The Reckoning of Ashen Vows

A forbidden bond. A dead man's secrets. One widow who refuses to mourn in silence. Elowyn Casteel rides through a merciless downpour beside the dangerous Caelum Vance, a sword strapped to his back and shadows in his eyes. Bound to him by a deathbed promise she did not make, she is traveling to bury a husband she never loved, a man whose secrets have already begun to bleed through the pages of solicitor Mr. Hadley's ledgers. Each mile reveals another lie: a poisoned inheritance, a name carved into a grave that was never Elowyn's to claim, and a debt owed to the ruthless Rowan Ashford, whose gaze lingers a heartbeat too long. Caught between the brooding warrior she cannot stop wanting and the scheming lords who would see her ruined, Elowyn uncovers a truth more dangerous than either. Maren Thorne, once her closest confidante, harbors a secret that could shatter every alliance Elowyn has left. With her mother's safety hanging in the balance and a storm of betrayal gathering on every side, Elowyn must decide what she is willing to burn, and who she is willing to become.