When Evelyn accidentally binds herself to her academic rival, she desperately searches for the remedy in centuries-old magic before the sparks between them burn.

Half-fae Evelyn Knowles is hiding a big secret: her shifter form. Abandoned by her fae father, she has no one to teach her about the change. She’s a little concerned when she determines the animal she turns into is--well--mythical.

As one of the library’s most sought-after researchers, Evelyn knows how to find answers. Before she can, her boss nominates her to investigate a centuries-old magical bond. Whoever solves this problem will be promoted to the top research position in the fae court. The position is a desire she’d never voiced—a dream she thought out of reach. It's also one she’s not guaranteed to win when her rival, Ambrose Yarrow, is competing, too.

When the study of magical bonds leads to accidentally forming one with Ambrose, Evelyn is even more determined to untangle the mysteries of this magic.

Spending any time with Ambrose is too much. He finds her research methods reckless, is a stickler for the rules, and is the library's golden boy on fae history. What’s worse, every conclusion she has drawn about him may be wrong. With the promotion she wants hanging in the balance and an increasingly unmanageable attraction to Ambrose, Evelyn must solve this puzzle. Even if wanting things has never gone well for Evelyn, and wanting Ambrose might be the riskiest experiment of all.

Research with Rivals is a cozy standalone romantasy with spice in the Fae by the Bay series. Every book in this interconnected series can be read independently and ends with a HEA. If you like forced proximity, academic rivals, and half-fae heroines finding their place to belong, you’ll love this sweet and spicy story.

The Fae by the Bay series is set in the same world as Compass Points. Return to this fantasy world with new characters or dive in for the first time.