Damsels of Distress Books

Know when to hold your ground. When to walk away. But especially when to run. Lily Red, known as "Little Red", has trained her entire life to become a system-acknowledged scout under her Grandmother's guidance. Hunting, tracking, and trap-making—she's a master of her craft. But her dreams of joining the elite Scout forces are repeatedly blocked by a leader of the Wyld with a grudge against Grandmother. When Lily uncovers an impending invasion by Wolf Warband, brutal raiders from the frozen north, a deadly challenge offered by their war leader sets her pulse racing. She's his partner in prophecy, so as far as he's concerned she's the only person in the way. Little Red races away to warn the Wyld, but the city's rulers mock her warnings as fairy tales, dismissing the threat entirely. Undeterred, she vows to protect the people of Canu Moch herself. But Lily isn't about to back down. She'll be the competent protector of the people of Canu Moch—whether they want her or not. With the three city-states planning to ignore the danger, she strikes out on her own, quickly finding herself on the razor's edge between duty and ambition as Little Red pits herself against the Big Bad Wolf. Stay on the path. Don't stray or roam. Lest the forest decides you shan't find your way home.

Daughter defiant to the last. A prince with ambitions of inferno. Oh me, oh my. Isabella Vigatori, known as Bella, dreams of perfecting the system-granted ability she inherited from her late mother: Minor Creature Control. Her magic may only impact small creatures like mice and birds, making them loyal companions through song, but Bella is determined to achieve greatness. Yet her father, bitter from losing his wife to a beast she tamed, condemns her ambition as reckless. When Bella refuses to abandon her dreams, her father remarries a shrewd widow, Matringa, who quickly restores the family’s fortunes. But Matringa ensures Bella is relegated to servant status, vanishing her from public view until she forsakes her ‘commoner's ambition’. Even so, Bella quietly defies her family, nurturing her forbidden magic in secret. Upon uncovering a dark secret behind Matringa’s sudden success, Bella realizes the kingdom itself is in peril. With her wits, loyal creatures, and a desperate plan to gain the ear of Prince Cinder at a royal masquerade, Bella must act fast. If this competent underdog cannot convince the prince to take action, there might not be anyone left in the kingdom for him to rule. A single mouse is prey; but even a Witch fears mischief.

Metal hearts and war machines. Fight for freedom… or surrender to fate. Danielle Tinkersdottir, the shining star of Frontière, has always dreamed of earning a system-granted class that reflects her hard work as a tinkerer alongside her father. Her heart is set on becoming a magic engineer, but on her eighteenth birthday the System crushes the bookish heroine’s hopes, granting her the alluring power of an Enchantress. Before she can adjust to this cruel twist, Baron Gasteel Leiter, a relentless noble tasked with recruiting for the kingdom’s war effort, demands Danielle's hand in marriage. When she refuses, Gasteel brands her father a traitor, offering the defiant bride three grim choices: marry him, let her father die, or achieve the impossible—convince the System-Forsaken Battle Beast, the cursed Comte, to return to the war. Danielle chooses the impossible. Journeying into the Comte’s lair, she faces a monstrous war criminal abandoned by the crown. Though her skills lie in beauty, her wit and determination will decide the continent’s fate: the new Enchantress must either heal the broken hero of the kingdom, or awaken the sleeping monster and force him to fight for her future. Only one thing can save the world from a brutal war: a beauty who sees beyond the beast.

An oath of secrecy. Power beyond compare. Too bad it’s all snarled in her hair. Rebecca Punzel grew up as an orphan in the slums, only daring to dream small by providing for her found family . In a kingdom where might makes right, and combat skills rule, her first class is practically a curse : golden locks of hair which require no care. Though she’s in a hairy situation, she works tirelessly to build a modest life for the other orphans. At fourteen, every valuable in reach seems to get tangled into her curls. Practically overnight, she’s blacklisted from working at any reputable business. Losing her internal battle of morality just so she can survive, Rebecca turns to the thieves guild and quickly makes a name for herself as Goldie Locks. But when a job goes wrong and a ruthless alchemist marks her as an endless source of magical material , she has only one option: run. When even that fails, she stakes everything on climbing the Brute Queen’s battle tower. The grand prize of the trial of power is protection and status—marriage to the Crown Prince. Her attempt is practically a joke: without combat skills they’d never accept the royal and the orphan as a pair. Luckily, winning isn't the goal, escaping is. After all… There's no greater crime than possessing treasure without the strength to hold onto it.

Hope has soft edges. Daggers do not. Both can cut deeply. Snow Weiss was born to lead, her silver tongue a perfect counterpoint to her twin sister Rose’s raw emotional power. Together, they were destined to bring prosperity to their kingdom as neighboring queens. On vacation at their summer home, the twins rescue a prince cursed into bear form. He makes a childhood promise to wed Snow that Rose scoffs at, knowing they may never meet again. Their return to the palace shatters their idle dreams of a bright future: their mother is struck down by a mysterious illness, leaving their grieving father to fall under the thrall of a powerful Witch . Rose sacrifices her own freedom, smuggling Snow away. Finding herself as an exiled princess trapped in her own kingdom, Snow learns of the despair of her people and begins seeking allies. In a desperate gamble she finds seven dangerous mentors who teach her their own flavor of influence. Learning to fight, sneak, inspire, heal, and even wield poison, the newly-minted rebel queen plans to march on the palace and free her sister. Yet, wielding her power comes with a battle for morality Snow wrestles with daily, leading to one burning question: what is she willing to do to break the Witch’s power? The answer is simple, but it most certainly isn't easy.