The Mystic Marriage

A Novel of Alpennia

by Heather Rose Jones

Published:

April, 2015

Bella Books, Inc.

ISBN:

ISBN-13: 978-1594934414

Genre(s):

Historical Fiction

Gaylactic Network Recommended Short List 2016

Golden Crown Literary Society Short List 2016

Antuniet Chazillen lost everything the night her brother was executed. In exile, she swore that treason would not be the final chapter of the Chazillen legacy in Alpennia’s history. A long-hidden book of alchemical secrets provides the first hope of success, but her return to the capital is haunted by an enemy who wants those secrets for himself.

Jeanne, Vicomtesse de Cherdillac is bored. The Rotenek season is flat, her latest lover has grown tediously jealous and her usual crowd of friends fails to amuse. When Antuniet turns up on her doorstep seeking patronage for her alchemy experiments, what begins as amusement turns to interest, then something deeper. But Antuniet’s work draws danger that threatens even the crown of Alpennia.

The alchemy of precious gems throws two women into a crucible of adversity, but it is the alchemy of the human heart that transforms them both in this breathtaking follow-up to the widely acclaimed Daughter of Mystery.

The Mystic Marriage was chosen for the Gaylactic Spectrum shortlist of recommended works, and was a finalist for the Golden Crown Literary Society award in the Science Fiction/Fantasy category.

Check out this this reading from The Mystic Marriage on The Lesbian Talk Show podcast.

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Bibliographic citation:

Jones, Heather Rose. 2015. The Mystic Marriage. Bella Books. ISBN 978-1594934414

Reviews

Antuniet is an incredibly compelling heroine. It’s hard to find a really satisfying “unlikable” protagonist, especially a female one, but Antuniet hits all my major bullet points. Although she’s competent and remarkably self-sufficient, she nonetheless manages to sabotage her own cause repeatedly, mostly by virtue of her own stubbornness. ... Altogether the book is stuffed with mysticism, history, political intrigue, romance and character growth. It’s a rich and dense reading experience, different to any other book I can recall recently reading. I’ve heard it called “Jane Austen with lesbians” but that strikes me as misleading. Jane Austen, after all, wrote lowkey domestic romances contemporary to her time. Alpennia has more the feel of a classic adventure novel, although none of the characters but Barbara are particularly apt to physical confrontation and the main action of the novel is mental. It’s still a romance, and still guarantees a happy end, though the twists and turns on the way to that end changes its shape dramatically from where it began. An unusual but satisfying ending.

Hazel Gold, Hazel Gold sff game and book reviews

Jeanne and Antuniet are both very flawed characters...we see inside them both to the raw hearts, the wanting something better of themselves as well as the world, the need for a love neither ever got. It works terrifically. Pretty much the entire romantic conflict is grounded in nothing more than their difficult personalities and lifelong emotional habits that need to be broken, and as a result we get an intensely believable and hopeful romance. This is a long book and full scale fantasy...which includes alchemy, politics, friendship groups and plotting against royalty. ... It's a huge world which makes it a really immersive read, you can just sink in. And the alchemical magic is just fabulous.

K. J. Charles, Goodreads

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