PRE-ORDER NOW - 23rd February 2027

A reluctant villain sets out to become the trophy husband of the terrifying Dark Lord of New York-if the Dark Lord can only be convinced he's not trying to kill him. By turns charmingly macabre and heartfelt, this laugh-out-loud queer fantasy romcom is perfect for fans of Assistant to the Villain and The Dark Lord's Guide to Dating.

Kieran Prentiss, necromancer prodigy, and New York's "Most Darling Devil," has a secret: he's a pacifist.

Though the world expects him to rise as the next great villain, Kieran has no interest in ruling-or killing-anyone. After an encounter with Dark Lord du Maurier-known to his fans as LdM, New York's infamously fearsome and impossibly attractive ruler, an idea strikes: why become a dark lord when you can simply seduce one? Under the guise of managing LdM's PR for the upcoming Dark Lord of the Northeast competition, Kieran enters LdM's orbit with one goal: getting LdM to put a ring on it. But it soon becomes clear someone is targeting LdM for more treacherous reasons.

Faced with assassination attempts and cutthroat political schemes, Kieran's carefully planned seduction starts to unravel and the line between strategy and his true feelings blurs. Kieran can only hope that LdM's trust-and whatever is growing between them-will survive the fallout.