Flesh & Flora: A Horror Romance Charity Anthology

by Azalea Crowley, Wren Blackburne, Talia Greer

Ever wondered what it would be like to romance the monster in a horror movie? Have you wanted to read horror romance but don't know where to start? Want to help support a good cause? Dive into these horror romance tales and sate your curiosity!

Flesh & A Horror Romance Anthology is the first of an annual charity anthology presented by Azalea Crowley that focuses on bringing monsters to the forefront of the horror romance genre, highlights diverse voices, and helps raise money for charity.

Participating

Azalea Crowley

Wren Blackburne

Talia Greer

Aaron Hunt

Ursula de Galvan

Lizzie Strong

Enoli Lee

Tyler Battaglia

All profits from this charity anthology will be donated to the National Wildlife Federation.

Kindle Edition

Published March 24, 2026

About the author

Azalea Crowley (she/they) writes for the weird girls who related more to monsters than princesses and were obsessed with the romance subplots in horror movies. Readers who were othered might find a home in her books, where both the scary monsters and weird women are loved and accepted as they are.

When she is not writing diverse horror romance, Azalea dabbles in diverse fantasy romances based off her love of TTRPGs like D&D or Daggerheart. Originally from Hawaii, she now accepts her fate as a vampire as she freezes in the PNW caring for her husband and small monster (dog) baby.

Find her at https://www.azaleacrowley.com/ and sign up for her newsletter and receive unhinged love letters and uncensored ruminations.

Reviews

[KMart Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fun little collection, especially if you’re even slightly curious about horror romance as a subgenre. Horror romance really hits that perfect middle ground between unsettling and intimate, and Flesh & Flora absolutely understands the assignment. I loved how many of these stories weren’t afraid to get weird.

No two stories feel the same, and each one leans into different tropes, tones, and levels of horror. Some go heavier on the romance, others lean into the unsettling side, and some go into a body horror direction. Body horror, fungus, and weird should be off-putting, but somehow become tender, obsessive, even romantic. I also think this format works really well for horror romance. This is also one of those genres that just works so well in short form. It’s a great entry point if you’re new, but there’s still plenty here if you already love this subgenre.

A quick rundown of my favorites:

- Syrup (Azalea Crowley): An ex is called in after her former boyfriend survives something he really shouldn’t have…and he’s not quite right anymore. There’s something else wearing his skin, and somehow both versions of him still love her. It’s creepy, a little tragic, and weirdly romantic with some solid body horror mixed in.
- Take Root (Talia Greer): This is exactly what I want from horror romance. No notes. Sapphic, intense, feral. One of the standouts for sure. Possibly mt favorite.
- Faerie Circles (Lizzie Strong): More romance-forward, but still with that creepy edge. I will not be looking at mushrooms the same way again. There’s something quietly unsettling under all the sweetness.

I had such a good time with this. My favorites were Syrup, Take Root, and Faerie Circles, which isn’t surprising since I already love those authors, but I’m honestly just as excited about the new-to-me voices I found here. Definitely planning to dig into some backlist titles after this.

Also, if you’re like me and get a weird amount of joy out of fungus and all things slightly grotesque showing up on the page…this anthology delivers. Since it’s a charity anthology, it’s also just a nice way to support a good cause while trying out a bunch of different authors and styles. Go grab it to support our natural world.

Thanks so much to the authors for the complimentary copy. This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own. I also purchased my own copy.

[Violet · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

👀Tropes: Multi Anthology with monsterous horror stories. Each story has it's own trope list and varies dramatically. This is a great option to dip your toe into a little more terrifying romance.

☠️CW: Each story has an extensive list of content warnings before each story. And more than anything, I highly recommend reading these even if they are spoilers because they may have more trigger warnings than a regular romance book.

📚Read Method: Kindle eBook. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

✨My Thoughts: Multiple participating authors including Azalea Crowley, Wren Blackburne, Talia Greer, Aaron Hunt, Ursula de Galvan, Lizzie Strong, Enoli Lee, Tyler Battaglia, Ash Redd.

I read Azalea Crowley's story first and I have a funny story. I was in bed, reading with my little kindle page turner, all curled up and cozy. My husband was, I THOUGHT, asleep next to me. At one of the most scariest, spookiest parts in the story, my husband LOUDLY and quickly turns over in his bed and proclaims something profound (in his head he thought it was). I swear to you, I was so wrapped up in this story, I screamed and my skin felt like ice for minutes afterwards. I was so terrified from the jump scare.

💖Quotes: Nope, I'm not putting any quotes here. All my highlights would spoil the story.

[Bookwyrm_in_KC · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to think that I didn't like horror, until I stumbled across botanical horror and horror romance. This collection of short horror romance stories hits the perfect balance of creepy and tender for me.

Some stories lean harder into the horror (Take Root) and some harder into romance (Faerie Circles & Wishing Wells), but all contain undertones of creeping dread as plants and fungi radically change the lives of each story's protagonist. There's lots of well done queer, ND and chronic illness rep, informed by the lived experiences of the authors.

Flesh and Flora would be a great introduction to anyone interested in dipping their toes into botanical horror romance (plus you get the added bonus of supporting the National Wildlife Federation when you purchase).

[Mrs. Pendragon Pages · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looove it!
If you are new to Horror Romance and/or monster romance, this is a fantastic way to get introduced to it. With many short stories from various authors, this anthology offers everything from cozy moments to hair-raising horror.
And if you are a seasoned horror romance reader, you will find it hard to pick a favorite story.
Syrup, By Azalea Crowley
Azalea has a knack for writing Vore and psychological horror so effortlessly that you don’t realize it’s disturbing until you’ve devoured the entire book and look at the goosebumps it has given you, until after the fact.

Thank you to the authors for the ARC; all opinions are my own

[Shrike · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you know me, you know I LOVE some illicit botanical activities. Flesh and Flora's theme is my cup of tea. These stories features a wide range of characters and creatures but feel unified by this theme. My favorite piece was Monotropa Uniflora by Wren Blackburne. Ghost pipes are one of my favorite plants and I really loved how they were integrated into a magical world. There's a very cool take on the plant's parasitic nature with parallels to parasitic people. It's so worth the read.

Thanks to Tyler Battaglia for sharing an advance copy. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.

[Kat Reads Skulls · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, yet hair raising anthology! Horror romance, I enjoyed most of the stories (my fave Syrup by Azalea Crowley), and wished a few were full books. That said, I have insomnia and anxiety and would like to get more sleep, not less lol! I’m not normally an anthology person, but I can see the appeal and enjoyed getting these snapshots of stories and authors. This is a charity anthology as well, so good (spooky) vibes all around!

[Kristen Kovatch Bentley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading an advance copy of this anthology! These stories are definitely not what I typically read, but this was the perfect way to experience a new-to-me genre and get to know the voices of some new authors as an introduction to their work. These are all vastly different stories from each other, which speaks to the creativity of each writer.

My personal favorites in this anthology were Wren Blackburne’s “Monotropa Uniflora” and Ursula de Galvan’s “The Golden Seed.”

[Eilidh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting and not what I expected.

Of course some stories where better than others (to me at a least) but I don’t think I’m an anthology girly. Each story finished just as I was getting into it.

They were great little sprinkles of stories but I didn’t want more. But I do get why people would love this. I am the problem

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so fun! I loved getting to read some short stories from authors I love and some I'm being introduced to for the first time. This was a lovely spooky anthology and I wouldn't be mad if some of these shorties turned into full length books someday. My favorites were Azalea Crowley & Lizzie Strong's stories so definitely read those two at a minimum!!

[Lionelle Pmuls (That's Slump Backwards & It's What I Do) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5

RTC

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved each author's contribution to the series. I never thought I would be scared of mushrooms. New fears unlocked.

[Katie Flournoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll keep coming back and adding to this review as I make my way through the anthology.

Oh, to be kept! Beautifully unsettling, Syrup, is a short, sweet, second chance love story with a mycelial twist. Author Azalea Crowley never fails to layer atmospheric tension, analogies of disabilities, and unconditional acceptance within a captivating plot. This tale is part of the charity anthology, Flesh & Flora, a collection of botanical horror romance stories featuring nine talented authors.

After all, even the monstrous wants to be loved.

I had the honor of reading this as an ARC and look forward to diving into the rest of the anthology!

***

With an ominous atmosphere that seeps under your skin, Take Root is a tale of an unexpected second chance romance during a rescue mission gone awry. This story explores themes of connection, belonging, and queer love within a vivid landscape and almost tangible plot. Author Talia Greer has created a cosmic botanical horror that's equal parts eerie and engrossing. I devoured this story and so look forward to reading more by Greer!

[Kitm0nster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each of these short stories are creepy and hit the mark of Horror Romance.

Give it a shot, you won't be disappointed