Web of Vows and Vengeance

Rose's family once served the kingdom with magic. Then Prince Kyor twisted the truth about his mother's death, and they lost their gifts, were thrown into the slums and were left to fend for themselves. Her parents are gone now, and her younger sister's future is at risk.

Rose's one chance is the Tournament of the Gifting, a brutal contest held once a century. The winner receives a blessing from the Goddess of Life. Every other contender wields the magic Rose was stripped of, and Kyor is one of them.

Kyor commands the armies, rides a bonded dire wolf and wields lightning. He wants the blessing for himself, though it is unclear what a man with so much could still lack.

The trials unfold in a Nordic-inspired world of magic and monsters, with gods and goddesses and court intrigue behind them. Rose finds allies and rivals among the contenders, along with a dangerous pull toward the prince she hates.

The romance is a dark, slow-burn enemies-to-lovers one, with a found-family thread. Rose enters with no magic and one life to lose, and the sister she is fighting for depends on how far she gets.