the goblin emperor by katherine addison

Clarissa Yowell once saved Julian Slater's life. In return, he promises that if he ever becomes emperor, he'll make her his empress. Now that he has finally ascended the throne,everyone is eager to know who the new empress will be. Clarissa is certain it's her—how could it not be? But in the end, she's the last to find out that the woman Julian chooses is his childhood sweetheart, Sophia Lynch.

The Bellaros border is in crisis, and Eloise Quimby volunteers for a political marriage. She has grown up with the crown prince, inseparable from him for ten years, yet now she leaves him behind. When he seeks to marry Camila Lowe instead of her, Eloise’s heart has already turned cold. The emperor names her Protector of the Realm, to wed in seven days—while the crown prince remains unaware…

Once a crown prince, Finn Clark lives as a commoner after being rescued by Helen Smith, who raises him amid scorn and hardship. Though only a lowborn's daughter, she shields him, urging him to train in secret and wait for his moment. Enduring humiliation from Mark Smith and protecting his love Grace Conley, Finn hides his strength—until the combat tournament, where he shocks the realm and unknowingly draws his father,Emperor Sean Clark, closer to finding him.

Eva Smith is sacrificed alive in a rain-seeking ritual. Upon her death, her true spirit awakens, and she discovers her identity as the Moon Goddess, the very deity who founded the empire of Qevar. Armed with this revelation, Eva re-enters the mortal world in her divine form, intending to settle old scores. She confronts her treacherous family, purges the palace of corruption, and takes out both the crown prince and the inept emperor, bringing the long chain of retribution to an end. In the aftermath, she establishes the Lunar Kingdom and passes the throne to Liam Aspen, promising to return in sixty years to see what the Lunar Kingdom has become under his rule.

Vengeance of Lady Freya! Freya Walker has been reborn, and her mission is clear—punish that wretched husband, divorce him, and protect her family! A stranger she saved in passing turns out to be the future emperor? The scum dares to use her as a stepping stone? The mother-in-law seeks to tarnish her name? The mistress covets her rightful place? She sneers, "To hell with them all!" Only one complication remains—she cannot seem to shake the mysterious young lord whose life she saved. By day, he is a formidable statesman; by night, he scales her courtyard wall and whispers her name."When will you make me your rightful consort?"

Yanxing Shen, born into a military family and serving as a female general, was granted the honor of becoming a consort in the imperial palace by the emperor. Upon learning of this, Consort Ning, the most favored consort of the palace, framed Yanxing, leading to the overnight massacre of her entire family. Seeking justice from the emperor, Yanxing found that instead of punishing Consort Ning, he stripped her of her title as a female general. Carrying a deep-seated grudge, Yanxing resolutely embarked on a path of revenge, determined to seek justice for herself. From an official courtesan, she ascended to become a palace lady, and then replaced Consort Ning as the most favored consort. Just as she finally avenged herself, she discovered that her true enemy was someone else.

Julie Scott, once the revered princess of Xandar, is brought down by the very emperor she served. Fearing her growing influence, he betrays her, setting a deadly trap within the palace walls. Surrounded and outnumbered, Julie fights to her last breath. By her side, her devoted husband, Paul Murray, chooses to die protecting her. When Julie opens her eyes, she's reborn as the wife of a wealthy modern heir who looks exactly Paul but is cold and distant. To make matters worse, a scheming mistress challenges her at every turn. But Julie won't be defeated—she's determined to tame the chaos, build her own fortune, and handle her distant "husband" on her terms.

After spending over a decade in the palace, Song Ruyi finally saw the light again when she was allowed to leave. However, due to an inadvertent glance from the Emperor and the jealousy of Noble Consort Chun, she was subjected to a horrific fate. Out of jealousy, Noble Consort Chun cut her hair, severed her fingers, gouged out her eyes, and slit her throat. Her sister, Song Zhiyi, waited eagerly at the palace gate for Ruyi's return, only to be greeted by a lifeless and broken body. Determined, Song Zhiyi entered the palace, embarking on a path of revenge. She navigated through various schemes and intrigues, only to discover, after exposing Noble Consort Chun's crimes, that the true mastermind behind her sister's death was someone else...

Gabriel Reeds returns home a war hero, the general who shattered the southern enemy and unified the nation. The homecoming lasts about five minutes. His sister has been violated, his mother left gravely wounded, and the men responsible have powerful friends in very high places. Armed with an imperial gold medallion and a fury that doesn't cool, Gabriel storms the local courthouse and keeps going, pulling at a thread that unravels a conspiracy stretching from corrupt county officials all the way to the capital,where pension funds meant for fallen soldiers have been quietly stolen. The Emperor's brother-in-law hits back hard. Gabriel hits harder.With the Empress's backing, he dismantles the rot from the bottom up, for his family, for the dead, and for every soldier who bled for a country that then abandoned their kin.

Princess Anya Jyara of the defeated Kingdom of Jyara is captured by a notorious pack-horse caravan during her journey to a political marriage. She almost loses her virtue to the bandit chief Wyatt Igan. Through careful scheming, Anya manages to enter the imperial palace of the Kingdom of Eoghan, where she makes a shocking discovery: the bedridden emperor bears an identical resemblance to Wyatt. Meanwhile, Wyatt infiltrates the palace disguised as a eunuch to stay close to her. The Prince Regent, who holds actual power in the palace, desires Anya for himself. Caught in a web of palace intrigue and deadly power struggles, Anya strategically manipulates the men around her to survive. She uses herself as bait while he shields himself with his bandit identity, and together they battle from the bedchamber to the imperial court in a dangerous game of deception and ambition.

Freya Lyon is the Nine-Tailed Fox who has protected the Noxen kingdom's royal family for five hundred years. To repay the founding emperor's kindness, she guards the kingdom's fortune at the cost of severing her tails nine times. On the eve of her final blessing ceremony, she disperses her powers as the ritual requires, only to be publicly blocked, humiliated, and beaten by the arrogant and jealous Consort Jynna, who even destroys the blessing token, causing celestial anomalies and destabilizing the kingdom's fortune. Though the royal family knows her true identity, suspicion and selfishness prevail—under the incompetent King Cedric Grant and the Empress Dowager's indulgence, they repeatedly harm her. Freya grows cold toward the corrupt Grant descendants but still remembers the innocent commoners, using her remaining power to bear their suffering. Finally, after her powers recover, she reveals her true immortal might, quells the rebellion,and punishes the treacherous.