All That Glows

In the world of All That Glows, British royalty dating all the way back to Camelot has been secretly protected by the Frithemaeg, a guard of faeries trained to fight off evil creatures that are after royal blood. The blood of royalty holds power and magic that every Green Woman, Banshee, and Black Dog would happily kill for. The story is set in modern London, a dangerous place for fae, as all modern technology saps them of their powers. Still, they risk it to defend the crown.

Emrys is charged with guarding Richard, the Prince who will soon be king. The danger is high enough, but he makes it worse by being frequently drunk and irresponsible. I found both main characters a bit unlikable and in turn felt disconnected from the love story. However, being unappealing gave them much room to grow, and they definitely redeemed themselves by the end. A mystery keeps the reader guessing the identity of the villainous faery through most of the book, but one bit of foreshadowing gives it away a bit too soon. With that aside, the ending still sparkles with magical excitement as both Richard and Emrys fight for survival and for love.