by M. K. Hobson
First published 2010
Emily Edwards practices witchcraft in Lost Pine, a small Sierra Nevada town where mail-order patent magics are destroying her business. She casts a love spell to fix her troubles, but the magic backfires spectacularly. When an enchanted artifact lands in her hands, evil warlocks immediately begin hunting her. She must run for her life across the American frontier. Dreadnought Stanton, an arrogant New York warlock exiled to Lost Pine under mysterious circumstances, becomes her unwilling partner. Together they race across the country by horse, train, and biomechanical flying machine, seeking Professor Mirabilis, the only person who can unlock the artifact's secrets. Emily and Stanton battle their pursuers while navigating the dangerous territory between them. Their partnership forces both to confront feelings neither expected in their fight for survival.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, fantasy, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Lost Pine, Sierra Nevada, American Frontier
Period: 19th-Century
387 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Spectra