New York Times bestselling author of Furyborn, Claire Legrand, enchants with a lush, sweeping, steamy enemies to lovers fantasy romance perfect for fans of Bridgerton and A Court of Thorns and Roses.

THE OLD WAR IS OVER. A NEW ONE IS JUST BEGINNING.

The curse plaguing the Ashbourne and Bask families has finally been broken, but Farrin, the eldest Ashbourne daughter, still struggles to find peace. Unflappable and tireless, her composure masks a seething sorrow. Since her mother abandoned the family, Farrin has been their rock―managing her father's temper, running the estate, keeping tight control over her dangerous musical power, and ignoring her own need for rest, distraction, and most of all, love.

In Ryder Bask, Farrin's stubborn strength has met its match. The man infuriates her. He's coarse, arrogant, annoyingly handsome. He's as tired of their feuding parents as she is, and he brims with some secret anger that mirrors Farrin's frustrated rage.

But Farrin must work with every ally she can―even the man she has been raised to hate. With every rising dawn, the Middlemist weakens further. Anointed magicians are disappearing. A fiery Olden creature is stalking Farrin. Strange visions haunt the High Queen Yvaine. And as Farrin and Ryder race to find stolen loved ones, they begin to realize a horrifying truth:

The gods are not dead. They're waking up. And someone is hunting them.

Published
September 17, 2024
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The Middlemist Trilogy

The series

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In a world gilded with magic and shadowed by secrets, The Middlemist Trilogy dares to unravel the illusion of power and the cost of legacy. Set in a society where divine blessings elevate the elite—and curse those born without them—the trilogy immerses readers in a gothic fantasy landscape where beauty masks rot, and every alliance carries a hidden blade.

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The story opens with Gemma Ashbourne, a sharp-tongued socialite who lacks the magic that defines her powerful family. Her world is one of chandeliers, corseted expectations, and silken lies. But beneath the surface of ballroom whispers and political facades lurks something older—something hungry. When Gemma strikes a pact with a disgraced nobleman to hunt a demon that may hold the key to her family’s ruin, the price she must pay for truth could unravel her mind, her body, and the fragile veneer of her status. Her pain—both physical and psychological—is not romanticized but rendered with stark intimacy, shaping a heroine who is as vulnerable as she is dangerous.

As the series unfolds, shifting focus to other Ashbourne sisters, the stakes climb higher. Each sister’s story expands the world, from the perfumed courts to the haunted borderlands of the Middlemist, a cursed place where lost things whisper back. The trilogy explores generational trauma, the politics of divine favor, and the seductive pull of forbidden magic—all with a lyrical edge that cuts as deeply as the blades its characters so often wield.

Lush with atmosphere and rich in emotional complexity, this fantasy series conjures a world where power is never simple, and survival means facing the darkness—both around and within. For readers drawn to immersive storytelling, morally gray characters, and hauntingly beautiful prose, this is a journey worth surrendering to.

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