The Stars Beneath — Amy Pease

A historical fantasy romance about a woman lost in time, a man cursed by it, and the prophecy that binds them—all set against the deadly intrigue of Vlad the Impaler's court.Archeoastronomy graduate student Laura Winters studies how ancient civilizations understood the cosmos—but her research into an obscure folk tale called The Prophecy of the Eclipse takes an unexpected turn when she discovers a mysterious doorway hidden deep beneath a Romanian monastery. Beyond its dark arch, time itself unravels—and she falls five centuries back in time.Laura wakes in the year 1462, in a land on the brink of war. The Ottoman Empire marches on Wallachia, and the infamous Vlad Dracula rules with brutal precision. Stranded in a dangerous era with no clear way home, Laura finds an unexpected ally in Grigore Mercia, the court's enigmatic astrologer, who takes her on as his apprentice.Among the wary eyes of Vlad's court, none are as sharp—or as dangerous—as Gabriel Valen, a nobleman cursed with fifteen centuries of vigilance. He is convinced Laura is a spy, and she, in turn, sees him as a formidable enemy. Yet beneath the hostility, there is a flicker of something else. She has seen his face before, in the shadows of her own world.As Laura searches for a way back to her own time, she begins to unravel the truth behind Gabriel's curse, the prophecy that condemned him, and the doorway that brought her here. When Gabriel is accused of treason and condemned to a fate worse than death, Laura must make an impossible choice: abandon him to history, or defy time itself to save him—no matter the cost.A steamy, slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers gothic romance, perfect for fans of Outlander, A Discovery of Witches, and The Familiar. The Stars Beneath blends vivid historical atmosphere, courtly intrigue, and speculative time travel grounded in science. Expect on-page, emotionally charged sex scenes, a richly imagined 15th-century Romania, and a romance ignited by betrayal, desire, and a prophecy written in the stars.The Stars Beneath is the first book in a planned trilogy, with Books 2 and 3 further exploring Laura's connection to the Prophecy of the Eclipse, the true origins of Gabriel's curse, and the battle for control of the portal—a gateway to power, ruin, and a force beyond human reckoning.