M.K. Lobb

From critically acclaimed, bestselling author M.K. Lobb comes a noir romantic fantasy set in a world in which sin is a fatal disease, and the rich hire the poor to carry out their basest instincts?until the forbidden romance between a sinner and a mysterious figure threatens to destroy everything. Nothing is sacred for those willing to pay the price… In Valestadt, everything has a price. Sin leaves its mark in the form of the Bloodrot, a slow-creeping disease that leads to madness, then death. The rich outsource their violence. The poor sell theirs and suffer the cost. Talin Keller is a sinner. Employed by the holiest man in the city, the Prophet, she stains her hands so his can stay clean. But with her Bloodrot rapidly advancing, Talin knows her next job could be her last. Then a new assignment puts Talin on a collision course with the Warden, a shadowy figure whose name is spoken like a warning. If she can get close, she can trade his life for her own freedom?and escape the death her sins have promised. That is, if she can stay steady on the knife’s edge. Because Talin is dangerously drawn to the Warden. He is sharp, cruel, and whatever blazes in him sparks against every dark part of her. If she isn’t careful, her plans will burn. As savior and sinner tangle, Talin uncovers a conspiracy tied to the past she thought dead. And in Valestadt, where sin is currency, she’ll have to decide what she’s willing to pay to survive.

Romance, revolution and mystery intertwine as a young rebel and palace guard hunt a murderer in this gripping YA set in a world inspired by Florence, Italy. Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Kerri Maniscalco. Roz and Damian grew up in Ombrazia, a city ruled by the disciples of the seven faceless saints, where those with magic live in comfort whilst the rest struggle to survive. A city caught in a twenty-year war of attrition, a battlefront consuming a generation of conscripts. Roz serves as a disciple of the Saint Patience to support her mother, and to spy for the rebellion. Her Ombrazia is corrupt and unjust and she'll tear it down to get justice for the murder of her father at the hands of the Ombrazian military. The Military that Damian now serves. Damian is the youngest captain in the history of Palazzo security, expected to be ruthless and strong, and to serve the saints with unquestioning devotion. But he's haunted by the ghosts of war, and trying to rebuild his life as he rediscovers the love he once had for Roz. When a brutal murderer strikes the city, Roz and Damian find they are the only ones willing to hunt the killer no matter the consequences. Forced to work together, they must face their buried emotions, the past they once shared, and the dark and powerful evil that wants to consume their city.