First published 2026
Veronica Mercer learned the art of deception from her grifter parents. Now a graduate student drowning in debt, she puts her art history training to illegal use by forging valuable works. Her skill catches the eye of Dr. Viktor Ashworth, a secretive British professor who kidnaps her politely and makes an unexpected proposal. He wants her to forge an ancient manuscript. Vero finds herself working late nights with Viktor, studying rare vellum and obscure inks. As their collaboration deepens, so does the danger surrounding their project. Vero must discover what Viktor truly seeks and why she cannot resist him. The second novella follows Lilit of Nineveh, a five-thousand-year-old revenant who has spent millennia protecting mortals. She encounters Roman Martin, an ER physician whose relentless kindness breaks through her carefully constructed defenses. When hunters target Lilit, Roman becomes collateral damage. Lilit faces an impossible choice between her sworn duty to protect the world and her forbidden love for the one man who makes her feel human again.
Genres: fiction, romance, fantasy, adult, adult-fiction
Vibes: atmospheric, dangerous, dark, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: forbidden-romance, forced-proximity, immortal-mortal-romance, kidnapping
Setting: Nineveh
416 pages · Paperback · Berkley
Content warnings: kidnapping, violence