Icy Betrayals

Where living ink whispers ancient truths, the key to survival may lie in the roots they share


Lady Angela Tagert is no one’s pawn. A brilliant pharmacological botanist, she carries a secret within her skin—a living, photosynthetic tattoo. When her scheming brother sells her to the highest bidder, she makes a bold escape. A hasty marriage to a handsome stranger headed to Iceland may be far from ideal, but it buys her freedom.


Valtýr Árnason—airship captain, engineer, huldufólk—didn’t plan to return home with a wife. Smart, stubborn and beautiful, she’s a storm he never saw coming. But when a troll attacks her en route, he realizes just how deep he’s in. Past mistakes he’s kept carefully hidden are back to haunt them both.


Hunted by a villain determined to unlock the mystery of skin-bound magic, Angela and Val must unearth the truth behind a lost tradition—before it’s stolen, corrupted, and used to shatter more than kingdoms.




Enjoy this story by historical fantasy romance author Anne Renwick where you'll unravel mysteries and defy conventions in a world where danger lurks around every corner.



Icy Betrayals is a steampunk-infused gaslamp fantasy romance where botanical science and ancient magic collide. When a botanist marked by living ink runs away with an Icelandic airship captain, their search for the truth behind a lost tattoo tradition draws deadly attention—and threatens far more than their hearts. Perfect for readers who enjoy Gail Carriger, Bec McMaster, Jacquelyn Benson and Mary Robinette Kowal.


The fifth story in the Elemental Web, Icy Betrayals can be enjoyed as a standalone and delivers a steamy romance with a guaranteed happily ever after—where love is as dangerous and irresistible as living magic etched in skin. 


ELEMENTAL WEB CHRONICLES: The Golden Spider, The Silver Skull, The Iron Fin, Venomous Secrets, Icy Betrayals

ELEMENTAL WEB TALES: A Trace of Copper, In Pursuit of Dragons, A Reflection of Shadows, A Snowflake at Midnight, A Ghost in Amber, A Whisper of Bone, Flight of the Scarab

ELEMENTAL WEB STORIES: The Tin Rose, Kraken and Canals, Rust and Steam, Black Sand and Blood