A Hunt in the North

In the frozen, perilous north of the Underworld's Seven Circles, Prince Gluttony leads a daring hunt for ice dragons, feeding his House's sin not just with food and drink, but with adventure and danger. The hunt is both a source of power and a deadly game, as the dragons—once bound by a fragile peace—turn unexpectedly violent. When his brother Wrath is nearly killed in a dragon attack, the prince senses a deeper threat. The dragons' aggression hints at a curse or madness, and the prince's instincts tell him that the balance of power in the Underworld is shifting. The thrill of the hunt is replaced by the chilling realization that something ancient and dark is awakening.

Scandal Sheets and Secrets

Adriana Saint Lucent, a sharp-tongued journalist, is determined to uncover the truth behind the rumors of dragon attacks. Her family's survival depends on her job at the Wicked Daily, and she's no stranger to scandal—especially when it involves her nemesis, Prince Gluttony. Adriana's relentless pursuit of the story is fueled by both professional ambition and personal vendetta. She navigates the treacherous world of court gossip, balls, and secrets, using her wit and resourcefulness to get close to the truth. But her investigations put her in the crosshairs of powerful enemies, and the line between fact and fiction blurs as she's drawn deeper into the prince's world.

The Prince's Dangerous Game

Prince Gluttony, known as Axton, is a master of indulgence and public spectacle. To protect his House and distract from the growing threat of the dragons, he manipulates the scandal sheets and orchestrates a public rivalry with Adriana. His reputation as a rake is both a shield and a weapon, allowing him to control the narrative and keep his enemies guessing. But beneath the surface, Axton is haunted by secrets and a hunger for something more than fleeting pleasure. His dangerous game with Adriana becomes a battle of wits, desire, and pride, as each tries to outmaneuver the other while the true threat grows ever closer.

A Reporter's Relentless Pursuit

Adriana's life is a constant struggle to provide for her family, especially her younger sister Eden and their selfish stepmother. Her reporting is not just a job but a lifeline, and she's willing to risk everything to break the story of the century. As she digs into the rumors of dragon unrest, she faces obstacles from all sides—her editor, rival reporters, and the prince himself. Adriana's determination is matched only by her cynicism, shaped by past heartbreak and the harsh realities of the Underworld. Yet, her pursuit of the truth is also a search for meaning, justice, and perhaps, redemption.

The Seven Sins Club

The mysterious Seven Sins club is a den of vice where masks and glamour hide true identities, and all sins are indulged. Adriana, seeking inspiration for her new advice column, enters the club in disguise, hoping to research romance but instead encountering a masked stranger who challenges her cynicism and awakens desires she thought long dead. Their flirtation is a dance of wit and temptation, each hiding secrets and testing boundaries. The club becomes a crucible where the lines between enemy and lover, truth and fantasy, begin to blur, setting the stage for a forbidden connection.

Enemies and Unexpected Desire

The rivalry between Adriana and Axton intensifies as their public war spills into private encounters. Both are drawn to the thrill of the chase, but beneath the barbs and banter, a dangerous attraction simmers. Their masked meetings at the Seven Sins club ignite a passion neither can deny, even as they remain unaware of each other's true identities. When a magical blood oath binds them together, desire and duty collide. The enemies-to-lovers arc is fraught with tension, misunderstandings, and the ever-present threat of scandal, as both struggle to reconcile their feelings with their roles in the unfolding drama.

The Competition Announced

To divert attention from the dragon threat and keep Adriana close, Axton announces a realm-wide competition to find a bride, inviting suitors from every House of Sin. Adriana's sister Eden is chosen as the House Gluttony suitor, thrusting the family into the heart of court intrigue. The competition is a spectacle of romance, rivalry, and manipulation, with Adriana forced to report on the very event that could destroy her. As the suitors vie for the prince's favor, old wounds and new alliances are tested, and the stakes become more personal than ever.

Family, Debt, and Deceit

Adriana's family is a microcosm of the Underworld's sins—her stepmother's gluttony, Eden's innocence, and Adriana's own relentless drive. Debt and desperation push them to the brink, and Sophie's machinations threaten to unravel everything. When Eden's name is drawn as a suitor, it's revealed that Sophie used magic to secure her daughter's place, setting off a chain of deceit and unintended consequences. The family drama mirrors the larger mysteries at play, as love, loyalty, and ambition collide in a struggle for survival and happiness.

The Masked Stranger

The masked stranger at the Seven Sins club becomes Adriana's obsession and escape. Their encounters are charged with longing and vulnerability, offering a glimpse of a different life. When a magical blood oath is sworn, their fates are entwined, but the truth of each other's identity remains hidden. The eventual revelation—that her enemy and her lover are one and the same—shatters illusions and forces both to confront the past, their desires, and the possibility of forgiveness. The unmasking is both a climax of passion and a crucible of trust.

Blood Oaths and Revelations

The blood oath between Adriana and Axton intensifies their connection, amplifying both pleasure and pain. As they navigate the competition, family drama, and the escalating dragon attacks, the magic that binds them becomes both a blessing and a curse. Their shared vulnerability leads to confessions, apologies, and the slow rebuilding of trust. But the past—especially the mysterious events of the All-Sinners Ball—casts a long shadow, and the truth remains elusive. The revelation of a hexed object's role in their history becomes the key to breaking the cycle of pain and misunderstanding.

The All-Sinners Ball Mystery

The All-Sinners Ball, a decade past, is the origin of Adriana and Axton's enmity and heartbreak. Each remembers the night differently—one as a betrayal, the other as a missed chance at love. As they investigate, aided by the princes and their allies, they uncover evidence of the Hexed Quill, a cursed object capable of rewriting memories and destinies. The search for the quill and the truth behind the rewritten night becomes a race against time, as the magic's price threatens to destroy not just their happiness, but the safety of the entire realm.

Hexed Objects and Curses

The investigation into the Hexed Quill uncovers a web of secrets, betrayals, and unintended consequences. The quill's magic, used to alter the events of the All-Sinners Ball, has been feeding on the realm's power, driving the dragons mad and endangering everyone. The true culprit is revealed not as a villain, but as a child—Eden—whose innocent wish to keep her sister close set off a chain reaction. The price of the magic is steep, and only by burning the rewritten story can the curse be broken. The revelation forces all to confront the cost of fear, love, and the desire to control fate.

Dragons Unleashed

As the curse reaches its zenith, the dragons attack, threatening to destroy House Gluttony and the Seven Circles. The princes unite in a desperate battle, risking everything to protect their people. Axton, wounded and weakened by the blood oath and the curse, faces Silvanus, the dragon he raised, in a final confrontation. The battle is both physical and symbolic—a fight for redemption, love, and the right to choose one's destiny. The breaking of the curse restores balance, but not without sacrifice and the scars of war.

Love, Betrayal, and Scandal

In the aftermath of the battle, the truth comes to light—about the Hexed Quill, Eden's role, and the real nature of Adriana and Axton's relationship. The scandal sheets explode with rumors, and Adriana faces public scorn and private heartbreak. Friendships are tested, family bonds are strained, and the lovers must decide if forgiveness and trust are possible. Axton's public proposal is both a declaration of love and a plea for a new beginning, but Adriana must choose whether to risk her heart again or walk away.

The Truth Burns Bright

With the curse broken and the truth revealed, Adriana and Axton confront their past and their future. Apologies are made, wounds begin to heal, and the possibility of happiness emerges from the ashes of scandal and sorrow. The lovers, now equals, choose each other freely, vowing to face whatever comes together. The realm, too, begins to recover, its sins acknowledged but not denied. The story ends not with a fairy-tale wedding, but with the promise of adventure, love, and the freedom to stay scandalous—together.

Happily Ever After, Scandalous

Adriana and Axton, now engaged, embrace their roles as partners, lovers, and rulers. Their journey from enemies to soulmates is celebrated not with perfection, but with honesty, laughter, and the acceptance of each other's flaws. The Seven Circles continue to thrive on sin and indulgence, but the lessons of the past linger—a reminder that love, like power, must be earned and protected. The final Miss Match column offers advice for finding one's own happily-ever-after, scandalous or not, as the lovers ride off into the night, ready for whatever adventures await.

Characters

Prince Gluttony (Axton/Gabriel)

Axton is the immortal Prince of Gluttony, ruling the northernmost circle of the Underworld with a reputation for excess, adventure, and scandal. Outwardly, he is a charming rake, indulging in every pleasure to fuel his House's power. Inwardly, he is haunted by loneliness, a hunger for meaning, and a secret longing for love. His rivalry with Adriana is both a shield and a challenge, masking deeper feelings. Axton's psychological complexity lies in his need for control, his fear of vulnerability, and his struggle to reconcile public image with private desire. Over the course of the story, he evolves from a self-indulgent prince to a man willing to sacrifice everything for love, learning humility, trust, and the courage to face his own flaws.

Adriana Saint Lucent

Adriana is a sharp-witted, fiercely independent journalist whose cynicism is born of heartbreak and hardship. She is the family's provider, sacrificing her own dreams to care for her sister and stepmother. Her rivalry with Axton is both professional and deeply personal, rooted in a past betrayal and the pain of lost love. Adriana's psychological journey is one of learning to trust, forgive, and accept her own desires. She is driven by a need for justice, truth, and self-worth, but also haunted by fear of vulnerability. Her development is marked by the gradual dismantling of her emotional armor, the rediscovery of hope, and the choice to embrace love—even at the risk of scandal.

Eden Everhart

Eden is Adriana's younger sister, whose innocence and longing for family unity inadvertently set the story's central curse in motion. Her use of the Hexed Quill, motivated by fear of losing her sister, triggers the chain of events that nearly destroys the realm. Eden's arc is one of guilt, confession, and growth; she must face the consequences of her actions and learn the value of honesty, agency, and self-forgiveness. Her relationship with Adriana is both a source of strength and a mirror for the story's themes of love, fear, and the unintended costs of trying to control fate.

Sophie Everhart

Sophie is the archetypal selfish stepmother, driven by greed, status, and a refusal to accept her family's changed circumstances. Her overindulgence and scheming create constant tension and hardship for Adriana and Eden. Psychologically, Sophie represents the dangers of unchecked sin and the corrosive effects of denial and resentment. Her relationship with Adriana is adversarial, but also rooted in her own insecurities and disappointments. She is both a foil and a cautionary figure, illustrating the story's exploration of sin, family, and the limits of ambition.

Ryleigh Hughes

Ryleigh is Adriana's best friend and fellow reporter, whose pursuit of the Hexed Quill and involvement in the All-Sinners Ball mystery make her both a confidante and a red herring. Her loyalty is tested by secrets, misunderstandings, and the pressures of ambition. Ryleigh's arc is one of reconciliation and forgiveness, as she and Adriana must confront the ways in which secrets and pride can erode even the strongest bonds. She embodies the story's themes of trust, the complexity of female friendship, and the dangers of jumping to conclusions.

Silvanus (Ice Dragon)

Silvanus is the alpha ice dragon, raised by Axton and bound to him by a complex mix of affection, rivalry, and instinct. His descent into madness under the curse is both a personal tragedy and a symbol of the realm's larger peril. Silvanus's fixation on Adriana, driven by the Hexed Quill's magic, makes him both a threat and a victim. His arc is one of suffering, loyalty, and the ultimate cost of dark magic. He represents the story's exploration of power, the natural world, and the consequences of human (and inhuman) interference.

Prince Envy (Levi)

Envy is one of Axton's brothers, ruling his own House of Sin with a reputation for gamesmanship, intelligence, and emotional detachment. He is both a rival and a reluctant ally, drawn into the central mystery by the threat to the realm. Envy's psychological complexity lies in his need for control, his fear of vulnerability, and his evolving understanding of love and loyalty. His relationship with Axton is marked by competition, respect, and the shared burden of leadership.

Val

Val is Axton's second-in-command, a former hunter with a no-nonsense attitude and a deep sense of duty. She is both a confidante and a critic, unafraid to challenge the prince when necessary. Val's psychological strength lies in her pragmatism, loyalty, and ability to see through deception. Her development is marked by her willingness to adapt, her growing respect for Adriana, and her own search for meaning beyond duty.

Lust, Wrath, Greed, Sloth, Pride (Princes of Sin)

Each prince embodies his House's sin, serving as both a foil and a support to Axton. Lust is the hedonist, Wrath the warrior, Greed the schemer, Sloth the scholar, and Pride the perfectionist. Their relationships with Axton are marked by rivalry, camaraderie, and the shared burden of leadership. Psychologically, they represent different facets of power, temptation, and the struggle to balance personal desire with responsibility. Their development is seen in their willingness to unite against a common threat and their evolving understanding of love, loyalty, and sacrifice.

The Hexed Quill

The Hexed Quill is both a plot device and a character in its own right—a sentient, malevolent force capable of rewriting reality at a terrible price. Its magic is seductive, offering the illusion of control, but its true cost is paid in suffering, madness, and the unraveling of fate. The quill's role in the story is to expose the dangers of fear, the limits of power, and the necessity of facing the truth, no matter how painful.

Plot Devices

Enemies-to-Lovers and Public Rivalry

The story's central device is the enemies-to-lovers dynamic between Adriana and Axton, played out in both public scandal and private longing. Their rivalry is a shield against vulnerability, a source of power, and a crucible for transformation. The public war in the scandal sheets is mirrored by their private battles, with each encounter escalating the stakes and deepening their connection. The device is used to explore themes of pride, trust, and the fine line between love and hate.

Magical Blood Oath and Glamour

The blood oath sworn between Adriana and Axton is both a literal and metaphorical bond, amplifying desire, pain, and the consequences of betrayal. The glamour and masks of the Seven Sins club allow for anonymity, role-play, and the exploration of hidden desires, while also setting up the dramatic unmasking and revelation of true identities. These devices heighten tension, force vulnerability, and drive the characters toward honesty and self-acceptance.

The Hexed Quill and Rewritten Memory

The Hexed Quill is the story's central mystery and the source of the realm's peril. Its ability to rewrite memories and destinies is both a metaphor for trauma and a literal threat. The investigation into the quill's use, the search for the rewritten story, and the eventual burning of the hexed parchment provide the structure for the story's suspense, twists, and ultimate resolution. The device allows for exploration of fate, agency, and the cost of trying to control the past.

Family Drama and Class Tension

Adriana's family—her stepmother's gluttony, Eden's innocence, and her own ambition—mirrors the larger themes of the Seven Circles. Debt, desperation, and deceit drive the plot, while the competition for the prince's hand exposes the tensions between commoners and nobility, love and ambition, duty and desire. The family drama grounds the fantasy in emotional reality and provides a lens for exploring the story's psychological stakes.

Foreshadowing and Misdirection

The story employs foreshadowing and misdirection to keep readers guessing—the true culprit behind the Hexed Quill, the nature of the curse, the identity of the masked stranger. Clues are seeded throughout, with red herrings (Ryleigh, Sophie) and shifting suspicions. The device keeps the narrative taut, the stakes high, and the emotional payoff satisfying when the truth is finally revealed.

Analysis

Kerri Maniscalco's Throne of Secrets is a masterful blend of fantasy, romance, and psychological intrigue, using the lush, sin-soaked world of the Seven Circles to explore timeless questions of power, love, and the cost of rewriting fate. At its heart, the novel is a meditation on the dangers of fear and the seductive illusion of control—whether through magic, manipulation, or denial. The enemies-to-lovers arc between Adriana and Axton is both a thrilling romance and a nuanced study of trust, vulnerability, and the courage to face one's own flaws. The use of the Hexed Quill as a plot device allows for a rich exploration of memory, trauma, and the ways in which the past shapes the present. The story's resolution—rooted in confession, forgiveness, and the acceptance of imperfection—offers a modern, emotionally resonant take on the fairy-tale ending. The lessons are clear: love is not the absence of scandal or sin, but the willingness to choose each other, again and again, in the face of chaos. In a world where power is currency and secrets are weapons, the true victory lies in honesty, partnership, and the freedom to stay scandalous—together.

Last updated: September 25, 2025