Alliance is best described as "Jane Austin Meets Magic." Set in Austin's England, Althea Chambers is the ward of the odious Wentworth family, and slighted at every opportunity. Her love of music, her gentle treatment of the staff, and her twisted word play with her betters win her the attention of the Guilds, elemental magicians who police their own, and train the gifted. Their attentions, and her own quiet courage, lead her to freedom from the Wentworths, and transport her into new social circles, including timid elemental creatures, and a much less timid Guardian. From there her life becomes tangled in magic, music, and the threat of a spurned suitor gone mad. Althea must find her way, her home, and her purpose, while walking a fine line between being both Master and Mistress Gray.