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Meddle & Mend #2
One Good Turn
A reformed thief, a magical viscount,
And one good deed that will change a life forever.
In the underbelly of London, Nell Birks longs to escape the world of poverty and crime. When she rescues a wealthy gentleman from a gang of thieves, Nell is tasked with robbing the powerful spellcaster Viscount Finlington — as recompense for stealing a mark from a notorious crime lord.
Confident that learning magic will improve her chances of a better life, Nell leaps at the opportunity to learn magic from the viscount. Soon, she finds herself immersed in a glittering social sphere, full of magic, luxury, and exciting possibilities.
Dazzled by her new world, Nell quickly learns that with bigger dreams come bigger disappointments. And when her new friends decide to leave London behind, finding her place becomes more urgent than ever.
When disaster strikes, everything Nell thought she knew about her old life is shaken to its core. But if magic is not her key to a better life, she’s more lost than when she began.
This new adult fantasy is the second book in the Meddle & Mend series. It takes place shortly after Letters to Half Moon Street but can be read as a standalone.
And one good deed that will change a life forever.
In the underbelly of London, Nell Birks longs to escape the world of poverty and crime. When she rescues a wealthy gentleman from a gang of thieves, Nell is tasked with robbing the powerful spellcaster Viscount Finlington — as recompense for stealing a mark from a notorious crime lord.
Confident that learning magic will improve her chances of a better life, Nell leaps at the opportunity to learn magic from the viscount. Soon, she finds herself immersed in a glittering social sphere, full of magic, luxury, and exciting possibilities.
Dazzled by her new world, Nell quickly learns that with bigger dreams come bigger disappointments. And when her new friends decide to leave London behind, finding her place becomes more urgent than ever.
When disaster strikes, everything Nell thought she knew about her old life is shaken to its core. But if magic is not her key to a better life, she’s more lost than when she began.
This new adult fantasy is the second book in the Meddle & Mend series. It takes place shortly after Letters to Half Moon Street but can be read as a standalone.
168 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 5, 2022
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235 people want to read
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December 23, 2025
I'll be your best friend and you'll be my… Valentine / Yes, you can hold my hand if you want to / 'Cause I wanna hold yours too / We'll be playmates and lovers / And share our secret worlds (Big Girls Don’t Cry – Fergie).
Is anybody else tired of futuristic space crap, or is that just me? Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a knock on Local Heavens by K.M. Fajardo, because that book is perfect in almost every way, but maybe the "futuristic" part has been a bit overplayed in my book because I’ve also been playing this game called The Outer Worlds 2, and it’s so~oo heavily wrapped up in its “I’m so smart and funny, laugh at how smart and funny I am” satirical tone that I think it forgot that stories generally use something called “emotions” and “heart” to capture audiences. You think the writers missed the memo or something? But yeah, all that addled with the fact that it's yet another story harping on how terrible the future will be... I don't know, maybe I don't need the constant reminder, you know? But it might be more than that, I’m probably just tired of future technology stuff because I’m getting tired of real life tech bros emphasizing “state of the art” new technologies and instead of some Star Trek new age shit that actually makes life easier for people, it’s all just nightmare A.I. bullshit that ruins already working systems. Like, I've just made a new Instagram (my username is "hopeless_dusk" by the way 😏hehe #latebloomer) and I’ve got to admit that I’m with the boomers on this one, because it’s been a trip trying to navigate through all the mess! The A.I. overlays, the “rise & grind” alpha male slop, and the D.I.Y videos that don't actually teach you anything... it's a serious trek to Mordor just to get to something that I actually want to see. Just show me what books people are reading, please! This is probably why until now, the only social media sites I would use were Tumblr and Goodreads, because their archaic styling and counterintuitive user interface speaks to my simplistic nature. Don’t worry, I’m not trying to be all No Country For Old Men here where I’m nostalgic for a “simpler” time that never actually existed, but what I am saying is that I’ll be dragged into this new-age A.I. riddled future kicking and screaming the whole way through. Alright, time to hop off my soap box, the end of the year just gets me yapping, I guess. All I really want you to know is that I’ve been yearning for more classic Sword & Shield type fantasy more and more over time. You know… genuine feelings, unwavering loyalties, a big ass dragon, I want more stories that evoke an old school kind of appeal, like an epic or something! But I guess a cozy fantasy historical-fiction heavily inspired by the likes of Bridgerton and feels like it’s been peer reviewed by the Glee Club will do just as well. Okay wait, that sounds like an insult… and I suppose that’s because I kind of… meant it as one? I was wondering how this series would get around the whole “entire book written in letter format” thing for a second installment, and I guess author Sarah Wallace just decided to get rid of the gimmick all together. Which is too bad, as I have to admit that I'm a bit salty because I was a big fan of the "Dear John letter" stylistic choice of the Letters to Half Moon Street, and by removing the “Distant Lover” by Marvin Gaye aspect, I think One Good Turn loses a bit of the magic that Charles Kentworthy and Gavin had in spades.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that it did more with less. Though I feel I’m being a bit unfair right now, because the thing is that I still found this book to be wonderfully entertaining, filled to the brim with magic, and diverse enough to make me want to time travel and tell the past me that someday literary fiction will represent me so completely that I’ll have a breadth of choice on the matter. Choice enough to complain, isn’t that something? So yeah, One Good Turn follows thief Nell and her brother figure Pip as they try take one last job that entails stealing from the powerful Viscount Finlington. Dun dun dunnn! But while he's got an intimidating title, we all remember his gentle nature from when we met him in last book as “Bertie!” “Gotta keep one jump ahead of the breadline, One swing ahead of the sword, I steal only what I can't afford” and all that. Anyway, as a generous sort who never turns away a stray, Bertie takes Nell (and attempts to take Pip) under his wing and teaches her the ways of magic, “The Sorcerer's Apprentice” style, where we then get to read along with near bursting pride as Nell comes into her own while navigating growing up and living up to her full potential. It’s a classic “diamond in the rough” story, so who am I to complain about minor nitpicks? Okay, now that we've established that I like this book, I've got to talk about how even though I Nell was a wonderful main character and the asexual representation was handled with care and sensitivity, I couldn’t help but get increasingly annoyed at how the narration went out of its way at every opportunity to show Pip and Jack kissing up on each other. If nothing else, One Good Turn made me sure of the fact that that kind of behavior would annoy me even with no matter who's taking part. Like, get a damn room! I’m clearly not adverse to romance in my books, but come on now, the near constant PDA made me want to throw the book at the wall… which probably wouldn’t be a good idea considering I read this on my phone. I don’t know, it’s just one of the many reasons why I missed the “letter” format from the first book, because by allowing the reader, me, to infer most of the interactions between the characters, be it Gavin and Charles Kentworthy or Gavin and Gerry, it left more to the imagination. I’ve just been finding this series to be a lot more sentimental than say… Upending Tad, so I’m not really trying to be reading about these two dudes getting off in public every couple of paragraphs, especially when the main character isn't really interested in romance that way, so it almost felt like these characters were being weirdly insensitive towards Nell! Nonetheless, I really did find One Good Turn to be a classic Finding Forrester, feel good coming-of-age story, and I can’t deny that it was warm and cozy enough to melt through even the coldest of winter nights.
“You’d be happy with just… just friendship?”
“I’d hardly describe friendship as ‘just’ anything, Nelly.”
Is anybody else tired of futuristic space crap, or is that just me? Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a knock on Local Heavens by K.M. Fajardo, because that book is perfect in almost every way, but maybe the "futuristic" part has been a bit overplayed in my book because I’ve also been playing this game called The Outer Worlds 2, and it’s so~oo heavily wrapped up in its “I’m so smart and funny, laugh at how smart and funny I am” satirical tone that I think it forgot that stories generally use something called “emotions” and “heart” to capture audiences. You think the writers missed the memo or something? But yeah, all that addled with the fact that it's yet another story harping on how terrible the future will be... I don't know, maybe I don't need the constant reminder, you know? But it might be more than that, I’m probably just tired of future technology stuff because I’m getting tired of real life tech bros emphasizing “state of the art” new technologies and instead of some Star Trek new age shit that actually makes life easier for people, it’s all just nightmare A.I. bullshit that ruins already working systems. Like, I've just made a new Instagram (my username is "hopeless_dusk" by the way 😏hehe #latebloomer) and I’ve got to admit that I’m with the boomers on this one, because it’s been a trip trying to navigate through all the mess! The A.I. overlays, the “rise & grind” alpha male slop, and the D.I.Y videos that don't actually teach you anything... it's a serious trek to Mordor just to get to something that I actually want to see. Just show me what books people are reading, please! This is probably why until now, the only social media sites I would use were Tumblr and Goodreads, because their archaic styling and counterintuitive user interface speaks to my simplistic nature. Don’t worry, I’m not trying to be all No Country For Old Men here where I’m nostalgic for a “simpler” time that never actually existed, but what I am saying is that I’ll be dragged into this new-age A.I. riddled future kicking and screaming the whole way through. Alright, time to hop off my soap box, the end of the year just gets me yapping, I guess. All I really want you to know is that I’ve been yearning for more classic Sword & Shield type fantasy more and more over time. You know… genuine feelings, unwavering loyalties, a big ass dragon, I want more stories that evoke an old school kind of appeal, like an epic or something! But I guess a cozy fantasy historical-fiction heavily inspired by the likes of Bridgerton and feels like it’s been peer reviewed by the Glee Club will do just as well. Okay wait, that sounds like an insult… and I suppose that’s because I kind of… meant it as one? I was wondering how this series would get around the whole “entire book written in letter format” thing for a second installment, and I guess author Sarah Wallace just decided to get rid of the gimmick all together. Which is too bad, as I have to admit that I'm a bit salty because I was a big fan of the "Dear John letter" stylistic choice of the Letters to Half Moon Street, and by removing the “Distant Lover” by Marvin Gaye aspect, I think One Good Turn loses a bit of the magic that Charles Kentworthy and Gavin had in spades.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that it did more with less. Though I feel I’m being a bit unfair right now, because the thing is that I still found this book to be wonderfully entertaining, filled to the brim with magic, and diverse enough to make me want to time travel and tell the past me that someday literary fiction will represent me so completely that I’ll have a breadth of choice on the matter. Choice enough to complain, isn’t that something? So yeah, One Good Turn follows thief Nell and her brother figure Pip as they try take one last job that entails stealing from the powerful Viscount Finlington. Dun dun dunnn! But while he's got an intimidating title, we all remember his gentle nature from when we met him in last book as “Bertie!” “Gotta keep one jump ahead of the breadline, One swing ahead of the sword, I steal only what I can't afford” and all that. Anyway, as a generous sort who never turns away a stray, Bertie takes Nell (and attempts to take Pip) under his wing and teaches her the ways of magic, “The Sorcerer's Apprentice” style, where we then get to read along with near bursting pride as Nell comes into her own while navigating growing up and living up to her full potential. It’s a classic “diamond in the rough” story, so who am I to complain about minor nitpicks? Okay, now that we've established that I like this book, I've got to talk about how even though I Nell was a wonderful main character and the asexual representation was handled with care and sensitivity, I couldn’t help but get increasingly annoyed at how the narration went out of its way at every opportunity to show Pip and Jack kissing up on each other. If nothing else, One Good Turn made me sure of the fact that that kind of behavior would annoy me even with no matter who's taking part. Like, get a damn room! I’m clearly not adverse to romance in my books, but come on now, the near constant PDA made me want to throw the book at the wall… which probably wouldn’t be a good idea considering I read this on my phone. I don’t know, it’s just one of the many reasons why I missed the “letter” format from the first book, because by allowing the reader, me, to infer most of the interactions between the characters, be it Gavin and Charles Kentworthy or Gavin and Gerry, it left more to the imagination. I’ve just been finding this series to be a lot more sentimental than say… Upending Tad, so I’m not really trying to be reading about these two dudes getting off in public every couple of paragraphs, especially when the main character isn't really interested in romance that way, so it almost felt like these characters were being weirdly insensitive towards Nell! Nonetheless, I really did find One Good Turn to be a classic Finding Forrester, feel good coming-of-age story, and I can’t deny that it was warm and cozy enough to melt through even the coldest of winter nights.
“You’d be happy with just… just friendship?”
“I’d hardly describe friendship as ‘just’ anything, Nelly.”
March 31, 2023
Wonderful.
I love the representation in these books but best of all, they are pure hope.
Here the characters are everything and without a doubt, they make the difference.
This series needs to be more popular because it definitely deserves it.
I love the representation in these books but best of all, they are pure hope.
Here the characters are everything and without a doubt, they make the difference.
This series needs to be more popular because it definitely deserves it.
April 16, 2025
2.5* - This second instalment of Sarah Wallace’s cosy queer magical regency novella series follows aromantic novice spellcaster Nell as she finds her way to self-fulfilment. It was fine, as far as her journey of discovery and actualisation goes, but oh my goodness, I got incredibly frustrated with her cluelessness as to the experiences and feelings of others. Even by the end she needs someone else to tell her what has been going on with her best friend FOR YEARS, right under her nose.
February 7, 2025
WONDERFUL BOOK !!!
Sarah Wallace is so talented omg. Nell’ story is incredible and I loved how we also get to see the lives of other characters like Pip 😭💗🙁🥰 I’m loving this series so much
Sarah Wallace is so talented omg. Nell’ story is incredible and I loved how we also get to see the lives of other characters like Pip 😭💗🙁🥰 I’m loving this series so much
July 20, 2024
3.75/5☆
Sweet story about hope and friendship.
Sweet story about hope and friendship.
November 11, 2022
CW’s and CN’s at the end.
Sarah Wallace is a new-to-me author and I’m already such a fan of these books. There was such heart and whimsy in this wonderful story set in an AU London where magic is openly practiced and queerness is an accepted part of the social fabric.
We follow a deeply character-driven story about Nell as she makes her way from the depths of the poorest neighbourhoods to a viscount’s residence all because of a split-second decision. With the jovial viscount promising to teach her magic and helping her make some connections, Nell suddenly has more opportunities than she ever dreamed possible.
Though I’m usually drawn to books with a little more drama I was instantly taken by the rich world that Sarah Wallace built. We see so much of London from the seedy areas where Nell trained as a pickpocket, to the affluent neighbourhoods of the viscount and even the very colourful world of the theatre. Each location was distinct, not just in its appearance, but also serving as significant points for Nell’s own journey. From the beginning it is very clear what Nell’s goals are; to learn magic so that it can allow her to make her own way in the world, and yet she also has to learn to consolidate the different parts and places and people of her life in ways that make sense. It was a delightful way of weaving the strict social boundaries that existed amongst and between the social classes of the 19th century but also highlighting this character who was able to move through all these different spaces until she found what fit her best. The nuances of her internal journey may not be huge or present as a loud spectacle but those beats were significant and so intricately written.
I also really appreciated the multitudes of representation in this novel, from Nell’s journey as an aromantic character (who does not compromise her needs), to the effortlessly varied gender identities and sexual orientations. The ensemble cast is utterly delightful, funny and highly loveable and I really loved the colour they added to the overall story. I can’t wait to read the previous book in the series and see what’s in store next for our characters.
CW’s: poverty and economic hardship; a character in an emotionally abusive and manipulative relationship (no violence on-page) that includes grooming and trafficking.
CN’s: Please note that this is not a traditional romance but rather a queer AU historical fantasy. The main character is aromantic and disinterested in traditional romantic partnerships and remains this way throughout the story. The setting is a queernormative world with various queer pairings (MM and FF), as well as nonbinary, bi and pan side characters, along with characters who are sex workers. There are no on-page sex scenes in this novel.
Sarah Wallace is a new-to-me author and I’m already such a fan of these books. There was such heart and whimsy in this wonderful story set in an AU London where magic is openly practiced and queerness is an accepted part of the social fabric.
We follow a deeply character-driven story about Nell as she makes her way from the depths of the poorest neighbourhoods to a viscount’s residence all because of a split-second decision. With the jovial viscount promising to teach her magic and helping her make some connections, Nell suddenly has more opportunities than she ever dreamed possible.
Though I’m usually drawn to books with a little more drama I was instantly taken by the rich world that Sarah Wallace built. We see so much of London from the seedy areas where Nell trained as a pickpocket, to the affluent neighbourhoods of the viscount and even the very colourful world of the theatre. Each location was distinct, not just in its appearance, but also serving as significant points for Nell’s own journey. From the beginning it is very clear what Nell’s goals are; to learn magic so that it can allow her to make her own way in the world, and yet she also has to learn to consolidate the different parts and places and people of her life in ways that make sense. It was a delightful way of weaving the strict social boundaries that existed amongst and between the social classes of the 19th century but also highlighting this character who was able to move through all these different spaces until she found what fit her best. The nuances of her internal journey may not be huge or present as a loud spectacle but those beats were significant and so intricately written.
I also really appreciated the multitudes of representation in this novel, from Nell’s journey as an aromantic character (who does not compromise her needs), to the effortlessly varied gender identities and sexual orientations. The ensemble cast is utterly delightful, funny and highly loveable and I really loved the colour they added to the overall story. I can’t wait to read the previous book in the series and see what’s in store next for our characters.
CW’s: poverty and economic hardship; a character in an emotionally abusive and manipulative relationship (no violence on-page) that includes grooming and trafficking.
CN’s: Please note that this is not a traditional romance but rather a queer AU historical fantasy. The main character is aromantic and disinterested in traditional romantic partnerships and remains this way throughout the story. The setting is a queernormative world with various queer pairings (MM and FF), as well as nonbinary, bi and pan side characters, along with characters who are sex workers. There are no on-page sex scenes in this novel.
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December 4, 2022Well I waited too long to write a review and I forgot all the details but it does have a fat aromantic character who remains that way the entire story and that was magical in and of itself. I really love this universe that Sarah has built and while I didn't love this as much as letters to Half Moon Street it is a great book and I highly recommend.
May 11, 2024
Nell wants a better life for herself but it’s hard to extract herself from a life of thieving. Until she’s caught breaking into Bertie’s house and he offers to give her magic lessons, instead of turning her in. I enjoyed watching her in this new environment, as she tries to figure out what her future magical career might be while making sense of old friends and new.
The inclusive worldbuilding in this series remains refreshing. Nell is aromantic and no one hassles her about it. That said, this novella felt unfinished. It was more like it was setting things up for Pip’s story than giving Nell her due and that was disappointing. She deserved a full arc. Especially because this might have fleshed out and softened some of her hard edges. I liked her at first but became very frustrated with the way she treated her friends and ignored their obvious mistreatment. She was inexplicably overly trusting of Jack, despite having grown up under his care. Pip could not have been the first person he I also struggled with her demands of Patience. I get it: friendship changes when a friend gets married and/or has children but Patience isn’t a new mom and there was no reason why Nell shouldn’t have adapted by now. It didn’t add up and it made me question if there might be some stereotyping of aro people at play with those choices.
Characters: Nell is an aromantic white orphan, thief, and aspiring magician in her 20s. This is set in London.
Content notes: emotional abuse and trafficking of secondary character, imprisonment for stealing (secondary character), thieving, workplace and financial abuse (employer takes advantage and forces employees into long-standing debts), poverty, sex worker secondary characters, off page sex, alcohol, ableist language
The inclusive worldbuilding in this series remains refreshing. Nell is aromantic and no one hassles her about it. That said, this novella felt unfinished. It was more like it was setting things up for Pip’s story than giving Nell her due and that was disappointing. She deserved a full arc. Especially because this might have fleshed out and softened some of her hard edges. I liked her at first but became very frustrated with the way she treated her friends and ignored their obvious mistreatment. She was inexplicably overly trusting of Jack, despite having grown up under his care. Pip could not have been the first person he I also struggled with her demands of Patience. I get it: friendship changes when a friend gets married and/or has children but Patience isn’t a new mom and there was no reason why Nell shouldn’t have adapted by now. It didn’t add up and it made me question if there might be some stereotyping of aro people at play with those choices.
Characters: Nell is an aromantic white orphan, thief, and aspiring magician in her 20s. This is set in London.
Content notes: emotional abuse and trafficking of secondary character, imprisonment for stealing (secondary character), thieving, workplace and financial abuse (employer takes advantage and forces employees into long-standing debts), poverty, sex worker secondary characters, off page sex, alcohol, ableist language
April 16, 2024
Love the rep and I adore the effortlessly queer world the author has built.
I do like Nell, but I was way more invested in Pip's story, which was hinted at. I think this might be due to there not being a clear end goal in terms of plot for Nell and not very clear obstacles either, making this book feel a bit aimless at times.
If this was fully a cozy read, I don't think I would have minded as much but due to the background plot involving Pip, I wasn't able to enjoy it as such. I was mostly thinking "but what about Pip???" every few paragraphs, which is not very conductive to a cozy reading experience.
Funnily enough, the author mentions in the afterword of the next book (Pip's book!) that they had stopped in the middle of writing One Good Turn to draft Pip's book, and I can certainly see why.
I do like Nell, but I was way more invested in Pip's story, which was hinted at. I think this might be due to there not being a clear end goal in terms of plot for Nell and not very clear obstacles either, making this book feel a bit aimless at times.
If this was fully a cozy read, I don't think I would have minded as much but due to the background plot involving Pip, I wasn't able to enjoy it as such. I was mostly thinking "but what about Pip???" every few paragraphs, which is not very conductive to a cozy reading experience.
Funnily enough, the author mentions in the afterword of the next book (Pip's book!) that they had stopped in the middle of writing One Good Turn to draft Pip's book, and I can certainly see why.
March 26, 2024
This story ends at 82%, the rest of the kindle file is previews of the other books. Sadly, the kindle version also has a lot of paragraph break mistakes. Like, a lot of them. It's distracting.
Nell is aromantic, which is great. But I skimmed parts of this not very long story because I kept being told things, rather than feeling them with Nell, and that's boring. Being aro is not boring.
I couldn't give this another star because I can't get past feeling like this whole story was just to set up Pip's story--and that's creepy. Nell didn't deserve that. This could've been a more compelling story in many ways. Very disappointing.
Nell is aromantic, which is great. But I skimmed parts of this not very long story because I kept being told things, rather than feeling them with Nell, and that's boring. Being aro is not boring.
I couldn't give this another star because I can't get past feeling like this whole story was just to set up Pip's story--and that's creepy. Nell didn't deserve that. This could've been a more compelling story in many ways. Very disappointing.
January 30, 2023
genre: cozy historical fantasy
pages: 176
rating: 8.5/10
rep: curvy, aromantic, lesbian MC (queer SCs in a queer-normative regency England)
✨ Meddle & Mend is a series of standalones where each subsequent book tells the story of a previous side character. They are largely romantasy and are cozy queer-normative regency era reads. I like that these books follow regency era society (needing a chaperone etc) but it's completely normal to be under the queer umbrella.
✨ The first book is the epistolary novel Letters to Half Moon Street (demi m/m). Book 2 follows Nell, born to the streets of London and looking to make an honest living using her natural magical abilities instead of her current life stealing from people as a street urchin.
✨ Nell is a curvy, aromantic, lesbian. I actually don't think I've read a book where the character is not both ace and aro, so I enjoyed reading a character who was sexually active and attracted to other women but not interested in romance, marriage, settling, etc. Because Nell is aro there is more of a focus on the magic in this world which I really liked 🥰
✨ I definitely recommend if you want a chill, historical fantasy, queer romance series that's character driven with very lovable characters.
pages: 176
rating: 8.5/10
rep: curvy, aromantic, lesbian MC (queer SCs in a queer-normative regency England)
✨ Meddle & Mend is a series of standalones where each subsequent book tells the story of a previous side character. They are largely romantasy and are cozy queer-normative regency era reads. I like that these books follow regency era society (needing a chaperone etc) but it's completely normal to be under the queer umbrella.
✨ The first book is the epistolary novel Letters to Half Moon Street (demi m/m). Book 2 follows Nell, born to the streets of London and looking to make an honest living using her natural magical abilities instead of her current life stealing from people as a street urchin.
✨ Nell is a curvy, aromantic, lesbian. I actually don't think I've read a book where the character is not both ace and aro, so I enjoyed reading a character who was sexually active and attracted to other women but not interested in romance, marriage, settling, etc. Because Nell is aro there is more of a focus on the magic in this world which I really liked 🥰
✨ I definitely recommend if you want a chill, historical fantasy, queer romance series that's character driven with very lovable characters.
December 26, 2023
After falling head over heels in love with Letters to Half Moon Street, I simply could not resist diving straight into this dazzling sequel for more queer joy and cozy vibes.
While this is the second instalment in the Meddle & Mend series, taking place very shortly after book 1, it works perfectly well as a standalone. In One Good Turn, we focus on an entirely new character from a completely different walk of life than the protagonists in the first novel, and it's truly remarkable how smoothly Wallace eases the reader back into this wonderful world.
I absolutely loved the balance between the dark and the whimsy here, tackling heavy themes of poverty, sex work, and bodily autonomy while still delivering an absolutely delightful story.
Following the feisty pickpocket Nell as she crawls her way out of the seedy underbelly of the city to step into the life of luxury and magic she knows she deserves was just so wonderful to see. I loved how determined and courageous she was, and seeing her finally find a (found) family for the first time in her life just melted my heart in ways I wasn't ready for.
The friendships and queer relationships in this series are just heartachingly beautiful. You see, because this is an alternate universe historical version of London, the author can just create a delightfully queer normative world while still capturing that dazzling Regency Era vibe with all its laughable sensibilities.
I can count on one hand the number of books I have read following an aromantic protagonist, so it was very interesting to read from Nell's perspective. It really opened my eyes, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much her relationships still tugged on my heartstrings.
While I think I preferred book 1 just slightly over this one, they were both absolute comfort reads. I also really enjoyed seeing all the familiar faces from Letters to Half Moon Street pop up in here, and I also loved seeing more of the spell magic. This universe is already starting to feel completely like home, and these characters can live rent-free in my heart until eternity!
This series is just pure queer joy contained into some of the most delightful and bedazzling stories. If you are looking for queer historical fantasy books with a heartwarming and zero-spice romantic touch, then I simply can't recommend the Meddle & Mend series highly enough.
While this is the second instalment in the Meddle & Mend series, taking place very shortly after book 1, it works perfectly well as a standalone. In One Good Turn, we focus on an entirely new character from a completely different walk of life than the protagonists in the first novel, and it's truly remarkable how smoothly Wallace eases the reader back into this wonderful world.
I absolutely loved the balance between the dark and the whimsy here, tackling heavy themes of poverty, sex work, and bodily autonomy while still delivering an absolutely delightful story.
Following the feisty pickpocket Nell as she crawls her way out of the seedy underbelly of the city to step into the life of luxury and magic she knows she deserves was just so wonderful to see. I loved how determined and courageous she was, and seeing her finally find a (found) family for the first time in her life just melted my heart in ways I wasn't ready for.
The friendships and queer relationships in this series are just heartachingly beautiful. You see, because this is an alternate universe historical version of London, the author can just create a delightfully queer normative world while still capturing that dazzling Regency Era vibe with all its laughable sensibilities.
I can count on one hand the number of books I have read following an aromantic protagonist, so it was very interesting to read from Nell's perspective. It really opened my eyes, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much her relationships still tugged on my heartstrings.
While I think I preferred book 1 just slightly over this one, they were both absolute comfort reads. I also really enjoyed seeing all the familiar faces from Letters to Half Moon Street pop up in here, and I also loved seeing more of the spell magic. This universe is already starting to feel completely like home, and these characters can live rent-free in my heart until eternity!
This series is just pure queer joy contained into some of the most delightful and bedazzling stories. If you are looking for queer historical fantasy books with a heartwarming and zero-spice romantic touch, then I simply can't recommend the Meddle & Mend series highly enough.
March 12, 2026
I was expecting Gerry's story, so I was quite surprised when the book began with a completely new character. Nell, a reformed thief, is working in a magic store because she wants to live a better life. When a toff named Charles (I finally realized, a character from the first book) leaves the shop, she "rescues" him from her old gang friends who plan to rob him. This sets up the whole plot.
Nell has naively believed the gang leader Jack has been treating them all fairly.
Gerry does show up and she and Nell become friends, bit when Gerry moves to the country, all the other first book characters leave also. Nell learns about life and love and magic. On to book 3, which is about a character from this book, Pip,who is rescued and sent to the country with book 1 characters. i realize this is a confusing review, but let's hope book 3 is clearer.
Nell has naively believed the gang leader Jack has been treating them all fairly.
Gerry does show up and she and Nell become friends, bit when Gerry moves to the country, all the other first book characters leave also. Nell learns about life and love and magic. On to book 3, which is about a character from this book, Pip,who is rescued and sent to the country with book 1 characters. i realize this is a confusing review, but let's hope book 3 is clearer.
September 17, 2022
Love, love, love this story!
It was so great to get more time with some characters from Letters to Half Moon Street, especially Bertie & Gerry. Following MC Nell on her journey to find a new path in life was exciting as she worked to improve her magic.
While I do love an HEA with romance, this story proves that one with friendship and comfort in what makes YOU happy is equally as important & wonderful.
It was so great to get more time with some characters from Letters to Half Moon Street, especially Bertie & Gerry. Following MC Nell on her journey to find a new path in life was exciting as she worked to improve her magic.
While I do love an HEA with romance, this story proves that one with friendship and comfort in what makes YOU happy is equally as important & wonderful.
October 26, 2024
"As she walked through the London streets, she realized that she hadn’t found her place after all; she had carved it out with her own two hands.
This started off a bit slow and I was worried it might not be as sweet and comforting as the first book. But the magic happened, and it truly warmed my heart. This series should be on every cosy books recommendations video, it's so damn precious, full of love and representation. I want to live in that universe.
This started off a bit slow and I was worried it might not be as sweet and comforting as the first book. But the magic happened, and it truly warmed my heart. This series should be on every cosy books recommendations video, it's so damn precious, full of love and representation. I want to live in that universe.
August 11, 2024
After loving the first book of this series, Letters to Half Moon Street, I plowed into this one expecting more of the same. I should have looked at the cover, which clearly declares that this is a historical fantasy, not a fantasy romance. Sigh. I still enjoyed myself, but will probably limit myself to the Meddle and Mend romances from here on out.
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December 12, 2024Aw this series is so sweet and cute. This book is about Nell, an aro queer girl from a hardscrabble background who is trying to make a better life for herself. Some of the characters from the first book make an appearance here too, and I think it is cute to see them progressing through their lives even though they are just in the background.
January 7, 2025
Three and a half stars
A fun historical fantasy novella in a queer normative version of early 19th century London, this is the story of a young woman's journey as she finds her new place by learning magic. It may seem too easy but it did all come about because she did someone a good turn. I really like the characters and the setting and the attention paid to the little details.
A fun historical fantasy novella in a queer normative version of early 19th century London, this is the story of a young woman's journey as she finds her new place by learning magic. It may seem too easy but it did all come about because she did someone a good turn. I really like the characters and the setting and the attention paid to the little details.
October 3, 2022
I loved Nell! As a main character, she was compelling. This book definitely has some bitter in with the sweet, more so than the first in the series, but the author was very up front about that, so I went in with open eyes. I found a darling girl and her kind friends, and a wonderful story about finding home.
February 15, 2024
Short and sweet aro rep.
January 13, 2025
This series continues to be a delight!
October 22, 2025
"One Good Turn" is book two in Sarah Wallace's "Meddle & Mend" series. I enjoyed the magical aspect of this story and liked Nell's character. This book was a great addition to the series, and Sarah did a great job writing it. I also liked the fact that it kept my attention and had me reading to find out what was going to happen next. I enjoy reading fantasy books, and this one definitely did not disappoint.
October 12, 2023
While I did prefer the epistolary narrative of the first book a whole lot more, I still found this book enjoyable. This is a very simply told story from a single character's point of view. This storytelling style is well fitted to the story — it allows the book to stay hopeful and positive despite a much darker subject matter and some pretty dramatic and tragic implications.
I missed the vibrant voices and the colorful mix of characters from the first book though.
But I continue to love this alternative reality world even with all its dark and unfortunate similarities to ours.
I missed the vibrant voices and the colorful mix of characters from the first book though.
But I continue to love this alternative reality world even with all its dark and unfortunate similarities to ours.
October 12, 2022
ONE GOOD TURN is the second book in the Meddle & Mend series, but can easily be read as a standalone. This time the main character of the story is Nell Birks, a reformed thief who longs for a life outside crime and poverty. Everything changes when she helps Mr. Kentworthy (yay for his return!) from a gang of thieves. Her new life is filled with good friends, luxury and the wonderful opportunity to work with magic.
I read One Good Turn as a buddy read. Once I started it was so difficult to stop that I finished it in one day (whoops), so we ended up chatting about it while my friend was reading. It was so much fun! One of the first things we both mentioned is that we love Sarah’s writing style. From page one it’s clear we’re in 19th-century London (except for the fact that it’s not exactly the London we know. It’s a better one, with magic and people who aren’t stupid about other people being queer), and that’s for a large part because of the way it’s written.
I think I spent at least half an hour spamming my friend about Pip (keywords: at least), because he’s the cutest and most precious character in character history. I won’t start again now, but I’m sure you can imagine how thrilled I was when I realised the next book is going to be about him! And then there’s Nell. I really liked her as well, and I loved that she’s an aromantic character. I’ve been searching for more books about aro/demi/greyromantic people lately, but found it hard to find them (recommendations are welcome!), so this was a nice surprise.
I think it’s clear I really liked One Good Turn and you should definitely read it! In the meantime, I’ll be sitting here waiting for the next book. Because I need more Pip. Right. Now.
I read One Good Turn as a buddy read. Once I started it was so difficult to stop that I finished it in one day (whoops), so we ended up chatting about it while my friend was reading. It was so much fun! One of the first things we both mentioned is that we love Sarah’s writing style. From page one it’s clear we’re in 19th-century London (except for the fact that it’s not exactly the London we know. It’s a better one, with magic and people who aren’t stupid about other people being queer), and that’s for a large part because of the way it’s written.
I think I spent at least half an hour spamming my friend about Pip (keywords: at least), because he’s the cutest and most precious character in character history. I won’t start again now, but I’m sure you can imagine how thrilled I was when I realised the next book is going to be about him! And then there’s Nell. I really liked her as well, and I loved that she’s an aromantic character. I’ve been searching for more books about aro/demi/greyromantic people lately, but found it hard to find them (recommendations are welcome!), so this was a nice surprise.
I think it’s clear I really liked One Good Turn and you should definitely read it! In the meantime, I’ll be sitting here waiting for the next book. Because I need more Pip. Right. Now.
May 25, 2023
This was a lovely, hopeful story about Nell. It's so nice to read a story about an aromantic character where nobody tries to change her mind about that. Neil is trying to improve her lot in life, after being orphaned, taken in by a man who teaches her (and the gang of other kids) to pickpocket, and always being in debt to him. She wants more for herself and her future. After a run in with Charles (one of the MCs from book 1), things start to change. I enjoyed seeing Nell decide what she wanted from life, watching her learn magic, and I was so happy that her new friends didn't try to change her or force her into a particular path.
January 19, 2023
Some spoilers in terms of content warnings below.
This is a short, low-stakes magical tale set in an alternate, queer-friendly Regency London. We have good rep of queer, ace and non-binary characters at all levels of British society. The story centres of mostly-reformed thief Nell as she tries to work her way out of poverty and make her own “family.” I liked Nell, though Bertie stole the show!
This was a character-driven story, so we didn’t get much action or deployment magic. I thought Nell might use her new magic skills more often than she did, and what I thought could’ve been a fun, climatic scene with lots of cool magic was shown off-page.
My spoiler/note of caution:
This story is described as “cozy” - but a major plot line deals with a character in a coercive relationship. We learn near the start it’s a relationship with an age gap/imbalanced power dynamic, but it’s not until late in the book the other protagonist realised how unhealthy/abusive it is. Between then the relationship is described in positive terms by onlookers. I found this quite dark (and disturbing) and there wasn’t much in the way of comeuppance or healing for the respective sides by the end. I think there are more stories coming in this series, so I hope we get more closure/catharsis (a few other plot threads were left hanging that I hope get resolved too).
In summary, people looking for character-driven, queer historical stories will enjoy One Good Turn.
This is a short, low-stakes magical tale set in an alternate, queer-friendly Regency London. We have good rep of queer, ace and non-binary characters at all levels of British society. The story centres of mostly-reformed thief Nell as she tries to work her way out of poverty and make her own “family.” I liked Nell, though Bertie stole the show!
This was a character-driven story, so we didn’t get much action or deployment magic. I thought Nell might use her new magic skills more often than she did, and what I thought could’ve been a fun, climatic scene with lots of cool magic was shown off-page.
My spoiler/note of caution:
This story is described as “cozy” - but a major plot line deals with a character in a coercive relationship. We learn near the start it’s a relationship with an age gap/imbalanced power dynamic, but it’s not until late in the book the other protagonist realised how unhealthy/abusive it is. Between then the relationship is described in positive terms by onlookers. I found this quite dark (and disturbing) and there wasn’t much in the way of comeuppance or healing for the respective sides by the end. I think there are more stories coming in this series, so I hope we get more closure/catharsis (a few other plot threads were left hanging that I hope get resolved too).
In summary, people looking for character-driven, queer historical stories will enjoy One Good Turn.
September 3, 2024
2.5
This was cute and I liked the aro rep but it did feel like a set up for the next book rather than its own thing. I didn't feel like Nell had much of an arc. She got what she wanted and it was nice seeing her learn but I don't feel like she grew/changed much from the story. I also felt like she... was a bad friend. I get that it's supposed to show that she was also affected by Jack's hold on his people and she has some autistic coding that can explain her missing some cues but I was quite uncomfortable with how her friendship with Pip and how she handled his problems (he's not my problem anymore, he's got Jack, all that). I don't know, I think I can see what the author was going for but I was personally annoyed/uncomfortable with us seeing Pip getting progressively worse through Nell's eyes while she didn't notice. She never even questioned it before Lino told her and by then Pip wasn't in London anymore so idk the friendship didn't feel as strong as we were told it was.
This was cute and I liked the aro rep but it did feel like a set up for the next book rather than its own thing. I didn't feel like Nell had much of an arc. She got what she wanted and it was nice seeing her learn but I don't feel like she grew/changed much from the story. I also felt like she... was a bad friend. I get that it's supposed to show that she was also affected by Jack's hold on his people and she has some autistic coding that can explain her missing some cues but I was quite uncomfortable with how her friendship with Pip and how she handled his problems (he's not my problem anymore, he's got Jack, all that). I don't know, I think I can see what the author was going for but I was personally annoyed/uncomfortable with us seeing Pip getting progressively worse through Nell's eyes while she didn't notice. She never even questioned it before Lino told her and by then Pip wasn't in London anymore so idk the friendship didn't feel as strong as we were told it was.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2023
This series is too underrated tbh. I loved the first book so much, but I loved this one even more. We get glimpses at the couple from letters to half moon street, and we follow the journey of an aro character (which aroaces are not represented as they should in literature). I am excited to read the next one and see what Pip's journey will be like. He has gone through so much, and I am hopeful that his life will get better. Anyways, I love Sarah Wallace so much for creating this world ❤️
September 11, 2023
I adore that aromantic rep and that Nell wasn’t ‘turned romantic’ in the end. Took a little time to adjust from the change in storytelling, but it was such a good read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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