Conquest Of The Salt Queen

They call her a whore. They call him mad. Both have learned the value of a useful lie.

Queen Amara has spent eighteen years mastering the politics of Cyprus-outmaneuvering merchants, ambassadors, priests, and every man who mistakes beauty for weakness. At thirty-three, she can read almost anyone.

Except Varos the Mad.

Twenty-six-year-old Varos has no crown, no royal blood, and thousands of displaced people following him across a world coming apart. He needs walls. Grain. A harbor. A place where his people can finally stop running.

So he does what everyone says is impossible.

He conquers Amara's city.

When Cyprus falls and Amara is left a widow, Varos discovers that taking a kingdom is far easier than ruling one. The farmers will not plant for him. The merchants will not trust him. The temples will not open their doors.

But they will listen to her.

Forced to work across the same council table, the conqueror and the queen become unwilling allies. Every argument reveals another piece of the person behind the legend. Every compromise pulls them closer. And the attraction growing between them is rapidly becoming more dangerous than the armies gathering beyond the walls.

Because Cyprus is only one island in a world collapsing into fire. Rival claimants, black-sailed fleets, and enemies on every side are fighting over what remains of the old order.

Amara has spent her life being traded, judged, desired, and defined by other people.

Now, for the first time, she gets to choose what happens next.

Even if she chooses the man who conquered her kingdom.

A steamy Bronze Age historical romance featuring enemies to lovers, political intrigue, a brilliant older heroine, a younger warrior hero, forced proximity, high-stakes adventure, and a love story about choosing each other without surrendering yourself.