With richly imagined characters and compelling stories, New
York Times bestselling author M. J. Putney has won dazzling
praise from reviewers and readers across the country. Her
spellbinding new romantic fantasy will sweep you from
Wales's mysterious forests to the glittering menace of
Georgian London—and into a shattering rendezvous with
fate.
SummaryHeir to an ancient title, Simon Malmain, the Earl of
Falconer, is well known among the Guardians, humans with
magical powers derived from nature. Well known, but not
always well loved . . . for those who enforce the law are
rarely embraced by those whom they protect—and this is
equally true whether the law is magical or mundane.
A routine mission to confront a rogue Guardian who has
misused his powers turns disastrous when Simon's quarry,
Lord Drayton, captures his pursuer in a transformation spell
that can only be released by Drayton—or death. Aid
arrives in the form of Meg, a fey young woman who first
traps Simon, then frees him.
As they flee together, Simon recognizes that Meg is also a
victim of Drayton's evil enchantments, and he restores her
nature and innate magic. Though her memory is still clouded,
she is freed at last from a shadowy world of fear and lost
identity. She agrees to help Simon bring down Drayton.
The need for each other's magic binds them together—and
releases the more ancient magic of passion. But desire
cannot be satisfied until the rogue mage is stopped. For
Drayton has a diabolical plan that will profoundly alter the
course of Britain's future. Even the combined power of Simon
and Meg may not be enough to stave off catastrophe. Only a
desperate act of love may win back the future—or
destroy all they hold dear.
| 
