Sword of the Seven Sins — Emily Colin

In a world ruled by sin, love is a dangerous game. Tech prodigy Eva is resigned to life in the Commonwealth, as long as she's behind a computer screen. To her horror, the Priests Choose her to train as a bellator, one of the Commonwealth's enforcers. She's eerily good at it. If only she weren't taunted at every turn by her deadly mentor, Ari, to whom she's bound by a blood oath. She's falling for the magnetic Ari, but in the Commonwealth, love is punishable by death. Thrown into the life of a bellator, Eva is no longer a sheep of the Commonwealth, but a wolf, learning to patrol and kill. Her inexplicable strengths make her a top bellator, drawing unwanted attention. Meanwhile, as she and Ari train together, their antagonism becomes grudging respect. But the more time they spend together, the harder it is for Eva to resist the lure of his green eyes, his grace and power with a sword, and the charm beneath the sarcastic front he shows the world. Things take a treacherous turn when a heated night in the woods reveals a dangerous secret—Ari has loved Eva for years. Their feelings put their lives at risk, but their love is too powerful to deny. Meanwhile, Eva's mysterious physical gifts heighten to a terrifying degree. Soon, Ari uncovers a secret that could take down the Commonwealth itself. Will Eva set aside her fears and fight for freedom with the boy she loves, knowing it might destroy them both? Author's NoteIf you love fierce girls with swords, infuriating guys with hearts of gold, forbidden love between a mentor and apprentice who can't keep their hands off each other, and star-crossed lovers who fight to the death by each other's sides, then this is the book for you. WINNER of the 2021 North Carolina Indie Author Award in Young Adult FictionFINALIST for the 2020 Foreword INDIES Award in Young Adult FictionSHORTLISTED for the The Manly Wade Wellman Award for Science Fiction and FantasyWINNER of the 2022 Gold Moonbeam Award for Best Book Series I couldn't stop reading. This is the best book I've read in a long time. —Michelle MacQueen, author of We Thought We Were Invincible, for YA Books Central Powerful, hopeful, sexy, and unsettling. —Heidi Ayarbe, award-winning author of Freeze FrameSizzling hot and exploding with tension.—Lisa Amowitz, award-winning author of Breaking Glass