**Golden Book Award Judges' Choice Winner** ~He had no future. She had no past.~ In a time when men fought for their king, protected him and their families with might and sword, a warrior questions his self-worth after a battle injury has taken him from service. He grows calloused, maintaining a facade of bitterness and cynicism that only begins to chip away after he meets a woman at the annual gathering of the maidens. She’s smothered by her own shadows, her innocence tarnished by the baggage of her past, and now she's been thrown into the pool of beautiful maidens, whose sole purpose is to provide pleasure to the King's warriors. The whole ordeal has begun to open a floodgate of questionable memories that she’s sure are not her own. But there’s more to both of them. He’s fiercely loyal, bound by his own code of honor. She’s stronger than any woman he’s ever known, which comes to light when her true past is exposed. Can they help each other find their true worth and move beyond the shadows of their own lives?