Fortress of Ambrose (House of Marionne Book 3)

The Fortress of Ambrose is the conclusion of the House of Marionne trilogy. Quell and Jordan’s actions at the end of Book 2 have ignited the magic world and created space for change. The secret of Nore’s identity as Yagrin’s lover, Red, keeps tension for a large part of the book, which stalls their relationship. Jordan becoming the reservoir of all magic makes it unsafe to have physical contact. Between these two plot constraints, the couples are kept yearning, and it stays a clean romance despite the intense feelings in these relationships.
I like that in this book, when the danger is mounting and the evil nature of the current regime is being faced, the characters work to solve the problem instead of going to balls and worrying about their hair. That discrepancy in the second book was off-putting, so I am glad the focus was on the character development and the relationships. In fact, when Quell tries to go back to the grand act of a ball, it falls apart, and the characters even react in disgust about returning to the old ways.
There are a couple of discrepancies in the minor characters to build the danger and resolve the tale with a happy ending. The fate of Quell’s mother, her unknown father’s identity, and Ellery’s change from the start of book 2 work, but it could also be argued that they aren’t smooth buildups to these plot twists. Overall, I liked the focus on the magic and the relationships and the work done to make a less toxic place for magic moving forward.