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Safe in Shadow
Grace isn’t afraid of anything. At least, that’s what she tells herself when she buys a broken-down period piece of a house in rural New York with the intention of opening the perfect romantic bed-and-breakfast retreat for couples with money to burn. She can stand the financial risk, and with a little paint and polish, Hilltop House will be something beautiful once more.
But the shadowy, secluded place feels dark and eerie all of the time, even when it’s bright and sunny outside. No amount of restoration removes the oppressive pall. Grace feels like someone is always watching her, especially at night. And there’s something odd about the nearest town of Pine Ridge—something that makes her want to stay at home in her creepy old house, even as she begins to suspect something isn’t quite right there, either.
Nyx hates being stuck in this dimension. Even more, he hates being stuck in this house—especially because of The Stranger who visits every year, always with a bag to bury in the woods. Nyx knows most people would think he’s evil, but The Stranger is the one who kills.
When Grace arrives, she’s a ray of light in a dark world. Nyx knows she’s scared of him—even though they haven’t met. But when The Stranger makes his annual pilgrimage to Hilltop House, Grace will have to choose. Will she trust the monster under her bed—or take her chances with the deadly stranger at her door?
Safe in Shadow is a dark, steamy monster romance standalone in the Pine Ridge Universe.
But the shadowy, secluded place feels dark and eerie all of the time, even when it’s bright and sunny outside. No amount of restoration removes the oppressive pall. Grace feels like someone is always watching her, especially at night. And there’s something odd about the nearest town of Pine Ridge—something that makes her want to stay at home in her creepy old house, even as she begins to suspect something isn’t quite right there, either.
Nyx hates being stuck in this dimension. Even more, he hates being stuck in this house—especially because of The Stranger who visits every year, always with a bag to bury in the woods. Nyx knows most people would think he’s evil, but The Stranger is the one who kills.
When Grace arrives, she’s a ray of light in a dark world. Nyx knows she’s scared of him—even though they haven’t met. But when The Stranger makes his annual pilgrimage to Hilltop House, Grace will have to choose. Will she trust the monster under her bed—or take her chances with the deadly stranger at her door?
Safe in Shadow is a dark, steamy monster romance standalone in the Pine Ridge Universe.
- GenresParanormal Romance
212 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 20, 2025
10 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
S.C. Principale
93 books135 followersAuthor of romance with bite.
Especially fond of monster and paranormal romance, but she'll write some all-human romances, too!
Especially fond of monster and paranormal romance, but she'll write some all-human romances, too!
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 1, 2025
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
This is the 2nd book I’ve read where the FMC has my name as well. I’m digging it!
Nyx is a shadow daddy (no daddy mentioned)!!!! I have never seen shadow play done like this before. It was hotttttt!
Grace is a girl after my own heart! She loves her family, is close to her Nana, and really just wants to be there for others. She is incredibly kind, sassy, and headstrong. She goes against the grain and is willing to take risks. I guess you can say that Grace wasn’t actively searching for her man, but her man popped up anyway.
Nyx is more than what’s met the eye. He seems so complex, but really was just dealt a bad hand. Being trapped in a weird dimension would make anyone go mad. He just needed a little sunshine in his dark and eerie life! I really loved Nyx! He’s grumpy but has every reason to be. He’s also very shadow-hands-on.👀 He’s very protective of those he loves and cares about, and we love that over here!
This was a great read! It was hot, funny, and even a bit suspenseful. I couldn’t and didn’t want to put it down.
This is the 2nd book I’ve read where the FMC has my name as well. I’m digging it!
Nyx is a shadow daddy (no daddy mentioned)!!!! I have never seen shadow play done like this before. It was hotttttt!
Grace is a girl after my own heart! She loves her family, is close to her Nana, and really just wants to be there for others. She is incredibly kind, sassy, and headstrong. She goes against the grain and is willing to take risks. I guess you can say that Grace wasn’t actively searching for her man, but her man popped up anyway.
Nyx is more than what’s met the eye. He seems so complex, but really was just dealt a bad hand. Being trapped in a weird dimension would make anyone go mad. He just needed a little sunshine in his dark and eerie life! I really loved Nyx! He’s grumpy but has every reason to be. He’s also very shadow-hands-on.👀 He’s very protective of those he loves and cares about, and we love that over here!
This was a great read! It was hot, funny, and even a bit suspenseful. I couldn’t and didn’t want to put it down.
October 14, 2025
Gleeful Goblin Review: I fell in love with our FMC Grace from the very first chapter. She has a complicated family dynamic in that her parents aren't exactly loving and supportive but Grace was deeply bonded to her recently passed Nana who left Grace an inheritance that enables her to chase her dream of opening a bed and breakfast. But Grace goes further than a plain bed and breakfast; because she was her Nana's live-in caregiver for years and she cared for her Nana's neighbors when Grace is fixing up Hilltop House she puts focus on making space for seniors who might not otherwise have a place. “I heard we gotta rush anyhow because she got another grant from the Department of Aging and Welfare. The lady is going to do monthly programs for seniors and provide interim housing for people who are on waiting lists to get put into assisted living." That part made me a little misty eyed, not gonna lie.
And then there's Nyx, our shadowy and mysterious MMC who describes himself as "torn between human, spirit, and demon, what he now believed was referred to as a Shade." He is bound to Hilltop House and has been for so long that he hardly remembers anything, even his own name. He's been alone and cut off from everything for so long before Grace walks into his home and his un-life. The mystery of Nyx is fascinating to see unravel as the book goes on and he's definitely one of the more unique monster MMC's that I've run across in the very best way. I loved that this book fits in perfectly in the Pine Ridge Universe and yet has some darker thriller/mystery tones to it. 5/5 Stars
And then there's Nyx, our shadowy and mysterious MMC who describes himself as "torn between human, spirit, and demon, what he now believed was referred to as a Shade." He is bound to Hilltop House and has been for so long that he hardly remembers anything, even his own name. He's been alone and cut off from everything for so long before Grace walks into his home and his un-life. The mystery of Nyx is fascinating to see unravel as the book goes on and he's definitely one of the more unique monster MMC's that I've run across in the very best way. I loved that this book fits in perfectly in the Pine Ridge Universe and yet has some darker thriller/mystery tones to it. 5/5 Stars
September 10, 2025
SC Principale strikes again—with a haunting, hypnotic tale that wraps around your spine like shadowed silk and never lets go.
Safe in Shadow is the kind of book that doesn’t just deliver monster romance—it redefines it. Grace is strong, stubborn, and deeply human, stepping into a decaying house and unknowingly right into the arms of a monster who may just be the only one who can protect her.
Nyx? He’s dark, dangerous, and devastatingly good at lurking where no light reaches—and yet, he is the very heartbeat of this story. Somehow, SC makes you ache for him even as you’re peeking through your fingers.
The atmosphere? Pitch-perfect. Every creak of the floorboards, every breath of pine-soaked wind, every chill crawling down Grace’s back is so vividly drawn you can feel the dread and the desire battling it out on the page.
And just when the tension coils tight enough to snap—SC weaves in that soul-deep sweetness, the soft unraveling of two beings who’ve never truly belonged… until now.
SC Principale doesn’t just write dark romance—she builds it brick by brick, then lights it on fire with poetic prose, unmatched emotional nuance, and open-door spice that sizzles.
If you love your monsters monstrous, your heroines capable, and your endings earned in blood and softness—Safe in Shadow is your next obsession.
Unholy request: never stop writing dark monsters, SC. Ever.
Safe in Shadow is the kind of book that doesn’t just deliver monster romance—it redefines it. Grace is strong, stubborn, and deeply human, stepping into a decaying house and unknowingly right into the arms of a monster who may just be the only one who can protect her.
Nyx? He’s dark, dangerous, and devastatingly good at lurking where no light reaches—and yet, he is the very heartbeat of this story. Somehow, SC makes you ache for him even as you’re peeking through your fingers.
The atmosphere? Pitch-perfect. Every creak of the floorboards, every breath of pine-soaked wind, every chill crawling down Grace’s back is so vividly drawn you can feel the dread and the desire battling it out on the page.
And just when the tension coils tight enough to snap—SC weaves in that soul-deep sweetness, the soft unraveling of two beings who’ve never truly belonged… until now.
SC Principale doesn’t just write dark romance—she builds it brick by brick, then lights it on fire with poetic prose, unmatched emotional nuance, and open-door spice that sizzles.
If you love your monsters monstrous, your heroines capable, and your endings earned in blood and softness—Safe in Shadow is your next obsession.
Unholy request: never stop writing dark monsters, SC. Ever.
October 20, 2025
Probably closer to 4.5 ⭐️
Ahh this was so cute!
I first started reading this on Patreon and decided to finish the whole thing on my kindle. So glad I did! This was so sweet and cute, and I absolutely loved Grace and Nyx ❤️
They were both so sweet and understanding of each other and I loved how devoted they were to each other (especially Nyx with Grace).
I’ve been trying to make my way through some of S.C. books and this one did not disappoint. I love the shorter novella length books she has, they are perfect late night/weekend reads.
(Also, I feel like it’d be a crime to not mention the 🔥. It was fantastic as usual, lucky Grace 😉)
Ahh this was so cute!
I first started reading this on Patreon and decided to finish the whole thing on my kindle. So glad I did! This was so sweet and cute, and I absolutely loved Grace and Nyx ❤️
They were both so sweet and understanding of each other and I loved how devoted they were to each other (especially Nyx with Grace).
I’ve been trying to make my way through some of S.C. books and this one did not disappoint. I love the shorter novella length books she has, they are perfect late night/weekend reads.
(Also, I feel like it’d be a crime to not mention the 🔥. It was fantastic as usual, lucky Grace 😉)
September 13, 2025
I would never tell that you can sucsessfully blend spooky, somno and low angst in one story but here we go! I was very wrong.
Author does a perfect job in blending those elements. You will get a bit scare, then devoured and finaly comforted. It is really well done and so enjoyable to read. 🖤
But what I loved in this story is Nyx himself, he is a complicated character, with difficult past and so much to learn in present. I also liked how Pine Ridge community got easily involved in plot.
A really perfect story for those girls who like to get spooked a bit, but not too much. 🙃
Author does a perfect job in blending those elements. You will get a bit scare, then devoured and finaly comforted. It is really well done and so enjoyable to read. 🖤
But what I loved in this story is Nyx himself, he is a complicated character, with difficult past and so much to learn in present. I also liked how Pine Ridge community got easily involved in plot.
A really perfect story for those girls who like to get spooked a bit, but not too much. 🙃
September 21, 2025
Very good
A visit to Pine Ridge is always fun, but this one is creepy too! (Talk about the 'monsters' under the bed!!). The author's note stated that fans wanted something a little darker - this one certainly qualifies. Great job. Just a little short - ends at 80% of the book - always a little disappointing. Nyx and Grace make a great couple - angst and guilt and lack of confidence and connection; grief and loss of memory and time sense - all lead to redemption. Oh, and there is a serial killer too!
A visit to Pine Ridge is always fun, but this one is creepy too! (Talk about the 'monsters' under the bed!!). The author's note stated that fans wanted something a little darker - this one certainly qualifies. Great job. Just a little short - ends at 80% of the book - always a little disappointing. Nyx and Grace make a great couple - angst and guilt and lack of confidence and connection; grief and loss of memory and time sense - all lead to redemption. Oh, and there is a serial killer too!
October 22, 2025
She is human and decides to fix up a crumbling mansion and turn it into a bed and breakfast.
He is the supernatural being bound to the house and grounds. He can turn into a small shadow or big shadow or change his shape or parts of his shape.
He likes watching her. She is unsure who is watching her but he finally reveals himself. They have some poltergeist moments and he likes touching her when she is tired so she can tell herself she is dreaming.
There is lots of steam. They have a happy ever after.
He is the supernatural being bound to the house and grounds. He can turn into a small shadow or big shadow or change his shape or parts of his shape.
He likes watching her. She is unsure who is watching her but he finally reveals himself. They have some poltergeist moments and he likes touching her when she is tired so she can tell herself she is dreaming.
There is lots of steam. They have a happy ever after.
September 20, 2025
You know, I just need to say that S. C. Principal is one truly amazing author! The way she writes and tells a story is out of this world! You truly understand the characters and the community you are reading about. In the case of this book, we are back in Pine Ridge and I adore how the community is involved with the story line. I had some good chills reading this along with feeling comfortable at the end. I just love reading about Pine Ridge!!
September 23, 2025
The monster under your bed
As expected, this book was a perfect easy, spooky cozy read. I think my favorite thing to come from this author’s books are the guaranteed happy endings. I appreciate the cozy happy ever after ending vibes you get. This story was a fun retelling of the monster under your bed and what happens when you fall in love with them.
As expected, this book was a perfect easy, spooky cozy read. I think my favorite thing to come from this author’s books are the guaranteed happy endings. I appreciate the cozy happy ever after ending vibes you get. This story was a fun retelling of the monster under your bed and what happens when you fall in love with them.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews