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A Kingdom of Ash & Oath: A Slow-Burn BWWM Fantasy of Duty, Forbidden Love, and Healing Magic
Princess Nyamira of Xetaria was chosen to heal a kingdom—and to marry the man who would one day rule it. But when the young princess arrives at court, the cold-eyed crown prince Caelum treats her as nothing more than a political pawn. Years later, when duty demands they wed, he finds himself haunted by the warmth he once ignored and desperate to win back the heart he froze long ago.
A Kingdom of Ash & Oath is a lush, black heroine fantasy, slow-burn romantic fantasy where duty collides with desire, secrets bloom like thorns, and love might be the most dangerous vow of all.
A Kingdom of Ash & Oath is a lush, black heroine fantasy, slow-burn romantic fantasy where duty collides with desire, secrets bloom like thorns, and love might be the most dangerous vow of all.
616 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 10, 2025
8 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
About the author
Selene Duskbourne
1 book3 followersIf you like slow-burn fantasy romances with a side of royal drama, forbidden love, and magical mischief? Well, you’re in the right kingdom. 😉
I’m Selene Duskbourne, your guide to worlds where my princesses are cleverer than the crown prince thinks, hearts are stolen with a wink (or a well-placed curse), and love is never simple—but always deliciously complicated. My heroines are smart, sassy, and unapologetically themselves, and my heroes? Think brooding, powerful, and dangerously handsome, with just enough arrogance to make you want to see them fall…hard.
When I’m not plotting how a crown prince might finally beg for attention, I’m usually:
I’m sneaking bites of chocolate 🍫 while pretending it’s potion ingredients
Talking to my imaginary dragons (they’re surprisingly judgy) 🐉
Sneaking spicy little moments into otherwise innocent-looking royal dinners ✨
Follow me here on Goodreads and Amazon for steamy, slow-burn fantasy romances that will leave you swooning, laughing, and pressing “next chapter” way too late into the night. 💖
I’m Selene Duskbourne, your guide to worlds where my princesses are cleverer than the crown prince thinks, hearts are stolen with a wink (or a well-placed curse), and love is never simple—but always deliciously complicated. My heroines are smart, sassy, and unapologetically themselves, and my heroes? Think brooding, powerful, and dangerously handsome, with just enough arrogance to make you want to see them fall…hard.
When I’m not plotting how a crown prince might finally beg for attention, I’m usually:
I’m sneaking bites of chocolate 🍫 while pretending it’s potion ingredients
Talking to my imaginary dragons (they’re surprisingly judgy) 🐉
Sneaking spicy little moments into otherwise innocent-looking royal dinners ✨
Follow me here on Goodreads and Amazon for steamy, slow-burn fantasy romances that will leave you swooning, laughing, and pressing “next chapter” way too late into the night. 💖
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 15, 2025
I Want Moreeeeee
Long review!
I truly fell in love with this story. I loved all the characters, even the villain (yes, I know, but my gosh. I kind of felt… bad for him). And even though I didn’t like the king, he wasn’t a terrible individual. Just terribly misogynistic, which I guess is a realistic portrayal of royal in the period of which this fantasy story is set. It almost goes without saying that Lucian is my favourite. OMG. He stole every scene he was in. What a rascal. He was a proper menace. Just giving Caelum headache after headache. Which, Caelum kind of needed, because he was too stubborn to admit anything and move forward without it. I’m getting ahead of myself.
This is a long read, I think it was a little bit over 600 pages, which I am a fan of. I love long reads because I feel as though they allow for proper character development and careful thread plot points. Both of which I think this story handled fairly well. It never felt rushed or dull the way the characters were handled. Even the little tidbits that were sprinkled during the council meetings that I kind of just glossed over. When it was revealed when the antagonist used and that we were given hints, I went back and was like, ‘oooooooh,’ the seed was planted. I thought that was cleverly woven in. Mind you, it wasn’t ’Sherlock Holmes,’ (I mean, this is a romance story), but I appreciated that level of attention to detail the author gave her story.
I liked the world. Sure, we spent most of the time in the MLs kingdom, since FML was sent there to be his ‘treaty bride,’ but I feel like what we got more of the customs and backstory of FMLs kingdom than the one the story was based in. And I was a bit greedy for more, because MLs kingdom (Elarion) felt like every ‘warrior’ state/kingdom I’ve ever read about. But FMLs kingdom (Xetaria) seemed so intriguing. I wanted to know more about the customs and practices there. The first chapter gave us a look into some of that with her departure at the young age of 12? And it was really immersive. I could see the scene unfold in my mind’s eye as I read it. Really liked that.
I loved Nyamira. I feel like she was strong in a way that I like my FMLs, but it had nothing to do with physical strength. She was quite literally a child sent to be a treaty between two kingdoms, but she held her own and gradually grew to earn the respect of those around her. Gaines some allies, some more than friends and kind of just exuded quiet strength. She was also very petty and I loved that. Lol. I love petty FMLs, because why should MLs think their actions have no consequences? She made Caelum sweat. And he deserved to sweat. He was no walk in the park, but I loved how their love story unfolded and how they became so inseparable as the story progressed.
Oh Caelum, Caelum. He was a little sh*t when he first met his bride. He definitely cut her with his lines. That man did not care. Buuuuuut, I got his reason behind it. Imagine being 16 and your father bringing you a 12 year old girl and telling you that this was your bride? So yeah, I completely get his reactions and why he wanted nothing to do with her for years! HOWEVER, he could have still been less frosty to her. Almost every line or act towards her was him basically letting her know he would not be there if he wasn’t being forced by the king and his obligation and Nyamira just got sick of it eventually. Which, I couldn’t blame her. Even that wedding night scene, I completely get why she would think the thoughts she did because after years of his treatment, who would think he would want otherwise? It makes sense. But man was that scene so painful to read. But nothing could prepare me for the scene in the garden when Nyamira was relaying it to her friend (I forgot her name) but Caelum and Lucian were hiding in the bushes and overheard. My mouth dropped open. I could not get it to close. The embarrassment, the hurt. Jaw meet floor. Author definitely wanted to humble Caelum. It worked out for him in the end though.
Oh my gosh, Damien. Ahhh. The letter he sent, I teared up. I teared up so hard. I felt so bad. He didn’t even get to attend the celebrations to see his friend one last time. It was probably for the best, because who knew what he would have done? But honestly, I feel like his pining was so well written. I was rooting for him. I was rooting for him so hard and then when the Queen pulled that move, I screamed, but I also understood because of what was happening in her own marriage. She’s not a fool. She saw what it could do and decided to do something about it, but man did I feel personally betrayed about it.
Lucian *checks notes* No notes! He’s amazing!!! Best character. Loved him. Lol. My favourite.
Some part were annoying. Like when we were building up in the first 3 or 4 chapters and every other word was duty this and duty that- we get it! Some parts were also repetitive and could be edited. Overall, I enjoyed this story and will look out for more works for Ms. Duskbourne.
Long review!
I truly fell in love with this story. I loved all the characters, even the villain (yes, I know, but my gosh. I kind of felt… bad for him). And even though I didn’t like the king, he wasn’t a terrible individual. Just terribly misogynistic, which I guess is a realistic portrayal of royal in the period of which this fantasy story is set. It almost goes without saying that Lucian is my favourite. OMG. He stole every scene he was in. What a rascal. He was a proper menace. Just giving Caelum headache after headache. Which, Caelum kind of needed, because he was too stubborn to admit anything and move forward without it. I’m getting ahead of myself.
This is a long read, I think it was a little bit over 600 pages, which I am a fan of. I love long reads because I feel as though they allow for proper character development and careful thread plot points. Both of which I think this story handled fairly well. It never felt rushed or dull the way the characters were handled. Even the little tidbits that were sprinkled during the council meetings that I kind of just glossed over. When it was revealed when the antagonist used and that we were given hints, I went back and was like, ‘oooooooh,’ the seed was planted. I thought that was cleverly woven in. Mind you, it wasn’t ’Sherlock Holmes,’ (I mean, this is a romance story), but I appreciated that level of attention to detail the author gave her story.
I liked the world. Sure, we spent most of the time in the MLs kingdom, since FML was sent there to be his ‘treaty bride,’ but I feel like what we got more of the customs and backstory of FMLs kingdom than the one the story was based in. And I was a bit greedy for more, because MLs kingdom (Elarion) felt like every ‘warrior’ state/kingdom I’ve ever read about. But FMLs kingdom (Xetaria) seemed so intriguing. I wanted to know more about the customs and practices there. The first chapter gave us a look into some of that with her departure at the young age of 12? And it was really immersive. I could see the scene unfold in my mind’s eye as I read it. Really liked that.
I loved Nyamira. I feel like she was strong in a way that I like my FMLs, but it had nothing to do with physical strength. She was quite literally a child sent to be a treaty between two kingdoms, but she held her own and gradually grew to earn the respect of those around her. Gaines some allies, some more than friends and kind of just exuded quiet strength. She was also very petty and I loved that. Lol. I love petty FMLs, because why should MLs think their actions have no consequences? She made Caelum sweat. And he deserved to sweat. He was no walk in the park, but I loved how their love story unfolded and how they became so inseparable as the story progressed.
Oh Caelum, Caelum. He was a little sh*t when he first met his bride. He definitely cut her with his lines. That man did not care. Buuuuuut, I got his reason behind it. Imagine being 16 and your father bringing you a 12 year old girl and telling you that this was your bride? So yeah, I completely get his reactions and why he wanted nothing to do with her for years! HOWEVER, he could have still been less frosty to her. Almost every line or act towards her was him basically letting her know he would not be there if he wasn’t being forced by the king and his obligation and Nyamira just got sick of it eventually. Which, I couldn’t blame her. Even that wedding night scene, I completely get why she would think the thoughts she did because after years of his treatment, who would think he would want otherwise? It makes sense. But man was that scene so painful to read. But nothing could prepare me for the scene in the garden when Nyamira was relaying it to her friend (I forgot her name) but Caelum and Lucian were hiding in the bushes and overheard. My mouth dropped open. I could not get it to close. The embarrassment, the hurt. Jaw meet floor. Author definitely wanted to humble Caelum. It worked out for him in the end though.
Oh my gosh, Damien. Ahhh. The letter he sent, I teared up. I teared up so hard. I felt so bad. He didn’t even get to attend the celebrations to see his friend one last time. It was probably for the best, because who knew what he would have done? But honestly, I feel like his pining was so well written. I was rooting for him. I was rooting for him so hard and then when the Queen pulled that move, I screamed, but I also understood because of what was happening in her own marriage. She’s not a fool. She saw what it could do and decided to do something about it, but man did I feel personally betrayed about it.
Lucian *checks notes* No notes! He’s amazing!!! Best character. Loved him. Lol. My favourite.
Some part were annoying. Like when we were building up in the first 3 or 4 chapters and every other word was duty this and duty that- we get it! Some parts were also repetitive and could be edited. Overall, I enjoyed this story and will look out for more works for Ms. Duskbourne.
August 15, 2025
Me while trying to write this review: 
While this book may not be my cup of tea, it might be yours. Especially if you are a reader where you like to be TOLD the actions of the characters rather than SHOWN. I had to take several breaks while reading this book today because it just irked me like no other.
There were SO many wasted opportunities for the author to bring the story to life by writing out the scenes of the characters actions instead of just telling the reader that they happened. Like for example, in the beginning of the book the author mentions that Caelum - the male lead of this book, was taught by his father that, "kings were made in the blood and dust of battlefields.” This would have been the perfect opportunity for the author to immerse the readers in a scene with the father and son on the battlefield where he learns this lesson the hard way. But nooooooooooo
Time jumps were also wasted. The female & male lead of this book go 3 years with very little interactions with each other after Nyamira first arrives to his kingdom. Okay, fine. But why not use that time to build up some of the tension & dislike between the characters? Tense conversations, awkward encounters, cold shoulders... something to show the growing resentment between them. Write little instances that are sprinkled throughout those 3 years where their dislike of each other or the prince's abandonment of her are SHOWN throughout that time so the reader has a reason to build their ire towards his character.
These are just two examples of many important moments that were needed in this book.
Being over 600 pages long, you may be wondering what the hell is in this book if the readers are being told everything instead of shown? LOTS of language describing how the palace looks, or on OUTFITS. The book is literally titled "A Kingdom of Ash & Oath" and with that title, there is the expectation that the setting is going to be grand. There is no need to waste words describing it to the reader over and over again every. single. chapter. It's not needed & did nothing to further the plot.
Another issue I had with this authors writing is that she chopped and screwed every single scene into multiple chapters... There was literally a scene in the book where they were in the middle of sex & the author cut that in half to add it to the following chapter. WHY?! this is not a dang tv show where it needs to end on a cliffhanger. its the middle of the dang book!!!! It pulled me out of the moment!!! Keep the scene in one freaking chapter!!!! Let it finish. Stop slicing everything into cliffhangers.
I also don't believe that the gap between the two characters was fully bridged. The author just threw sex in there as the balm to magically resolve everything but that just wasn’t enough for me.
While this book may not be my cup of tea, it might be yours. Especially if you are a reader where you like to be TOLD the actions of the characters rather than SHOWN. I had to take several breaks while reading this book today because it just irked me like no other.
There were SO many wasted opportunities for the author to bring the story to life by writing out the scenes of the characters actions instead of just telling the reader that they happened. Like for example, in the beginning of the book the author mentions that Caelum - the male lead of this book, was taught by his father that, "kings were made in the blood and dust of battlefields.” This would have been the perfect opportunity for the author to immerse the readers in a scene with the father and son on the battlefield where he learns this lesson the hard way. But nooooooooooo
Time jumps were also wasted. The female & male lead of this book go 3 years with very little interactions with each other after Nyamira first arrives to his kingdom. Okay, fine. But why not use that time to build up some of the tension & dislike between the characters? Tense conversations, awkward encounters, cold shoulders... something to show the growing resentment between them. Write little instances that are sprinkled throughout those 3 years where their dislike of each other or the prince's abandonment of her are SHOWN throughout that time so the reader has a reason to build their ire towards his character.
These are just two examples of many important moments that were needed in this book.
Being over 600 pages long, you may be wondering what the hell is in this book if the readers are being told everything instead of shown? LOTS of language describing how the palace looks, or on OUTFITS. The book is literally titled "A Kingdom of Ash & Oath" and with that title, there is the expectation that the setting is going to be grand. There is no need to waste words describing it to the reader over and over again every. single. chapter. It's not needed & did nothing to further the plot.
Another issue I had with this authors writing is that she chopped and screwed every single scene into multiple chapters... There was literally a scene in the book where they were in the middle of sex & the author cut that in half to add it to the following chapter. WHY?! this is not a dang tv show where it needs to end on a cliffhanger. its the middle of the dang book!!!! It pulled me out of the moment!!! Keep the scene in one freaking chapter!!!! Let it finish. Stop slicing everything into cliffhangers.
I also don't believe that the gap between the two characters was fully bridged. The author just threw sex in there as the balm to magically resolve everything but that just wasn’t enough for me.
October 9, 2025
A Kingdom of Ash & Oath is a beautifully written fantasy that blends romance, power, and purpose in a world of magic and duty.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews