Victorian Gothic

Legendary thriller writer David Morrell transports listeners to the fogbound streets of London, where a killer plots to assassinate Queen Victoria. The year is 1855. The Crimean War is raging. The incompetence of British commanders causes the fall of the English government. The empire teeters. Amid this crisis comes opium-eater Thomas De Quincey, one of the most notorious and brilliant personalities of Victorian England. Along with his irrepressible daughter, Emily, and their Scotland Yard companions, finds himself confronted by an adversary who threatens the heart of the nation.

Strange and terrible creature... Inez came to Stark Island to catalog the library in Stark House, a rambling old mansion of field-stone and brick. Thus began her ordeal of terror, and her encounter with a madman's curse. She was taking a moonlight swim in Deepdene Pool, when she saw the creature watching her. As a wave of terror paralyzed her, she was saved by a young painter who lived at Stark House. From him she learned the legend behind the sinister creature, and the curse that followed the Stark family down through the centuries. Then came a moment of jolting horror in the family ...

This omnibus brings together seven of H.E. Bulstrode’s ghost stories originally published between 2016 and 2018. These are: The Ghost of Scarside Beck A newly-wed Cumbrian vicar and his wife experience a night like none they could ever have foreseen. He may have answered his calling, but who, or what, is calling her? Old Crotchet The year is 1920, and it's Twelfth Night by the old reckoning. Festivities are about to commence at Hinton St Cuthbert Manor when something sinister stirs from its protracted dormancy, awakened, it would seem, by the arrival of two young guests. The old ways, ...

Clean Regency romance with a surprising time travel twist! They say time waits for now one except for the one person who can control it! Her Time for Love is an exciting historical romance classic unraveling in a beautiful European setting filled with mystery, madness and mayhem. Desperately looking for love and willing to do whatever it takes to find the man of her dreams Abigail Leeds sets out on a not so typical adventure in Paris. The city of Amour is the perfect setting for this clean and wholesome love story. Julien Lachance a young entrepreneur with a particular eye for beautiful ...

Nine ghost stories spanning the ages from the ninth century to the present day. Epitaph An academic with antiquarian inclinations is about to learn that posthumous reputations can, at times, be rather jealously guarded. The Fighting Cheribatsu As the Second World War rages, the urbane and somewhat wistful Sir Henry Fennick recollects the visit of Mr and Mrs Motazuku some quarter of a century earlier. Life at Lower Chertwell had appeared so full of promise. Such a brief visit, yet so profound. Poor little Bertie. Equal Shares An apparently generous bequest proves to possess some rather ...

On a stormy November night, weary traveler Reilly seeks refuge from a relentless downpour. Soon, he stumbles upon the grand yet eerie Manor Lannigan. Welcomed by the enigmatic Lord Lannigan, Reilly is drawn into a world of haunting hospitality and chilling secrets. As the fire crackles and brandy warms, Reilly's host unveils the tragic tale of his great-grandmother. Alice Lannigan is a kind-hearted woman ensnared by her ruthless husband, Edward, whose cunning and cruelty confined her to a lonely attic prison. But the manor holds more than just memories. In the early hours, Reilly hears ...

Destitute and desperate, Catherine Weston accepts the summons from her childhood friend Madeline St. Aubyn to attend her at Cairncroft Abbey. Madeline's health is in a poor state, and she is terrified of her cousin Gabriel. But Gabriel has quite a different effect on Catherine, stirring longings and desires she believed long buried. Then a young woman is found dead, and Madeline's ravings point to a link between this horrific crime and Gabriel - and Catherine must decide if he is a man worthy of her love or a sinister stranger determined to make her his next victim.

1887, the Cornwall coast. For years, rumors have flown through the village of Suttonsbury about Ashthorne Hall—that its occupants hoard pirate treasure, that a ghost walks its halls—but botanist Hyacinth Bell only cares about the estate’s extensive one-of-a-kind orchid collection. As an independent woman, she is eager to focus on her career, even if it means waiting to pursue a romantic relationship. After all, love—like an orchid—must be nurtured and tended before it can bloom. What she doesn’t expect is to be swept away by Lucas Harding, the manor’s caretaker, upon their first meeting.

A Gothic Novel of Love, Fate, and the House That RemembersWould you live in a house whose legendary curse came long before you did? Kathryn White arrives at Lyon House – an imposing Victorian mansion steeped in history and shadow – ready for a new chapter. But something within the walls stirs. Whispers echo through candlelit corridors, and ghostly signs begin to surface. A series of mysterious events draws her deeper into the past... one that refuses to stay buried. As memories blur and timelines bend, Kathryn finds herself part of a legacy written long ago – where love defies time, ...

"Hampshire Stories by Joe Giampaolo is a stellar collection of short stories” (Literary Titan, 2020) - "A delightful story brimming with sophistication and charm" (Indies Today, 2022) The Hampshire Stories Series, Deluxe Edition is an award-winning anthology of selected short stories set in 19th-century England. This collection includes twelve short stories divided by genre (Previously published). -- 2020 Literary Titan Book Award, Gold Medal, (Hampshire Stories) -- 2022 Global Book Awards, Bronze Medal, Historical Romance, (Hampshire Stories) -- Readers' Favorite, Five Star Seal, (The ...

“I can never go back to Terrenia,” Maxine said in a low voice. “If someone finds out…” “… that you have unusual abilities?” “That I’m a freak – yes, a freak – I will be facing worse than deportation.” Maxine Everett's hidden powers place her in danger under the dictatorial government of Terrenia. The ruling regime worships the Earth element and labels people with an affinity to other elements as unstable and treacherous. When Maxine receives an order of relocation to Demergia, a continent of dreary wilderness on the edge of the world, her prospects seem bleak. She ...

Emma Parrish accepts a position no one else dares, as governess to the son of Lord Anthony Craven, the castle’s dark master. The mystery of Anthony Craven’s shadowy past lurk behind the locked doors of the estate’s forbidden Round Tower. Mysterious lights flash there in the night. The servants whisper warnings of death. Anthony himself warns Emma there is only danger to be found in his sensual embrace. Powerfully drawn to the dangerously alluring Anthony, Emma finds herself unable to deny her deepest yearnings.

When one man's scheme to create the Greatest Freak Show on Earth leads to an insane obsession that can only end in devastating tragedy. The ghoulish proprietor of a Victorian arcade specifically designed to showcase the myriad of freaks, outcasts, and oddities that abound in old London town is a man driven by his own dark desires. Rodney Thompson is an emotionless, sadistic person who craves glory above all else - at least until the beautiful Violet wafts into his world. From the very day when Violet first takes a dainty step inside the arcade, Rodney is determined to make her his own. A ...

Fleeing a cruel stepfather, Harriet Russell escapes into a stormy night, relying only on the mercy of servants to help her. Her coach overturns, leaving her and her driver injured. Seeking help from whoever lives nearby, she stumbles between a set of gates guarded by fierce demonic gargoyle statues. As she enters the shadowy, haunted lands belonging to the duke of Frostmore, she’s afraid of meeting with him, but she must in order to help her driver.

Lust frozen and hidden in chastity's belt, Until puberty sparks and lust’s touch is felt, And perversion doth flame, and chastity, melt. --Goddess Alice of Wonderland Yesterday I (Alice) came of age. So I’m going on a journey of debauchery and self-exploration. Yes, I’m ready to finally perv out! Also yesterday, Dorothy of Oz was murdered. She had asked me to marry her. I want her back. So I’m traveling to the Greek Myth Realm, so I can bring Dorothy back from Hades. The handsome Mad Hatter is my sidekick. I intend to have lots of fun with him. I don’t like the Goddess of Chastity...

William Day should be an acclaimed Arctic explorer. But after a failed expedition, in which his remaining men only survived by eating their dead comrades, he returned in disgrace. Thirteen years later, his second-in-command, Jesse Stevens, has gone missing in the same frozen waters. Perhaps this is Day’s chance to restore his tarnished reputation by bringing Stevens­—the man who’s haunted his whole life—back home. But when the rescue mission becomes an uncanny journey into his past, Day must face up to the things he’s­ done.

The Ripper Lives: Psycho (5/10) A city in chaos. A killer in the shadows. A detective on the brink. London is drowning in fear, but Inspector Frederick Abberline refuses to let the darkness consume him. With each step deeper into the Ripper’s twisted world, he faces a truth more terrifying than murder—insanity is contagious, and no one is immune. When a routine investigation leads Abberline to a house of horrors, he finds himself entangled in the mind of a killer who defies all expectations. The crime scene is meticulous. The body—unnatural. The suspect—a man whose quiet rage has ...

The House on Thornhallow Moor (Book One of the Between Heartbeats Series) On the wind-swept cliffs overlooking Blackwater Hollow stands Thornhallow Moor—a house bound by secrets older than the sea. When Clara Wren returns to the neglected Victorian estate of her childhood, she expects memories, perhaps even closure. But the house has waited patiently for her arrival, harboring more than just dust and echoes of the past. Whispers drift through empty rooms, footprints glisten with seawater, and in the shadows stands Silas Vale—a ship’s captain lost to a storm over a century ago. Bound ...

A thrilling mix of espionage, danger, and the supernatural, The Vampire Spy box set follows Nora Kelly as she trades the backstreets of London for the shadowy world of spies. Book 1: The Vampire Spy When an English gentleman offers Nora Kelly a new life, she soon discovers her work involves more than intelligence gathering; after all, this elite team of spies also happen to be vampires. Once a woman of the night, now an agent of the crown, Nora joins Lord Alfred Covington’s elite team of vampires spies sworn to protect the Realm. Her first mission? Hunt down a ruthless adversary ...

A gothic mystery set in Victorian London during the late 19th century. Submerge yourself in the chillingly atmospheric streets of fog-shrouded Victorian London, where *Ghosts of River Hall* weaves a captivating tale of intrigue, love, and spectral whispers. This suspense-laden narrative follows the Craven & Son law firm, gripped by the haunting mystery of "The Cursed House," a property overshadowed by unsettling events and spectral presences. Embrace the relentless tension of a house torn between worlds—a beloved residence and an ominous ghost dwelling by the River Thames. The tale ...