First published 2021
Cas once served as an engineer's apprentice on a royal mission. Enemy soldiers ambushed him. Plague swept the kingdom, killing thousands. Cas survived three years in a prison cell battling the sickness that claimed so many others. Now he wants nothing more than to retreat to his mountain castle and leave the past behind. He discovers the royal court has taken refuge in his home. They brought danger with them. An assassin begins targeting people close to the queen. Cas finds himself pulled into the hunt for this killer. He partners with Lena, a sharp young historian who sees patterns others miss. Together they uncover something troubling. The identity of the assassin matters less than the motive driving these attacks. A buried secret from the past threatens to destroy the fragile peace the kingdom has built. Cas and Lena must trace this secret to its source before it tears the realm apart again.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, mystery, fantasy
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Mountain Castle, Royal Court
Period: Past
324 pages · Hardcover · Hodder & Stoughton
Content warnings: death