The Mage and the Liar Knight

A lady knight who despises magic must team up with a magician who lies about having powers, in this queer Arthurian romantasy for readers of The Second Death of Locke and The Everlasting.

Foul things are afoot in Cundrie, a village that sits on the border between humans and magical folk. For years, the two peoples have waged war, and Cecily, a nearly powerless magician, does her best to keep out of the fray. When humans pierce the veil and bring war to Cundrie, Cecily meets Merwyn, a lady knight in the occupying battalion whose dark humor and glittering armor riles something deep within her.

Merywn is many things: grave digger, foot soldier, and—above all—magic hater. But the magic folk might have the cure that she desperately seeks for her ailing father, and Merwyn is determined to drag a magic wielder back to her kingdom to help him.

When the human battalion unexpectedly sparks a larger battle, Cecily and Merwyn strike a deal and set off into the woods together. Beset by errant knights, sentient forests, and their own growing attraction to each other, the two women soon uncover whispers of a plot so foul they will need to decide whether to betray their morals and their kingdoms—or betray each other.

• “Darkly folkloric, achingly romantic, and dripping with magic,The Mage and the Liar Knight will cast a spell on you. T. G. Laine’s prose is at once poetically lush and thorn-sharp, conjuring a tale you won’t want to find your way out of. Studded with political scheming and dark magic, this is an utter feast for fans of Tasha Suri and Alix E. Harrow. You’ve never known yearning like this!”
  Emily Cooper, author of What Makes a Monster