Books Publishing This Week (and Next!)
It’s early May, and the morning arrives soft and bright. You wake to the gentle warmth of sunlight spilling through your curtains, casting golden patterns on the floor. There’s a lightness to the air, a freshness that speaks of new beginnings. The trees outside your window are fully dressed in spring green now—lush and full, like they’ve finally remembered who they are after the long sleep of winter. The lilacs are blooming, their sweet scent drifting in on the breeze.
You move slowly, deliberately, savoring the unhurried rhythm of the morning. There’s nowhere to be, no tasks that can’t wait. You brew a cup of tea—something floral, just right for this time of year—and wrap both hands around the warm mug as you make your way to the coziest corner of the couch, your favorite blanket folded neatly over the arm. You don’t need it for warmth this morning, not really, but the softness is a comfort you welcome.
The book has been waiting for you. It’s been sitting on your table, calling to you in that quiet way books do—without pressure, just presence. A fresh story, a new world, a chance to step out of your own thoughts and into someone else’s. You don’t rush it. You admire the cover again, read the first line on the jacket, let yourself linger in the anticipation of what’s to come. Starting a new book always feels like opening a door.
You settle in, legs curled beneath you, and crack the spine. There’s something so satisfying about that first page, the way it holds the promise of everything that follows. The story begins slowly, setting the scene, introducing characters you’ll soon come to know like friends—or adversaries. You find your rhythm easily, letting the words wash over you, the quiet of the house blending seamlessly with the unfolding story.
Outside, a lawnmower hums faintly down the block. Birds call to each other from the trees. The world is awake, and yet you feel wrapped in a bubble, suspended between reality and imagination. It’s a delicious place to be.
Now and then you pause, sipping your tea, glancing out the window. The light has changed slightly since you started—the sun a little higher, the shadows a little shorter. A gentle breeze lifts the curtains and ruffles the pages of your book. You smile, adjust the blanket over your lap, and turn the page.
This is exactly how you hoped the morning would go—not with productivity or plans, but with presence. With the quiet thrill of a story unfolding at just the right pace. With the stillness of a house just beginning to stir. With the joy of finding the right book at the right moment, as if it had been waiting for you, too.
The world outside is in bloom, and in a way, so are you. Sitting here, book in hand, surrounded by the sights and sounds of early May, you feel something shift. Not dramatically, not all at once. But gently, like the petals of a flower opening to the sun. This is how a new season begins—not with a grand announcement, but with a morning like this. With the turning of a page.
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Books Publishing This Week: May 4 - 17
The Italian Soul: How to Savor the Full Joys of Life by Judith Valente
The Italian Soul is a pilgrimage of the heart, a journey toward change that will allow its readers to approach life with a more contemplative stance and recreate a sense of la dolce vita—the sweet life—wherever they might be.
The Italian Soul offers practical guidance into how we can transport a taste of the Italian “good life” into our own homes. Additionally, it explores the contemplative practices and attitudes that seem to come naturally to a people who have made an art of living and working joyfully. A cross between a travel dispatch and a spirituality guide for seekers who eschew traditional religious practices but are yearning for ways to bring more balance, sanity, and a greater sense of the transcendent into their daily lives.
Written by veteran journalist Judith Valente, who has lived and traveled extensively in Italy, The Italian Soul shares personal stories and insights into the Italian way of life, focusing on the attitudes, traditions, and practices that make the people of Italy role models for experiencing delight amid the demands and distractions of ordinary living. Readers will feel as though they are walking along, peering into windows, glimpsing activities as they unfold.
The Italian Soul is a book for lovers of Italy, those considering visiting Italy for the first time, and anyone who is interested in learning more about the art of living joyfully.
The Italian Soul will share how Italians:
-Have a deep appreciation for quality and aesthetics
-Value slowness and savor the little moments in life
-Show a strong sense of community and make room for leisure and personal care
-Honor their dead and have a deep respect for tradition
-Find beauty in the everyday and are able to laugh at themselves
The Italian Soul is a book that will change the way you look at life. It is a book that will inspire you to live more joyfully and to savor the simple things.
Butterfly Pinned by Leslie Liautaud
Marin thought college would be her fresh start—an escape from a troubled past and a chance to redefine herself. But when she meets Bette, a dazzling and enigmatic student with an intoxicating lifestyle, Marin is drawn into a seductive world of glamour, secrets, and danger.
What starts as an exciting friendship soon turns into something darker, as Marin finds herself trapped in Bette’s web of manipulation and control. When shocking secrets come to light, Marin must confront the unsettling truth about Bette and the powerful forces working to keep those secrets buried.
Caught between exposing the truth and protecting herself, Marin faces an impossible choice—will she fight for justice, or will she take the easy way out and leave her past behind?
Butterfly Pinned is a gripping psychological thriller about friendship, deception, and the cost of transformation. Perfect for fans of Less Than Zero and Cruel Intentions, this novel explores the dark side of reinvention and the resilience it takes to break free.
Roll the Sun Across the Sky by Barbara Linn Probst
Guest Post by Barbara Linn Probst
For fans of dual-timeline, mother-daughter novels like The Paper Palace and Tom Lake, a compelling contemporary novel about a woman’s struggle to face her reckless history, with its trail of damage and deception, and her quest for the redemption that might still be possible.
From the ruins of Egypt to the privileged life of Manhattan’s Upper West Side, the story of a woman’s odyssey through the maze of love, loyalty, recklessness, and remorse, as the consequences of her acts ripple through the generations.
Approaching a milestone birthday, Arden Rice has seen it all: three marriages, hardship and wealth, choices she both regrets and defends, all fueled by the same fierce desire—to give her daughter the best possible life. At least, that’s what Arden tells herself.
But nothing is simple. Arden is haunted by her impetuous history, with its trail of damage and deception. Yet she’s finally made a life where she can be her best self—until the unthinkable happens, and a train engineer’s lapse in attention throws that life into chaos.
Secrets begin to unravel, and Arden finds herself questioning everything she thought she knew—along with her own role in shaping the disturbing person her daughter has become. As the stakes increase, especially for the vulnerable granddaughter who’s now in her care, Arden must face questions she’s spent a lifetime avoiding: Which acts define a person? Can someone be better than her worst acts?
For fans of dual-timeline and mother-daughter novels, a compelling story about a woman’s struggle to face her reckless history, with its trail of damage and deception, and her quest for the redemption that might still be possible.
Dying to Meet You by Sarina Bowen
Dying to Meet You is a page-turning tale that, which like her last novel The Five Year Lie, explores the secrets men keep from the women in their lives and the ways in which our reliance on technology can unwittingly expose our deepest secrets.
Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz
Murder links past and present once again in this mind-boggling metafictional mystery from Anthony Horowitz featuring detective Atticus Pünd and editor Susan Ryeland, stars of the New York Times bestsellers Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders.
Kat's Greek Summer by Mima Tipper
Almost-freshman Kat Baker has big plans to train all summer long so she can become the running goddess of her high school. But when she learns her summer will instead be spent exploring her roots in a rustic Greek village, Kat’s sure her popularity plan is toast. In Greece, punishing heat and cultural clashes force Kat to launch a risky and covert training strategy to keep her running-star dreams alive. During her late-night runs, Kat is swept into encounters with Theofilus Zafirakis, a dreamy but off-limits Greek boy. Soon, Kat’s secret odyssey spirals out of control, putting one of her cousins in danger. In the end, it takes the unexpected meddling of an entire Greek village for her to discover that the key to belonging anywhere is belonging first to herself.
Dream On, Ramona Riley by Ashley Herring Blake
Once upon a time, Ramona Riley was a student at a prestigious art school, with dreams of landing in Hollywood as a costume designer to the stars. But after her father’s car accident, she had to quit everything and return to her small New Hampshire town, Clover Lake, to help take care of her younger sister. Twelve years later, Ramona is still working at the town’s café, all but given up on her dream. But when a big-budget romantic comedy comes to Clover Lake to film, she wonders if this could be her chance. There’s only one problem—Dylan Monroe, her first kiss and Hollywood’s favorite wild child—is the star.
Dylan Monroe has always lived an unconventional life, having famous rock icons for parents. But she wants to prove that she’s not some chaotic, talentless nepo baby, that she has actual skills, that she’s just a normal person. To do that, Dylan takes on a project at a charming lake town—she even works at the town’s café (very quaint), shadowing a local waitress there (very cute), and asks her to take Dylan around to do Normal People Things.
But Dylan soon realizes it’s not just some small-town waitress she’s getting to know—Ramona Riley is someone she’s met before, someone who remembers her even more vividly. Before long, however, reality hits them, and both women have to decide if the spark between them can fan the flames of their individual dreams, or if it will extinguish their light.
Secrets of the Career Game: 36 Simple Strategies to Win in the Workplace by Kendall Berg
So many people are trying to navigate a corporate world that is laden with secrets; cleverly hidden and unspoken rules to a game that most employees don’t know they are playing. In order to find the success that most people want in their careers, it requires navigating this unspoken set of guidelines effectively.
Secrets of the Career Game is geared towards arming individuals with the knowledge they need to understand how to evaluate their own competencies, build their toolset to open doors for progression, and establish a network that will accelerate their growth.
The Charmer by Ava Rani
Sometimes love outsmarts the best laid plans.
Penelope Chen-Astor ran away from the stifling expectations of her wealthy family in Singapore for an independent life as a high-powered Manhattan lawyer. But familial duty comes crashing back when her grandfather’s will demands she be married for a year to claim her inheritance. She’d walk away from it all, but her mother’s assets are at stake too, and this is the only way Penelope can see to protect her.
Enter Xander Sutton, the billionaire co-founder of investment group Dawn Capital. With his effortless charm and easy smiles, he’s used to winning hearts, but Penelope’s always proven immune to him. When she’s backed into a corner and asks Xander to masquerade as her husband for a year, he sees a golden opportunity to finally win over the only person who’s kept him at arm’s length—but the closer they get, the harder it becomes to play pretend.
What begins as a strictly business arrangement quickly spirals into steamy encounters and genuine emotions. When meddling relatives, corporate espionage, and high-stakes legal battles come into play, Xander and Penelope will have to decide if the inheritance is all they stand to lose when the year is done...
From the bustling streets of Manhattan to the serene beaches of the Hamptons and the skyscrapers of Singapore, The Charmer is the third and final novel in the Biotech Billionaires universe.
The Summers Between Us by Noreen Nanja
A decade apart, a painful secret—can two childhood sweethearts find their way back to a love that defies cultures and time?
Lia Juma thought she’d buried the dreams of her heart long ago. But when she’s forced to return to her family’s summer cottage on Pike Bay, the life she’s carefully crafted begins to unravel. The perfect immigrant daughter, Lia has carved out a successful career as a corporate lawyer and has just started dating a man who fulfills all her mother's criteria for the ideal son-in-law. But underneath her polished life lies a secret she’s never spoken of—one she fears could have destroyed her family a decade ago.
Back at the bay, Lia stumbles upon memories she thought were long forgotten and, at the center of it all, is Wesley Forest—the boy she left behind, the boy who knew her dreams better than anyone. Their friendship and young love once burned bright, woven through long sun-drenched days and whispered promises of a future together. But when family pressures and heartbreak pulled the two lovers apart, they were forced to follow separate paths.
Now, Wes is back in her life, and with him, old wounds and feelings surface. As the two confront the choices and secrets that divided them as teenagers, Lia must decide if she can heal from the past and finally embrace the life and love she’s always craved. Could a second chance with Wes be worth risking everything for?
Told over the course of five years in the past and one summer in the present, Lia will discover that sometimes, the only way forward is through the heart’s deepest scars.
The Romance Rivalry by Susan Lee
She’s read every romance…except her own…
Irene Park loves romance novels—so much so she’s made a career of them as an online book reviewer with a massive following. But Irene’s real life dating story? Non-existent. So when she starts her freshman year of college, she sets her sights on finding true love using the one thing she really understands…romance book tropes.
If only it were that easy.
Enter Aiden Jeon, Irene’s online book review rival and biggest nemesis. When Aiden challenges her to see who can find love-by-trope first, he becomes the one person standing in her way to getting everything she wants both professionally and personally, too. So when the competition takes an unexpected turn, forcing the two of them to have to partner in the ultimate trope, fake dating, Irene is not prepared for everything she believed about romance, and Aiden, to flip on its head.
As Irene tackles the challenges of college life, struggles to figure out what she really wants for herself, all while trying to win the race for love, Irene realizes the answers may not be found in a romance novel. Happily Ever Afters seem so easy on page. But for Irene to find her ultimate HEA, she’ll have to get her nose out of the book and become the main character of her own story.
Eliza, From Scratch by Sophia Lee
Perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Rachel Lynn Solomon, this charming, poignant rom-com follows an academics-obsessed teen who learns big truths about love, family, and herself when a scheduling snafu lands her in a culinary arts class.
Eliza Park’s senior year will be perfect: She’s going to be salutatorian, give a tear-jerking graduation speech in front of her parents, and enjoy her last year with her equally ambitious best friends. But when a scheduling mishap enrolls her in Culinary Arts, Eliza is suddenly the most clueless person in the class. Her typical title of star student belongs to the aggravatingly arrogant Wesley Ruengsomboon, a charming Thai American boy whose talent in the kitchen leaves Eliza both awed and annoyed.
With her rank on the line, Eliza’s only hope is to snatch the midterm cooking contest win from Wesley, however improbable that may be. Add in the flavor of her grandmother’s Korean recipes, the heat of being class partners with Wesley, and the sweetness of unexpected feelings—and Eliza must now rebuild everything she knew about success, love, and what it means to be herself, from scratch.
Call of the Owl Woman by K.M. Huber
In a tale inspired by Peru’s Andean cosmovision and earth-centered spirituality, Call of the Owl Woman is a gripping coming-of-age story for people who like to immerse themselves in other times, places, and cultures, people who love adventure, and those who are drawn to the mystical and magical.
In sixth-century Peru, the Nasca people have flourished for centuries, their faith and ingenuity keeping the desert valleys green in a land where water is scarce. But a prolonged drought now fuels dangerous unrest. Cunning sorcerers and brutal priests vie for control, and Water Guardians like Patya’s father, who refuse to favor the powerful, are under attack.
Devastated by her grandmother’s sudden death, fifteen-year-old Patya retreats into dance and music. She does not want to become a healer like the long lineage of women in her family before her. Even her grandmother had hinted she was born for something else. But, in the wake of a deadly earthquake, Patya must not only help the healers, she must do things she never thought possible. As she begins to conquer her self-doubts and trust her own sense of justice, she will also have to outwit men of power to keep her little brother from being sacrificed by religious extremists at the coming solstice.
As Patya begins to realize and grow into her own power, she also discovers her grandmother’s secret legacy and prepares to step into an unexpected destiny.
One in Four by Lucinda Berry
When a reality show about former child stars overcoming addiction culminates in murder, their therapist must take a closer look into their lives―and her own, from USA Today bestselling author Lucinda Berry.
Dr. Laurel Harlow can’t believe she’s agreed to do a reality TV show. But her years as a chemical dependency counselor and personal history with the show’s director make her the obvious choice. Treating a mansion full of former child stars on the road to recovery is the tallest order of her career―especially when one of them turns up dead while the cameras are still rolling.
In a house full of narcissists vying for the spotlight, everyone’s hiding something…including Laurel. An investigation could expose a past she’d rather keep buried. But among the attention-starved patients, only one of them is a predator. And Laurel is skilled at spotting a predator when she sees one.
As she hunts a killer in her present, the unsettling truths of Laurel’s past are forced into the light. But this time, she’ll face her demons head on. She’ll stop at nothing to expose a murderer, even if it means risking everything she holds dear.
Fog and Fury by Rachel Howzell Hall
Author Interview with Rachel Howzell Hall
She’s a new PI in a beautiful seaside town. It’s dirtier than it looks―and more dangerous too―in a twisting novel of suspense by the Anthony Award–nominated author of These Toxic Things.
After ten years on the force, LAPD cop Sonny Rush relocates with her elderly mother to peaceful Haven, California, to join her godfather’s burgeoning PI business. What crimes could possibly happen in a town nicknamed “Mayberry by the Sea”? Sonny’s first case: find Figgy, a missing goldendoodle last seen sporting a Versace collar. At least scouting out a dognapper gives Sonny a chance to get to know her new neighbors.
Forty-eight hours in town and Figgy’s disappearance entangles Sonny in an unwelcome reunion with her ex, one of Haven’s wealthiest citizens. And when the body of a teenage boy is found along a popular hiking trail, Sonny is drawn into a web of strange beyond anything she ever saw in LA.
Then comes a local’s warning: question everything. Haven hides secrets that could destroy its idyllic facade. Or destroy Sonny first.
A Charming Touch of Tarot by Melissa Holtz
Alyssa, Nina, Lanie, and Corinne's friendship is being put to the test. With Nina's marriage falling apart, Lanie acting distant, Alyssa's new romance, and no one quite trusting Corinne, this may be more than their bond can take. But when Nina appears at Alyssa's door, and confesses not just a decades-old secret, but a newfound magical power, the friends know that the only way to face this is together.
Someone has been blackmailing Nina for years, but lately the threats to reveal her secret have changed to threats on her life, and on the lives of those she loves. With Alyssa contacting ghosts for insight and Nina getting used to her telepathy skills, they dash from city to city to track down the threat. There's someone out there that will go to any lengths to keep their control over Nina, and it will take all four friends to get out of this without ruining, or losing, their lives. But with the strength of their friendship—and a little help from the beyond—these women are out to prove they're not to be messed with.
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by Jessica Guerrieri
Leah O'Connor is torn between the life she's currently living and the allure of a phantom life that can no longer be hers.
Swept off her feet by the gentle charm of Lucas O'Connor, Leah's unexpected pregnancy changes the course of her carefree and nomadic existence. Over a decade and three children later, Leah is unraveling. She resents the world in which her artistic aspirations have been sidelined by the overwhelming demands of motherhood, and the ever-present rift between herself and her mother-in-law, Christine, is best dulled by increasingly fuller glasses of wine.
Christine represents a model of selfless motherhood that Leah can neither achieve nor accept. To heighten the strain, Lucas's business venture, a trendy restaurant that honors his mother, has taken all his attention, which places the domestic demands squarely on Leah's shoulders. Seeking an ally in her sweet sister-in-law Amy, Leah shares a secret that, if made known to the wider family, could disrupt the curated ecosystems that keep the O'Connors connected.
As Leah dances with the devil while descending further into darkness, her behavior becomes more erratic and further alienates her from both Lucas and the wider family. Leah's drinking threatens the welfare of her family, prompting Amy to turn to Christine for support. A duel for loyalty ensues. When the inevitable waves come crashing down, it's the O'Connor women who give Leah a lifeline: the truth of what they've all endured. But Leah alone must uncover the villain of her own story, learn how to ask for help, and decide if the family she has rejected will be her salvation or ultimate undoing.
This masterful blend of book club and literary women's fiction offers a frank rebuttal to Wine Mom culture and is perfect for fans of Celeste Ng and Liane Moriarty.
The Magician's Daughter by Katy Grabel
The Magician’s Daughter – a Memoir is a coming-of-age story set within the motion and light of a traveling magic show. Fourteen-year-old Katy has a craving for grandeur and an imaginary world in her bedroom. She is the daughter of Lee Grabel—a former professional magician stuck behind a desk in the suburbs—who yearns to rekindle the lost fame of his former magic show. When he decides to hit the road again in a grand bid to be a Las Vegas headliner, Katy is delighted to enter the leagues of show biz as his stage assistant. With a floating piano, vanishing horse, and other wonderments, the Grabel family and their crew go on tour across the Western states. Trouble ensues with wayward roadies, stage mishaps, and the increasing unhappiness of her mother, The Beautiful Helene, who is disenchanted with the magic show even as she runs it with military precision from her stage-right table. In cities far and wide, tensions mount and betrayal is in the air. Through error and misstep, Katy must find herself outside the show’s intoxicating spotlight. Meanwhile, the Grabels and their crew are getting closer to their booking at the Las Vegas Convention Center, where the fate of the show will be determined. Never before has a daughter of a great magician written with such candor and beauty about this backstage world, where all outlandish dreams are possible, and the magic continues after the show leaves town.
The Secrets of Maiden's Cove by Erin Palmisano
Once upon a time, a girl called out to the sea, and the sea answered back... Welcome to a magical seaside village in Chesapeake Bay, where the ocean glitters and glows as it calls friends and family home.
Grace Cleary is finally home. When Grace inherits her late father's restaurant in her enchanting childhood hometown of Maiden's Cove - a magical Cove where rumours of mermaids abound - it seems like the perfect escape for her and her daughter from her controlling husband.
Isla was said to be a mermaid. But to Grace, Isla was her best friend, until one summer by the sea fifteen years ago tore them apart. When Grace finally calls out to the sea once more, Isla is drawn back to Maiden's Cove, where forgiveness and peace might just be found.
The Secrets of Maiden's Coveasks us what it means to have a home, as midnight swims, reunited friends, and a reawakened love await Grace as she fights to revive her family restaurant and forge a new life for herself and her daughter.
52 Ways to Reconcile by David A. Robertson
From bestselling author of the Misewa Saga series David A. Robertson, this is the essential guide to understand how small and attainable acts towards reconciliation can make an enormous difference in our collective efforts to build a reconciled country.
52 Ways to Reconcile is an accessible, friendly guide for non-Indigenous people eager to learn, or Indigenous people eager to do more in our collective effort towards reconciliation, as people, and as a country. As much as non-Indigenous people want to walk the path of reconciliation, they often aren’t quite sure what to do, and they’re afraid of making mistakes. This book is the answer and the long overdue guide.
The idea of this book is simple: 52 small acts of reconciliation to consider, one per week, for an entire year. They’re all doable, and they’re all meaningful. All 52 steps take readers in the right direction, towards a healthier relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people and a time when we are past trauma. By following these steps, we can live in stronger and healthier communities equally, and respectfully, together.
A Showgirl's Rules for Falling in Love by Alice Murphy
Moulin Rouge meets The Greatest Showman in this romance between a vaudeville star and a showbiz tycoon who find love at the turn of the twentieth century—framed by mischievous commentary of a contemporary young historian.
It’s 1897, and a new fashion for thin threatens to end the career of proudly fat vaudeville performer Evelyn Cross. Enter Thomas Gallier, the man behind the new palace of entertainment promising to be the apex of New York City’s theatrical scene. He’s in search of a star for his vaudeville spectacular, and when he hears Evelyn sing, he knows exactly who he needs to grace his stage.
In a grand finale, present-day narrator Phoebe steps in to reveal secrets and show readers what it really means to claim self-love. Inspired by the true story of a Progressive Era troop of plus-size dancers, this is a story about the spirit of community and the power of romance.
After Paris by Mary Ellen Taylor
A haunting tale of hope that spans generations, intertwining the lives of three women who fight for survival in 1940s France and present-day Virginia.
Where the Rivers Merge by Mary Alice Monroe
Author Interview with Mary Alice Monroe
"This is book club fiction at its finest!" —Lisa Wingate, #1 New York Times bestselling author
From New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe comes her highly anticipated Where the Rivers Merge, the first of two epic and triumphant novels celebrating one intrepid woman's life across multiple generations in the American South.
1908: The Lowcountry of South Carolina is at the cusp of change. Mayfield, the grand estate held for generations by the Rivers family, is the treasured home of young Eliza. A free spirit, she refuses to be confined by societal norms and spends her days exploring the vast property, observing wildlife, and riding horses. But the Great War, coastal storms, and family turmoil bring unexpected challenges to Eliza, putting her on a collision course with the patriarchal traditions of a bygone era.
1988: At 88, Eliza is the scion of the Rivers/DeLancey family. She’s fought a lifetime to save her beloved Mayfield and is too independent and committed to quietly retire and leave the fate of the estate to her greedy son. She must make decisions that will assure the future of the land and her family—or watch them both be split apart.
Set against the evocative landscape of the twentieth-century Lowcountry, Where the Rivers Merge is a dramatic and sweeping multigenerational family story of unyielding love, lessons learned, profound sacrifices, and the indomitable spirit of a woman determined to persevere in the face of change in order to protect her family legacy and the land she loves.
A Curse Carved In Bone by Danielle L. Jensen
A shield maiden fights to break the shackles of prophecy—and to overcome the betrayal of the man who broke her heart—in this searing conclusion to the Norse-inspired fantasy romance duology that began with the bestselling A Fate Inked in Blood.
The stunning first edition hardcover will feature foil page edges, a custom-stamped case, and a premium dust jacket!
The secret of her divine heritage revealed, Freya finds herself on a path that will see thousands of lives lost to the magic in her blood. Desperate to avoid this dark fate, she risks an alliance with Skaland’s greatest enemy to seek answers from the seer who foretold her future—the same seer who sent Bjorn to kill her.
While Freya still seethes with rage over Bjorn’s betrayal, the blood oaths that bind her demand that she keep him close as she hunts for a way to avert the looming war. Her magic draws her to the front lines of an old enmity, embroiling her with Nordeland’s Unfated—children of the gods who serve the king she was raised to fear. The same king who, unlike Bjorn, is now willing to fight at her back. For despite the desire that burns hot between Bjorn and Freya, his growing distrust of her chosen path threatens to drag them further apart.
As war approaches, gods and mortals must choose their weapons. Yet the fiercest battle will be the one Freya wages within herself. With the magic of two goddesses burning in her veins, she must weave the threads of destiny to decide her own fate: Will she be the shield that protects her people or the curse that destroys them?
