Amelia and her “cousin” Serena have arrived in England looking to wed mages like themselves. Amela is an Earth Master and channel of that power while Serena is a Fire mage and a leopard shapeshifter. When they arrive Amelia’s brother James introduces them to the family’s friends and business associates, and they settle right into the correct social circles of the well to do tradespeople. They are also meeting mages looking for magical brides that come with a nice dowery if possible. The book is mostly a slice of life in England in 1815 so there is the year of no summer to move the plot along. There is a magical battle at the end but mostly this is a cozy of a fantasy and will be loved by people who like books in Regency settings with magic.

Miss Amelia's List is the 17th book in Mercedes Lackey's Elemental Masters series. Each book follows a different Elemental Master or mage, and they typically take place in a fantasy version of a historical setting. The early books in the series took place primarily in England, but the last few have taken place in America and Germany. With this book, though, we finally return to England - specifically, Regency Era England.

America hasn't been fully left behind, though. Amelia Stonecroft, an Earth Master, and her cousin Serene Meleva, a fire mage, have followed Amelia's brother, James, across the Atlantic Ocean to help him start a new branch of the family business in England. The Stonecrofts have a large plantation in North Carolina where they have used magic to perfect certain dyes that are very desirable in England. Amelia is determined to make the three of them a success in both business and society, and to aid her goals, she has created a number of lists.

Amelia has lists for everything from making the business successful to potentially finding suitable matches for herself, Serena and James. But first, they must learn the new rules for the society they have entered. English social customs are almost nothing like those in America, and Amelia and Serena must master them if they are to avoid making a complete disgrace of themselves. Thus begins a delicate balancing act of entering society respectably while also making the acquaintance of other Elemental Masters and mages.

If it wasn't obvious from this brief description, most of Miss Amelia's List describes a slice of life in Regency England. I really enjoyed all the details and learning about all the social customs Amelia and Serena were expected to learn and adhere to in order to be successful. It made me want to learn more about the history, fashions, fabrics, foods, etc. of the era, and a few true historical events took place during the book as well: 1) Napoleon's escape from Elba, and 2) the eruption of Mount Tambora. Both of these events served as a bit of tension until the climax in the last few chapters of the book.

I was also happy to see some little callbacks to other Regency Era books, like Pride & Prejudice. Amelia was a bit like Elizabeth Bennett with her feelings towards one of the suitors in the books, Phillip Nightsmith. He is another Earth Master and a landed gentleman, which would make him a good match for either Amelia or Serena. However, Amelia has soured towards him after overhearing his disparaging remarks concerning Amelia and Serena at a ball (much like Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy!). Another would-be suitor, Captain Roughtower, had major Mr. Wickham vibes, and I was not surprised by the turn his character took at all.

Mostly, I really enjoyed how the book showed how women lived and were treated in this era. Amelia and Serena endeavored to prove themselves useful and worthy both through their own experience as magic users and savvy businesswomen. However, they did so while still living within the expectations and sensibilities of the society they were in. They took the time to learn the new social rules of their environment, and they still managed to convey their own inner strength.

This book also didn't shy away from the obvious. The Stonecrofts have a plantation in a time in which slavery was legal and rampant. Luckily, they are all magic users, and good ones at that. So, the only natural course of action was for them to save who they could. Amelia's forebears sought out slaves who were magic users, bought them and freed them as long as they were willing to continue living on the Stonecroft land where it was safe. Everyone working on the Stonecroft plantation has a share in the farm's production, and they all make wages. The Stonecrofts have even coached their people in what to say and do should they be caught by others.

Obviously, this is a very idealized version of events. I doubt in reality, even if magic were real, that it would be this simple to protect these people. It had to be agonizing at times, though, to be a magic user so in tune with the elements to know what was going on in other parts of the country and being unable to do more than save who you can. I will also say, the characters of Amelia and Serena spoke out numerous times quite vehemently against slavery, so they weren't shy about sharing their views. This may be a sensitive issue with some readers, so just be warned it is discussed at several points in the book.

The only other issue some readers may have with this book is the pacing. First of all, this is the first Elemental Masters book I've zoomed through reading for a few entries now. I really enjoyed it a lot, but I will also admit the first 75% of the book is basically only slice of life. The true conflict doesn't take place until the last few chapters, and it is resolved in under 20 pages. Some people may not like that, but since the slice of life part of the book was so well written and engaging, it didn't bother me. Plus, I've come to expect that from Mercedes Lackey, particularly for this series. I'll still keep reading it, though!

I gave Miss Amelia's List by Mercedes Lackey four out of five stars. I really enjoyed this book. It was such a relaxing read, just learning about life in Regency England. I've always enjoyed the magic system in these books as well, and I wish there was a bit more magic in this book. Some readers may find a few things hard to read about, such as discussions of slavery, and others may not enjoy the pacing. I still feel like this was a stronger entry in the series than the last few have been. So, whether you gave up on the series and want to start again, or if you want to get a taste of the Elemental Masters world, I recommend giving this book a try!

Great list. We start with the list and end with the same. In between you get a tale rich in descriptions. Great characters with a surprising plot. Great read for Lackey fans. Good introduction for others.

Miss Amelia's List is such a fantastic book to read on a cosy evening! I recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's really good and the characters are fantastic and the story is immaculate.

The Elemental Masters series was my gateway into Mercedes Lackey's work, and as such, I have been eagerly anticipating this next installment! And thankfully, it did not disappoint in the slightest! The compelling blend of Regency marriage drama and supernatural danger gives this book a wonderful cross-genre appeal, and after two stories featuring Americans and three focusing on Nan and Sarah, it's nice to see a story set back in England while focusing on entirely new characters! And the additions to the magic system are equally as engaging as the charming and witty characters! Overall, this is a spectacular entry in a spectacular series, and I recommend it to any lovers of fantasy, romance, or anything in=between! Thank you to NetGalley and DAW for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"The seventeenth novel in the magical alternate history Elemental Masters series follows Amelia Stonehold and Serena Meleva as they navigate property acquisition, marriage proposals, and other ancient horrors in Regency England, but with the help of elemental magic.

The year is 1815, and an American, Miss Amelia Stonehold, has arrived in the Devon town of Axminster, accompanied by her "cousin" Serena Meleva. She's brought with her a list to tick off: find a property, investigate the neighbors, bargain for and purchase the property, staff the property and...possibly...find a husband. But Amelia soon finds herself contending with some decidedly off-list trouble, including the Honorable Captain Harold Roughtower, whose eyes are fixed on her fortune. Little does Amelia know that his plans for her wealth extend far beyond refurbishing his own crumbing estate - they include the hidden Roman temple of Glykon, where something very old, very angry, and very dangerous still lurks.

But Roughtower isn't prepared to reckon with the fact that neither Amelia nor Serena are pushovers. And he certainly isn't ready for the revelation that he has an Earth Master and a Fire Mage on his hands - or that one of them is a shapeshifter."

Mercedes Lackey writing Regency Magic!?! How did she know what I wanted for Christmas!?!

A Cozy Period Fantasy

Miss Amelia’s List by Mercedes Lackey
to be published Dec 24 2024, DAW

Set in 1815 London, the language of the opening captures the tone of Regency romances and novels of manners with wit and humor. Mercedes Lackey’s mastery with character does not disappoint. Two merchant-class elemental mages from America seek husbands, one of them secretly a shifter. I doubted the existence of the seven-story Belgravia mansion described until I found it for sale on mansionglobal dot com. The period terms are so well researched and archaic that you may need to Google a few like warping a ship into dock using ropes rather than FTL drive. For the first half of the novel, the challenges are distant, off-camera, and mild: Napoleon escaping exile and a volcanic eruption leading to two summerless years on the horizon. Nobody is ever really in danger, and most things are just handed to the main character. Indeed, the possible love interest and intense conflict doesn’t manifest until about 90 percent of the way through the novel. I give it 4 out of 5 only because the conflict is wrapped up so fast and conveniently.

Overall a continuation of stories which are further from fairy-tale retellings and much more like tales in their own right. Set in the Regency era, the books step backward in time, although several "new" (to this series) magic systems are mentioned, including ley lines and Channeling. Overall a good read. Slight confusion as the character of William, Lord Alderscroft makes several appearances, but for longtime readers more used to Lord Alderscroft being David, it is slightly jarring.

A delightful change of pace. Two young women from America post War of 1812 visit England on a mix of business and pleasure and of course find trouble. I loved learning more about this period in history from a womans point of view. Amelia and Serena are interesting and while this book doesn’t quite have the frenetic pace of earlier entries of this series there was enough to keep me goggeling at the world presented. A fascinating bit of intrigue.

This was the first Elemental Masters book I've read by Mercedes Lackey.
I've read all of her Valdemar and Dragon Jousters series.
I love her writing style so much. She creates her worlds and characters thoroughly.

Amelia and Serena are such wonderful, delightful characters. Seeing them travel from America to England, watching them learn new customs and make friends with other mages kept me entertained and dreaming I was there with them!
The dances they attended sounded like such fun, I so wanted to be there myself.

A thoroughly enjoyable read. Thank you to NetGalley and DAW for the digital ARC. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book, which is one of a series but not a series you need to read all of, in order. Amelia is a believable and realistic character, comfortable with her power while coping with her anxiety, and her cousin Serena, though less fully developed, is often unexpectedly competent. It was interesting to look at Regency England from the perspective of American characters, which I haven’t seen a lot of.

Looking back at the ending, it felt a bit rushed: reading an ebook, I’m not always aware of how close to the end I am, and it came as something of a surprise to realize we were there. There is some implausibility to how things wrapped up, but I actually can see how it could have been even more so and wasn’t, so although that’s a backhand compliment, I do mean it well. A book I’m glad to have read, though not the one I would recommend for jumping into this series.

This was a strong entry in the Elemental Masters series, it had that writing style that I was looking for from Mercedes Lackey. The characters were everything that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall feel of the story.

I absolutely love the Elemental Masters series by Lackey. The tone and pacing for the stories have varied greatly over the years throughout the books. This installation is more on the cozy end, with a lot of Lackey's amazing world building and very pleasant moments with the characters. I greatly enjoyed our leading ladies. I also loved the representation of someone dealing with anxiety both in positive coping skills as well as less constructive methods like masking. I did like the sprinkling of puzzle pieces of the plot throughout the story, with Lackey bringing it all together at the end. The ending felt a bit rushed, we didn't really get to the main conflict till fairly late in the book. That would still probably been fine with me, except the ending and epilogue was a bit whiplash of who and what and how we all like each other. Regardless, an eminently enjoyable new Elemental Masters book. I am so delighted Mercedes is still adding to the collection!

Bridgerton meets Lackey

Miss Amelia's List is #17 in the Elemental Masters series, but does not quite deliver with regard to the series it supposedly belongs to. It's more of a Bridgerton meets a touch of elemental magic story, without any depth and with the emphasis clearly on the Bridgerton parts.

A lot of the book is about clothes, balls, dances, marriage prospects, how to behave in society or how to manage a household. A lot, as in almost 90%. As far as the magic element goes: The girls have powers, which we are told on the first few pages. There is some name-dropping obviously meant to connect the book to earlier installments of the series. But nothing really happens until the last few pages and even that is done with just as quickly as it appeared. Those bits of magic seem like more of an afterthought, as if Lackey had finally realized she needed to put in something to justify the elemental masters part.

As for the two central characters of the story: I didn't dislike them, though Amelia sometimes came almost too close to being annoying for my liking. But the book also didn't make me really care what happened to them either. Amelia spends most of her time being a flighty Regency damsel with a huge anxiety disorder and hardly any time on showing herself as the immensely competent and gifted elemental master she is supposed to be. How she can have the mental discipline of working as the latter certainly is a mystery. Even though Amelia more often than not paints Serena as a somewhat immature, impulse-challenged girl with control issues, it is Serena who keeps her head, shows intelligence and resolves situations before they become problems.

The whole thing ends on a rushed surprise proposal that leaves you going “hunh?” If this book does not get at least one more installment to finish Amelia's and Serena's stories with a little more depth, it makes you wonder why anyone bothered.

All in all, it is a quick and easy read for a dark winter afternoon, but don't expect an exciting Mercedes Lackey adventure story. Miss Amelia's List definitely won't make it on my to-be-reread list, where most of Lackey's books can be found. It is worth no more than 2 and a half stars, but I gave it 3 because it had promise and is well-written, even if it is just a piece of fluff that I expected more from.

Read in advance via NetGalley.

An easily-read, cozy, low-stakes fantasy. I misunderstood the synopsis and did not get the 2SLGBTQIA+ representation I expected, but it does include a sympathetic representation of anxiety disorder.

This can be read as a standalone within the series, and would serve as a good entry point to the series for fans of Bridgerton and other Regency fiction.