Under cover of darkness on the streets of the gaslit city, he assumes the guise of a master criminal, stealing jewels from wealthy nobles to finance his quest for vengeance: the murder of Count Montesq. He is also the greatest thief in all of Ile-Rien. Consumed by thoughts of vengeance, he is consoled only by thoughts of the beautiful, dangerous Madeline. Nicholas Valiarde is a passionate, embittered nobleman with an enigmatic past. “A small masterpiece, setting a fantasy story against a contemporary background.” Now, a man whose true nature and identity is unknown to those around him will embark on a potentially dangerous adventure in a city on the verge of exploding with its own sort of magic as technology spreads through the region that will become known as Silicon Valley. Before he can solve the mystery, though, Martha herself disappears-and Mayland realizes that he’s in love with her. They become close quickly, and he promises to help her find Elizabeth. Yet, since Martha checked in, she still hasn’t been contacted by her daughter, and is feeling lonely, confused, and a little bit worried.īut Martha meets someone else at the hotel: Mayland Long, a distinguished-looking and wealthy Chinese man who is drawn to Martha’s good character and ability to pinpoint the truth of a matter. Now, Elizabeth has sent her mother a plane ticket and reserved a room for her at the city’s most luxurious hotel. Mysterious phone calls from San Francisco at odd hours of the night are the only contact they’ve had for years. Martha Macnamara knows that her daughter, Elizabeth, is in trouble-she just doesn’t know what kind. “Well researched, sharply told, highly atmospheric and as brutal as any pulp detective tale.” Unable to resist Evening’s dying curse, Toby must resume her former position as knight errant to the Duke of Shadowed Hills and begin renewing old alliances that may prove her only hope of solving the mystery…before the curse catches up with her. The murder of Countess Evening Winterrose, one of the secret regents of the San Francisco Bay Area, pulls Toby back into the fae world.

Unfortunately for her, Faerie has other ideas… After getting burned by both sides of her heritage, Toby has denied the fae world, retreating into a “normal” life. Or, in the case of October “Toby” Daye, rejecting it completely. Outsiders from birth, these half-human, half-fae children spend their lives fighting for the respect of their immortal relations. Secrecy is the key to Faerie’s survival-but no secret can be kept forever, and when the fae and mortal worlds collide, changelings are born. The world of Faerie never disappeared it merely went into hiding, continuing to exist parallel to our own.

You Slay Me by Katie MacAlister