Blythe and Fate Share an Unexpected Moment In This Excerpt From Final Belladonna Installment Wisteria

Though Adalyn Grace’s Belladonna series initially began as the story of Signa Farrow and her relationship with Death, the scope of its narrative has significantly expanded since then. Throughout the first book and its sequel Foxglove, Grace deftly juggles competing plots and voices, adding everything from new supporting characters and romantic relationships to a brand new point of view. With the addition of Blythe Hawthorne as a POV character in her own right and the arrival of Death’s brother Fate, suddenly the series’ world is much bigger and more vibrant than ever before. And that trend seems set to continue with the trilogy’s final installment, Wisteria. 

The series’ conclusion boasts changes of its own: not only have individual POV chapters been abandoned for a more straightforward third-person narrative, but its story is primarily about Blythe. (Though it’s obvious Signa and Death will still have their parts to play—but the pair have more than earned their happy ending, if you ask me.) Picking up in the aftermath of the shocking events at the end of Foxglove, Blythe remains bound to Fate after having substituted herself in the original agreement he made with Signa to save Elijah Hawthorne. They spend most of their time at one another’s throats, arguing and bickering in a distinctly enemies-to-lovers-fasion and steadfastly ignoring the occasional genuine spark between them. But when Blythe discovers an unexpected secret about their connection, she’ll have to decide if she’s ready to learn who she really is. 

Here’s how the publisher describes the story.

Blythe Hawthorne has never let anyone tell her what to do—not society, not her overprotective father, and certainly not the man she’s bound herself to, no matter how rude and insufferable he is. In fact, she’s determined to be a thorn in his side for the rest of her days, even as he ensures that her life in his palace is anything but a fairytale. But as Blythe discovers a new side of herself linked to his past, she’ll have to decide if she’s willing to let an unexpected spark ignite…and to discover the truth about who she really is.

Wisteria won’t hit shelves until August 20, but we’ve got an exclusive first look at the Belladonna trilogy’s final installment for you right now. 

“I despise you,” Blythe spat, ripping off her gloves and tossing them at Aris’s chest before she hiked up her dress and stomped to take a seat beside the fire. Though the skies had been clear when she’d left, all of Wisteria trembled from roars of thunder. How strange it was that the storm mirrored the one brewing in Fiore so perfectly.

“Get in line.” She hadn’t heard Aris sit down, but suddenly he was beside her, his voice low as he asked, “Did he touch you?”

Blythe knew at once who he referred to. She was grateful for the flames against her back, for goosebumps slithered down her spine at the memory of Death’s touch. “I’d be dead if he had.”

The firelight cast severe lines across Aris’s face, sharpening the planes of his scowl. “You were a fool to let Death so close.”

“Don’t pretend you’re worried for me.” It was impossible to tell how cross Aris was, for Blythe made a pointed effort not to meet his eye. All she could see was that he’d crossed one leg over the other, and that his foot tapped a silent rhythm in the air as the stillness between them stretched on. Eventually, as the storm died down and Death’s lingering chill finally seeped from her bones, Aris asked, “Did you have a good time at Foxglove?”