If that rec also applies in reverse, that may finally be enough to get me to try Carey.

(Historical-AU magical BDSM could be SO VERY MUCH my sort of thing, but the person who first recommended the series to me many years ago had...questionable tastes, at least so far as compatibility with my own nitpicky hard-to-please standards went; so I've been rather wary of giving these a go for fear it would just be like, say, The Belgeriad with a bunch of floggings pastede on yay.)