Petrify: A Dark Horror Romance

Whatever he is made of, so am I.

Available at Amazon.com

Petrify
Shaye Madison
ebook, 337 pages
Independently published July 31, 2026
ASIN B0HC4PFN2F
ISBN 9798993005416


The Pianist

Mallary Doyle wants nothing more than to make it as a professional pianist. When the affluent Beauchene family offers her a position as tutor for their young son, she knows this is her chance. But immediately upon arriving at their manor, things are not what they seem…

The Ghost

Fifteen years spent locked within the walls of Beauchene manor. Faceless. Terrorizing the inhabitants of this house with his rage, reminding the family that he still exists, even when they’ve made every effort to forget. Until she arrives and captivates him with her music.

There is a ghost stalking the halls, stalking her… and soon his obsession will become carnal.

The horror vibes of The Boy meets the romance of The Phantom of the Opera.

Mallary Doyle never applied for the job as the newest piano tutor to the heir of the Beauchene family. They sought her out nonetheless.

Hefty pay, a private wing all to herself, and the opportunity to get her name in the mouths of the who's who in the world of symphonies, how was a girl to say no?

So what if a certain ghost seems obsessed with her? What harm could the phantom truly do?

This... was far more than I had anticipated. And you would think a guy who's spent the last fifteen years neglected and banished to the walls of his family's estate would take the crown of being the most fucked up in the mental health arena, but oh, you would be wrong.

Bastien's motivations were simple. And for that, he was a delight. A bit weak in the foreplay game, but he had other qualities that kept me begging for his POV. Seriously, his chapters were far too short.

Mallary on the other hand... Between her mood swings and mental gymnastics, she was much harder to keep up with. Cursing him one second and begging in the next. She provoked him to take her time and time again. And I could never decide where her truths became lies.

That heat though.

4 out of 5 stars.

Available in ebook | paperback

2026/39

Puppet Master (Puppets & Property #1)

Selfish... Yet self-sacrificing. Clever... Yet blind.

Available at Amazon.com

Puppet Master
Nicole Cypher
Puppets and Property, book one
ebook, 322 pages
Independently published July 17, 2026
ASIN B0H98TWMYP


He says his job is to train me.

Miles from civilization, buried in the wooded hills of New York, lies a cult compound known as the Shadow Sanctum. Sawyer Hansley—a man who’s made a career out of conditioning women into obedience—is their newest weapon.

When I wake up alone in a cold, dark cave, he tells me the cult has claimed me as their next member.

They want him to force my submission. My adoration. My obedience.

In other words: they want him to break me. And he’s all too willing to oblige.

What he doesn’t know? I’m not like his previous victims.

By the time we’re through, it won’t be me who’s broken.

A note from Nicole: This trilogy is for readers who crave dark romance with depth — intelligent characters, layered psychology, slow-building obsession, and strong thriller vibes. It includes cult elements, intense themes, psychological manipulation, and dark, mature content.

If that’s your kind of story, welcome in.

Luna awakens in a cell, inside a cave, with the taste of copper in her mouth and fragments of a memory of falling asleep in her bed.

Cue the mile-a-minute thoughts. Her brain is spitfiring at a rapid pace. It's a choppy writing style that's either going to trigger a gravitate or recoil response.

I am in the camp that gravitates.

And then, we meet Sawyer.

Color me intrigued.

He's a con artist with a history. One that involves an island and gullible women.

I did cringe a bit at that minor detail.

But he's a highly intelligent male who has crafted his gifts of memory and manipulation to outwit the best of them. And his next target is the infamous and richly funded cult, the Shadow Sanctum.

To infiltrate, he'll be tested. Sawyer has three weeks to break their newest victim potential Seraph.

Luna.

The spice hits a bit sooner than I had anticipated. Then again, when one is being abducted with the purpose of being groomed into a soul purifier, whose basic function is to f### the demon out of you... I suppose that's not too abrupt at all. All in the name of "training".

I was introduced to this book via a Facebook dark romance book influencer, and while I knew little, I was aware of a potential plot twist. That, and the blurb, had me side-eyeing Luna from page one and therefore softened any shock that might have fallen from the reveal of the Puppet Master's true identity. No less awe, though. And shout out to the stereotypical sibling rivalry angle. My tiny complaint would be all the things Sawyer is up to off-page. It loses focus of the plot and takes away from the rhythm of the story.

Neutral on the semi-cliffhanger ending. They basically flip the table and reset the board.

Anticipating a return to this series to discover what these two manage to inflict upon one another next.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

Available in ebook

2026/38

Once Written in Gilded Blood (Cruel Fates #2)

Together, then, wife?

Available at Amazon.com

Once Written in Gilded Blood
K. M. Moronova
Cruel Fates, book two
ebook, 400 pages
Published August 18, 2026
ASIN 1464293627
ISBN 9781464293627
Netgalley eARC


Love is the sharpest weapon of all….

Born with gilded blood, Alira is a demigod knight forged for war - her rare gift makes her both priceless and disposable in the eyes of the gods she serves. When centuries of bloodshed threaten to consume the world, she is sent into a political marriage with Kalel Lornhelm, the infamous Blood Knight and demon commander of Devicit.

Devicit is a kingdom of beauty and terror, hidden behind a shimmering magical veil. As Alira is drawn into demon life, mistrust slowly gives way to desire, and Alira learns that Kalel has been bound to her fate far longer than she ever knew.

But beneath the city’s splendour lies a devastating secret. As gods rise, war reignites, and the systems that shaped them both demand blood once more, Alira and Kalel must confront the cost of peace….

I'm a fan of Moronova, especially her Dark Forces duology.

The first book in the Cruel Fates series, Once Upon a Demon's Heart, was a strong 4.5-stars from me. I enjoyed it so much that I hunted down the release date for book two, added it to wishlists and shelves, and even set an alarm when the Netgalley drop was announced.

What an unfathomable disappointment it turned out to be.

It's dull. The pacing is excruciatingly slow. The FMC is undoubtedly the most complacent protagonist I've encountered in a long while and her leading male (a demon; not a man!) is too busy wallowing in his self-pity to be bothered to right any wrongs.

Neither of them manages to keep the story engaging, and if it weren't for the gods forcing their hands, they would have been perfectly fine withering away in Mortem while time continued to matter to any and everyone else.

Time certainly felt slower while dragging myself to the end of this book.

It's a book two. And, a book two, should never be this damn slow in its pacing.

The first quarter of the story is Kalel lying and Alira sensing those lies. That's about a hundred pages of dull, going nowhere dialogue filled with brunch, backburner suspicion, and an arranged marriage that felt as dry as reality would expect it to be.

She sold herself into a marriage to end the war but, unwittingly, became a Trojan horse instead.

And it couldn't have felt more drawn out.

This is a lovers to enemies tale... and I was begging for the enemies stage for half the book. And even that was bleh when it arrived.

2 out of 5 stars.

Available in ebook | hardcover

Previously in the series:

2026/37

Crown Me Yours (Heartstring Duet #2)

The best thing that ever happened
to the worst thing in existence.

Available at Amazon.com

Crown Me Yours
Liv Zander
Heartstring Duet, book two
paperback, 254 pages
Independently published April 13, 2026
ASIN B0FWQWR3HX
ISBN 9781955871174


Wed him. Bed him. Slit his throat.

I killed the king.
Crowned myself in his blood,
But the curse still festers.

To break it, I need Death,
On his knees,
A ring on his finger.
My blade at his throat.

The god fights me to the grave,
Evades my touch,
Mocks my wanting.

He would rather tear himself apart,
Than let me close enough to end this.
But I didn't come this far to lose. I came to crown him mine.

Welcome to your wedding, my love.

Rip out the last three chapters.

Rip. Out. The. Last. Three. Chapters.



4.7 out of 5 stars.

Available in ebook | paperback | audiobook

Previously in the series:

2026/36