A kingdom in exile. A forest that lures its prey with false emotions. And the one girl who sees through both.

Paelinar never wanted the crown — but after a bloody coup forces him to lead his people into the wilderness, survival becomes the only throne worth fighting for.

Their refuge turns nightmare when an earthquake tears open something ancient: a supernatural forest that draws in the desperate and the grieving with the promise of everything they've lost. The harder Paelinar fights to protect his people, the deeper the Lure reaches into him — and he begins to suspect it knows his secrets better than he does. So does Maelinde. She's the last person he wants to trust, and the one he can't stop thinking about.

But the forest isn't his only enemy. His brother is coming — hungrier for revenge than for the crown — and he'll burn everything Paelinar has built to collect it.

Two monsters. One impossible choice. And no power in this world that can stop both.

"Amazing world building… you're drawn into a fantastic world unlike any other." — Jennifer M., advance reader

Perfect for fans of Anthony Ryan's Blood Song, John Gwynne's Bloodsworn Saga, and Ryan Cahill's The Bound and the Broken.

Clean epic fantasy for adult and YA readers, with a slow-burn romance and no explicit content. Book 1 of six: Books 1–3 form a complete arc, and Book 1 ends on a hook. Paperback available now; Kindle edition coming January 2027.

Begin the Forging Kings: The Sword of Gaia series from epic fantasy author Cami Murdock Jensen.