The Vengeance

Newman (the Industrial Magic series) launches a new series with this suspenseful but somewhat anticlimactic fantasy. Pirate captain Anne-Marie and her daughter, Morgane, attempt to seize the ship Coup de Maître—unaware that they’re sailing into a trap. Anne-Marie is shot in the ensuing battle and, before dying, reveals to Morgane that she is not her real mother, but rather her aunt, who took Morgane in to protect her from a woman she warns Morgane to stay away from. Morgane then learns that the Coup de Maître was sent to abduct and deliver her to her birth mother in France. Desperate for answers about her past, Morgane agrees to the voyage. Once in France, she learns that her family is nobility, thrusting her into the dangerous and glittering world of courtly politics and introducing her to a beautiful woman named Lisette, with whom she swiftly strikes up a romance. Morgane’s search for her long-lost mother propels the plot, with Newman providing taut action and plenty of intrigue along the way. Unfortunately, the big reveal underwhelms and the paranormal hijinks feel somewhat thin. Still, Morgane makes a swashbuckling heroine, and the queer romance adds charm. It’s not perfect, but Newman certainly shows promise. (May)