Oracle, Tailor, Curator Series by Halli Starling, Željka Dobras

A MARVELLOUS LIGHT meets FOUNDRYSIDE in this queer historical fantasy/romance set in a version of 1899 New York City where magic is common and convenient. Coup de Coeur follows the journey of three men whose fates are tied to the seemingly sudden appearance of a strange, possibly sentient, grimoire. Calix Addington, Earl of Batherton, has a complicated relationship with his friend and former classmate, Lawton Adler... moreA MARVELLOUS LIGHT meets FOUNDRYSIDE in this queer historical fantasy/romance set in a version of 1899 New York City where magic is common and convenient. Coup de Coeur follows the journey of three men whose fates are tied to the seemingly sudden appearance of a strange, possibly sentient, grimoire. Calix Addington, Earl of Batherton, has a complicated relationship with his friend and former classmate, Lawton Adler. Lawton’s tendency to attract, and often cause, trouble leaves Calix sometimes holding the bag (which definitely happens). Calix is also harboring a secret – he’s an Oracle, like his mother, and in a world where small magic is meant for aesthetics and convenience, larger displays of magic are frowned upon, sometimes illegal, and very much what the church and several important organizations fear. When Calix is stuck with a strange book after Lawton’s shady dealings go wrong one spring morning, he takes shelter in Ethaniel Harkness’s magical tailoring shop. Calix and Ethaniel know each other as customer and tailor, but Ethaniel’s kind heart won’t let Calix stay in danger. As Calix hears the strange book speak in his mind, Ethaniel contacts his old flame Aubrey Lavigne. Aubrey’s expertise with magical objects as the curator for the Magnificus Collectio, an archive hidden behind a tourist trap museum, will be key to understanding what this book truly is. Magic, love, lust, fear, and danger run rampant as this strange book becomes the catalyst for a much larger plot conducted by a secret sect known as The Golden Order. With The Golden Order giving chase to retrieve the book, Calix, Ethaniel, and Aubrey’s lives tangle and they must flee the city to separate Calix from the book, shake off their pursuers, and find time for their burgeoning attractions. COUP DE COEUR has deep roots in the real-life queer history of New York City, but also in art and culture. less

A queer historical fantasy/romance set in a version of 1899 New York City where magic is common and convenient, Coup de Coeur follows the journey of three men whose fates are tied to the seemingly sudden appearance of a strange, possibly sentient, grimoire. Calix Addington, Earl of Batherton, has a complicated relationship with his friend and former classmate, Lawton Adler. Lawton’s tendency to attract, and often cause, trouble leaves Calix sometimes holding the bag (which definitely happens)... moreA queer historical fantasy/romance set in a version of 1899 New York City where magic is common and convenient, Coup de Coeur follows the journey of three men whose fates are tied to the seemingly sudden appearance of a strange, possibly sentient, grimoire. Calix Addington, Earl of Batherton, has a complicated relationship with his friend and former classmate, Lawton Adler. Lawton’s tendency to attract, and often cause, trouble leaves Calix sometimes holding the bag (which definitely happens). Calix is also harboring a secret – he’s an Oracle, like his mother, and in a world where small magic is meant for aesthetics and convenience, larger displays of magic are frowned upon, sometimes illegal, and very much what the church and several important organizations fear. When Calix is stuck with a strange book after Lawton’s shady dealings go wrong one spring morning, he takes shelter in Ethaniel Harkness’s magical tailoring shop. Calix and Ethaniel know each other as customer and tailor, but Ethaniel’s kind heart won’t let Calix stay in danger. As Calix hears the strange book speak in his mind, Ethaniel contacts his old flame Aubrey Lavigne. Aubrey’s expertise with magical objects as the curator for the Magnificus Collectio, an archive hidden behind a tourist trap museum, will be key to understanding what this book truly is. Magic, love, lust, fear, and danger run rampant as this strange book becomes the catalyst for a much larger plot conducted by a secret sect known as The Golden Order. With The Golden Order giving chase to retrieve the book, Calix, Ethaniel, and Aubrey’s lives tangle and they must flee the city to separate Calix from the book, shake off their pursuers, and find time for their burgeoning attractions. COUP DE COEUR has deep roots in the real-life queer history of New York City, but also in art and culture. less

Book 2 in the "Oracle, Tailor, Curator" series. The sequel to Coup de Coeur brings more mystery, mayhem, romance, and danger as Calix, Aubrey, and Ethaniel discover new questions about the nature of magic and deeper, darker family secrets. .. After the tragic consequences and betrayals of Coup de Coeur, Calix, Aubrey, Ethaniel, and Lawton are now trapped in Rosehill, the ancestral home where Calix spent many summers with his mother, Lily Addington... moreBook 2 in the "Oracle, Tailor, Curator" series. The sequel to Coup de Coeur brings more mystery, mayhem, romance, and danger as Calix, Aubrey, and Ethaniel discover new questions about the nature of magic and deeper, darker family secrets. .. After the tragic consequences and betrayals of Coup de Coeur, Calix, Aubrey, Ethaniel, and Lawton are now trapped in Rosehill, the ancestral home where Calix spent many summers with his mother, Lily Addington. While the walls of Rosehill are closely protected by wards and other defenses, the house contains many memories, some of which Calix would rather forget. But Rosehill's secrets - and his mother's - are about to come to light. And the question of who his mother really was forces Calix to understand more about her and himself. Are Oracle powers truly destructive, as Lily claimed, or was she seeking something else? And the demimonde, a strange realm between realms, beckons with curled finger. .. and it's aimed directly at Ethaniel. The lure of that unknown place, and its power, is embedded deep in Harkness family history; a history full of death, destruction, and exile. Ethaniel was warned long ago by his father that his mother's family would always try to claim him, but he is discovering the demimonde is a far more tempting, and frightening, siren. While Aubrey tries to hold them all together and protect those closest to him with his own abilities, his personal demons are threatening to burst forth. Can he keep Calix and Ethaniel safe while finding a way to defeat the Golden Order? It feels impossible, and yet he must do it. Failure is not an option. less

Book 2 in the “Oracle, Tailor, Curator” series. The sequel to Coup de Coeur brings more mystery, mayhem, romance, and danger as Calix, Aubrey, and Ethaniel discover new questions about the nature of magic and deeper, darker family secrets. .. After the tragic consequences and betrayals of Coup de Coeur, Calix, Aubrey, Ethaniel, and Lawton are now trapped in Rosehill, the ancestral home where Calix spent many summers with his mother, Lily Addington... moreBook 2 in the “Oracle, Tailor, Curator” series. The sequel to Coup de Coeur brings more mystery, mayhem, romance, and danger as Calix, Aubrey, and Ethaniel discover new questions about the nature of magic and deeper, darker family secrets. .. After the tragic consequences and betrayals of Coup de Coeur, Calix, Aubrey, Ethaniel, and Lawton are now trapped in Rosehill, the ancestral home where Calix spent many summers with his mother, Lily Addington. While the walls of Rosehill are closely protected by wards and other defenses, the house contains many memories, some of which Calix would rather forget. But Rosehill’s secrets — and his mother’s — are about to come to light. And the question of who his mother really was forces Calix to understand more about her and himself. Are Oracle powers truly destructive, as Lily claimed, or was she seeking something else? And the demimonde, a strange realm between realms, beckons with curled finger. .. and it’s aimed directly at Ethaniel. The lure of that unknown place, and its power, is embedded deep in Harkness family history; a history full of death, destruction, and exile. Ethaniel was warned long ago by his father that his mother’s family would always try to claim him, but he is discovering the demimonde is a far more tempting, and frightening, siren. While Aubrey tries to hold them all together and protect those closest to him with his own abilities, his personal demons are threatening to burst forth. Can he keep Calix and Ethaniel safe while finding a way to defeat the Golden Order? It feels impossible, and yet he must do it. Failure is not an option. less

The Oracle fears what else may be hidden in the halls and walls of Rosehill. The tailor is trapped in the demimonde. The curator knows the way forward means pain and blood. As barriers break between reality and other realms, and alliances crack and form anew, Calix, Ethaniel, and Aubrey know they cannot survive the horrors beset upon them alone... moreThe Oracle fears what else may be hidden in the halls and walls of Rosehill. The tailor is trapped in the demimonde. The curator knows the way forward means pain and blood. As barriers break between reality and other realms, and alliances crack and form anew, Calix, Ethaniel, and Aubrey know they cannot survive the horrors beset upon them alone. Magnus, Aubrey’s mentor and the Head Curator of the Magnificus Collectio, is a powerful mage but even he knows the demimonde is not a place to tread if you’re mortal. Enlisting the help of a very old (and rather odd) colleague means revealing secrets he’d kept for so long. And placing that colleague in the direct line of danger surfaces more than mere guilt. Ethaniel’s fate lies in all their hands… but Uzala, the Mapmaker, has plans of their own. A Harkness in the demimonde is a unique opportunity, and one it will not squander. And while the race to bring Ethaniel back traps them all once more in the walls of Rosehill, Aubrey’s chance to prove himself brings up uncomfortable—and perhaps deadly—family secrets and parts of his past that he has no intention of speaking aloud. But like always, magic and the demimonde have other plans. Lawton is caught in his own inner turmoil, but the Golden Order is still searching for him. And he is still harboring the malingering spirit of Calix’s mother, Lily. His fate has always been tied to Calix, but now he has the chance to understand who he is, and who he could become. In the final book of the Oracle, Tailor, Curator trilogy, danger is faced head-on, vows to protect are fortified, and the lives of more then the trio are at stake. Their world, and their understanding of magic, will never be the same. less