A vintage romantasy vibe
The Winter King by C. L. Wilson
He has horns, she has trauma, together they have chemistry that could topple an empire🔥
Humans Don’t Have Horns coming out August 20 - preorder now
The Plot
Wynter Atrialan, the ruthless king of Wintercraig, won the war against sun‑soaked Summerlea. To secure peace, and exact revenge, he demands one of the Summer king’s daughters. The lightning‑wielding outcast Princess Khamsin is given as a sacrificial bride.
Khamsin arrives in the frozen North expecting execution. Instead she finds a land dying beneath Wynter’s uncontrollable Ice Heart—a deadly magic that is slowly killing him. What begins as political convenience burns into something fierce enough to thaw a kingdom and scorch the gods themselves.
My Breakdown
This book gave me:
❄️ A king haunted by war and literally cursed with ice
⚡️ A heroine who doesn’t just control storms, she is one
💍 A marriage no one wanted, built on blood, politics, and slow trust
🔥 A connection that builds, burns, and actually makes sense
I read this book a while back when I had pneumonia, and it was such a welcome relief between throwing up my lungs. The Winter King has that old-school romance vibe, and I think the cover reflects that too. It was an easy read and the perfect escape while I was seriously, miserably sick. I definitely recommend it if you're looking for something easy to read on your summer vacation, or when you just can't deal with overthinking. But I wouldn’t say these are the most compelling characters.
Wynter’s struggle against the Ice Heart mirrors Khamsin’s fight to own her long‑shamed power, making their romance a survival and salvation wrapped in the same embrace.
That was the insidious price of the Ice Heart. Each use of its power, no matter how minute, robbed him of some irretrievable portion of his humanity.
Her passion had far less care than his, more savagery. She was a child of the elements, a mage of storms. Rarely gentle. And never well behaved.
The pacing was epic, and the spice is still memorable to this day. There was also one incredibly annoying jealousy scene that pushed all my possessive-beast buttons.
The Winter King opens C. L. Wilson’s Weathermages of Mystral series*
What other vintage vibe romance you can’t stop thinking about?
*links are unaffiliated, I just like helping out authors.