I don't do polite society. Ever. I teach, I study, I travel the world laying bare society's most ingrained superstitions. But I'm never more at home than when I'm locked away in my island haven, taking care of those who matter most to me.

I don't need friends, and I don't need romance—not when most of it is built on the same fairy tales I spend my life debunking.

Then a mysterious woman shows up on my doorstep, talking about curses and charms and a magical-sounding kingdom on the other side of the ocean...

And my world turns upside down.