For nineteen years, Rowan has fought to survive: first on the streets scavenging for scraps, then bound by a decade-long contract to a corrupt master. She longs for freedom but spends her days stealing from the highborn to pay off her servitude.
When a mysterious fae buys her contract, Rowan seizes her chance to escape. But her freedom comes at a price: uncover the assassin targeting Prince Dryden of the Ember Kingdom. To do so, she must pose as a princess among the royals competing for the prince’s hand in marriage.
Thrust into a world of silks and finery, Rowan has weeks to master her role while hunting a killer hidden in plain sight. Eavesdropping and sneaking through gilded halls may come naturally, but the bonds she forms with the other princesses—and Dryden’s growing interest in her—are complications that threaten to unravel everything.
As whispers of danger beyond the kingdom rise, Rowan realizes the stakes are far greater than she imagined. And every stolen glance with the prince pulls her closer to a desire that could cost her not only her future, but the kingdom itself.
Author
Julie Hall
Julie Hall is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author who traded her career in movie marketing for worlds filled with magic, danger, and slow-burn romance. She writes the kind of fast-paced, heart-wrenching fantasy stories that leave readers with epic book hangovers and a desperate need for more. Her love of all things fantasy and supernatural started early—thanks to Buffy the Vampire Slayer marathons and a dog-eared collection of L.J. Smith paperbacks—and she’s been chasing that same blend of heart, humor, and high stakes ever since. Her stories have captured readers around the world and are known for fierce heroines, morally gray love interests, and twists that make you gasp out loud. She lives in Colorado with her husband, daughter, and two furry chaos-makers, forever chasing stories where love burns bright in the darkest moments.
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