It may only be January, but I can say with certainty that The Fixer and book two in The Villian Series, The Chaos Agent, will both be in my list of favorite books of 2023. Lee Winter shows yet again why she is one of our best writers. I went into this book with a lot of bad feelings toward Michelle Hastings yet knowing that I would be Team Michelle by the end of the book.

Social justice warrior Eden Lawless gets an offer from a mysterious company that will require her to return to her hometown to bring down the mayor, her archnemesis.  Michelle Hastings is the CEO of the organization, who aren’t exactly spreading goodness throughout the land.

If you have read The Red Files and Under Your Skin, you know and loathe Michelle Hastings. I was perfectly content to live in a world where I cursed her very literary existence. That is, until I was only a few chapters in and realized that Lee Winter was writing her in a way that I would not only forgive her wrongdoings, but also want her to have everything she never thought herself worthy of having.

Eden Lawless is goodness personified and like many of Lee’s books, that goodness thaws the iciest of queens. While she radiates warmth, she isn’t a pushover and is true to herself and her beliefs. And unlike most people, she sees more than Michelle wants her to see. She sees the crack in the mask Michelle has worn for years.

If you took all of my sapphic books and told me I could only keep the books of one author, it would easily be Lee Winter. I love how her books are filled with humor, intelligence and characters that evoke so many different emotions.  I knew this would be an outstanding read, but it far exceeded even my high expectations. I want to take a road trip with Eden in her rainbow van, hang out at the B&B with Melba and gossip with Hannah. And I can’t believe this, but I really want to give Michelle Hastings a hug.

An ARC was received from Ylva Publishing for an honest review.