The Fox and the Rose Vol 1 Paperback by Hope Zane

Synopsis:
An elegant, brilliant court scholar faints in the street and is rescued by a handsome fox. Or: a bright-haired diplomat from Nippon finds a wilted beauty in the road.

Also, the beauty was poisoned.

Will he remember this? Not a chance.

Laurel has bigger things to worry about, such as making his shadowy benefactor proud. After all, she plucked him from the wastes of the imperial army when he was a boy. She saved his life, so he’s willing to give her the rest of it.

Shigeru likes this sickly man with a lovely face and the worst temper he’s ever seen. He’d like to keep him, actually. It’s fine if Laurel doesn’t agree—he can wait.

More pressingly: something is haunting the western part of the city, and they've both been assigned to the case.

Laurel: “The first meeting was bad. The second and third got worse and worse!”
Shigeru: “The first meeting was fun, the second was fun, the third was fun…”
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Number of pages:  318
Release date:  April 2025
Age rating: 14+
Status: Book 1 of 2