After the death of notorious Seren king Altrun, Izannah Orion ascends the throne in Serengard under less than traditional circumstances. Ten years younger than she should be, and with questionable parentage, she is merely a stand-in for an heir that murdered his siblings and threatened to eclipse the kingdom in chaos. Against bad odds, Izannah quells unrest, forges treaties, and engenders trust where it is least expected…even in the thick-skinned, deeply scarred Captain of the Guard. Many have called Izannah their salvation, but, seventy-four years later, her descendants are uncertain whether to call themselves blessed or cursed-especially Malcom, whose mother wants to use his power to usher in an age of dark deceit. The nation has already been war torn for a decade and a half. Firm traditionalist Kierstaz Orion is poised to retake her grandmother's kingdom by force, and the armies converging on the Seren capital are more likely to aid her than stop her. Son of two rebels, Malcom is the last person expected to reclaim a peace never seen in his lifetime…but he is determined to try. Rachel O'Laughlin grew up writing adventure stories on an archaic laptop that only ran Lotus Word Pro and froze every few days, which provided a nice excuse to use a typewriter for most of the pivotal murder scenes. After high school, she pushed novels to the backburner for immersion in the arts, touring with her bluegrass band, and a hands-on education in sustainable living. Eventually, she admitted to herself that she missed her first love and returned to fiction writing full time. She lives in Maine with her husband and five kids, listens to alternative rock, and home-roasts her own coffee beans. Blood of Ashlin is her fourth novel. Find her online at rachelolaughlin.com.