Wyngraf Romance Special 2023

By Catherine Yeates and Julie Bozza

Cuddle up with us this Valentine's Day!

Wyngraf is proud to present our first special edition! Fill your heart with these cozy fantasy romances—or just get your fix of magic and adventure until our next issue arrives.

~~The 2023 Romance Special contains two stories from rising stars in fantasy romance.~~
* "Withered" by Catherine Yeates. As graduate students at Elymus University, Archie and Felix were inseparable, but Felix took a faraway necromancy apprenticeship after graduation. Now Archie needs Felix's help to revive his mother's dying rose garden. Will bringing flowers back to life together give them a second chance at friendship—and more?

* "The Cunning Plan" by Julie Bozza. Far from home on a desperate mission, Connak still can't resist the advances of a handsome elf. Emilion is clearly hiding something, but Connak has secrets of his own, and time is running out for the two men to learn to trust each other...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wyngraf
• Release date: Feb 14, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215330296

Book preview

Valentine’s Day 2023

VALENTINE’S DAY 2023

COZY FANTASY ROMANCE FROM THE EDITORS OF WYNGRAF

JULIE BOZZA CATHERINE YEATES

Editor

NATHANIEL WEBB

WWW.WYNGRAF.COM

Wyngraf copyright © 2023 Young Needles Press, individual stories copyright © 2023 by their respective authors.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

TALES AND EPHEMERA

Withered

Catherine Yeates

About Catherine Yeates

The Cunning Plan

Julie Bozza

About Julie Bozza

WITHERED

CATHERINE YEATES

Archie surveyed the garden and confirmed that the rosebushes were just as dead as they had been five minutes ago. Their desiccated flowers drooped gloomily and leaves fell to the ground as his robes brushed against them. Archie scrubbed his hands over his face and muffled a scream. Then he pulled his wand from his pocket and drew a doorway in the air. It opened to the woods south of town, and he stepped through into a garden that was more alive.

Bees buzzed around colorful beds of flowers that lined the path to a small cottage. A fire nearby crackled, and Archie turned toward the brown-haired woman stirring a bright orange liquid in a metal pot. A fireproofing potion, judging by the familiar acrid odor.

My aunt is still out of town, Arch, Petra said.

Can’t you reach her? She must’ve left you a portal sigil for emergencies.

Aunt Maria is on a faraway, unnamed island where no one is going to ask her for botany advice. I couldn’t contact her if I wanted to.

What about that sorcerer I asked you about?

Booked solid for the next month. Not to mention he lives on the other side of the mountains and doesn’t use portals.

Archie sent her an affronted frown. "What do you mean, he doesn’t use portals?"

Aunt Maria asked him once, and he said they make his hair fall out, Petra said with a shrug.

Hogwash. I bet he only does that so he can charge people extra for travel.

There must be someone else who can help you.

I asked around town, but everyone competent is on vacation or busy. He folded his arms. What about you? You may not be a dryad, but you must have learned a few things from Maria.

She snorted, an unimpressed expression on her face. The most I do for Maria’s plants is burn the brush. Besides, didn’t you notice when we were dating that my plants are all fake?

He opened his mouth, then snapped it shut—he hadn’t noticed that.

Petra rolled her eyes. Why don’t you ask Felix?

"I can’t go to him for help. We’ve barely exchanged ten words since