Viscounts and Villainy (Roaring Twenties Magic #3) by Allie Theron
Don’t miss the conclusion to this spin-off series from Allie Therin’s acclaimed Magic in Manhattan universe!
Love redeemed them, but the past isn’t done with them yet.
New York, 1925
For jaded Lord Fine—Wesley, to the friends he’s surprised he now has—falling into his lover Sebastian’s world of magic and intrigue has changed everything. But when a plot to destroy magic is linked to Wesley’s own aristocratic world, he’s determined to root it out—especially when it threatens newly vulnerable Sebastian.
Sebastian will never regret sacrificing his magic to save Wesley’s life, even if life without magic is challenging and sometimes dangerous. But now he faces the biggest danger yet: infiltrating Wesley’s viscount circles to find a villain, without magic to protect them, because Sebastian’s magic is gone forever…isn’t it?
Joined by old friends, Wesley and Sebastian follow the clues from New York’s speakeasies, across the ocean to England, and finally to a duke’s country estate. Always one step behind, they must race against time to stop those responsible and end the threat to the world, and magic, once and for all.
Book 1: Proper Scoundrels
Book 2: Once a Rogue
Book 3: Viscounts & Villainy
I RECEIVED AN ARC OF THIS BOOK.
Dear Allie Therin,
I was very eager to read the conclusion of this trilogy. The Wesley and Sebastian story was in turn a spin off from the “Magic in Manhattan” trilogy which featured them as side characters (and sort of villains). Since none of these two people ever felt non redeemable to me, I enjoyed their redemption and love story very much overall. I also had no problem buying that Arthur and Rory and Jane and Zhang (characters from the first trilogy which appear as side characters in these books) decide that they want to be Wesley and Sebastian’s friends now. That begs the warning for the readers. I highly recommend that you start with the Magic and Manhattan trilogy if you want to read these books. At least start with the first book of this trilogy, but not with this book.
In this book Wes and Sebastian do what the blurb tells you basically, trying to follow the signs to the villains who possibly held the strings of the villain from the last book. Overall this book felt strange to me. I understand that it was a conclusion to the story, but for the most part it felt like one giant epilogue to me. Except for the last two or three chapters I thought it lacked tension. To be clear, I did not mind at all that Wesley and Sebastian did not have much or any conflict to resolve between two of them. Yes, at times (not all the time) their interactions felt a touch too sweet, but overall I thought that they had enough pain for the first two books. Moreover I get that Sebastian not having magic anymore was supposed to be a source of internal tension (even if I did not really feel much of it).
What bothered me more is how the adventure part of the plot was executed. The characters certainly had things to do and stuff to investigate, but somehow it all lacked tension and urgency to me. When the things finally escalated very close to the end I was glad, but it also felt a little bit out of nowhere. To be clear it did not happen out of nowhere plot wise – the villains revealed themselves and started to act as villains finally, but I did not feel that tension in the story was rising throughout it if that makes sense.
Grade: B-/B
For the series overall, and especially for the second trilogy probably B+
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