Sparks fly when bitter exes are forced to team up for an elaborate Feywild heist, in this cozy fantasy romance by the bestselling author of the Kingston Cycle and Even Though I Knew the End.
Named one of the most anticipated romantasies of 2026 by Book Riot
Saeldian has sworn never to fall in love. That oath isn’t just a personal promise, but rather a magical pact, granting them powerful abilities. The only catch? They must never give their heart away—a deal that Saeldian is perfectly content with. They’ve seen firsthand how messy love can get.
Saeldian prefers their no-strings-attached life as a con artist, pulling off heists and leaving a trail of broken hearts behind them. But when a grift goes horribly wrong, they catch the eye of a mysterious patron with a job offer they can’t refuse.
The mission? Steal a gem called “The Kiss of Enduring Love” and return it to the Feywild. Simple enough, until Saeldian discovers their ex-partner, Kell—a charming bard—is part of the team.
The last time Saeldian saw Kell, things hardly ended on good terms. A kiss became a betrayal, leaving Kell hurt and confused for almost a decade. But Kell can’t just walk away—not when this job might finally be his ticket back to the Feywild.
Forced to work together again, their adventure takes them from high-society parties to Feywild couple’s therapy. But as Saeldian and Kell rekindle their chemistry, they realize the gem is much more than a fey bauble, and their simple heist has summoned powerful enemies. . . .
Cozy heist in a magical landscape
"Book rating: 3/5 ⭐️ Genre: cozy fantasy Themes: exes to lovers, heist, feylands, con artist, magical bargain 📖 Read if you like: Brigands & Breadknives Having loved The Midnight Bargain and the Kingston Cycle, I was really excited for this new release from an author that promises diversity, social dissection and of course a world of immersive magic. This premise was a heist between exes. Saeldian has traded his heart for power and has thus sworn off love. An inconvenience that his former partner Kell still resents, along with the fact that on the night Saeldian disappeared Kell was imprisoned for their latest con and sent to the gallows, only to be rescued by a notorious gang who he now owed a favour to. When the two are unwittingly thrown together to steal back a fey gem called “The Kiss of Enduring Love” old hurts and feelings will arise. I actually found the relationship was fraught with too much bickering and betrayal. The conversation for three quarters of the novel bordered on cruel and the disdain was palpable. Kell came across as particularly petulant and surly. Hurt people may hurt people, but his meanness was unwarranted and made him seem juvenile. It was too much vitriol for me to connect with Kell, though Saeldian was an interesting protagonist with a unique identity. Overall, the romance was a big let down and I was not invested in their relationship at all. Truthfully, I really struggled through parts of this novel. Thankfully the rest of the characters saved the day and the whimsical fantasy landscape really was a marvel. This author has a unique gift of creating magical systems that leap off the page with their ingenuity and vibrancy. The lore was top notch and the atmosphere infused with uncanny charm. Jubilee and Lorzok were members of the crew I actually liked with their own rhymes and reasons, while the auxiliary characters were also given depth and likability. The plot followed a D&D style campaign that unearthed past lives of all characters and current trajectories. It was a spider web of designs that was rather complicated if you weren’t paying attention to details along the way. This one was not my favourite, but I liked the landscape, magic and concept of former con artists in a cozy heist that inevitably heals old wounds. Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore for an eARC."
