Most fairytales end with a wedding and a happily-ever-after – but this is no fairytale.

Lady Maximilian is the daughter of the powerful Duke Croyso, but she is rarely allowed outside her family’s sprawling castle for fear her stutter will tarnish their noble name. When she is forced to marry Sir Riftan, a low-born knight caught in one of her father’s schemes, Maxi doesn’t dare hope for happiness, let alone love. Her stumbling communication and his gruff manner sour their relationship before it can begin, and Riftan leaves without a word the morning after their vows are exchanged.

Now, three years after their disastrous wedding night, Riftan has returned a war hero. To Maxi’s surprise, despite rumours that he was offered marriage to Princess Agnes, a beautiful and renowned sorceress, Riftan still wants Maxi for his wife. And when he comes to claim her, that longing becomes a desire that bewilders Maxi, even as she is overcome by the scorching heat Riftan’s presence ignites within her. As she learns to navigate the intricacies of her new life, Maxi will find herself and her courage, and discover that she is anything but powerless.