These Vile Hearts

“At once warm, tender, and totally ruthless, These Vile Hearts had me completely captivated. If you love meticulous world building and sky-high stakes, this is the romance for you.” —Annabel Monaghan, New York Times bestselling author of Dolly all the Time

“Robinette stuns in her debut. Equal parts an engaging, unique fantasy and an incisive commentary on the treatment of disabled people, These Vile Hearts is an unmissable debut.” —Máire Roche, USA Today bestselling author of Bromantasy

“Robinette enchants with her sweet, spicy, and bitingly funny debut romantasy … With daggers in their hands but romance in their hearts, the captivating leads prove easy to root for. Swirling with magic, sex, and sin—and not shying away from the harsh realities of living with a disability in modern America—this is a stunning start.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Robinette’s debut is an exciting, fast-paced romantasy that will have readers anticipating another installment. Recommend this story of deception and intrigue to fans of Hannah Whitten’s For the Wolf.” —Library Journal

“A witty, rambunctious read with a tightly-written plot that keeps you hooked.” —The Daily Beast

“Especially impressive when considering that These Vile Hearts by Melody Robinette is her debut as a novelist, she has deftly fashioned a story that blends romance with a fantasy that is awash with magic and dark humor. This is a carefully crafted, emotionally engaging, and fun read from start to finish.” —Midwest Book Review

“Funny, weird, sexy, emotional, original, beautifully written, and genuinely refreshing. I absolutely loved living in this strange little world of modern healthcare, cursed princes, tree souls, dryad brothels, sarcastic mortals, and murderous forest politics.” —Read by Her

“[I]ncredibly gripping … I also was incredibly sympathetic with Maddox; as a type 2 diabetic, I liked the use of this chronic illness to drive Maddox and how well the details of the illness were written … If you like romantasy and enemies to lovers, this is a well-written engaging novel that does a terrific job at building both the fantasy and romance elements.” —The Nameless Zine

“Woven with imaginative world-building, crackling wit, and charming romance, These Vile Hearts is a sumptuous modern fairytale that pairs sweeping magic with the quiet realities of living with chronic illness. A truly original and enchanting debut.” —Charlotte B. Plumb, author of Reap & Sow

“A new queen of the fae has arrived and her name is Melody Robinette. As intoxicating as fairy wine and as sharp as a dryad’s dagger, These Vile Hearts is both entirely unique and wonderfully familiar—the diabetic fae bargain of my most decadent dreams. Robinette weaves unflinching diabetic lived experience into a brilliant tapestry of magic, romance, and banter. Fans of The Cruel Prince and Emily Wilde are in for a treat. But beware, one bite won’t be enough.” —Clare Edge, author of Natural Selection

“Melody Robinette shines with this absolute delight of a debut novel! These Vile Hearts contains everything I want in a romantasy: magical world-building, relatable characters, and enough sexual tension to have me kicking my feet. Maddox and Castor are two sharply drawn leads who not only have sizzling chemistry, but also have incredibly realistic personal journeys. I am already begging for more!” —Falon Ballard, USA Today bestselling author of Something Wicked

Melody Robinette is a speculative fiction author with a love of all things gothic and macabre. Born and raised in Texas, she now lives in Pittsburgh with her husband and their two cats. When she isn’t reading, writing, or checking her blood sugar app, she can be found playing D&D, binge-watching Love Island, or fawning over her feline son Edgar Allan Poe Tato.

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