She came to his fortress with murder hidden in her hair. He opened the gates and locked her inside.
Morwenna Penrose has lost everything, and she knows exactly who to blame. Armed with a poisoned silver hairpin and fueled by grief, she braves a deadly winter blizzard to infiltrate Tremayne Manor, intending to kill Orpheus Tremayne—the Exiled Duke known as the Monster of the North.
But Orpheus has been watching her. He expects her assassination attempt, easily disarms her, and makes her his captive just as the worst snowstorm in a generation seals them off from the world.
As Morwenna plans her escape through the estate's hidden voids and secret passages, she discovers a terrifying truth beneath the floorboards: Tremayne Manor is a graveyard for royal spies, and Orpheus isn't the only monster hunting her. Outside the manor's walls, the ruthless royal enforcer Balthazar St. John is laying siege with the King's vanguard. Balthazar doesn't just want Morwenna's life—he wants to claim her as collateral for her family's debts.
To survive the Crown's brutal siege, Morwenna must forge a dangerous alliance with the man who orchestrated her family's financial ruin. Orpheus claims he bought her destruction to save her from a far worse fate, but his protection feels dangerously like possession.
Trapped in a labyrinth of dark secrets, deadly traps, and rising tension, Morwenna must decide what to do with her poisoned blade. If she kills the Exiled Duke, she falls to the Crown. If she trusts him, she might lose her heart to the very architect of her ruin.
Tropes in this Book:
Morwenna Penrose has lost everything, and she knows exactly who to blame. Armed with a poisoned silver hairpin and fueled by grief, she braves a deadly winter blizzard to infiltrate Tremayne Manor, intending to kill Orpheus Tremayne—the Exiled Duke known as the Monster of the North.
But Orpheus has been watching her. He expects her assassination attempt, easily disarms her, and makes her his captive just as the worst snowstorm in a generation seals them off from the world.
As Morwenna plans her escape through the estate's hidden voids and secret passages, she discovers a terrifying truth beneath the floorboards: Tremayne Manor is a graveyard for royal spies, and Orpheus isn't the only monster hunting her. Outside the manor's walls, the ruthless royal enforcer Balthazar St. John is laying siege with the King's vanguard. Balthazar doesn't just want Morwenna's life—he wants to claim her as collateral for her family's debts.
To survive the Crown's brutal siege, Morwenna must forge a dangerous alliance with the man who orchestrated her family's financial ruin. Orpheus claims he bought her destruction to save her from a far worse fate, but his protection feels dangerously like possession.
Trapped in a labyrinth of dark secrets, deadly traps, and rising tension, Morwenna must decide what to do with her poisoned blade. If she kills the Exiled Duke, she falls to the Crown. If she trusts him, she might lose her heart to the very architect of her ruin.
Tropes in this Book:
- Enemies to Lovers: She came to assassinate him; he took her weapon and her breath away.
Forced Proximity & Snowed In: Trapped together in a locked manor during an impassable winter blizzard.
Morally Grey Hero: A ruthless Duke who orchestrated her family's ruin simply to steal her from the Crown's clutches.
Touch Her and You Die: The MMC will literally drop enemies into an iron-spiked oubliette to keep her safe.
Gothic House of Secrets: A labyrinthine estate filled with murder-holes, listening voids, false architectural plans, and deadly traps.
Genre: Historical Romance
Used availability for Alisson Bento's Poisoned Intentions