Sera and Ransom’s fates are decided in this epic third and final book in the New York Times bestselling City of Fantome enemies-to-lovers romantasy trilogy perfect for fans of Kristen Ciccarelli and Caraval.
Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt (plus an introduction from the author!) from The Dragon & The Dove by Catherine Doyle, which released on September 10th 2026.
Sera and Ransom, their love stronger than ever, face a common enemy. But as the self-proclaimed People’s Saint rallies the realm to his dark cause, their volatile powers pull them apart once more.
Sera’s blazing Saint-maker gift comes at a terrible cost and threatens to consume her. Ransom, newly sainted and bound to nightmarish shadows, is on the brink of despair. What are they willing to lose? For the kingdom, for their friends, and for each other…
An introduction from the author:
The Dragon & the Dove is the final instalment in the City of Fantome Trilogy. The Age of Saints has dawned, and Sera has been imbued with the power to gift magic to others. Every time she makes a new saint, it comes at great personal cost. As the city unites against the insidious Silvertongue Saint, Sera has to choose what she is willing to sacrifice for the greater good, and whether her love with Ransom can withstand that decision. It’s epic, magical and achingly romantic.
With the City of Fantome trilogy, I have been truly blessed with some of the most beautiful covers I’ve ever seen. This is all down to the incredible talent of Micaela Alcaino, who works her singular magic every time to really bring this series to life.
The Dragon & the Dove is my favourite cover of the three (and that is really saying something!) It captures the epic romance between Ransom and Seraphine, the looming war, and how destiny pulls at each of them in different ways.
This short excerpt from The Dragon & the Dove shows the moment the dragon on the cover is born:
Alone in the black woods, Ransom became an artist again, and conjured something new. Death filled the clearing, the moss on the trees turning to ash as his shadows clumped like wet clay.
He crafted the body first, half an oak tall and ten times as wide, its barrel chest heaving with phantom breath. The legs were next, each one thick as a tree stump. Then arms, long and lithe, with claws so sharp they curved at the ends. He tunnelled deeper still, diving into the pool of his magic.
With more power, he conjured scales of charcoal and midnight, and a ridged tail that wound all the way around the clearing. The head then, and it was both mighty and terrifying, with orb- like eyes of silver mist. Last, he made the wings, each one wide enough to smother the sun.
With his back pressed to a tree at the edge of the clearing, Ransom had to tilt his chin to behold the entirety of his creation, this menacing portent of doom, this fearsome bringer of death.
It was beautiful, a thing of rage and teeth and power, made to strike fear into the hearts of his enemies. To soar and swoop and kill without remorse.
A creature that would make even the Strix of Urnica tremble.
A dragon spun from his darkest nightmare.
