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​Iris’s eyes snapped open, her heart pounding. Her bedroom was black as pitch, the house still.
Except for a low thud and an even lower curse, just inside the bedroom.
A man was in her room.
Her breath caught, icy fear shooting through her veins. She could just make him out. Broad shoulders, hunched as he clutched his foot. He’d . . . stubbed his toe?
That hardly mattered. A man was in her room.
Iris shot up in bed and shoved the blankets aside, grabbing for the cold lamp because she had no other weapon. Fates, why didn’t she have a knife?
She could still feel the imprint of the knife from her nightmare. Her stomach twisted, but she ignored that as she raised the lamp, ready to hurl it at the intruder.
At her first movement, the shadowy figure had frozen. Now he straightened sharply, and the moonlight just caught his hand as one arm flashed out. “What—?”
She threw the lamp.
The man cursed and dropped to the floor. The lamp shattered against the wall behind him.
“Easy!” he said from the floor, unmistakable pain in his voice. “I’m not going to—”
Iris launched from the bed and snatched up a book from the bookshelf. It was the first one she touched—the useless poetry volume.
She threw it at his head.
It bounced off his shoulder and he swore. “Would you stop trying to kill me? This is my room!”
Iris froze, clutching a thicker book this time. Breathing hard, she looked down at the shadowed body still hunched on the floor. “Kell?”
“Yes,” he nearly gasped. “Fates blast it—I was beginning to think I’d walked into the wrong house.”
She stared, her heart hammering in her chest. “You’re not supposed to be here.”
He snorted a short laugh. “I could say the same about you, whoever you . . .” He cursed suddenly, and his voice was filled with sudden surety. “You’re Iris.”
Her fingertips dug into the leather cover of the book she still held. “Yes.”
He groaned. “Fates, I’m sorry. My father sent a letter, so I knew you’d be coming to stay with us, but . . .” His words trailed off when hurried footsteps sounded in the corridor.
The door opened, and a young maid poked her head in. She carried a lamp, and it perfectly illuminated her wide eyes as she took in the scene—Iris standing on the far side of the bed, ready to throw another book, and Kell on his knees on the other side of the bed.
Iris could make out his features a little better now. He had shaggy, dark brown hair that brushed his high cheekbones, and his face appeared a little gaunt. He was pale, and pain pinched his lips into a hard line. One hand was braced against the floor in front of him, and his other arm was pressed against his middle, held in place by a sling that wrapped over his opposite shoulder.
The maid let out a small squeak. “Master Kell, we didn’t know you were coming home!”
“Clearly.” Kell pushed to his feet, and Iris noted how he swayed a little. He studied Iris, his expression curious rather than hostile. Though she’d been studied a lot since arriving in Lenzen, Kell’s stare felt different. Almost like he was seeing her, and not just her faults, or how much she looked like her parents.
When the maid cleared her throat, Kell turned toward her. “It’s fine, Sira. Perhaps you could prepare one of the guest rooms?”
“I—The renovations aren’t—I don’t know—”
“Any room is fine,” he broke into the young woman’s stammering. “A pallet in the kitchen, even.”
Iris’s spine stiffened. “I will not sleep in the kitchen.”
Kell’s mouth twitched. “The thought never crossed my mind, dear cousin. I meant the pallet for myself.” He turned to the maid. “Will you see something done?”
The woman looked horribly flustered, and her eyes kept darting to the broken lamp and the spilled oil that coated the floor.
Kell’s tone gentled. “Sira, the mess can wait until morning. Would you just see that there are blankets in the library? I’ll sleep there tonight.”
The servant girl flushed, but nodded.
He smiled, and that made the maid’s blush darken. “Thank you,” Kell said. “And please don’t bother to wake my parents. I’ll greet them in the morning.”
“Yes, Master Kell.” She bobbed a curtsy and left her lamp on a small table before she rushed away.
In the silence, Kell twisted toward Iris. “So, you’re my cousin. You’re . . .” His eyebrows rose. “Not what I expected.” He scanned her from mussed braid to the bare toes that peeked out from under her white nightgown, then finally settled on the book in her hand.
She lowered it, but didn’t put it back on the shelf.

An intriguing and captivating prequel story for the Fate of Eyrinthia series.  This is the fascinating and tragic story of King (then Prince) Henry and his wife Iris.  It tells of the progression of their relationship.  Readers will be spellbound with this amazing story as they better come to understand Prince Henry and Iris’ back story and get little glimpses of how horrible and wicked they will become in the other books in the series.   Whether you have read the other books in the series or are just beginning this story will cause readers to continue in the series or start a re-read.  Another wonderfully written and enthralling story that readers will not want to put down. 

Series: Fate of Eyrinthia
Genre: young adult, fantasy, romance
Publisher: Indie
Publication date: August 25, 2023 
Number of pages: 244

Other books in the series:
0.5-Fire & Ash
1-Royal Decoy
2-Royal Spy
3-Royal Captive
3.5-Shield & Blade
4-Royal Rebel

Disclosure statement: A complimentary review copy of this book was provided from tour groups, publishers, publicists, authors, and others, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, Or borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR borrowed from Deseret Bookshelf, OR pre-ordered/purchased for review, including Audible.  A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are my own.​

To celebrate Crown & Serpent coming out, Heather is giving away a signed paperback of Royal Decoy + collectible bookmarks and postcard!
 
Get all the details and enter here: https://www.instagram.com/heather.frost.author/

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Teresa Richards writes speculative and contemporary YA fiction, but loves anything that can be given a unique twist. She grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, got a degree in Speech Pathology from Brigham Young University, then moved to the east coast and lived outside New York City for fourteen years. Life has thrown her some surprising twists, and now she's settled in Kentucky with her husband and five kids. She divides her time between her own kids, the kids she puts braces on, and her fictional kids.  

Teresa's debut novel, Emerald Bound, was an editor’s pick and book of the month at Long and Short Reviews (LASR). The sequel, Topaz Reign, received a starred Best Book distinction from LASR, in addition to being book of the month. Teresa’s first YA contemporary, The Windfall App, received a five-star Top Pick distinction from Night Owl Reviews. Teresa is a member of SCBWI and The Storymakers Guild, and serves as a Query Kombat judge. She’s been a panelist at both SOKY and NKYA bookfests, and has taught writing workshops to elementary through high school kids. She started a Read Local program for her region, and loves connecting with young writers.

Teresa is represented by Kelly Van Sant of KT Literary.  You can connect with her on twitter @BYUtm33,  Facebook  @AuthorTeresaRichards, and Instagram @authorteresarichards.