A Bargain of Winter and Wyrd
Author: Arden Neris (author page)
A slow-burn romance forged in
explicit boundaries
Price: $ 5.99
Author Panel review
“What I loved most is that the central romance and the central political conflict are the same argument from two angles: consent versus coercion. Elowen and Cael build trust through explicit asks and boundaries that feel grounded rather than performative, and that same clarity becomes a weapon in court.”
Lena - Panel profile
Blurb
Port Blossom is running thin: ships delayed, grain rationed, and a debt that should have been paid in coin is now being collected in iron bars. Elowen Thorne has spent her life keeping records straight and people fed with the quiet power of accurate ledgers—but this time, the math won’t balance unless she leaves home and walks into Winter itself.
Winter Court is beautiful, exacting, and dangerous in the way polite rooms can be. Elowen arrives as a mortal archivist with a petition and a pen, and finds a realm where bargains are binding, dances can lay traps, and ‘consent’ isn’t a mood—it’s a protocol that can keep magic from turning cruel.
Prince-Heir Cael of Winter is fighting a curse that reacts to command and steadies under permission, and the court is already circling: rivals who want him exposed, envoys who offer ‘help’ with a price hidden in fine print, and officials who would rather rewrite the record than admit what it has cost.
To save what she loves—without surrendering who decides the terms—Elowen must learn Winter’s games fast…because the next test won’t happen behind closed doors. It will be public, ritualized, and waiting under the name the crown prefers: the Coronation Games.
Story
(Excerpt from “A Bargain of Winter and Wyrd” by Arden Neris)
Cael wiped his palm once on his trousers and lifted his sword properly. The blunted edge caught the light. He could feel the eyes at the edge of the yard like a physical pressure. This was a taste of how the Duello would feel: everything—power, steel, breath—under an audience’s attention.
“Elowen,” he said, “may I strike to your blade?”
“Yes,” she answered. “Only the blade. No higher.”
Agreement formed boundaries in his mind like chalk lines. He stepped in, angled his wrist, and brought the sword down along the agreed path.
Steel met steel with a clean sound. The impact vibrated up his arm. The power flared in response, wanting more—
“Name it,” she said, low enough that he felt the word as vibration rather than sound. “Where is it?”
“Forearm,” he managed. “Pushing.”
“Pause?” she asked.
“No,” he said. “Not yet. I can hold it if you—if you stay close.”
Format: eBook
Paperback: Coming soon
Length: Full-length novel, approx. 122,000 words · 296 pages
Genre: Romantasy with political intrigue,
court drama, and consent-based magic.
Story scope: First book in The Frostbound Court series
Tone: Icy, tense, and intelligent
Facts
Good to know: First in an ongoing arc; slow-burn romance; strong “read the fine print” energy; magic works best through explicit permission and clear scope.
Explore further
More titles by Arden Neris are available on the books page.
Ideal for readers who like: Court politics, competent heroines, cursed princes, forced proximity with boundaries, and romantasy where negotiations matter as much as chemistry.
Content note: Political coercion and threats; imprisonment as leverage; food scarcity and hunger pressure in a port town; dueling/training with minor blood/injury; grief and past deaths referenced in memory scenes.