Seraphine Mourne grows poisons for a kingdom that pretends it does not use them.

As the Thornkeeper of the First Sanctum, she cultivates deadly plants for healers, nobles, and the crown itself ? all while secretly collecting evidence of the quiet murders hidden beneath the court's polished surface. For nine years, she has built a dangerous ledger in silence, waiting for the right moment to expose the corruption rotting the kingdom from within.

Then a senior Venari dies under suspicious circumstances.

Soon after, a stranger arrives asking questions no one should be asking.

Caelum Ashvere is careful, unreadable, and immune to magic in ways that make even powerful people uneasy. He claims to be investigating a routine matter for a minor noble house, but Seraphine quickly realizes he is searching for the same hidden truths she has spent years protecting.

In a court where every alliance is dangerous and every kindness carries a price, Seraphine must decide whether trusting him is worth the risk.

Because someone inside the kingdom already knows what she has been building.

And they are no longer willing to let her remain unnoticed.

A Garden of Thorns and Venom is a gothic romantic fantasy filled with poisonous gardens, political conspiracies, dangerous secrets, and slow-burn tension. Perfect for readers who love intelligent heroines, court intrigue, dark botanical magic, and emotionally charged fantasy mysteries.