Mage Heart

Book 1 of the Dion Chronicles Provincial and naive-and the most powerful mage in the realm-young Dion is an innocent adrift in a world of intrigues and treacheries, with foul, hungry demons lurking just beyond its borders. And now she has been called upon to serve her Duke's favorite mistress: the extraordinary Kitten Avignon, Our Lady of Roses. For the mesmerizing courtesan is a woman in dire jeopardy, stalked by a fearsome necromancer who will not sleep until his beautiful prey suffers horribly and is destroyed. And with Evil's night approaching, shielding the Lady and herself from harm will require every ounce of a power Dion is only beginning to recognize and fear-a great gift suddenly imperiled by blossoming womanhood . . . and dangerous desire. "One of the genres bright new stars . . . Routley produces a fantasy that can be read for more than myth or pyrotechnics . . . While many fantasists simply add magic to political intrigue, Routley's are noteworthy for the natural and inevitable intertwining of the two. Well drawn backgrounds and characters add to the appeal." -Publishers Weekly "A highly original romatic fantasy" -Cherry Wilder, author of Signs of Life "A superb entry into the realm of magic and demons . . . a wonderful addition to the fantasy genre" -Affaire de Coeur "Blend of tragic, comic, nitty-gritty [and} glamorous" -Locus