Title: The Spinster’s Swindle
(Arcane Tales #2)
Author: Catherine Stein
Published: November 2021
Genre: Historical Romance, Spiritualism

Blurb:

Revenge is in her future. But falling for her enemy’s son is one fate this spiritualist could never have envisioned.

Playwright Maxwell Millerson would rather spend his days dreaming up stories than cleaning up his father’s messes. But a trendy renovation has the family’s gaming club on the brink of ruin, and not even Max’s imagination can conjure a way out. Desperate he turns to the multi – talented – and alluringly audacious – Madame Xyla to help him spin gold from straw.

Lydia Weaver, professionally known as spiritualist Madame Xyla, has long sought revenge on the man responsible for her cousin’s imprisonment. When her enemy’s son visits her seance room seeking advice, Lydia leaps at the opportunity for vengeance. Until Max’s easy charm and poetic words threaten to turn her plans upside – down.

As their friendship grows and they give way their mutual attraction, Lydia and Max must weigh family duty with their hearts’ desires. And only when they confront old wounds and new feelings can a happy ending be in the cards.

My review:

I was charmed by Max’s charming gullible romantic characters that I could understand why Lydia fell for him despite her revenge. Max is in utter despair to fix his father messes thus he seeks Madam Xyla, a professional spiritualist to help him see the future and Madam Xyla gives him some brief insights, one of them is he requires a partner. For me, Lydia is a very unique heroine, apart from being good at gambling and being a spiritualist and her eccentric style, she is alluringly a tease that when Max encounters her and asks her as his partner, he is very tempted into her every character when they begin gambling to gain the money which apparently a trap for him.

At the peak of scenario of Lydia’s, Max has to clean up his father mess again when his father is going to unravel mummy to attract visitors but lose it. Lydia takes the leap to help him again to ruin the gambling club. I love the mummy’s show so much, it’s rich in detail that I could imagine how it was. I had been wondering why Lydia despises Max’s father so much until the past reveals how his father treats Lydia and her cousin when they were young. However as they become more than partner, they finally succumb to their steamy temptation.

This book is brilliant! What so attracting is that you will find in every chapter the goddess’ name and its definition, the unusual spiritualist and the romantic hero. Catherine Stein’s writing has always brought my imagination into the world I have never been into. Thank you, Catherine Stein, for the ARC!

Rate: 5 of 5

About the author

Award-winning author Catherine Stein believes that everyone deserves love that Happily Ever After has the power to help, to heal, and to comfort. She writes sassy, sexy romance set during the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Her books are full of action, adventure, magic, and fantastic technologies. Catherine lives in Michigan with her husband and three rambunctious kids. She loves steampunk and Oxford commas, and can often be found dressed in Renaissance Festival clothing, drinking copious amounts of tea. --This text refers to the paperback edition. Follow her on Twitter @catsteinbooks.