The Cup and the Prince (Kingdom of Curses and Shadows, Band 1)

Sometimes a girl just has to knock out her sleazy ex, steal a royal letter, and con her way into a deadly competition—all out of spite. And when she meets a prince who wants to ruin her plans... sparks fly and tempers rise.
Zora was born in the Dark Valley, a cursed and isolated place where shadow creatures spawn in the dark and survive in daylight. She has trained to fight since before she could walk.
Yes, she cheated her way into the Royal Games, but it was for a very good reason:
Her ex was an asshole and thought she could never attain glory on her own.
Just because she's a girl.
So she took his place.
Now she's competing for the legendary Blood Cup, representing the Dark Valley. It's her chance to prove her worth and bring glory to her people. If she wins, of course.
But winning is far from easy. The younger prince thinks she's a fragile damsel who doesn't belong in the competition. Determined to eliminate her at all costs, he's stacking the challenges against her.
Ha. All he's doing is making her more determined than ever.
The older prince is helping her, but the cost is getting Zora entangled in dangerous flirting games.
Flirting. The last thing she wanted.
And then there's someone trying to kill her.
The Cup and the Prince is book 1 in the series Kingdom of Curses and Shadows, a Young Adult romantic fantasy series with romance, action, humor, and intrigue for readers 15 and older.
Readers have compared it to Folk of The Air (hate-to-love trope), Throne of Glass (royal contest), Red Queen (complicated royal brothers), The Shadows Between Us (quirky prose), and Spin the Dawn (royal competition).