Duchess Bianca of House Liliana knows her duty comes before her heart.

When the threat of a war looms from the neighbouring kingdom, chronically ill Bianca agrees to marry the kingdom's new heir to ratify a hasty peace treaty. Her betrothed, Aric, might be cold and aloof-not to mention apparently hating Bianca on sight-but Bianca is determined to avert war and finally prove her worth to her family.

Then, on her wedding night, an assassin strikes-and Bianca, with a misdirected defence spell, accidentally turns Aric into a horse. Framed for his murder and caught in a conspiracy against the throne, she makes a hasty escape with her transmogrified new husband. On the run she must work with Aric to help rectify the spell and return to the palace in time for the coronation, for they soon discover the truth about the unknown forces driving threats of war.

But there's more at stake than the Kingdom: if Bianca can't discover who wants them both dead, reverse the enchantment, and learn to trust her heart, she'll lose not only the peace treaty and her family's approval, but also the husband she's unexpectedly falling for.

It turns out Aric isn't the man she thought he was . . .