Heart of Blood & Ashes

A generation past, the western realms were embroiled in endless war. Then the Destroyer came. From the blood and ashes he left behind, a tenuous alliance rose between the barbarian riders of Parsathe and the walled kingdoms of the south. That alliance is all that stands against the return of an ancient evil — until the barbarian king and queen are slain in an act of bloody betrayal.

Though forbidden by the alliance council to kill the corrupt king responsible for his parents’ murders, Maddek vows to avenge them, even if it costs him the Parsathean crown. But when he learns it was the king’s daughter who lured his parents to their deaths, the barbarian warrior is determined to make her pay.

Yet the woman Maddek captures is not what he expected. Though the last in a line of legendary warrior-queens, Yvenne is small and weak, and the sharpest weapons she wields are her mind and her tongue. Even more surprising is the marriage she proposes to unite them in their goals and to claim their thrones — because her desire for vengeance against her father burns even hotter than his own…

“[A] richly imagined dark fantasy world.” Publishers Weekly

“An engrossing, epic story of warriors, gods, leaders and lovers....The characters walk through the pages with heart, soul and courage, and are matched by Vane’s equally stellar world building, which weaves seamlessly with thrilling action scenes.” BookPage (Starred Review)

“Dark, brutal, bloody — and incredibly compelling, with brilliant worldbuilding and a romance that gripped my emotions. Milla Vane has created something extraordinary in this story of kings and war, gods and vengeance.” New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh

Under a pen name, Milla Vane is also an award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of steampunk and paranormal romance. Milla currently resides in Oregon.