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Book 1 of The Rendarra Chronicles

Breach of Balance

When gladiator Roar'Z escapes the blood-soaked arena, he carries a dragon-killing sword and a desperate mission: unite the scattered orc clans before Ruby the Red destroys them all. But first he'll have to survive KyKlaw, the sea-orc shaman whose conch shell magic can shatter minds—and who might be his only hope for saving their people.

  • Series: The Rendarra Chronicles, Book 1
  • Published: November 27, 2025
  • Leads: Roar'Z (Orc Gladiator, War Lord); Sea-orc shaman warrior
  • Previously published as: Invasive Species. Breach of Balance is the updated version.

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The prologue and first two chapters, narrated. Prefer to read? Read the first five chapters free.

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

★ The adult fantasy romance BookTok has been waiting for ★

Fourth Wing meets Game of Thrones with orcs you'll fall in love with


In the Brutal Arenas

In the brutal arenas of the tournament cities, strength means survival and freedom is just another word for death.

ROAR'Z has carved his name in blood across three tournaments, his green skin bearing the scars of countless battles that transformed an orphaned child into the most feared gladiator in the known world. But behind the bars of his traveling cage, fire burns in his veins: a dangerous secret that could mean execution if discovered.

When the convoy stops at a coastal trading post, everything changes.

KYKLAW, a sea-orc with storm-green eyes and the fluid grace of a born warrior, steps into his world like a force of nature. She carries the salt-scent of freedom and the promise of something Roar'Z thought he'd lost forever: choice.

Their first meeting crackles with an intensity that transcends the iron bars between them: predator recognizing predator, warrior calling to warrior.

"Enemies. Allies. Lovers. Sometimes the most dangerous battles are fought with the heart."


But Their World Is About to Burn

CRIMSON RUBY, an ancient red dragon of unimaginable power, has broken the natural order. Through dark sorcery and corrupted magic, he commands not just his own kind but an entire army of dragons:

  • Blue lightning-wielders
  • Green acid-breathers
  • Black corrosion-dealers
  • White frost-bringers

His crimson eyes burn with more than draconic rage: they hold the cold calculation of a conqueror who sees all other races as mere insects to be crushed beneath his claws.

Ruby's campaign of systematic extermination targets orc settlements across the realm with military precision. Ancient communities that have stood for generations become ash and screaming in minutes.

Children become orphans. Warriors become corpses. Hope becomes a luxury the living can't afford.


Survival Demands the Impossible

Trust between enemies. Love between warriors. Hope in a world designed to crush it.

ROAR'Z, the gladiator who knows only survival, must learn to fight for something greater than himself.

KYKLAW, the sea-orc whose people face annihilation, must trust a man forged in violence and bloodshed.

Together with a desperate coalition of orc clans (the mining ROTEM, the berserker LAGA, the scholarly SILVER EAR, and others) they stand against an enemy that has never known defeat.

The pathfinder druids watch from hidden strongholds. Their leader ADAMAR believes in non-interference, that the natural order must be preserved regardless of the cost in blood.

But ZIRIEN, a charismatic druid who sees beyond cold doctrine, risks everything to forge a weapon that might pierce Ruby's scales: BECULUM, a sword that devours magical energy and turns it against its wielders.


Love in the Time of Dragons

As dragon fire rains from poisoned skies, something unexpected blooms between fire and storm.

The orc clans transform from scattered tribes into a unified war machine:

  • Giant ballista bolts punch through dragon scales
  • Shamanic magic awakens to face draconic sorcery
  • Ancient whale-hunting songs become weapons against flying death

But Ruby's power grows with each conquered settlement. His intelligence adapts to every strategy the orcs devise.

In the heart of this war, ROAR'Z and KYKLAW'S relationship evolves from wary alliance to something that defies the brutality surrounding them.

She sees past the killer the arena made him into, recognizing the protector he chose to become. He discovers that strength shared is greater than strength hoarded.

Their connection becomes a source of power that neither expected: his raw force complemented by her fluid grace, his protective instincts guided by her tactical brilliance.

But love in wartime comes with a price. Every moment of intimacy is stolen between battles. Every tender touch might be their last.

As Ruby's final assault looms, they must choose: protect their newfound love, or sacrifice everything for their people's survival.


This Isn't Your Typical Fantasy Romance

This is war, survival, and love forged in dragon fire.

"BREACH OF BALANCE" delivers everything adult fantasy readers crave:

  • ★ Morally complex characters who've EARNED their scars
  • ★ A richly developed world that feels LIVED-IN rather than constructed
  • ★ A romance that burns slow and deep between two people who understand that love is a CHOICE made daily, not destiny

Forget teenage chosen ones and mystical academies.

Meet ROAR'Z and KYKLAW: warriors who've bled for their strength, survivors who've clawed their way to hope, lovers who prove that the most powerful magic is finding someone worth fighting for.


Perfect for Readers Who

  • 🔥 Devoured FOURTH WING but wished the characters had more life experience
  • ⚔️ Love ACOTAR but are ready for grittier stakes
  • 💀 Seek fantasy romance with actual ADULT protagonists navigating love, trauma, and impossible odds

Why This Book Matters

With richly developed orc cultures that SHATTER fantasy stereotypes, complex magical systems that feel both ancient and innovative, and a dual POV that gives equal weight to both romantic leads, "Breach of Balance" is the mature fantasy romance that fills the gap between YA wish-fulfillment and literary fiction.

Some battles are fought for glory. Some for gold.

THIS ONE IS FOUGHT FOR THE RIGHT TO EXIST AND THE RIGHT TO LOVE FREELY IN A WORLD DETERMINED TO DESTROY BOTH.


The First Book in an Epic Series

What happens when monsters become heroes?

When enemies become lovers?

When the only way to restore balance is to shatter everything and rebuild from the ashes?

Find out in BREACH OF BALANCE.