Queen Irenay of Valdivia is under a spell, a curse rather, that makes her irresistible to any man's eye. To maintain the curse, she uses a magic dagger that harvests the life and beauty from whomever she kills with it. Raised to believe that men are nothing but lustful pigs and that love is weakness, Irenay is satisfied with the power the curse offers her. But a dark past haunts her and causes her to guard her heart relentlessly. That is until a particularly handsome clothier from the village is caught trying to steal from the castle. Instead of killing him, she decides to hire him. Rayder Ovando wants for nothing. He is the son of the village seamstress and invariably popular with the ladies. But he's one of the lucky ones. After agreeing to help his best friend raid the castle, Rayder and his friend's sister, Jalene, are captured. When he witnesses the queen kill Jalene, he is overcome with the need for revenge. But the curse placed upon the queen makes it impossible for him to even think about that need when he's around her. However, as he starts to unravel the truths of Irenay's past, he begins to see her in a new light. Perhaps there is more to the curse than meets the eye. As he learns more about her, he learns new things about himself as well, and how breaking the curse could possibly bring back Jalene. A ravishing tale about discovery, trust, and learning to love again.