Empire of Blood and Malice
Stolen magic. Rising evil. Tangled loyalties. Who will drown in deceit, who will rise triumphant—and who can resist forbidden temptation?
A morally grey shadow elf lord, a courageous mortal heroine, and delicious slow burn steam with an incredible payoff amongst an epic plot and the threat of world-ending evil in this romantasy quartet.
“If A Court of Mist and Fury and Lord of the Rings had a baby, the Empire of Blood and Malice series would be it. A must read.”
Genres: Epic Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Romantic Fantasy, Swords & Sorcery
Tropes: enemies to lovers, betrayal, intrigue, elves, sorcery, found family, courts & royalty, hope through adversity, HEA.
Best read: as an entry point into the Altarea world. This is a recommended place to start if you love romantic fantasy with steam, and following characters through multiple series. Read this, and then follow with the Tales of Tir-na-Alathea trilogy.
Heart of Shadows
Stolen magic. Rising evil. Tangled loyalties.
Possessing a legendary Dragonheart makes Harper the most wanted person in a land of elves where magic rules and every person she meets will betray her. The Dragonheart is a chance for a better life, and Harper will not waste the opportunity of a lifetime. Thrust into action and peril and with only her sharp wits to guard her, Harper will succeed—or die.
Searching for the king’s missing relic is his ruthless spymaster, Dimitrius. Dimitrius will stop at nothing to achieve his own treasonous agenda concerning the Dragonheart—and eliminate anyone who stands in his way.
When their paths cross, one look into the alluring spymaster’s eyes threatens more than just Harper’s safety. Dimitrius knows he should kill her. She could ruin him—but she is also the key to his salvation. Forced together, Harper and Dimitrius must ally to survive the King’s wrath in a fickle court where honesty is as lethal as lies.
Who will drown in deceit, who will rise triumphant—and who can resist forbidden temptation?
Court of Treachery
Evil returns. Treachery reigns. The revolution begins.
Harper escaped with the captivating spymaster’s unexpected help, but she’s under no illusions. Dimitri has an agenda that threatens all she holds dear. If luck is on her side, they won’t meet again… so why does she still long to?
Dimitri vowed to raise a revolutionary. Instead, he finds himself bound to evil that seeks total dominion. Kingdoms will fall unless Dimitri twists his orders before it is too late.
Dimitri wants to save one person above all from the impending onslaught. Harper. However, fate’s hands play a fickle melody, drawing her towards the heart of conflict—and into his reach, but beyond his protection.
As realms burn, inescapable passion ignites between Harper and Dimitri. Pitted against darkness, can they stand together to fight—for the world’s salvation, and for theirs?
Heir of Darkness
The royal court of Tournai has fallen, and with it, the realm. Trapped under the usurper’s control and bound to his bidding, Harper and Dimitri battle on all sides to endure, but neither can protect the other. Unable to escape, Harper falls further into the clutches of darkness as it demands her obedience, her sanity, and her hope.
Harper sacrificed herself to save her friends. Now, scattered across the lands, her companions cannot aid her as their fellowship fractures. Loyalties are tested as they strike deadly bargains to thwart the looming threats. Love and loyalty endure in the darkest times, but they may not be enough to turn the tide.
As ancient powers stir, Harper’s fate is torn between them. She and Dimitri play a dangerous game of deceit to survive—but the greatest peril they face could be the secret they share. One that grows with each heated encounter between them until it threatens to consume—and destroy—them.
War engulfs the realm. Their malicious new king will have his dominion. Harper must change her destiny—or his darkness will devour her.
Promise of Ruin
“I will not cower. I will not beg. I will not yield.”
Harper is no longer under Valxiron’s control, but far from free. Dimitri spent the last of his liberty to send her far from danger, sacrificing their chance for happiness together—and any hope of escaping his own impending demise. But even he cannot thwart the ancient powers that be who hold sway over her fate.
Resistance crumbles in the face of Valxiron’s relentless power, but opposition remains, however weakened—with Harper at its heart. A cryptic prophecy offers the smallest promise of hope against the coming annihilation. It is a race against death for Harper and her companions to unlock its meaning, forge impossible alliances, and buy enough time to enact it.
Harper and her companions will risk everything for the slim chance of salvation. No action is too drastic in their desperation to avert catastrophe. In the battle ahead, the footsteps of fate collide with mortal flesh—and some of them will not live to see whether the next age brings light or darkness.
Who will give the ultimate sacrifice, will it succeed—and will her heart survive?
Coming in 2024-2025
Please join the Romantasy Fellowship or Inner Pages to be the first to devour the series as it unfolds…
Dear Reader, it’s important that you have a wonderful reading experience. In light of that, please take note of the content guidelines of this series if you have any reading preferences or aversions pertaining to violence, trauma, or romanctic content. Full content guidance is below.
Violence
Please note that the Empire of Blood and Malice series contains realistic and at times graphic descriptions of violence and injury throughout.
This includes but is not limited to: physical altercations, verbal altercations, mental altercations, battles & war, torture, death of humanoid characters, death of animals and beasts.
Trauma
Please note that the Empire of Blood and Malice series contains depictions of shame and guilt throughout. These are not major aspects of the story, but are referred to.
The female protagonist has a history of poverty and lack of biological familial roots.
The male protagonist has a history of being a victim of physical and emotional abuse.
Romance
Please note that the Empire of Blood and Malice series contains a slow burn steamy romance. All content is fully consensual between characters. Editorial has arranged chapters so romantic content chapters can be skipped and no plot material will be missed. Some character development that happens during the on page scenes may be missed, but this is kept to a minimum for a positive and easy to follow reading experience.
Romantic chapters can be found as follows:
Heart of Shadows (Book One)
n/a
Court of Treachery (Book Two)
Chapter 49 – Two characters (M/F) share a passionate kiss.
Chapter 62 – Two characters (M/F) share a passionate kiss.
Chapter 66 – Two characters (M/F) share a passionate kiss, and masturbation (F) is implied.
Chapter 67 – Two characters (M/F) have on page sexual intercourse.
Heir of Darkness (Book Three)
Chapter 23 – Two characters (M/F) share an angry kiss.
Chapter 25 – Two characters (M/F) share an angry kiss.
Chapter 38 – One character (F) engages in on page masturbation.
Chapter 39 – Two characters (M/F) have on page sexual intercourse.
Chapter 49 – One character (F) engages in oral sex with another character (M).
Chapter 53 – One character (M) engages in oral sex with another character (F).
Promise of Ruin (Book Four)
Chapter 27 – Two characters (M/F) have on page sexual intercourse.
The series is available in the following formats and at the following retailers for each book:
eBook — Available on Amazon, exclusively in Kindle Unlimited
Paperback — Duplex paperbacks, featuring case artwork by Maria Grazzi (Saint Jupiter) and character artwork by Anastasia Vasilevich printed inside the covers, available at all major retailers.
Hardback — Jacketed hardbacks are available at all major retailers, featuring a single-sided jacket created by Maria Grazzi (Saint Jupiter) and with character art on the case by Anastasia Vasilevich.
Hardback & merchandise — The jacketed hardbacks are also available with exclusive artwork merchandise at The Signed Book Shop.
Please visit each book page for direct retailer links to Amazon, The Signed Book Shop, and other major retailers.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has not been used in the creation of these books or any of the artwork or supporting or marketing materials. Meg Cowley supports human artists and we only collaborate with trusted creators on projects where no AI is used.
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© Meg Cowley 2024