Marguerite Baccata intends to do big things as the first female businesswoman at Baccata Industries. So when her father suggests her best contribution will be in marrying a Floral Realms prince, she's appalled. And furious, because he's right – a royal wedding is a coup for the company. After all, Baccata Industries makes weapons, and the Floral Realms are at war.
Hoping to make the best of the situation, Marguerite attends a ball in her honour with the intention of finding a royal spouse. The princes are stuffy, the princesses cold, and Marguerite is instead drawn to the enigmatic Lord Sigaro, who claims to be a pirate. Then they both meet a beautiful stranger who glides like a swan on the dance floor, and their lives change.
Once a prince, now a destitute exile, Jules is the opposite of what Marguerite is looking for. But he knows more of the war than Marguerite ever imagined, and Jules needs her help. More; the whole of the Floral Realms needs her help. Neither she nor Lord Sigaro can walk away.
Marguerite realises that it's time for her to take a stand. But can she abandon everything she's worked so hard for?
Kel E Fox is a fantasy author based in Perth, Australia, who loves reading, writing, ballroom dancing and gaming. Kel and their partner live with a cheeky Alaskan Malamute and a pair of diabolical orange cats.