Karin A. (Jerseygirltoo) - reviewed on 11/17/2013 + 455 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

This is the 2nd of 3(so far) books in this series. I've read them all now, and I have to say it is my favorite, although I don't think I would have gotten as much out of it without having read "Shades of Milk and Honey" first. Both books stick very closely to the style and feel of Regency England. Kowal even uses the antiquated spelling and slightly stilted phrasing of the era, and her characters have attitudes that make them true to the 19th century(not modern people set down in a historic setting, as a lot of novels do). So she's accomplished quite a feat, and I salute her for that. The difference between this book and the first one though, is that "Shades of Milk and Honey" took place in the world of Jane Austen, a world of middle and upper-middle class English families living in a quiet country village, where Jane and Vincent meet, fall in love, and get married. The only anomaly is the 'glamour' which is a type of magic, and which forms the paranormal element in these books. "Glamour In Glass" takes place in Belgium, shortly before Napoleon's escape from Elba and the Battle of Waterloo. Here the couple are newlyweds, visiting with some Belgian friends of Vincent's, and spending their time experimenting with innovative forms of glamour, until politics and the war interferes. There is a lot more violence and tragedy in this book, unlike the the first one. Jane proves to be a daring and gutsy heroine, and the climax involves one of my favorite themes, a rescue of the hero by the heroine.
Another similarity between this and Austen's books is, we are always in the heroine's head. We know what she is thinking about everything, but we never get the male POV.
I think these books are categorized as fantasy or even sci-fi more than romance, but the developing relationship between the couple forms the backbone of the story, so readers of traditional historical romance should enjoy them. 4 stars.

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