Stronghold

A conquering king.A forbidden witch.A desire that could ruin them both. VanUlric Aldare will be the sort of king history is too afraid to forget. First of his name and age to conquer the island of Caris, he sweeps through the country wrapped in holy certainty and a lust for power. Leaving widows and broken banners in his wake, Ulric marches his army south, closing in on the last of the free kingdoms. Under the counsel of Holy Warlock Cephus Cain, King Ulric moves through life blinded by control and faith. Raised to believe magic belongs only to a select few, the king finds himself face to face with a living contradiction far more dangerous than war or defeat. Phaedra of the eastern wood– proof of the lies and a thorn in his side. After all, witches shouldn’t exist. They were eradicated after causing the fall of the first empire—and yet here she stands, as confident in herself and her abilities as the king she refuses to serve. Even with her rejection like a knife to the heart, Ulric begins to understand what she’s been aware of all along. The connection between them goes beyond man and woman– there is deep magic here, dampened but electric just below the surface, and that quickly, what was once a mutual inconvenience becomes a fixation —a discovery to push them over the edge of love. Struggling to understand who and what he is, Ulric must choose between domination and devotion. Will he remain loyal to the wisdom shared by Cephus, or for the first time listen to his true nature and accept the truth revealed? And if Phaedra walks away—unwilling to risk surrendering more than her peaceful life—Ulric may be forced to face what he becomes when the one thing he cannot control refuses to stay. Dark, seductive, and dangerous, Stronghold is a fantasy romance of forbidden desire, brutal power, and a connection that threatens to undo them both.For mature readers.