Celia Lake

In The Cards Celia Lake

Family brings out the best and worst in all of us.


Having survived tuberculosis, a family scandal, and a dangerous magical drink, Laura is ready for a quiet visit to a beautiful home on a remote island off the coast of Cornwall. She finally has a chance to meet more people near enough her age, and begin to build her own connections in the world. It's more than past time.

Galen knows his mother wants him to marry, and soon. Laura seems more promising than the other young women who have been invited to stay. But there are things in his family and in the house he doesn't understand. Even his best friend Martin's investigative skills as a journalist haven't helped.


When one of the other house guests is murdered, Galen, Laura, and Martin have to work together to protect the innocent and make sure the murderer is caught. New alliances are forged, old bonds are renewed, and nothing is quite what it seems.


In The Cards is a standalone romance of 80,000 words with a happy ending (no cliffhangers). The Mysterious Charm series explores the magical community of the British Isles in the 1920s and can be read in any order.


Uncover the murderer and explore the twists of romance in the Isles of Scilly in 1926