In this 1848 London, magic is another way to determine rank. The more magic you have to create spells, the more important you must be. Lady Jasmina has a fair degree of magical ability and she uses it to keep her family's reputation above reproach. Jasmina's mother enjoys "borrowing" trinkets from friends and fellow aristocrats, forcing Jasmina to perfect strategies for returning what her mother has taken. As she sneaks out of the house under the illusion of being a cat, Jasmina leaves behind an image of herself sleeping in case so no one suspects her absence. The item she's returning is a brooch belonging to the Duchess of Hagersham. Casting the spell to duplicate herself felt different this time, but Jasmina doesn't give it much thought until the next day when Aunt Henrietta gives her some bad news. It seems her shadow self went to the Queen's Ball and behaved scandalously. Jaz, as the copy is calling herself, actually left the ball unchaperoned with a lowly shape-shifting baronet.

Sir Sterling Thorin, the baronet in question, and Jaz are enchanted with each other they're married the night of the ball. When Sterling wakes up to find his bride gone, he goes to the Hall of Mages for help. It's hard to know who's more surprised when he greets his lost wife with a kiss and she slaps him for taking liberties with a stranger. But this couple is not the only pair victims of mischief. Missing shape-shifters, the unexpected odor of relic magic on Jaz, and the fact Jasmina was able to re-create herself combine to make a dire picture. Sterling and Jasmina must work together if they want to discover what happened to Jaz, the brooch, and Sterling's shape-shifting sister Angel. While they search for what's missing, they also need to pay attention to what they've found. Sterling already knows Jasmina is the one for him. Can Jasmina put aside her concern for society's opinion and be honest enough to say she's found her perfect match?

The author does a good job of blending true Victorian conventions into a world that could exist only through pure imagination. The characters are complex and their relationships are intriguing. This is the second book in the Relics of Merlin series, starting with Enchanting the Lady and will followed in 2009 by Enchanting the Beast. You don't need to read the first book to enjoy the second one, but if you find you enjoy this story you'll want to pick up a copy of Enchanting the Lady too.

Book Summary

Lady Jasmina was in a world of trouble. A simple spell had gone disastrously haywire and now there was a woman running around London who looked exactly like her - a woman with no sense of propriety whatsoever. All Society was whispering, and a baronet she'd never met was suddenly acting like he knew her...in a most intimate way. To find her double and set things right, they'd have to work together - braving the fog-shrouded streets, a mysterious group called the Brotherhood, and a passion stronger than any magic.