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Gothika #6
Fang
TRICKLE OF BLOOD
My vampire clan is dying. Human blood is too tainted to sustain us. On the brink of giving up, the last thing I expect to find is the saviour of my clan, a non-human. He is my mate.
I know I must ask the impossible of my mate. If he walks away my clan will die. I don’t know if I’ll be able to let him go if he says no. Do I give him that choice, or his body and blood mine to command?
A DARK HEALING
The life of a healer is a lonely one. Feared by the local villagers for being both a healer and an albino, Darian lives alone and spends his days picking herbs, making remedies, and talking to his dead teacher. Then one day he finds a mysterious man in the woods who’s been shot through with an arrow. Darian takes the man, Locke, back to his little hut and tends him as best he can.
Locke is a strange creature—at times imperious and at other times nearly feral. But he is stunningly beautiful, and, more importantly, he finds Darian beautiful and unique—like a white unicorn. The two lonely men take comfort in each other’s company, and they bond over the days of Locke’s healing. But when killings begin in the nearby village, Darian must face both the nature of the man he invited into his bed and the villager’s wrath.
THE QUARRY BOY
A visit from a fearful apparition has marked Josiah Crayne as the next to die. August Walker returns home to confront the ghosts of the past—not only his painful memories of a friend's death, but also his own sexuality.
As August investigates the tragedy that’s befallen the Craynes, it may turn out to be too much for him to bear—especially when he begins to suspect this man marked for death could return his affections.
FARKAS
Lee Harker has never fit in anywhere. Not with his immigrant family in rural Nebraska, not on a Navy ship during World War II, and not in Los Angeles as associate in a law firm. But when he’s sent to a remote mansion to complete some paperwork for the reclusive Vincent Farkas, Lee encounters the most unsettling circumstances yet. Caught in a place where things truly do go bump in the night, he must face his fears—and his desires—and acknowledge his true nature.
My vampire clan is dying. Human blood is too tainted to sustain us. On the brink of giving up, the last thing I expect to find is the saviour of my clan, a non-human. He is my mate.
I know I must ask the impossible of my mate. If he walks away my clan will die. I don’t know if I’ll be able to let him go if he says no. Do I give him that choice, or his body and blood mine to command?
A DARK HEALING
The life of a healer is a lonely one. Feared by the local villagers for being both a healer and an albino, Darian lives alone and spends his days picking herbs, making remedies, and talking to his dead teacher. Then one day he finds a mysterious man in the woods who’s been shot through with an arrow. Darian takes the man, Locke, back to his little hut and tends him as best he can.
Locke is a strange creature—at times imperious and at other times nearly feral. But he is stunningly beautiful, and, more importantly, he finds Darian beautiful and unique—like a white unicorn. The two lonely men take comfort in each other’s company, and they bond over the days of Locke’s healing. But when killings begin in the nearby village, Darian must face both the nature of the man he invited into his bed and the villager’s wrath.
THE QUARRY BOY
A visit from a fearful apparition has marked Josiah Crayne as the next to die. August Walker returns home to confront the ghosts of the past—not only his painful memories of a friend's death, but also his own sexuality.
As August investigates the tragedy that’s befallen the Craynes, it may turn out to be too much for him to bear—especially when he begins to suspect this man marked for death could return his affections.
FARKAS
Lee Harker has never fit in anywhere. Not with his immigrant family in rural Nebraska, not on a Navy ship during World War II, and not in Los Angeles as associate in a law firm. But when he’s sent to a remote mansion to complete some paperwork for the reclusive Vincent Farkas, Lee encounters the most unsettling circumstances yet. Caught in a place where things truly do go bump in the night, he must face his fears—and his desires—and acknowledge his true nature.
418 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 15, 2022
18 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Sue Brown
140 books838 followersHot guys, big hearts, Sue's world.
Sue Brown is a Londoner with a dream to live on a small island. Coffee fuels her addiction to writing romance with hot guys loving each other, and her Adorkadog snores in harmony as she creates.
Sue Brown is a Londoner with a dream to live on a small island. Coffee fuels her addiction to writing romance with hot guys loving each other, and her Adorkadog snores in harmony as she creates.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 11, 2023
Waited a long time for this anthology. I read all the other books where each focused on a different type of “monster” and always wondered why the one with their take on vampires was missing. Now here it is: 4 authors, 4 types of vampires, none of them the sparkling kind, all of them monster.
Sue Brown: Trickle of Blood
We start with the haughty, arrogant but life-weary type. Varynth is not a likable person but what vampire of the old had ever to be likable. He's the clan leader but that doesn't mean much anymore. Vampires are a dying species but he couldn't care less. It's only his status he intends to keep until the very end. Suddenly Sedyr, an outcast from a nearby village who's blood is clean of the deadly virus, seems to be an opportunity to save Varynth and his clan … I liked to have that self-centric and cold-blooded movie-Dracula type back in a story but it's probably difficult to make such a vampire a romantic MC at least in a short story. Their romance felt more like Stockholm Syndrome with unnecessary cruelty. The world setup was this odd mix of fantasy and contemporary or was it a sci-fi dystopi? I couldn't tell and I didn't like it and in the end Brown's take on mermen (Sedyr's dad) was much more interesting.
Eli Easton: A Dark Healing
Easton presents the conscious-striken, lonely vampire. Locke is haunted by his past deeds but more directly by hunters. So he ends shot somewhere in the undergrowth of an English forest where he's found and rescued by Darian, a healer who's shunned by his fellow villagers due to his albinism and and probably also due to his gender-fluid appearance. So we have 2 lonely guys, one who wants to die and take his secret into his grave and one who's set to rescue the stranger and keep him safe from the world outside. It's nearly an intimate play that mostly takes place in Darian's hut and it takes time until they both open up but it has a nice, steady flow until the world crashes into their solitude. I enjoyed this story. I'm even okay with the apologetic ending although it might have preferred something bitter-sweet, would have suited the melancholic undertone of their romance.
Jamie Fessenden: The Quarry Boy
Did we even get a kind of vampire here? Not in the usual sense and it could easily be confused with a ghost story but regardless of that I enjoyed the romantic-realism writing style which went well with the historic setup in rural New England at the beginning of the 20th century. I love it when a tragic past is slowly creeping in and the protagonist can make his peace while resolving the paranormal situation. Josiah is probably too open-minded for a farmer of 1906 but I can turn a blind eye on historic accuracy in a short story if it means to get a oppression-free romance. It could have been my favorite story (although it missed the point of a vampire story) if it stopped sooner. The whole part surrounding the question of guilt and forgiveness was tiring but it was the epilogue that made me reevaluate. It was the easy way out for those who need a clear happy ending at all cost. For me the cost was too high.
Kim Fielding: Farkas
Here we get one of those aristocratic, seductive vampires, reclusive but self-aware and unapologetic and we get a new take on Renfield or maybe I should care more about Lee's last name than his occupation? Anyway, Lee's a morally-challenged lawyer in the 1950's and summoned to a strange house far away in the wilderness of Californian mountains where his client greets him. It's a creepy atmosphere right from the start and although the house is a huge, half-empty labyrinth there is a distinct claustrophobic vibe and the vampiric corruption slowly worms its way into Lee's unconsciousness and dreams right from the start. Of course everything said Dracula and so nothing pointed to a romantic path of that story but Fielding wouldn't be Fielding if she didn't find a way to slowly turn it that way but “romantic path” doesn't necessarily equal romance. Here 2 lonely but jaded hearts find each other in their inner foreignness. Might be a fitting match for the rest of the century and maybe even the next one but a HEA is something else.
Sue Brown: Trickle of Blood
We start with the haughty, arrogant but life-weary type. Varynth is not a likable person but what vampire of the old had ever to be likable. He's the clan leader but that doesn't mean much anymore. Vampires are a dying species but he couldn't care less. It's only his status he intends to keep until the very end. Suddenly Sedyr, an outcast from a nearby village who's blood is clean of the deadly virus, seems to be an opportunity to save Varynth and his clan … I liked to have that self-centric and cold-blooded movie-Dracula type back in a story but it's probably difficult to make such a vampire a romantic MC at least in a short story. Their romance felt more like Stockholm Syndrome with unnecessary cruelty. The world setup was this odd mix of fantasy and contemporary or was it a sci-fi dystopi? I couldn't tell and I didn't like it and in the end Brown's take on mermen (Sedyr's dad) was much more interesting.
Eli Easton: A Dark Healing
Easton presents the conscious-striken, lonely vampire. Locke is haunted by his past deeds but more directly by hunters. So he ends shot somewhere in the undergrowth of an English forest where he's found and rescued by Darian, a healer who's shunned by his fellow villagers due to his albinism and and probably also due to his gender-fluid appearance. So we have 2 lonely guys, one who wants to die and take his secret into his grave and one who's set to rescue the stranger and keep him safe from the world outside. It's nearly an intimate play that mostly takes place in Darian's hut and it takes time until they both open up but it has a nice, steady flow until the world crashes into their solitude. I enjoyed this story. I'm even okay with the apologetic ending although it might have preferred something bitter-sweet, would have suited the melancholic undertone of their romance.
Jamie Fessenden: The Quarry Boy
Did we even get a kind of vampire here? Not in the usual sense and it could easily be confused with a ghost story but regardless of that I enjoyed the romantic-realism writing style which went well with the historic setup in rural New England at the beginning of the 20th century. I love it when a tragic past is slowly creeping in and the protagonist can make his peace while resolving the paranormal situation. Josiah is probably too open-minded for a farmer of 1906 but I can turn a blind eye on historic accuracy in a short story if it means to get a oppression-free romance. It could have been my favorite story (although it missed the point of a vampire story) if it stopped sooner. The whole part surrounding the question of guilt and forgiveness was tiring but it was the epilogue that made me reevaluate. It was the easy way out for those who need a clear happy ending at all cost. For me the cost was too high.
Kim Fielding: Farkas
Here we get one of those aristocratic, seductive vampires, reclusive but self-aware and unapologetic and we get a new take on Renfield or maybe I should care more about Lee's last name than his occupation? Anyway, Lee's a morally-challenged lawyer in the 1950's and summoned to a strange house far away in the wilderness of Californian mountains where his client greets him. It's a creepy atmosphere right from the start and although the house is a huge, half-empty labyrinth there is a distinct claustrophobic vibe and the vampiric corruption slowly worms its way into Lee's unconsciousness and dreams right from the start. Of course everything said Dracula and so nothing pointed to a romantic path of that story but Fielding wouldn't be Fielding if she didn't find a way to slowly turn it that way but “romantic path” doesn't necessarily equal romance. Here 2 lonely but jaded hearts find each other in their inner foreignness. Might be a fitting match for the rest of the century and maybe even the next one but a HEA is something else.
Read
October 4, 2022This anthology is a resurrection (see what I did there?) of the Gothika anthologies, which were tons of fun to be involved with.
In this book, I join three other previous Gothika authors, each of us contributing a vampire novella. Our settings, plots, and characters vary widely, but each story contains fanged creatures who haunt the night--and also contains some degree of mm (or maybe mv!) romance.
I love vampire stories. In fact, before I started publishing original fiction, I got a lot of writing practice and feedback reading and writing vampire fanfic. So it's appropriate that my own contribution to this anthology, "Farkas," is sort of a Dracula fanfic--only I've uprooted the old guy and set him in 1950s Los Angeles.
Maybe it's a dark and stormy night, and you're looking for something sharp and mysterious to curl up with? This book is perfect.
In this book, I join three other previous Gothika authors, each of us contributing a vampire novella. Our settings, plots, and characters vary widely, but each story contains fanged creatures who haunt the night--and also contains some degree of mm (or maybe mv!) romance.
I love vampire stories. In fact, before I started publishing original fiction, I got a lot of writing practice and feedback reading and writing vampire fanfic. So it's appropriate that my own contribution to this anthology, "Farkas," is sort of a Dracula fanfic--only I've uprooted the old guy and set him in 1950s Los Angeles.
Maybe it's a dark and stormy night, and you're looking for something sharp and mysterious to curl up with? This book is perfect.
Read
October 25, 2022I bought this anthology to read the stories by Eli Easton (A Dark Healing) and Kim Fielding (Farkas).
Fielding's story has a dark, gothic feel with an old, dusty castle, coffins, and a film noir atmosphere.
Easton's feels more like a fantasy with an albino healer living alone in a small cottage in the woods.
Both stories, but particularly Fielding's, have creepy edges and end rather abruptly. These are not feel-good stories (these vampires prey on people and kill for blood) and left me feeling unsettled.
Previous Gothika anthologies feature more traditional romance. The Fielding and Easton stories in the first three volumes, especially, are outstanding.
No rating, since I only read two of the four stories.
Fielding's story has a dark, gothic feel with an old, dusty castle, coffins, and a film noir atmosphere.
Easton's feels more like a fantasy with an albino healer living alone in a small cottage in the woods.
Both stories, but particularly Fielding's, have creepy edges and end rather abruptly. These are not feel-good stories (these vampires prey on people and kill for blood) and left me feeling unsettled.
Previous Gothika anthologies feature more traditional romance. The Fielding and Easton stories in the first three volumes, especially, are outstanding.
No rating, since I only read two of the four stories.
October 17, 2022
These are the perfect quick teaser reads for the Halloween season! Each one is a short horror romance and the atmosphere in all of them was the perfect blend of dark atmosphere with likable characters. My absolute favorite was Quarry Boy. This one was creepy and mystical with August and Josiah also being so awkward and exploring steamy taboo activities with each other! It pulled me right into the historical time and all the surroundings. I also really enjoyed Trickle of Blood. It was sensual, sexy and mysterious. Sedyr and Lord Varynth were so sensual! This one was that perfect vampire in the night story. If you like quick yet nicely detailed and mysterious stories grab these up!
January 12, 2023
I absolutely loved this anthology. Sue Brown, Eli Easton, Jamie Fessenden, and Kim Fielding brought their "A" game to this collection of short stories about vampires. Each story was beautifully written, well thought out, and fun to read, and they were all so different from each other. Let's face it, vampires have been and will always be sexy, and this anthology packs a punch in that department.
Please pick it up; you won't be disappointed.
Please pick it up; you won't be disappointed.
October 23, 2022
4.25 stars
Recommended!
Trickle of Blood by Sue Brown
2.5 stars
Firstly, the short was rather ghastly and I cared neither for the characters nor the ending. Secondly, it was an editorial mess. Missing words, wrong words, punctuation errors, misspellings.
Dark Healing by Eli Easton.
5 stars
Exquisite story! Beautiful prose and well edited. Loved it.
The Quarry Boy by Jamie Fessenden.
3 stars
Started out well, plot became convoluted and overly complicated for a short story. Didn’t care for the ending.
Farkas by Kim Fielding.
5 stars
An extraordinary story modeled after Stoker’s Dracula. Deeply atmospheric, gorgeous prose, deftly drawn characters (especially for a short story), spooky and unnerving at times. Perfectly edited. Loved it. 5 stars
Recommended!
Trickle of Blood by Sue Brown
2.5 stars
Firstly, the short was rather ghastly and I cared neither for the characters nor the ending. Secondly, it was an editorial mess. Missing words, wrong words, punctuation errors, misspellings.
Dark Healing by Eli Easton.
5 stars
Exquisite story! Beautiful prose and well edited. Loved it.
The Quarry Boy by Jamie Fessenden.
3 stars
Started out well, plot became convoluted and overly complicated for a short story. Didn’t care for the ending.
Farkas by Kim Fielding.
5 stars
An extraordinary story modeled after Stoker’s Dracula. Deeply atmospheric, gorgeous prose, deftly drawn characters (especially for a short story), spooky and unnerving at times. Perfectly edited. Loved it. 5 stars
October 18, 2022
Scary stories for Halloween 🎃
Four short stories from a group of talented authors. They're quite dark in their way, perfect for Halloween. All were well and imaginatively written, with good story and character development. If you fancy something a bit different, this is the book for you. Highly Recommended 4.5 stars.
Four short stories from a group of talented authors. They're quite dark in their way, perfect for Halloween. All were well and imaginatively written, with good story and character development. If you fancy something a bit different, this is the book for you. Highly Recommended 4.5 stars.
November 28, 2022
This collection of stories starts a bit rough but gets better as you go.
The first story: TRICKLE OF BLOOD, was really badly written in my opinion. Some parts felt thrown together without reason, the connection betweein the vampire clan leader and his mate was bizarre, and not in a thrilling gorhing way. I didn't like it at all and would skip it if I could.
A DARK HEALING
By Eli Easton was good, had a great fantasy vibe and I liked the feel of both characters being cocooned in the healer's hut exploring. It felt rounded enough for a short story, and the vampire was not the cliché type. He was very gentle, kind in a way, and the healer was so naive it was sweet almost.
THE QUARRY BOY
I loved this story! I wish it was a prequel to a full length novel. Josiah and August were really interesting, the plot twisted and thriller but had a great backbone. Unlike the first story in the book, here you feel like thing are justified and have a purpose.
The ending was amazing, I loved it!
FARKAS
Dark and gothic, much like her Bureau series, Kim Fielding brings the well loved gothic vampire with a slight twist. It felt slow at first but as I warmed up to the story I started liking it more and more.
It was a great ending.
The first story: TRICKLE OF BLOOD, was really badly written in my opinion. Some parts felt thrown together without reason, the connection betweein the vampire clan leader and his mate was bizarre, and not in a thrilling gorhing way. I didn't like it at all and would skip it if I could.
A DARK HEALING
By Eli Easton was good, had a great fantasy vibe and I liked the feel of both characters being cocooned in the healer's hut exploring. It felt rounded enough for a short story, and the vampire was not the cliché type. He was very gentle, kind in a way, and the healer was so naive it was sweet almost.
THE QUARRY BOY
I loved this story! I wish it was a prequel to a full length novel. Josiah and August were really interesting, the plot twisted and thriller but had a great backbone. Unlike the first story in the book, here you feel like thing are justified and have a purpose.
The ending was amazing, I loved it!
FARKAS
Dark and gothic, much like her Bureau series, Kim Fielding brings the well loved gothic vampire with a slight twist. It felt slow at first but as I warmed up to the story I started liking it more and more.
It was a great ending.
November 10, 2022
Four very different stories, all dealing with vampirism from different points of view
Trickle of Blood by Sue Brown
First person narrative is tiresome, and this is no exception. Besides, the characters are not specially likeable, so I found myself feeling really detached… I did not really care for what was going on. Though there is a somehow dark twist, this was my least favourite in the book
Dark Healing by Eli Easton.
This is a beautiful story about two very different characters who turn out to be way more similar than they originally seemed to be. Healing a broken soul as well as a broken body, finding companionship in isolation… Just beautiful
The Quarry Boy by Jamie Fessenden.
The vampirism topic here is given a further twist, here with angry souls and a somehow scientific approach to it. Though a bit convoluted and with too many twists (I am still pondering about that ending), it is intriguing and enjoyable
Farkas by Kim Fielding.
Dracula is a story full of implicit erotism, and here it is given full rein… I really enjoyed this retelling of a classic, it is dark and sweet at the same time. Delightful!
Trickle of Blood by Sue Brown
First person narrative is tiresome, and this is no exception. Besides, the characters are not specially likeable, so I found myself feeling really detached… I did not really care for what was going on. Though there is a somehow dark twist, this was my least favourite in the book
Dark Healing by Eli Easton.
This is a beautiful story about two very different characters who turn out to be way more similar than they originally seemed to be. Healing a broken soul as well as a broken body, finding companionship in isolation… Just beautiful
The Quarry Boy by Jamie Fessenden.
The vampirism topic here is given a further twist, here with angry souls and a somehow scientific approach to it. Though a bit convoluted and with too many twists (I am still pondering about that ending), it is intriguing and enjoyable
Farkas by Kim Fielding.
Dracula is a story full of implicit erotism, and here it is given full rein… I really enjoyed this retelling of a classic, it is dark and sweet at the same time. Delightful!
October 17, 2022
Fang is the perfect October read! This book will certainly put you in the Halloween mood.
Each story is a short horror romance that will captivate you and keep you turning page after page.
I really enjoyed them all, especially A Dark Healing by Eli Easton.
So much angst! I couldn't get enough. Eli Easton has such a talent for writing characters that the reader can't help but become invested in.
Don't miss out on these stories!
Each story is a short horror romance that will captivate you and keep you turning page after page.
I really enjoyed them all, especially A Dark Healing by Eli Easton.
So much angst! I couldn't get enough. Eli Easton has such a talent for writing characters that the reader can't help but become invested in.
Don't miss out on these stories!
October 19, 2022
This is a book for Halloween, the stories are a bit dark, but still involves relationships. My favorites, though I enjoyed them all, are Dark Healing and The Quarry Man. Recommend reading if you are in to vampires.
October 17, 2022
i enjoyed reading this collection of short novellas
October 28, 2022
Read all 4 stories. Liked them. (WTF to ending of Quarry Boy.). Totally partial to Kim Fielding's work.
November 24, 2022
3.5-stars, rounded up, for Farkas by Kim Fielding (the only story in the anthology that I read and the reason I picked it up).
November 27, 2022
This collection of bite-sized vampire tales is marvelous. Each writer offers their own spooky, sexy vampire tale that’s absolute perfection.
December 4, 2022
I enjoyed these dark tales. ‘Quarry Boy’ and ‘A Dark Healing’ were my favourites.
January 11, 2023
3.75 stars
Overall, I enjoyed story one, two and four. I wasn’t filled in story three too much. I am a sucker for anything with a vampire in it.
Overall, I enjoyed story one, two and four. I wasn’t filled in story three too much. I am a sucker for anything with a vampire in it.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews