She was never given a choice—until she decided to take one. Miss Sarah Mortensen has always followed the rules. The good daughter. The obedient bride-to-be. But when her father's debts force her into another marriage of convenience, something inside her breaks. This time, she won't surrender. With guilt heavy in her heart and doubt trailing every step, she dares to defy the life laid out for her—and run.

He was raised to honor truth—even when the world doesn't. Keir Mackinnear never imagined he'd help kidnap a baron's daughter, least of all at the request of a scheming dowager countess. But when he whisks Sarah away to a woodland cottage tucked deep in the quiet, he sees more than a fugitive bride. He sees a woman learning, slowly and painfully, to ask what she wants—and believe she deserves it.

They both feared disappointment. But love asks for bravery, not perfection. As snow gathers around them, so do questions Sarah has never dared voice. And Keir—steady, patient, endlessly kind—becomes the answer she never expected. But freedom carries consequences, and the heart doesn't always wait for certainty. Sometimes it moves, simply and surely, toward the one person who helps you become yourself.

Because escaping isn't just about running—it's about choosing where to land. And love, once chosen, makes no apologies.

If your favorite romances begin not with perfection but with broken pieces and the courage to piece them together, this one will speak your language.
Some stories can be told in one book. Others cannot. This is one of those stories.

Flames of Winter Series
#1 Flames of Winter
#2 Shield of Fire
#3 Out of Smoke and Ashes
#4 On the Wings of Cinders