dramatic_barbie

Marcella Valemont was a villainess wrapped in silk and thorns.

The alluring, selfish daughter of the High Priest, she was forced into a cold marriage with the Black-bellied Duke Berith Montclair. She longed for power and would stop at nothing to claim the crown, even if it meant seducing the incorruptible Crown Prince Lucian and clawing her way to the throne into becoming the Queen.

Until it all burned.

Her ruthless schemes led to betrayal, rebellion, and ruin-- an empire on its knees, a virtuous king destroyed, and a rebellion led by the man she discarded. Desperate and full of regret, she barters her life with the Duke to save Lucian. 

In an interesting turn of events, Marcella gets to go back in time to fix her wrongs, save the man who was ruined because of her and hopefully stop the bloodthirsty rebel Duke Berith. 

She finds herself reborn as her 18-year-old self with a chance for a do-over and vows to do better this time.

But the past does not forget. Nor does the devil in her husband’s skin.

Secrets long buried begin to surface, and Marcella discovers that her former husband is far more than he seems—a man cloaked in darkness, harboring a purpose that threatens everything she holds dear. 

They say second chances come with thorns and to fix the past, she must trust the devil who destroyed it.

The Devil's Duchess

The cold air of the stone corridors barely registered against Marcella's skin as she stormed through the church, her skirts snapping at her heels like angry banners caught in a storm.

Candles flickered weakly along the walls, their pale glow failing to touch the blackness roiling in her chest. It was a darkness older than grief--raw, hungry, and relentless.

Not when the servants bowed their heads in deference.

Not when the guards exchanged uneasy glances at her hurried steps.

Her fingers itched with a fury so fierce it threatened to consume her.

Each word her father had spat was a nail driven deeper into her spine, a chain tightening around her soul.

When Marcella reached the antechamber near the chapel, she didn't bother knocking. The heavy oak door groaned as she shoved it open.

Loophole?