Sorcery and Small Magics

Doocy’s enchanting debut brings readers into a world where magic is divided between those who can write spells and those who can cast them. The disreputable and chaos-prone Leovander Loveage falls into the former category. When he’s paired with the grumpy, prim-and-proper spellcaster Sebastian Grimm in one of their classes at the Fount, a school for magic users, both men strain at the partnership. A collision on the way to class mixes Leo’s spells with more advanced materials from the Fount library and results in Sebastian performing an unknown spell on Leo. The effect is that Leo must obey Sebastian’s every command. Both men are desperate to break the enchantment, especially as Leo’s symptoms get worse. The deviously worded curse proves difficult to counter, and the pair goes to great—and dangerous—lengths to return Leo to normal. Along the way, their relationship shifts, but how much of their newfound understanding is just because of the spell? The subtle chemistry between Leo and Sebastian is addictive and the fantasy setting, while somewhat familiar, is rendered in lush prose. Fans of Legends & Lattes and the works of TJ Klune will want to snap this up. Agent: Allegra Martschenko, Ladderbird Literary. (Oct)