The Uncrowned King

In the search for peace, a mercenary is offered a crown…

In the foreign kingdom of Illena, Leo is handed something he never sought: power. 

 An offer of rule lies at his feet, and with his siblings beside him, he steps into a world of silk, ceremony, and quiet hostility.  Illena’s glittering elite would sooner see his family gone than seated among them.  Yet even as he learns to navigate courtly smiles and veiled threats, he cannot escape the ghosts he left behind: a brother lost, a girl who refused to run, and the bloodstained life that still clings to his name.  Now the fate of a nation rests on the shoulders of a man forged for war, not thrones.

But Lady Death has not loosened her grip…

When a band of criminals takes interest in Leo and his siblings, he faces an impossible choice: trust those who reflect the ruthless world he survived in Somereil, or align himself with the Bloodlines.  Illena’s powerful and polished ruling class,  and attempt to become something new.  For the first time, Leo allows himself faith in allies beyond his family.  That trust is shattered when a buried truth rises to the surface, splintering the fragile bonds between them and forcing him to choose between loyalty and love, strategy and sacrifice.

When the world begins to burn, what will he save?

As Leo dares to imagine a future in Illena, enemies from his past emerge with vengeance in their wake.  War closes in.  Safe havens crumble.  And when brutal hands rip away the people he swore to protect, despair threatens to consume him whole.

Will Leo rise as the prince Illena needs or will grief and fury turn him into the very monster they feared they had crowned?