Best Selling Books by Marie Rutkoski

The Winner''s Kiss brings a stunning conclusion to the irresistible romance between Kestrel and Arin and the crippling war that has torn about their world in the Winner''s trilogy, by New York Times bestselling author Marie Rutkoski. War has begun. Arin is in the thick of it, with the East as his ally and the empire as his enemy. He''s finally managed to dismiss the memory of Kestrel, even if he can''t quite forget her. Kestrel turned into someone he could no longer recognize: someone who cared more for the empire than for the lives of innocent people-and certainly more than she cared for him. At least, that''s what he thinks. But far north lies a work camp where Kestrel is a prisoner. Can she manage to escape before she loses herself? As the war intensifies, both Kestrel and Arin discover unexpected roles in battle, terrible secrets, and a fragile hope. The world is changing. The East is pitted against the West, and Kestrel and Arin are caught between. In a game like this, can anybody really win?

A page-turning, irresistible novel of class, ambition, and love, this is the breathtaking story of a woman risking everything for a second chance at the one who got away • "A brilliant examination of queerness, friendship, motherhood, longing and ambition. It’s funny and moving and sexy. Above all, it’s a stunning love story.”—J. Courtney Sullivan, bestselling author of The Cliffs Emily has, by all appearances, a perfect life: a townhouse on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, two healthy children, and a husband who showers her with attention. But the truth is more complicated: Emily’s marriage is in trouble, her relationship with her parents is fraught, and she is still nursing a heartbreak from long ago. When Emily runs into her high school girlfriend at a cocktail party, that heartbreak comes roaring back. But Gen Hall is no longer the lanky, hungry kid with holes in her shoes who Emily loved in her youth. Instead, Gen is now a famous Olympic athlete with sponsorship deals and a string of high-profile ex-girlfriends. Emily and Gen circle one another cautiously, drawn together by a magnetic attraction and scarred by their shared history. Once upon a time, Gen knew everything about Emily. And yet, she still abandoned her. Can Emily trust Gen again? Can they forgive each other for the mistakes they made in their past? Should Emily risk her children, her privacy, and the fragile peace she has found to be with a woman she loved long ago? A sweeping romance, Ordinary Love is the beautiful, wrenching, completely seductive story of two people trying to forge a path toward hope, bound by a love they discovered when they were too young to understand its power.

An aristocratic girl who is a member of a warmongering and enslaving empire purchases a slave, an act that sets in motion a rebellion that might overthrow her world as well as her heart.

The Winner''s Crime, the dazzling follow-up to Marie Rutkoski''s The Winner''s Curse, reveals the high price of dangerous lies and untrustworthy alliances. Following your heart can be a crime A royal wedding is what most girls dream about. It means one celebration after another: balls, fireworks, and revelry until dawn. But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making. As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement: that she agreed to marry the crown prince in exchange for Arin''s freedom. But can Kestrel trust Arin? Can she even trust herself? For Kestrel is becoming very good at deception. She''s working as a spy in the court. If caught, she''ll be exposed as a traitor to her country. Yet she can''t help searching for a way to change her ruthless world . . . and she is close to uncovering a shocking secret. The truth will come out, and when it does, Kestrel and Arin will learn just how much their crimes will cost them.

Set in the world of the New York Times–bestselling Winner’s Trilogy, Marie Rutkoski''s The Midnight Lie is an epic LGBTQ romantic fantasy about learning to free ourselves from the lies others tell us—and the lies we tell ourselves. Where Nirrim lives, crime abounds, a harsh tribunal rules, and society’s pleasures are reserved for the High Kith. Life in the Ward is grim and punishing. People of her low status are forbidden from sampling sweets or wearing colors. You either follow the rules, or pay a tithe and suffer the consequences. Nirrim keeps her head down, and a dangerous secret close to her chest. But then she encounters Sid, a rakish traveler from far away, who whispers rumors that the High Kith possess magic. Sid tempts Nirrim to seek that magic for herself. But to do that, Nirrim must surrender her old life. She must place her trust in this sly stranger who asks, above all, not to be trusted.

Intrigue, romance, and magic abound in The Hollow Heart, the heart-stopping conclusion to Marie Rutkoski’s Forgotten Gods duology. At the end of The Midnight Lie, Nirrim offered up her heart to the god of thieves in order to restore her people’s memories of their city’s history. The Half Kith who once lived imprisoned behind the city’s wall now realize that many among them are powerful. Meanwhile, the person Nirrim once loved most, Sid, has returned to her home country of Herran, where she must navigate the politics of being a rogue princess who has finally agreed to do her duty. In the Herrani court, rumors begin to grow of a new threat rising across the sea, of magic unleashed on the world, and of a cruel, black-haired queen who can push false memories into your mind, so that you believe your dearest friends to be your enemies. Sid doesn’t know that this queen is Nirrim, who seeks her revenge against a world that has wronged her. Can Sid save Nirrim from herself? Does Nirrim even want to be saved? As blood is shed and war begins, Sid and Nirrim find that it might not matter what they want...for the gods have their own plans.

Bringing to mind Gillian Flynn and Tana French but completely unique, Marie Rutkoski''s Real Easy is a compulsive, tenacious, and unexpectedly hopeful thriller. "[R]iveting...An adrenaline ride filled with grit and compassion." —People, Book of the Week It’s 1999 and Samantha has danced for years at the Lovely Lady strip club. She’s not used to mixing work and friendship—after all, between her jealous boyfriend and his young daughter, she has enough on her plate. But the newest dancer is so clueless that Samantha feels compelled to help her learn the hustle and drama of the club: how to sweet-talk the boss, fit in with the other women, and make good money. One night, when the new girl needs a ride home, Samantha agrees to drive: a simple decision that turns deadly. Georgia, another dancer drawn into the ensuing murder and missing person investigation, gathers information for Holly, a grieving detective determined to solve the case. Georgia just wants to help, but her involvement makes her a target. As Holly and Georgia round up their suspects, the story’s point of view shifts between dancers, detectives, children, club patrons—and the killer. Drawing on her experience as a former dancer, Marie Rutkoski immerses us in the captivating world of the club, which comes alive with complicated people trying their best to protect themselves and those they love. Character-driven and masterfully plotted, Real Easy gets to the heart of the timeless question: How do women live their lives knowing that men can hurt them?

Brimming with magic, political intrigue, and heroism, this debut novel kicks off a riveting new series featuring Petra Kronos, a young girl who risks everything to protect those she loves.

Darcy Jones doesn''t remember anything before the day she was abandoned as a child outside a Chicago firehouse. She has never really belonged anywhere—but she couldn''t have guessed that she comes from an alternate world where the Great Chicago Fire didn''t happen and deadly creatures called Shades terrorize the human population. Memories begin to haunt Darcy when a new boy arrives at her high school, and he makes her feel both desire and desired in a way she hadn''t thought possible. But Conn''s interest in her is confusing. It doesn''t line up with the way he first looked at her. As if she were his enemy. When Conn betrays Darcy, she realizes that she can''t rely on anything—not herself, not the laws of nature, and certainly not him. Darcy decides to infiltrate the Shadow Society and uncover the Shades'' latest terrorist plot. What she finds out will change her world forever . . . In this smart, compulsively readable novel, master storyteller Marie Rutkoski has crafted an utterly original world, characters you won''t soon forget, and a tale full of intrigue and suspense.

Petra and friends fight to save her father and stop a villainous prince and his army of monsters in this fantasy trilogy finale by the New York Times –bestselling author. "Bittersweet, yet hopeful, with an understated romance, this is a fitting finale for a distinctive series." — Booklist Petra Kronos''s father has been transformed into one of Prince Rodolfo''s monstrous Gray Men, and Petra is determined to save him. She and her friends Tomik and Neel swiftly formulate a plan. But when a long-held secret is revealed, Neel finds himself bound to his country. Petra, Astrophil, and Tomik must embark on their quest without him. The friends are quickly swept up in an epic battle for power. Worse still, Prince Rudolfo is close to becoming emperor, ruling half of Europe. As she struggles to be free of Prince Rudolfo''s evil plots, Petra learns just how strong the bonds of friendship can be—and just how much she is willing to sacrifice—in this riveting final volume of the Kronos Chronicles. "A slambang finale to a refreshingly different fantasy trilogy. . . . Thrilling, heartrending, and unexpectedly sweet, Petra''s adventures could not have had a more satisfying conclusion." — Kirkus Reviews

Download the first five chapters of THE WINNER''S CURSE by Marie Rutkoski! Winning what you want may cost you everything you love... As a general''s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin''s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It''s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined. Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner''s Curse is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

Few know that the Great Chicago Fire was started deliberately, as a genocide of deadly creatures called Shades. Fewer still know that they didn''t die, not quite...but one human will confront the truth when an ominous beauty makes him gamble for his life. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

When Prince Rodolfo''s monsters attack her, Petra Kronos is spirited away to London. As she struggles to escape, Neel and Tomik sail the high seas, in search of her. Though separated by many miles, the three friends draw closer together in this sequel to The Cabinet of Wonders, called "astonishingly accomplished" by Publishers Weekly. Readers will not be disappointed in this adventure-filled novel that includes man-made monsters, the unraveling of a murder mystery, and the hunt for the Celestial Globe, which the prince of Bohemia will do anything to own.

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Winner''s Trilogy comes Marie Rutkoski''s Tor.Com Original short story, "The Bridge of Snow." Here readers are introduced to Arin during more innocent times. In his childhood, before the war, there was still time to tell stories. This story is set in the same world of the author''s stunning YA trilogy, which begins with book one, The Winner''s Curse. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Petra Kronos has a simple, happy life. But it''s never been ordinary. She has a pet tin spider who likes to hide in her hair and give her advice. And her brilliant father has been commissioned by the prince of Bohemia to build the world''s finest astronomical clock. When the prince steals her father’s eyes to wear them as his own, Petra sets off for Prague to steal her father''s eyes back. And that is only the beginning of this series brimming with magic and adventure that Publishers Weekly called a "heady mix of history and enchantment." Includes all three books in the series, The Cabinet of Wonders, The Celestial Globe, and The Jewel of the Kalderash.