The magpie lord : a Charm of Magpies Series, Book 1

Lucien Vaudrey returns to Victorian London from exile in Shanghai following the deaths of his father and older brother to become the new Lord Crane. He almost immediately begins to attempt various forms of suicide, stopped by the constant vigilance of his manservant, but Lucien feels as if someone else is taking over his body in the attempts, someone who hates him. Upon the recommendation of an acquaintance, Lucien requests the help of a local practitioner of magic, Stephen Day, but Lucien then discovers that Stephen belonged to a family victimized and destroyed by the late Lords Crane, Lucien's sire and his sibling. Stephen is tempted to let the curse on this Lord Crane run its course, but his honor compels him to save Lucien. As a result, Stephen is also compelled to travel with Lucien to his country estate to uncover the origin of the curse. It is there that he unearths Lucien's ties to the foundations of the magical community in England, and the men come under siege by a group of evil practitioners.Owing to his long exile overseas, Lucien is an unusual lord, with tattoos and a merchant background. His hands-on approach to life leads to some very sexy hands-on interactions with Stephen as the two men find commonalities amid their differences. This combination of magic, mystery, and mayhem will have crossover appeal for fans of several genres. Exiled to China for twenty years, Lucien Vaudrey never planned to return to England. But with the mysterious deaths of his father and brother, it seems the new Lord Crane has inherited an earldom. He's also inherited his family's enemies. He needs magical assistance, fast. He doesn't expect it to turn up angry. Magician Stephen Day has good reason to hate Crane's family. Unfortunately, it's his job to deal with supernatural threats. Besides, the earl is unlike any aristocrat he's ever met, with the tattoos, the attitude...and the way Crane seems determined to get him into bed. That's definitely unusual. Soon Stephen is falling hard for the worst possible man, at the worst possible time. But Crane's dangerous appeal isn't the only thing rendering Stephen powerless. Evil pervades the house, a web of plots is closing round Crane, and if Stephen can't find a way.. A lord in danger. A magician in turmoil. A snowball in hell. definitely unusual. Soon Stephen is falling hard for the worst possible man, at the worst possible time. But Crane?s dangerous appeal isn?t the only thing rendering Stephen powerless. Evil pervades the house, a web of plots is closing round Crane, and if Stephen can?t find a way through it?they?re both going to die. Warning: Contains hot m/m sex between a deeply inappropriate earl and a very confused magician, dark plots in a magical version of Victorian England, family values (not the good kind), and a lot of swearing