War of Her Heart by Lexi Hodges

Here is a summary with spoilers for War of Her Heart by Lexi Hodges

Violet is a relatively young fae. Her mother died in childbirth, leaving her father in charge of her. He quickly found out that she had a heart problem and searched high and low for a solution. He found a pill for her to take every day, and the two were able to live their lives. One day, the king passed through and was attacked, and her father saved him. As a reward, he was made commander to the king. He took Violet with him, and the two lived in the castle, where she met Calum.

In their later years, she discovered she was deeply in love with Calum Evers, the Sovereign of the Mountain Realm. The two lived in a kingdom made up of seven fae realms. The Mother Queen Evidannan created them and forced them all to coexist. All sovereigns are bound by blood to do as she wishes. One of her decrees is that all sovereigns must marry other sovereigns to keep their lines strong. Since Calum is next in line, he must marry another sovereign, and his betrothal is waiting for him in the Night Realm. This engagement is devastating for the pair, because for the last sixteen years they have been secretly dating, despite his mother Celine’s intervention and hatred toward Violet.

Violet is not excited for what is to come, but Calum promises that he will do what he can to make sure the marriage doesn’t happen, and that he will come back for her. Calum and her father then leave for six months to be in the Night Realm with his betrothed. Her father’s parting words are to stay away from Celine and to stay in her room. After a few days of self-wallowing, she decides to leave her room. Nothing bad happens, even when she runs into Celine. She lives the next three months patiently waiting for Calum to return. But instead of him coming to her, she and Celine are summoned to the Night Realm for the final three months of the engagement.

Violet is first introduced to two members of the Night Realm: Adar (commander) and Bronwen (advisor). Bronwen immediately takes Violet under her wing and pulls her away from Celine. Later that night, Calum and his bride-to-be, Nathara, arrive, and they appear happily in love. Violet runs away to gather her thoughts, when she runs right into the Sovereign of the Night Realm. During their interaction, she starts to panic because she hasn’t taken her pill for the day, so he transports her to her room, wanting to know more about her condition. He then reveals that his name is Sebastian.

Later that night, Calum comes to her room and insists it is all just a facade, that he still loves her. He overheard that if the marriage doesn’t work, they will find someone he cares for and hurt them, and he believes that person will be Violet. He also learned that Sebastian is weakening, his power being drained, and no one, including Sebastian, knows why.

Bronwen decides she needs a day of shopping and takes Violet with her, giving Violet her first real glimpse of the outside world. Violet has never been outside her own castle before. Bronwen continues to take her on days out in the city, and Violet slowly realizes how sheltered she has been. During this time, she also learns more about Sebastian, and while she was originally scared of him, she begins to understand him, especially after hearing about his childhood.

During one outing, Bronwen takes her to a bar, where Adar and Sebastian are also present. While stepping outside for air, Violet is attacked, but Sebastian rushes to her side and kills the attacker.

After this, Violet tries to avoid Sebastian, but he saves her once again when she is lured outside the castle grounds. After the second time, she reveals to him that she has been in love for years—with Calum.

From Sebastian’s point of view, he reveals that he is devastated by the news of her relationship with Calum, because he and Violet are mates. He has been searching for her for decades, and now that she is finally here, she consumes his thoughts. He will not tell her, wanting her to realize and choose on her own. But he begins encouraging her to stop taking her pills, because he knows they are blocking their mate bond.

As her time in the Night Realm goes on, Violet grows closer to the court and further away from Calum. Every time he visits, they fight or he says the wrong thing. Soon, it is time for the Lulenacht Ball, where royals dress up so Sebastian can choose a potential bride. While she is still in love with Calum, Violet feels jealous at the thought of another girl being with Sebastian. To her shock, Sebastian picks her. The two share a dance, and Sebastian admits that he has feelings for her, though he will not act on them, especially with Calum watching angrily.

When she returns to her room, Calum is there, furious. He yells at her and commands her not to see Sebastian again. Shortly after, there is a knock on her door. Nathara enters with Calum close behind. Knowing Violet loves Calum, Nathara uses her position to humiliate her. Violet is ordered to sit in her room and watch while Nathara and Calum have sex. Before she can see anything, her vision goes dark—Sebastian is in her head, shielding her from the scene. When they leave, Sebastian whisks her away to a private swimming area. There, Sebastian sees Violet’s back, which is covered in scars. He discovers a spell on her and removes it, unlocking missing memories. The three months she thought she was waiting for Calum had actually been fifty-three days of torture and whipping, all inflicted by Celine. On the final day, Violet’s old nursemaid—a mother figure to her—was killed in front of her. Violet is devastated, and Sebastian helps her process her grief.

For the first time, Violet feels more in control of her life, though still lost. One comfort is Sebastian offering her a place in his realm. Violet decides she needs to tell Calum everything. When he learns the truth, he promises to banish his mother to her villa. But Violet doesn’t think this punishment is enough; if Calum truly loved her, he would do more. She ends things with him officially. Calum grows violent, and Sebastian intervenes to protect her. Violet, however, sends them both away, needing space.

She spends days alone in her room, thinking, and decides she trusts Sebastian. She stops taking her pill, and later that night, she is overwhelmed with pain and calls for Sebastian. When he arrives, she is feverish, and he brings her to his room. She bursts into flame, and Sebastian realizes she is a phoenix. He uses much of his dwindling power to protect himself and contain the fire. When Violet wakes, she immediately recognizes Sebastian as her mate. They spend the night together, though she worries about how much power he used when they still don’t know what is draining him.

The two then visit her father for answers. He reveals that Violet is the daughter of the Sovereign of the Sun Realm, making her a phoenix. He is not her true father. Her parents are dead, and her realm has been waiting for her.

Violet embraces her new life. She spends her days learning magic from Adar, who remains wary of her, and searching for what is blocking Sebastian’s magic, while her nights are spent with her mate. But one morning she wakes and finds Sebastian missing. She follows and discovers Adar and Sebastian being held at knifepoint. Emerging from the shadows are Celine, Nathara, Nathara’s mother (who is not Sebastian’s), and Calum.

Violet notices the necklace Nathara wears and realizes it is the source of Sebastian’s weakness. It must be destroyed quickly, as Nathara is preparing to kill Sebastian and seize the throne. Violet secretly mind-speaks to Adar, giving him the plan: she will reveal her magic, and he must destroy the necklace.

Violet calls on her magic and bursts into flames. The necklace is destroyed, Sebastian regains his full power, and he kills all those involved. Nathara and her mother meet brutal ends at his hand. When it comes to Celine and Calum, he leaves the choice to Violet. Violet melts the crown onto Celine’s head and lets her live, then tells Calum she never wants to see him again, commanding him to return home and rule justly. She also has Sebastian break the bond between her father and Calum, freeing her father at last. He offers to be her commander for the throne she should now claim, and Violet decides that is exactly what she wants.