Never the Roses - Softcover

Lambert, Jennifer K

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1250360366 ISBN 13: 9781250360366

Publisher: Bramble, 2026

Synopsis

The most powerful sorceress in all the world comes face to face with her greatest rival in this enchanting and seductive fantasy romance debut from Jennifer K. Lambert.

The Dread Sorceress Oneira has retired. She's fought and won endless wars for her ambitious queen and has finally exiled herself, seeking peace in a remote forest where the mountains meet the beach. There, in the peculiar company of a wolf, a kestrel, and a cat, she comes to accept that her death would be the beginning of a better world.

But she has one last curiosity to satisfy.

Oneira makes a reckless trip from her hidden fortress to the most extensive library in existence: the collection of her most powerful rival, the sorcerer Stearanos.

Perhaps at the behest of fate, a book on rare roses catches her eye. With little to lose, she steals it and returns to her self-imposed exile. As the subject takes root, she initiates a forbidden correspondence with her once-enemy. Taunting notes and clever retorts reveal a connection neither has found―nor could ever find―in any other.

But Oneira soon learns that Stearanos, bound to a vile king, is called to war against the queen she once served.

A relationship with him is far too dangerous to pursue despite their mutual desire―and yet, Oneira can't seem to stay away. A bond with the only person who's ever really understood her is too tempting to ignore.

But not all dreams were meant to come true and not all budding romance blooms.

Exquisitely crafted and bewitchingly lyrical, Never the Roses is like Circe by Madeline Miller meets The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent.

"[A] fresh take on enemies to lovers that will have readers swooning. A must-add for any romantasy shelf." --Booklist, starred review

Expect:
- Rivals to lovers
- Forbidden love
- Slow burn
- Starcrossed lovers
- Tragic romance
- Dark past
- Redemption
- Unexpected ending

About this title

About the Author

Jennifer K. Lambert lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with her husband of over thirty years, his chocolate-lab assistance dog, two Maine coon cats who assist no one, and plentiful free-range lizards. Her high fantasy novel, Never the Roses, fell on her from out of the sky and became a dream come true. She also writes under the name Jeffe Kennedy, where she is a multi-award-winning and bestselling author primarily in epic fantasy romance, and is a Past-President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA). She is represented by Sarah Younger of Nancy Yost Literary Agency.

Edition details

• Publisher: Bramble
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1250360366
• ISBN 13: 9781250360366
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 400