Snowbound Hearts

"Snow stung her eyes as she stumbled through the blizzard, each step harder than the last. The cold had stopped hurting-a bad sign, she knew distantly. This was how death came in the mountains.
Then she saw him.
He towered above her, impossible and terrible-three times the height of a man, with horns of crystalline ice and eyes that glowed pale blue in the darkness. The yuki-otoko. The snow demon the villagers whispered about in fear.
She should have been terrified. Instead, as massive arms lifted her from the snow, as warmth that should not exist spread through her frozen body, Akane felt something she hadn't experienced since refusing to marry Lord Yamamoto: hope.
"Sleep, little bird," the creature murmured, its voice like winter wind made sound. "You're safe now."
Safe with a monster. How strange. How perfect."

"A stunning blend of myth, romance, and courage." - Early Reader Review

"Vivid, emotional, and dangerous in all the right ways." - Fantasy Author Circle

"A must-read for fans of slow-burn historical fantasy with bite." - Indie Reviewers Guild

Banished for defying a powerful lord, Akane is sent to a remote mountain village where the endless snow hides ancient secrets. When she crosses paths with a creature of ice and shadow, she expects death-but instead finds destiny. Drawn together by a bond neither understands, Akane and the yuki-otoko must navigate loyalty, survival, and a war between mortals and spirits that threatens to consume them both.

As her courage is tested and her heart awakens, Akane must choose between the world that cast her aside and the impossible love that might destroy her.

What does it mean to be human when the monsters show you mercy?

Perfect for readers who love:

• Mythic love stories like Spirited Away, The Bear and the Nightingale, or The Bride of the Water GodStrong, determined heroines
• Monster romance
• Japanese Yokai
• Forbidden Love
• Slow-burn Romance
• Beauty and the Beast retellings
• Japanese folklore & supernatural myths
• Action-filled historical fantasy
• Emotionally rich worldbuilding
• A monster protector / human heroine dynamic