by Olivie Blake
First published 2026
Anya Morris works part time at her family's store while dreaming of an acting career that seems impossible to reach. Her mother dismisses her ambitions, and the suffocating routine of living at home weighs on her daily. Then the de Witt family offers her a position. The de Witts control one of LA's most powerful film dynasties, and they want Anya to work at their villa in the Hollywood hills. She accepts immediately. At the strange estate, Anya meets Jude, the family heir who rarely leaves the property. The family guards him like a secret, but Anya feels drawn to him despite clear warning signs. The villa holds generations of violent history, and an occult curse may inhabit its walls or even Jude himself. Outside, girls are being murdered across LA in what the media calls the summer of exsanguination. The Santa Ana winds carry an odd energy through the city as fire season approaches. Anya must decide how much she will sacrifice to claim everything she wants.
Genres: horror, contemporary, adult-fiction, thriller, psychological-thriller, dark-romance
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, gothic, haunting, psychological, suspenseful
Tropes: dangerous-love, dark-hero, forbidden-attraction, mystery-unraveling
Setting: Los Angeles, Hollywood Hills, de Witt villa
Period: 21st-century, contemporary
384 pages · Paperback · Tor Books
Content warnings: death, murder, violence