BETRAYING SEASON

Doyle's sequel to Bewitching Season (2008) gives Penelope (Pen) Leland center stage. Now that her twin Persephone and governess Ally are preoccupied with their happy marriages, Pen travels to Ireland to further her study of magic. Feeling lonely without Persy, Pen welcomes the attention of Lady Keating and her handsome son, Niall. Pen's studies begin to suffer when Niall comes courting, unaware he is acting on orders from his mother, a powerful sorceress. Lady Keating needs Pen's virginity and magical powers to carry out her plan to kill Queen Victoria and thereby further Niall's position in society. Will Pen be able to work with the now-besotted Niall to thwart his mother's plan? Similar in tone and pacing to its predecessor (Pen must again save the young queen), there is enough back story to make this tale stand alone. Missing, however, is the humorous repartee between the twins and their younger brother Charles. The mixture of historical detail and magic makes this bodice-ripper another page-turner, if one that's a bit on the subdued side. (Historical fantasy. 12 & up)