SUGARCOATED AND CURSED

YA Contemporary Fantasy

Maddox Sinclair’s late father warned her to never trust a dryad, but aging out of foster care as a type one diabetic leaves her few options. Desperate and homeless, she flees to the forest to make a bloody pact with the dryad queen: kill the Redwood King and be cured of her disease before a broken healthcare system sends her to an early grave.

In the redwood treetops, Prince Castor is plagued by a curse that kills anyone foolish enough to love him. The Redwood King—a lover of twisted games—makes Castor an offer he can’t turn down: get a mortal to fall in love with him in a fortnight, and the crown will be his...fail, and be imprisoned in a tree that drives its inhabitants to madness.

The two pacts entwine when Maddox mistakes Castor for the king and he chooses her as his ill-fated lover. While Castor will stop at nothing to trick Maddox into falling for him, she schemes to get him alone and drive her dagger through his heart. But when the pair’s sparks accidentally kindle a romantic fire, Maddox and Castor find themselves choking on the smoke. 

Soon Castor’s feelings for Maddox force him to choose between losing her forever or being locked in the Tree of Exile, and Maddox has to uncover his secrets before she kills the wrong king, or worse...falls for the cursed prince.