Welcome to the website for The Heartwood Trilogy! These books follow the romance of human Andrew and half-Fae lord Micah. The books take place against the backdrop of Saint Paul, Minnesota but if the city were swirling with Fae magic and if faeries lived in the bluffs of Lilydale next to the Mississippi. There is an abundance of queer rep, with Andrew a gay man and Micah bisexual as well as loads of other queer characters in the ensemble.
Book one, Deny Me, The Nightshade Boy was published on September 8, 2023. Book two, Rend Me, The Wayward Knight, premiered on January 21, 2024. Book three, Promise Me, Lord Heartwood, is slated for release on June 21, 2024 with an omnibus release to follow.
While recovering from a near fatal ambush, Micah Stillwater has been spending his days with Andrew Vidasche and the Folk in Lilydale, healing and preparing to live up to his new title of Lord Heartwood.
More confident than ever in their relationship, Andrew asks Micah to marry him. Desperate to put their hardships behind them, the couple focuses on planning a wedding in time for the spring equinox, Ostara, a holiday of renewal and hope.
But the witches are still out for Micah’s blood, and threaten to topple everything Lilydale stands for unless Lord Heartwood can find a way to save his people—and himself.
Eventually, the charm wears off…
Andrew and Micah have enjoyed two years in a fairytale relationship. But when Andrew slips into a deep depression anyway, he turns his attention to a still-unanswered question: what happened to his mother? This leads Andrew to an isolated cabin in the North Shore, and Micah to feel he’s been abandoned to his own devices.
As Andrew attempts to reconcile with his mother’s addiction to Fae-spelled foods and finds healing in the land, Micah taps into the wicked Fae power churning within him. Will Andrew and Micah be able to mend their relationship after their time apart, or does the cold and the pain leave them much too altered for their love to persist?
You’re Intoxicating…
Andrew has been haunted by the Folk ever since his mother’s addiction to Fae-spelled foods. It was never his intention to fall for Micah, whose mysterious nature suggests more than just human lineage, but Micah has a certain… charm to him that Andrew finds irresistible. While their ensuing romance seems to be going well, the Folk from Micah’s past demand his attention, and demand that Micah stop denying his Fae nature to harness the power in his blood.
About the Author
Mary VanAlstine (they/she) is a writer, artist, and therapist. Writing and art have been a hobby for some twenty years now since they were a goofy little middle schooler, which is actually when both of Deny Me‘s protagonists were created. Mary grew up devouring fantasy, especially urban fantasy, and hearing about the writing craft from their father, a science fiction writer.
Mary lives in the city in Minnesota with their nerdy husband, a dramatic preschooler, a very dumb puggle named Bilbo Waggins, and two perfectly angelic cats.
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