Played by the Piper: Book 1
Publication Date: September 22, 2026
From the New York Times bestselling author of the Plated Prisoner series comes the first book in an alluring and addictive romantasy duology set in a world of fae and dark magic, loosely inspired by the legend of the Pied Piper.
It’s time to pay the Piper.
Our world cracked open like an egg. Power burst out, and with it, nine monstrous Banes ready to destroy everything. The powerful Core fae finally slayed them all, but each Bane left a Plague to punish us.
But that’s not the only thing they left behind.
I’m half Bane, half fae, and wholly hated. Survival means enduring every vicious glare and cursed outbreak. Until one day, a Plague descends upon my city that means certain death.
Then he comes. The Pied Piper.
He rids my city of the Plague, but it comes at a cost. One hundred and thirty people are taken as payment. Including me.
I don’t know what he’s going to do to us, but I know I have to get home. My family’s lives depend on it. But the Piper won’t let me go, and something wicked stirs between us. The sweet scent in my veins beckons him, while the seductive lure of his magic sinks under my skin.
I have to escape before it’s too late. Because if I don’t, it’s not just my heart at risk…
But the entire world.
Note: Pied Piper reimagined. This dark fantasy is full of romance and secrets, with mature themes and explicit scenes only suitable for adults. This is book one of a duology.
Tropes:
* Forced Proximity
* Captive Romance
* “Who hurt you?”
* Only one bed… and horse…and tent!
* So. much. banter!
Estinya lives in a world where she is hated because her fae heritage is mixed with Bane blood. What makes it even worse is that survival in the world of Brekon means escaping the Plagues.
Author Raven Kennedy breathes new life into the Pied Piper story with a powerful romantasy in The Sweetest Fiend. As the first installment in Played by the Piper, the author creates a vivid world where magic reigns.
When Esti is taken from her home by the alluring sounds of the Pied Piper, it sets in motion an enemies-to-lovers showdown. Unlike many in this genre, the “heat within the hate” rages throughout.
Being referred to as “Blight” by the Piper isn’t exactly a term of endearment. He’s got big plans to save the world as a Core fae, but all Esti wants is to return home—until magic interferes.
The Sweetest Fiend introduces a fantasy world and a battling duo whose future lies within the next installment.
RAVEN KENNEDY is an international bestseller, whose love for books pushed her into creating her own worlds. The Plated Prisoner Series, a dark fantasy romance, has sold in over twenty countries. It became a New York Times, USA Today, Sunday Times, and Spiegel bestseller, hit #1 in the Amazon store, and has sold over six million copies worldwide. Her newest book, The Sweetest Fiend, is the first of a duology and will be released in September 2026. You can connect with Raven on her social media, and visit her website for more info.
