A sentient murder garden, gods meddling in unexpected ways, weird creatures running wild. Oh, and the two main characters trying to navigate their new marriage while a war rages and a blight kills the land. Wrath & Desire is here and ready to keep you on the edge of your seat in more ways than one. You don’t want to miss out on this installment.

For those who haven’t read the first book, Oaths & Vengeance, you can find it on Amazon (including Kindle Unlimited). If you have read it, but it’s been a while and you need a refresher, I recorded a YouTube video that covers the key points to keep in mind as you head into the second installment. It will refresh your memory of many of the characters, plot points, plants, animals, and the sequence of events that led to the conclusion of the first novel.

Now, for the full details on the book below, including links to where you can grab it. For anyone who doesn’t use Amazon, please get it quickly because I’ll be pulling it tomorrow night to put into Kindle Unlimited. I’m also working to get the hardcover available in the next week or so, and the paperback sometime in March.

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

Wrath & Desire purchase links

Note- The ebook will only be available widely until the evening of February 24th, 2026, when I pull it to enroll into Kindle Unlimited. I’m working to get the hardcover available before the end of the month and the paperback in March. Stay tuned on my website or social media for more on that.

BOOK SERIES RESOURCES

While there are two professional maps inside the eBook and hardcovers, you can use the ones HERE on the website for reference if you want to avoid flipping back and forth while reading.  These are hand-drawn images with some digital details added later that are relevant to key lands and cities that the two in the book don’t show as deeply due to size limitations. You can locate them in the Realm of Zadrya book tab.

Special thanks to my amazing street team for working tirelessly these last days to promote Wrath & Desire. They’ve designed banners and other promo materials, shouted about it on social media, acted as a sounding board, and been a huge source of motivation in many ways. I appreciate them so much! Also, I want to give a special thanks to Hawthorne & Aster for managing my book release blast for this week.