First Dance (The Fallen Rise Book 1)

FIRST DANCE

Five years after her Fall, Lin lives in exile—her wings broken, her faith in Heaven shattered, and her name changed from Evangela to escape the past. As an illegal necromancer, she works in the shadows alongside her witch partner, Jinx, raising the dead for desperate clients while avoiding the celestial authorities who cast her out.

When a routine resurrection spirals into disaster, Lin unleashes a spirit far more powerful than any human soul. To stop the rogue entity and save Jinx, she must turn to Luc—a demon prince she has spent years avoiding, and the one person who has never stopped loving her. Their uneasy alliance pulls Lin back into a world of infernal courts, dangerous bargains, and emotions she has long denied.

As they uncover the truth behind the spirit’s origins, deeper secrets come to light—secrets about angels, demons, and a forgotten deity erased from history. When Heaven itself is attacked and Lin’s twin sister becomes a target, Lin is forced to confront the possibility that her Fall was never a punishment, but part of something far greater.

Blending dark fantasy with forbidden romance, FIRST DANCE is a paranormal romance about broken wings, buried divinity, and a love that defies celestial law.

Step into a world of fallen angels, demon princes, and dangerous devotion—discover FIRST DANCE today.

Excerpt from the book

I leaned against the bar, sliding my empty glass toward the bartender with a simple nod. He filled it without a word; after all, this had become routine. As soon as the amber liquid splashed into the glass, I raised it to my lips and took another long swallow, the burn doing little to soothe the ache lodged in my chest. Five years. Five long years since I had Fallen, and since my boyfriend had paid the ultimate price for it.

It wasn’t my fault. Not really. But that didn't stop the guilt from eating away at me, especially on this day, every year. I always ended up here, drowning in whiskey, trying to numb the constant ache of regret. Evan had never blamed me for what happened, not even in those final moments, but I could never quite forgive myself. Being an angel hadn’t made me perfect, and I had known that better than anyone. But now, as a fallen angel, everything I did seemed to carry a heavier weight, as if the world expected me to atone for sins I hadn’t meant to commit.

I sighed and took another drink, the whiskey going down a little too easily. My thoughts spiraled in the usual pattern; back to that day, back to frantic call, back to the moment I realized what I had messed up. I slammed my glass down harder than I intended, the sharp clink snapping me out of my thoughts just as my phone rang. Its sharp tone cut through the haze I’d wrapped myself in, jolting me back to reality. I stared at the screen, debating whether or not to answer. On the sixth ring, I gave in, swiping the screen with a sigh, my voice heavy with exhaustion as I greeted whoever was on the other line.

“Lin?” My heart clenched as I recognized the voice. Sarai, my sister. It had been months since I’d last heard from her, and longer still since we’d seen each other. My grip tightened around the glass as her soft voice filled my ears, bringing with it a flood of memories and emotions I wasn’t ready to deal with.

“Is this… a bad time?” she asked hesitantly.

“One sec.” I quickly finished my glass before sliding it away, signaling that I was done. After paying my tab, I stepped out of the bar and into the cool night air, my head still clear despite the alcohol. The effects would wear off soon enough anyway, since angels didn’t stay drunk for long. The familiar streets stretched out before me, and I headed to my car, slipping into the driver’s seat as I switched the phone to my earpiece.