Jeweled Fire

The national bestselling author of Troubled Waters and Royal Airs returns to her Elemental Blessings series with the story of a young princess who will need more than blessings to survive in a kingdom where everyone will do whatever it takes to claim the throne…
As one of the four princesses of Welce, Corene always thought she might one day become queen. Only circumstances changed, leaving fiery Corene with nothing to show for a life spent playing the game of court intrigue-until a chance arises to become the ruler of a nearby country.
After stowing away on a ship bound for Malinqua with her loyal bodyguard, Foley, Corene must try to win the throne by making a play to marry one of the empress's three nephews. But Corene is not the only foreign princess in search of a crown.
Unaccustomed to being anyone's friend, Corene is surprised to find companionship among her fellow competitors. But behind Malinqua's beautiful facade lie many secrets.
The visiting princesses are more hostages than guests. And as the deadly nature of the court is revealed, Corene must rely on both her new allies and Foley's unwavering protection-for the game she has entered is far more perilous than she ever imagined…

Sharon Shinn is a journalist who works for a trade magazine and is the author of the Elemental Blessings novels, including Royal Airs and Troubled Waters, as well as the Shifting Circle novels, including The Turning Season, Still Life with Shape-Shifter, and The Shape of Desire. Her first novel, The Shape-Changer's Wife, was a nominee for Locus's Best First Fantasy Novel of 1995. She has won the William L. Crawford Award for Outstanding New Fantasy Writer, and was twice nominated for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. She has also received an RT Book Reviews Reviewers' Choice Award and won the 2010 RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy category. A graduate of Northwestern University, she has lived in the Midwest most of her life.