**Synopsis:** *Her ability to detect lies has made her an outstanding officer of the law - despite being haunted by her inability to save the ones she loved from a gruesome fate many years ago. Now, she uses her powerful gift to defend the defenseless at any cost - even if it means teaming up with a deadly assassin to fight evil in a world gone mad.*

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It’s been years since I last read **Purple Hyacinth** but it’s an all-time favorite. This series is a webtoon (though it *should* get a print release already like others have cause it's that good!!). It has the kind of appeal I bet many here will adore so I wanted to recommend it to those who don't know about it yet. Several things often asked for that feel rare to many:

1. Enemies-to-loves with ***true*** ***slowburn***
2. Morally grey male lead but *with* ***depth***
3. **Variety** in the fantasy set-up

This . . . is exactly that. I promise. Written well.

It follows a cop x assassin dynamic. For anyone who ships Zootopia's Nick and Judy, this is very much the human (and a bit darker) take on that same energy. As an assassin, Kieran exists firmly in the morally grey - his choices messy with motivations realistically grounded. And because of who they are, Lauren and Kieran's bond is neither rushed nor easy. They have to work together but there is no trust between them at first. So friendship and anything more is earned with time, respect, understanding and support. As for the fantasy setup, the politics in this fictional kingdom aren't just decorative but thought out; corruption with natural consequences and clues/foreshadowing properly aligning for characters to uncover who's pulling strings. Moreover, rather than being a princess or assassin herself with flashy powers, the protagonist is simply a cop with the quieter ability to detect lies from truth. 

Sidenote: It's beautiful enough getting one proper slowburn couple in a series but we actually get *two* in this one, the other being a softer kind.

PS. If you do check it out on the app/website, have the audio on. There's a lot of fitting SFX and music in the background that elevates the reading\~ And I'll leave a few key visuals in the comments for those who don't want to watch the trailer I've linked above.

Purple Hyacinth - Recommendation with good fantasy and romance