The Bone Dagger (Out of Darkness)

Hell god blood is not a gift—it's a death sentence, and Helaina Ironblood has spent her entire life making sure no one finds out she carries it.

Born into secrecy in a realm already fracturing at its seams, Helaina has survived by staying hidden. But when tragedy tears her family apart and the kingdom's heir vanishes, she finds herself exiled beyond the Ash Cliff Mountains with nothing but a cursed power she barely understands and monsters closing in from every direction. The darkness beyond the mountains isn't just dangerous—it's hungry, and something far worse than beasts has been waiting for her.

Enter Theodon Wrenn. Feared captain of a shadowy legion, ruthless enforcer of a kingdom that would sooner execute Helaina than protect her, and the last person she should trust with her life—or her heart. When he seizes her, it isn't to save her. But survival has a way of rewriting intentions, and the war they're both caught in doesn't care about the rules either of them has sworn to follow.

What unfolds between them is combustible: a forbidden, slow-burning collision between a woman whose power could unmake the world and a man whose loyalty is the only thing standing between her and total destruction.

Clara Rhodes announces herself as a formidable voice in dark romantasy with this gripping series opener. The Bone Dagger is a ruthlessly compelling read that leaves you desperate for what comes next.