The House of Lothwold has been at war with the House of Malwarden for years. A truce is called and hostages from both houses must be exchanged in order to ensure it is kept.

Fun-loving, flirtatious Hawise of Lothwold is keen to avoid the nunnery and volunteers to go to Castle Malwarden as a hostage, hoping to make a second marriage afterwards. Meanwhile, her friend Bessy yearns to go to a local convent to be with her lover.

In a world full of dragons, plots and treachery, both women soon get what they want - but not what they had imagined.

A romantic fantasy adventure set in a quasi-medieval world, The Deadly Favour is the first book in The Woldsheart Chronicles by Ruth Danes.