Hazel Flynn's life is...fine. Not great. Not tragic. Just aggressively average. She's broke, drowning in student loans, working the front desk at a doctor's office and trying (unsuccessfully) to make it as an artist in New York. When she lies to her parents about having a girlfriend and an upcoming art exhibition, she fully expects both problems to somehow magically resolve themselves. They do not. With Christmas getting closer and no fake girlfriend in sight, Hazel is running out of time and courage. Sometimes the hardest thing isn't fooling everyone else. It's not fooling yourself.

A fierce warrior seduces a mysterious rebel to protect the king. --- Epsa proudly defends the nation as a member of King Makapu's Royal Guard. When a resistance movement threatens the kingdom from within, Makapu calls on Epsa for a task requiring more than just combat skills. Epsa must seduce Izra, a mysterious and magnetic rebel leader, and extract information to help the Royal Guard smother the rebellion. As she works to gain Izra's trust, Epsa finds herself developing unsettling feelings and reassessing everything she has ever known. Embroiled in a dangerous game of politics, Epsa must decide who to trust. Who to protect. And who must die. Prequel to "The Claimed: A Clash of Copper and Gold" (also works as a stand-alone novel) |2022 Wattys Shortlist| Trigger warning: This story contains descriptions of abuse and references to sexual assault