The Almost Queen

In this romantic fantasy novel, Murray (The Magnolia Sisters) brings together a battle-hardened heroine and a weary hero. Ellara Wist is an ostracized witch from the Outerlands. Though she got into the Royal Academy of Aulen, she definitely stuck out with her green skin and freckles; in Aulen, she’s been treated terribly and assumed to be evil because of where she comes from. Ten years ago, she saved a boy from being eaten by a dragon; the boy introduced himself as Tarren of the Rosson House and gave Ellara a token of thanks. Now Ellara is about to be executed for crimes against the kingdom of Aulen—and Tarren has just been made king of the realm. Tarren owes her, and she plans to use this leverage to save her own life and the lives of her people in the Outerlands. She offers Tarren her abilities as a witch in exchange, but Tarren has a better idea—Ellara can become his queen. Character growth is evident over the course of this novel, and the story jumps right into the action so readers will be sucked in from the very beginning.