⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Was I hooked by that book? Yes. Political intrigue and heart stopping action had me at the edge of my seat.

Alex will do anything to protect the man she loves from an eternity as the vampire council’s political puppet, but a favor from the fae Lord of Enchantment comes at a steep price. A decision must be made, and she’s running out of time. The peace summit that will determine the fate of all paranatural beings on Earth is just around the corner, and vampires coming out of the closet isn’t the only complication. Purists are ramping up production of Fantasia—a drug distilled from the bodies of abducted fae to grant magical abilities to mundane humans—and whispers indicate an attack on the summit. In order to save the summit and protect the people she loves, Alex must travel deep behind enemy lines with the last person she wants to trust as her only backup. What could possibly go wrong?

MY THOUGHTS

Once again, Alex was juggling multiple potentially explosive balls, with tensions between the various paranaturals and humans a hair trigger away from total chaos. It felt like she took everything on herself, coming up with all the plans by herself, but she also thoroughly relied on her friends and allies to help her execute these plans.

There were many separate elements and events in this story, it was difficult at times to imagine how it would all be resolved. The action flowed fast and furious, with multiple magical attacks happening at the same time. And Alex was usually in the thick of things. She was continually attempting to expand her abilities or learning something new about it.

I was very anxious for Alex and James to be reunited and it was a bittersweet moment. James had a smaller role to play this time around, apart from the fact that he was Alex’s anchor and her main motivation. The storyline with Ash gripped me right from the start and I was very invested in their journey. Of course, Alex managed to achieve the desired outcome (for the most part) and the ending brought everything nicely together.

I can highly recommend this entire series if you like an action-packed urban fantasy. It is definitely best to read the books in order.

Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Were you hooked by that book? Let me know in the comments below.

Genre: Fantasy Romance
Publication Date: February 6, 2026
Sensuality Rating: Subtle
Series: Book 8 in The Magicsmith
Other books in the series: A Drop of Magic, Courting Darkness, Faerie Forged, Casting Shadows, Of Mettle and Magic, Chaos Song, Lies and Illusion