Charlie N. Holmberg continues her fantastical and compelling fantasy series that began with an enchanted house (think haunted house) and turned into a lovely series filled with magic, an admirable woman, an author, an alternate 19th Century world, some romance, and plenty of evil. Now, in her newest addition to the Whimbrel House series, “Lady of Uncanny Charms,” we travel across the pond to where Owein, originally the soul occupying the haunted house, is due to be married.

Of course there’s plenty of backstory to Owein’s current status. When he was extracted from the house, he was put into the body of a dog. It was in England, where the soul in the dog found a new home in a young man. In return for that event, Owein, to become a young man, had to promise to marry Cora, the daughter of a prominent British family of good breeding, who was also a ward of Queen Victoria.

The queen is a powerful wizard in her own right, and now Owein must join her League of Magicians. But when he arrives in Great Britain for his wedding, he’s told by Queen Victoria that she is cancelling it. That’s a shock to both Owein and Cora, as during their four years of correspondence across the pond, they had become very close. They want to be married in spite of the unusual circumstances that caused them to be engaged.

Victoria has other, darker intentions. And Owein and Cora must try to thwart her ambitions and her evil plans without bringing danger upon themselves. But when centuries-old grievances are uncovered, and old and powerful magic is set loose, no one can foresee what will happen, and all the wizards in the queen’s league will be needed to stop all of London from burning.

This novel shares the magic — literally and figuratively — of the first four books in the series. While the evil is not as dark as that in the previous books, it’s perhaps of a more repressed, repugnant variety. Cora’s character is unique, and she is perhaps the most interesting one in the story as we see how her upbringing and her health difficulties, but also her independent nature and her intelligence, make her a formidable foe and an amazing ally. Be warned, to truly enjoy this book, you should have read the previous novels, or some of the events could be confusing. But this is definitely an enjoyable and entertaining series well worth reading.

If this interests you, start with the first novel in the series, “The Keeper of Enchanted Rooms,” followed by “Heir of Uncertain Magic,” and “Boy of Chaotic Making.”

This review was first posted on Bookreporter.com.