Fiona, niece of Queen Mab and possible heir to the Fae throne, wants a vacation from Court intrigue and decides to visit her favorite hot spots in New York City. Just for a little while, mind you. No one will even notice she’s gone. No sooner does she step through the Inwood gate into Central Park, someone definitely knows she’s in the world of mortals. Seemingly out of nowhere, Fiona is attacked by a demon.

Ill-tempered and sleepless beta werewolf Tobias Walker happens to be walking security in the park when he hears her screams. Charged with keeping the peace between the supernatural Others and humans while negotiations for a “coming out” treaty hang in the balance, this is more trouble than he needs. When he steps in to save Fiona from one very nasty beast, Walker has no idea what he’s getting himself into rescuing the lovely Fae princess. A raging case of lust is just the start of it.

Fiona, Walker, and his werewolf pack -- along with representatives from the Others Council -- must find out who is behind this attack, and why. And why is this demon making out its kills to look like the handy work of Others? To ruin the negotiations with the humans beyond repair? Maybe it’s personal.

The couple is an odd mix of immortal and mortal, and both intractable. Fiona is definitely no spoiled princess. She does things her way, no matter the risk, which is the bane of Walker’s existence. He’s possessive, territorial, and protective to an extreme and really, what werewolf wouldn’t be when his mate constantly puts herself in danger? But when they inevitably find a common ground, the attraction sizzles.

The story is centered on these two lovers, but the secondary characters fill in the open spaces quite nicely (I’m quite fond of the last-minute demon.) While I did get lost a bit in the political murk of the negotiations, that comes from not reading the first novel in the Others series, Wolf at the Door, and no fault on the author’s part.

I think this is shaping up to be a good series with an imaginative twist on the politics of supernaturals. I’m looking forward to the next chapter, The Demon You Know.
--------------------------
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (October 31, 2006)
ISBN: 0312347766
Buy the Book