Artisans Series by Wendy Palmer

'Your ridiculous Art. It's as twisty as you are, and that's saying something.'It's twenty years into the reign of Queen Victoria. The Agency for the Benefit of Registered Artisans has been established to help and protect magic-users and regulate their Artworks. The use of illicit Art is heavily punished.The coldly self-possessed Kit Whitely is an Artisan whose specialty is opening doors and locks... more'Your ridiculous Art. It's as twisty as you are, and that's saying something.'It's twenty years into the reign of Queen Victoria. The Agency for the Benefit of Registered Artisans has been established to help and protect magic-users and regulate their Artworks. The use of illicit Art is heavily punished.The coldly self-possessed Kit Whitely is an Artisan whose specialty is opening doors and locks. That makes him very popular with a certain type of criminal, so he's hiding out in a remote Somerset village hoping for uninteresting times. He's starting to feel safe for the first time in his life.Cheerful bounty hunter Alexander Locke has other ideas. He's obliviously barging into Kit's peaceful new life to arrest him for the use of illicit Art and drag him back to London. But he's a man of divided loyalties and so he's also intending to use Kit for illicit purposes of his own.How much trouble could one pissant little thief give him, really?An enjoyable alt-history (pseudo-Victorian) m/m fantasy fiction romance.T/ References to past abuse. less

Genevieve murmured, ‘We used to be formidable.’‘You still are,’ said Oliver. ‘You’ve always been.’One year ago, Genevieve McAvey was happily married, surrounded by friends and family, and a premiere member of the renowned Myriad team, using her rare pyrokinetic Art to wrangle rogue Artisans and other dangerous criminals... moreGenevieve murmured, ‘We used to be formidable.’‘You still are,’ said Oliver. ‘You’ve always been.’One year ago, Genevieve McAvey was happily married, surrounded by friends and family, and a premiere member of the renowned Myriad team, using her rare pyrokinetic Art to wrangle rogue Artisans and other dangerous criminals.Now it’s the summer of the Great Stink and she’s widowed, deeply grieving, heavily pregnant, and barely able to hold on to a single thought or summon any memories of her past happy life. Her mind is full of a fog that prevents her from asking the most basic of questions.Questions like: Why did her beloved cousins lie to her face when they told her Reuben McAvey was dead? Why has he returned now, just as she is about to undergo her travail? Why has he gifted her a mysterious box that can only be opened by that other Artisan she thought was dead? Why did he abscond with an ancient Art-stealing knife in the first place? Why, exactly, does he think it’s a good idea to annoy an extremely gravid fire-wielder with an ever-shortening temper?And why, why, does she think she might remember seeing her dear friend Oliver naked?Genevieve can only face the threats in her present if she can unlock the secrets of her forgotten past. But more than a few surprises lie in wait… less