Drafts

by Ellis Ward

George notices patterns most people miss.
Systems. Access points. The quiet ways things break.

When he glimpses a problem in Jacqueline’s life that no one else seems to see, he intervenes... once. It should end there. Instead, messages begin appearing in her email drafts. Unsent. Intimate. Written carefully, never delivered.

What starts as control becomes fixation. What feels like restraint becomes a choice he keeps making.

As the line between watcher and participant dissolves, desire builds under constraint—fed by restraint, secrecy, and the dangerous comfort of being known too well. But control without consent is a fracture waiting to split, and both of them will have to decide what truth costs when anonymity can no longer protect them.

Drafts is a dark, psychological romance about obsession, power imbalance, and intimacy formed in the absence of permission. It explores moral transgression, emotional manipulation, and the seduction of being wanted without being asked.

Reader discretion advised.

186 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 11, 2026

About the author

Ellis Ward writes dark romance with a psychological edge—stories about being seen too closely, crossing lines, and negotiating desire after trust has already been broken. She gravitates toward slow burns, academic settings, and morally gray dynamics. Drafts is her first novel, now on Kindle Unlimited.

Reviews

[Rogue Kayl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes this was definitely a slow paced book…. but written well.

The dynamic was intense and frustrating all at the same time, as you wanted to see a romance gradually blossoming but you wanted to scream at them for tip toeing around each other and wasting time.

The spice was subtle and actually nice, crossing ever so slightly into the bdsm realm and not going full pelt into it, with the typical bsdm crazed mmc and the innocent and pure fmc. I think it blended in nicely. Also the fact that the relationship was a new thing for the mmc.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Wes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate this book for taking risks with tropes, especially since stalkers have such a specific and narrow lane in dark romance. The main characters felt like real people. The fact that it is a debut novel is slightly obvious with some formatting concerns. MMC is really sweet, and despite being very low steam, I appreciated the creativity towards those scenes. I’ll be checking in to see where this author goes next.

[Paige Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the relationship that they were building with each other. The secret back and forth they were doing had me wishing they would just tell each other their feelings outright because I was so excited for them. The book was nicely paced for the most part, but I did find myself wishing it was a little longer because the ending felt a little rushed to me. Overall though it was a good story and the characters were well written