I read Shades of Milk and Honey earlier this year for CBR and greatly enjoyed it. It was a terrific blend of Regency fun and original fantasy. The, I discovered that there was an entire series. It’s sort of like waking up one morning to discover an entire season of Arrested Development on Netflix, amirite? Of course, I went to the library to get the other three books (correction: my home library had books 3 and 4; I went to a neighboring library in the district to get book 2–which is this one. The things we do for books…). I am so excited about the rest of the series!
One of the greatest things about Glamour in Glass is this: Kowal answers the question, “What hapens after the wedding?” in this novel. She takes her heroine Jane to brand new adventures while navigating the joys, problems, and annoyances of daily married life. Spoilers will follow. You’ve been warned.
Jane Ellsworth has married the famed glamourist David Vincent. Together, they create new glamurals and art for patrons, until they receive an opportunity to visit Belgium, both to enjoy their honeymoon and to meet with a famed glamourist. There, Jane uncovers a new trick–and there their lives are changed by dangerous political troubles roiling in Napoleonic France.
Kowal pays Jane Austen great homage by using Regency-era language and writing style and keeping the tone light and fun. So many Austen knockoffs or sequels are pedantic, boring, or insipid. But Kowal is a clever and innovative writer, bringing a fantasy twist to the Regency era and bring something new to a well-trod era. I am not a huge fantasy reader, but this is a terrific blend of genres–fantasy, historical fiction, even a touch of romance–that hits all the right notes. I am greatly looking forward to reading the last two books in this series.
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