Horror Romance Suspense

For body language expert Julie O'Hara, writing a book called Clues had seemed like a logical next-step in her career, but she had never thought past the writing part. Catapulted into the spotlight by the book's success, Julie finds herself caught up in a whirlwind of publicity, the latest being a seminar aboard Holiday Cruise Line's gigantic ship, Mystral. It's grin-and-bear-it time for Julie, until a woman she meets at the exclusive captain's dinner takes a header overboard.

Nine-year-old Olivia Friel is delighted to be spending the summer at Greyfriars House, a place where her parents, their family and friends are always happy. But this year there's an underlying tension that Olivia doesn't understand. Then one night she sees something she's not meant to, and accidentally lets slip a devastating betrayal. Charlotte Friel gets a call from her ailing mother, asking something she's never asked before: for Charlotte to come home. There are things Olivia needs to tell her daughter before it's too late, secrets to be shared about forgotten relatives and a mysterious house.

Red is the color of Kia Alcott's hair. It's her temper, which blazes hot and always gets Kia into way too much trouble. And it's the color of fire. Fires that Kia can start . . . just by thinking about them. When her latest "episode" gets her kicked out of school, Kia is shipped off to her grandmother, who works for the wealthy Blackwoods. It's an estate shrouded in secrets, surrounded by rules, and presided over by a family that is far from normal . . . including the gorgeous and insolent Ethan Blackwood.

The city of Ludlow is gripped by the hottest July on record. The asphalt is melting, the birds are dying, petty crime is on the rise, and someone in Hannah Wagnor’s peaceful suburban community is killing girls.

For a minute, everything in Alex McKenna’s life was perfect. He only had one year left of high school, his girlfriend Margaret was the love of his life, and he couldn’t ask for a more supportive family. His psychic powers were growing and he was learning more and more about his family’s abilities as Strega witches. Things were good.

A blessing or a curse? That's what Hannah Stone can't decide about a special gift she's been given. When Hannah and her best friend, Cassie, joined by their boyfriends, set out on one last fun-filled summer of vacations before beginning their senior year of college, they have no idea just how adventurous the trips are going to be.

Compiled by the Dark Poet Princess, Xtina Marie, here are 16 delectably horrific tales of the sinister side of dark romance, where not everything is hearts and flowers, and moonlight strolls hand-in-hand with your beautiful soulmate. This phenomenal anthology - named in honor of that unique part of the female anatomy believed by some to summon satan himself - overflows with the darkest storytelling and the brightest talent on the independent writing scene today: Madison Estes, John Leonard, J.N. Cameron, Arista Cyrene, Steve Wands, Joe Palumbo, Jeremy Billingsley, and more.

Help! My name's Blakely Mullins and I’m trapped here, at Richmond Manor, an old plantation in the deep woods of Louisiana. Hundreds of years ago, a conjurer by the name of Papa Gris orchestrated a slave revolt and created thousands of shadow slaves. These malignant spirits are now controlled by a wicked witch, who we call Granny. At night, she makes us go into the rose garden, perform satanic rituals, and use those spirits to hurt the people we love most. I’ve tried to stop her in previous lives. Each attempt has only made Granny and her foul league of Virgin Mothers more powerful.

Love isn't easy for a man raised on hate. Plain and simple. When David took Lianna Mercier to destroy her, he didn't know that he’d fall for her. A mistake he'd happily make again...because now she's his entire world. But he's not the only monster at her door. She's still heir to a family name steeped in blood and violence, a criminal family that she's too innocent to face alone, and they're coming for her. He'll die before he lets her go, because losing her will only end one way - with him eating a bullet. The only problem is...can he even ask her to choose him after all he's done?

When lady’s maid Marian Osley and footman Valentine Hobbs assume their positions at the cliff-top estate of Valor Rise, they already share a history. Raised together as paupers in a London workhouse, they indulged in S&M games of imaginary crimes and sublime punishment. Now they’ve been unexpectedly reunited - in subservience to the brooding Wythe Bornholdt and his frail wife, Diana. A master and mistress with their own dark secrets.

Saskia de la Cruz is a verity witch and investigative reporter for The Blood Web Chronicle, the biggest news outlet on the paranormal Blood Web. After escaping murderous vampires in snowy Moscow, Saskia can't imagine a more difficult or more dangerous mission. That is, until her editor sends her to Barcelona to investigate a high profile disappearance at the Mage Association, which just happens to be run by her evil mother Solina.

Kate agrees to an arranged marriage with the mysterious Thomas Westwood to save her family's estate, but not everyone welcomes her at Wishwood, her husband's crumbling manor. 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.

Back in London after her trip to Dr. Moreau's horrific island, Juliet is rebuilding the life she once knew and trying to forget her father's legacy. But soon it's clear that someone - or something - hasn't forgotten her, as people close to Juliet start falling victim to a murderer who leaves a macabre calling card of three clawlike slashes. Has one of her father's creations also escaped the island? As Juliet strives to stop a killer while searching for a serum to cure her own worsening illness, she finds herself once more in a world of scandal and danger.

Suniya is a sweet, tenacious, and smart young woman living in modern Britain. She is also an ethnic minority, who has learned to ignore the everyday racism of a divided society. But what happens when the racists refuse to be ignored? Suniya and Eric are happy and in love. They are used to the prejudice of others toward their interracial relationship, and they can rise above it. Even when a racist protest threatens to march the streets of the town they live in.

Tiffany and Mike DuPree purchase a historical mansion. Tiffany is enchanted by its Victorian architecture and immense rooms filled with hidden nooks and crannies and by the mysterious fragrance of jasmine. Is it only in her mind or is there magic in these four walls that will enhance their years together and breathe more life into their marriage? Mike is a good husband, but in the 20 years since they wed, she’s not sure if his love is as strong as hers.

Ash may have escaped the immortal-worshipping cult that killed her mother, but the love of her life is still under its thrall. Dane has been possessed by his diabolical ancestor Coronado, a man who's fabulously wealthy, dripping with fame, and the leader of Europe's most dangerous immortal network. Dane begs Ash to join him at Coronado's castle in Spain, and swears that his blood bond with Ash is stronger than Coronado's hold over him. Ash is desperate to help Dane vanquish Coronado without having to sacrifice herself to the darkness.

An outbreak of "The Fever" has taken hold of Portland, Oregon, bringing the population to its knees. "The Fever" spreads and kills quickly, but the dead aren't staying dead. When her neighbor, Jordan, saves her from an infected, Alissa joins him in his plan to escape the city, the zombies and the threat of a quarantine that will lock the living in with the undead. What she doesn't tell him is that she has an illness of her own, one that plays tricks with her mind and makes her a dangerous companion.

Hello, my Muse. Meet Vincent Coen, a world-renowned painter who has built his life upon acknowledging the beauty of his surroundings. Aurora Wayward, although pure in heart, views her own beauty as a curse. Following a chance encounter, the artist quickly becomes the apple of the young woman's eye. Walk alongside Aurora as she begins to peel back the layers of his outwardly flawless skin. When Vincent's inner core is finally revealed, will it be sweet or spoiled?

Fourteen-year-old Susan Backstrom seems to have a charmed life - she's smart and beautiful, the only child of wealthy, attentive parents. But there are secrets inside her expensive house that Susan would never tell. One day, at the library, she overhears their housekeeper's son talking with some friends about sneaking into a nearby abandoned house. Much to her own surprise, Susan very much wants to join them - and soon, she's part of the best secret of all. The house has a resident teenage ghost. More important than that, the house itself is a living, supernatural thing.

Manny O'Donnell revels in his status at the top of his high school food chain. He and his friends party in the mountains on a blustery night, sharing liquor and lame ghost stories around a campfire. The next morning, as a wild fire rages in those same mountains, Manny experiences doubt. He was the last of the drunken crew to leave the cave, and he's uncertain if he extinguished the flames. Within hours, he becomes the number one arson suspect.