Tor UK scoops queer historical fantasy by Rebecca Ide

Tor, an imprint of Pan Macmillan, has scooped The Gentleman and His Vowsmith, plus a second historical fantasy by Rebecca Ide – the pen name of Devin Madson.

Editorial director Sophie Robinson acquired UK and British Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada but including foreign-language rights, in an exclusive deal from Julie Crisp at the Julie Crisp Literary Agency. Mondadori acquired Italian language rights from Anna Shora, head of rights at Pan Macmillan, in a two-book deal for the publisher’s Oscar Fabula list. North American rights were also sold to Nivia Evans at Saga Press, Simon & Schuster US. Tor UK will publish The Gentleman and His Vowsmith on 24th April 2025, simultaneously with Saga Press US.

"The Gentleman and His Vowsmith is a queer historical fantasy set in Regency-era England," the synopsis says. "Two aristocratic families – one magical but on the brink of financial ruin, and the other their bitterest rivals – try to negotiate a marriage contract between their respective heirs, only for people from both parties to be murdered during the lock-in at the crumbling manor house. As the body count rises, an old romance is reignited between Lord Monterris, the male heir, and Dashiell, the magical vowsmith hired to negotiate the terms of his marriage."

Robinson said: “The perfect blend of gothic and romantic, The Gentleman and His Vowsmith is my favourite kind of historical fantasy. It’s devilishly fun with sparkling prose, magic, hot chemistry and a few dead bodies to navigate for good measure. And what a way to reinvent the genre with a smart locked-room mystery at its core. Readers are in for a magical, murderous treat.”

Ide added: “Although I’ve long been a fantasy author, I was brought up on Regency romances and murder mysteries such that they live in my blood. Thus, it was sheer joy to be able to bring all my favourite things together under the one roof in The Gentleman and His Vowsmith. My beloved Regency turned queer, with magic and murder, humour and heat – I could not be more pleased to be working with Sophie and Tor UK on a project that’s so close to my heart.”