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FILTHY RICH FAE: FALLEN COURT
FILTHY RICH FAE: FALLEN COURT

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The books of May are here—fresh, fierce, and full of feels.

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Wedding season includes searching for a missing bride�and a killer . . .


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Sometimes the path forward begins with a step back.


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One island. Three generations. A summer that changes everything.


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A snapshot made them legends. What it didn�t show could tear them apart.


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This life coach will give you a lift!


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A twisty, "addictive," mystery about jealousy and bad intentions


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Trapped by magic, haunted by muses�she must master the cards before they�re lost to darkness.


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Masquerades, secrets, and a forbidden romance stitched into every seam.


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A vanished manuscript. A murdered expert. A castle full of secrets�and one sharp-witted sleuth.


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Two warrior angels. First friends, now lovers. Their future? A WILD UNKNOWN.


Uncertain Allies

Uncertain Allies, May 2011
Connor Grey #5
by Mark Del Franco

Berkley
Featuring: Connor Grey
352 pages
ISBN: 0441020402
EAN: 9780441020409
Paperback
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"Urban Fantasy Readers will Love this Human/Fay World & Strong Male Lead"

Fresh Fiction Review

Uncertain Allies
Mark Del Franco

Reviewed by Lisa Watts
Posted May 26, 2011

Fantasy Urban

A century ago Faerie merged with modern reality in an event known as Convergence. Connor Grey is a resident of the Weird, a section of Boston filled with human and fey who are looking for a good time and often trouble. He is also an ex-investigator for the Fey Guild who lost his job at the same time as his druid powers. He is currently looking into a string of human and fey disappearances marked by a strange flash of blue light as well as the murder of several dwarfs. Unfortunately, his investigation draws him deeper into fey politics and rivalries, putting him and those around him in danger. Grey's tired of being a pawn in fey power games, but if he chooses to stand by and do nothing it could mean the end of the Weird and possibly the world. UNCERTAIN ALLIES is the fifth installment in Mark Del Franco's Connor Grey series. The world Del Franco has built is complex and unstable, filled with magic and dangerous political players. Not having read the prior books in the series, I found it challenging to keep track of the plethora of characters and understand the relationships between them. Del Franco does a decent job explaining the pertinent happenings of prior books, but I would definitely have had an easier time following along if I had started with the first book. That being said, the plot is interesting, well-developed, and can stand on its own. Unique circumstances and events add intriguing layers to the plot, including a black mass that exists in Grey's head and reacts oddly at inopportune times. There is not as much action in the book as many other urban fantasies, instead focusing on politics and interpersonal relationships, but things do pick up during the second half. In addition, issues that have existed since prior books are resolved, which should keep dedicated readers happy. I also appreciated Grey's strong male voice and the depth of many of the secondary characters. Overall, it is a good, solid read that will be appreciated by fans of the series and may inspire newcomers to go back and read from the beginning.

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SUMMARY

It's been a century since the people and places of Celtic Faerie mysteriously appeared in our world, an event known historically as Convergence. And in modern-day Boston, Connor Grey is just struggling to get by. Connor used to be a hot shot investigator at the fey-run Guild, until a battle with an elf left his magical abilities crippled. Now he consults for the Boston PD on their "strange" cases. The Boston neighborhood known as the Weird lies in ruins, devastated by a night of riot and fire. In the aftermath, a mysterious surge of energy sweeps up anyone in its path. When a body is found drained of its essence, the lifeforce that binds everything in the World, Connor Grey finds himself drawn into a murder investigation against his will. Connor suspects a deadly fey has risen from the grave, and as he hunts it down, dark secrets fro the early days of the Fey Guild come to light--secrets that will destroy friends and foes alike. Faced with dangerous truths, Connor must save himself from the darkness with in him or use it to save everything he has come to love. Both choices will bring a price and neither will stop the approach of a war that will tear apart the city--and perhaps the entire world.


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