Book Review: Silver Tongued Devil by Jaye Wells (Sabina Kane #4)

Now that the threat of war has passed, Sabina Kane is ready to focus on the future. Her relationship with Adam Lazarus is getting stronger and she's helping her sister, Maisie, overcome the trauma of her captivity in New Orleans. Even Giguhl is managing to stay out of trouble thanks to the arrival of Pussy Willow and his new roller derby team. But as much as Sabina wants to feel hopeful about the future, part of her doesn't trust that peace is possible.

Her suspicions are confirmed when a string of sadistic murders threaten to stall treaty negotiations between the mages and the vampires. Sabina pitches in to find the killer, but her investigation soon leads her down dark paths that have her questioning everyone she thought she could trust. And the closer she gets to the killer, the more Sabina begins to suspect this is one foe she may not be able to kill.

My Review: 
Sabina, Adam and Giguhl have returned to the Mage compound in New York where the mages try to nurse Maisie back into health after her ordeal but she is scared and struggling to deal with things. As the new Alpha Tanith is taking charge of the vampires and getting ready for the treaty signing with the mages and fae which will usher in a new age of peace between the races. However a series of murders by a vampire could threaten the fragile peace unless Sabina and her allies can find who is doing it and stops them. It means working with the ambitious Alexis who wants power and has a typical hatred of Sabina's half blood status and mastering more of Sabina's hidden powers to try to help Maisie before her health is destroyed. 

There is emotional trauma for several characters in this book. Maisie has suffered months of nightmares since her kidnap and is now refusing to sleep. Sabina is torn between respecting Maisie's confidence or telling the mages about her health issues and betraying her trust. The pressure is on Maisie to produce a good prophecy at the treaty signing but she has been unable to have any, worrying Orpheus. Brooks is also suffering from the trauma of his attack and has decided to become Pussy Willow full time and sing at Slade's club, and the bitchy personna is starting to grate on the nerves of her friends. Even Giguhl is losing patience with his friend. Slade has his own problems with a vampire killing mages and humans in the city, and he is in danger of losing his ruling status over the creatures of New York to Alexis.

Mac and Georgia continue their forbidden relationship but trouble is brewing when Michael gets tired of Mac not choosing a werewolf mate and decides on one for her. Georgia wants Mac to declare their relationship but Mac is scared of Michael's wrath and Georgia's reaction to her wedding, and they ask Sabina to help them. Unknown to them, Michael is about to discover the truth on his own. Slade has been forced to shut down Demon Fight Club but agrees to Giguhl's suggestion of a Roller Derby League for paranormals and Giguhl is determined to get his team into fighting shape for the upcoming bouts. Sabina is sulking about her exclusion from the team, especially when Mac, Georgia and Pussy Willow are invited to join. Sabina is soon going to have problems when it seems like her secret night with Slade is going to be leaked.  

The series really does keep up the standard as it continues. There is plenty of action going on with the investigation into the murders and the various spells that the mages are trying to restore Maisie. Sabina soon finds that a simple transportation spell that all mages can do goes wrong with her mixed blood and keeps sending her elsewhere. Her own dreams and Maisie's nightmares have her starting to wonder of Cain is somehow influencing them both while they sleep and that is the last thing that Sabina needs to be dealing with. Rhea is determined to do everything in her power to save Maisie even if it means that Sabina needs to owe favours to powerful people which will come back to bite her.

I loved the humour as always. Giguhl is fresh from his Demon Fight Club triumph and is manager of his own female paranormal Roller Derby team. He is determined to get them ready and upsets Sabina by excluding her and asking Alexis who says no. Instead he is looking to gather vampires, werewolves and nymphs ready to kick some ass! I loved his fretting over the team and how they were going to perform! I also enjoyed his strained relationship with Pussy Willow who was in full superbitch mode. How I longed to see her revert back to Brooks! I think everyone else wanted that too! 

This was another really solid Sabina Kane outing and I'm sad that it left me with only one book in the series to read. There was so much to like about it with the action and humour, and also the tension as the countdown begins to the signing of the peace treaty that almost everyone wants...with the exception of Cain...

Read July 2019
4 stars.