Determined to make sure everyone has the perfect last trip, Harriet and Wyn resolve to fake their relationship for the week. Telling the truth about their breakup is out of the question, because the cottage is up for sale, and this is the group’s last hurrah. But (surprise!) Wyn is there too, and he and Harriet have to share a (very romantic) room and a bed. She’s ready for a vacation at her happy place-the Maine cottage she and her friends visit every summer.

So they keep it a secret from their friends and families-in fact, Harriet barely even admits it to herself, focusing instead on her grueling hours as a surgical resident. They’ve been part of the same boisterous friend group since college, and they know that their breakup will devastate the others and make things more than a little awkward. Wyn Connor and Harriet Kilpatrick were the perfect couple-until Wyn dumped Harriet for reasons she still doesn’t fully understand. Meanwhile, the secondary narrative offers the promise of a sequel between an equally compelling couple to come.Ī dark, lyrical fantasy that merges vast worldbuilding with the best of romance tropes.Įxes pretend they’re still together for the sake of their friends on their annual summer vacation. The romance element is more of a connective, underlying thread that weaves through the main story, but the achingly yearning slow burn between Larkyra and Darius culminates in an ultimately satisfying way. The first installment in this new fantasy series is a spellbinding read, with an instant sense of familial connection between the Bassette trio, although the heroine ultimately shines all the more once she leaves the safety of home and embarks on her operation. The closer Larkyra comes to uncovering the terrible duke’s secrets, the more she begins to understand that her true feelings lie with Darius, a man who literally wears the scars of his past. Posing as the duke’s intended is all part of the plan, but she doesn’t account for his stepson, Lord Darius Mekenna, the rightful heir of Lachlan, who has been victimized by the duke for years.

When the loathsome Duke of Lachlan, a man addicted to a potent and forbidden drug known as phorria, is revealed to be abusing the tenants on his land, Larkyra is given a mission to both stop him and uncover his supplier. In the world of Aadilor, Larkyra Bassette and her sisters have been developing their unique powers all their lives-but within the hidden realm of the Thief Kingdom, where the enigmatic and terrifying Thief King controls and sees all, they are known as the Mousai, a trinity of magic-wielding women with the power to seduce or terrify. A powerful young woman in possession of a destructive voice learns to channel her magic for good (and love) as she takes on a dark mission.

Song of the forever rains goodreads