Showing titles in Gothic

We met at his ex's wedding, where she uttered their safe word in her vows. Immediately, his jaw clenched, and his hands balled into tight fists. Moments later, he told her I was with him. When in reality, I had snuck into the wedding. Knowing full well he was trouble, I tried to leave when he gripped my arm and whispered in a low, intimidating voice, "Do you sneak into weddings often?" His words had me stuck to the spot.

Eldberg—the mighty Beast of Skálavík, feared by all—is tied to a bedpost. His captor? An acid-tongued vixen set on making him her thrall. Trussed and used, he vows revenge. But his greatest nemesis is also his wildest fantasy. And when the tables are turned, His beautiful jailor will discover what it means to kneel.

It is winter 1863, and Richard Shenstone, aged 17, has been sent down - "rusticated" - from Cambridge under a cloud of suspicion. Addicted to opium and tormented by sexual desire, he finds temporary refuge in a dilapidated old mansion on the southern English coast inhabited by his newly impoverished mother and his sister, Effie. Soon, graphic and threatening letters begin to circulate among his neighbors, and Richard finds himself the leading suspect in a series of crimes and misdemeanors ranging from vivisection to murder.

The narrator - the old nurse of the title - is an old family retainer who has worked in the service of the same family for three generations. She tells the young children about a dark incident that she experienced in the company of the children’s mother, when she was a young woman and visiting her mother’s ancestral home.

Washington Irving was an 18th century American short story writer, historian, and diplomat. He was born into a merchant family of Scottish/English descent and was the youngest of 11 children. Irving was one of the first American writers to become popular in Europe. He was admired by some of the best-known British writers, including Charles Dickens, Lord Byron, and Walter Scott.

My husband hates me. But he’s also the only man who can save me. Taken by a stranger, Santiago is my only hope. Except that I don’t know if he’s dead or alive. And for as cruel as he can be, the thought he might be gone is unbearable. But he has nine lives, my monster. He’s not finished with me yet. And soon I’m back at The Manor. Locked in my room. At his mercy. I know I am despised. I know I have become the face of his vengeance. But there’s something else, too. Something between us. It’s a dark and gnarled thing. And it has its claws around my heart.

Josephine began to suspect something was wrong with the crumbling gothic monstrosity next door when its family fled in the middle of the night, the children screaming, the mother crying. They never came back. No family stays at Marwick House for long. No life lingers beyond its blackened windows. No voices drift from its ancient halls. Once, Josephine swore she saw a woman's silhouette pacing through the upstairs room… but that's impossible. No one had been there in a long, long time.

It’s the summer of 1980 in Cleveland, Ohio, and Phoebe Shaw and her best friend Jacqueline have just graduated high school, only to confront an ugly, uncertain future. Across the city, abandoned factories populate the skyline; meanwhile at the shore, one strong spark, and the Cuyahoga River might catch fire. But none of that compares to what’s happening in their own west side neighborhood. The girls Phoebe and Jacqueline have grown up with are changing. It starts with footprints of dark water on the sidewalk. Then, one by one, the girls’ bodies wither away....

The Velkwood Vicinity was the topic of occult theorists, tabloid one-hour documentaries, and even some pseudo-scientific investigations as the block of homes disappeared behind a near-impenetrable veil that only three survivors could enter—and only one has in the past twenty years, until now.

“Jane Eyre” is a masterpiece of gothic romance, where tempestuous passions and dark secrets intertwine in an epic and intimate tale of love, tragedy, and one woman’s struggle for happiness against overwhelming odds. Orphaned Jane Eyre, raised in the home of her kind-hearted aunt, must confront loneliness and cruelty. Her challenging upbringing fortifies her natural independence and spirit, qualities that prove essential when she becomes a governess in the enigmatic and brooding Mr. Rochester’s household.

They call me a playboy. Society’s pretty pet. What they don’t know is I’m so much more. My only directive was to keep her hidden, and safe. After everything she’s been through I’m the last person to offer comfort and care. I have little experience with either. Both of us have been broken by our pasts. But mine is catching up to me, and I would deal with it as I usually do: with total decimation. But that puts her in the crosshairs, and that’s unacceptable.

Christine Daaé arrives penniless and hopeless at the steps of the great Paris Opera House, in search of an angel. What finds her instead is a man in a mask named Erik, a tortured soul masquerading as a ghost. Fascinated by Christine, Erik dons a new mask to be close to her: that of the Angel of Music. This strange patron awakens Christine's voice and soul...as well as desires she cannot understand. Their adoration growing, Erik and Christine remain separated by deception and darkness, tangled in a web of lust and lies.

In 1886, a respectable young woman must acquire a husband. But Violet Pring does not want to marry. She longs to be a professional artist and live on her own terms. When her scheming mother secures a desirable marriage proposal from an eligible Brighton gentleman for her, Violet protests. Her family believes she is deranged and deluded, so she is locked away in Hillwood Grange Lunatic Asylum against her will. In her new cage, Violet faces an even greater challenge: she must escape the clutches of a sinister and formidable doctor and set herself free.

After nearly two years and with one token left to hide, a powerful magical event hits Talohna and causes the failure of the most important spell Kael has ever cast. The horrific results leave him a wanted man and all of his efforts to form an alliance against the Ri’Tek fall apart. With the tokens hidden at last, Kael wants nothing more than to forget the past and to spend time with his family, but knowing they will never be safe no matter where they hide, he recruits Treach in a bid to scour the Arcane Library catacombs for an answer.

Out of the Deep is a dark and atmospheric story about a young man named Jimmie, who inherits a gloomy estate from his late uncle Timothy. Surrounded by opulence and valuable relics of the past, Jimmie must confront the haunting memories and unease that pervade every corner of the house. Isolated and tormented by his thoughts, he begins to uncover that the legacy he has received holds more than he ever anticipated.

In my world, a bride can be given...or she can be taken. When Winter O'Brien was given to me, she thought she had a say in the matter. She was wrong. She is my bride. Mine to claim, mine to punish, and mine to use as shamefully as I please. The sting of my belt on her bare bottom will teach her to obey, but obedience is just the beginning. I will demand so much more.

Lucy Westenra is beautiful, rich, loved by three men—every inch a lady. But beneath this sparkling, flirtatious facade, she is fascinated by death, which has stalked her throughout her short life. For her, the dead do not slip away easily, as they do for her best friend, Mina; they linger. When Lucy departs for Whitby, her nightly sleepwalks introduce her to the mysterious Vlad, who seems to see parts of her she has never let show before. Vlad makes her an offer.

Four students travel to Ravencliffe, an eerie abandoned hotel perched on steep cliffs on the Welsh coast. After a series of unexplained accidents, only three of them leave. The fourth, Leo, disappears, and is never seen again. A decade on, the friends have lost contact. Oscar is fame-hungry, making public appearances and selling his story. Richard sank into alcoholism and is only just recovering. Bex just wants to forget – until one last opportunity to go back offers the chance to find out what really happened to Leo.

New England, 1890. Doctor John Shepherd arrives at a women's mental hospital to begin work as assistant to the owner. As Shepherd struggles to conceal his secrets, he finds the asylum has plenty of its own. Intrigued by a girl who is fascinated by books but cannot read, Shepherd embarks upon an experiment to help her. In this chilling literary thriller everyone has something to hide and no one is what they seem.

Everyone in the village loves Joni Blackwood. She is beautiful and bold, and it's no surprise to anyone when on the annual village bonfire, she is crowned 'queen' of the festivities. After all, despite fierce competition from the charity-giving and churchgoing mothers in the village, she has won this honour five years in a row.