Karessa has always lived by one rule: Trust no one. The moment you do, that’s when you’ll find a knife in your back. When the high king is assassinated, and her brother is slain in the crossfire, Karessa—a former thief turned struggling laborer—sets her sights on the ten-thousand-gold-coin bounty placed on the culprit. Armed with a dagger and an unyielding determination, she hires a charming tracker named Clyde to hunt him down. Despite Karessa’s confident demeanor, she’s never been outside of her city, so when she’s thrust into an unknown world of monsters and magic, she finds herself relying on Clyde’s lethal swordplay to keep her safe. But even more dangerous than his combat skills is her growing affection for the man prone to attracting trouble. From goblin hordes to deadly trials, she must survive Clyde's infuriating sense of justice and her crumbling emotional walls before confronting their quarry. But she’s not the only person on the verge of reaching her target. Leo Fanoya, captain of the high king’s personal guards, is in close pursuit, and he holds a secret that could cost Karessa the bounty, her life, or her heart. Ashes & Rubble is a high-stakes, action-packed epic fantasy with witty banter and an irresistible enemies-to-lovers tension. For fans of The Serpent and the Wings of Night, The Bridge Kingdom, and Kings of the Wyld.