Shrouded Guard by Amanda N. Newman

Living a double life is never easy…especially when it’s shrouded with secrets and lies. Hunter Wildmoor lives under two identities. By day, he’s viewed only as a troubled bad boy at Hydhexa School of Magic. At night, he’s the legendary Shrouded Guard, courtesy of being raised in and training with the Guardian’s Guild since he was old enough to pick up a staff. But guild life isn’t easy. The training regimen is brutal, the missions demanding, and being the Guild Master’s right-hand man only brings on more pressure. As if it isn’t enough to balance schoolwork and guild duties, by order of his uncle, Hunter is forced to keep his affiliation with the Guardian’s Guild a secret, an easy enough task for Hydhexa’s main outcast. At least, it was until a new student comes to Hydhexa and insists that she wants to be Hunter’s friend, no matter how much he tries to push her away. It can’t last, though. After being assigned to a group project with two of the most accepting people he’s ever met, Hunter can’t help but find himself growing close to his newfound friends. His guild responsibilities become more demanding and his already abusive uncle only becomes more violent. To make it worse, he’s set his sights on Hunter’s new friends as potential guild recruits. But Hunter has to do something, even if it means risking his own safety and uncovering some of the guild’s darkest secrets along the way.

New Adult • Diversity Representation/LGBTQ+ • Fantasy/Contemporary • Fantasy • Fantasy/Magical Realism

Content Warning: physical abuse, self-harm, cursing, trauma, anxiety, gaslighting, verbal abuse, and bullying