Rating: 3.5
Description: Kate and Cecy are back, along with their new spouses, Thomas and James, and they're into even more adventure and intrigue, this time on the Continent. Things start to go wrong almost immediately, and soon the newlyweds find themselves embroiled in a plot to take over Europe, magically. Luckily, Cecy has discovered a heretofore undiscovered talent for magic. And, surprisingly, it would seem that Kate is the exact opposite of a wizard - someone who actually negates magic. The cousins will both need to utilize their unique talents before their Grand Tour is over, or Europe may fall into the hands of some really unsavory characters.
Review: This sequel to "Sorcery and Cecelia" is not quite as delightful as its predecessor, but is still an enjoyable read. "Sorcery and Cecelia" ended in such a way that a sequel was unnecessary, but fans of the first book will find it a welcome addition. The plot is intricate and well-described, but strung out a little too much. Kate and Cecy are still pretty hard to tell apart, which is annoying, since the book is all written in first person, alternating between the two. My pet peeve about this book is that, while the women are newlyweds, there is very, very little talk about sex. I didn't expect graphic sex scenes or anything like that, but I expected there to be mention of it. It's very unrealistic that there isn't, except for a brief interlude between Cecy and James. Most especially because Kate's writings are supposedly from her diary. It seems like Stevermer went out of her way to not mention sex. There are also a few pieces that don't quite fit - things that don't have anything to do with the story but which the authors forgot to remove during editing. This book is sort of like author-written fanfiction - an unnecessary sequel to a book with a perfect ending, but welcome simply because you never wanted the first book to end.