Stone Bound
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Pub Date Sep 18 2026 | Archive Date Mar 15 2027
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Description
Forced into a deadly military academy she was never meant to survive, a young woman must hide the forbidden magic awakening inside her while serving under the future king who broke her heart years ago.
In Anvarus, every citizen is assigned a future by the Infidium. Peyton Lancaster has spent her entire life preparing to follow in her father's footsteps in the Science Sector—until she's ripped from the future she planned and forced into the kingdom's brutal military academy instead.
Worse? Her commanding officer is Jude Augustine: the future king, her childhood best friend, and the boy who abandoned her when she needed him most.
Determined to prove she's more than a liability, Peyton throws herself into deadly training and impossible trials, refusing to bend to the academy's rigid expectations—or Jude's relentless need to protect her. But when the Twelfth Moon Trials awaken a forbidden power hidden within her, Peyton becomes exactly what the Infidium fears most.
Now, the prince sworn to uphold the kingdom's laws must choose between the crown he's destined to inherit and the girl he's always loved, while Peyton fights to keep a dangerous magic from consuming her before the kingdom discovers the truth.
Featuring childhood best friends-to-lovers, military academy training, a protective prince, forbidden magic, deadly trials, "who did this to you?" energy, forced proximity, touch-her-and-die devotion, and a slow-burn romance that asks one impossible question: what do you choose when duty demands one thing, but your heart demands another?
Advance Praise
"First of all, WOW! I can't believe this is the Author's debut! From the very first chapter, I was hooked. The story immediately pulls you in with just the right amount of mystery and intrigue. The worldbuilding is so well done. I loved learning about the different Sectors through Peyton's eyes, and it was easy to imagine the world as I read. Peyton and Jude were definitely my favourite part. Their chemistry and tension were everything, and I couldn't get enough of them. I was giggly bc they're so hot & cute at the same time! The YEARNING though!!! This was such a fun, addictive read that was hard to put down. " -- GOODREADS
Available Editions
| EDITION | Ebook |
| ISBN | 9798996583003 |
| PRICE | $16.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 326 |
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Buy on BN.com Buy on Bookshop.org Buy on KoboAverage rating from 72 members
Featured Reviews
Isabella M, Reviewer
Thank you to NetGalley and Jocelyn James for providing me with an advance copy of Stone Bound.
Stone Bound has an incredibly addictive romantasy premise: a young woman forced into a brutal military academy, forbidden magic awakening inside her, deadly trials, and the future king serving as the person she has to answer to.
Peyton's situation immediately creates so much tension. She has spent her life preparing for one future, only to have that future taken away and replaced with a life in a military academy she was never meant to enter. Her determination to prove herself despite being treated as a liability makes her an easy character to root for.
And then there is Jude.
The childhood-best-friends-to-lovers setup combined with the history between Peyton and Jude gives their relationship so much emotional potential. Jude is not only her commanding officer and the future king—he is also the person who broke her heart years earlier. Putting these two together in such a high-pressure environment is practically guaranteed to create tension.
I also really like the concept of the Infidium determining each citizen's future. Peyton's struggle becomes more than simply surviving the academy; it becomes a fight against a system that has already decided who she is supposed to become.
The forbidden magic, Twelfth Moon Trials, political expectations, forced proximity, and slow-burn romance make this feel like a particularly promising addition to the romantasy genre.
Jocelyn James has created a debut with an immediately compelling premise, a fascinating world, and a romance filled with exactly the kind of yearning and tension that romantasy readers love.
I'm very excited to see where Peyton and Jude's story goes next.
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