Fantastic!!! I haven’t been so entertained about a good vs. evil storyline since the first time I saw Wicked on Broadway. And unlike Elphaba, Michelle Hastings really runs an evil corporation. This is the second book in the duology and picks up right after the The Fixer. Hastings gives Eden Lawless a trial job at the Fixer corporation not wanting their interactions to end. Eden is a delightful character. She is optimism and goodness personified. I love her coffee club and pandaization of the office by way of plants.

I don’t want to give spoilers but Eden and Hastings go from friendship to enemies and back again. There is humor and warmth and some twists I didn’t see coming. Hastings needs to spend time coming to terms with her past actions and Eden is ready support her. Eden has issues too trying to live up to the perfect expectations of her mother River. It takes a while but I love the moment when there is finally time to cuddle.

The secondary characters get moments to shine. Conversations with grandma Hannah, protection from Phelim, a new mate for Kevin, support from Angie and surprises from Ottilie. All of them are important to the story. And I am invested in each of them. This book ties in with another series by Winter. If you’ve read those you get the added bonus of the appearance of two previous main characters.

As I said in my review of The Fixer these are the first books I’ve read by the author and I am blown away with delight. Winter takes a risk in this enemies to lovers romance with an unusual redemption arc for Hastings. And somehow it all works and becomes a traditional f/f romance. It takes a little too long for Hastings to decide she is worthy of love but that is a minor issue. I’m already putting these books on my read again pile because I’m sure I missed subtle things in my haste to ingest the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ylva Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.