Once Swindled

My favorite surprise of the week: Once Swindled by Laura Sebastian! The first in her new Lack and Luster series, this novel introduces a Gilded Age world in which the aristocrats (Lusters) don’t just have more money and power; they also have magical abilities that the others (the Lacks) don’t. Once such Lack is Mavis, a skilled con artist who’s spent her entire adult life swindling money out of her parade of fiancés. But while she’s working her tenth target to date, her first suddenly comes back into her life. Arden was her first con, but he’s never gotten over the heartbreak. And now, despite how it ended between them, he needs her help in a con, too. It’s the only way he’ll get his great-aunt’s inheritance. So Arden and Mavis team up to win their respective targets’ hands in marriage… but the one they each really want is each other.

What I Liked:

Cons upon cons! First, Mavis swindled Arden, only to disappear from his life without a trace. Now, five years later, he’s found her, and she’s conning a new man, Thaddeus—her tenth at this point. But instead of revealing her duplicity, Arden strikes a deal with Mavis to teach him to lie better. How else is he supposed to get his aunt’s selected woman, Oriana (incidentally, Thaddeus’s sister), to accept his offer of marriage? He’s broke and needs his aunt’s inheritance, and this is her one prerequisite. But are there even more cons to unearth? Just who is swindling whom?
The haves and the have-nots. The world Arden and Mavis live in isn’t just divided by wealth and class; it’s also divided by whether a person has a magical gift. The Lusters each have a magical ability, along with money and societal respect. The Lacks, well, lack any of the above. They must make do by working (or swindling people, as it were). I felt especially bad for Mavis, a Lack forced into thievery and deception from a young age. At least she has her two “brothers” as partners in crime.
A what-if romance. Sure, Mavis used a fake name, stole Arden’s money, and left him heartbroken. But they truly could have had something together. Now, with five years and many more experiences between them, these two may just have a real shot with each other. If they can learn to trust one another, and ditch their respective marriage prospects, they could be a cute couple. It sounds insurmountable, but trust me, it actually works here. I was fully rooting for Arden and Mavis and their second chance at true love.
The whole ending. Hilarious, endearing, perfectly executed! But you’ll have to read it to see what I mean.

Audiobook:

Once Swindled comes with dual narration. Helen Laser and Michael Crouch give voice to Mavis and Arden, respectively. Both do a marvelous job of capturing their character’s personality. Mavis has sass and cunning; Arden is gentle and sweet. I loved how the narrators brought the full cast to life.

Final Thoughts

Once Swindled was such a fun book! I didn’t know what I was getting into, but it proved to be a delight from start to finish. This is the perfect read for anyone who enjoys historical romance with a magical twist, characters behaving badly, and a convoluted plot that gets messier as it goes. I can’t wait to continue the Lack and Luster series, and I’m hoping Oriana will get her happily ever with Jonas… whoever and wherever he might be!

Special thanks to 47North, Brilliance Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy Once Swindled here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

Once Swindled by Laura Sebastian
Series	Lack and Luster (#1)
Audiobook Narrator	Helen Laser and Michael Crouch
Audience	Adult
Genre	Historical Romance; Paranormal Romance
Number of Pages	351
Format I Read	Audiobook & Ebook (NetGalley ARCs)
Original Publication Date	August 25, 2026
Publisher	47North

Official Summary

From New York Times bestselling author Laura Sebastian comes a swoony, second-chance romance set in a magical Gilded Age world, where a con artist targets her biggest mark yet—and unexpectedly reunites with the one who first stole her heart.

The Ryskamp family fortune is in trouble. And Arden’s gift for invisibility can’t stave off his creditors…or the shame of catastrophic courtships. His only recourse is to marry a highborn Luster girl of his great-aunt’s choosing. But when Arden goes to meet her, another woman catches his the copper-haired beauty who ran away with his heart. And engagement ring.

Newly betrothed to yet another wealthy bachelor, Mavis has gone by many names—Arabella then, Delphinia now. Unlike the Lusters, however, Mavis lacks magical abilities, relying instead on her charms and her cons to get by. But no amount of money can repay her debts. And no amount of distance could prepare her for a reunion with her first mark.

Thrown together by fate, Arden and Mavis put aside their past to pull one last con that could save them both. The only price may be falling in love again. This time, for real.

About the Author

Laura Sebastian grew up in South Florida and attended Savannah College of Art and Design. She now lives and writes in London, England, with her two dogs, Neville and Circe. Laura is the author of the New York Times bestselling Ash Princess series: Ash Princess, Lady Smoke, and Ember Queen, as well as the Castles in Their Bones series: Castles in Their Bones, Stardust in Their Veins, and Poison In Their Hearts; Half Sick of Shadows, a novel for adults; and Into the Glades, for middle-grade readers.

When she isn’t writing, she enjoys cooking, gardening, and knitting. You can find her knitting patterns on Ravelry.