A Victorian fantasy romance perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare and Alexandra Christo.

CRADLE OF SECRETS
by Jasmin Wigham
Podium, TBD
(via Zeno Agency)

Jem has lied, cheated and stolen to make his way into the swankiest circles of London’s elite. And now he almost has everything he ever wanted, a beautiful if vapid fiancé, a patron who’s willing to fund his lavish lifestyle. But now he’s here it doesn’t deliver the high he wanted. So when a mysterious blond called Felicity appears and asks him to demonstrate his legendary gunslinger skills, he can’t quite resist.

Jem’s about to realise the problem with inventing yourself an elaborate adventuring background is, it doesn’t hold up very long when you’re confronted with real monsters.

Narrowly escaping with his life, Jem realises Felicity isn’t all she appears. He tries to slip back into his normal life but can’t quite resist the pull of an actual adventure. So alongside Felicity, a young woman cursed with immortality to watch everyone she loves grow up and leave her; Odessa, a witch with no magic; Rashid, a scientist who figured out how to turn people invisible but not how to turn them back; and McLaren, a Scotsman who may or may not be a werewolf – Jem must figure out who is creating monsters out of men.

Jasmine Wigham lives in Country Durham. After finishing a degree in History and English literature, she went on to become a finalist in Penguin Random House’s 2020 ‘Write Now’ scheme, which aims to champion promising new writers who are so far underrepresented in the publishing landscape. CRADLE OF SECRETS is her debut novel.