Compass Rose (The Iumavae Chronicles Book 1)

An orphan king. A sheltered queen. A plot that might get them both killed.

Aesira Valandor hasn't seen her betrothed in ten years. Taking her place as Branimir Mairead's wife means leaving behind everything she's ever known- and becoming queen of a nation vastly different from her own.

She doesn't know what to expect from the careworn young man who's replaced the boy she played with as a child. But in spite of the grief of losing his parents and the pressures of being king, Branimir remains the thoughtful, fun-loving boy who once put a toad in her nurse's teacup. The more time Aesira spends in her new life, the more she finds herself falling for her husband and the kingdom she now rules.

No sooner do she and Branimir begin exploring these feelings than strange things start to happen. A collapsed bridge, a murder at their front door, and worst, a stray arrow that nearly kills her husband. Aesira is no fool. None of this is coincidence. Neither is the worry Branimir tries to hide from her.

As Branimir begins to pull away, and his secrets threaten to tear them apart, Aesira struggles to unravel a conspiracy that runs deeper than she had ever imagined. No one is trustworthy, and only one thing is certain: Someone is trying to kill the king. And whoever they are, they're not working alone.