Best of
Gothic

2020

The Caretakers


Eliza Maxwell - 2020
    But there’s no escaping the past in this chilling novel from the bestselling author of The Unremembered Girl. Filmmaker Tessa Shepherd helped free a man she believed was wrongly imprisoned for murder. When he kills again, Tessa’s life is upended.She’s reeling with guilt, her reputation destroyed. Worse, Tessa’s mother has unexpectedly passed away, and her sister, Margot, turns on her after tensions from their past escalate. Hounded by a bullying press, Tessa needs an escape. That’s when she learns of a strange inheritance bequeathed by her mother: a derelict and isolated estate known as Fallbrook. It seems like the perfect refuge.A crumbling monument to a gruesome history, the mansion has been abandoned by all but two elderly sisters retained as caretakers. They are also guardians of all its mysteries. As the house starts revealing its dark secrets, Tessa must face her fears and right the wrongs of her past to save herself and her relationship with Margot. But nothing and no one at Fallbrook are what they seem.

The House by the Sea


Louise Douglas - 2020
    Edie blames Anna for the accident that destroyed her family. So, when her will lures Edie to Sicily and the long-abandoned Villa della Madonna del Mare, she sees through Anna’s games.Suspecting Anna is meddling from beyond the grave to try to reunite her and her ex-husband Joe, Edie is determined to leave Italy as soon as possible. But before she can, the villa starts to shed its mysterious secrets.Who are the girls beside Anna in her childhood photos, and why has one of them been scratched out? Why does someone, or something, want them to leave the past untouched? The villa is a place where old ghosts feel at home, but does their legacy need to be laid to rest before Edie and Joe can move on… Bestselling author Louise Douglas returns with a captivating, chilling and unforgettable tale of betrayal, jealousy and the mysteries hidden in every family history. Praise for Louise Douglas:‘Kept me guessing until the last few pages and the explosive ending took my breath away.' C.L. Taylor, author of The Accident on Your Beautiful Lies‘Beautifully written, chillingly atmospheric and utterly compelling, The Secret by the Lake is Louise Douglas at her brilliant best’ Tammy Cohen, author of The Broken‘A master of her craft, Louise Douglas ratchets up the tension in this haunting and exquisitely written tale of buried secrets and past tragedy.’ Amanda Jennings, author of Sworn Secret‘A clammy, atmospheric and suspenseful novel, it builds in tension all the way through to the startling final pages.’ Sunday Express, S Magazine

The City of Mist: Stories


Carlos Ruiz Zafón - 2020
    Comprising eleven stories, most of them never before published in English, The City of Mist offers the reader compelling characters, unique situations, and a gothic atmosphere reminiscent of his beloved Cemetery of Forgotten Books quartet.The stories are mysterious, imbued with a sense of menace, and told with the warmth, wit, and humor of Zafón's inimitable voice. A boy decides to become a writer when he discovers that his creative gifts capture the attentions of an aloof young beauty who has stolen his heart. A labyrinth maker flees Constantinople to a plague-ridden Barcelona, with plans for building a library impervious to the destruction of time. A strange gentleman tempts Cervantes to write a book like no other, each page of which could prolong the life of the woman he loves. And a brilliant Catalan architect named Antoni Gaudí reluctantly agrees to cross the ocean to New York, a voyage that will determine the fate of an unfinished masterpiece.Imaginative and beguiling, these and other stories in The City of Mist summon up the mesmerizing magic of their brilliant creator and invite us to come dream along with him.

The Glass House


Eve Chase - 2020
    They're grieving a terrible tragedy of their own and the beautiful baby fills them with hope, lighting up the house's dark, dusty corners. Desperate not to lose her to the authorities, they keep her secret, suspended in a blissful summer world where normal rules of behaviour - and the law - don't seem to apply.But within days a body will lie dead in the grounds. And their dreams of a perfect family will shatter like glass.Years later, the truth will need to be put back together again, piece by piece . . .From the author of Black Rabbit Hall, The Glass House is a emotional, thrilling book about family secrets and belonging - and how we find ourselves when we are most lost.

A Stitch in Time


Kelley Armstrong - 2020
    As a young girl, Bronwyn could pass through a time slip in her great-aunt’s house, where she visited William Thorne, a boy her own age, born two centuries earlier. After a family tragedy, the house was shuttered and Bronwyn was convinced that William existed only in her imagination. Now, twenty years later Bronwyn inherits Thorne Manor. And when she returns, William is waiting. William Thorne is no longer the boy she remembers. He’s a difficult and tempestuous man, his own life marred by tragedy and a scandal that had him retreating to self-imposed exile in his beloved moors. He’s also none too pleased with Bronwyn for abandoning him all those years ago. As their friendship rekindles and sparks into something more, Bronwyn must also deal with ghosts in the present version of the house. Soon she realizes they are linked to William and the secret scandal that drove him back to Thorne Manor. To build a future, Bronwyn must confront the past.

The Lost Orphan


Stacey Halls - 2020
    . .London, 1754. Six years after leaving her newborn, Clara, at London't Foundling Hospital, young Bess Bright returns to reclaim the illegitimate daughter she has never really known. Dreading the worst - that Clara has died in care - the last thing she expects to hear is that her daughter has already been reclaimed. Her life is turned upside down as she tries to find out who has taken her little girl - and why.Les than a mile from Bess' lodgings in a quiet town house, a wealthy widow barely ventures outside. When her close friend - an ambitious doctor at the Foundling Hospital - persuades her to hire a nursemaid for her young daughter, she is hesitant to welcome someone new into her home and her life. But her past is threatening to catch up with her - and will soon tear her carefully constructed world apart.Set against the vibrant backdrop of Georgian London, 'THE LOST ORPHAN' explores families and secrets, class and power, and how the pull of motherhood cuts across them all.©2020 Stacey Halls (P)2020 Harlequin Audio

The Foundling


Stacey Halls - 2020
    Dreading the worst - that Clara has died in care - the last thing she expects to hear is that her daughter has already been reclaimed - by her. Her life is turned upside down as she tries to find out who has taken her little girl - and why. Less than a mile from Bess' lodgings in the city, in a quiet, gloomy townhouse on the edge of London, a young widow has not left the house in a decade. When her close friend - an ambitious young doctor at the Foundling Hospital - persuades her to hire a nursemaid for her daughter, she is hesitant to welcome someone new into her home and her life. But her past is threatening to catch up with her and tear her carefully constructed world apart.From the bestselling author of The Familiars, and set against the vibrant backdrop of Georgian London, The Foundling explores families, secrets, class, equality, power and the meaning of motherhood.

Heart of Dracula


Kathryn Ann Kingsley - 2020
    The Vampire King has come to claim the city, unless he can be stopped…Maxine Parker has lived a solitary life. Not because she wishes to, but because she has no choice. Her empathic ability has rendered it impossible for her to touch anyone without killing them.But as she is thrust into the middle of a war between the enigmatic and alluring Vampire King and three stalwart hunters, she learns she cannot kill what is already dead.

Master of Salt & Bones


Keri Lake - 2020
    He'd ride up on his white steed and break the curse I've been fated to carry since the day I was born.Funny how things changed over time. How the fairy tale twisted into something far more crooked, darker than I ever imagined.In reality, my knight is scarred and broken, living alone in a castle of bones that overlooks the sea. He isn’t searching for me. He never was.Lucian Blackthorne is as cursed as I am, and equally shunned by the locals, the fishers of men, who believe him to be the devil in the flesh.Perhaps he is, with the way his amber eyes draw me in, ignite me like an infernal blaze. And the sins he whispers in my ear are as wickedly intoxicating as the man himself.Yet, his touch is heaven and his will is my weakness.He calls us forbidden, an unsalvageable tragedy, with no happy end. Maybe we are. But in this story, he’s the one who needs saving.

The Ghost of Gosswater


Lucy Strange - 2020
    The Earl of Gosswater has died, and twelve-year-old Lady Agatha has been cast out of her ancestral home - the only home she has ever known - by her cruel cousin, Clarence. In a tiny tumbledown cottage, she struggles to adjust to her new life and the stranger who claims to be her real father.And on the shores of Gosswater Lake, the spirit of another young girl will not rest. Could the ghost of Gosswater hold the key to Aggie's true identity?

Magpie Lane


Lucy Atkins - 2020
    As Dee looks back over her time in the Master's Lodging—an eerie and ancient house—a picture of a high achieving but dysfunctional family emerges: Nick, the fiercely intelligent and powerful father; his beautiful Danish wife Mariah, pregnant with their child; and the lost little girl, Felicity, almost mute, seeing ghosts, grieving her dead mother.But is Dee telling the whole story? Is her growing friendship with the eccentric house historian, Linklater, any cause for concern? And most of all, why was Felicity silent?Roaming Oxford's secret passages and hidden graveyards, Magpie Lane explores the true meaning of family—and what it is to be denied one.

The Hollows


C.L. Monaghan - 2020
    Detective Inspector Arthur Gredge, of Scotland Yard, is the only one who knows Gunn's secret. When the body of a young aristocrat is discovered in a backstreet alley, Gredge enlists Gunn’s help in a race to discover the identity of the notorious Spring-heeled Jack- the monster that is terrorising London. A trail of clues and victims leads them to discover the horrifying truth behind the killing. The Hollows, encompasses the thrill of a traditional gothic mystery with an extra twist of paranormal, a splash of romance and a hint of horror! Dive into the past and experience the thrill of the hunt as Gunn- Scotland Yard's best kept secret- chases down a dangerous killer making friends and enemies that will change his life for ever ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first novel in this new exciting Victorian gothic mystery series- recommended for age 16+ (Contains some bad language, adult themes and necromancy)

Holiday Heist at Dunhaven Castle: A Cate Kensie Mystery (Cate Kensie Mysteries Book 3)


Nellie H. Steele - 2020
    When Cate recognizes one of the stolen necklaces from when she traveled back in time to the year 1856 to solve a murder mystery, Cate knows there’s only one thing left for her to do. Despite the hectic holiday season approaching, complete with two grand holiday events, Cate must travel to 1925 and unravel the mystery surrounding the jewelry theft. However, things take an unexpected turn when she arrives. As Cate discovers more unanswered questions, she starts to wonder if there’s a piece to the puzzle she has yet to uncover. While Cate and estate manager, Jack, try to unravel the puzzle in the past, another mystery brews in the present for Cate. Strange and eerie nightmares centered around a bookcase in Dunhaven Castle’s library disrupt Cate’s sleep, rattling her mind even during her waking hours. She wonders if these are connected to the jewelry theft or if something darker lurks in Dunhaven’s halls.Can Cate solve the mysterious theft of her family’s jewelry? Will the bookcase hold the secrets to the past? If it does, will Cate be able to decipher the clues on its shelves? Or is there something more sinister at work in Dunhaven Castle? Find out if Cate has what it takes to solve the newest mysteries at Dunhaven Castle in Holiday Heist at Dunhaven Castle, book three of the riveting cozy mystery series Cate Kensie Mysteries.

The Ancient Ones (The Ancient Ones Trilogy, Book 1)


Cassandra L. Thompson - 2020
    Yet as he recalls his life from the sweltering vineyards of Ancient Rome to the cold horrors of Medieval Romania - as well as his tumultuous past with the mad and mysterious Lucius - he realizes she is much more than what she seems. Gothic horror and mythological fantasy blend seamlessly together in this thrilling adventure, breathing new life into vampire lore as it reveals its true origins. The Ancient Ones is a tale of myth, mayhem, and magic … with a dash of romance that bites.

The Secret Wife


Steve Robinson - 2020
    Locked away. Believed to be dead. Can a mother survive her murderous husband's cruel oppression? A house fire at Crows-an-Wra Manor in a remote part of West Cornwall supposedly takes the life of its mistress, Rosen Trevelyan. Sometime later, she awakes to find herself locked in an unfamiliar room, questioning why her husband, Richard, has done this to her. And what of their daughter? Did Sophia really die in the fire, as Rosen has been led to believe? When a stranger arrives at the manor, and the reason for Rosen's incarceration becomes clear, she fears that her husband can ill afford to keep her alive much longer. But could this harbinger of her death also be her salvation? Under the watchful eyes of Richard's hateful mother, Mariah, Rosen must do all she can to survive their cruelty, in the hope that she will some day be reunited with her daughter, but time is running out. Can this stranger to Crows-an-Wra Manor discover the truth before it's too late for both of them? Room meets Rebecca in a suspenseful tale of deception, murder, and survival in nineteenth-century Cornwall.

The Haunting of Hathaway House


Amy Cross - 2020
    When Craig and Becky Westcott died, their son Michael was left all alone in the house for several days until he was discovered by his uncle. But was he really alone?Today, determined to bury the past, Michael Westcott moves back to Hathaway House with his pregnant wife. They set about renovating the building, even though Jennifer has reservations about the project. Soon, however, she begins to worry that there might be a presence lingering in the house, one that still remembers Michael. One that seems linked somehow to a mysterious old crib.Michael and Jennifer soon discover that the past can't be forgotten so easily. Who built a hidden room beneath the house? What really happened to Michael's parents all those years ago? And whose faded, ghostly hand can sometimes still be seen resting on the crib's side?The Haunting of Hathaway House is a ghost story about family, about the dangers of not learning from the past, and about an evil that has survived for centuries.

The Apparition Phase


Will Maclean - 2020
    Precociously bright, they spend their evenings in their parents’ attic discussing the macabre and unexplained, zealously rereading books on folklore, hauntings and the supernatural. In particular, they are obsessed with photographs of ghostly apparitions and the mix of terror and delight they provoke in their otherwise boring and safe childhoods.But when Tim and Abi decide to fake a photo of a ghost to frighten an unpopular school friend, they set in motion a deadly and terrifying chain of events that neither of them could have predicted, and are forced to confront the possibility that what began as a callous prank might well have taken on a malevolent life of its own.

Gods and Monsters Books 4 - 6


Quinn Blackbird - 2020
    SyfonerValissa's death toll keeps climbing and her sanity unwinding.After she uncovers the true reason that Prince Poison keeps her like a caged bird, and she uncovers his terrible secret, Valissa faces the her greatest and deadliest challenge yet. Betray her closest friend, Ava, who is lost into the arms of a devil or stay by the Prince's side.Problem is, Valissa doesn't sacrifice herself for anyone, especially when escape comes in the tempting package of Damianos, her mysterious night-time visitor.Valissa is on her own, but that doesn't mean she won't tear everything down on her way to freedom.The Prince made a mistake in training her up to withstand his poison. Now, Valissa is stronger than ever ... as strong as a God.5. GodsStolen away by Phantom, Valissa finds herself tangled in a war older than herself. But with her powers climbing and cruelty rising, she starts to doubt her choice. Phantom offers her greatness but at a price, a price that carves into her a longing for her wretched Prince Poison.What can be worse than running from a malicious God?Running into the arms of another...6. MonstersValissa's power burns like a murderous fire within her, consuming her. Now a God, she must choose whether she will be cruel or fair. But what remains of her humanity is destroyed by a betrayal so cutting that Valissa kills a God close to her.What is worse than killing a God? Perhaps killing the wrong one...

Wrath Child


Erik Henry Vick - 2020
    DO NOT RESEARCH THESE EVENTS! Think of it as fiction, and nothing more.The Smith has returned, leaving a new trail of gruesome serial murders across Manhattan--all blonde, beautiful, beaten to death with a blacksmith's hammer. Gavin Gregory, an FBI agent who profiles serial killers for the Behavioral Analysis Unit, couldn't capture The Smith the first time around and wants a second stab at catching the killer. The case takes a bizarre turn when Debra Esteves, a psychiatrist from a New York mental hospital, says she knows The Smith's identity.Esteves spins a tale of disturbing horror from her past, claiming The Smith controlled one of her patients through his psychic influence. But Gavin considers himself a rational man. He believes in science over superstition and rejects her version of events.When his wife is kidnapped, Gavin has no choice but to turn to Esteves for help. Can she keep him safe from the devil hunting him long enough to free his wife from the clutches of the killer or will The Smith make him a pawn in future murders?

Beyond the Sea


L.H. Cosway - 2020
    But until then she bides her time and lives quietly, her every move ruled over by an uncaring, heartless stepmother.The hope for freedom is all she has to hold onto. So close she can almost taste it. But when her stepmother’s estranged younger brother comes to stay, he presents a mystery that lures her in.The girl doesn’t understand that beneath the allure of the unknown sometimes all we find are horrors. And in searching for the truth, her heart is in danger of falling like a rock to the bottom of the deep dark sea. Beyond the Sea is a Gothic Romance set in modern times.

Gods and Monsters Box Set 1


Quinn Blackbird - 2020
    “I could kill you a thousand different ways where you sit.”The nail cut deeper. Blood beaded, then spilled down my front, over my breasts. I choked on a whimper.“Now tell me everything.”1. Prince PoisonFew knew Valissa's secret but it already carried a death toll. One.If the Gods ever discovered what she was, they would capture and flay her alive.But in the land of Gods and Monsters, no secret stays hidden for long.Lissa—drunk on the high of a midnight party that's rife with mysterious pirates—gets too close to one of the pirates, who turns out to have secrets of his own.Jasper is no pirate. He is a servant of the Gods. And the moment she touches him, she steals his power.He kidnaps Lissa, and he's taking her to one of the most brutal Gods in all the lands ... He's taking her to Prince Poison.Prince Poison's mere touch kills and his cruelty is said to stretch beyond even the darkest pits of Lissa's soul. But when she's standing in front of this fearsome God, ready to face her gruesome fate, the Prince might see more in her than she ever thought possible.2. CaptiveValissa is an abomination among Gods and Monsters.She's cursed with the unexplained ability to steal power from the children of the Gods. It's a curse worthy of death, but her fate is much worse than that.Prince Poison, the cruelest of them all, keeps her captive in the stardust palace, where she's forced to train her abilities into something that terrifies her, while evading the malicious interest of those around her.What's worse than holding the interest of a God whose touch kills and whose lips enchant?Becoming his captive...3. PhantomValissa’s death toll is on the rise:One—before she was stolen away to the cruel Prince Poison. Seven—under the Prince’s malicious watch.The worst part? Valissa just doesn’t care anymore, not about the lives of those she doesn’t know when her own life is falling apart all around her.Ava’s not speaking to her. Jasper pushes her in training to the point of exhaustion. And though Valissa does everything he wants, the Prince grows distant.Valissa finds the closest thing to a friend in the mysteriously dark stranger who haunts her in the stardust palace. Damianos; a God or aniel she most definitely knows better than to trust.In the Land of Gods, is it really ‘better the devil you know’? And what about when the devil you don’t know is just so damn intoxicating?What’s worse than being the prisoner of a God?Abandoning all hopes of freedom.This is Box Set 1 of 2. It includes the first three books in the Gods and Monsters 6-book series.Box Set 2 is available for preorder, release date: January 2020.Disclaimer: Please read content warnings.

On Sundays, She Picked Flowers


Yah-Yah Scholfield - 2020
    Seventeen years later, secluded deep in the woods of northern Georgia, Jude knows that the past isn't all that easy to discard.Alone with her strange house and even stranger woods, Jude must grapple with ghosts, haints, beasts, and an enigmatic woman who threatens to undo the tentative peace Jude's built for herself by fanning the violence that lives just underneath her skin.

Lord The One You Love is Sick


Kasey Thornton - 2020
    It triggers a mental breakdown in his best friend, Dale, a police officer, as his wife grapples with the burden of her vows in the face of her husband’s disturbing behavior. Meanwhile, Gentry’s bitter mother discovers an unexpected friendship as she struggles to place blame surrounding the death of her oldest son, while her younger son lives in agoraphobic solitude, cut off from the rest of the world. On the outskirts of town, an eight-year old girl and her older sister cope with horrific abuse from their well-respected father. All the while, the patriarchs of the community sit together gossiping at the local diner, certain that the Lord will heal everyone’s sins.A novel in stories, Lord the One You Love is Sick is a gorgeously written and heartrending work of fiction from an important new voice in the literature of the American South.

Bitterburn


Ann Aguirre - 2020
    Amarrah volunteers to brave what no one has before—to end the threat or die trying.The Beast of Bitterburn has lost all hope.One way or another, Njål has been a prisoner for his entire life. Monstrous evil has left him trapped and lonely, and he believes that will never change. There is only darkness in his endless exile, never light. Never warmth. Until she arrives.It's a tale as old as time... where Beauty goes to confront the Beast and falls in love instead.

Always Your Love


Ellie St. Clair - 2020
    So when her sister runs off with a footman and her parents decide on a hastily arranged marriage for her, she agrees. Then she kisses a stranger in the library on the same night her fiancée has a tryst of his own and suddenly everything changes.Lord Edmund Marshville, a former soldier and the second son of an earl, has one desire—to be left alone with his scars and his memories in his remote Hollingswood Estate. When he gives in to his mother’s plea to attend his brother’s engagement party, he doesn’t realize how life altering one night can be. For when his brother must marry the woman he compromises, suddenly Edmund takes on the role of groom to his brother’s original bride, a role he has no wish to assume.When Hannah and Edmund return to Hollingswood, it doesn’t seem like they will ever be married in anything more than name, until they begin to uncover secrets hidden for decades. Will attempting to reunite lost loves help them find their way to each other, or do the fates have other plans for them?For readers over 18 due to steamy content.Previously published in the Wicked Liaison anthology

The Haunting of Brynn Wilder


Wendy Webb - 2020
    Checking into a quaint boardinghouse for the summer, she hopes to put her life into perspective. In her fellow lodgers, she finds a friendly company of strangers: the frail Alice, cared for by a married couple with a heartbreaking story of their own; LuAnn, the eccentric and lovable owner of the inn; and Dominic, an unsettlingly handsome man inked from head to toe in mesmerizing tattoos.But in this inviting refuge, where a century of souls has passed, a mystery begins to swirl. Alice knows things about Brynn, about all of them, that she shouldn’t. Bad dreams and night whispers lure Brynn to a shuttered room at the end of the hall, a room still heavy with a recent death. And now she’s become irresistibly drawn to Dominic—even in the shadow of rumors that wherever he goes, suspicious death follows.In this chilling season of love, transformation, and fear, something is calling for Brynn. To settle her past, she may have no choice but to answer.

The Yellow Wall-Paper


Sara Barkat - 2020
    Now, more than a hundred years later, this image-rich work has been interpreted by artist Sara Barkat—in a manner that combines both philosophical thought and visual intrigue.Sometimes understood as feminist literature, sometimes understood as exploring mental illness, and sometimes understood as both at the same time, this story is oddly poetic even when it is chilling and challenging. The tale contains subtexts that touch upon the nature of Imagination, as well as the act of Writing, and the artist has enhanced these subtexts with the inclusion of Victorian flower symbols, such as thistle for independence and lupine for imagination. Watch, too, for the appearance of some of history’s most imaginative art, refashioned and in dialog with the story at hand, which gives a sense of timelessness and broader societal import to the tale.

The Crows


C.M. Rosens - 2020
    Fairwood House, known locally as The Crows, is no ordinary ruin. As Carrie pours herself into its restoration, she learns that it comes with a curse and an unsolved sixty-year-old child murder... and a mind of its own.As she digs into the secrets of The Crows, Carrie is dragged into a world of witchcraft, blood magic and the supernatural, aided by her eldritch soothsayer neighbour, Ricky Porter, who's as obsessed with the house as she is. Ricky, desperate to become the master of Fairwood and of the arcane artefact it guards, sees Carrie's future is set in stone - and so is her death-date. But is his offer of help sincere, or is he the reason she's doomed?

The Silk House


Kayte Nunn - 2020
    Healing. Haunting. The spellbinding story of a mysterious boarding school sheltering a centuries-old secret by the bestselling author of THE BOTANIST'S DAUGHTER.Australian history teacher Thea Rust arrives at an exclusive boarding school in the British countryside only to find that she is to look after the first intake of girls in its 150-year history. She is to stay with them in Silk House, a building with a long and troubled past, where the shadows hide more mysteries than she could ever imagine.In the late 1700s, Rowan Caswell leaves her village to work in the home of an English silk merchant. She is thrust into a new and dangerous world where her talent for herbs and healing soon attracts attention.In London, Mary-Louise Stephenson lives amid the clatter of the weaving trade and dreams of becoming a silk designer, a job that is the domain of men. Arriving in the market town of Oxleigh, she brings with her a length of fabric woven with a pattern of deadly plants that will have far-reaching consequences for all who dwell in the silk house.Intoxicating, haunting and inspired by the author's background, THE SILK HOUSE is the exceptional new gothic mystery by Kayte Nunn.

The Deception of Harriet Fleet


Helen Scarlett - 2020
    An age of discovery and progress. But for the Wainwright family, residents of the gloomy Teesbank Hall in County Durham the secrets of the past continue to overshadow their lives. Harriet would not have taken the job of governess in such a remote place unless she wanted to hide from something or someone. Her charge is Eleanor, the daughter of the house, a fiercely bright eighteen-year-old, tortured by demons and feared by relations and staff alike. But it soon becomes apparent that Harriet is not there to teach Eleanor, but rather to monitor her erratic and dangerous behaviour – to spy on her. Worn down by Eleanor’s unpredictable hostility, Harriet soon finds herself embroiled in Eleanor’s obsession – the Wainwright’s dark, tragic history. As family secrets are unearthed, Harriet’s own begin to haunt her and she becomes convinced that ghosts from the past are determined to reveal her shameful story.For Harriet, like Eleanor, is plagued by deception and untruths.

The Secrets of Colchester Hall


Sophie Barnes - 2020
    But an unpleasant feeling lurks within Colchester Hall, and while Angelica tries to explain the chill creeping up behind her as merely a draft, she can't shake the feeling that something disturbing might be at play.When Sterling decides she's the woman he wants, will Angelica accept her new home and the sinister secrets she fears it might hold, or will she give up on true love because of something she might be imagining?Previously published in the Wicked Liaison anthology

Shiftr: Swipe Left For Love (Books 2-5)


Ariana Hawkes - 2020
    She is picked as a perfect match for wealthy, sexy lion shifter Magnus by Shiftr, the secret dating app for curvy girls and shape-shifting men. But will Andrea’s secret tear them apart or bring them together in a perfect union?Shiftr: Swipe Left For Love - Book 5 (Lori)Bruno Davis: fire-fighter and single dad, tortured by the tragic loss of his mate. Lori Bianco: curvy, vulnerable, single mother, dumped by her cheating husband. Thrown together in a horrific accident, his bear knows she’s his mate, but can he dare to believe that he deserves to be happy again?

The Municipality of Lost Souls


Jeannie Wycherley - 2020
    The Municipality of Lost Souls is a gothic ghost story set in 1860s England with characters destined to haunt you forever.For readers of dark fantasy who love witchcraft, magic and a little spookiness. For fans of Daphe du Maurier, Laura Purcell, Michelle Paver and Stacey Halls.

Carfax House - A Christmas Ghost Story


Shani Struthers - 2020
    In the countryside. Just over an hour's train ride from London.An ideal family home. Sold unseen. At auction.Married couple, Al and Liz Greenaway, love London, but when they discover an impressive country property for sale, in need of some TLC, for the same price as their London flat, they decide to go for it. For them, life is all about reinventing themselves, keeping things fresh, and this house marks an exciting new chapter.In the week running up to Christmas, it is Liz who finds herself at Carfax House, alone. Al's held up with work. No matter, there's plenty to occupy her before he arrives, getting it ready for the festive season. A fine house. Once. Solitary, romantic, isolated, and quiet. So quiet that, for the first time in years, Liz can hear her own thoughts as long buried memories emerge. And there's an echo in them, a whisper...For someone else in the house, memories are emerging too. ~~~

The Bird in the Bayou: An Urban Romance Mystery & Suspense (a Voodoo Priestess & Witch of the South novel)


Smokey Moment - 2020
    

Lacrimore


S.J. Costello - 2020
    Though it's been years since the epidemic that swept the mainland and changed her life, she has yet to find the answers—or closure—that she's looking for. When she's summoned to conduct the funeral rites for a reclusive scholar, the unusual circumstances give her hope that maybe, finally, she'll find the answers she needs.Far from the mainland, on a small island in the middle of a lake, stands Lacrimore, centuries old and wreathed in grim legends. But something much darker than legends thrives within its walls, waiting to lay claim to the house's inhabitants. As Sivre rediscovers her place in the world, she'll need all of her newfound strength to dig her fingers into the monstrous foundation of Lacrimore and expose the secrets it is built upon.

Beguiled by Night


Nicole Eigener - 2020
    His life in self-imposed exile has become peaceful and relatively carefree until time suddenly begins to unravel, forcing him to navigate the already chartered waters of his past.Vauquelin fumbles his way through history in reverse, ripping the scabs off of old wounds and mourning the loss of his futurepast joys, while attempting to keep certain skeletons firmly locked in their closets where they belong. But the past has a way of making its presence known, especially when one is reliving it. Vauquelin’s mundane modern existence is systematically erased, compelling him to confront all his missteps over the last three centuries and acknowledge his defeats.As he regresses through time, he surrenders to his brutal nature and faces an unexpected choice that could alter his life completely, and in turn, extinguish the only true happiness he ever knew.Beguiled by Night is a complex tapestry of time, horror, and beauty deftly woven with gore and redemption, returning the vampire genre to its proper roots of elegant violence.

The Nightshade Cabal


Chris Patrick Carolan - 2020
    But when you’re the only technomancer openly practicing the craft in 1880s Halifax, trouble has a way of finding you. When a routine mechanical service call reveals the grisly handiwork of the Nightshade Cabal – an underground cult of necromancers – Barrow finds himself in a race against time to put a stop to the Cabal’s depredations before they can kill anyone else and turn them into... office machinery?Then there’s the mystery of Emily Skye, a missing teenager with strange abilities of her own. Believing her disappearance to be connected to the Nightshade Cabal, Barrow agrees to help track down the missing girl. But even if he can find her, will Miss Skye aid him in his struggle against the Cabal? Or might she turn out to be the deadliest threat of all?

Unspeakable: A Queer Gothic Anthology


Celine Frohn - 2020
    Its stories feature sapphic ghosts, terrifying creatures of the sea, and haunted houses concealing their own secrets. Whether you're looking for your non-binary knight in shining armour or a poly family to murder with, Unspeakable showcases the best contemporary Gothic queer short fiction. Even dark tales deserve their time in the sun.

The House That Death Built


Mel Stone - 2020
    

The Phantom of the Opera


Cavan Scott - 2020
    Hopelessly in love and obsessed with one of the chorus singers, the Phantom will stop at nothing to make her the star of the show, even if that means murder.

The Tragic Tale of Teddy Woven


Peter Gray - 2020
    The young gardener soon finds her presence unwelcome as she slowly uncovers the truth about his family’s past. The greatest mystery of all lies not in the house, but with its owner.

Hyde


Craig Russell - 2020
    He experiences two realities, one real, the other a dreamworld state brought on by a neurological condition.When murders in Victorian Edinburgh echo the ancient Celtic threefold death ritual, Captain Edward Hyde hunts for those responsible. In the process he becomes entangled in a web of Celticist occultism and dark scheming by powerful figures. The answers are there to be found, not just in the real world but in the sinister symbolism of Edward Hyde’s otherworld.He must find the killer, or lose his mind.A dark tale. One that inspires Hyde’s friend . . . Robert Louis Stevenson.

Mistress of Misfortune: A Gothic Romance


Hazel Hunter - 2020
    But Meredith Starling will hear none of it. Instead she finds it enchanting. Though prone to accidents and mishaps, Meredith rides by the Hall at every opportunity. For her the rundown manor evokes a grander time. She looks past the broken gate and moss covered statues and sees the imposing facade’s elegant lines and graceful charm. In fact, she is determined to see inside. But Colonel Alistair Thorne rebuffs all callers without exception—and not for the sake of being a recluse. He avoids women because of his family curse. The master of Dredthorne is doomed to fall in love with a lady who spends a night at the Hall. Though love would be welcome, its consequences would not. All of the mistresses of Dredthorne have vanished, gone mad, or suddenly died.

Nocturne House: Supernatural and human evil collide in a page-turning thriller (Legacy of Darkness Book 3)


London Clarke - 2020
    But the woman barely looks like his wife, and she’s going by a different name. Worse, she’s obsessed with another man and memories of a life she’s lived in a place called Nocturne House. As Laura relays the story of her disappearance and the people responsible, she also reveals her connection to a dangerous cult, a group of modern-day vampires that controls and manipulates through psychological strongholds, supernatural entities, and all-too-human wicked intentions. Hunter soon realizes that Laura is still in danger, and she remains bound to the house through her heart, mind, and blood. In the final suspenseful installment of the Legacy of Darkness series, supernatural and human evil collide in a tale about the power and danger of living outside society’s expectations and the relationships that can ruin or redeem us.

The Companion


Katie Alender - 2020
    Lucky to survive the horrible accident that killed her family. Lucky to have her own room because she wakes up screaming every night. And finally, lucky to be chosen by a prestigious family to live at their remote country estate. But it wasn't luck that made the Suttons rescue Margot from her bleak existence at the group home. Margot was hand-picked to be a companion to their silent, mysterious daughter, Agatha. At first, helping with Agatha - and getting to know her handsome older brother - seems much better than the group home. But soon, the isolated, gothic house begins playing tricks on Margot’s mind, making her question everything she believes about the Suttons... and herself. Margot’s bad dreams may have stopped when she came to live with Agatha – but the real nightmare has just begun.

Moon Hollow (Westwood Gothic Mystery-Romances Book 2)


E.B. Wheeler - 2020
    

Fair Weather


Barbara Gaskell Denvil - 2020
    Molly just wants to sleep at night, but the dreams won’t leave her alone. The light goes out, while distant echoes of thunder diminish into the night. Molly has dreamed of it before, but this time her eyes are open and she’s wide awake. The man is bending over her but she can only see his shadow. Then everything changes. It is a world of buzzing chatter, markets, the calls of birds, bright sunshine and the cobbled alleys of old London. But when Molly turns and blinks, everything dissolves into shadows once more. And she hears the siren of police cars, and they are coming closer. An identical murder in the distant past of her dreams joins the two worlds in equal danger. Molly travels time but is followed by some horror which kills and mutilates at will. And the man, his voice the rustle of dead leaves, is always there. Yet Molly discovers far more than fear and misery. She discovers a whole new life, and a love she could never have imagined. she no longer wants to return – but she must.

Her Infernal Name & Other Nightmares


Robert P. Ottone - 2020
    Ottone.In “The Arborist,” a woman hears the mysterious call of the forest.Five friends exploring an archipelago find themselves set upon by the island’s hungry inhabitants in “The Monitors.”A young woman confronts the mystery of her infertility in “Kelly Watch the Stars.”These works are joined by the title novella, Her Infernal Name, about the cruel intersection of desire and desperation, and many other stories crafted in the hopes of keeping you up at night.

Gaslamp Gothic Box Set


Kat Ross - 2020
    The perfect series for anyone who likes their Victorian mysteries with a heaping teaspoon of magic, adventure and romance! Includes The Daemoniac, The Thirteenth Gate, A Bad Breed, The Necromancer’s Bride and Dead Ringer. Praise for the Gaslamp Gothic books “Beautiful landscapes, beasts with more to them than meets the eye, women who fight the darkness, and men seeking redemption. This book was amazing.” –The Caffeinated Reader "Greatly entertaining, fun, thrilling, at times chilling and with a light hint of romance. I have no word left to say, only 'perfect'." -Field of Bookish Dreams “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde combined with Sherlock Holmes . . . If you like historical books that also have mystery, suspense, action and all the other ingredients for a page-turning stay-up-all-night experience, Dead Ringer is a must read!” –Books+Coffee=Happiness “You just can’t help but fall for the male interest. Everything about this book just screams darkness. If you want a page-turning, plot-twisting, soul-burning story, this is it!” –Treestand Book Reviews “Mystery. Paranormal creatures and myths. Intelligent, brave and daring characters. Love and hate. History. What else can you possibly want?” –Dena Garson’s Book Blog Book #1: It’s August 1888 and a bizarre killer is stalking the gas-lit streets of New York. His handiwork bears all the hallmarks of a demonic possession. But are the murders a case of black magic—or simple blackmail? From the gambling dens of the Tenderloin to the glittering mansions of Fifth Avenue, consulting detective Harrison Fearing Pell and her best friend, medical student John Weston, follow a twisted trail of lies, treachery and madness that ends closer to home than they imagined. Book #2: At an asylum in the English countryside, a man suspected of being Jack the Ripper kills an orderly and escapes into the rain-soaked night. Occult investigator Lady Vivienne pursues him across the Atlantic to New York, where a powerful Egyptian amulet has been stolen from the Museum of Natural History. With the bodies mounting, Lady Vivienne joins Harry and John to confront an ancient evil. The key to stopping it is something called the Thirteenth Gate. But where is it? And more importantly, who will find it first? Book #3: After a Romanian village suffers a series of brutal attacks, Lady Vivienne’s ward Anne Lawrence is dispatched to hunt the killer – only to find herself herself at the mercy of a mysterious captor with a beast inside and a memory as old as the ancient legends. As the weeks pass, Anne slowly uncovers a complex and deeply passionate man. But is she willing to pay the price for falling under his spell? Book #4: Forgiveness is not Gabriel D’Ange’s strong suit. A ruthless self-appointed soldier of God, he vanished after Anne stabbed him with his own dagger. The smart thing would be to let him go. But Anne’s world isn’t just lonely without Gabriel. It’s insufferably boring. When she’s drawn into one of his tangled plots, Anne learns just how far she’ll go to save the man she loves. Book #5: Back in New York, Harry and John face off with sewer beasts, doppelgängers and the city’s most devious criminal mastermind to solve one of the strangest

Thin Places


Kay Chronister - 2020
    Here there be monsters! And witches! These are tales of monstrous mothers and dark desires. Love, grief, death; and the exquisite pain and joy of life. With transcendent prose, Chronister chronicles the lives of powerful women and children; wicked witches and demons. These are the traumatic ghosts we all carry, and Chronister knows what it means to be human and humane. Powerful and hypnotic, these are tales you won’t forget, from a vibrant new voice.

The Gallery of Stolen Souls


Helen Moorhouse - 2020
    Little does he know, however, that the subject of the photograph will spark a dark fascination inside him, one which takes his life – and many more – in an increasingly sinister direction.In present day Dublin, Louise Lacey is drawn to purchase a beautiful old camera for her home as a symbol of change in her own life. The arrival of the antique, however, triggers strange and terrifying events and Louise reluctantly becomes aware that she is no longer alone.As Louise reluctantly investigates the source of her haunting, she is led into danger she could never have imagined, as it becomes terrifyingly clear that she is the victim of dark obsessions, both past and present.

A Krampus Carol: Gothic Blue Book VI


Cynthia PelayoKevin M. Folliard - 2020
    Gothic Blue Books were short Gothic fictions popular in the 18th and 19th century.Burial Day Books presents its sixth Gothic Blue Book, A Krampus Carol. A Krampus Carol is a celebration of folklore and myth around Christmas, Yule, the cold winter months and Santa Claus’ opposite, Krampus.Authors:The Aspirant Heiress by Deanna BaranThe Night of Epiphany by Nico BellWhen the Leaves Go by Die BoothYule Log by T.M. BrownCandy Cane by Jeff CarterThe Boy Who Tricked Krampus by Malina DouglasSugarplum by Kevin M. FolliardA Creature Was Stirring by Samson Stormcrow HayesBlack Lace Binding by Laurel HightowerLetters to Krampus by Matt JeanI Am a Fortress by Shane Douglas KeeneAll Through the House by Amanda Cecelia LangSecret Santa by Gary E LeeA Desk Fit for a Purpose by Madeleine McDonaldA Very Good Actress by Sarah MichelsonAfter Krampusnacht by Victoria NationsWhen She Visits by Cindy O’QuinnThe Path by Kathleen PalmThe Last Noel by Hailey PiperQueen of the Wassail by Jennifer QuailThe Wreath by Monique QuintanaAll Quiet on the Northern Front by Kara Race-MooreCast Away Stones by Mary RajotteHell’s Bells by C L RavenThe Holly King’s Spawn by Sage RavenwoodCreature of Darkness by Lawrence SalaniChristmas Eve by K.R. SmithKrampus by Austrian SpencerThe Dark-Eyed Boy by M.C. St. JohnHere We Come A-Caroling by Angela SylvaineThe Yule Cat by Sara TantlingerEditors:Cynthia PelayoGerardo PelayoCover Art:Abigail Larson

Shadow Crusade


Jessaca Willis - 2020
    Hunted by demons. This vengeful huntress is ready to strike back.Dimitri's family was taken years ago. Now it's Halira's family who suffers.When the horrifying demons that plague their lands murder Halira's parents, she and Dimitri join the Shadow Crusade, a legion of warriors tasked with destroying demon-kind.The grueling days and impending doom fortify their relationship in ways they never dreamed. But Halira harbors a dark secret. One that could drive a wedge between she and Dimitri, threaten her very survival, and that of the realm's.What's worse? The demon who killed her family seems to be hunting her. And he appears to be...at least partially human.Will Halira be the savior her country needs, or will her own dark secret and the allure of demon-kind force her into the shadows?Shadow Crusade is the first in a gothic, high fantasy romance series with a badass demon huntress, Lovecraftian immortal creatures, epic world-building, and an enemies-to-lovers romance love triangle. If you enjoyed books by Leigh Bardugo, Elise Kova, Jennifer L. Armentrout, and Camille Longley, then you'll devour Shadow Crusade!

Wishwood


E.B. Wheeler - 2020
    The family members talk about a curse, lights move through the ruins at night, and Kate’s maid won’t spend the night in the house. Thomas is hiding something from Kate as well, but as she grows closer to him, a series of accidents makes her suspect that someone is willing to kill to keep Wishwood’s secrets buried in the past.

Prairie Gothic


Stacey KondlaRobert Bose - 2020
    Gothic tales, set in decaying, abandoned settings and characters with dark secrets mingle on the high Canadian Prairies.

Witch-Cult Abbey


Mark Samuels - 2020
    He is summoned to medieval Thool Abbey – the degenerate family's ill-gotten ancestral seat – situated in a blighted valley in the far reaches of the Hertfordshire countryside. But if Prior had envisaged a bookish refuge from the warring outside world, what he instead encounters proves to be a nightmarish, inescapable, occult conspiracy. Its central horror has waxed hideously through long centuries, having manifested elsewhere in the form of “The White Hands”. Now the quintessential delineation of this self-same, soul-destroying, evil lore is fully revealed in the Gothic novel "Witch-Cult Abbey“.

Women’s Weird 2: More Strange Stories by Women, 1891-1937


Melissa EdmundsonBessie Kyffin-Taylor - 2020
    A detective, a young woman caught in a rainstorm, an author acquiring witchcraft skills—these are examples of how women continued to push and defy the genre expectations of the era.Authors include Edith Stewart Drewry (“A Twin Identity”), Katherine Mansfield (“The House”), Lettice Galbraith (“The Blue Room”), Sarah Orne Jewett (“The Green Bowl”), Barbara Baynton (“A Dreamer”), Mary Wilkins Freeman (“The Hall Bedroom”)… and more!Featuring thirteen remarkably chilling stories, Women’s Weird 2 is sure to thrill new readers and delight these authors’ fans.

Roseneath


Dana McSwain - 2020
    Roseneath is a winner.” The Prairies Book Review“A Gothic tale of horror with a touch of fantasy, Roseneath reads like a beloved book from your childhood that you've just rediscovered in your mother's attic. McSwain's prose is poetry, smooth jazz, and oftentimes charming even when describing the darkest terrors.” -James Renner, author of The Man from Primrose LaneGeorgia Pritchard's dream house has a dead child in the attic and a monster in the basement but, she can't tell her husband because she's not sure it's really him anymore. After a shocking tragedy, Georgia and Nathan Pritchard seek refuge in the abandoned estate called Roseneath. In the attic, Georgia finds the ghost of a lost child and her own version of heaven. However, in the cellar below, Nathan finds something darker and is lured into his own personal hell. And the only thing that can breach the divide between this world and the next, and close Roseneath’s hellish gates, is the ghost of a little girl who can grow.

One Morning


Jessica Hagy - 2020
    One Morning is a gothic novel that tells the story of Gour Borough, Pennsylvania via the subjective and interwoven perspectives of twelve women who live there.A middle-aged taxidermist who indulges in arson.An ailing hostage.A mother who stopped searching for her lost child.A disoriented shepherdess.A feral tween huntress.An exhausted wife with a secret bank account.An innocent girl with a bounty on her head.An untethered orphan.A gleefully passive murderer.An underemployed geologist.A scheming hotel proprietor in a ghoulish costume.A teenager with a dead pen pal.Taking place over a single twelve hour time period, the book moves in real time as the characters’ lives intertwine, their fates soaked in and stained by the polluted waters of the long-abandoned coalmines that crumble below their town.One Morning embodies the phrase, to sonder, that is, to realise that everyone around us leads lives as rich, haunting, and complex as our own.

Heart of Cruelty


Maybelle Wallis - 2020
    Powerfully attracted to her, he employs her as his maidservant, to care for his ailing wife.In his household, Jane discovers the truth about the inquest and pieces together the dark secrets of a powerful abuser. As Doughty struggles with his passion for her, she must convince him to act, even though exposing the truth will destroy his marriage and his career. The twisting darkness of this story pervades a bittersweet romance and explores the risks of allowing desire to triumph over reason.

Whispers from the Dead of Night


Lee Allen - 2020
    Are you sitting comfortably, the fire crackling, a mug of cocoa in hand? Then let us begin… A journey through fog and darkness, destination unknown… A sexual obsession spiralling out of control… A forbidden love… A killer who preys on the lonely… An investigation into a haunted monastery… A visitation on Christmas Eve with diabolical intentions… A night-time escape through the forest… Seven tales of mystery and the supernatural for a winter’s evening.

Lilitu: The Memoirs of a Succubus


Jonathan Fortin - 2020
    Twenty-year-old Maraina Blackwood has always struggled to adhere to the restrictive standards of Victorian society, denying the courage and desire that burn within her soul. But after a terrifying supernatural encounter, Maraina's instincts compel her to action.Maraina soon discovers a plot to unleash a new world—one of demonic aristocrats, bloody rituals, and nightmarish monsters. Putting her upbringing aside, Maraina vows to fight the dark forces assuming control of England. But as her world transforms, Maraina finds that she too must transform...and what she becomes will bring out all that she once buried.Lilitu: The Memoirs of a Succubus is the first chapter in an epic dark fantasy saga, proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing—Tales from the Darkest Depths.

Sleeping Evie


Jessica Cale - 2020
    She wasn’t counting on losing her mind—or her heart.As a second son, Ash was never meant to be a marquess. Bookish, circumspect, and devoted to his art, he’s a visionary, not a landlord. Horrified by the realities of the Industrial Revolution, he buries himself in the past and uses his resources to build a Gothic Revival Camelot in north London, a place where he can disappear into his dreams. He plans to do exactly that—until Evie comes to wake him up.An out-of-work seamstress sleeping rough in Highgate Cemetery, Evie is the last person who should turn Ash’s head. Having lost her fiancé and most of her friends to Paris Green, all she has left is her looks, a dark sense of humor, and a laudanum habit. Modeling is a job like any other, but she’s never met a man quite like Ash.Through art, history, and volatile chemistry, this odd couple soon discover they’re kindred spirits, but things at the castle aren’t as perfect as they seem. Ash has a secret that might just send Evie back to Highgate. Is there a way forward for the artist and his muse, or will his circumstances turn their dream into a nightmare?

Dark Protector


Ana Calin - 2020
    For Alice Preda, it could be deadly. When a shady corporation that conducts experiments on humans targets tycoon daughter Alice Preda, her secret crush Damian Novac becomes her protector. Alice wants to dive into his mystery, but Damian keeps a cool reserve, protecting Alice not only from her hunters but also from himself. Turns out, he has a dark past. A villain who switched sides long ago, Damian is the biggest gun the science mafia ever created. He’s been halfway stable serving the good for years, but when his makers return to the picture and provoke him, he threatens to relapse. The ice breaks, his demons awaken, and the Executioner is unleashed once more. Only the superpower that Alice doesn’t yet know she possesses can tame him, but for that she’ll have to put herself in the line of fire. NOTE: This book was first released in 2017 by Solstice Publishing under the title The Executioner. If you read The Executioner and you're searching for more books like this one, please feel free to check out Ana Calin's many other titles.

Gothic Love Stories


Erica Ridley - 2020
    
TOO TEMPTING TO RESISTA rakish lord has the chance to win forgiveness from a lost love... if he can spirit her away from a haunted castle. 
TOO WANTON TO WEDA secretive governess seeks shelter in the towering home of a mysterious recluse who may be even more dangerous than the man she fled.

Tea With Death


Abigail Wildes - 2020
    Other guests include Death herself, the ghost of a blackbird, a spattering of Witches, a few tortured souls, and two zombie BFFs. Slip into this surprising book of illustrated poetry and find yourself utterly swept away in beauty, depth, horror and wicked hilarity! Oh, and here’s your cup of tea--we promise it’s not poisoned! ~Enjoy.

NorthFanger: A Pride and Prejudice Variation


Jayne Bamber - 2020
    Elizabeth anticipates that the visit will be very dull indeed, while Catherine believes adventure and romance await them there, just as in the gothic novels she adores.Within a week, both women have their expectations subverted by the sudden arrival of a vampire into their midst. The ladies at the parsonage take flight, accompanied by the outraged Colonel Fitzwilliam, his outwitted cousin, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy – and an out-of-control fledgling vampire.Proving herself indispensable during the undead Darcy debacle, Elizabeth becomes the heroine her cousin Catherine always knew she was – and enviously wishes to be herself – as she leads them to Bath in search of the wily Silas Bennet, an expert in all matters vampiric.But amidst the hunt for Uncle Silas, other predators enter the fray, all in search of one very old man, and a very young vampire. In Bath they encounter the Tilneys, the Thorpes, and an array of familiar faces and vicious villains bent on wreaking bloody havoc, leading a merry band of misfits to take shelter in a place too spooky not to hold secrets of it’s own: Northanger Abbey.

Medusa’s Daughters: Magic and Monstrosity from Women Writers of the Fin-de-Siècle


Theodora Goss - 2020
    As the century turned, women writers such as Vernon Lee, Mary Coleridge, and Graham R. Thomson left an indelible mark on fantasy and horror literature. Like Medusa herself, their poetry and short stories embody the very essence of magic and monstrosity. But be warned, dear reader: when you gaze upon the face of a monster . . . well, the ordinary world may never look quite the same again.Curated and annotated by award-winning fantasy author and Victorianist Theodora Goss, this collection of rare and strange gems serves as a tantalizing sampler of work by fin-de-siècle women writers, whose legacy still echoes in the speculative fiction we know and love today.

The Mask of the Red Death and Other Stories


Edgar Allan Poe - 2020
    

The Window


Thomas Gloom - 2020
    Will he fall back into his old ways?While fighting to keep hold of his sanity, strange occurrences start taking place almost as if he is following a well laid plan, and the same name keeps appearing at every turn. Who is The Family, and why does it seem like Mark’s parents were connected with this strange cult?As the mystery begins to unravel, he unearths secrets rooted in control, manipulation, and blood. He must learn to conquer his own demons in order to face off against the pure evil lurking so close to home.The shocking conclusion to this slow burning tale is sure to leave your jaw on the floor!

The Director Must Die: A Stardust Story


Dina Thala - 2020
    Now he is his bitterest enemy.And he has the most disturbing proposition:He wants to marry me.”A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Gina, a young, idealistic woman, is recruited by the elusive Rebellion.“The Director must die!” they said.She wants to fight the fascistic, high-tech, Victorian-flavored dictatorship that keeps oppressing her planet.And this marriage proposal is a golden opportunity to infiltrate the loyalist circles.So despite her parents’ warning, Gina complies reluctantly.Alas, the innocent girl falls into a trap! Why does the Director seem to hate her even more than she does? Why is he willing to put himself at risk?Now her beloved father is in danger, threatened by this powerful officer of the Empire who wants to exact a terrible revenge because of an affair that started before Gina’s birth.But facing the Director turns out to be much less unpleasant than expected and the situation becomes untenable. One misstep could lead to mutual destruction...140 000 word Dark Erotic Romance, bittersweet HEA.-----------------------------------------------------------------review on another siteTruly love this. So decadent and wrong and utterly perfect, the way they fight for power, how she claims to be disgusted but can’t stay away from him. Excellent characterisation of both of them,and omg hot hot hot!

The Picture of Everything Else #1


Dan Watters - 2020
    A rash of impossible killings sweep through Paris, tearing the rich and beautiful apart in their beds. When two art thieves stumble upon the portraits of the victims damaged in the exact same manner they died, it appears the man who once painted the immortal portrait of Dorian Gray has returned—with darker plans for future works. From the minds of Dan Watters (Coffin Bound, Lucifer, Deep Roots) and Kishore Mohan comes a haunting balance of depravity and beauty.

Clay House


Jordan Elizabeth - 2020
    The Barries should have believed them.Soon Tatiana's little brother starts acting strange. He sees imaginary friends; he knows things he shouldn't. Tatiana's stepfather becomes abusive and erratic.Between possessed dolls and an unknown evil taking over her family, Tatiana is terrified more every day.She should be even more afraid.

Shady Woods: Book one in the Shady Woods series


J. Mercer - 2020
    Being that she's dendrite, and couldn't keep her powerful thoughts to herself, she set in motion a series of events that ran her family out of the very human city of Chicago. This stifling, small town of Shady Woods exists to allow the above-normals to live some semblance of a "normal" life, but at least Grace will learn how to use her dendrite powers in class, which sort of makes her feel like a superhero. All the weird, ab-normal culture ends up being too much for her, though, and after a terrible first week of school and an even more horrible first date, she tries to run away-back to her best friend and her old life. Only, the humans she meets at the truck stop are creepy, and the wild abnormals who want to eat those humans even creepier. Her new friends come to her rescue and her parents finally tell her why she can never go back. Resigned to her fate, she tries to avoid making waves. Unfortunately for Grace, the alluring boy she's paired with in skills class has an awful girlfriend who's determined to make her life miserable. Not to mention vandalism and arson begin to threaten the community, and Grace stumbles into the midst of it.Is it the group of boys everyone's labeled trouble, the purists who think abnormals should be ruled by their sometimes murderous instincts, or The Hand of Humanity, a hidden sect of normals trying to rid the world of those they fear the most? And can the four young abnormals work together in order to preserve their way of life, or is this just the excuse Grace needs to get back home?

Okamoto Kidō: Master of the Uncanny


Kidō Okamoto - 2020
    As a reporter he covered domestic development and overseas wars, while also marrying a traditional geisha, eventually becoming a playwright and author. In addition to a number of well-received plays, he also penned more than fifty horror stories over a roughly ten-year period starting in the mid-1920s. Just prior to this period, the Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923 destroyed almost everything in Tokyo that remained from the Edo era, and Japanese horror itself was transitioning from the traditional uncanny stories to more modern horror structures.While many of Kidō’s stories are retellings of tales from China and other nations, he also drew on a diverse range of traditions, including the heritage of Edo-era storytellers such as Ueda Akinari and Asai Ryōi, to produce a dazzling array of work covering the entire spectrum from time-honored ghost tropes to modern horror. The majority of his stories were collected in four volumes: Seiadō kidan (1926), Kindai iyō hen (1926), Iyō hen (1933), and Kaijū (1936).Kidō remains popular for his elegant, low-key style, subtly introducing the “other” into the background, and raising the specter of the uncanny indirectly and often indistinctly. His fiction spans an enormous range of material, much of it dealing with the uncanny, and as a pioneer in the field his work formed the foundation for the new generation of Japanese authors emerging in post-Restoration literature.This selection presents a dozen of his best stories: pieces which remain in print almost a century later, and continue to enchant readers—and writers—today. Finally, English-reading audiences can enjoy his strange visions as well.Contents The Kiso Traveler (木曽の旅人) The Green Frog God (青蛙神) Tone Crossing (利根の渡) The Monkey’s Eyes (猿の眼) The Snake Spirit (蛇精) The Clear-Water Well (清水の井) Crabs (蟹) The One-Legged Woman (一本足の女) Here Lies a Flute (笛塚) The Shadow-Stepping Game (影を踏まれた女) The White-Haired Demon (白髪鬼) The Man Cursed by an Eel (鰻に呪われた男)

The Vampire's Gift


Leigh Anderson - 2020
    Now, he must search the ancient catacombs under the city's streets to find the woman he loves–and kill the monster that took her.The Vampire's Gift is a short story prequel to The Vampire's Daughter, the first book in the exciting Calmet Chronicles! Be sure to check out the entire series!

Whisper


C.K. Brooke - 2020
    An artist at heart, stuck with a prim, practical family that doesn’t always understand her imagination and whimsy, she longs to create a world of her own.When mysterious, whispering lights appear by the woods one winter night, Kestrel is drawn into an enchanted land of eternal spring, where an enigmatic prince welcomes her warmly, seeming convinced she's his bride. As the Christmas holiday approaches, Kestrel straddles a secret double-life between home and the Whisper Kingdom. But beneath the surface, something dark is lurking with the power to end all she doesn’t even realize she holds dear. Soon, Kestrel must decide for herself where she truly belongs.

The Last to Know


Jo Furniss - 2020
    There’s a lot for Rose to get used to in Hurtwood. Like the family’s crumbling mansion, inhabited by Dylan’s reclusive mother, and the treacherous hill it sits upon, a place of both sinister folklore and present dangers.Then there are unwelcoming villagers, who only whisper the name Kynaston—like some dreadful secret, a curse. Everyone knows what happened at Hurtwood House twenty years ago. Everyone except Rose. And now that Dylan is back, so are rumors about his past.When an archaeological dig unearths human remains on the hill, local police sergeant Ellie Trevelyan vows to solve a cold case that has cast a chill over Hurtwood for decades.As Ellie works to separate rumor from facts, Rose must fight to clear the name of the man she loves. But how can Rose keep her family safe if she is the last to know the truth?

Ghostly Kiss


Berri L. Beatty - 2020
    Their fortune and beloved Devonshire coastal house Cockles Grange has been handed over to greedy distant relations, their hopes for love and marriage dashed. Penniless, they accept an offer from cousins they have never even met: the eccentric but loveable Squire and Mrs. Jennings of Fairsbury Village in the Cotswolds. There, intelligent, responsible Georgiana and irrepressible Jenny are to be settled in a run-down but charming cottage on the edge of land owned by the powerful Lord Fairsbury. When Georgiana meets handsome and affable Ewan Shaw on move-in day, the pair view each other as equals and quickly, friendship quickly blossoms into love. But Ewan is not who he seems—in fact, nothing is as it seems in Fairsbury. Georgiana’s vow to protect Jenny will soon be tested as an unwanted spectral visitor, a scandal past and present, and true love, will all collide in ways that will affect Georgiana and Ewan forever. Ghostly Kiss is the first book of the Millsborough Sisters Series.

Come Tomorrow: And Other Tales of Bangalore Terror


Jayaprakash Satyamurthy - 2020
    There are shades of Lovecraft, Ligotti and Aickman, but most of all these stories seek to capture something of the layered, uncanny nature of the city they are set in. Let Jayaprakash Satyamurthy be your guide on a tour of the bean town that might change you forever.

Pretty Deadly: The Rat #5


Kelly Sue DeConnick - 2020
    The finale issue of “The Rat” story arc—set in the classic Golden Age of Hollywood—and the newest installment in the popular mythic fantasy series. “The Rat” is the midway point in the PRETTY DEADLY series, with upcoming volumes including the fourth story arc, “The Butterfly,” which will look backward to reveal Alice’s origins, and the fifth story arc, which will push the series to its conclusion in the Great Depression. “A masterpiece of mythopoeism that many literary fantasists struggle to emulate." —N.K. Jemisin, NYT Book Review “PRETTY DEADLY goes old Hollywood, and pushes the boundaries of comics storytelling in the most wicked ways. I love it.” —Ed Brubaker “A ferocious series of powerful characters born of gorgeous art. It is Sergio Leone crossed with Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, a hellish yet alluring mix of epic mythology from the ancient poets, the relentlessly unforgiving fairy tales of the Old World, and the blood-soaked folklore of the Old West.” —Tor.com

All My Friends Are Creeps


Count D. - 2020
    Some with horns...and some with fangs! A hundred eyes...and giant brains! From the depths of the cosmic sea...All My Friends Are Creeps is a collection of twenty-one poems filled with slimy suspense, deathly daydreams and frightful fun for all ages!

Witworth Doom Baby


Stefanie Simpson - 2020
    Navigating an immortal war with enemies on all sides, she must decide which path her future will take. On the precipice of what will come, Adaline doesn’t have time for the strange, alluring investigator, human or not. Yet she knows her fate is tied with his, and she might really be what was prophesied: The Bringer of The End. The real question is whose end? You will not be saved. A contemporary gothic fantasy, ancient horrors and magic are revealed in a creeping mystery and love story with an introduction by Author Micah Chaim Thomas. Written in Uk English, this book contains adult themes and material. CONTENT WARNING: Strong language, frequent bloody horror and gore, war, pandemic, maternal death and estrangement, institutional abuse and coercion, war, supernatural horror, and sexual content.

The Confessions of Dorian Gray: Isolation


Scott Handcock - 2020
    As Dorian embarks on a train journey home, he finds himself reflecting on the world around him...

Hiraeth


Sabina Lungeanu - 2020
    His mother remains infuriatingly vague on the matter. Can he trust the charismatic stranger that has come into his life?Fifty years later, Harriet’s beloved aunt dies, passing on to her niece a bird cage and the urgent request never to open it.Then the voices start.When her family puts her in a mental institution, Harriet is determined to prove her sanity. Little does she know that she’s been expected there…Set on the Atlantic coast of Scotland at the turn of the twentieth century, Hiraeth explores the nature of memories and the organic bonds they weave between souls.

Something in the Shadows: A Halloween Anthology


Christis Christie - 2020
    You’ve heard their folktales–saw the carnage they left behind–those creatures, the things lurking deep in the shadows, watching and waiting until the right moment to ensnare its prey.Four authors dared to tell their stories in this unique collection of wonderfully haunting and frightful thrillers, and even dark romance. 
Inside, you'll discover tales of vampires, demons, and humans encountering spirits in these short stories that are sure to keep you up at night!

The Night Whisperer


Ornella Grey - 2020
    Now she finds herself unwelcome in her ancestral home and pressured to marry a man she detests. But when a foreign nobleman occupies nearby Lichmere Abbey, Porphyria’s fortunes take an unexpected turn, and soon she is torn between two dangerous men, each as haunted and intriguing as the other.Meanwhile, a darker entity, harboring an ancient grudge, watches and waits.

The Curse of Hallows Hill: Books 1-2


Jessica Sorensen - 2020
    All I know is that I'm not the same person I was before I died. I've started seeing things that shouldn't be real, and I feel this strange pull toward Kingsley, a guy I used to think was dangerous, but now I'm not so sure he is. And I'm pretty sure the people closest to me are lying about something. I'm also pretty sure my death wasn't an accident. I need to figure out what happened to me before I end up dead.Again. The Curse of Hallows Hill: Books 1-2 includes:1. Breathing Undead Lies2. The Undead Club

Horror Literature from Gothic to Post-Modern: Critical Essays


Michele BrittanyJames Arthur Anderson - 2020
    A versatile literary genre, it offers commentary on societal issues, fresh insight into the everyday and moral tales disguised in haunting tropes and grotesque acts, with many stories worthy of critical appraisal. This collection of new essays takes in a range of topics, focusing on historic works such as Ann Radcliffe's Gaston de Blondeville (1826) and modern novels including Max Brooks' World War Z. Other contributions examine weird fiction, Stephen King, Richard Laymon, Indigenous Australian monster mythology and horror in picture books for young children.

Cadaver Dog


Luke Best - 2020
    This edgy, potent verse novel circles the scene like the cadaver dog whose work it is to search for those who are missing. Reimagining traditions of bush gothic and outback horror, Luke Best crafts a terrifying and acute psychological portrait of grief and guilt. Loss, cowardice, and trauma pulse through this singular and uncompromising narrative of ecological and personal disaster.

The Truth about Witchcraft


Scott Cunningham - 2020
    Exploring the history of folk magic and the contemporary practices of Witchcraft and Wicca, this highly accessible book shares simple rituals for love, prosperity, raising energy, and more. You will also discover helpful tips and techniques for utilizing crystals, herbs, candles, cauldrons, and wands.Dispelling the many myths and misunderstandings that surround Witchcraft, this convenient guide shows how to work with timeless rituals and natural energies in order to create positive changes in your life. Whether you want to learn about the Goddess and the God or the special holidays known as sabbats and esbats, you will discover these answers and much more in Scott Cunningham's Truth About Witchcraft.

FLUTTER: southern gothic fever dream


Kristin Garth - 2020
    

A Season of Whispers


Jackson Kuhl - 2020
    There Lyman must adjust to a new life among idealists, under the fatherly eye of the group's founder, David Grosvenor. When he isn't ducking work or the questions of the eccentric residents, Lyman occupies himself by courting Grosvenor's daughter Minerva.But Bonaventure isn't as utopian as it seems. One by one, Lyman's secrets begin to catch up with him, and Bonaventure has a few secrets of its own. Why did the farm have an ominous reputation long before Grosvenor bought it? What caused the previous tenants to vanish? And who is playing the violin in the basement? Time is running out, and Lyman must discover the truth before he's driven mad by the whispering through the walls.

fEaR


Jack Wallen - 2020
    Cannibals are running rampant, devouring anything, and anyone they can catch. The sick and wounded are easy prey with nowhere to turn.Enter Vega, a renowned trauma surgeon bent on saving Humanity, who opens a hospital dubbed The Pearly Gates. With his ex wife at his side, they cobble together a ragtag staff of survivors to get the ER off the ground.Cutting, stitching, and curing while fending off constant attacks from the cannibal contingency is a huge task as the clacking jaws of the eaters threaten to keep the hearts of the heroes in the throes of tachycardia.

Roses & Shadows


Rebecca May - 2020
    Late one night, the young Eleanor Grey stumbles across his path, fleeing an unwanted betrothal. Henry agrees to aid her in her escape and, in so doing, he begins to hope once more. Perhaps he can find some purpose in life and reclaim the man he used to be. But pushing away the ghosts of his past could be harder than he ever imagined. In reaching for happiness, could Henry be risking everything – even though he once believed he had nothing left to lose?

The Nosferatu Conspiracy: The Sleepwalker


Brian James Gage - 2020
    This contrasts suppressed documents citing the royal family mysteriously disappeared after fires ravaged Saint Petersburg in December 1916 (OS).Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin was supposedly murdered by high-ranking Russian officials on December 16, 1916 (OS), for his unprecedented and perceived nefarious influence over the royal family. He was poisoned, shot twice, and clubbed into submission, yet remained alive. His attackers finally drowned him underneath the icy Neva River.Rasputin’s autopsy was reportedly performed three days later by Professor Kossorotov, a high-ranking Okhrana agent and future Kremlin operative. Cause of death: drowning. The document states Rasputin broke free of his bindings and his fingernails showed signs he’d tried to claw through the ice.The stories surrounding Rasputin’s death are gross falsifications. His body was never recovered for examination, and his status within the Russian intelligence community to this day remains: At Large.This is the true story of Rasputin’s paranormal coup d'etat and his conjuring of ancient vampires that destroyed Saint Petersburg, Russia, in December 1916.History is a lie. The truth will be exposed.

The Reign of the Beast: a DI Wiggins Adventure (The Detective Inspector Wiggins Adventures Book 1)


Ian C. Grant - 2020
    

Waves of Sound and Water


Stephen Williams - 2020
    “If something can be coiled—it can be unwound.” Marko Markov mans a crooked lighthouse. He maintains the wicks. He cranks the weights. Every day is exactly the same. This routine continues until he discovers the Clanging Bell in the lighthouse’s storage room. They say all who hear its chimes are doomed to madness. But that’s just a story meant to scare naughty children—no different than tall tales of mermaids and ghost ships…At least that’s what he believes until he hears its sound, and soon, its echo isn’t the only thing ringing in his ears. The tide rolls in…The moon rises…And every breath he takes becomes a war for his own mind.

Devil's Ways


J.M. SidorovaEdwina Harvey - 2020
    The Devil is where things happen. Where stories begin. This collection brings together stories from multiple cultures, featuring the Devil both as an abstract concept and a creature, a terror, a force of nature, an enemy, a trickster, and so many more.Step into the world of shadows, and travel through Devil's many incarnations spanning centuries of history and myth, from the Ancient Greece, African and Caribbean folklore, dark ages in Europe, all the way to the present day.This anthology features new and established authors from diverse, multicultural backgrounds.