Sarah A. Hoyt Witchfinder. (Colorado Springs: Goldport Press, 2013). E-book.
If Seraphim Ainsling, Duke of Darkwater, and the Scarlet Pimpernel ever crossed paths, they’d have a lovely time, getting drunk and commiserating about their adventures. Because Seraphim, heir to one of the most powerful magical estates in Earth/Avalon, secretly rescues magically-talented people from worlds where having a magical talent is a death sentence. This is just slightly illegal. Then things get messy, and all at once magical ambushes and strange women dropping into the Darkwater family fishpond are the least of his concerns.
Sarah Hoyt weaves magic, romance, mayhem, missing heirs, false identities, and shattering worlds into a gripping tale of adventure, duty, and love. In a world where appearances mean everything, nothing is as it seems, and Seraphim, his half-brother Gabriel, and others must find their way through high treachery and low deception to save the worlds of Earth/Avalon, the Realm of Faerie, and beyond. Hints of Regency romance and Gilbert and Sullivan, laced with magic that at times reminds this reader very much of Randall Garret’s Lord Darcy tales, combine into a tightly-written, fast paced adventure.
Although the author nods to other writers, the tale is very much original, and the characters well drawn. The plot becomes a little complicated at times, but the threads work out in the end and it is never so convoluted that the reader feels the need of a score card and flowchart. Witchfinder is a fun, fast-paced read that pulls the reader in from the opening and leaves him wondering “what next?”
FCC disclaimer: I received a copy of the e-arc upon first release. I then purchased an official copy when it became available, upon which this review is based. I received no other compensation for this review.
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