Danger in the air. Lovers on the brink.

With the justiciary understaffed, a series of horrifying occult murders to be investigated, and a young student who is flying—literally—off the rails, magical law enforcer Stephen Day is under increasing stress. And his relationship with his aristocratic lover, Lord Crane, is beginning to feel the strain.

Crane chafes at the restrictions of England’s laws, and there’s a worrying development in the blood-and-sex bond he shares with Stephen. A development that makes a sensible man question if they should be together at all.

When a thief strikes at the heart of Crane’s home, a devastating loss brings his closest relationships into bitter conflict—especially his relationship with Stephen. And as old enemies, new enemies, and unexpected enemies paint the lovers into a corner, the pressure threatens to tear them apart.

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If you’ve read my reviews for the previous books in this series, it’ll probably come as no surprise to you that I outright adored this one. At this point, any review I write will probably be a love letter to both KJ Charles and her characters.

This was a rollercoaster of a book and I was hooked ever since I read the first page. I really love the world KJ Charles has created here, with its historical accuracies even when the main focus is a paranormal world-building.

The mystery plot in this book intrigued me to no end: murders happening without a murder in sight, even while they’re taking place? That pushed all my buttons and made me grip my kindle so tight I was afraid I’d break it. I love how the mysteries in all the three books can be brought together once we have the correct piece of the puzzle, even when each mystery reads mainly as a stand-alone.

But what really makes this book stand out to me are the characters: Stephen, Lucien, Merrick, Saint, Esther… They all have their own evolution and growth in this book, and I love how KJ Charles managed to do that without taking the focus from Stephen and Lucien. None of the secondary characters, not even the enemies, read as “puppets” to me; they all have a well-developed plot-line and personality.

As for Stephen and Lucien, I’m going to miss them. They made me suffer this time, and I was holding my breath all through their fight. But they actually talked and solved things between them, and I love them even more for it. And I almost never mention this in reviews, but the sex between them was scorching hot. To be honest, I could happily read about Lucien and Stephen for a few more months and I wouldn’t get tired.

And just like I did with the last book, I want to give a shout-out to Feast of Stephen, the free short story that follows up to this one. It was sweet, fun and hot. The perfect ending for this couple.

Genre: Historical Genre: Paranormal Orientation: Gay Pairing: M/M Publisher: Samhain Publishing Review Tag: Part of a series A Charm of Magpies Flight of Magpies KJ Charles