A plant witch and grumpy alchemist must work together to save their town from a magical plague in this debut cozy fantasy romance about starting over, redemption, and what it really means to be a good person.
Guy Shadowfade is dead, and after a lifetime as the dark sorcerer’s right hand, Violet Thistlewaite is determined to start over—this time as someone good.
She settles in the quaint town of Dragon’s Rest to open a flower shop, keep her sentient (mildly homicidal) houseplant in check, and prune dark magic from her life. But though Violet soon charms the townsfolk, nothing seems to impress prickly yet dashingly handsome Nathaniel Marsh, a struggling alchemist with no patience for the witch next door.
When a mysterious blight threatens Dragon’s Rest, Violet and Nathaniel must work together through their fears, pasts, and growing feelings for one another to save their community. But Violet can’t help but wonder… does a former villain truly deserve a happily-ever-after?
COMING NOVEMBER 18, 2025 from Ace Books.
Emily Krempholtz has never quit her day job to go open a flower shop, but that might be because she works with stories all day for a living, so she’s already doing what she loves. As a bestselling ghostwriter, editor, and book coach, Emily has worked with hundreds of writers as they write and publish their books. Her clients have gone on to do some pretty great things (read about them here) — and now she’s delighted to finally send her own work into the world with her name on the cover.
When she’s not writing or reading, Emily bakes cakes that look like the books she reads and changes her hair color like it’s some kind of mood ring. She lives in sunny Colorado, where you’ll often find her in the mountains—either hiking (and pretending to be a character in a novel) or curled up in a hammock with a good book (and also pretending to be a character in a novel). She’s on a lifelong quest to discover the magic in the world and has a sneaking suspicion that the written word is where she’ll find it.
