Another series catch up on reveals, check out the covers for books 2-4 of author Abigail Manning’s Ruby Realm series.
“Wilting Captive”
A duchess, a beast, and a castle full of hungry hostages…
A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast.
Duchess Mirabel Brantley has spent nearly all her life being sheltered due to her fragile health. With no hope of ever living the life of adventure she dreamed of, Mira agrees to an arranged marriage with the neighboring duke of Dhurin. Their betrothal celebration might have been pleasant if they didn’t already despise each other, but it also might have helped if the entire party wasn’t taken hostage…
The ex-prince Conan has been left beaten and scarred after his partnership with the criminal group, the beasts. With a hunger for vengeance against the Ruby Realm and a never-ending craving for power, Conan seizes the entire Dhurin castle with the help of an enchanted gift. His terms are simple; hand over Dhurin, and the hostages live. Refuse and… well, the guests will learn why he was favored by the beasts.
Mira is a prisoner at her own party, but they might not be in as much trouble as they thought when a lone caster offers up her powers as protection. With the ability to cast her magic into living plants, the caster selects a simple rose to contain her gift. With only the dwindling lifespan of a rose keeping the hostages from being torn apart, it’s only a matter of time before matters get grim. Can Mira convince their captor to set them free before their time runs out? Or will they simply wilt with their rose?
The Ruby Realm is a collection of clean, intercepting stories, best enjoyed when read as a series.
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“Sole of Secrets”
An invincible princess and a dance with death…
A Retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses
Princess Ruby is the only biological daughter of the emperor out of her eleven sisters. Despite being classified as her father’s favorite, she’s barely even permitted to step outside the palace due to the emperor’s overprotectiveness. Some citizens believe she’s kept confined because she’s too treasured, while others believe it’s because she’s secretly ugly, but only her father and sisters know the true reason she’s locked away…
Aiden is a common builder whose mother is slowly slipping away due to illness. He’d do anything to save her, even join the criminal group, the basilisks, in exchange for a magical extension of her life. With the emperor hosting a competition in search of a male heir, Aiden must now infiltrate the event and feed the basilisks whatever information they request. Should be easy enough. Or at least, it would have, until things take a turn for the worst when his fellow competitors begin to drop dead.
Aiden’s job description never included murder, yet he still feels the basilisks are responsible, or worse… his intel helped them do it. Ruby may be a cherished princess, but she’s powerless to protect others. If she wants to stop the killer, she’ll need inside help from a competitor she feels she can trust… and she did like that Aiden fellow. Will Aiden help her save the other competitors, or will she be dancing with danger on her own?
“Insomniac’s Curse”
A girl with insomnia, cursed with a dragon’s heart every time she sleeps…
A Retelling of Sleeping Beauty
Kaliope never had the best relationship with sleep. Since her infancy, her three aunts have struggled with her insomnia, and even more whenever she finally closed her eyes. Dark circles and yawning weren’t too terrible to handle as Kaliope grew, until one day, she begins to do more than simply sleepwalk. When word of nightly attacks spread throughout their village, Kaliope realizes she’s the culprit when waking up near the carnage.
The Isleen soldier, Daniel, has gained a great deal of respect from the grand duke after his involvement with the deathly events in Shainee, granting him an interesting new mission. The grand duke has received reports of mysterious attacks, all coming from a quiet village. The residents fear the infamous terrorists, the dragons, are to blame, and the grand duke believes they might be right. After his daughter was cursed, he hid her away to protect her from further harm from the dragons, but had they finally found her? The grand duke gives Daniel two tasks: protect his daughter, and destroy whatever is causing the attacks.
Kaliope and her aunts must keep her curse a secret and their location hidden. Otherwise, the golden king who placed the curse may come to finish whatever he had planned for her… With a soldier both hunting her down and trying to protect her, it’s only a matter of time before her nightmares become a reality.
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