Nancy Northcott

The Merlin Club by Nancy Northcott
Historical fantasy, mystery. Connected to The Boar King’s Honor trilogy for world building (between books 2 and 3). Can be read as a stand-alone
In England, 1679, Simon Grayson learns of plans to kill the Duke of York who is the successor to the crown. With help from cousin Richard Mainwaring, Lord Hawkstowe, they convince the king there is a threat. Simon, Lady Verity Consbrougn, and trusted loyal wizards use their magic to protect the royal family and uncover the conspiracy.

Espionage threats against a Catholic succession have the gifted undercover to detect any magical threats. As the powerful assassination attempts ramp up, Simon and Verity investigate threads and whispers tracking back to the killer.
Tense, dark, and complex, the story is twisted with murder, death and deviousness. Loosely based on specific historical facts, the reader is drawn into a parallel paradigm of a world capable of intentional magical, political murder.
Magic, spies, and historical murder.
A clever premise and intriguing world building in conjunction with other books by the author.… (more)

The King’s Champion by Nancy Northcott
The Boar King’s Honor series #3. Historical WWII fantasy with mages, ghosts and romance. Conclusion to the series. Can be read as a stand-alone.
Series premise: A King wrongly blamed for murder. A bloodline cursed until they clear the king’s name. The books span three different generations. The first in the 17th century, the second in Napoleon’s lifetime, the third and final WWII.

American reporter Kate Shaw is in England covering the war. She takes photos of the men and the situation in Dunkirk and helps triage the wounded before finally escaping on a boat back to Dover. She meets Major Sebastian Mainwaring and is told that not only is she a distant relative but that she has been practicing magic in healing the wounded and hiding those around her by becoming invisible _targets. Sebastian also tells her that the family needs her help in finding a cursed document from the 17th century and that her two make-believe friends from her childhood are actually ghosts and distant relatives that need help.
Kate and Sebastian are Seers. While searching for the lost document, they also help England against the Nazi’s.
Dual storyline of war and magic while Kate and Sebastian fall in love.

Enthralling tension of war offset by tender emerging feelings of love and family connections.
It’s a rich story on one side with tidbits of the early 1940’s from the shared rooming house to blackout curtains to how car headlights would be covered. Most of the actual events are only mentioned as time passes since this story is more about the magic and romance. Kate and Seb grow closer as he helps her learn to control her visions and they travel the magic world to end the curse. It’s dark with war and death, but also hopeful with love and a touch of magic.
I have not read the previous two stories but I do intend to go back and catch up at some point.
4.5… (more)