Smoke and Scar

Smoke and Scar

Author: Gretchen Powell Fox

Genre: Romantasy / Fantasy Romance

Book Rating: ⭐ 8.5/10

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3/5

Description

For centuries, humans and the magical races of Arcanis have been divided by violence, grief, and ancient hatred.

Every twenty-five years, the Arcane Crucible begins—a legendary series of deadly trials designed to offer one fragile chance at peace between the kingdoms.

For Elyria Lightbreaker, the Crucible is deeply personal.

Once a celebrated fae war hero, Elyria has never recovered from losing the man she loved during the previous trials. Haunted by grief and guilt, she enters the Crucible once again determined to stop his younger sister from suffering the same fate.

But standing in her way is Cedric Thorne.

A hardened human knight consumed by vengeance, Cedric has spent his life preparing to conquer the Crucible and prove humanity’s strength. He blames the fae for destroying his family—and Elyria represents everything he hates.

Yet surviving the trials requires them to work together.

As deadly challenges test their magic, loyalty, and will to survive, the tension between them slowly shifts into something far more dangerous. Because the deeper they’re pulled into the brutal world of the Crucible, the harder it becomes to ignore the growing attraction between them.

And in a competition built on betrayal, trusting your enemy may be the deadliest risk of all.

Tropes

Enemies to lovers • deadly trials • fae vs humans • forced alliance • fantasy war • emotionally scarred heroine • vengeful knight • slow-burn romance • high-stakes romantasy