Book Review·Lesbian Review

The Curse of the Card Warlock by Caitlin Schmidt is the enemy of lovers who magically and sweetly heals poor self-perception while breaking the curse.

All kinds of cards, from tarot decks to invitations to business cards, magically appear in the Meridian house. She calls the entity sending the card “Magda,” because why not? She then expressed her gratitude because she used the cards to run a shop and do readings for customers. Between the cards and her honed ability to decipher the magical smells people give off, Meridian is doing just fine until she senses the molasses of the new businesswoman across the street. She had no idea what the molasses meant, but she knew that the woman had recently robbed her forest cabin and tried to poison her.

Although Wren feels great remorse for robbing the beautiful woman across the street, her apology can’t get anywhere. She is persistent and as gentle as can be. When she learns a heartbreaking secret about the woman who claims to hate her, she decides never to give up until she can actually help.

writing

The author of this book has written a prose at a pleasing pace that adds a touch of sparkle to the overall story. The magical world is built so solidly that it can be fully integrated into the mundane with ease.

I’ve read stories about “reading” smells, but this is the closest connection to it I’ve read so far. I don’t have a decent sense of smell, so this became a fascinating part of the environment. This ability provides the protagonist with a great tool, enough to give them the ability to do their job, sense danger, and understand how those around them are actually feeling, no matter what they say.

Even though this is the seventh story in a multi-author series, I never felt like I was missing out on anything. This is easily readable as a standalone story and is the only f/f in the series of eight stories.

Sheena’s Note: The rest of the series is written by other authors and therefore doesn’t have much to do with this book.

Pros and my favorite part

This must be the most adorable enemy among lovers. Meridian was furious with Wren and refused to let go of that anger for a long time. While the poison Wren injected her with would only render her magic ineffective for a few weeks, the idea understandably annoyed her. It’s a great plot point and a lot has changed since the beginning. Wren had to work extra hard to soften Meridian’s heart, and I enjoyed it all. She’s gentle, understanding, persistent, and controlling, just the way Meridian likes her best.

Meridian, on the other hand, discovers Lane’s inner secret, which surprises both of them. It’s the perfect combination of two women who are both strong and that’s exactly what the other needs. I really like it when authors present readers with a perfectly matched couple, and these two are exactly that.

In addition to being a wonderful magical mystery, this book combines the power of sexual bondage with magic to create a super sweet healing journey that I found to be the best part of the story.

careful

An unsurprising opponent.

in conclusion

When Meridian’s magic cards force her to see what’s going on at the new store across the street, she meets someone she never wants to see again in the world. Wren felt really bad about participating in the robbery of Meridian’s forest cabin and trying to poison her magical abilities. She must work to break down Meridian’s walls, and along the way they are healed through the power of magic and binding.

The combination of magic and sex play was well done and made sense within the plot. It’s a somewhat short piece, with good magical world-building and seemingly unrelated things coming together nicely to achieve multiple mysteries. I really like this couple, they are both strong in their own way and have found a way to heal together.

Excerpted from The Curse of the Card Warlock by Caitlin Schmidt