Kate Dylan’s romantasy duology pre-empted by Piatkus

Sunday Times bestselling author Kate Dylan’s spicy romantasy duology has been pre-empted by Eleanor Teasdale, publishing director at Piatkus Fiction. In her first acquisition at Piatkus, Teasdale has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights for the books from Rachel Neely. Piatkus will publish the first book in the duology, Soul Sworn, in hardback and trade paperback on November 10th 2026. North American rights, represented on behalf of Neely by Jenny Bent of The Bent Agency, were snapped up in a significant six-figure deal by Delacorte and Doubleday Canada after multiple pre-empt attempts from rival publishers.

Soul Sworn follows Talia, a lethal and beautiful assassin on a dangerous mission to save her sister, and Cain, the mysterious stranger who has been sent to kill her before she can succeed – a cat and mouse adventure filled with lies, blood magic and a sizzling fated mates romance.

Teasdale said about the deal, “Soul Sworn was impossible not to fall for with rich worldbuilding, the distressingly competent Talia to fall for and tortured Cain to swoon over. I’m excited to be bringing the heat between them to readers everywhere. Moreover working with Kate is such a dream – I’ve loved her books since her debut YA Mindwalker published and it’s so exciting to be working on her first adult book”.

Dylan added, “Soul Sworn is my fantasy take on Mr & Mrs Smith, but make it soulmates (who also happen to be sworn enemies), then add a hot priest and a wealth of illegal magic. It’s the kind of book where everyone has an agenda and the reader knows more than the characters do, which made it an absolute delight to write. I was blown away by Eleanor’s enthusiasm for the project. I could immediately tell that she loved this book as much as I do, and I have no doubt that Piatkus is the perfect home for it”.

Congratulations, Kate!