Something Wicked

When I saw the cover for Falon Ballard‘s Something Wicked—first in her Idle Reputations series—I was instantly intrigued. And that it’s inspired by Macbeth and Moulin Rouge? An interesting combination; sold!

Something Wicked is set in a country called Avon, divided into four territories, plus a capital city. There’s been political unrest for years, and the Uprising has finally overthrown the monarchs. Callum, formerly the Prince of Scota, has only one way to become the new leader: He must kill his own father. But he absolutely does not want to, even if his dad insists on it. In order to grapple with his impending devastation, Callum goes to the famed Lady Caterine, a Gifted courtesan who can alter people’s emotions (but only after they’ve had an orgasm in her presence). But Cate has a secret mission of her own, one that may be at odds with what Callum must do. Never mind that Cate and Callum have undeniable romantic feelings growing by the day. Can these two work together for the greater good of Avon, or are their sides too different?

What I Liked:

• Macbeth meets Moulin Rouge! This is an unexpected yet interesting combination. Disclaimer: I read Macbeth way back in high school (some 20 years ago now), and I haven’t ever seen Moulin Rouge. So I’m only partly familiar with the two sources of inspiration. Regardless, I enjoyed this creative blend of themes.
• Gifted women. Cate is part of a group of women who is Gifted; she and other such women each have a unique magical ability, from seeing the future to healing the sick and injured. These Gifted women face social distrust and legal oppression in the name of “public safety.” I definitely saw parallels between the Gifted here and women historically accused of witchcraft. (Except these women do indeed have magical abilities.) All women just want equal rights and treatment.
• Callum must overcome his own prejudices. No one likes a prejudiced love interest. In Callum’s case, at least his unforgiving views on the Gifted come from a valid trauma. Regardless, he’s blaming the whole for the actions of one, and he learns early on that he’s been wrong all along. He quickly comes around and is better for it.
• Sex positivity. Cate is a sex worker, and she’s proud of what she does. It’s also directly tied to her ability to alter emotions… but only after someone has an orgasm. This side of the book is more like Moulin Rouge, both in themes/setting and in the more playful mood. But it’s also a great way of showing sex and sex work in a positive light.
• Politics, class, and equality. Something Wicked doesn’t just have a political plot driving things forward; it also gets into the societal structure, flaws and all. Callum is very focused on economic rights, minimizing the wealth gap, and financially helping those who need it. As a Gifted, Cate has spent her whole life oppressed and with fewer rights than others. Gifted deserve full autonomy and equality. These themes come up a lot in the course of overthrowing a monarchy and finding a new leader to unify the nation.
• Excerpts between most chapters: journal entries, letters, news articles, and so on. These excerpts sometimes shroud the chapters in mystery, making me want to keep reading for an explanation. Other times, they provide context to what’s going on. I enjoyed this epistolary portion of the book!

What Didn’t Work for Me:

• I admit, the contrast between political heaviness and sacrifice vs. sex and pleasure was a difficult balance to strike. It was weird for me to see the characters going through both at the same time. I don’t know, but the political circumstances wouldn’t make me feel very amorous, personally.

Final Thoughts

All in all, I really enjoyed Something Wicked! The story was interesting, engrossing, and well written, and I liked the characters and seeing them grow as people. I’m excited to continue the Idle Reputations series! Will it continue following Callum and Cate, other characters introduced here… or that mysterious character revealed at the end? We shall see.

Beyond this romantasy series, I also have an ARC of Falon Ballard’s upcoming contemporary romance, Toe to Toe, due out in March. Stay tuned for my review of that soon!

Special thanks to G.P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy Something Wicked here – it’s available as a hardcover, ebook, and audiobook.

Something Wicked by Falon Ballard
Series	Idle Reputations (#1)
Audience	Adult
Genre	Romantasy
Setting	Avon
Number of Pages	384
Format I Read	Audiobook & Ebook (NetGalley ARC)
Original Publication Date	December 2, 2025
Publisher	G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Official Summary

The country of Avon is in deep turmoil…

The Uprising has overthrown Avon’s monarchial rulers, and a decree has been issued. Candidates for the first presidential election will be selected by the completion of a special task: to kill the former monarch of their home province.

Callum, the son of the recently dethroned king, is determined to be in the running. But coming to terms with patricide will require the help of Lady Caterine, a Gifted courtesan at La Puissance, Avon’s premiere sex club.

Lady Caterine has always had the magical ability to manipulate the emotions of anyone who experiences an orgasm in her presence. If Callum can only open up to Cate, he will be able to commit the newly fated murder without suffering the guilt and take his place as the rightful candidate from his province. But Callum has a deep-seated mistrust of the Gifted. And the last thing he expects is to be confronted with an undeniable connection with Cate that neither of them understands or wants.

With the fate of the country at stake, Callum and Cate search for ways to bare themselves to each other, and discover a darker force building within La Puissance, one that might ruin the future of Avon forever. To stop Avon from falling to ashes, they must sacrifice everything they have . . . even if it requires betraying each other.