Chant of Cheats

by E.A. Winters

Bound by a curse they never chose, Grigg and Adelina's hearts beat as one-even when torn apart.
And now a bond they cannot break may be the one weapon no one counted on.

Imprisoned in the nightmare fortress of Himmelhain, Grigg is forced into the Jester of Fates' cruel experiments-his daily companions a cursed plant and the beasts he must battle to survive. Every lash of pain he endures sears through Adelina as well through the magical link they bear between them.

Adelina may have gained distance from the Jester for now, but freedom is no victory. To rescue Grigg, she must master forbidden magic, outwit the Queen of the Sea, and bargain with the mysterious King of the Wind-rumored to devour all who cross him.

If they fail, the Jester will break free, the Queen will rise, and the world will drown in their war. And if Grigg and Adelina succeed, the very chains that bind them may unravel their fates forever.

Genres: Fantasy

320 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 20, 2026

About the author

Author of The Blood and Flame Saga and The Melderblood Chronicles, E.A. Winters writes fast-paced, high stakes fantasy stories that keep you turning pages long into the night. She writes with a chai tea close at hand, and when she's not writing, she enjoys family time with her boys and husband in Virginia. Come along to narrowly escape death, ride dragons, and befriend assassins.

Reviews

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 3 is full of heart-pounding, gut-wrenching emotions, a beautifully revealed story, and an ending that will leave you satisfied—perhaps with a small request for a next installment. Chant of Cheats rounds out the Heist of Hearts series perfectly. Winters really knows how to get your blood pumping. She delivers characters you will cheer for and cry with as they navigate their way toward discovering a merciful love.
Thank you to E.A. Winters for an eARC of this fantastical series full of imperfect, cursed people, fantastical creatures, and villains. All thoughts are my own.

[Leighton Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just like every other book in this series, this was incredible, clever, grand, and heart wrenching. Himmelhain is truly one of the most interesting and terrifying portal worlds I’ve read about, and the characters of this series will never read me alone, I fear.
Grigg and Adelina got their happy ending, and this fast paced novel satisfied me immensely. I stayed up late last night finishing it because it was so good.
Highly recommend, and shoutout to the author for quick uploading it to kindle unlimited after I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to read it 😂

[Brittnee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this conclusion to the trilogy!!

-Dual POVs
-Grigg & Adelina ❤️
-The best friendships
-Secrets & magic
-Survival & Action
-Humor

"...he was her Vest Man, and she was his Scary Jungle Woman."

*Received an ARC, opinions are my own.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is FAST paced; even faster than the first two. E. A. Winters delivers the colorful word pictures, vivid descriptions, and zippy banter we have all come to expect from her. This is a direct continuation of the second book, so is similar to it, while the first book is a bit of a different flavor.
There is a lot of violence. A LOT. I wouldn't call it overly gory or explicit, but anyone with an imagination will have no trouble picturing what is going on, so just be aware of that. The romance is adorable. The universe is stunning and creative. The ending gives some Magician's Nephew vibes.
No spice.

[Chris B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic series from EA Winters. Fabulous character arcs and so much peril and adventure.

Was my absolute favorite of the series. What an ending. Made me so happy. That is how endings should be! Left me wanting another book or a bunch of novellas showing us the future of certain characters and situations and lives.

[Tracie D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this as an ARC . I have to say E.A. Winters did it again ! She does not disappoint . I have fallen in love with Grigg and Adelina from the start of the series and even more as I read to the end of the last book . I was afraid at times , laughed at other times and even wanted to allow a tear to fall at another time . Plus the special pull from the King of the Wind , and then The jester ! Ughhhh !! lol lol but I’m not going to say anymore - no spoilers from me .. haaa .
I highly recommend this fast paced , banter , no spice story to all . Thank you E.A. For your clean fun writings.

[Maggie McGrath · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are starting this year off very strong with one of the best books I've read in a long time!


Spoiler free section:

If you love Christian allegories, dark themes, high fantasy and intrigue, and morally complex characters, you will LOVE this conclusion to the story. I was absolutely in awe the entire time (I also read this in less than 5 hours today!)
I absolutely adore Grigg and Adelina's story, I loved the twist with the King of the Wind, and it was so well written I nearly cried.

SPOILER WARNING:







THE KING OF THE WIND OMG
I was NOT expecting the Christian allegory at the end, but it was so clear to me as soon as the King of the Wind was introduced. Firstly, He's a griffin (body of a lion, Jesus is described as the Lion of Judah, also reminded me a lot of Aslan from Narnia). Secondly, He offered to sacrifice Himself to save Grigg and Adelina and rid them of their curses, and the only price He asked them to pay was their permission–He wanted it to be their choice, them to come to Him. He needed to be invited to save them. It was so well done. The line towards the end "The Jester and the Queen are powerful, but they misunderstand the basic tenents of how the magic they use is sourced. If they die, they die forever. If I die, I die on purpose. I was all the way dead, but not all of me died." I GOT ACTUAL CHILLS READING THAT!
I also loved how the Queen of the Sea and the Jester of Fates were written. They both were synonymous with the evil one in some ways, but I really liked the connection of the satyr (goat; an animal synonymous with the devil) with the Jester–I felt like the symbolism there, especially with the King of the Wind being a griffin (lion; an animal synonymous with God) was really strong.



Erin, this was so masterfully written, I was so impressed with the strength of the faith allegory and how beautifully written this was. I love this book so much, and I'm so grateful you gave me an ARC for this book. Thank you so much for everything you do for us!

[Marie Morrissey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Wow. Wow. At the risk of sounding like a broken record when it comes to EA Winters, she has once again delivered! What an excellent read, with heart-racing action, tension, and beautiful character arcs. Chant of Cheats is so worth the time!

Grigg and Adelina show how it is possible to move beyond curses and mistakes. You know, for a character who rubbed me the wrong way when I first met him in the Melderblood Chronicles, Grigg has not only proven himself to be a good man after all, but has worked his way into my heart! Adelina’s work on herself also shows, and both characters have amazing redemption in the final, crazy, and action-packed scenes of the book. By the way, their tension through their heart bond made my chest contract way too often for my health!

What I really appreciate the most is how both characters had to learn to trust not only each other, but their friends around them, as well. As The King tells them, “You were never meant to bear burdens alone,” (Page 297).


Other thoughts:
- Alder is such a great side character!
- the conversation between Grigg and Bixie in chapter 3 nearly broke my heart!
- Love the world building. I just wish there was a map

[Chelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Wonderful Unexpected Ending

This series was so fun to read! Grigg and Adelina started with an impossible task and I didn't see how E.A. Winters would be able to tie it all together in this last book. It ended very differently than I expected, but in such a sweet way. I loved the themes of redemption and forgiveness as Grigg and Adelina worked through their own guilt from the past, and sacrifice.

*Slight Spoiler:
There is a sacrificial archetype for Christ, The archetype didn't feel forced or overdone like some other Christian influenced books I've read.


If you're looking for a clean (kisses only), slow burn, adventure, fantasy then I recommend checking this series out!

While it's not necessary, I'd recommend starting with the Blood and Flame Saga, then Melderblood series and then come to this one to catch the small references.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chant of Cheats is the third book in the series, and this is definitely a series you’ll want to read in order. The first book was good, the second book was great and left me eager to know what would happen next, and this third installment was absolutely fantastic.

In this book, we continue following Adelina and Grigg on their journey to uncover the secrets for the Queen of the Sea, facing the Jester of Fates and the King of the Wind along the way. The story is fast-paced and engaging, and I truly couldn’t put it down because I needed to know what would happen next.

The way this series wraps up is so well done. Everything comes together beautifully. I highly recommend this entire series. If you’ve already read the first two books, you definitely don’t want to miss this one. And if you haven’t started yet, grab book one, Heist of Hearts, and begin the adventure—you won’t regret it.

[Meagan Smallwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so lucky to ARC this book! The conclusion to this finale book for the series was amazing! I fell in love with the characters in the first book and have loved to see the development of all the characters throughout the series. The wonderful ending to this book and series was a beautiful wrap that felt perfect for this story. So many ending are wanting or feel forced and this was not the case.
Winters did a wonderful job of world building through storytelling and actions and as the ending is revealed you can only sit back in awe as it unfolds and you see all the pieces that have led to this. Beautiful imagery, I truly loved this series and this may be may favorite of the series.
This book was a masterpiece! Grigg was so relatable and even the color choices used to describe hearts was intentional, pointing us to the ending! Wonderful!

[Katie Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a satisfying conclusion to an action packed story! I could not fathom how this series was going to end when I got started on this third book. The stakes were high! They only got higher! Grigg and Adelina are apart but they are able to build upon their relationship through magical links instead of only blind adoration. They grew together, but they also grew apart from each other as they try to solve all the problems thrown at them by the evil beings they are facing, which was a lot! I had a lot of fun reading this series and I definitely recommend the whole thing to anyone who enjoys high stakes, light banter and a sweet romance.

[Aleena Grosjean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of this book and I am so glad I finished this series. I honestly wasn't sure about the first two books. The writing is wonderful, but I wasn't sure of the purpose. I didn't get what the author was trying to convey, but it captured my attention enough to keep me reading. The third book makes it all clear and I can unequivocally recommend this series. It's almost Narnia-ish, but with a completely different flair. Don't give up. Read all three books. Things aren't always what they seem and deeper magic is behind it all. :)

[Dorothy Zuydendorp]

ARC- CHANT OF CHEATS.
This was fantastic! And there's a lot in here that literally would break someone... Grigg is really put through it, and will he survive the changes? If ever a book series was wrapped up so well and completely... Chant of Cheats does it.

All three books will have you cheering, raging, swooning, and perhaps crying.
And the fact they are clean romance is also a benefit. The imagination of Winters is so outstanding, her ability to describe a scene, the energy she pours into her stories, you'll be on the edge of your seat.

[Taylor Gough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness. Chant of Cheats is absolutely amazing. Grigg is stuck being tortured day after day while Adelina looks for the King of the Wind. Grigg isn't sure how much more he can endure. The heartache and pain these two go through as they try to save each other grips you page after page. Absolutely loved this book.

[Beth Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book you can't stop reading and never want to end. One minute you're stressed out and the next you're laughing! This final book ended well and I enjoyed the adventure to get there. I would very much recommend this book.

[Harlie Roark · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5⭐️

What an epic conclusion to this trilogy! This third installment dives right back in where the 2nd book left off. My favorite thing about this trilogy is that it is a nice, clean fantasy that I could share with my kids one day!

[Cate Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very satisfying end to the trilogy!

[Kamille · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved everything I've read from EA Winters, and this book was no different. It was amazing, fast paced, and so difficult to put down.

[Jordan Crouson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book and hope it reaches many other people get the same enjoyment I did out of it