by Caz Andra
Community rating: 4.5/5 from 2 ratings.
In the Covenant States, women are given a single secure a husband before time runs out.
Maryn Vale has built her life around compliance. The system is structured, orderly, and fair to those who contribute. As a rising civic officer, she believes in its rules, its rituals, and the promise that loyalty is rewarded. She believes she is safe.
When she is selected for Unity, the honor feels earned. Unity is a privilege. A sanctioned courtship designed to match the Covenant’s most valuable men with women deemed worthy of them. Watched, ranked, and refined through each phase, the process promises status, protection, and a future.
Chosen early by Elias, a man admired for both intellect and rank, Maryn is pulled into a glittering world of supervised dates, formal evaluations, and quiet competition. Eleven other women are vying for the same outcome. Only one will be chosen.
At first, nothing feels wrong. The rules are introduced gently. The attention feels flattering. The threat of failure is framed as personal, never systemic. And if Elias does not choose her, Maryn tells herself she still has time. Women who fail are returned to the pool. Until they are not.
As the courtship deepens and the pressure tightens, Maryn begins to understand what Unity truly requires. The process is not about love or compatibility, but endurance. Compliance. The willingness to disappear piece by piece in exchange for safety.
Forced to compete for a future she no longer believes in, Maryn must decide whether survival is worth the cost of becoming what the Covenant demands. Even if walking away means being erased entirely.
Genres: Fantasy
Tropes: forced marriage, Arranged/Forced Marriage, Forced Proximity
ISBN: 9781967740086
383 pages
Published: 2026-08-06
Publisher: Self-Published/Indie