The Midnight Bargain by C. L. Polk

Hello dear readers.

The Midnight Bargain by C. L. Polk was much better than I expected. I am typically the type of person who judges based on covers (ghastly, I know), but the synopsis intrigued me too much to put this back down. And so I carried it out of my local library, hoping it would be another great book to worship.

Here’s the synopsis to intrigue you:

"Beatrice Clayborn is a sorceress who practices magic in secret, terrified of the day she will be locked into a marital collar to cut off her powers. She dreams of becoming a full-fledged mage, but her family are in severe debt, and only her marriage can save them.

Beatrice finds a grimoire with the key to becoming a mage, but a rival sorceress swindles the book right out of her hands. Beatrice summons a spirit to help, but her new ally exacts a price: Beatrice’s first kiss . . . with the sorceress’s brother: the handsome, compassionate, and fabulously wealthy Ianthe Lavan.

From the World Fantasy Award-winning author of Witchmark comes a sweeping, romantic new fantasy set in a world reminiscent of Regency England, where women’s magic is taken from them when they marry. A sorceress must balance her desire to become the first great female magician against her duty to her family."

Beatrice, sweet, “fight the patriarchy” Beatrice. I oh so enjoyed her. She is fierce and headstrong and everything modern women are known to be. The setting Beatrice was shackled to gave off a Bridgerton-type air, which I’m sure many of us have come to love. The Regency era, mixed with magic etherealness, was genius. And the problems women (or sorceresses) face in these times were horrifying.

Beatrice, a sorceress practicing in secret, is doing everything she can to prevent herself from marriage. When a woman with magical abilities is married, they are bound with a marital collar, a necklace that mutes your world and cuts you off from your right to magic, all to protect your unborn children from malevolent spirits. And so, with bargaining season upon her, she decided she would become a fully-fledged mage by binding herself to a greater spirit. Then she would be freed of the marital collar entirely: no man would wed a female mage for fear of bearing a spiritborn child.

To succeed in this, she needed a grimoire. And luckily for Beatrice, she had found the one she needed.

This is where we meet Beatrice’s companions, though they don’t know that quite yet. Ysbeta, the beautiful, graceful woman she is, who also happens to be after this particular grimoire, and her alarmingly dashing brother, Ianthe, the picture of what every young maiden would want in a husband.

Not only did I fall for Beatrice, but I fell equally in love with Ysbeta and Ianthe.

Ysbeta knew what she wanted, and being trapped in a wealthy family who was making her wed a man she did not love nor want wasn’t it. She would also do whatever it took to be unshackled from this fearsome beast that was called a martial collar. She and Beatrice had the same goal: to be free.

Ianthe, with his boyish charm and desire to understand the dilemma these two women faced, was endearing. In a way, he reminded me of my own husband. Someone who wants to fight for equality, but isn’t exactly sure just how, as they cannot and would not be in that situation, and still does everything in their power to try.

Because I am recommending this book be experienced by your own read, I will not delve into specifics any further. This book was a lovely read, with enough subtle romance and magic to have you wanting more. I genuinely could not put this book down. I read this so quickly that I feel like I absorbed the information in one gulp, and I want more, but this was a singular book. So while I remain hungry for more of Beatrice’s story, I know in my heart that the ending was beautiful, and I can remain in peace with her future.

This book heavily speaks on one topic that we must all keep in mind: women are deserving of everything a man can do, say, read, write and think. While I know women still live in a real-life version of this today, to imagine a world where you are stripped of your birthright simply because you have a womb is deplorable. I do not envy the women who face this daily, and my heart breaks for them. How I hope they will be freed of this torment. We should all be given a choice, however you decide to present yourself.

I thank Polk for this story, for its message and for making my heart happy. I never truly expect to love so many different stories so quickly, but I am fully enraptured by this one, and I thank whatever force moved me to pick up this book.

And so, without further ado, I give The Midnight Bargain by C. L. Polk a 5 out of 5 stars. It is a very much deserved rating, and I look forward to reading more of Polk’s books.

Sending all my love,

Vic