In Gentleman and His Vowsmith by Rebecca Ide, Lord Nicholas Monterris, as the only heir to his family name, must make an advantageous marriage. So his father arranges for him to wed Lady Leaf Serral, a woman Nic doesn’t know at all. But she and her family are brought to the Monterris home to arrange the marriage contract, a magically binding arrangement that requires lots of delicate, precise spellwork in a secured location. Along with Leaf’s family, though, is the vowsmith working on the contract, Dashiell sa Vare, who just happens to be Nic’s former lover. And if all these complicated emotions weren’t enough, as soon as the magical lockdown commences, people start dying in mysterious circumstances. So Nic, Leaf, and Dashiell will have to work together to unravel the truth of what’s happening here, and what their futures will be—if they can elude their own deaths in time.

This is like if Downton Abbey were a magical murder mystery and the main characters were gay. In other words, I liked it.

Firstly, the characters are a lot of fun. You feel sympathy for Nic, who feels trapped in a life he didn’t choose and has no ability to control, and his dark humor adds to his character. And Leaf is a delight, easily my favorite character. She’s witty and vivacious and unafraid to face the dangerous situation she’s found herself in. I adored how her bond with Nic grew over the course of the story; their friendship is one of the best parts of this book.

Dashiell, the other main character and Nic’s love interest, was a little less easily likeable, though. We only ever see from Nic’s point of view, so it was hard for me to get invested in Dashiell at first. He’s rather distant at the beginning of the story, and his mixed signals throughout the first half of the book were pretty tiresome. I stuck it out, though, as I could tell that he had something more going on that he wasn’t telling Nic, and I had a feeling that he’d have some good character development. And he did, and their second chance romance was pretty sweet. I just don’t think it’s the strongest part of the story, even though it’s supposed to be. I guess I simply prefer when couples actually know how to communicate, but perhaps that’s too much to ask of stuffy nobles in Regency England.

On that note, none of these characters talk at all like Regency era people. The dialogue sounds pretty modern and casual, as if Ide didn’t even try to slightly imitate how, say, Jane Austen wrote dialogue. It was kind of weird, and I imagine would be pretty distracting for some readers. I just sort of ignored it, but it was definitely not my favorite aspect of the story.

What I did like, though, was the slight shifts to English culture by introducing magical elements. It took me a little bit to fully understand what vowsmiths were and what they did in society, but I came to understand that they’re kind of magical lawyers, wizards who create binding spells between people—hence their role in crafting marriage contracts. It was an interesting twist on a world that’s otherwise pretty grounded in history. And the other magical elements, like the automatons hidden around Nic’s family home, were cool as well. I think the magic contributed to the murder plot in some clever ways, but then, I like when the genres of mystery and fantasy blend.

As for the mystery itself, there were some decent twists and reveals. I almost wish this had been even more the focus of the story, rather than the romance, but as it is the two are balanced fairly well. As it is, the mystery centers around Nic’s family history, and therefore tackles how trauma and wrongdoings can echo through generations. It’s an interesting aspect to the plot, and does a lot to further character development, especially for Nic and his father.

In the end, The Gentleman and His Vowsmith was a pretty decent story. The setting is fun, as old fancy houses where people start dying tend to be. The characters, particularly Leaf and Nic, are excellent. The blending of romance, mystery, and magic is done quite well, though at times the large number of characters can be a little confusing. But the themes about breaking out of harmful cycles, taking accountability for past mistakes, and making your own destiny are all handled pretty well. This reminds me simultaneously of The Lies We Conjure and Sorcery and Small Magics, two books I’ve read in the past year, but overall if you like queer books that blend various genres, read this!

The Gentleman and His Vowsmith is available now!