House Blend

Ingrid Halvorsen trusts structures. People are far less reliable.

When she inherits a succession key tied to Seattle's failing magical grid, Ingrid expects an engineering problem-not a claim to the Rainier Compact's master node and a System designation she never wanted.

Then Jonah Reece takes the second chair.

As a ferry warden, Jonah has built his life around holding the line. He doesn't trust Ingrid's connection to the Compact, and he definitely doesn't trust a master node that has dual-keyed them while permanently withholding their Synergy score.

Unfortunately, the grid works better when they're together.

Forced to share inspections, a cramped ferry booth, and some truly terrible coffee, Ingrid and Jonah uncover evidence that the Compact has been falsifying stability reports. Seattle's Grounds aren't failing because too many keepers are connected. They're failing because the System was never designed to serve the people keeping it alive.

Now someone is trying to sever Ingrid and Jonah's link before they can expose the truth. With Anchor Line 1 collapsing and the city's warmth draining away, saving the grid may require Ingrid to claim the authority she never wanted-then give it up before it claims her.

The System refuses to tell them what exists between them.

They'll have to choose whether to trust it anyway.

House Blend is a cozy LitRPG romantic comedy featuring reluctant partners, forced proximity, competence chemistry, a suspiciously private Synergy score, found family, closed-door romance, and a guaranteed HEA. Each book in The Seattle Grounds series stands alone.