by Anne Bishop
First published 2009
Lady Cassidy knows she is not the Queen anyone would choose. She lacks beauty and doubts her own strength. But when she is selected to rule the devastated territory of Dena Nehele, she faces an impossible task. The land was cleansed of corrupt Queens, leaving behind only one hundred Warlord Princes with no leader and no hope. Theran Grayhaven, the last of his bloodline, searches desperately for a Queen who understands Protocol and lives by the Old Ways. His cousin Gray carries wounds in both mind and body from the brutal Queens who once controlled their homeland. Now these bitter, damaged men must decide whether to serve again. Cassidy sees something in Gray that others miss, and he begins to believe she might heal what was broken in him. She must prove to Gray and to herself that old wounds can mend and forgotten promises can still come true.
Genres: fiction, romance, fantasy, fantasy-romance
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: chosen-one, enemies-to-lovers, redemption
Setting: Dena Nehele
429 pages · Hardcover · Roc
Content warnings: abuse, mental-illness