Under the Lavender Moon

Book excerpt: Sixteen-year-old Rilla Marseas has a gift that would guarantee her a spot in the annual Showcase, a competition to select the emperor's next concubines. All the girls in her village would find it the highest honor for the chance to compete. Five winners enter his harem, and the losing participants secure a reputable lifetime position as a palace servant. Rilla's magical healing voice would make her a top contender if she chose to reveal it, but she has other ambitions. She longs to become a healer. When a palace scout coerces her into revealing her power, she's thrown into the competition, and all her dreams come to an abrupt end. If she wants to win the Showcase, she'll need to learn the secrets of seduction under the tutelage of an experienced concubine and navigate palace politics. Other obstacles in her way include the jealous empress and two dozen contestants who want her to fail. But Rilla soon discovers that the emperor and empress keep girls with magical powers as caged pets, and if they find out she can use her voice to reverse old age and cure all ailments, she will become their caged nightingale. With the help of her allies, the handsome, brooding Prince Carrick, and his mysterious bodyguard, Rilla must find a way to escape, or she will lose her freedom forever.