A Bond of Blood and Stone, TJ West

Description

A Bond of Blood and Stone by TJ West
Paperback
Bound Hearts, Book 1

Power is inherited. Desire is not.

In the exploited colony known as the Province, survival is measured in blood, labor, and the precious mineral Ore. Titus Orestes never wanted to rule it. But when a broken family oath places the Province in his care, he accepts the burden, hoping to soften the Dominion’s grip and offer its people something better.

Aemon Smelter wants Titus dead.

Bound by his mother’s oath to avenge his father’s murder, Aemon arrives with assassination in mind. Instead, he finds himself drawn to the very man he’s sworn to kill. Titus is kind where Aemon expects cruelty, principled where he expects corruption, and heartbreakingly human in a system designed to grind people down.

As rebellion brews and imperial forces tighten their hold, desire becomes dangerous. Family oaths clash with political loyalty. Love threatens revolution. And in a world built on obligation and control, Aemon and Titus must decide whether the human heart can break free of bonds forged in blood and stone.

Drawing inspiration from Appalachian labor history and the political machinery of Ancient Rome, A Bond of Blood and Stone is a steamy queer romantasy about class struggle, inherited violence, and choosing love in the face of empire.