I am so excited to finally share the cover for Wrath & Desire, as well as the official book summary. I’ve been sitting on it since August, waiting to be sure on the release date for the novel, since it turned out to be longer than expected. I can now say it will be available on February 23rd, 2026!

A couple of weeks ago I began revisions, and I’m working hard to finish those with the book due to the editor at the end of December. I am loving Wrath & Desire so much and can’t wait for you all to read it in February.

If you missed them, I’ve shared excerpts from the novel (pre-edit) you can check out HERE and HERE. Later this month, after the beta readers finish reviewing them, I will post the first three chapters. None of the snippets/excerpts come from those, so they’ll all be new text to read.

Thanks to my volunteer reader group on Instagram, I’ve also included the content warnings for the novel at the end of the book summary below. They helped me formulate the wording for one particular spicy scene that I couldn’t figure out how to label because I’ve never seen any author write this particular situation before, and neither had they. It got pretty wild in the chat group as we discussed it, but it was so much fun. They also assisted in some of the more amusing warnings that are included, although I take full responsibility for the cheekiness at the end (as someone put it).

For the spicy scene, it’s nothing dark or twisted per se, but it is unusual and impossible to do in the real world. That should rule out about a thousand ideas in your head if you’ve got a dirty mind. There’s no easy way to describe it without spoilers, but the lovely team of over twenty readers did a great job finding a long-winded label that hints at the main idea, so readers at least have some sense of what to expect in case they have a red line that fits this situation. The group really enjoyed the excerpt they read and wanted more, which I take as a great sign. I personally think it’s hot as fuck, but I’m biased.

Anyway, on to the cover reveal! For extra fun, I made the video below to show it.

Special thanks to Hannah Sternjakob for the amazing cover design!

BOOK SUMMARY

Darrow is raw power exemplified.
He is full of secrets and pain.
The dark elf isn’t satisfied with only marrying me.
Oh, no. He wants it all—my body, heart, and soul.
I must resist despite being his fated mate.
Because if I don’t, he could break me, and I’m already at my limit.

Aella is everything I’m not.
She is full of compassion and resilience.
The half-druid’s grace and odd fondness for plants bring me to my knees.
Though I cannot love her, I need to own her in every way.
She can resist all she wants, but I’ll do whatever it takes.
No price is too high, even if it breaks me.

But now, war and death plague us.
My mother’s people have invaded our realm with ruthless precision.
Our monarchy is at stake.
And a blight is rapidly spreading to kill the land.
Powerful forces are at work to divide our people.
I may wish I could focus entirely on my new wife.
But we must find a way to save our world.
Even if it means traveling to a distant one with its own dangers.
That is…if we can find a way there before the enemy stops us.
Somehow, they’re ahead of us at every turn.

Note- This novel contains adult content, including graphic violence, foul language, rough spicy scenes, torture, and divine astral projection/consensual body sharing between multiple characters (of a sexual nature).

Other content warnings- weird homicidal chickens, terrifying hordes of venomous frogs, sentient plants with murderous attitudes…actually, many flora and fauna are not what they seem in this world, so assume nothing and mentally prepare yourself for anything. It’s fantasy. Immerse yourself in the madness or go find another genre.

You can add Wrath & Desire to your Goodreads TBR here- Wrath & Desire by Susan Illene | Goodreads

It’s also available for pre-order on Amazon. I’ll be adding it to other retailers soon. As with all my new release books, it will be available widely for the first three days before I pull it and put it into Kindle Unlimited. If you haven’t read the first novel, Oaths & Vengeance, it’s already available in KU, as well as hardback and paperback.

Special thanks to Hawthorn & Aster for hosting my cover reveal!