**I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review **

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶🌶/4

If you love all things Scotland and magic, this is the book for you. A continuation / spin-off of the Office of Highland Magic series, this could be read as a standalone but you'd miss some of the character references, so I recommend reading it after the other 3 books for the full effect.

Ayda is a dynamic and brilliant witch with a cool mix of Indian and Scottish heritage to draw different kinds of magic theory from. While we thought the curse on the magic of Scotland had been broken, it turns out a different curse now plagues the Shetland Islands and the elves that live there. Ayda becomes our begrudging hero as she helps the devilishly handsome elf prince Huisdean save his people.

I love the dynamic between these two because it's based not only in respect, but in a love of knowledge and learning about magic. they're the kind of folks who are happy to spend companionable silence together all afternoon in a library, and then go off and complete some truly remarkable spellwork. Or get in a sword fight. Could go either way really. The mix of Scottish and elvish lore, along with smart and strong protagonists and their spicy connection was a perfect combination. Check out this whole series! ( )