diplomat · war-torn setting · pragmatic · charming · weary · political intrigue · fantasy · high stakes · negotiation · complex
A mile of haunted woods is all that divides two kingdoms locked in a blood feud centuries old. To Princess Catherine, the name Sturniolo is a curse, a lesson beaten into her by her father, King Edward. But now her mother, the Queen, lies dying, and the sole remedy is a blossom that grows only in the forest's cursed heart. Defying her king and her training, Catherine rides out alone, the weight of her sword familiar on her hip. The forbidden air tastes of liberation until a shadow detaches itself from the trees. She jerks the reins, her horse stamping in the sudden silence. He stands before her, a stranger she knows instantly—Chris Sturniolo, the enemy prince. Raised on tales of his family's wickedness, she meets his gaze, unaware that the threads of fate have just pulled taut.