By Law & Flame - Joseph Wiess

In the frontier town of Eola, on the snow-blanketed plains of Saorsa, a former mercenary captain is finding that enforcing the law is only the beginning of his troubles.

Balgair Moeldr - once the feared Chain-Maker of Ananke, now newly appointed Sheriff - has traded his soldier's life for a desk, a badge, and a complicated household. When his long-absent bond-partners Amelie and Nell finally arrive by sky-transport, their reunion is everything he hoped for. But peace in Eola is fragile. Beneath the warmth of hearth and family, something ancient and corrupt stirs beyond the gates.

By Law and Flame is a character-driven fantasy set in a richly imagined world where elemental magic flows through the earth, polyamorous bond-families are woven together by spiritual oaths, and the gods occasionally descend into someone's kitchen. Following Balgair and his growing family - including the quiet, steadfast Heather and the grief-haunted scribe Delilah - the story weaves together intimate domestic drama with mounting supernatural threat. Bandits on the roads, a deposed mayor rotting in the jail, a child orphaned by violence, and whispers of chaos-goddesses pulling strings in the dark: the Sheriff's work is never done.

With a cast of fully realized characters navigating loyalty, desire, grief, and belonging, this novel blends the warmth of found-family romance with the tension of a world where law and chaos are locked in an older, more cosmic struggle. Drawing on Celtic and fantasy linguistics, a magic system built on elemental bonds, and a society shaped by goddess-worship and honor oaths, By Law and Flame delivers a story that is as tender as it is tense.

Perfect for readers who love low-violence epic fantasy with romantic depth, chosen-family dynamics, and worlds that reward close attention.