"In this sequel to The Courtship of Julian St. Albans, Julian—once a member of the pampered elite and Courted by the cream of society—is now an apprentice and the still-pampered boyfriend of consulting mage Alex Benedict.
He arrives one bright August morning at the plant nursery where he's working through his apprenticeship, only to find a dead body among the lucky clover. This is the first in a series of strange murders that keep getting closer and closer to home, to Julian's wonderful new life and all the magic threading through it, including the new magic that's blossomed inside him.
Alex Benedict is left working against an unknown threat to solve the murders and keep his lover alive, and it seems like all of his magic won't be enough. With opposition from inside the Agency and out, and only Alex's wards for refuge, Julian has to learn to use his own powers fast enough to keep from becoming another casualty."
"Alexander Benedict is a misanthropic thirty-something magical consultant, working with the Agency's top homicide detective, and perfectly content with his life, thank you very much.
Julian St. Albans is the youthful heir to his family's fortune and affiancéd to his beloved Cecil Mandeville, a family friend as well as Julian's lover.
When Mandeville is murdered using magical means, Alex is brought in on the case. It's the worst day of Julian's life, but until they meet, it's just another case for Alex. Neither of them have any idea how their lives are about to change.
Alex has to disentangle the magical threads until he can catch the murderer, and to do that he has to put himself right in the thick of things. His long-denied family connections get him invited to participate in Julian's courtship as a suitor, where he can observe the suspects firsthand. He just has to stay alive long enough to figure out which of the competition thinks Julian is a prize worth killing for."
