Coup de Coeur by Halli Starling

Rating: 3 stars

Age Recommendation: 18+

Release Date: May 28, 2024

The best way I can describe Coup de Coeur is a queer late 19th century serial drama. There is a beginning and a middle, but the ending feels far down the road. Although Goodreads doesn't indicate it, Coup de Coeur must be the first in a series given where the characters land on the last page, but even if there was a more closed ending, the book would still feel as if it ended on the denouement.

The meandering structure of Coup de Coeur isn't necessarily a bad thing if you are fond of serial dramas. The book is more of a character study than rooted in action, which all good serial dramas should be. The action is there to push the characters rather than the characters moving the story along. Although there are harrowing moments in the book, the rising action never feels like it gets too high and there is no one real climax (or if there is, I failed to spot it). As such, the resolution simply comes without much warning.

Coup de Coeur follows Calix, a British Earl transplanted in New York City along with his childhood friend Lawton. Lawton is that friend that makes you feel needed when it suits him, but otherwise takes without giving much in return. They exist in a world where magic is real, but not all possess it. The magic system is unique, but I admit it confused me. Only towards the end of the book was I able to actually imagine what is happening when someone uses magic. This didn't ruin the story for me--you can be confused about the magic system and still enjoy the book. Anyway, Calix has premonitions; Lawton has no magic.

Calix's life is upended when he's dragged along on one of Lawton's schemes and then sent running when it goes bad, with a magical book that speaks to him in his head. Through a series of events, he teams up with Ethaniel, who I think creates and sees magical patterns and puts them on clothing or objects (again, I was a little confused), and Ethaniel's ex, Aubrey, a curator who has the ability to fix magical objects. They need to figure out what this book is and why some very dangerous people are after it--people that Lawton appears to be involved with.

It was at the point where the plot began to develop that I realized this book was more about its characters than the action. We get four points of view--Calix, Lawton, Ethaniel and Aubrey. As the reader, we are hearing all the thoughts in these characters' heads, and I really wanted for Calix, Ethaniel and Aubrey's voices to be better differentiated. Because Lawton is the most obviously flawed character, his was the most clearly defined voice. We are told that Aubrey is serious and Ethaniel is creative and Calix is shy with self-doubt, but I would have liked those attributes to be better distinguished in their own thoughts. Out of the three, Calix's voice was probably the best defined, but only because thoughts of self-doubt are easier to spot.

One of my least favorite aspects of sitting inside Calix's, Aubrey's and Ethaniel's heads actually surprised me given that I like romance: I got tired of them thinking about each other. There is a romantic subplot between the three of them woven throughout the story, and they all have intrusively romantic thoughts about each other constantly, even in moments where their lives are in danger. All of the romantic thoughts are selfless, giving, loving and starry-eyed. Not a selfish thought anywhere to be found, and I actually wanted these characters to have more conflicted thoughts about each other because it was all just too romantic all the time. That probably will appeal to a lot of people. I just wanted these characters to be more flawed; more real. I also wanted to slap them upside their heads more than once because *now is not the time for that*.

Ultimately, though, Coup de Coeur is a unique tale that will appeal to readers who love (not just like) romance, and enjoy a good serial drama.

*Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.*