Book picks similar to
The Spectre and the Governess by Caitlin E. Jones


historical-fiction
gaslamp-fantasy
folklore
dark-fantasy

Dog Boys


Charles de Lint - 2012
    Then he does.

The Other


Thomas Tryon - 1971
    Its impeccable recreation of small-town life and its skillful handling of the theme of personality transference between thirteen-year-old twins led to widespread critical acclaim for the novel, which was successfully filmed from Thomas Tryon's own screenplay.This edition features original artwork by surrealist artist Harry O. Morris.

Miranda


Jane Holland - 2015
    Under the spell of the island, Lawrence hopes to rebuild the magic he and Juliet once felt for each other. But everything changes when the child Miranda goes missing. Who is to blame for the girl's mysterious disappearance? And why? - A gripping and evocative novel set on the Isle of Man by Jane Holland, author of multiple novels under numerous pseudonyms, including LOCK THE DOOR and Kindle #1 Bestseller GIRL NUMBER ONE. She is also an award-winning poet.

The Vampyre


John William Polidori - 1819
    A young English gentleman of means, Aubrey is immediately intrigued by Lord Ruthven, the mysterious newcomer among society’s elite. His unknown origin and curious behavior tantalizes Aubrey’s imagination. But the young man soon discovers a sinister character hidden behind his new friend’s glamorous facade.   When the two are set upon by bandits while traveling together in Europe, Ruthven is fatally injured. Before drawing his last breath, he makes the odd request that Aubrey keep his death and crimes secret for a year and a day. But when Ruthven resurfaces in London—making overtures toward Aubrey’s sister—Aubrey realizes this immortal fiend is a vampyre.   John William Polidori’s The Vampyre is both a classic tale of gothic horror and the progenitor of the modern romantic vampire myth that has been fodder for artists ranging from Anne Rice to Alan Ball to Francis Ford Coppola. Originally published in 1819, many decades before Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and misattributed to Polidori’s friend Lord Byron, The Vampyre has kept readers up at night for nearly two hundred years.

Darkwalker


E.L. Tettensor - 2013
    Until he became the hunted...   Once a legendary police inspector, Nicolas Lenoir is now a disillusioned and broken man who spends his days going through the motions and his evenings drinking away the nightmares of his past. Ten years ago, Lenoir barely escaped the grasp of the Darkwalker, a vengeful spirit who demands a terrible toll on those who have offended the dead. But the Darkwalker does not give up on his prey so easily, and Lenoir has always known his debt would come due one day.   When Lenoir is assigned to a disturbing new case, he treats the job with his usual apathy—until his best informant, a street savvy orphan, is kidnapped. Desperate to find his young friend before the worst befalls him, Lenoir will do anything to catch the monster responsible for the crimes, even if it means walking willingly into the arms of his own doom…...

Her Vampire King (Royally Mated)


Bianca Cole - 2022
    Only the most powerful vampires could stand a chance of resisting. My steel willpower is being tested, but no one is as strong as me. Until I scent her. A blood that calls to me. A blood that drives me insane. A blood I can’t resist. I stalk her through the streets, tracking her. When I get my hands on her, the need is too difficult to resist. She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Vampires don’t mate, but this connection feels deep and sacred. My people have wanted me to take a wife for decades. It looks like I’ve just found her. They won’t like it, but I don’t care. I’m claiming this tasty, stunning human as my own. They will want to stop me, I’d like to see them try. No one can defeat me. I’ll protect her, if it's the last thing I do. Her Vampire King is the fourth book in the Royally Mated Series by Bianca Cole. This book is a safe story with no cliffhangers and a swoon worthy happily ever after ending. This story has hot scenes and bad language, so if those kind of books offend you, you won't like this one. It features a dreamy over the top possessive vampire king.

Blood Moon


J.L. McCoy - 2014
    James’ introduction to the world of the supernatural was traumatic to say the least. Betrayed by the man she could have loved, she was held captive and used by Dark vampires as a pawn against her best friend, Skye Morrison. Being abused and violated by the vampires was devastating, but learning she has lost everything she values in this world because of Skye’s secrets, just might destroy her.Called upon by Skye to rescue a girl he barely knew, Dean Cruz and his werewolf pack fight to save Nikki St. James. With her world shattered and nowhere else to go, he takes her in and vows to protect her and eliminate any remaining threat. As Alpha, it’s his duty to defend and help those in need, but caring for a human outsider causes unforeseen complications and jealousy within the pack that may jeopardize Nikki’s healing and their possible future together.Will Nikki be able to survive and let go of the demons that haunt her?Can Dean earn Nikki’s trust and protect her from the potential dangers that lie ahead?

Four and Twenty Blackbirds


Cherie Priest - 2005
    Three dead women watch from the shadows, bound to protect her from harm. But in the woods a gunman waits, convinced that Eden is destined to follow her wicked great-grandfather--an African magician with the power to curse the living and raise the dead.Now Eden must decipher the secret of the ghostly trio before a new enemy more dangerous than the fanatical assassin destroys what is left of her family. She will sift through lies in a Georgian ante-bellum mansion and climb through the haunted ruins of a 19th century hospital, desperately seeking the truth that will save her beloved aunt from the curse that threatens her life.

Junius Maltby


John Steinbeck - 1932
    This short story is taken from one of Steinbeck's early works, "The Pastures of Heaven."

The Magician


W. Somerset Maugham - 1908
    Running through it is the theme of evil, deftly woven into a story as memorable for its action as for its astonishingly vivid set of characters. In fin de siecle Paris, Arthur and Margaret are engaged to be married. Everyone approves and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves—until the menacing and repulsive Oliver Haddo appears.

The Origins of Constantine


D.C. Gomez - 2019
    When the god Anubis needed a friend, the universe sent him the most unlikely companion: a feisty little cat.Discover how the infamous five-thousand-year-old talking cat, Constantine of the Intern Diaries, became a permanent fixture in the life of Death.This fast-paced, action-packed Novella will have you turning the page and falling in love with the most unlikely of duos.

Covenant with the Vampire


Jeanne Kalogridis - 1994
    Written in diary form as Dracula is, this compulsively readable book has revelations that will shock and delight readers of the original. More erotic than Anne Rice, Kalogridis is a major new voice in vampire fiction. The first chilling tale in an exciting new trilogy is a rich and terrifying historical novel set fifty years before the opening of Bram Stoker's Dracula. At the castle of Prince Vlad Tsepesh, also known as Dracula, Vald's great-nephew Arkady is honored to care for his beloved though strange great-uncle...until he beings to realize what is expected of him in his new role. It seems that either he provides his great-uncle with unsuspecting victims to satisfy his needs, or Vlad will kill those Arkady loves. He is trapped into becoming party to murder and sadistic torture. And it is in his blood. When Arkady learns that his newborn son is being groomed one day to follow in his footsteps, he knows that he must fight Dracula, even if it means death.

A Nexus Xmas


Viola Grace - 2009
    The new creatures rampage throughout the neighbourhood and molest the quiet homes of Sargent in an effort to strip away their holiday magic. Abby and the others must stop the snowmen while keeping the magic hidden from the average populace. When Yeti arrive to help, Abby is more than willing to accept whatever they will offer to stop the holiday horror of a giant Snow Beast created for the purpose of world domination. All this, and she still has to shop for the holidays, what is a Nexus to do?

The Wimbourne Book of Victorian Ghost Stories: Volume 1


Alastair GunnRhoda Broughton - 2016
    Wimbourne Books presents the first in a series of rare or out-of-print ghost stories from Victorian authors. With an introduction by author Alastair Gunn, Volume 1 in the series spans the years 1852 to 1899 and includes stories from a wide range of female authors; English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh and American. Includes tales by Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Charlotte Riddell, Isabella Banks and Gertrude Atherton. Readers new to this genre will discover its pleasures; the Victorian quaintness, the sometimes shocking difference in social norms, the almost comical politeness and structured etiquette, the archaic and precise language, but mostly the Victorians’ skill at stoking our fears and trepidations, our insecurities and doubts. Even if you are already an aficionado of the ghostly tale there is much within these pages to interest you. Wait until the dark of the stormy night arrives, lock the doors, shutter the windows, light the fire, sit with your back to the wall and bury yourself in the Victorian macabre. Try not to let the creaking floorboards, the distant howl of a dog, the chill breeze that caresses the candle, the shadows in the far recesses of your room, disturb your concentration.

Deliverance: As seen on THIS MORNING - Everyday investigations into poltergeists, ghosts and other supernatural phenomena by an Anglican priest


Jason Bray - 2021
    It was closed, but I sensed there was something - someone - standing on the other side, staring straight at me. A prickling sensation ran through me... I was absolutely terrified, rooted to the spot and unable to breathe._____________________________________________________________________________________________His name is Jason Bray. He's your quintessential vicar: that guy in the long dress and poncho who stands at the front of the church and tells you God loves you. He's the person who will baptise your children, take your wedding, and conduct your Auntie Beryl's funeral.But then he's also the person you will call in when Auntie Beryl still keeps appearing on the landing in her nightie, or when things go bump and rattle and your shoes start moving on their own, or when you think your mother-in-law might be possessed.Jason is a deliverance minister, and this is a story of oppression and possession, of ghosts, poltergeists and other paranormal phenomena, and how to deal with them. He is the first Anglican deliverance minister to write a book about this ministry for the general reader. A warm, sympathetic and humorous character who sees it as his mission to serve the community and help families in distress, each true-life adventure is like a detective story. At times, it's a case of mental illness. At others, an energy or memory that has latched itself onto a place or property. At others, he's even encountered fraud!Welcome to his world.