As usual, Hawk excels in crafting unique characters that you can’t help but fall in love with and root for. On the surface, this book is a typical tale of two people from different social strata falling in love and dealing with the barriers between them. But there’s also a bonus police procedural plot and dramatic politics. Any of these three story lines would have made for excellent reading, but Hawk weaves them together in an adventure I didn’t want to put down.
Other echelons of society in this world of magic and familiars are introduced in this series installment, and Hawk uses upper-class society to good advantage in developing his intriguing plot. I enjoyed reading about Owen and Malachi against the backdrop of a delightful and thoroughly twisty murder mystery that concluded with an explosive, dramatic finale. Other characters, both new faces and familiar friends, put their own stamp on the proceedings.
While the first story story and full-length book set in this world were more than enjoyable, Hexmaker solidifies this series as one of my favorite historical fantasy worlds. I look forward to reading the other entries in this world of magic and romance.
Rating: 5 (out of 5) stars. Cross-posted to Amazon and Goodreads.