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Winter Heart
A PRINCE IN HIDING
AN APPRENTICE MAGE HEALER
In a land of snow and ice, called Eira, the Aridian prince Fane Stagrunner finds himself running from the only life he has ever known. He's thrown into a world of magicians, relics, healers, and a mystery that may mean the end of everything he loves.
Niamh Sagesinger, apprentice to the Head Mage of Eira, has always known she would be set on a path to replace her master and become the Head Mage one day. That is, until a powerful rival appears. Niamh must learn how to untangle the mass of lies that comes against her, and win the position she's thought she’s always wanted.
As soon as Fane and Niamh's paths cross, they are thrust into solving a dark mystery that neither of them are equipped to understand. With the help of new friends and rivals, the two of them must work together to find answers. Each of them have secrets of their own, however, and some secrets cannot stay hidden for long.
Winter Heart is the first novel in the Relics of Light quartet, inspired by the magical, snowy atmosphere of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, with the sweeping scope and large cast of characters like the Throne of Glass series.
It’s perfect for fantasy readers who enjoy slow-burn romance, complex character dynamics, and unique magic systems.
Full of wholesome, warm characters, steeped in mystery and suspense, and infused with timeless truth, Winter Heart has something for every fan of cozy fantasy stories who want a clean, exciting read.
AN APPRENTICE MAGE HEALER
In a land of snow and ice, called Eira, the Aridian prince Fane Stagrunner finds himself running from the only life he has ever known. He's thrown into a world of magicians, relics, healers, and a mystery that may mean the end of everything he loves.
Niamh Sagesinger, apprentice to the Head Mage of Eira, has always known she would be set on a path to replace her master and become the Head Mage one day. That is, until a powerful rival appears. Niamh must learn how to untangle the mass of lies that comes against her, and win the position she's thought she’s always wanted.
As soon as Fane and Niamh's paths cross, they are thrust into solving a dark mystery that neither of them are equipped to understand. With the help of new friends and rivals, the two of them must work together to find answers. Each of them have secrets of their own, however, and some secrets cannot stay hidden for long.
Winter Heart is the first novel in the Relics of Light quartet, inspired by the magical, snowy atmosphere of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, with the sweeping scope and large cast of characters like the Throne of Glass series.
It’s perfect for fantasy readers who enjoy slow-burn romance, complex character dynamics, and unique magic systems.
Full of wholesome, warm characters, steeped in mystery and suspense, and infused with timeless truth, Winter Heart has something for every fan of cozy fantasy stories who want a clean, exciting read.
- GenresFantasy
376 pages, Paperback
Published February 17, 2024
1 person is currently reading
94 people want to read
About the author
H.D. Foxe
3 books6 followersH.D. Foxe, known by her friends as Heather, lives in the great North. She’s called Alaska home for the last ten years, and she’s never grown tired of seeing the mountains every morning. The Alpenglow is her favorite thing.
She’s always been a writer, and she’s glad her mom saved all of her old stories in the family scrapbooks. This story was ten years in the making- and three years in the writing.
When she’s not writing, Heather spends her time watercolor painting, crying over movies, and overwatering her plant babies. She also has a fat cat named Ghillie that she’s quite fond of.
If you want to know more about when Heather’s next book will come out, connect with her on these social media platforms:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorhdfoxe
Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/authorhdfoxe/
If you love my books, support me by leaving a review – it helps more than you know!
She’s always been a writer, and she’s glad her mom saved all of her old stories in the family scrapbooks. This story was ten years in the making- and three years in the writing.
When she’s not writing, Heather spends her time watercolor painting, crying over movies, and overwatering her plant babies. She also has a fat cat named Ghillie that she’s quite fond of.
If you want to know more about when Heather’s next book will come out, connect with her on these social media platforms:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorhdfoxe
Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/authorhdfoxe/
If you love my books, support me by leaving a review – it helps more than you know!
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 23, 2024
I may be a little biased, also, but I'm so proud of this work of mine! <3 It's come a long way from its humble beginnings as my "falling asleep fanfiction in my head" days. I hope you enjoy my characters just as much as I do!
Book 2 coming soon!
Book 2 coming soon!
December 27, 2024
I loved this book!! It was so well written, and the plot was incredibly interesting! My favorite books are the kinds where you get so into the story that you get lost in the pages and forget you're even reading, and this book definitely did that for me!! It takes a lot of creativity to make a fantasy world like this, and it's so well done!! I can't wait to read more about these loveable characters when the second one comes out!
April 6, 2024
This book was full of beautiful and relatable characters, warm COZY vibes, incredible world building and magic, and such a well-told story.
What a fantastic debut novel!!!
To be honest, it was slow going for me at first. But within the first five chapters, I began to realize I WANTED to relish every moment of the story. I didn’t want to devour it, I wanted to SAVOR it. That was such a wonderful feeling, such a change from what I am used to reading these days!
Though the last fifty pages or so changed that…I devoured those. I think I read the last chunk of this book in one sitting, hehe.
The magic system was by far one of my favorite things about this book. Just WOW. Such an interesting concept that was beautifully executed. And I’m intrigued to learn even more about it in future books!
To me the characters felt well rounded, and relatable. This is one of the only books that I’ve read recently where I relate more to the MMC than the FMC. Fane had me cringing and giggling the whole book, and the cringing was mostly due to the fact that I found myself saying “yeah, me too buddy. I’ve been there…I get it.”
That being said, I felt like I saw a piece of myself in EVERY character’s story, and that made it even more impactful and special. Well done, Foxe!
The dynamic relationships of this story were beautifully done as well. Just like the characters, they felt relatable and realistic, and I found myself rooting for them all - romantic or not.
I highly recommend this read, and cannot wait for the rest of the series!!!
What a fantastic debut novel!!!
To be honest, it was slow going for me at first. But within the first five chapters, I began to realize I WANTED to relish every moment of the story. I didn’t want to devour it, I wanted to SAVOR it. That was such a wonderful feeling, such a change from what I am used to reading these days!
Though the last fifty pages or so changed that…I devoured those. I think I read the last chunk of this book in one sitting, hehe.
The magic system was by far one of my favorite things about this book. Just WOW. Such an interesting concept that was beautifully executed. And I’m intrigued to learn even more about it in future books!
To me the characters felt well rounded, and relatable. This is one of the only books that I’ve read recently where I relate more to the MMC than the FMC. Fane had me cringing and giggling the whole book, and the cringing was mostly due to the fact that I found myself saying “yeah, me too buddy. I’ve been there…I get it.”
That being said, I felt like I saw a piece of myself in EVERY character’s story, and that made it even more impactful and special. Well done, Foxe!
The dynamic relationships of this story were beautifully done as well. Just like the characters, they felt relatable and realistic, and I found myself rooting for them all - romantic or not.
I highly recommend this read, and cannot wait for the rest of the series!!!
April 14, 2024
I LOVED Winter Heart. I am obsessed with the world building, the character development, and the magic that is woven throughout this wonderful book. This book was so well written and so captivating and I cannot wait until the next one!
May 9, 2024
Will be anxiously awaiting the next book in the series! Looking forward to introduction to a different environment and more beautifully crafted characters in the next "chapter"! I hope there is even more magic and mythical creatures to come!
March 21, 2024
I may be a little biased, but I love this book and the characters within!
The world is rich with uniquely woven lore, the magic system has elements I've not seen elsewhere, and the character development are top notch!
My favorite characters are definitely the two grumpy men, Rohyr and Hael. They may both be grumpy, but they're most definitely not the same! You'll need to read to learn their characters. ;)
Niamh and Fane have really fascinating character development, both have a timidness about them that gets set aside the moment they are in a situation they're confident in. But that confidence gets challenged in several ways.
One element I love about the women in this book is that they are feminine. They are not forced into this hard shell of a human that has breasts, but saunters around like a toxic masculine powerhouse who is better than everyone around them. The women in Winters Heart are allowed to be both soft and strong. They are allowed to cry, but still be bold and fully capable. They recognize their weaknesses and the strengths of their male friends. It is so REFRESHING!
Anyway, I love this book and can't wait to reread it, as well as those that follow!
The world is rich with uniquely woven lore, the magic system has elements I've not seen elsewhere, and the character development are top notch!
My favorite characters are definitely the two grumpy men, Rohyr and Hael. They may both be grumpy, but they're most definitely not the same! You'll need to read to learn their characters. ;)
Niamh and Fane have really fascinating character development, both have a timidness about them that gets set aside the moment they are in a situation they're confident in. But that confidence gets challenged in several ways.
One element I love about the women in this book is that they are feminine. They are not forced into this hard shell of a human that has breasts, but saunters around like a toxic masculine powerhouse who is better than everyone around them. The women in Winters Heart are allowed to be both soft and strong. They are allowed to cry, but still be bold and fully capable. They recognize their weaknesses and the strengths of their male friends. It is so REFRESHING!
Anyway, I love this book and can't wait to reread it, as well as those that follow!
January 11, 2026
Wow!! I absolutely loved this book! The atmosphere and characters were so well written I truly felt like I knew the characters, and like I was sucked into a different world. The magic system turned out to be so unique and wonderful to read about! I really enjoyed the underlining Christian elements, and the overall plot. The flow of the story was also very well done, and I found that even in the non-action scenes I was still so invested in what was happening. Plus points for the super sweet romance, in addition to the well developed character growth that happened! So so good! I cannot wait for the next book!😊
May 1, 2024
For full transparency, the author of “Winter Heart,” H. D. Foxe, is a dear friend of mine and a critique partner. So I am very familiar with this book, what’s to come, and, therefore, am biased. But here are my thoughts on it after my recent re-read:
“Winter Heart” is a clean, fantasy novel that is the first of a four book series. It stars Fane, a runaway prince (a golden retriever MMC), and Niamh, a healer mage apprentice (a cinnamon roll FMC). After a failed assassination attempt, Fane runs for his life to the snowy country of Eira. There he tries to answer the questions of who’s behind the assassination attempt, who can he trust, and he explores what it means to be a man. Meanwhile, Niamh’s position in the castle is threatened when a new, talented (and annoying) apprentice arrives and invades every area of Niamh’s life. (That’s Maewyn, by the way. She’s my favorite, even if she’s not regarded kindly by Niamh or Fane… yet.)
My favorite part of “Winter Heart” is the character arcs for our MCs. Fane starts as this helpless young man and so much of his journey is learning how to be strong, how to act under pressure, and grow up to become a man. I respect and enjoy the exploration of masculinity and femininity in “Winter Heart” so, so much. It’s not something I’ve seen a lot of lately. Meanwhile, Niamh has to learn to adapt to her changing environment and how to push through what she thought her limits were.
All of this is wrapped in a cozy, wintery world with magic and Christian allegorical elements. I very much recommend Winter Heart and I’m so excited to see Foxe grow in her craft as the series continues.
“Winter Heart” is a clean, fantasy novel that is the first of a four book series. It stars Fane, a runaway prince (a golden retriever MMC), and Niamh, a healer mage apprentice (a cinnamon roll FMC). After a failed assassination attempt, Fane runs for his life to the snowy country of Eira. There he tries to answer the questions of who’s behind the assassination attempt, who can he trust, and he explores what it means to be a man. Meanwhile, Niamh’s position in the castle is threatened when a new, talented (and annoying) apprentice arrives and invades every area of Niamh’s life. (That’s Maewyn, by the way. She’s my favorite, even if she’s not regarded kindly by Niamh or Fane… yet.)
My favorite part of “Winter Heart” is the character arcs for our MCs. Fane starts as this helpless young man and so much of his journey is learning how to be strong, how to act under pressure, and grow up to become a man. I respect and enjoy the exploration of masculinity and femininity in “Winter Heart” so, so much. It’s not something I’ve seen a lot of lately. Meanwhile, Niamh has to learn to adapt to her changing environment and how to push through what she thought her limits were.
All of this is wrapped in a cozy, wintery world with magic and Christian allegorical elements. I very much recommend Winter Heart and I’m so excited to see Foxe grow in her craft as the series continues.
April 13, 2024
The mix of romance and fantasy was so enjoyable! The details had me feeling as if I was actually in the story watching everything happen. Each character has their own complex stories that has you invested from the beginning! The book follows different characters’ stories vs just one character. I was very captivated and felt like I couldn’t read fast enough!
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December 26, 2025I wish the rest of the series were available to read. It will be hard to wait.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews