Iron & Embers – Scheuerer Helen (2025)

This epic, steamy enemies-to-lovers romantasy by Helen Scheuerer is set in a world of dark magic, assassins and war. Wren Embervale, an alchemist turned assassin, finds solace only in seeking vengeance for the deaths of friends lost in past wars. When she is offered a place at the ancient alchemy academy of Drevenor, she must earn it by conquering the Gauntlet, a gruelling series of deadly trials that could cost her her sanity or her life. Her greatest threat, however, may be the man assigned to protect her: Torj Elderbrock, a silver-haired war hero who has hated her since she assassinated his last charge. Their shared history fuels a simmering tension that threatens to consume them both. With peace between the kingdoms as fragile as ever and enemies lurking around every corner, Wren must discover whether love can truly heal all wounds, or whether it is the most lethal poison of all. This is the first instalment in the Ashes of Thezmarr series, followed by Thorns & Fire. The story features a bodyguard romance, an academy setting, forced proximity and the ‘touch her and die’ trope.