A Dark Sapphic Romantasy
A century ago, the Red Dragon Queen burned Frairdale to the ground.
Now she rules from the cliffs above the lake-untouched, unchallenged, and unrepentant.
When Cara steps into dragon territory, she expects death.
Instead, she is claimed.
Marked by a mind-link she cannot break and drawn into the heart of dragon politics, Cara becomes more than a prisoner-she becomes a symbol. To humans, she is stolen. To dragons, she is a weakness.
To Vyrisa, she is something far more dangerous.
As old wounds resurface and iron rises once more against scale, Cara must decide who she is without fear defining her. And Vyrisa must face the truth she has long avoided: ruling through fire is simple. Choosing restraint is not.
When the valley witnesses blade against flame, one thing becomes clear-
This is not a story of captivity.
It is a story of alignment.
Ashes Embraced is a dark sapphic romantasy featuring a powerful dragon queen, enemies-to-lovers tension, political stakes, and devotion forged in fire-without surrender, without softness, and without the word love ever being spoken.
A maiden must marry into nobility to uphold honour in her family's name. However, when her soon-to-be husband is burned alive by a fiery creature, she realizes there's more to life than just suitors and balls.
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As a woman, Alyria Willows is expected to cast aside her pursuit of independence to fulfil her duties as an acquiescent housewife; all for the sake of one's honour not even her own.
However, the veil isn't as pellucid as Alyria thinks when a devastating upheaval leaves her grasping for answers. It's only after surviving a terrifying experience that she discovers more than blood flows through her veins.
But that'll be the least of her concerns when a creature neither man nor dragon stalks her from the shadows. His gaze pierces like iron. His power radiates like lava. But even a man of his strength cannot hinder the threat that seeks to destroy.
A ballet of starlight foretells a restless war. Lies will be unearthed, truths will be muddled, and victories will come at a steep price. But not everything is as it seems. After all, how can she trust a man of fire and ore when he may be the embodiment of evil itself?
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WARNING: crude language, depictions of violence and gore, mature content. A few scenes will be offensive and WILL trigger some audiences. READ AT YOUR DISCRETION.
Previously known as Destined to the Dragon.
(Written in British English, set in the 1800s)
Beauitful cover by @lavendareyes