Assassin's Heart

With shades of Game of Thrones and Romeo and Juliet, this richly imagined fantasy from debut author Sarah Ahiers is a tale of love, lies, and vengeance. Fans of Kristin Cashore and Rae Carson will devour the flawlessly crafted action and inventive world building. Seventeen-year-old Lea Saldana is a trained assassin. She was born into one of the nine clipper Families in the kingdom of Lovero who lawfully take lives for a price. As a member of the highest-ranking clan, loyalty to Family is valued above all, but that doesn't stop Lea from getting into a secret relationship with Val Da Via, a boy from a rival clan. Despite her better judgment, Lea has fallen in love with him; but she's confident she can anticipate any threat a mile away. Then she awakens one night to a house full of smoke. Although she narrowly escapes, she isn't able to save her Family as their home is consumed by flames. With horror, she realizes that Val and his Family are the only ones who could be responsible. Devastated over his betrayal and the loss of her clan, there's just one thing on her mind: making the Da Vias pay. The heart of this assassin craves revenge.

Carter Reed is an assassin with a heart that only beats for one person: McKenna Smith. In a perfect world, she would be the light to his darkness. Carter's world, however, is far from perfect. Which means McKenna cannot exist in it without a target on her back. While he's away, Carter's enemies get close, and McKenna's life is threatened. In his quest to keep McKenna safe, Carter's world expands with revelations from his past coming forth into the present. Soon, he realizes time and place no longer matter because he's the only person who can keep McKenna safe… and she's the only one who can make him feel worthy. If love is complicated, then theirs is an intricate web of complexity.