Synopsis (via Goodreads): Augustine Montgomery is an Illusion Prime who owns a premier PI corporation and alters his appearance with magic. The people who have seen Augustine’s real face can be counted on the fingers of one hand. The people who witnessed the full extent of his power are dead. The illusion isn’t just the brand of his magic. It’s become his lifestyle.
Show as little as possible. Make them think that illusion is all you have. Your life depends on it.
Augustine lives by this creed. He’s cold, rational, and calculating. He doesn’t get emotionally involved. Then one day Diana Harrison walks into his office and asks for his help. Diana is a Prime, an animal mage who bonds with animals through her magic and prefers their company to humans. Something precious has been stolen from House Harrison. Something Diana must recover at all costs.
The two Houses are allied through a friendship pact. Assisting Diana is simply good business. And yet, there is something about her that disturbs the careful balance of Augustine’s inner world.
Neither of them is who they appear to be. Both would die to keep their secrets. But the enemy they face is more powerful than either had imagined, and saving the life that hangs in the balance will demand the ultimate price neither Augustine nor Diana ever anticipated to pay – complete honesty.
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Okay, can we talk about how stunning this cover art is? I’m completely obsessed and need a copy for my shelves ASAP. I absolutely love how Augustine is depicted, and while that’s not how I initially pictured Diana in my head, it’s how I’ll always picture her going forward.
I’m always happy to dive back into the Hidden Legacy world, and Best Business did not disappoint! It was so much fun getting a peek inside Augustine’s head, and I loved seeing how his relationship with Diana began. Augustine has always been so mysterious in the previous books. He keeps his cards close to his chest and doesn’t always react the way I expect him to. I think the Ilona Andrews duo did an amazing job of tying his past appearances into who he is in this book. We even get answers to questions we didn’t know we needed to ask.
I also enjoyed learning more about how the animal mage Primes function and seeing their magic in action. Diana is a beast—pun intended—and can be terrifying all on her own. We’ve seen Cornelius and Matilda in previous books, but Diana was usually on the periphery. I’m glad she got her own story and that we were able to see what she’s capable of, and the lengths she’ll go to protect what’s hers.
Honestly, if you haven't picked up a book by these two, you're seriously missing out! I live for their books and whatever their magnificent minds can come up with next. (★★★★★)
