A Matter of Magic Mairelon and The Magician's Ward [Paperback]

Magic and intrigue go hand in hand inMairelon the MagicianandThe Magician's Ward, two fast-paced novels filled with mystery and romance, set against the intricate backdrop of Regency England.

When a stranger offers her a small fortune to break into a traveling magician's wagon, Kim doesn't hesitate. Having grown up a waif in the dirty streets of London, Kim isn't above a bit of breaking-and-entering. A hard life and lean times have schooled her in one lesson: steal from them before they steal from you. But when the magician catches her in the act, Kim thinks she's done for. Until he suggests she become his apprentice; then the real trouble begins.

Kim soon finds herself entangled with murderers, thieves, and cloak-and-dagger politics, all while trying to learn how to become both a proper lady and a magician in her own right.

PATRICIA COLLINS WREDE was born in Chicago, the oldest of five children. She attended Carleton College in Minnesota, where she majored in biology and managed to avoid taking any English courses. She began work on her first novel,Shadow Magic(1982), after graduation, though it took her five years to finish it. Ms. Wrede enjoyed a successful career as a financial analyst, but she always made time to write. Her published books now total more than a dozen.