The Washwoman at the River's End by Megan Shade

Stats

Format: Paperback (plain edges)

Pages: 524

Published: September 1, 2026

Estimated spice: Smokin'

Goodreads rating: 4.4+

The Storygraph rating: 4.4+

Publisher description

A stunningly haunting gothic romantasy inspired by the Scottish legend of the Washerwoman, following an immortal woman cursed to wash the grave clothes of the dying for eternity and the man blood-sworn to kill her. Perfect for readers who love The Knight and the Moth, One Dark Window, and the Scottish atmosphere of Outlander.


They call her a monster.
A murderess.
But legends rarely tell the whole truth...

For over a century, Bea has haunted the River’s End. Forced to eternally wash the grave clothes of the dying, she spends her days searching the bloodstained garments she cleanses for the pieces of a spell that could finally break her curse and allow her to go to her rest. But Bea’s search is interrupted when the river brings her a warning:

He is coming.

Brennen knows the Washwoman’s tale all too well—the monster who murdered the woman he loved and left him with nothing but an unbreakable vow of vengeance. So when he’s assigned as her guard, he believes the Fates have finally blessed him. But the woman he finds at the River's End is nothing like the monster from her legend.

When women across the kingdom begin to vanish and mysterious deaths follow—deaths only Bea can foresee—Brennen is forced into an uneasy alliance with the very woman he’s spent years hunting. But as they search for answers, hatred twists into reluctant trust, and trust into something far more dangerous: desire.

With fate closing in and time running out, Brennen must decide if he will damn his soul to save the woman he swore to kill, while Bea must choose between the rest she once longed for and the love that could destroy them both.

The Knight and the Moth meets the Scottish flair of Outlander in this slow burn romantasy based on Scottish Lore. Tropes: True Enemies to Lovers/Hate to Love, Slow Burn, Forced Proximity, Guard/Prisoner, Reluctant Allies, Forbidden Love, Yearning, One Bed, Possessive MMC, Scottish Folklore, Dragons, Rune Magic.