Reign of Soulless Series by Shannon R. Lir

Seductive and filled with unpredictable twists, This Deceit of Ours is the first book in a new dark fantasy romance series.Deceive the Daemon King.Trust no one.Don’t fall in love.Sersa Scáth has been trying to bite her sharp tongue ever since she stole her clan’s magic. It was an accident—her tempestuous moods to blame—but it doesn’t stop them from calling her the Mad Heir... moreSeductive and filled with unpredictable twists, This Deceit of Ours is the first book in a new dark fantasy romance series.Deceive the Daemon King.Trust no one.Don’t fall in love.Sersa Scáth has been trying to bite her sharp tongue ever since she stole her clan’s magic. It was an accident—her tempestuous moods to blame—but it doesn’t stop them from calling her the Mad Heir. Her only escape from the whispers is the City of Soulless, with its rundown pubs, swanky betting halls, and places of pleasure aplenty.But no mortal is safe in the city that straddles the lands of the living and the dead. Especially at Reaping Hour when the spirits of the restless dead hunt for souls…A Gilder noble by birth and son of the Daemon King, Nessin Drumghoul controls a sea of secrets that could destroy any one of the noble houses. He even has the perfect secret to persuade Sersa into posing as his betrothed: the truth about her missing father. But why Nessin wants her help remains a mystery no matter how much Sersa pries.Though Sersa senses a malicious motive driving Nessin, their attraction to one another is undeniable. Irrepressible. Dangerous. Neither can afford to lose sight of what’s on the line if their fake betrothal is discovered. And as the line between deception and reality blurs, their ruse begins to fall apart, threatening to destroy them both.Note: This book contains strong language and mature content, depictions and themes of mental illness, mentions of pregnancy and menstruation, misogyny, violence, hunting, human trafficking, and death.Book 1 ends on a cliffhanger. less

After the Daemon King’s betrayal, Sersa Scáth never wants to see Sin Drumghoul again, let alone hear his sullied name. Even after three moons apart, she’s blinded by anger and sees no way to defuse the emotion that’s altered her magic indefinitely.To make matters worse, the Soullands have been ignited in chaos while she’s been in hiding. Loyalists are out for blood and vengeance for the old king’s murder, and their main target isn’t Sin. It’s her... moreAfter the Daemon King’s betrayal, Sersa Scáth never wants to see Sin Drumghoul again, let alone hear his sullied name. Even after three moons apart, she’s blinded by anger and sees no way to defuse the emotion that’s altered her magic indefinitely.To make matters worse, the Soullands have been ignited in chaos while she’s been in hiding. Loyalists are out for blood and vengeance for the old king’s murder, and their main target isn’t Sin. It’s her.In the Soullanders’ eyes, murdering the old king is Sersa’s claim to the throne—a claim Sin would kill for her to accept. He wants nothing more than for her to rule beside him, even if it means baring the ugly secrets he’s concealed to win her back.And though her life in the mortal lands has crumbled, he promises to return her soul so she may leave his realm if she chooses. But not before he’s spilled the blood of every last Gilder and daemon who wants her dead.Giving Sin a second chance to not only prove his love but also repair Sersa’s trust in him isn’t easy, and her ice-cold heart is in danger of shattering before it ever truly thaws. But secrecy isn’t just for kings, and Sersa finds herself spinning her own lies and questioning illusion versus reality yet again. Failing to decipher between the two might just tear she and Sin apart once and for all—if their enemies don’t do it first. less