The Last Tale of the Flower Bride

DEBUT Once upon a time, a man who studied fairy tales fell in love with a woman who believed she lived in one. The story centers on an unnamed groom who has promised not to question his beautiful, mysterious wife about her shrouded past. They enjoy a lush, sensual romance of delights, games, and illusions, cocooned from the real world by her wealth and his ability to tell stories. At least until circumstances carry them back to her childhood home, where an entirely different fairy tale played itself out over the days of her youth. When he breaks his promise and delves into his wife’s true heart, he expects that truth to be deadly. And so it is—but it still manages to set them both free. The gothic atmosphere of this fairy-tale romance, mixed with heartbreaking tragedy, creates a story that hovers between fantasy and illusion. It begins with an enchantment and ends with its breaking. In between, a dream becomes a nightmare—until they both wake up.