Ashes and Apples

When their noble house is destroyed by royal decree, brothers Thalandros and Cassian Sirael flee across the border with nothing but a satchel, a broken name, and the memory of the father they couldn't save.   They find shelter in the quiet farming town of Eagle's Ridge, where snow falls soft and secrets are easy to bury. Taken in by a kind-hearted farmer and his family, Cass finds light in laughter, love in the farmer's sharp-tongued daughter Elsie, and hope in a world beyond titles and bloodlines. Thalandros, haunted and hesitant, begins to heal--especially after rescuing a small injured mink he names Valor, and discovering that peace is a choice you have to make every day.   But winter doesn't keep secrets for long. And when a letter arrives with echoes of what is to come, the brother's must decide if the life they've begun to build is one they're willing to fight for--or one they'll lose to the ashes they left behind.   A slow-burning romance and the resilience of found family come together in a heartfelt tale of grief, healing, and the courage to begin again.