Woven by Gold

Woven by Gold is the second installment in Elizabeth Helen’s Beasts of the Briar series. The series belongs to the romantasy subgenre, which combines high-stakes fantasy worldbuilding with a central romantic plot. Originally self-published in 2023, the books gained a significant online following, leading to their acquisition by Bloom Books, an imprint of Sourcebooks that partners with successful independent authors. This path mirrors the success of authors like Raven Kennedy (The Plated Prisoner series) and Carissa Broadbent (The Serpent and the Wings of Night), whose popularity on social media platforms like TikTok demonstrated a marketable readership that attracted the attention of traditional publishing houses. This trajectory, in which viral success paves the way for wider distribution, has brought previously self-published stories to a mainstream audience and helped shape the contemporary romantasy landscape.

As the second installment in the series, Woven by Gold presumes familiarity with the events of the first book, Bonded by Thorns, a reverse-harem retelling that draws loosely on the Beauty and the Beast folktale while establishing its own mythology, geography, and central relationships. The novel opens in the human world, where 22-year-old Rosalina O’Connell lives a quiet life shaped by grief over her deceased mother and a strained bond with her father, who spends much of his time traveling in search of proof that the fae realm exists. One night, Rosalina travels into the woods to rescue her missing father, and crosses a threshold into the Enchanted Vale, a lush and dangerous land divided among four royal courts named for each of the four seasons. Rosalina is quickly captured and brought to Castletree, an enchanted, palace that serves as both prison and sanctuary for the four High Princes who rule the realms.

These princes—Keldarion of Winter, Ezryn of Spring, Dayton of Summer, and Farron of Autumn—labor under a curse that transforms them into monstrous beasts each night, a magical affliction tied to a betrayal in their shared past and to the shadowy machinations of a mysterious villainess. Each prince lives in exile in Castletree, leaving a regent to rule each realm in their stead. Rosalina trades her own freedom for her father’s agreeing to stay in Castletree as a prisoner. To break the princes’ curse and win her freedom, Rosalina must help them find their true mates. As she explores Castletree’s shifting halls and the surrounding wilds, she uncovers fragments of the Vale’s history and begins to grasp the political fractures between the courts. 

As Rosalina develops complex romantic connections with each of the four princes, her intellect, empathy, and stubbornness slowly draw the estranged brothers back toward one another even as they draw closer to her. Eventually, Rosalina discovers she herself is the fated mate of Keldarion, the High Prince of Winter. However, when she confronts him, he immediately banishes her, convinced he is protecting her from his own private curse. Woven by Gold opens four months later, with a heartbroken and furious Rosalina living in the human world but determined to return to Castletree and confront her mate.

Woven by Gold is followed by Forged by Malice (2023), Broken by Daylight (2024), Frozen by Stardust (2026), and Stolen by Shadows (2026). The final installment, Crowned by Roses is scheduled for publication in October of 2026.