Bride of the Bear King

A Twisted East of the Sun and West of the Moon Retelling

By: Brandon Rohrbaugh

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

A hungry winter. A ruthless bargain. A rule that demands she stay blind to the man who shares her bed.

Astrid Halewyn’s family runs out of food, coin, and time. When a white bear king steps from the snow with an offer, her parents treat it like the only path left.

One season in his mountain hall. In exchange, her family survives.

The hall feels alive. Doors shift. Shadows listen. Every stone pushes Astrid toward an old ending where a girl stays quiet, obeys, and becomes a prize.

The bear king gives her one rule above all others.

Never see his face by lamplight.

Astrid refuses to live as a sacrifice. She bargains, sets terms, and forces the monster in the mountain to meet her as a man, not a curse. As desire grows, so does the danger. Priests hunt story-breakers. The valley’s debts tighten like a noose. And something older than the bear king waits behind a frozen throne, hungry for a bride who will not speak.

To save the man she chose, Astrid must break the story that wants them both.

For readers who enjoy

• Dark romantasy retellings with a gothic atmosphere
• Enemies to lovers with forced proximity
• Monstrous love interests with consent-first tension
• East of the Sun and West of the Moon inspired folklore
• Sentient houses and cursed bargains
• Spice medium-high to high, open-door intimacy

Bride of the Bear King is Book Three in Wicked Ever After, an adult dark romantasy series of twisted fairy tale retellings. Each book stands alone as a complete romance while the curses connect across the wider world.