To Deceive a Kingdom: A Princess and the Pea Retelling

Magic is dying. Everyone is lying. Ceris is quite content in her role as a horse trainer’s assistant by day and medicinal smuggler by night. But when one of her closest friends betrays her and draws her into a plot of her own, Ceris has to pretend to be a foreign princess to save her smuggling ring…and herself. She may have to go so far as to marry the prince if she can’t find a way out of her friend’s scheme. Aieldir was born a reluctant secret-keeper and raised to be King of the Lianthiran Fae. But his kingdom’s magic is weakening, and rumors of revolt are circulating. As the heir to the throne, the burden to marry a powerful princess from Searon and secure his kingdom’s future weighs heavily on his shoulders. But when his mysterious “princess” shows up half-drowned, he soon suspects she’s not who she claims to be. Will Ceris let down her wall of deception long enough to see the man beneath the crown? Can Aieldir possibly put his future—and his heart—in the hands of a fraud? Or will their schemes and secrets shatter their fragile trust, dooming their kingdom as well as their own happily-ever-after?