In near-future New Orleans, draugar, again-walkers, are faster and stronger than most humans, but not venomous until they are a century old. Until then, they shamble and bite. Since not everyone wants to see their relatives end up that way, Geneviève Crowe makes her living beheading the dead.
But now, her magic's gone sideways, and the only person strong enough to help her is the one man who could tempt her to think about picket fences: Eli Stonecroft, a faery who chose to be a bar-owner in New Orleans rather than live in Elphame.
Then human businessmen start turning up as draugar.
Suddenly, the queen of the again-walkers and the wealthy son of one of the victims, both hire Geneviève to figure it out. She works to keep her magic in check, the dead from crawling out of their graves, and enough money for a future that might be a lot longer than she'd like. Neither her heart nor her life are safe now that she's juggling a faery prince, murder, and magic.
"I loved The Wicked and The Dead! A sassy, ass-kicking heroine, a deliciously mysterious fae hero, and a wonderful mix of action and romance. Add that to Melissa's usual great world-building, and I'm already looking forward to book 2!" – Jeaniene Frost, NYT Bestselling Author
1 of 1 copy available
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Release date
September 2, 2020 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
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EPUB ebook
- File size: 2037 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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January 31, 2022
Bestseller Marr (the Wicked Lovely series) gives urban fantasy and paranormal romance readers a treat with her entertaining Faery Bargains series launch. Powerful witch Geneviève Crowe works as a hired sword in New Orleans, and her latest clients enlist her to ensure that their deceased loved ones stay dead. The risk of the dead rising as draugr, zombie-like creatures who crave living flesh, is real, with Marr establishing complex lore around how they come to be and the stages of their sentience (some can live to maturity, if given the chance). Geneviève is good at what she does, but she’s often haunted by her actions: does her job make her a hero, a murderer, or something else entirely? That question comes to a head as what’s supposed to be a routine job goes wrong, and Geneviève is thrust into a web of intrigue and murder that puts herself, her friends, and her alluring fae business partner, Eli, at risk. Marr ensconces beloved genre tropes in refreshing worldbuilding, offering a sly, never self-serious take on faery bargains and the walking dead. The conclusion leaves many questions dangling but sets things up nicely for future installments. Readers will be hooked.
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