I didn't really enjoy this one all that much, the passing seemed off and the characters to me didn't really get along and it threw off the story

The author has a really good start here but it could have been so much better if the characters had been tweaked a little more

Hal Hawthorne is a police inspector in Kensington where, at 34, he is both still unmarried and one of the best, if not the best, inspector the force has. He brings his unswerving focus to his work, not resting until the perpetrators are caught and brought to justice, no matter how respectable they may or may not be. This case, however, looks to be the most challenging … and may be the first one Hal can’t solve. It involves a woman, left splayed out in the snow with her chest carved open, and yet nothing is missing but her life.

Hal must also navigate his new partner (Hal hates partners), Donoghue, who refuses to work after hours when he’s not being paid, is squeamish at the sight of blood, and brings pastries to the crime scene. And then there’s November, a frail, elegant man with shining blue eyes who makes Hal’s blood burn and his heart beat faster. The young man is a sex worker — not yet 25 — and reminds Hal of what he wants, and cannot have.

The young murder victim, Helena Dunham, worked at the Indian Palace as a sex worker (as does November). There are claims she was, of all things, a witch. Hal would like to scoff, to push it off as a fit of madness or whimsy … until he’s bound with ropes of water and flung into a world that doesn’t exist, can’t exist, and yet does! Vampires and wizards, people born with two hearts, and statues that move. Demons and phoenixes, pixies and boggarts, and somewhere among them is the man who cut open a young woman and, while she was still alive, cut out her heart.

Hal has to find him and, while doing so, keep himself from losing his own heart to November.

The world building in this book is a chaotic mix of creatures and monsters, mayhem and mysticism, and it’s just … fun. In this world, there is a random chance that the child of two Ordinaries (non-magical people) might be born with a second heart. It’s this second heart that not only allows them to tap into their magic, it also grants them a much longer life and a quicker healing ability. It’s that heart that was taken from the young woman killed in the snow. Even though some people have magic at their command, they can’t just magic up money; being strange and unusual, standing out from the crowd, they’re very often cast out from their homes and end up on the streets, which is where Ms. Cobb, the Indian Place proprietor, found both Helena and November.

November didn’t want to be a sex worker, but the weather was turning cold and he had nowhere else to go. Ms. Cobb gave him food, a bed, and promised him money. He thought he could just work for a week or two, do what he had to and get enough money to get on. Weeks turned to months, to years, and it’s harder to get out of a situation when you’re both comfortable and safe. It’s dangerous for a sodomite to be out and about in London. It isn’t until Helena’s death when November meets Hal that he starts wanting something more.

Hal wants to find Helena’s killer as much as November does, wants justice for her death no matter how she earned her living. Hal is upright, stiff, and graceless, but with the heart of a paladin. He treats November like he’s a person, not a pet. He’s skittish around the young man, staring at him one moment, avoiding his eyes the next, and yet refusing to let November out of his sight. Hal is gay, a secret held over his head by his Captain, ashamed of what he is and yet he’s falling ever deeper in love with November.

The romance is very much a slow burn, with the main focus of the book on the murder mystery and magical world, while Hal tries very hard not to think about why he can’t let November go, protesting that the killer wants November as his next victim and so, of course, it’s up to Hal to protect him. That’s the only reason the two of them share a room. His new partner, a serial romantic who goes from woman to woman, can see the sparks between them and has his own opinion on it, because he can see November falling for Hal, and can see Hal’s hot and cold fear and want are both giving mixed messages and hope to the young man.

Neither Donoghue nor Hal have any judgement when it comes to November’s line of work. They don’t refer to him as anything but November and there’s neither pity nor questions regarding the hows and whys of his work. Even other characters trying to get Hal to rid himself of November talk more about how being gay will affect Hal’s career, not about November’s work bringing shame. The side characters are all fairly strong and the plot is well laid out. Personally, I think the plot did drag in a few places, but not so much that it affected my enjoyment of the book.

So, why is the rating so low on a book I did very much enjoy? The editorial errors, and there were quite a few of them: gnarled instead of snarled, calve instead of calf, pang instead of bang, dwon instead of down. And that’s just a few of them. There were also sentences that stood out for awkward writing or use of the wrong words. Some examples:

“You can’t just buy a wand, Hal. You find it wand in just the right moment when you are ready.”

It looked like something a somewhat child would paint.

“Brown can do that when he this if I am unfit for duty.”

The writing is stilted, sometimes clumsy in parts, with odd phrasings and repetitions. However, there are some parts of this book that just shine with atmosphere and storytelling. Hal’s first venture into the magical world is wonderfully Lovecraftian. Donoghue and Hal’s slow friendship — as slow of a burn as Hal and November’s romance — is very well done. This book is the first of a trilogy and ends on quite a cliffhanger.

I wanted to give this book a higher rating, but in good conscience couldn’t, and ended up dropping a whole point due to the many copy and editorial issues. Hopefully in future editions the malapropisms and typos will be corrected.

Detective how Hawthorne is a loner and obsessed with his work but when he comes across the murder of a girl and it is unlike anything he’s ever seen before all his skills he’s acquired isn’t going to help he has a new partner his stepdad is his boss and he also has a secret that is ousted would make him persona non grata with his fellow policeman and the rest of society because it is the 1880s and men are supposed to love women but when he meets a homeless guy name November he will see a whole different side to life the case and even good old London can hell defeat something way more powerful than him and will he risk November to do it? There is so much more to this great great story then I am saying I read a lot of good books but I must say this book is up there with the Carnaval of curiosities and the Devil in the White city is part of my top three I absolutely love this book and found it entertaining touching and so hard to put down I loved it and can’t say enough about it if you love historical fiction with magical realism and sci-fi aspects you definitely need to read the “wizard in the Welchmen” you will not be disappointed this was such a great book and one I thoroughly enjoyed and definitely recommend. I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I liked this sfm, i love mlm stories and this was just it for me
thank you netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'The Wizard and the Welshman' by Anna Reiffenstuel.

Okay I'm gutted. Was I excited for this ARC because the title said Welshman and I, being Welsh, was curious? Yes. Was it worth it? No. The story dragged on constantly and I felt myself getting more tired of it by the second. I wish I could say it was worth it for the romance but I literally didn't care for either of the men in the relationship. There will be more to this series but I will not be tuning in.

Good Story

I'm rounding this up from 3.5. I really did enjoy the story overall. There were just a few things that took away from the story for me.

The strongest parts of this book are:
1. The magic system: rather undefined (because the story is told from the point of view of a character who can't perform magic himself but experiences its effects multiple times) but unique from the systems in other books. The author pays attention to how much of a toll magic takes on the wielder, which I find to be a rare phenomenon in books.
2. The environment: there's just enough creepy elements to make the reader scared of random noises in the house and the author doesn't oversaturate the book with them either. Each use of a particularly scary and distrubing element fit well in its place in the book.

The weaker parts of the book:
1. The writing style is abrupt - lots of periods where there an alternate sentence structure would have kept the story flowing (however, I don't think English is the author's first language, which makes the fact that this is a full book in English even more impressive).
2. There's a few plot holes that bother me now that I've finished the book that I'm hoping will be answered in the sequels.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and the world the author created. I hope the sequel is released soon!

Inspector Hal Hawthorne, a character both feared and respected, is thrust into a world he never imagined when he encounters November, a young wizard tied to a gruesome murder. The novel's vivid portrayal of 1886 London, complete with its dark underbelly and enchanting secrets, immerses readers in a richly crafted world.

The characters are complex, and their development throughout the story is a true highlight. The Wizard and the Welshman is a captivating adventure that keeps you guessing until the very end, and I couldn't put it down.

Imagine being transported to 1886 London, where Inspector Hal Hawthorne, a stern and enigmatic figure, is drawn into a world of magic and dark secrets. It's a thrilling ride that had me on the edge of my seat, eagerly turning the pages to uncover the truth.

The author has a way of making you care deeply about the characters and their journey. I found myself rooting for Inspector Hawthorne as he navigated this new and magical realm, and I couldn't help but be captivated by November, the young wizard at the center of it all.

From the moment I started reading, I was hooked by the mysterious and intriguing plot.

Review: Great world building and elegant writing captured me at the get go. All the myriad elements that make up this world were quite inventive. What kind of set this novel back was how OTT gay it was. The constant sniffing, blushing, twinkling eyes and "Smells like shortbread" commentary got old, real quick. Of course they love eachother after a couple of days. Riiiight.

There is no doubt this author has talent, especially with character development. Hal does grow into acceptance and his partner's flexibility is, in the end, surprising. I would like to see more of Miss Puss n' Boots, as we need a tough heroine to balance out the way gay.

Thank you to NetGalley and BookBuzz for approving my request to read an arc of this book


The premise of this book sounded right up my alley, as I love queer magical stories and the murder mystery element sounded so interesting. I think this book will appeal to a lot of people but I had to DNF it as it used ablest language. I know the setting is historical, but in a world where magic exists, surely so can respect for disabled people.

The writing was good, but it just wasn’t for me.

A decent start to the trilogy that does a great job of setting the scene and introducing the characters , but not at the cost of the plot.
It was a fun read, the odd bit of magic thrown in here and there, to make it stand out from another murder mystery.
Enjoyable.