Without a Summer (Glamourist Histories, 3) Paperback – March 18, 2014

Jane and Vincent are back home in England after the defeat of Napoleon. They come home to a country reeling under multiple threats - the unseasonably cold weather is threatening crop failures, the soldiers who fought Napoleon are being mustered out and are looking for jobs, and technical inventions causing workers to lose jobs that can be done by machine. On the more personal side, Jane is worried that her younger sister Melody doesn't have any matrimonial prospects.When Jane and Vincent get a commission for a glamour from Lord and Lady Stratton in London, they accept and take Melody along in hopes of expanding her pool of potential husbands. Of course, London also throws them back into the arena of Vincent's father Lord Verbury. To say that Vincent and his father don't get along would be a gross understatement.Melody falls for Lord Stratton's son despite the fact that he is Catholic which causes Jane some misgivings as she believes that Alastar O'Brien won't be allowed to marry Melody. Her misgivings increase when she overhears some things that lead her to believe that he is involved in some sort of conspiracy and when she sees him in conversation with Lord Verbury.Mr. O'Brien also does some work with the coldmongers who are being wrongfully blames for the current weather conditions. Coldmungers are young men and boys whose magical skill is to lower the temperature a few degrees. They are used to keep food safe for longer periods and to provide cool breezes in warm houses. They have only small magics which are dangerous to use. Most die young. They are planning a peaceful march in London.However, Lord Verbury has other plans. He wants to use the coldmunger's march to overthrow a political rival. His twisted plot draws in Jane and Vincent too. This story talks a lot about the various sorts of prejudice in England in 1816. Especially relevant to our hero and heroine is the prejudice against the Irish. But the story also deals with Vincent's family dynamics and gives Jane a much better knowledge of Vincent's background.This was another entertaining and engaging entry into the Glamourist Histories.

In short succession I read both Glamour in Glass and Without a Summer (having ready the first of the series earlier). Mary Robinette Kowal does a wonderful job with characterization throughout her series. The characters are much more authentic to the time and place depicted than most writers bother with, and that makes reading this series both a delight, and challenging. Our Heroine has to push herself to overcome the prejudices of her day even as she seldom even sees that such prejudices exist. MRK does a remarkable job of showing us this character in a way that allows the readers to see these issues, even if our point of view character does not.The story follows Jane and her husband Vincent as they practice their Glamour trade in Regency London. Dealing with the aristocracy, navigating anti-Irish prejudice, and discovering a plot that could take down the prime minister make for a fascinating and very enjoyable story.I was also glad to see that Prinny was dealt with in a bit more our-historical fashion. I don't understand why so many who do alternate history in the Regency work so hard at rehabilitating the monarchy in the person of the Prince Regent. He still comes off as a hero in this, but as a privileged dick around whom younger, unmarried sisters are in some bit of danger.

This third volume of the Glamourist Histories had some good things going. I enjoyed the look into the poorer users of glamour and how their reliance on their magic for their livelihood affected their health. Their struggles to better themselves echoes the struggles of the poorer in society in the same timeframe in the real world. I was also fascinated by all the intrigue with Vincent’s family and the detailed look at the Regency legal system.Vincent and Jane were just as awesome as ever. I love them more and more with each volume I read. Their open and honest relationship is a model I wish more romance novels followed. The dangers as they were caught up in the struggles for class equality and the consequences thereof showed in stark relief their support and love for each other.Secondary characters were mixed. I actually really enjoyed Melody in this one. She’s a lot more three-dimensional and vibrant here, with a mind and opinions all her own. Yet, I really have to roll my eyes at certain members of Vincent’s family, especially his father. Familial intrigue is interesting to read to a point, but the Earl takes it to a new Sniddley Whiplash level at times. It seemed like there were no redeeming factors to his make up at all and that made for flat reading.The return to more familiar stomping grounds of matchmaking, social calls, and dances also was a bit of a mixed bag. The whole deal with the coldmongers, the legalities, and Vincent’s family kept things from being as flat and boring as book one, but more than once I wished for more to the story than dialogue and social niceties.Pretty good book overall with great characters, relationships, and intriguing historical details as they relate to this fantastical alternate world. Some secondary characters and slow sections, though, show this book’s suffering from middle-book-itis. Still a very enjoyable addition to this saga that I enjoyed to the hilt.

I adored this book too. I've been a big fan of glamour ever since the first in the series and there seems to be no end to her ways of using this and developing it. Jane Austen with magic? Yes please, more!

I am really enjoying this series!! The worldbuilding is fantastic, the plots compelling, and the characters really interesting and relatable. This book is no disappointment compared to the rest of the series; if anything, Mary Robinette's writing is just getting better.

In 2019, I found the The Glamourist Histories Series, a gentle historical fantasy series which has more common with Jane Austen than Lord of the Rings (well, actually both of them a more similar than first blush. Both series explore an English literary tradition in a modern fashion which is fascinating but this series is not High Fantasy as currently used in the genre).After enjoying both the first two books, I was looking forward to this book though with some trepidation. I shouldn’t have been worried as Ms. Kowal has a control over her work and form which is admirable and enjoyable. This book has the most consistent plot of the series to date. We start the story right after the drama of Book 2 and the consequences of that drama is explored here and progresses the character. We finally explore Vincent’s history and our lead couple further their relationship via a detour amongst the plotting of Emma (where Jane proxies Emma). We also explore the role of magic in this burgeoning industrial England; we get a large dose of history told with great charm.This charm remains the strongest feature of the series. This book is light literacy fiction more than fantasy. While I am not sure what the point of the series is - perhaps to explore the role of women through Jane - the charm carries the experience through. This lack of purpose does keep the book back from a full five stars. I will definitely be completing the series as I am enjoying the time I spend reading, but I am not sure I will individually remember the characters or the plot. I will remember Ms. Kowal though who I foresee becoming an auto-buy author for me.

La! I loved this one even more than the previous two! I cannot wait to pick up book four. I found this book to be particularly poignant with how many rallies have occurred recently in the US.