Stephen Oakwood has emerged victorious against the schemes of his aristocratic family. Now he finally has the opportunity to do what he’s been wanting to do for a long time: track down his father. But doing so won’t be easy. Stephen’s not so isolated any more, but the contacts he’s making in the magical world—everyone from the corporation he works for to the mother he’s just beginning to reconnect with—all have agendas of their own. And now a new group is emerging from the shadows, calling themselves the Winged. Their leader, the mysterious Byron, promises that he can show Stephen how to find his father...but he wants something in return. Following that trail will throw Stephen into greater danger than he’s ever faced before. To survive, he’ll need to use all of his tricks and sigils, and pick up some new ones. Only then will he be able to prevail against his enemies...and find out who’s really pulling the strings. Book two of an ongoing series. Good read that further fleshes out the protagonist & the the world he occupies. Nearly fifty years ago, the small Welsh village of Anfarwol was the scene of a series of brutal murders. Since then, multiple people have met with accidents, or gone missing never to be found, while those responsible have evaded detection for decades. When Remy Roax is kidnapped while investigating the disappearances, Nate Garrett and allies are brought in to solve the mystery, and bring their friend home. Unfortunately for Remy’s abductors, they have no inkling how bad of an idea it was to bring him to a place where he can cause nothing but mayhem. Another good read. Author McHugh continues with novella stories checking in on his characters from his long running Hellequin Universe novels. Magic weapons. Deadly monsters. Epic quests. All just another day in the life of a Vigil. Boyd Knight found his calling when he joined the Marines and qualified for the elite Force Recon. He’d found a tribe and a family, so when a hand grenade landed near his team, he jumped on it without thought or regret. But instead of winding up dead, he wakes up butt naked in a cave full of monsters with a knife in one hand and a pistol in the other. He’s been chosen by Raguel, Five-Faced God of Justice, and entrusted with the power of the Vigil Bound. Every kill makes him stronger, and thanks to the Ascendant System, Boyd can level up, unlock increasingly powerful spells, and even harness the abilities of the monsters he’s been dispatched to hunt. If he can survive the deadly shapeshifter stalking him from the shadows, Boyd’s second life promises to be even more ass-kickingly epic than his first. Literally an RPG action adventure with some comedic elements thrown in. The "Five-Faced God" is clearly engaged in some cosmic level RPG & the story protagonist is their player character for this particular adventure. Will be checking out the other stories in the series down the road.