I was NOT ready for the gut punch and heart twist of this book. So magical, so lovely... just the exact love story I needed at this moment. Can't wait to recommend.

The Midnight Bargain was a delightful read! Beatrice, a woman who must marry to save her family from debt, secretly wishes that she could openly learn about and use her magical powers. In her society, Beatrice’s role as a woman is to marry and produce as many children as possible. When a woman marries, her husband gains control of her magic. To save herself, Beatrice attempts to access a grimoire that may grant her the power she needs to avoid her fate. When she meets siblings Ianthe and Ysbeta, Ianthe and Beatrice form a romantic connection. Ysbeta shares Beatrice’s interest in grimoires, equally determined to avoid an arranged marriage. As both women push societal and magical boundaries, the writing is descriptive and draws parallels to the world we live in today.

With commentary on justice, women’s rights, and sexism, the issues Beatrice fights against feel very real and relevant to our world. Beatrice is a driven character- sometimes so focused that she misses something right in front of her. This can be a little bit jarring, but I enjoyed her curious nature. The ending and epilogue felt a little rushed to me, but ultimately still wrapped up well. The Midnight Bargain was a great fantasy story, with a creative intertwining of women’s rights and sorcery. This is the perfect book for fans of fantasy, regency romance, and strong women with magic. I’ll have to check out more of C.L. Polk’s work! The Midnight Bargain releases October 13, 2020. Thank you to C.L. Polk, Erewhon Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved CL Polk's Witchmark so I had very high hopes for The Midnight Bargain and I was not disappointed.

This is a charming fantasy of manners marrying an alternate Regency England with a world where some people are born with the ability to use magic.

Beatrice's family is pinning their hopes on her having a successful Bargaining Season and landing a wealthy husband to save the family after her father's poor investment choices have left the family with few options and fewer allies.

But marriage means giving up magic. A sorceress wears a warding collar until the day she reaches menopause because practicing magic while pregnant could allow the unborn child to become possessed. And Beatrice wants to practice magic, even the magics forbidden to women.

I loved the Regency romance types of details about clothing, food, and balls, even down to calling cards. The magic system was intriguing without being convoluted. And the characters.

I adored Beatrice, her determination to follow her dreams, to do the right thing, even when it was heartbreaking. Her younger sister, Harriet, was fiery fun. I know Goodreads doesn't have a sequel listed but I want to read Harriet's story.

Ianthe was the perfect Regency hero - gorgeous, wealthy, and loving. I want to read more about his sister, Ysabeta too - so bold and determined.

The ending was definitely a HEA Regency romance ending but I was so invested in the characters that that was perfectly fine with me!

Thanks to NetGalley and Erewhon Books for the DRC.

I had a tremendous amount of fun reading The Midnight Bargain! I just completely Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrow and was having a hard time picking out my next read. It was suggested that this might be an excellent book chaser for OaFW. They were correct.

I happily accompanied Beatrice on her journey to discovery magic and independence, along with her unexpected find of love and friendship. Beatrice’s world requires that childbearing sorceresses wear a unique collar restraint for the purpose of preventing a devastating side effect of magic on a fetus during gestation. This restraint has become a custom for all women entering marriage. Now Beatrice must choose between her desire to become a mage (something women have long since been discouraged if not outright forbidden to aspire to) and rebel to do so or save her family from financial ruin by submitting to marriage (to an unexpected love), which would require her to wear a collar and forfeit her magic.

Along the way Beatrice meets Ianthe and Ysbeta Lavan. Ysbeta and her become reluctant friends as they both strive to unlock the secret to becoming a mage. While their friendship missed the mark with me, my enjoyment of the dynamic between Beatrice and her sister Harriet made up for it. The romance between Beatrice and Ianthe was featured enough to make me swoon but did not over take the story. That first kiss made me a little dizzy, so A+ there. I really enjoyed how into her he was. At one point Beatrice fumes “How dare he be so openly besotted?” I happily couldn’t agree more.

Ultimately, our resident spirit Nadi stole the show. The interactions and conversations between Beatrice and her were my favorite parts of the book.

This a really fun witchy read, perfect for the beach. If you enjoyed Witchmark, you will enjoy The Midnight Bargain.

•I was given a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.• “Oh, I expect I’ll turn the world upside down” ❤️ omg I LOVED this book! The cover is gorgeous, the premise is awesome, the SETTING 😱 Regency type books are seriously my shit, I adore stories like that! The magic and spirits are super interesting, and I especially love Nadi. The romance is subtle and lovely; Ianthe Lavan is adorable. I love the strong female characters fighting for their rights. This book actually made me cry, which I did not expect, and enjoyed immensely!

Simple captivating! I was unable to put it down. Such a well-woven tale. For any lover of magical romance, this book is a must read.

I especially appreciate the parallels to the hierarchy of the woman in today's world. The heroines are people whose struggles are relatable.

A most inspiring book.z

I've received an ARC of The Midnight Bargain from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story enthralled me right from the beginning. I love stories with strong feminist characters like Beatrice that focus not just on the romance, but also the choices that she has to make, as an independent woman, a caring daughter, and a powerful mage. It's reminiscent of classics like Jane Austen, which made it all the more better.

The beauty of the novel lies in the relationships that Beatrice maintains with the other characters, especially that of her friendship with Ysbeta Lavan, the sister of her love interest Ianthe. While the two first come to blows as enemies, they share a common goal of becoming mages. Ysbeta is more certain of not wanting to marry, and Beatrice is stuck on the fence, but they both portray two sides of the same feminist coin, painting a picture of the old-as-time struggle of autonomy in a society that denies rights to women. As the two grow closer, it's all the more satisfying to read about these strong-willed women taking on the world by themselves, without needing the presence of a man to elevate their image. It's made even better by the fact that Ysbeta is a person of color, and not only that, but she's presented as royal, important, and highly sought after, which is not often found in fantasy books as of late.

On the other hand, the ending seemed a little too good to be true. It sped through the last 25% of the book, and felt a little rushed, zooming through the challenges the characters faced. The story built up the emotional intensity of the choices the characters make so much, only for pretty much everyone to get a happy end. I would rather have had an ending that was more realistic, where not everyone's problems were solved simultaneously. Nonetheless, that might just be the cynic in me, and I'm sure many other readers will find this a great read. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a fantasy romance with a healthy dose of strong women.

5 enthusiastic stars. This was exactly the book I needed right now. Sweeping, epic, beautiful. I really cannot recommend this one enough!

When I started reading this book, I thought it was more of a young adult 'Jane Austen uses Magic', but then it became so much greater than that. There is magic, spirits, romance, and a definitive choice that must be made. Time is running out and the stakes are high. Its a battle between fortune and freedom.

Witches must give up their powers when they marry in order to keep their unborn children safe from spirit possession. The Bargaining season is here, and young eligible sorcerers and sorceresses are thrust into competitive society hoping to seal the best marriage contracts for their familys' fortunes and futures.

But there are a couple young Sorceresses who are searching for a way out. For freedom from the clasp that mutes their magic. They find clues to that freedom in a set of coded grimoires. Dabbling in magic, young Beatrice invites a spirit of fortune to guide her and dwell inside her body. But if this is discovered she could be forced to wear the clasp before marriage, bringing dishonour to herself and her family.

I felt as though the end could have been drawn out a bit more and even been developed into a trilogy. The lore and world building that is accomplished here is superb. I want to know more.

I really enjoyed this book. The concept was super intriguing and the execution didn't disappoint. I loved the world building and the characters were all great, Beatrice was very likable and her struggles felt very real. I also enjoyed the atmosphere the book created and the magic system was very unique and not like anything else I have read.
The plot was sometimes a little predictable and I wished for more plot twists or something to change things up from time to time, but that didn't make me enjoy the read any less. I also would have liked some more development in the romance, because it felt quite sudden, but it was still sweet and I liked Ianthe a lot.
The ending was also really good and exactly what I would have hoped would happen.

This story gripped me from the very first chapter. I love a story, especially in the fantasy genre, that will use dialogue to help with world building instead of paragraphs of tedious description. That's how Polk wrote this story. I never doubted the world that Beatrice was inhabiting, but I also never lacked for hearing her conversations. That's something that's very important to me as a reader because I love a book that moves from the very beginning.

When it comes to the content of this novel, I was enthralled by how well Polk took modern day issues and carefully wove them into this tale of historical fantasy. Women's issues were at the forefront of the themes within this book. Choice, bodily autonomy and equality were all addressed with care and were unfailingly on point.

I read an electronic copy of this novel, so I'm unsure if a map is already planned to be included in the physical publication, but I hope that it is. I had a very vivid picture of a world that looked remarkably similar to Europe based on Polk's descriptions. But seeing a map portraying the various countries she described would go a long way towards making this novel even more well-rounded.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read and I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys historical romance and a magical plot line.

*** I received an ARC of this novel through Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of the book. ***

Midnight Bargain is the successful melding of magic and regency era classics reminiscent of Jane Austen novels. I hate when reviews use other books to describe it, but in this instance, I couldn’t help it. As a fan of Austen, I could not help but mark the social similarities, but the women of Midnight Bargain have much more at stake. Those with magical abilities are collared when they marry, suppressing their powers so their unborn children may be protected from possession by spirits. For individuals with aspirations to become sorceresses like Beatrice Clayborn and Ysbeta Lavan, marriage is the equivalent of imprisonment. The choice before Beatrice is to choose between her family or her own desires, which is not much of a choice at all. This is made more difficult when the Bargaining Season—a time when eligible women are put on display and forced to entertain potential suitors—brings Ianthe Lavan. Now it’s not only her family and her dreams but also love that is on the line.

The Midnight Bargain is an engaging read and was difficult to put down. This has much to do with Beatrice Clayborn as a smart, strong-willed main character. (But there are some decisions she makes that cause you to question just how smart she is because they do not make much sense. She doesn’t necessarily need to be infallible but these decisions just seem so foolish for someone like her.) Beatrice’s struggle for autonomy in a patriarchal system designed to oppress women, especially those with magical abilities, is one that can easily be identified with. This book only really scratches the surface of this dilemma but it opens up the conversation for those who would like to discuss it further.

I particularly liked Beatrice’s relationship with Ysbeta Lavan. While Beatrice is uncertain, Ysbeta is more resolute about not getting married. While I did like Ivanthe Lavan, he was underdeveloped and seemed too good to be true. He was very much a token love interest--a very good one at that. As Beatrice’s sidekick, I adored Nadi. I loved how their relationship evolved.

I was quite taken by Polk’s writing style within the first few pages. Being new to Polk’s work, the first thing I noticed was the purposeful word choices; the words are not wasted on the page. Rather than a horse-drawn carriage, it is the “fiacre” or “barouche” that characters are riding in, helping to place me in the time period. Her descriptions are particularly vivid. For instance, this one of Beatrice’s hair is memorable, “the peculiar, perpetually autumn-red tint of her frowzy, unruly hair.” Then there is the common “butterflies in the stomach” feeling elevated to “the butterflies burst into delirious flight.” If having butterflies is a familiar sign of falling in love, then what Polk evokes is better; it’s akin to a heart bursting, overcome with love's euphoria.

The magic system Polk builds is an interesting one. Explanations of how magic operates are weaved throughout the book as opposed to being blocked off into a section and fed to the reader in the beginning. It contributes to the smooth flow of the book but there were times when I wanted more information. I’m used to greater detail about magic so would have appreciated it. I had to set aside some questions about the system and was able to enjoy the book much better after doing so.

Things are tied up nicely and I was unsure how I felt about that. There is so much more to this story and I would not hesitate to read more but the inclusion of an epilogue with a bow seems to dissuade this potential. But, one can still hope. (And, I’m serious. I keep hoping.)

The Midnight Bargain is a solid 4 stars for me. I’ve already started rereading it again to try to see if there is anything I may have missed. I am a serial rereader and this is one of the best compliments I can give a book. If you’re thinking about picking this up, be forewarned excitement is not present on every page. If that is what you’re looking for then this book is likely not for you. On the other hand, if regency classics interest you and you are prepared to read it with a dose of magic, this might be something you will enjoy. I thoroughly did.

I received a free ARC of The Midnight Bargain from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

The Midnight Bargain by C. L. Polk follows the story of Beatrice Clayborn, a sorceress in a world in which women must give up their magical abilities once they’re married. Beatrice is now old enough for her bargaining season, during which her father will find her an appropriate suitor and “bargain” for her marriage.

Beatrice, however, has no interest in marriage. Her love is magic, and she intends to fumble her bargaining season and bind to a greater spirit, thereby securing her abilities as a sorceress and making her unmarriageable, so she can stay at home and practice magic.

Bargaining season takes place in Bendleton, a major city in the nation of Chasland, and far from Beatrice’s home. On her first day in Bendleton, she finds a sorcery book that will help her bind to a greater spirit, but is prevented from purchasing it when Ysbeta and Ianthe Lavan, daughter and son of the wealthy Lavan family, are also looking for the same book. Ianthe encourages Ysbeta to share the book with Beatrice, and a tentative friendship begins.

Over the course of the story, Ysbeta and Beatrice become true friends, and Beatrice falls in love with Ianthe. It’s revealed Ysbeta, like Beatrice, has no desire to marry, and the two plot to spend the six weeks of bargaining season training to become fully-fledged sorceresses.

The book is truly wonderful, full of all of the drama, romance, and intrigue one could hope for from a fantasy novel. I honestly loved it. There is so much in the novel about respect in relationships, true freedom versus being temporarily freed, female friendship, and the sacrifices women are expected to make.

The characters are all fully developed, and every scene felt so alive I felt transported to Beatrice’s world. There were so many good themes and moments that I felt myself wanting to thrust the book in the face of every young woman I know and say “read this!” I honestly think reading this book as a young woman would have shaped my life.

Something else that was important to me was that Ianthe and Ysbeta are Black, traveling to a largely White society, and are presented as royal, regal, intelligent, and important, defying all the horrible ways BIPOC have historically been portrayed in fantasy novels. Ysbeta is whip smart and highly desired by suitors, and Ianthe is the most handsome and kindhearted suitor available. The Lavans are unquestionably the most important family in Bendleton. I think reading this as a youth would have helped counter some of the racism one unintentionally internalizes while going through life.

All that being said, the ending fell flat to me. It felt rushed and as if every challenge the characters faced in the novel was for nothing. All this drama and emotion was so heightened, only for everyone to suddenly get a happily ever after. It’s an ending I mind as an adult reader that I don’t think I would have minded one bit as a teenager. So, while that knocks off a star for me, I do still intend to recommend this book to just about everyone.

I loved The Midnight Bargain and would recommend it to anyone looking for a fantasy novel starring fierce women. I can’t wait to see what C. L. Polk writes next.

I really enjoyed The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk. In many ways it reminded me of some of the favorite fantasy books of my childhood--Crown Duel and Sorcery and Cecelia. If you are looking for a book with fabulous clothes, restrictive social mores, and magic, look no further. The plot, which revolves around whether our heroine, Beatrice, will save her family by entering into an advantageous marriage or turn her back on the constraints of society to embrace forbidden magic, is in many ways familiar. What makes this book special are the choices of the characters. When you want to shake some sense into all of them at various points, but still understand why they are making poor choices, you have to keep reading to see if it all turns out alright in the end. There is enough complexity here to discuss with friends or at a book club. Some quibbles--this reviewer is rather tired of 18 year-olds getting married and having children in fantasy fiction. Surely fantasy lands can accommodate plots involving forced marriage when the parties involved are at least in their twenties. Although younger protagonists will likely appeal to the teenage set, this book was marketed as an adult fantasy, so the young age of the characters seems unnecessary. I read an ARC and am not sure if formatting issues will be resolved in the final book, but there were several times when a scene shifted location or time passed that were not marked with a new paragraph or any other indicator. This made for a confusing read at times. All said, I highly recommend this book. There is much to enjoy and think about here, but I would be remiss if I wrote this entire review without mentioning the mischievous spirits, who are exceptionally entertaining. My thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I look forward to enjoying many more books by the talented author, C.L. Polk.

This came along as an ARC from Erewhon Books right when I needed it, honestly. I tore through this in about six days, and apparently this is pretty close to 400 pages in the physical edition. The setting is a Regency-reminiscent country with a strong fantasy mark - spirits, magic, and pacts. It’s marriage season, and our main character’s family is deep in debt and depending on her making a good match - but Beatrice wants to make the great bargain with a spirit and become a full fledged magician - but women are forbidden from joining Mage lodges and there is an additional autonomy bit that is taken from women with magical talents. The autonomy part is very strong and very up front - when a female sorcerer marries, she is collared with a warding collar from the moment of marriage to prevent her from using magic and spirits from possessing her unborn child. Polk is very up front about what it does to the women who wear it, and one of the most heartbreaking moments in this book is when Beatrice’s mother puts it on her and lets her experience what she is in for when she marries, and Beatrice realizes what her mother has given up as well. This base world would already be a hell of a novel premise, but throw in an incredibly well written romance with another male mage, his sister who wants to also make the bargain for herself and is bought into Beatrice’s life, and a great supporting cast, and you have a great, enthralling story. Polk is amazing at escalating the story threads perfectly and knowing her regency romance tropes and when to lean on them just the right amount. I ended up gasping out loud at several points during my read of this. This comes out in October, and absolutely get it when it does. You’ll be in for a great treat.

An extraordinary work of fantastic fiction. I loved books that take place in an alternative history and Polk does a wonderful job creating a world that is familiar yet different to our own history. But as we all know, fantasy and sci fi novels with magic are never just about the magic. It is almost always a metaphor for something and Polk carries on this tradition of thought provoking fantasy novels.

Beatrice is our heroine and she is incredible with a very intriguing story to follow. I was immensely interested in her and her journey, of what she wanted and what she was willing to do to get it. In this world just like our own there are expectations of what a women should do and how she should be. To go against the grain and question what has been happening causes others to truly think about why they are in the situation they are in.

I’ve never read a book by C.L. Polk before but I can’t wait to read her backlist now.

I greatly enjoyed reading this book. So much so, I read it in one sitting.

I was completely drawn into the world that the author so painstakingly built. The historical and magical aspects are deftly depicted. It is a fine example of world building.

I liked the feminist aspects of the book as several female characters strive for equality, the right to chose their own paths.

My main criticism is that the male characters lacked dimension. In particular, Ianthe was too good to be true. He was very much the archetypical Hero and didn't have the depth of the female characters. The other men served as foils for the women to react against.

On the whole, this is a charming, well written historical fantasy and I highly recommend taking the time to read it.

I received a free ARC. I am leaving my honest review.

There was so much I loved about this book. The plot was wonderful and unravelled at a nice pace, holding me from start to finish in a grip that wouldn't let me put it down. I loved that as I thought Beatrice would do his, or have that sorted, something new or unexpected happened. She took charge of her life in a way that I admired, but I also really liked that all of her moves didn't work out and some even resulted in more trouble. The magic system of the world was fascinating and the society rang familiar to older societies in our world.

For me the characters were such a strong point to this. Beatrice was clearly my favorite, though Ianthe also stole my heart along with hers. He intrigued me right from the start and I knew after the first kiss I was totally in love. All of the secondary characters were so well fleshed out that even the ones I didn't care for felt like they had real, solid reasons for doing what they did, not saying I agreed them, but they felt real and added to how easily I lost myself in the world. Nadi... what can I say, I simply adored the playfulness there.

The story is complete and there isn't any indicators there will be more in this world, but... I'd love to see where Ysbeta finds herself and what she learns.

I highly recommend this must read fantasy.

Magic, feminism, and regency romance, oh my!

The book was charming and heart-rending and powerful and managed to do all three things remarkably well at the same time. Beatrice Clayborn lives in a society where women are banned from practicing magic due to the danger of spirits possessing their unborn children. They are forced to wear collars binding their magic and diminished to being child-bearing accessories of men (does that second part sound familiar?) The story follows Beatrice as she struggles to navigate and ultimately escape the so-called "bargaining season"--in which a woman in forced to find a fiancee--while maintaining her autonomy and keeping her family from financial ruin.

I adored Beatrice--she was brave and infallible in her efforts to maintain her independence and fight to practice the magic she loved. I was similarly entranced by her friend and partner-in-crime, Ysbeta Lavan, the spirited, haughty heiress who also struggled to escape the confines of marriage. Her brother, Ianthe Lavan,--Beatrice's love interest--was utterly swoonworthy if somewhat unrealistic (but what Regency hearthrob isn't?). Speaking of Regency, the aesthetics of the novel were fantastic. The world was beautifully imagined, full of cherry blossoms and carriage rides and gorgeous descriptions of fancy parties and gowns adorned with hand-hooked lace. If you're a fan of the 2005 adaption of Pride and Prejudice, you'll appreciate the classical, elegant beauty of the environment.

My true love for this book, however, lay in Beatrice and Ysbeta's fight to free themselves from the horrible expectations of women in their society. The whole concept landed very well as a modern commentary on the rights of women to bodily autonomy. I was less enthused by the conclusion of the book. It felt sudden and rushed and tied up uncomfortable loose ends in a way that really stretched the limits of my belief. Characters were forgiven and everyone made nice far too quickly and easily--I didn't think Beatrice's father, for example, deserved to be so quickly pardoned. Similarly, while the epilogue was charming it felt somewhat unnecessary. I think that this book could have easily been the first half of a duology, but the conclusion attempted to dissuade that notion in a way that felt unsatisfying.

Overall, the Midnight Bargain was a well-paced, enjoyable read for lovers of feminism and and magic regency-era escapades! I can't wait to see what C.L. Polk writes next.

Beatrice Clayborn is a sorceress who practices magic in secret, terrified of the day she will be locked into a marital collar that will cut off her powers to protect her unborn children. She dreams of becoming a full-fledged Magus and pursuing magic as her calling as men do, but her family has staked everything to equip her for Bargaining Season, when young men and women of means descend upon the city to negotiate the best marriages. The Clayborns are in severe debt, and only she can save them, by securing an advantageous match before their creditors come calling.

In a stroke of luck, Beatrice finds a grimoire that contains the key to becoming a Magus, but before she can purchase it, a rival sorceress swindles the book right out of her hands. Beatrice summons a spirit to help her get it back, but her new ally exacts a price: Beatrice’s first kiss . . . with her adversary’s brother, the handsome, compassionate, and fabulously wealthy Ianthe Lavan.

The more Beatrice is entangled with the Lavan siblings, the harder her decision becomes: If she casts the spell to become a Magus, she will devastate her family and lose the only man to ever see her for who she is; but if she marries—even for love—she will sacrifice her magic, her identity, and her dreams. But how can she choose just one, knowing she will forever regret the path not taken?- Goodreads

This will be a short review not because the book was bad but because I was left a bit speechless once I finished reading it. Even as I write this review, I am at a lost of words. 

This is my first book by C.L. Polk  and it won't be my last. It was beautifully written and (sometimes painstakingly) detailed.  The ability  for women to use magic and to be able to have a say within their future is what this novel is about. Beatrice does a good job defending herself and fighting for what she wants (in her own way) but I would have liked to see the romance aspect of this novel have more chemistry.  

But beyond this, I loved the historical aspect of this novel (I'm a sucker for this) and how deep the author gets about magic. I would love to read a book about Beatrice's "adversary" though. 

Overall, 

4 Pickles