If you read [b:The Scarlet Pimpernel|136116|The Scarlet Pimpernel|Emmuska Orczy|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1406764899s/136116.jpg|750426], [b:Swordspoint|68485|Swordspoint (Riverside, #1)|Ellen Kushner|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388903158s/68485.jpg|1453593], [b:The Magicians of Caprona|47525|The Magicians of Caprona (Chrestomanci, #4)|Diana Wynne Jones|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1356548904s/47525.jpg|1003821], or [b:A College of Magics|382870|A College of Magics (A College of Magics, #1)|Caroline Stevermer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1389326269s/382870.jpg|1407092] and thought "But what if: lesbians?" then this book is for you.

So, Margarit is an unexpected Heiress, who is suddenly beset by suitors, when she would really rather find a way to go to (all male) college and study The Mysteries, a sort of religious magic that is simultaneously part of everyday life, and poorly understood. Margarit is so beset by suitors that she needs a bodyguard, so it's lucky that her rich uncle bequeathed her his duelist, the swordswoman Barbara.

Barbara doesn't know who she is, just that her father sold her to the old Baron in payment of a debt, and that the Baron raised her to parse law and fight duels, neither occupations for a woman. Now she's been left to an innocent girl who may mean well but hasn't the experience necessary to care for herself, much less help Barbara discover who she is.

The action is set in, you know, Varona. Caprona. Ruritania. Vaguely italian, somewhere mountainous and relatively secluded. The culture is richly drawn enough to be real and interesting, with its own language, history, religion, and mores. I suspect Jones has some background in the field of history, or is a very dedicated amateur. The action is mystical, political, and romantic, although I feel I should warn you there's no smut; it's all fade-to-black.

But the main point is the characters. You will care about Margarit and Barbara, and root for them to get together. In fact, you will care for random side-character #12-32, and kind of vaguely wonder what happens to #3. I want more people to read this book. I read it in less than 24 hours.

Also, I recommend that, if practical, you buy it from the publisher, where the books are DRM-free, and Amazon doesn't get a cut of the action. (Bellabooks.com)