Librarian's note: See alternate cover edition of ASIN B076MT7CKC here. A secret realm...a dormant power...a forbidden desire...a world awakened... Terrin sits on a throne he despises, having been forced to inherit a Kingdom when his brother killed their Queen mother ten years prior and banished their sister, rightful heir to the throne, to an otherworldly realm. In the past decade, Terrin has been using every mage left on earth to look for his sister. At every turn, they've come up short, exhausted and nothing to show for it. That is, until his best mage, Alec, disappears over a cliff and Terrin receives a divine prophecy about a key to unlock the realm...a key in the form of a beautiful and intriguing woman named Lyra. Terrin must summon the patience it takes to train and work with Lyra, a fledgling mage with considerable power but little control—over her magic or her temper. What he doesn't expect is his maddening physical reaction to her, and the control it takes on his part to keep his feelings to himself, buried under his responsibility to his throne and consequently to his people. Will Terrin be able to help Lyra unlock the realm for the good of his Kingdom and the world? And will the unlocking of the realm open another cascade of evils far more sinister than they already battle? Lyra is just a schoolmistress from a small village, friendless, and on the verge of becoming a spinster. Her world comes crashing down one day when she is summoned to the elusive royal Island of Gem by the mysterious King who tells her that her brother is missing and she is the key to finding him and restoring peace to the Earth. There, in the King’s court, she will uncover the truth about herself and the world King Terrin has tried so hard to bury—that dormant, powerful magic lives within her and the world is not at all what it seems... When the dark, brooding King joins her on a quest that forces her to face herself and her past, will she break or become stronger in the face of dark forces who want her for themselves? The only thing more frightening than the journey is the end; will she be able to face herself after all she’s done? And will there be anything left of her heart when the King she is forbidden to love is done with her?

A dark, unrelenting force...a magical world unlocked...a forbidden love...and a secret yearning for power. The dark forces that followed Lyra and Terrin on their journey haven't disappeared. In fact, they've made it very clear that won’t be stopping until they get what they want—Lyra. Not one to give up easily, Lyra has teamed up with a strong, testy Fae woman named Freydis. Together, along with Terrin, they must return to Eclipsa to recruit the Fae and other magical folk if they want any chance of defeating the Dark Master and his army. There, Lyra will be awakened to a wild part of her identity that lay dormant for years. The deeper she goes in her journey, she feels herself changing, strengthening, something dark and volatile unfurling within her. Perhaps her new power is the secret to defeating the Dark Master; perhaps it’s the yearning to join him.

Librarian's note: See alternate cover edition of ASIN B07BMVG28B [here](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39353586-paragon). _Lyra is trapped in her worst nightmare, racing against her biological clock. When the gong chimes, will the nightmare unfold to impart unfathomable devastation across the world, or will it reveal itself instead as her darkest dream?_ In the shocking last installment of the epic Gem Kingdom Series, Lyra faces obstacles she never thought possible. With the help of her devoted crew, she fights every old and new monster that comes at her, but what does she do when the final monster is herself? Two very different men stand at the finish line—one wholly good, one wholly evil. Two parts of a whole reside inside of Lyra, but which is her true essence attracted to? Or can she have both? \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\_ Author's Note: This novel is intended for mature readers.