Picking up with Amalia Langford, daughter of the couple from The Smoke Thief, this entry in the Drakon series recaptures the magic, tradition, and sexual tension of that first book and channels it into a new relationship. Rue Langford's ruffian protegé Zane is all grown up, working in service of her dragon tribe when he's not scheming and thieving. Rue's teenage daughter Amalia believes herself devoid of the usual dragon gifts; instead, she seems to possess the ability to dream the future, a bleak future in which she helplessly gives her lover the keys to take down every member of her family. Her lover...who happens to be Zane. The two meet in Bohemia, both on a mission to find a legendary diamond with the power to make dragons submit, but with very different ends in mind.

Abé deftly builds sexual tension even as some of the more practical components of the story raise questions. In particular, the clairvoyance element of the story is poorly explained, and some vacillating on Zane's part makes his character feel inconsistent. It's a fun, sexy romp nonetheless.