Juliet Swan came to Forks to help her cousin Bella, never expecting to find a home—or fall for Jacob Black. But when Bella’s broken promise brings the Volturi to Forks, Juliet is taken to Volterra as payment for a bargain she never made. She’s told she’ll be free if Bella keeps her word. Until then, she’s trapped among vampires she was taught to fear. Then there’s Alec Volturi. Cold, powerful, and infuriatingly calm, he should be the last person Juliet could ever trust. What begins as hostility slowly becomes curiosity, then an unexpected friendship, and eventually something neither of them saw coming. As Juliet waits for someone from Forks to come for her, she begins to wonder if the person she was taught to fear might be the one who cares about her most.
At twenty-one, Arabella Ashbourne is the most powerful Duchess in Victorian England. As the last heir of House Ashbourne, she possesses Absolute Dominion—the ability to command and control magic itself. Beautiful, ruthless, sophisticated, and fiercely independent, Arabella has no intention of becoming a political bride. But the Crown demands she marry, placing her between Crown Prince Adrian Valerian and Lucien Blackthorn, the formidable Duke of the North. After meeting Lucien at her debutante ball, Arabella is sent to the frozen Northern Frontier when monstrous creatures threaten the kingdom. With her ancient Imperial Dragon, Nyxara, at her side, she enters a battlefield instead of a ballroom. As war, court intrigue, dangerous magic, and competing affections collide, Arabella must decide who she can trust—and whether she will allow anyone to stand beside the woman she was born to become. She was never meant to be a Duchess who obeys. She was born to rule.
In her first life, Caroline Valmont was the beloved daughter of House Valmont. She devoted everything to her family—only to watch it all disappear. Her father died. Her brothers ruined the family. She was kicked out of the estate. And Caroline herself was betrayed by the very people she trusted. Her final memory is blood on the floor and the bitter realization that she had been nothing more than a pawn. Then she wakes up. Not in the afterlife. Years in the past.
Born to inherit power. Raised to survive. Desired by princes. Hunted by the Crown. At seven years old, Arabella Ashbourne inherited more than a title. She inherited a duchy, an ancient magical bloodline, and a power feared even by the Crown. Fourteen years later, the beautiful and ruthless Duchess finally makes her debut into Victorian high society. With her impossibly long black curls, striking golden eyes, impeccable manners, and cold composure, Arabella quickly becomes the most sought-after woman in Valedria. Powerful families want her hand. The Crown Prince openly courts her. Duke Lucien Blackwood watches her with quiet fascination, while Sebastian Ravensmere seems determined to make her lose her composure. But beneath the glittering balls, elegant gowns, and whispered marriage proposals lies something far more dangerous. Someone wants Arabella dead. As assassination attempts begin targeting her, Arabella refuses to become a helpless victim. She fights back while secretly investigating the people behind the attacks—and slowly uncovers disturbing secrets surrounding the deaths of her parents. The Crown has watched House Ashbourne for generations. And now, they are watching Arabella. In a world where marriage is politics, magic determines power, and every smile may hide a dagger, Arabella must decide who deserves her trust before the people closest to the throne succeed in destroying her. Because she was raised to inherit the Ashbourne legacy. And she intends to survive long enough to rule it.
