Rose in Chains

In a world where the war has already ended and darkness reigns victorious, hope feels like a distant memory. Princess Briony Rosewood’s life shatters when her kingdom falls, stripping her of everything—including her magic—and forcing her into a cruel auction where her fate is sold to the highest bidder. Now powerless in a land ruled by those who destroyed her home, she must navigate a treacherous new reality where every whisper could mean danger and every shadow hides an enemy.

Thrown into the heart of enemy territory, Briony finds herself bound to Toven Hearst, a man from her past who embodies both her deepest fears and an unresolved longing she thought she’d buried. His family’s ruthless control over magic makes him a symbol of everything she once fought against, yet their charged history simmers beneath the surface of forced proximity and unspoken tension. As political schemes tighten around them, Briony grapples with survival in a world where trust is a luxury she can’t afford and secrets are deadly currency.

The story weaves a rich tapestry of intricate magic systems where power draws from the mind or heart, each with its own physical toll, and familiars become lifelines for those who wield it. Amidst crumbling castles and whispered rebellions, the weight of loss and the struggle to reclaim identity shape Briony’s journey, while the ever-present threat of mind-readers turns silence into a weapon. Every alliance is fragile, every gesture layered with meaning, and the line between captor and protector blurs in unexpected ways.

Julie Soto crafts a world where the past haunts the present through perfectly timed flashbacks, revealing how childhood encounters and schoolyard rivalries set the stage for a slow-burn connection that defies logic. The tension between Briony and Toven crackles with unspoken history—a push-pull of pride, yearning, and the magnetic pull of forbidden attraction that keeps readers breathlessly turning pages. Even in darkness, glimmers of resilience shine through, proving that courage isn’t the absence of fear but the will to endure it.

With its immersive world-building and emotionally charged dynamics, Rose in Chains delivers a story that’s as much about the battle for the soul as it is for the throne. It’s a tale of fractured loyalties, the cost of survival, and the fragile hope that love might bloom even in the harshest chains—a promise that redemption could lie just beyond the next page.