The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry By C.M. Waggoner (Unnatural Magic #2)

A charming historical fantasy with a tender love story at its core, from the author of Unnatural Magic.

Hard-drinking petty thief Dellaria Wells is down on her luck in the city of Leiscourt—again. Then she sees a want ad for a female bodyguard, and she fast-talks her way into the high-paying job. Along with a team of other women, she’s meant to protect a rich young lady from mysterious assassins.

At first Delly thinks the danger is exaggerated, but a series of attacks shows there’s much to fear. Then she begins to fall for Winn, one of the other bodyguards, and the women team up against a mysterious, magical foe who seems to have allies everywhere.

Please ensure that you check the trigger warnings before reading, your safety is our top priority! 

Graphic / Core Content:
- Substance Abuse & Addiction: Heavy focus on drug addiction, substance use (such as gin and historical equivalents of narcotics), and a plot centering around a criminal ring producing dangerous drugs.
- Violence, Blood, & Murder: Graphic descriptions of violence, gun violence, knife injuries, magical fire-related injuries, murder, and investigation of crime scenes.
- Classism & Severe Poverty: Detailed, unflinching explorations of the traumas of extreme poverty, material hardship, homelessness, and structural classism that deeply affect the protagonist's self-image.

Moderate / Background Content:
- Necromancy & Mild Body Horror: Themes involving necromancer magic, creepy skeletal structures (like an undead mouse skeleton named Buttons), and reanimated constructs.
- Family & Parental Trauma: Depictions of parental abuse, emotional abandonment, and the heavy emotional burden of trying to keep a neglectful parent off the streets.
- Kidnapping & Captivity: Characters face kidnapping, forced confinement, and related physical threats.
- Mild Sexual Content: Some references to sexual content, though mostly fade-to-black or implied rather than highly explicit.
- Minor Animal Death: Implied harm and mild references to animal cruelty or death (largely off-screen or minor background elements).