On My Kindle (Not KU)

Two girls vanished. A woman buried alive. Between two crimes—decades of secrets yet to be unearthed in a pulse-pounding novel by the Edgar Award–nominated author of Unspeakable Things. Summer 1980: With no fear of a local superstition, three girls go into a Minnesota wood. Only one comes out. Dead silent. Memory gone. No trace of her friends. The mystery of the Taken Ones captures the nation. Summer 2022: Cold case detective Van Reed and forensic scientist Harry Steinbeck are assigned a disturbing homicide—a woman buried alive, clutching a heart charm necklace belonging to one of the vanished girls. Van follows her gut. Harry trusts in facts. Their common ground is the need to catch a killer before he kills again. They have something else in common: each has ties to the original case in ways they’re reluctant to share. As Van and Harry connect the crimes of the past and the present, Van struggles with memories of her own nightmarish childhood—and the fear that uncovering the truth of the Taken Ones will lead her down a path from which she, too, may never return.

A Maiden… Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy’s life has never been her own. The life of the Maiden is solitary. Never to be touched. Never to be looked upon. Never to be spoken to. Never to experience pleasure. Waiting for the day of her Ascension, she would rather be with the guards, fighting back the evil that took her family, than preparing to be found worthy by the gods. But the choice has never been hers. A Duty… The entire kingdom’s future rests on Poppy’s shoulders, something she’s not even quite sure she wants for herself. Because a Maiden has a heart. And a soul. And longing. And when Hawke, a golden-eyed guard honor bound to ensure her Ascension, enters her life, destiny and duty become tangled with desire and need. He incites her anger, makes her question everything she believes in, and tempts her with the forbidden. A Kingdom… Forsaken by the gods and feared by mortals, a fallen kingdom is rising once more, determined to take back what they believe is theirs through violence and vengeance. And as the shadow of those cursed draws closer, the line between what is forbidden and what is right becomes blurred. Poppy is not only on the verge of losing her heart and being found unworthy by the gods, but also her life when every blood-soaked thread that holds her world together begins to unravel.

A Betrayal… Everything Poppy has ever believed in is a lie, including the man she was falling in love with. Thrust among those who see her as a symbol of a monstrous kingdom, she barely knows who she is without the veil of the Maiden. But what she does know is that nothing is as dangerous to her as him. The Dark One. The Prince of Atlantia. He wants her to fight him, and that’s one order she’s more than happy to obey. He may have taken her, but he will never have her. A Choice... Casteel Da’Neer is known by many names and many faces. His lies are as seductive as his touch. His truths as sensual as his bite. Poppy knows better than to trust him. He needs her alive, healthy, and whole to achieve his goals. But he’s the only way for her to get what she wants—to find her brother Ian and see for herself if he has become a soulless Ascended. Working with Casteel instead of against him presents its own risks. He still tempts her with every breath, offering up all she’s ever wanted. Casteel has plans for her. Ones that could expose her to unimaginable pleasure and unfathomable pain. Plans that will force her to look beyond everything she thought she knew about herself—about him. Plans that could bind their lives together in unexpected ways that neither kingdom is prepared for. And she’s far too reckless, too hungry, to resist the temptation. A Secret… But unrest has grown in Atlantia as they await the return of their Prince. Whispers of war have become stronger, and Poppy is at the very heart of it all. The King wants to use her to send a message. The Descenters want her dead. The wolven are growing more unpredictable. And as her abilities to feel pain and emotion begin to grow and strengthen, the Atlantians start to fear her. Dark secrets are at play, ones steeped in the blood-drenched sins of two kingdoms that would do anything to keep the truth hidden. But when the earth begins to shake, and the skies start to bleed, it may already be too late.

Sie war das Opfer und die Überlebende … Poppy hätte nie gedacht, dass sie die Liebe finden würde, die sie mit Prinz Casteel gefunden hat. Sie möchte ihr Glück genießen, doch zuerst müssen sie seinen Bruder befreien und ihren eigenen finden. Es ist eine gefährliche Mission, deren weitreichende Konsequenzen keiner von ihnen erahnt hat. Denn Poppy ist die Auserwählte, die Gesegnete. Die wahre Herrscherin von Atlantia. Sie trägt das Blut des Königs der Götter in sich. Rechtmäßig gehören ihr die Krone und das Königreich. Der Feind und der Krieger … Poppy wollte immer nur ihr eigenes Leben kontrollieren, nicht das anderer, doch nun muss sie sich entscheiden, ob sie ihr Geburtsrecht aufgibt oder die vergoldete Krone an sich nimmt und zur Königin aus Fleisch und Feuer wird. Doch während die dunklen Sünden und blutgetränkten Geheimnisse der Königreiche endlich ans Licht kommen, erhebt sich eine längst vergessene Macht und stellt eine echte Bedrohung dar. Und sie werden vor nichts Halt machen, um sicherzustellen, dass die Krone niemals auf Poppys Haupt sitzt. Ein Geliebter und Seelengefährte … Doch die größte Bedrohung für sie und für Atlantia wartet im fernen Westen, wo die Königin aus Blut und Asche ihre eigenen Pläne hat, auf deren Umsetzung sie Hunderte von Jahren gewartet hat. Poppy und Casteel müssen das Unmögliche in Betracht ziehen – in die Lande der Götter reisen und den König selbst wecken. Und als schockierende Geheimnisse und die schlimmsten Verrätereien ans Licht kommen und Feinde auftauchen, die alles bedrohen, wofür Poppy und Casteel gekämpft haben, werden sie herausfinden, wie weit sie für ihr Volk – und füreinander – zu gehen bereit sind. Und nun wird sie Königin werden.