She is his second chance at honor. He is her first act of defiance.
Isley Anselm has spent her life fading into the wallpaper of House Anselm, overshadowed by cruel siblings and a mother who believes softness is a flaw. She sticks to humble blooms, and keeps her younger brother Tavian, and her stunning wasp familiar Flicket close—whose secret messages are the only kindness she trusts.
When Queen Elphame selects her to recreate the scent of an impossible bloom, Isley sees her chance to finally escape—and maybe even earn a place with Solana’s prestigious Calyx, an elite retinue of flora fae performers. She never expects Elphame to assign her a bodyguard with shadows in his eyes and an empty space where his familiar once perched.
Stellan is a disgraced fauna captain trying to outrun the mistake that cost him everything. Escorting a timid perfumer across the realm should be simple, but Isley’s courage is quiet and devastating. As her buttercup magic begins illuminating what once vanished in smoke, the dangerous enemy that cost Stellan everything threatens to resurface.
But Isley is done shrinking, and Stellan is done letting the world take what he loves. Some flowers bloom brightest between thorns, and some warriors only heal when love is on the line.
A Thorn Between Us is a standalone novel set in the lush and beloved world of The Scented Court, a completed epic romantasy series by A.L. Knorr. Thorn can be enjoyed without having read any of the other novels in the series. The Scented Court novels are: A Blossom at Midnight, A Memory of Nightshade, A Daughter of Winter, A Prince of Autumn, and the standalone a Star of Darkness.
For readers who crave:
Ruthless fae courts with layered politics
Character-driven stakes over battlefield carnage
Intelligent animal familiars with emotional weight
Romantic tension built on loyalty, quiet devotion, and earned trust
Courtly gowns, sabotage, flora & fauna magic, and ballroom reveals
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Isley Anselm has spent her life fading into the wallpaper of House Anselm, overshadowed by cruel siblings and a mother who believes softness is a flaw. She sticks to humble blooms, and keeps her younger brother Tavian, and her stunning wasp familiar Flicket close—whose secret messages are the only kindness she trusts.
When Queen Elphame selects her to recreate the scent of an impossible bloom, Isley sees her chance to finally escape—and maybe even earn a place with Solana’s prestigious Calyx, an elite retinue of flora fae performers. She never expects Elphame to assign her a bodyguard with shadows in his eyes and an empty space where his familiar once perched.
Stellan is a disgraced fauna captain trying to outrun the mistake that cost him everything. Escorting a timid perfumer across the realm should be simple, but Isley’s courage is quiet and devastating. As her buttercup magic begins illuminating what once vanished in smoke, the dangerous enemy that cost Stellan everything threatens to resurface.
But Isley is done shrinking, and Stellan is done letting the world take what he loves. Some flowers bloom brightest between thorns, and some warriors only heal when love is on the line.
A Thorn Between Us is a standalone novel set in the lush and beloved world of The Scented Court, a completed epic romantasy series by A.L. Knorr. Thorn can be enjoyed without having read any of the other novels in the series. The Scented Court novels are: A Blossom at Midnight, A Memory of Nightshade, A Daughter of Winter, A Prince of Autumn, and the standalone a Star of Darkness.
For readers who crave:
Ruthless fae courts with layered politics
Character-driven stakes over battlefield carnage
Intelligent animal familiars with emotional weight
Romantic tension built on loyalty, quiet devotion, and earned trust
Courtly gowns, sabotage, flora & fauna magic, and ballroom reveals
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy