Castle and Key

A swoony friends-to-lovers fairytale retelling of Bluebeard, set in the Two Monarchies Sequence.

A groom with a beard of blue, a bride in lace of gold, and a house running red with blood… Returning to Glause from a diplomatic mission with her own personal cohort of Horselords, Susan Farrah is looking forward to a hot meal and a good night's sleep at the closest inn. Once ensconced in her room, however, what she finds is a frightened young woman in golden lace hiding in her wardrobe.

The next morning, Susan learns that her late-night visitor was a new bride, passing through the town on her way to the castle on the hill—the latest in a long line of castle brides, and the only one still alive. No one seems to know if the house itself is consuming bride after bride, or if the groom is marrying and then murdering his brides for reasons of his own.

Obviously, someone needs to do something—and luckily, the castle has an opening for a maid. All Susan needs to do is stash her favourite Glausian Horselord in the pantry for a few nights to watch her back while she solves the mystery, and avoid any unnecessary household drama…

Castle and Key is the sixth book in the Two Monarchies Sequence, and can be read as the second book in a separate duology with Masque, book five.