Osric is an assassin and member of the Fyren order, but when he discovers that his magic is failing, the only person who might possibly be able to help him is Aurienne, member of an enemy order – the Haelen. But how can Osric convince her to save him when he is her mortal enemy and the healing that he seeks is based on fairytales and nothing more? He tries to charm her, considers kidnapping when this fails, but ultimately only a large donation towards pox vaccine research to help impoverished children can sway her. Thus begin the adventures of Aurienne and Osric – full of acerbic banter, gratuitous murder and pining.
Osric (despite his awful name – Osric is the name of a troll or an orc surely?) is a lethal and wickedly charming character with a weakness for rescuing stray dogs. Aurienne is ruthlessly competent and fiercely upright but her moral fibre becomes increasingly frayed with exposure to Osric.
I loved DMATMOOBIL by the same author, and so I requested this book on Netgalley as soon as it was available. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this is an utterly different story, complete with a brand new world (possibly an excessive amount of terminology) and all new witty reparte – only the immaculate vibes remain. A delightful romp with an irresistible pair of enemies-to-lovers – I absolutely adored this and can’t wait for the next book in the series.
Thanks to Little, Brown and Netgalley for the digital ARC.
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