#e.e. ottoman

Cricket is trapped.

When she was wed, her dreaded mother-in-law laid a blood curse on her, and now that her husband is dead, fully intends to commit her to an asylum … or worse.

To save her life, Cricket flees to a small New England town and throws herself upon the mercy of a man she has never met.

Gabriel Throckmorton is not happy when Cricket turns up on his doorstep, but he does grudgingly agree to help her break the curse. Cricket expects the process to be difficult, but she has no idea how many secrets are waiting for her in the forest just beyond the garden wall.

There is a ghostly woman who visits Cricket in her dreams. Whether to seduce her or to ask for help, Cricket isn't sure. Then there is Throckmorton himself with a garden full of poisonous plants and a predator's smile. The two of them awaken desires in Cricket that she has never experienced and threaten to reveal secrets she has long kept hidden.

goodreads | storygraph

Cricket is trapped. When she was wed, her dreaded mother-in-law laid a blood curse on her, and now that her husband is dead, fully intends to commit her to an asylum … or worse. To save her life, Cricket flees to a small New England town and throws herself upon the mercy of a man she has never met. Gabriel Throckmorton is not happy when Cricket turns up on his doorstep, but he does grudgingly agree to help her break the curse. Cricket expects the process to be difficult, but she has no idea how many secrets are waiting for her in the forest just beyond the garden wall. There is a ghostly woman who visits Cricket in her dreams. Whether to seduce her or to ask for help, Cricket isn't sure. Then there is Throckmorton himself with a garden full of poisonous plants and a predator's smile. The two of them awaken desires in Cricket that she has never experienced and threaten to reveal secrets she has long kept hidden. When she discovers bones in the forest, a strange hole in the ground that exudes a frightening power, and townspeople driven to terrible violence by deep and wild magic, she begins to think she might be in over her head.

7 New December eBooks for Under $5!

The Longest Night by E.E. Ottoman (Contemporary m/m Trans Romance, free) Handmade Holidays by ‘Nathan Burgoine (Contemporary m/m Romance, $1.99) Get it Right by Skye Kilaen (Contemporary f/f Romance, $2.99) Secret Santa by Eli Wray (Contemporary non-binary Romance, $2.99) Yet a Stranger by Gregory Ashe (Contemporary m/m Romance, $2.99) When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo (Non-binary…

New York, 1948

After years of trying to break into New York City’s literary scene, Madeline Slaughter is emotionally and physically exhausted. When a friend offers her a safe haven as the live-in companion to reclusive, bestselling novelist Victor Hallowell she jumps at the chance to escape the city.

Madeline expects to find rest and quiet in the forests of Upstate New York. Instead, she finds Victor, handsome and intensely passionate, and Audrey Coffin, Victor’s mysterious and beautiful neighbor.

When professional respect leads to something more …

Benjamin Lewis has created a life for himself as one of the most respected silversmiths and engravers in New York City. For Benjamin, his work is his passion and he has never sought out companionship beyond the close ties of family. Stumbling across dresses sew by his late mother, however, reawakens painful memories from his past. Now he is determined to forge something beautiful from the remains of the life and identity he left behind. In the process, he discovers stunning and fiercely intelligent Miss Quincy who might just have the power to tempt him out of his quiet isolation.

If you look for yourself in the past and see nothing, how do you know who you are? How do you know that you are supposed to be here?

When Wyatt brings an unidentified photograph to the local historical society, he hopes staff historian Grayson will tell him more about the people in the picture. The subjects in the mysterious photograph sit side by side, their hands close but not touching. One is dark, the other fair. Both wear men’s suits.

Were they friends? Lovers? Business partners? Curiosity drives Grayson and Wyatt to dig deep for information, and the more they learn, the more they begin to wonder — about the photograph, and about themselves.

Grayson has lost his way. He misses the family and friends who anchored him before his transition and the confidence that drove him as a high-achieving graduate student. Wyatt lives in a similar limbo, caring for an ill mother, worrying about money, unsure how and when he might be able to express his nonbinary gender publicly. The growing attraction between Wyatt and Grayson is terrifying — and incredibly exciting.

New York, 1948

After years of trying to break into New York City's literary scene, Madeline Slaughter is emotionally and physically exhausted. When a friend offers her a safe haven as the live-in companion to reclusive, bestselling novelist Victor Hallowell she jumps at the chance to escape the city.

Madeline expects to find rest and quiet in the forests of Upstate New York. Instead, she finds Victor, handsome and intensely passionate, and Audrey Coffin, Victor's mysterious and beautiful neighbor.