The Vow Beneath Black Roses

When cathedral restorer Elara Voss discovers her dead father sold her hand in marriage to the most feared man in the city, she expects a monster. Adrian Blackthorne is worse: a ruthless heir to an old-money dynasty with blood on its ledgers, a voice like velvet over a blade, and a mansion full of locked rooms where her mother’s name is forbidden.

Their wedding is a contract written to save Elara’s brother from prison and Adrian’s empire from collapse. But every power struggle between them sparks a dangerous intimacy neither can afford. Elara searches for the truth behind her family’s ruin, only to learn Adrian has been protecting her from a secret that could destroy both their houses.

In a city ruled by saints, sinners, and men who bury bodies beneath rose gardens, love is not salvation. It is leverage. And when Elara’s hidden identity awakens a decades-old conspiracy, Adrian must decide whether to keep his bride captive or burn his kingdom to set her free.