Of Ecstasy and Ash

Eliška Ciernikova is running out of time. Confined to her Little Carpathian village by her poor health and over-protective mother, the apprentice healer longs for independence and passion—two things perpetually out of reach. When the local hedge witch predicts the arrival of a mysterious stranger, Eliška decides to risk everything for the chance to truly live.

Albin Pálffy dreads the responsibility of inheriting his father’s vineyard estate even more than marrying for political gain—both of which are in his imminent future. When the opportunity to escape his baronial cage presents itself, Albin seizes it. Living in disguise among his future tenants during the grape harvest seems like a small price to pay for a last grasp at freedom.

But as Eliška and Albin engage in a reckless dance of passion and secrets, a sinister presence lurking in the woods grows bolder and can only be satisfied by one thing—souls. Entangled in a web of their own making, Eliška and Albin must find a way to break free or be crushed under the weight of expectation and revenge in a world where long-forgotten magic waits just below the surface.