Lady Lilith Randor's recently deceased father was the head of the Lazarus Coven, a group of witches skilled in necromancy and bound to protect the Great Secret and the Elixir of Life, tools that can raise the dead. Young and untried, Lilith must succeed her father as Head Witch as the world tenses in anticipation of the first World War and the coven falls under attack by the Sentinels, an organization of fell sorcerers who will stop at nothing to obtain the means to raise an army of dead men.
Even as she takes on the mantle of leadership, Lilith finds the Sentinels have infiltrated her coven. Her personal life is no safe haven, either, as she finds herself collecting her brother, Freddie, from an opium den and seeking excuses to delay her wedding to the handsome fiancé who shares her magic and secrets, but whom she does not love.
Artist Bram Cardale is pulled into Lilith's orbit by chance when she accompanies a friend to a portrait sitting. Bram isn't a witch and is far below her social station, but Lilith can't seem to stay away.
In Brackston's romantic, deadly world, duty must outweigh personal desires. She does a fine job of evoking the Edwardian period, from glamorous gowns to the clash between old values and the increasingly modern morals of the young aristocracy. A story of sacrifice, loss and power, this dark tapestry is sure to delight fans of both paranormal and historical fiction. --Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger at Infinite Reads