Format: EBook, 347 pages
Release Date: June 28, 2024
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books
Source: Publisher
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Diplomacy has never been Alex’s strong suit…
When the vampire council puts Alex and James on trial for exposing the species’ existence to the world, Alex's freedom and James's life hang in the balance, though Alex suspects James’s new daywalking ability is the real aim of their inquisition.
Any hope of talking their way out of
hot water evaporates when one of the council members is found
murdered…with James standing over the smoldering corpse. With every
vampire looking to claim Alex’s power for themselves, she will have to
team up with an unlikely ally, push her magic to its limits, and match
wits against a powerful new foe if she hopes to come out unscathed.
Lies and Illusion is the 7th installment in author L.R. Braden's The Magicsmith series. Alyssandra (Alex) Blackwood, who is part practitioner and fae, has her work cut out for her in this installment thanks to events that happened in Chaos Song. Thanks to an oath she made with the Master Vampire of Denver, and also because James so publicly was seen walking in the sunlight during a pivotal battle, they are now summoned to appear before the Vampire Council somewhere in Canada to face a trial that may determine whether they live, or not.
But things get off to a rocky start after one of the council members is found dead, and the prime suspect is James who was last seen outside of Hanzo's room. Alex, who has been trying her best to get a group of paranatural's to work together in order to prevent the fae from starting another war, now has to prove that James is not a killer, while also dealing with powerful vampires who will decide whether or not the vampires will join Alex's group.
Even though Victoria betrayed Alex, she is the one who is given the mantle to discover who was responsible for Hanzo's death. This, however, doesn't stop Alex. She's dealt with the vampires before. She almost became a thrall to a powerful former vampire of Denver. She's dealt with the werewolves before, and now counts several Alpha's as friends. She's also faced the Fae of the Court of Enchantment, as well as the Water Fae. As she gets closer to finding the truth, it appears that someone is going to try again to control Alex and her ability to create day walkers.
Here's some slight spoilers. Be prepared for a twisted ending. Just when you thought you had things figured out, the author will get you good. I don't know where the series goes from here with what happens to James, and the fact that his fate is now clearly in the hands of Alex who hasn't been able to duplicate what she did to help James daywalk. I am saddened that more people haven't read this series, but am happy that Braden continues to write books. There's a whole lot more that Alex has to deal with including the PTF, the Church, the Paranatural Alliance, and the impending war with her grandfather's fae.
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