For Boston.com Book Club’s July pick, we are reading the first book in a “spellbinding and vibrant” urban fantasy romance series from the bestselling author of “A Dowry of Blood.”
S.T. Gibson’s newest novel “Evocation” tells the story of David, a psychic and high-power Boston lawyer, who must join forces with his sorcerer ex-boyfriend and the ex’s witch wife to break a family curse.
Gibson will join Lily and Hannah Barrett, the co-owners of the romance pop-up bookstore Read My Lips Boston for our Book Club event on July 30 at 6 p.m.
Read on to learn more about the book, author S.T. Gibson, our discussion moderators and Read My Lips co-owners Lily and Hannah Barrett, and what critics are saying about “Evocation.”
The book | The author | The bookseller | Critics say
What is “Evocation” about?
As a teen, David Aristarkhov was a psychic prodigy, operating under the shadow of his oppressive occultist father. Now, years after his father’s death and rapidly approaching his thirtieth birthday, David is content with the high-powered life he’s curated as a Boston attorney, moonlighting as a powerful medium for his secret society.
But with power comes a price, and the Devil has come to collect on an ancestral deal. David’s days are numbered, and death looms at his door.
Reluctantly, he reaches out to the only person he’s ever trusted, his ex-boyfriend and secret Society rival Rhys, for help. However, the only way to get to Rhys is through his wife, Moira. Thrust into each other’s care, emotions once buried deep resurface, and the trio race to figure out their feelings for one another before the Devil steals David away for good.
Who is author S.T. Gibson?
S.T. Gibson is a literary agent, author, and “village wise woman in training,” according to her website. She was nominated for a British Fantasy Award and is a Goodreads Choice Award nominated author.
Gibson graduated from the creative writing program at the University of North Carolina at Asheville and the theological studies program at Princeton Seminary. She currently lives in Rhode Island with her partner and a spoiled Persian cat.
About the romance-only, pop-up bookstore
Read My Lips Boston is a pop-up inclusive romance bookshop that highlights authors and main characters who identify as BIPOC, persons with disabilities, LGBTQIA, and more.
The pop-up was founded by twin sisters Lily and Hannah Barrett in February. The pair had always bonded over a love of reading and books, and developed a special appreciation for the romance genre during the pandemic. But they began to notice a homogeneity among the protagonists in the genre; most were white, cisgendered, straight, and able-bodied.
“Being disabled ourselves (we’re both deaf with cochlear implant), we didn’t really grow up seeing a lot of stories that reflected our lived experience with hearing loss,” Hannah Barrett said.
So, they decided to create Read My Lips to fill the diversity gap they saw in the genre.
“Reading is political and reading romance is political. The choice of who gets a happy ending in mainstream romance is very Disneyfied in a lot of ways. We wanted to create a space where people could feel seen and where they could also expand their perspectives,” Lily Barrett said.
Read My Lips holds one pop-up per month and partners with a different local nonprofit for each event. The romance books span a variety of representation and a variety of sub-genres, including fantasy, sci-fi, contemporary, historical, and more. Most books are used (“pre-loved,” Hannah calls them) and are offered at discounted prices.
The Barretts said the response from Boston’s bookseller community and from romance readers has been “so warm.”
“The conversations that we have at these pop ups bring us so much joy, being able to talk to people who have found this space and feel like they’re able to find stories that they can relate to,” Lily Barrett said.
The sisters are excited to discuss Gibson’s novel “Evocation,” particularly the occult nature of the story and the choice to set the story in Boston.
“Boston has this rich history. It has such potential to be a very good setting for a paranormal novel,” Hannah Barrett said.
What critics are saying about the book
“With characters as vibrant as the story is twisted, ‘Evocation’ is the start of a bold new saga – daring, pulpy, and delicious.”
“Gibson has crafted a meditation on abuse, grief, and the shadows of past lives which delves into the liminal space between what we desire and what we deserve, and interrogates the trust between those who have hurt each other more deeply than can ever be erased – all as it offers characters who will be indelibly inked on your memory, bound together by secrets and bargains stronger than death itself.”
“Dazzling and compelling from start to finish, S.T. Gibson’s ‘Evocation’ crackles with magic and the strong chemistry between its three leads.”
“Romantic and delectable, ‘Evocation’ is an entrancing start to a new series by S. T. Gibson. If anyone can make you root for three intricately crafted characters, it is Gibson. David, Rhys and Moria have ensnared me, I will be making a deal with the devil, just to get book two in my hands.”
“Gibson pairs the old-world elegance of a secret occult society with the glitz and glamor of modern urban magic to create a dazzling world.”
– Booklist
Join the discussion
Register for a live virtual discussion with author S.T. Gibson and bookseller moderators Lily and Hannah Barrett as they discuss “Evocation” on July 30 at 6 p.m.
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