I enjoyed seeing more of what Gabe and Rathna are up to now that they've been married over 15 years, and now that WWII is fully underway. But I wish there had been more interaction between them. (Impossible, I know, since they are each involved in separate and important projects during the period covered in the book.) I treasured the times they were together, and worried about each of them as they put themselves in danger. I'm sure this is one I will reread several times. And I'm very much looking forward to the immediate sequel, Upon a Summer's Day, which comes out in mid-June, 2023.

Full review to come... eventually.

Challenges: Read for COYER Upside-Down Chapt. 2 (4 spaces on the board), and the May 2023 COYER Readathon (Catch Up/Finish a Series).2023-release fantasy historical-fantasy ...more2 s Karen321 10

Another excellent read!

I've pretty much read everything Lake has written and I’m always thrilled when a new one comes out (she’s prolific too, 4 or 5 books are scheduled for this year!). This one is the first of a duology that’s just been released.
Gabe, one of my favorite of her characters and a good example of an adult with ADHD who has developed good coping skills, and Rathna, his Bengali born wife each have roles to play in understanding the magic happenings of WWII from the perspective of Albion, a magical Britain. They each want to do their part, but for Rathna that means going into danger.
One of the things I love about these cozy historical fantasy books is that they are filled with good, kind, competent people working together and doing their best to help make things better. Villains are often offstage or just misguided which keeps the books cozy even when the stakes are high. This one doesn’t have a traditional romance, although many of her books do, but it was great fun to see Gabe and Rathna as an older married couple. Rathna has close ties with the Jewish community in Britain and I enjoyed seeing some of the Jewish traditions she adopted. It’s also not quite as cozy as some of the other books, as the stakes are a bit higher and there’s a bit more tension.
The historical research is, as usual, thorough and fascinating and I love many of the characters, several of whom recur through the different series. I highly recommend Celia Lake’s books for historical cozy fantasy lovers, but this wouldn’t be a good place to start. Gabe and Rathna's romance is told in an earlier book, The Fossil Door, which would be a fine first book in this world. Allison Henle850 4

Absolutely excellent although you will need to read, at a minimum, Fossil Door and Best Foot Forward if you want to follow what's going on here. As Celia Lake branches out from cozy romances to historical fiction, her writing and plotting have only gotten stronger. Utterly adored this book and cannot wait for the sequel to drop. Anne Libera1,085 10

I found this a little slower going than some of her other novels but there's something about the competence and genuine goodness of these characters that is particularly appealing (Gabriel and Rathna are particular favorites of mine). ReadKnitHoard2,907 49

Compelling story about competence and care. Many kinds of relationships, responsibilities, obligations, decisions, bargains, changes of information, and being human in a changing world.

(The story is not done, but I was satisfied with where it paused and did not feel it was a cliffhanger.)2023 action-adventure again-in-2023 ...more Marsha Valance3,840 57

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