Catherine | THE CROWN OF ASHES
- Reads 1,046
- Votes 200
- Parts 41
Complete Wed, Apr 29, 20268h 6m
There are whispers in the drawing rooms of Victorian England-tales of a lady admired by all, yet hiding a secret no one dares speak aloud.
Catherine moves with quiet grace, but beneath silken gowns and polite smiles, she is no gentlewoman. Burned for witchcraft long ago, she has returned-cold, cunning, and vengeful, with forbidden magic in her veins and memories that stretch beyond the grave.
The world that once betrayed her now bows to propriety and power, but men of science scoff, priests pray, and women gossip-blind to the storm that stirs behind her eyes. Allies are scarce, enemies abound, and every step she takes brings her closer to the vengeance she has waited lifetimes to claim.
"When the old gods whisper again, Catherine will rise-not as a queen, but as a curse. And the crown she seizes will be forged in ash."
All Rights Reserved
#75
forbiddenpower
Join the largest storytelling communityGet personalized story recommendations, save your favourites to your library, and comment and vote to grow your community.
You may also like
As the Crow Falls | ✔
Niccola is a demi-queen undercover in enemy territory. Her little sister went missing seven moons ago, but one lead remains: a picture of a woman's face, drawn by a diviner shortly after the disappearance. Tracking her down has led Niccola to Calis, the realm next door whose border with her own remains closed for a reason. There, the trail goes cold. Until, that is, Niccola runs into a man in the marketplace who bears a family resemblance to the woman she seeks. His name is Isaiah, crown prince of Calis, and he's investigating disappearances, too. They join forces, faking courtship to sneak Niccola into the palace and get Isaiah's wedding-minded mother off his back. It doesn't take long to suspect that a common threat might underpin both their realms' problems. And as Niccola begins to develop real feelings for Isaiah, she's faced with an impossible choice: reveal her secrets and risk breaking his trust, or leave him in order to chase down the woman who stole her sister... a woman whose forbidden magic comes with a cost that could bring both realms to ruin. ❖❖❖ Complete and fully edited. Cover credit goes to @CeeMTaylor. Go check out her books too if you like Dark Fantasy Romance-she writes some pretty incredible stuff! Comments and critiques are both welcome and appreciated. I write characters from many different backgrounds, with many different experiences. If you share those traits and find that I have misrepresented anything, please let me know! I am feedback-friendly and here to learn :)Complete
𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐊 & 𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐒.
You were born to silk and ceremony. A princess bound by etiquette, by duty, by the suffocating weight of a crown you never asked to wear. Beyond the palace walls, the city whispers of lantern-lit markets and moonlit nights - of freedom you've only ever dreamed of. When you slip past the gates one evening, you don't expect to find him: a ragged, soft-eyed boy begging in the shadows. He should mean nothing to you. Yet every stolen glance, every secret meeting by starlight, pulls you further from the world you've always known. He's forbidden. You're untouchable. But under the moonlight, none of that seems to matter. And soon, you'll have to choose: the crown you were born to wear, or the boy who's teaching you how to live.
Crown and Blade
A princess trained to be silent. A warrior who refuses to be tamed. A marriage neither of them wanted. Haelyn has spent her life hiding-her sharp tongue, her defiance, and the blade she wields in secret. But when she's forced to wed Cato, a reckless noble with a dangerous smile, she finds herself trapped in a game of power, betrayal, and forbidden attraction. He was never meant to be her ally. She was never meant to fall for him. But when whispers of treason threaten the throne, Haelyn must decide: trust the man who swore to protect her... or the one who swore he never stopped loving her. And when the past comes for her, stealing the memories of the man she once knew, only one question remains-can you love someone you've forgotten?Complete
Hearts of Stone
[FREE STORY with exclusive chapters] Tragedy has struck the kingdom of Iride. The crown prince has disappeared and rumors claim pirates have taken him. But, even if the news is tragic, Kat Devieux has other, much more urgent things on her plate. Her financial troubles and the unrealistic expectations of her father has her family on the brink of starvation and her only way out seems to be marriage to a man who sees her as nothing more than a pretty face. When in order to save her father, she becomes the unwilling prisoner of a cursed beast, the running of the kingdom becomes even less important to her. Until she finds herself entangled in rogue politics and magic use. Because the Beast is guilty of more than misuse of magic in a kingdom that has expressly forbidden it. He holds a secret that could be the undoing of the entire country. And for Kat, knowledge opens a door to a life where she is so much more than just another bystander. A life she never thought could be. 🥀 Book 1 of the Fairy's Gambit series *Beauty and the Beast retelling* Fantastic cover by @pennywithaneyComplete
Her Cinder Throne (Completed)
Cole Glassad couldn't care less about the upcoming palace ball meant to find a wife for the prince. Her life is down in the dangerous Sparkstone mines, slaving away for a few coins that her stepmother and stepsister promptly steal. With life a living hell, she has barely enough energy to care for the injured animals she tends in secret, much less a party for the royal family that cares so little for her and the people like her. It isn't until a mysterious man appears out of the shadows, claiming to be one of the long-lost faeries and offering her a chance at freedom, that she begins to see hope. In exchange for enough money to free herself from her family, the faerie asks only for one thing in return-- that Cole attends the ball in order to get close enough to the prince to assassinate him and bring an end to the corrupted royal line. With her mission clear, Cole enters the world of the palace to learn about the prince and find a way into his ball. But dark secrets, violent plots, a strange sense that perhaps the prince isn't as bad as the faerie makes him seem, and a life-changing discovery about her past, all conspire to make Cole's shot at freedom messy and difficult. She must find the strength to get close to the prince, or else the mysterious faerie will send her back to the mines and her dreadful family. Once the clock strikes midnight... she must fulfill her end of the bargain. Once the clock strikes midnight... her hands must be red with the prince's blood.Complete
Veiled in Light and Ruin
Every year, Lyra's village gathers beneath the ancient statues of the Fates, offering prayers and sacrifices to keep the creeping darkness at bay. The Ruined Kingdom stands in the distance, a forbidden place where no one enters and no one leaves. A place ruled by a king who does not age, does not die, and does not care for the world beyond his walls. Lyra has never believed in fate, only in survival. With her mother's health failing, she is willing to do whatever it takes to save what little she has left. But when this year's ritual goes terribly wrong, Lyra is taken-ripped from the life she knows and thrust into the heart of a kingdom lost to time. There, she is told she has been chosen. That she, along with others, must vie for the favor of a king no one has seen in over a century. But something is wrong within the castle's walls. Whispers of the past haunt her steps, and the King-cold, untouchable, and shrouded in secrets-watches her too closely. As shadows stir and forgotten magic awakens, Lyra begins to question everything she's been told about the Ruined Kingdom. And, more importantly, about herself. Because the deeper she delves into the mystery of the King and the kingdom he rules behind the walls, the more she realizes: Some destinies are written in blood. And some fates are meant to be broken.
The Breath of Aethriel: A Crown of Storms
Content Warning (18+): This book contains explicit, graphic sexual content, including scenes and references to sexual assault, as well as graphic violence and gore. Intended for readers aged 18 and over. Please read at your own discretion. She ran from a crown-straight into a storm that chose her. BOOK ONE of The Breath of Aethriel Princess Serétha has spent her life being polished, paraded, and prepared to become a political sacrifice - a sacred "union" meant to bind kingdoms under the gods' gaze. But on the eve of her fate being sealed, Serétha runs. The wilds beyond the palace are not freedom - they are hunger, cruelty, and the kind of darkness stories never warn you about. And Serétha isn't just being hunted by men who believe they own her... she's being pulled toward something she doesn't understand - something old, forbidden, and waking inside her blood. A thief with too much charm. A prince with a devotion sharp enough to cut. A world ruled by gods who do not forgive. Serétha wanted a choice. Now she has one - and it might burn Aethriel to the bone.Complete
Before She Ruled (Before Series, Book 1)
In hiding as a maid, Princess Adelaide must resist the charms of the devilishly handsome Duke of Kingfield. But could he help her if she told him her secret? ***** Two years ago, Princess Adelaide was forced into hiding after her father, King William IV, was killed in a carriage accident that also took the life of her mother and brother. She suspects that the despicable man now on the throne of England--her uncle, Ernest--is responsible for her family's death, so she avoids his watchful eye by working as a maid for the aristocratic families of London. However, when she's employed by the dashing Duke of Kingfield, she soon discovers that he not only believes that the princess is alive, but also that she could be the key to saving England. Is Adelaide willing to come out of hiding in order to prove him right? Or are her growing feelings for him worth giving up her claim to the throne? [[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]] Cover designed by Holly ThurstonComplete
The Duke Fell for the Villainess
She was just a tired grade school teacher in the modern world- unappreciated, overworked, and denied her promotion year after year. Her only escape was her favorite otome game... until a tragic accident with a banana peel ended her life. When she opened her eyes again, she wasn't in her small apartment anymore. She was in a luxurious mansion. In a child's body. The villainess of her favorite game. Born as the real daughter of a Marquis, she knew how her story was supposed to end: starvation, betrayal, poison, and death. Her stepmother and stepsister would steal everything from her, and her own father would let her die without a tear. But this time, she refuses to play the role of a doomed villainess. Armed with memories from her past life, loyal brothers at her side, and a sharp tongue sharpened by years of teaching, she'll rewrite fate itself. Yet the world of nobility is more dangerous than she imagined- scheming crown princes, false heroines, poisonous stepmothers, and a cold northern Duke whispered to be a beast. But what if the "beast" turns out to be the one man who sees her for who she truly is?
ESMERALDA (His Innocent Bride) |18+
"If you look anymore perfect, I will lock you up in my room And I assure you, you won't be able to walk for days after that." It was every girl's dream to marry the Prince, to become a Queen. Not hers. All she ever wanted was a simple life and her mother well again. But with a ban on redheads and an entanglement with the Prince and Duke, jealousy and envy set in the hearts of other maidens. Who does she think she is? If only they knew what she truly desired. An unexpected meeting A failed plan A mere infatuation A growing obsession A forbidden love Life has never been the same since that night. Lies, jealousy, secrets and regrets. If only she knew... She was a Queen in the making, a strong woman.
Niccola is a demi-queen undercover in enemy territory. Her little sister went missing seven moons ago, but one lead remains: a picture of a woman's face, drawn by a diviner shortly after the disappearance. Tracking her down has led Niccola to Calis, the realm next door whose border with her own remains closed for a reason. There, the trail goes cold. Until, that is, Niccola runs into a man in the marketplace who bears a family resemblance to the woman she seeks. His name is Isaiah, crown prince of Calis, and he's investigating disappearances, too. They join forces, faking courtship to sneak Niccola into the palace and get Isaiah's wedding-minded mother off his back. It doesn't take long to suspect that a common threat might underpin both their realms' problems. And as Niccola begins to develop real feelings for Isaiah, she's faced with an impossible choice: reveal her secrets and risk breaking his trust, or leave him in order to chase down the woman who stole her sister... a woman whose forbidden magic comes with a cost that could bring both realms to ruin. ❖❖❖ Complete and fully edited. Cover credit goes to @CeeMTaylor. Go check out her books too if you like Dark Fantasy Romance-she writes some pretty incredible stuff! Comments and critiques are both welcome and appreciated. I write characters from many different backgrounds, with many different experiences. If you share those traits and find that I have misrepresented anything, please let me know! I am feedback-friendly and here to learn :)
More detailsContent Guidelines