Member Review

Believe me when I say I was super excited to get the chance to read this ARC, and it did not disappoint! This is a fantastic third installment in Megan Bannen's Tanrian Marshall series, and it follows Rosie Fox (a Tanrian marshal and an unhappily immortal demigod) and Dr. Adam Lee (the uptight and enigmatic architect of the portals to Tanria). Adam is called in to repair the portals when they start malfunctioning, and Rosie and her partner (the irrepressible and lovable Duckers!) are tasked with accompanying Adam in Tanria as he troubleshoots the portals during a mass evacuation. However, the repairs turn into a larger and more dangerous mystery when they get stuck on the Tanrian side of the portal with seemingly no escape.

This story was a wonderful mix of humor and poignant sweetness and angst, which by now I know to expect from a Megan Bannen novel. It's very imaginative with a nice mix of whimsy and tension/danger which, again, is typical of this series. I really enjoy this author's romances (romantasy?), she's got a knack for subtlety and for writing yearning and slow burn. And as someone who doesn't often read fantasy, I find the world building elements easy to follow since they enhance the plot rather than distract from it. This is a great story for fans of opposites attract and forced proximity romance, with elements of found family and even a second chance romance aspect. Even though this book takes place 10 years after Twyla and Frank's story, it's not a standalone. Each book in the series relies heavily on prior knowledge from previous books and there are recurring characters so read these books in order for peak enjoyment. (But honestly, you should read them all because they're just so fun, and the characters worm their way into your heart so seeing them pop up in successive books is like an extended epilogue for each of their stories.) I keep falling more in love with this series with each new installment, but I think this is the last in the series. Which makes me sad to see the last of these characters and setting, but I'll read anything this author writes so I'm looking forward to whatever comes next! 4.5 stars rounded up to 5. Publishes July 8, 2025. My thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing the eARC upon which this review is based, all opinions are my own.