by Thea Guanzon
First published 2025
Guinevere has spent her life preparing to marry into nobility and elevate her merchant family's status in the Dwendalian Empire. She dreams of adventure and freedom instead of becoming an obedient wife. When bandits attack her caravan on the Amber Road, they kill her guards and leave her stranded. Her survival depends on Oskar, the half-orc who rescued her from the assault. Oskar travels to find family he has never met after losing his mother and abandoning his apprenticeship. He considers Guinevere a burden who will slow his journey. Yet attraction sparks between the sheltered merchant's daughter and the guarded half-orc. Guinevere discovers Oskar's bravery and thoughtfulness beneath his cold demeanor. Oskar finds that Guinevere awakens a tenderness he has never allowed himself to feel. Their passion intensifies as they travel together. Both must decide whether to follow their predetermined paths or choose the love growing between them.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, adventure, fantasy-romance
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Amber Road, Dwendalian Empire
288 pages · Hardcover · Random House Worlds