"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. So here's a thing I'm looking forward to: Without a Summer, by Mary Robinette Kowal (from Tor Books, April 2, 2013).
Jane and David Vincent, master glamourists, go to Long Parkmeade to spend time with Jane's family,
but quickly turn restless. The year is unseasonably cold. No one wants
to be outside and Mr. Ellsworth is concerned by the harvest, since a bad
one may imperil Jane's sister Melody's dowry. And Melody has concerns of her own,
given the inadequate selection of eligible bachelors. When Jane and
Vincent receive a commission from a prominent family in London, they
decide to take it, and take Melody with them. They hope the change of
scenery will do her good and her marriage prospects - and mood - will be
brighter in London. Once there, talk is of nothing but the crop
failures caused by the cold and increased unemployment of the
coldmongers, which have provoked riots in several cities to the north.
With each passing day, it's more difficult to avoid getting embroiled in
the intrigue, none of which really helps Melody's chances for
romance. It's not long before Jane and Vincent realize that in addition
to getting Melody to the church on time, they must take on one small
task: solving a crisis of international proportions.
*****
This is a favorite series of mine; the two previous installments were both lovely examples of what's best described as "Fantasy of manners." They've got that Regency setting that I like so much, and the author goes to some trouble to avoid anachronistic language. I have some issues with this cover; the lady is too pretty to be Jane, and the gentleman is a lot younger than I pictured Vincent. I suppose it might be Melody, whose face is her fortune. In any event, compared to, say, urban fantasy covers featuring women in back-breaking poses, this is hardly objectionable at all. And it doesn't affect how much I'm looking forward to the book, which is "a lot."
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