A Power Unbound

Sparks fly and lovers dance in this gorgeous, yearning Cinderella retelling from bestselling author Freya Marske - a queer Gothic fairy tale novella perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and T. Kingfisher. <BR><BR>'A spellbinding haunting' - Lex Croucher, author of Trouble<BR><BR>You think you know Cinderella's story: the ball, the magical shoes, the handsome prince.<BR><BR>You're halfway right, and all-the-way wrong.<BR><BR>Ella is a haunting. Murdered at sixteen, her furious ghost is trapped in her father's house, invisible to everyone except her stepmother and stepsisters.<BR><BR>Even when she discovers how to untether herself from her prison, there are limits. She cannot be seen or heard by the living people who surround her. Her family must never learn she is able to leave. And at the stroke of every midnight, she finds herself back on the staircase where she died.<BR><BR>Until she forges a wary friendship with a fairy charm-seller, and makes a bargain for three nights of almost-living freedom. Freedom that means she can finally be seen. Danced with. Touched.<BR><BR>'Whimsical, romantic, and bittersweet' - Ava Reid, author of A Study in Drowning<BR><BR>Rediscover a classic fairy tale in this spellbinding novella from Freya Marske, author of A Marvellous Light and the queen of romantic fantasy.

'If you're doing romantasy without Freya Marske, you're doing it wrong'<BR>- Casey McQuiston, author of Red, White & Royal Blue<BR><BR>A dazzling queer fantasy from the bestselling author of A Marvellous Light, brimming with steamy romance, rougeish charm and intrigue. Perfect for fans of Travis Baldree, Lex Croucher and Casey McQuiston. <BR><BR>Low stakes. High heat. Sharp steel . . .<BR><BR>Mattinesh Jay, heir to his family's struggling business, needs his arranged marriage to go off without a hitch. But if he's to successfully restore his house's fortunes, Matti must first hire a swordsman to defend him against any sword-challenges at the altar. Unfortunately, the only duellist he can afford is part-time con artist and full-time charming menace Luca Piere.<BR><BR>All Luca wants to do is make some easy money and forget the crime he committed in his home town. He didn't plan on being blackmailed into giving sword lessons to a chronically responsible - and inconveniently handsome - wool merchant like Matti.<BR><BR>However, neither Matti's business troubles nor Luca himself are quite what they seem. As secrets threaten to drive a blade through their growing alliance, both Matti and Luca will have to answer the question: how many lies are you prepared to strip away when the truth could mean losing everything you want?<BR><BR>'Deliciously cosy and blisteringly hot'<BR>- Lex Croucher, author of Gwen and Art Are Not in Love<BR><BR>'Swordcrossed proves there's nothing in fantasy - or queer romance - Marske can't do'<BR>- Sarah Rees Brennan, author of Long Live Evil

Knives Out meets The Binding in this historical romp full of magic, queer romance and adventure. A Restless Truth by Freya Marske is the thrilling follow-up to A Marvellous Light.<BR><BR>'It's the lesbian locked-room murder mystery of my dreams. Beyond delightful!' - Alix E. Harrow, author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January<BR><BR>Maud Blyth has always longed for adventure. She'd hoped for plenty of it when she agreed to help her beloved older brother unravel a magical conspiracy. She even volunteered to serve as an old lady's companion on an ocean liner. But Maud didn't expect the old lady to turn up dead on the very first day of the voyage.<BR><BR>Now she has to deal with a dead body, a disrespectful parrot, and the lovely, dangerously outrageous Violet Debenham. Violet is everything Maud has been trained to distrust, yet can't help but desire: a magician, an actress and a magnet for scandal.<BR><BR>Surrounded by open sea and a ship full of suspects, Maud and Violet must learn to drop the masks they've learned to wear. Only then might they work together to locate a magical object worth killing for - and unmask a murderer. All without becoming dead in the water themselves.<BR><BR>Set in an alternative Edwardian England filled with magic, murder and romance, A Restless Truth is the spellbinding second book in The Last Binding trilogy by Freya Marske.<BR><BR>Continue the series with A Power Unbound.

'If you're doing romantasy without Freya Marske, you're doing it wrong'<BR>- Casey McQuiston, author of Red, White & Royal Blue<BR><BR>A dazzling queer fantasy from the bestselling author of A Marvellous Light, brimming with steamy romance, rougeish charm and intrigue. Perfect for fans of Travis Baldree, Lex Croucher and Casey McQuiston. <BR><BR>Low stakes. High heat. Sharp steel . . .<BR><BR>Mattinesh Jay, heir to his family's struggling business, needs his arranged marriage to go off without a hitch. But if he's to successfully restore his house's fortunes, Matti must first hire a swordsman to defend him against any sword-challenges at the altar. Unfortunately, the only duellist he can afford is part-time con artist and full-time charming menace Luca Piere.<BR><BR>All Luca wants to do is make some easy money and forget the crime he committed in his home town. He didn't plan on being blackmailed into giving sword lessons to a chronically responsible - and inconveniently handsome - wool-merchant like Matti.<BR><BR>However, neither Matti's business troubles nor Luca himself are quite what they seem. As secrets threaten to drive a blade through their growing alliance, both Matti and Luca will have to answer the question: how many lies are you prepared to strip away when the truth could mean losing everything you want?<BR><BR>'Deliciously cosy and blisteringly hot'<BR>- Lex Croucher, author of Gwen and Art Are Not in Love<BR><BR>'Swordcrossed proves there's nothing in fantasy - or queer romance - Marske can't do'<BR>- Sarah Rees Brennan, author of Long Live Evil

Secrets! Magic! Enemies to . . . something more? Set in an alternative Edwardian England, A Power Unbound is the steamy, spellbinding conclusion to The Last Binding trilogy by Freya Marske.<BR><BR>'Sublime prose, top-notch world-building, delightfully queer' - TJ Klune, bestselling author of Under the Whispering Door, on A Marvellous Light<BR><BR>Jack Alston - Lord Hawthorn - would love a nice, safe, comfortable life. He renounced magic after the death of his twin sister. But with the threat of a dangerous ritual risking every magician in Britain, he's drawn reluctantly back into that world.<BR><BR>Now Jack is living in a bizarre puzzle-box of a magical London townhouse, helping its owner Violet track down the final piece of the Last Contract before their enemies can do the same. And to make matters worse, they need the help of writer and thief Alan Ross. Cagey and argumentative, Alan is only in this for the money. He's loud in his hatred of the aristocracy and their unearned power . . . and unfortunately, he happens to be everything that Jack wants in one gorgeous, infuriating package.<BR><BR>When a plot to seize unimaginable magic power comes to a head on Jack's own family estate, Jack, Alan and their allies will become entangled in a night of champagne, secrets and bloody sacrifice - and the foundations of magic in Britain might be torn up by the roots before the end.<BR><BR>Filled with magic, murder and romance, A Power Unbound is the thrilling third book in The Last Binding trilogy by Freya Marske. Start the series with A Marvellous Light and A Restless Truth.

Set in an alternative Edwardian England, this is a comedy of manners, manor houses, and hedge mazes - a magic-infused murder mystery and a delightful queer romance. Perfect for fans of Bridgerton who'd like to welcome magic into their lives . . .<BR><BR>'This book is a confection, both marvellous and light' - Alix E. Harrow, author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January<BR><BR>Young baronet Robin Blyth thought he was taking up a minor governmental post. However, he has actually been appointed parliamentary liaison to a secret magical society. If it weren't for this administrative error, he'd never have discovered the incredible magic underlying his world.<BR><BR>Cursed by mysterious attackers and plagued by visions, Robin becomes determined to drag answers from his missing predecessor - but he'll need the help of Edwin Courcey, his hostile magical-society counterpart. Unwillingly thrown together, Robin and Edwin will discover a plot that threatens every magician in the British Isles.<BR><BR>Continue the thrilling series with A Restless Truth.<BR><BR>'A dazzling debut' - Shelley Parker-Chan, author of She Who Became the Sun<BR><BR>'Prepare to fall in love' - Emily Tesh, author of Silver in the Wood<BR><BR>'If you ever wished Downton Abbey was sharper-edged and full of magic, this is the book for you' - Kat Howard, author of An Unkindness of Magicians