For fifteen years, Elves have been the enemy. Now my mission is to gain the trust of the most dangerous Elf Earth has ever captured.
They chose me because I supposedly have a way with words. But getting the elf prisoner to talk? Unlikely. He's the only elf who's ever survived capture, and he's not giving up anything, not even his name. He's arrogant, lethal, and hiding something that could change everything. But as I dig deeper into his secrets, I uncover a web of exploitation, military corruption, and buried truths that could shatter everything we thought we knew about this war.
The more I learn, the more I question everything—my orders, my loyalties, even my own understanding of magic itself. With peace talks hanging by a thread and powerful forces moving against us, I'm forced to make an impossible choice between duty and justice. And my growing feelings for my prisoner are only making things more complicated.
In a world where magic and military might collide, sometimes the greatest act of loyalty is knowing when to break the rules.
A gritty military fantasy featuring slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance, magical conspiracies, and a heroine caught between duty and justice. Perfect for fans of Martha Wells and Ilona Andrews who love their fantasy with both heart and teeth.
Paula Mason crafts stories where magic meets modern society, drawing on her experience as a social worker to explore themes of power, identity, and cross-cultural relationships. When she's not writing about complicated elf prisoners and the soldiers who capture them, she's advocating for social justice in regional Victoria, Australia, and dreaming up new ways magic might change our world.