The Deer and the Dragon

A woman falls for the prince of hell in the dark and twisting first No Other Gods fantasy romance from bestseller CJ (The Night and Its Moon). Though Marlow Thorson is now a successful writer, she still struggles with demons from her past. These include her former career as a sex worker, the religious trauma that resulted from her abusive upbringing, and her history of mental breaks. Solace comes in the form of her invisible nightly visitor, a dark, haunting, and yet sexy entity she has named Caliban. Though Caliban feels very real to her, she worries what her affair with him says about her mental health. When a former client attacks her, Silas, an associate of Caliban’s, steps in to save her. and Marlow learns that both men are from another world—and that Caliban is royalty. When Caliban then goes missing, Marlow must embrace her ancestral gift of being able to see between this world and the next to track him down. The plot is dizzying and the central romance gets somewhat lost in the ruckus. For those who can keep up with all the twists and turns, the open ending will build excitement for installments to come. Readers who like their romantasy to be heavier on fantasy than feels will find plenty to enjoy. Agent: Carolyn Forde, Transatlantic Agency. (May)