Tales of Akatsuki

Hotaru is in need of a wife. Yuki has no intention of marrying, ever. To get the alliance he desperately needs, Hotaru must make Yuki fall in love with him. It's not going to be easy. Hotaru was never meant to inherit the role of clan leader. Unprepared for his new role and on the brink of war, Hotaru is desperate to find strong allies to help him protect his clan. Yuki's clan is his last hope for an alliance. Yuki has never been like other girls. She's more at home in the forest than in silk and satin. Everyone thinks she's strange. After her father's sudden death, her brother is all she has left in the world. Though he would do anything to please her, his chronic illness means he doesn't have much time left. Desperate to see her settled before it's too late, her brother pushes the two together. Yuki isn't interested. At least, she thought she wasn't. She swore she'd never fall in love, but Hotaru might be able to get through all her defenses.

A prisoner seeking his freedom. A woman chosen by the gods. To break himself of his centuries-long bondage, he must capture her. Shin gave everything up for love. Uncaring whether he lives or dies, when he catches a spy in his master's land, he lets her escape. What he hadn't been counting on was just how cruel his master can be. Now he must catch the spy or be locked away for eternity in darkness. Pretending to be a woman, he infiltrates a woman's only temple. Akane the spy is headstrong and determined to not trust him. But when fate sets them on a quest to save a kidnapped girl, they're drawn together. As he falls for her, Shin finds a new reason to live. But fail to bring her back to his master and he'll never see the light of day again.

A fox turned human. A princess under a curse. A wolf seeking his freedom. Enter the world of Akatsuki, a realm inspired by both European and Japanese fairy tales. These three interconnected fairy tales can be read as stand alones or as one continuous story. This collection is ideal for fans of fairytale retellings, anime and manga!

A Kitsune dreaming of a wider world. A prince seeking purpose. A love that defies the odds.Trapped in a dull and unfilling role as palace maid, Rin dreams of rising higher in the immortal court. Determined to change her lot in life, she plans to use her illusion power to spy on her ruler's rival and prove her worth. But when her mission fails, she's turned human as punishment. Now she has until the next full moon to seduce a human prince, break his engagement, and upend his treaty with a rival kingdom without her Kitsune magic or voice, otherwise she'll become a common fox.Hikaru is the dutiful oldest son and heir. Whatever he's asked, he does without complaint. Outwardly, at least. Inwardly, he pines to be a poet, scholar, or anything but a prince. Then he finds a mysterious woman wandering alone beside spirit invested woods, and while he knows he shouldn't, he brings her home. She cannot speak, but there's something bewitching about her, drawing him in becoming a dangerous temptation he cannot afford, because peace depends on his marriage to another…Rin thought it would be simple. Kitsune are experts at deceiving mortals, after all. But the foreign human heart beating in chest threatens to betray her. To save her life, she has to destroy his, and the more time they spend together, the harder it is to deny her growing feelings. Now Rin is caught between two impossible choices: either let fate tear them apart or risk her magic and life for love.