Ivan and the Firebird - Alexandra Pugachevsky

The witch ordered him to capture the Firebird. She never said anything about falling in love.

At twenty-seven, Ivan has never questioned his place in the world: youngest brother, village "dimwit," the one who tends the horses and keeps the fire burning while everyone else gets on with living. Then one cold spring morning, he finds a glowing feather in the forest. And everything changes.

Ensnared by the terrifying witch Baba Yaga, Ivan is given an impossible bargain: capture the legendary Firebird, a creature whose magic can reshape kingdoms, and she will grant him one wish and his freedom. Fail, and he belongs to her forever.

What he doesn't expect is the portal. Or modern-day Virginia.

Thrust from fairy-tale land of Zorya into a world of iPhones and resort spas, Ivan finds two unexpected allies: Harry, a wisecracking flying horse with strong opinions, and Lisa, a sharp-tongued yoga instructor quietly rebuilding her life after a toxic marriage. She has every reason not to trust a man who claims to be from a magical kingdom. She believes him anyway.

As Ivan and Lisa navigate dangerous quests together, something neither of them planned begins to take root. Slow. Real. The kind of love that doesn't care about logic or the laws of time.

But Ivan made a promise to Baba Yaga. With one wish left unspoken and two worlds pulling them apart, Ivan must decide: fulfill the quest or fight for the love he never knew he was allowed to want.

Perfect for fans of Spinning Silver, The Bear and the Nightingale, and Outlander, Ivan and the Firebird is a lush, swoony portal fantasy romance steeped in Slavic folklore, featuring a pure-hearted hero, a slow-burn love story across centuries, and a magical world where fairy tales are dangerously real.