Beloved bastard of an unloved king, Fiona will do almost anything to please her father, even studying magic though she never shows more than a spark of talent. But the plague that grips their city sends her to work with the dying, as enmity builds between the two peoples her father has brought together. When arson burns a hospital, everyone blames the growing racial tension, until an unexpected suspect comes from the woods on a spirit-quest destined to uncover the secrets of Fiona’s past. Then Reynaud, long Fiona’s suitor, suddenly asks to marry her sister. Struggling to find a cure for the plague, Fiona becomes ever more convinced that its emergence is no coincidence—and that Reynaud may be leading a conspiracy that will end in genocide.
The Hearth Witch’s Son
When Roger the kitchen boy told everyone he was the king’s bastard and raised an army to overthrow his tyrant father, he never expected to have to live that lie.
In the aftermath of the Demon War, King Agravaine’s rule only became more oppressive. Somebody had to do something! After his own humiliation at the king’s feet, begging to get his mother freed from prison, Roger stepped up with his dangerous tale. Surely he would die in the fighting, but at least his mother, and maybe all of his people, could be free, and his wild story might inspire something greater. His early supporters, Lady Rania, and his scullion friend Caterina—now leaders in his army—promise to keep his secret, if only Roger’s leadership turns out less devastating than his predecessor’s. Now he must navigate the politics of a crown he never meant to wear and bring together peasant and lord to revive the battered kingdom. His attachment to Lady Rania grows even as his lies make it impossible for her to trust him. But the real test is yet to come: how can the usurper Roger Silvertongue face the army backing the king’s true heir?