar & a widowed English bookseller deals with the racial, cultural and gender discrimination in 1926 Albion (magical England) as well as a mystery/quest regarding a hidden Roman hoard.
Proserpina "Pross" Gates, whose husband Octavian was a fellow at the Research Society) is made uneasy when she arrives for a scheduled appointment to find no consultant scholar available & many magical artifacts & library volumes missing from the Society display shelves. Thutmose "Ibis" Ward is a Research Scholar cataloging magical artifacts from Lord Carnarvon's expedition, also has become uneasy about some of the Research Society's practices. Together they launch an investigation, during which they fall in love.
Proserpina "Pross" Gates, whose husband Octavian was a fellow at the Research Society) is made uneasy when she arrives for a scheduled appointment to find no consultant scholar available & many magical artifacts & library volumes missing from the Society display shelves. Thutmose "Ibis" Ward is a Research Scholar cataloging magical artifacts from Lord Carnarvon's expedition, also has become uneasy about some of the Research Society's practices. Together they launch an investigation, during which they fall in love.
November 28, 2019
Another lovely book set in Albion
What I loved:
-The magical setting and post WWI; the era seems charming, and yet the residual effects of the war on the country, not so charming
- the inclusive cast of characters ; the bookstore owning heroine has a mixed race daughter, and the hero is Egyptian
-the project; discern how to remove a mysterious potential treasure from it's hiding place.
What I wished were there:
-a little more about the treasure actually found and how it was removed. Did it include the magical stone cylinders? Anything else of note? Once they gained access to it, that part of the story was done, no more info! I really wanted a little more...
What I loved:
-The magical setting and post WWI; the era seems charming, and yet the residual effects of the war on the country, not so charming
- the inclusive cast of characters ; the bookstore owning heroine has a mixed race daughter, and the hero is Egyptian
-the project; discern how to remove a mysterious potential treasure from it's hiding place.
What I wished were there:
-a little more about the treasure actually found and how it was removed. Did it include the magical stone cylinders? Anything else of note? Once they gained access to it, that part of the story was done, no more info! I really wanted a little more...
August 2, 2022
Archeological research, defying stereotypical molds, stealthy sleuthing, family. Feel-good, gentle, slow.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews