Victorian Gothic

Can a curse strike twice in a woman's life? In 1854, 17-year-old chambermaid Clara Crofton was dismissed from Gravesend Hall for having fallen in love with Richard Blackwood, the younger son of the house. Alone in the world, Clara found a tenuous position as a seamstress, but she always blamed the Gravesend curse for the disaster that had befallen her - and for Richard's death soon after in the Crimean War.

When a young journalist vanishes while investigating mysterious disappearances at an East End inn, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson find themselves drawn into a case that defies rational explanation. The Whispering Lantern, a decrepit establishment with an ancient secret buried beneath its foundations, holds horrors that even the world's greatest detective may not be prepared to face. As Holmes and Watson delve deeper into the mystery, they discover a former British Museum curator's terrible secret, ancient symbols that seem to shift and change, and whispers that drive men mad. When the walls...

To the world Mrs Copplefield is the epitome of Victorian propriety: an exemplary society lady who writes a weekly column advising young ladies on how to be better wives. Only Adeline has never been a good wife or mother; she has no claim to the Copplefield name, nor is she an English lady. Now a black woman, born in Africa, who dared to pretend to be something she was not, is on trial in the English courts with all of London society baying for her blood. And she is ready to tell her story.

A novel of Gothic Horror and psychological suspense, "Ghostly Oath" is an artfully composed novel that plunges readers into a haunting labyrinth of mystery, fear, and spectral obsession. Set in the stark isolation of the UK during the darker half of the 19th century, this chilling narrative masterfully intertwines otherworldly terror with the psychological unravelings brought upon by insidious apparitions. The Plot Begun around a cozy fireplace, a group of eager listeners huddled for the tale of their lives - a chilling spectral narrative passed on through a mysterious manuscript. Delivered...

As the age of the photograph dawns in Victorian Bath, silhouette artist Agnes is struggling to keep her business afloat. Still recovering from a serious illness herself, making enough money to support her elderly mother and her orphaned nephew Cedric has never been easy, but then one of her clients is murdered shortly after sitting for Agnes, and then another, and another. Why is the killer seemingly targeting her business?

Practical, unassuming Jane Shoringfield has done the calculations and decided that the most secure path forward is this: a husband, in a marriage of convenience, who will allow her to remain independent and occupied with meaningful work. Her first choice, the dashing but reclusive Doctor Augustine Lawrence, agrees to her proposal with only one condition: that she must never visit Lindridge Hall, his crumbling family manor outside of town. Yet on their wedding night, an accident strands her at his door in a pitch-black rainstorm, and she finds him changed.

A Noble Hearts Regency Romance When danger entangles Maggie Winters and Maxwell Wilde into a treacherous game can they survive the darkness to embrace love’s light? A widow with a tragic past… Maggie Winters had everything she always wished for — betrothed to the man of her dreams, a loving home, and a new puppy. But it all changes when her parents die, and her new guardian sweeps Maggie from town and forces her to marry a stranger to pay his debts. When she suddenly finds herself a widow and free of an unhappy marriage, can she finally find the love she's dreamed of? A hero with a ...

Winifred Notty arrives at Ensor House prepared to play the perfect Victorian governess. She’ll dutifully tutor her charges, Drusilla and Andrew, tell them bedtime stories, and only joke about eating children. But the longer Winifred spends within the estate’s dreary confines and the more she learns of the perversions and pathetic preoccupations of the Pounds family, the more trouble she has sticking to her plan.

Nicola Claire's captivating new Gothic romance series introduces a dark and sinister early settler New Zealand at the end of the nineteenth century - brightened by a fearless and talented heroine and a loyal and secretive police inspector... Free spirit. Brilliant. A Liability? Doctor Anna Cassidy has been trained by the best; the former Chief Surgeon for the Auckland Police Force. She knows how to dissect a body. She knows how to treat any ailment. And she knows how to find a cause of death. But society is not ready for a female surgeon. Fighting for what she believes in has been ingrained...

A Duke haunted by the ghosts of the battlefield, a Lady who remembers the man he once was, an unexpected compromise, a call to courage in the face of despair, a love redeemed despite it all. ***** READ ON KINDLE UNLIMITED ***** Lord Devlin Vickery went to war eleven years ago, driven by a sense of duty, and the hope of glory. Now, he returns home a broken man, driven only by his sense of duty, to take up the title of Duke of Grimstoke after his father’s death. His experiences have left him haunted by the ghosts of death and destruction, detached from the real world, and certain that he ...

A Devil’s Bargain – A Gothic Tale of Love, Curses, and the Shadows That Bind Us There are houses that whisper. Houses that breathe. Houses that remember every soul that ever dared to cross their threshold. Ravenshade Manor is one of them. When Evelina Harrow arrives at the decaying estate, she believes she’s simply settling a family debt. But from the moment she steps inside, the house knows her name. The walls shift when she isn’t looking. Shadows move where no light should be. And then there’s Lucien D’Armand—the cursed and enigmatic lord of Ravenshade, a man who walks the ...

A Victorian-era vampire romance that will sweep you off your feet. London 1860 Miss Amelia Darlington was once happy, but that was a long time ago. After her father, Lord Darlington, leaves her destitute, Amelia is forced to fend for herself and seek employment as a servant. After being rescued from the lecherous hands of her new employer, Amelia is surprised to find that her savior, Lord Blackwell, wishes her to re-enter society and find a husband of her own. He has nothing but kind consideration for her, but Amelia cannot accept his kindness without wondering what he truly wants from her....

As far as rash decisions go, it was formidable. But Lady Jocelyn Rathbourne's will remains strong. If the only way to save her family's estate and reputation is by aiming a small pistol at the Duke of Calydon, then so be it. For Lady Jocelyn demands satisfaction - and she will have it at any cost. Even if it means demanding the hand of the intense and foreboding Duke himself....

A royal betrayal. A kingdom at risk. A vampire spy with everything to lose. Newly minted as one of Queen Victoria’s elite vampire operatives, Nora Kelly is no longer the opium-soaked streetwalker of Limehouse. She is Her Majesty’s deadliest weapon. But when her next mission takes her to Shanghai, Nora finds herself entangled in a deadly game of espionage, diplomacy, and deception. A coded message hints at the rise of a new vampire Empress. A forged letter bearing the Queen’s seal threatens to ignite a war. And whispers of Nora’s own bloodline place her at the center of a conspiracy ...

"Joe Giampaolo has written the most helpful and informative guide to the Gothic genre. The Reader's Companion to the Gothic Genre is written in clear and understandable language, providing the student of literature and the faithful reader of Gothic novels with a guide to understanding the genre's origin and the elements that place a novel in this genre." ~ Readers' Favorite This essay is the third installment in the Reader's Companion collection and it is a brief analysis of the Gothic genre in British literature from its origins in the middle of the 18th century to the ghost stories and ...

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.

Four ghost stories from England’s historic shires present a heady brew of the Gothic, folk horror, historical fiction and satire. 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? At Fall of Night A ghostly excursion into the Victorian Gothic; a tale of obsession, terror, and vengeance. Welcome to Wiltshire in the autumn of 1843. Monsieur Benoit Lavarnier, toast of the Parisian art world and a man of cultured accomplishments, finds himself ...

Theodora Goss's first major short story collection showcases such stories as "The Rose in Twelve Petals," "The Rapid Advance of Sorrow," "Lily, With Clouds," "In the Forest of Forgetting," "Sleeping With Bears," and many more.

The Governess by H. Wilhelm Starkweather is a captivating psychological fiction novel set in the eerie, atmospheric world of Victorian England. This chilling tale explores themes of isolation, supernatural encounters, and the unraveling of the human psyche, all within the confines of a mysterious country estate. Step into the shadowy corridors of Bly Manor, where secrets are whispered in the dark and every creak of the floorboards tells a story. Discover the unsettling experiences of a young governess as she navigates the eerie halls of Bly Manor, where not all is as it seems. Follow the ...

Forever untangling the branches of her strange family tree, Edwina Blackwood is at a turning point. Her parents’ disappearances still strike her as unaccountably odd. Her sister’s questionable life and untimely death have left her shaken. Spellfire has transformed her home and livelihood to ash. And now a devious stalker is on her trail. With supernatural detective Ian Cameron by her side, Edwina can’t get out of London fast enough.