Part of The Bookbinder's Bargain
First published 2026
Saige Grayson binds books in the capital while her body fights chronic pain and crushing debt. She believes stories can heal, even when her own flesh betrays her. The man she owes money decides her rare skills matter more than her payments. He trades her to the Azkari, immortal beings the gods created for battle. They lock her in their ancient fortress. Archer, a disgraced Azkari general, shares her prison. He carries a curse and radiates danger. Archer proposes an escape plan. Saige must help him find and repair an ancient book in exchange for freedom. The tome pulses with living magic strong enough to stop great evil or set it loose. As Saige works on the book, it stirs something dark in the world and inside her. Enemies hunt them while buried memories climb to the surface. Saige and Archer face a choice between their freedom, the fragile trust growing between them, and the spark that could burn everything down.
Genres: romance, adventure, fantasy, adult-fiction, dark-fantasy
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, emotionally-intense, intimate, magical, suspenseful
Tropes: curse-breaking, enemies-to-lovers, forced-proximity, found-family, slow-burn
Setting: capital, ancient fortress
464 pages · Hardcover · Atria Books
Content warnings: death, violence