Welcome to the glittering city of Dalbache, which runs on traded favors, flirtation, and large amounts of tea. House Gaurjo is in charge, holding vast wealth and almost unchecked power.

Flamboyant, fun-loving magician Tinsa Gaurjo is one of those checks. She’s sworn to protect her beloved city’s citizens with her wits, magic, and sword. Someday, she hopes to become Housemaster Gaurjo, giving her the power she needs to make the city equally safe for rich and poor. For now, she fights a daily battle against the corrupt elements in her own family.

Investigating a double murder seems simple by comparison. Too bad her main suspect, a charming local casino owner, has no clear motive. Even more of a problem: Tinsa is afraid his playful interest in her might be for real. Whether he’s guilty or not, an entanglement with an ex-courtesan will ruin her chances of ever becoming Housemaster Gaurjo.

Is he annoyingly entertaining? Yes. Someone she should get close to? Absolutely not.

Yet the deeper she digs into the murders, the more tangled the truth becomes—and the more she needs his help to survive it. Because someone within House Gaurjo wants this case buried. And if she’s not careful…the next body on the street could be her own.

For readers who love the mix of humor, pragmatic heroism, and darkness in T. Kingfisher’s Saint of Steel series, this is the first book in a completed high fantasy duet with a romantic subplot. If you adore kickass heroines, mature characters (in their 30’s and 40’s), complex social settings with morally grey everybody, and respectful love interests who may or may not be villains, start this romantic fantasy duet today!