fantasy – Lyndsey Hall

To Win a Dark Heart Series Announcement!

I am so excited to announce that I have another novel coming in a multi-author series next year, and this one is bringing together two well-known fairy tales, myths and legends for a villain romance in every single book! The series releases begin in January, and my book, Falling for the Enchantress will release on 13 March 2026:

An ancient witch with a grudge.

A sheriff with something to prove.

An enchantment they’ll come to regret, but never escape.

High Priestess Morgaine has been hiding in plain sight for centuries, using her magic to hide herself and her coven from Prince John’s witch hunters. But when a young witchling is slain by the new sheriff’s men, Morgaine will stop at nothing to get vengeance. She’ll kill every witch hunter in the royal forests, including the cruel and handsome sheriff, and then she’ll find Prince John and cut out his heart for good measure.

Until a protection spell backfires and she finds herself magically bound to her enemy. If he dies, so does she.

Stefano’s only job as the High Sheriff of the Royal Forests is to rid the country of the scourge of witchcraft. Betrothed to Prince John’s daughter, he’s desperate to prove his worth and live up to his name as the Grand Witch Hunter. The only thing standing in his way is the captivating and enigmatic witch he’s now bound to by some twist of fate.

As sparks fly and the sworn enemies grow to grudgingly respect each other, could there be more than pure hatred causing the tension between them?

Falling for the Enchantress is a fairy tale that combines elements of Robin Hood and King Arthur. Set between the events in each of these stories, it is the ninth book in the To Win a Dark Heart series, which retells fairy tales as old as time, but this time it’s the villain’s turn to get a happy ending.

Want more no-spice fairy tale mash-ups where the villains finally get their chance at a happily ever after? Check out the rest of the To Win a Dark Heart multi-author collection!

Falling for the Trickster by Lucy Tempest (Rumpelstiltskin + Goose Girl)
Falling for the Doomed Bride by C.K. Beggan (Bluebeard + Sleeping Beauty)
Falling for the Winged Witch by Sarah Beran (Wild Swans + Jack & the Beanstalk)
Falling for the Crystal Fae by Anabelle Raven (The Snow Queen + Aladdin)
Falling for the Pirate by Nicki Chapelway (Peter Pan + The Little Mermaid)
Falling for the Mad King by Sydney Winward (Alice in Wonderland + The 12 Dancing Princesses)
Falling for the Sorcerer by Jes Drew (Rapunzel + Swan Lake)
Falling for the Wolf by Megan Charlie (Little Red Riding Hood + Cinderella)
Falling for the Enchantress by Lyndsey Hall (Robin Hood + King Arthur)
Falling for the Pied Piper by Ashley Evercott (Beauty & the Beast + The Pied Piper)
Falling for the Dark Mage by Lucy Winton (East of the Sun, West of the Moon + The Frog Prince)
Falling for the Huntsman by Leialoha Humpherys (Snow White + Hansel & Gretel)

To Win a Dark Heart

Lyndsey

ARC readers wanted! Sign up for a copy of my YA dark academia gothic fantasy, The Rose and the Serpent

The Rose and the Serpent is coming 1 July and I’m looking for ARC readers!

Sign up for an ARC of The Rose and the Serpent

A grave robber with a heart. A girl without a soul. Secrets that refuse to stay buried.

Death isn’t always the end, especially in the shadowed streets of York. Cassius Watkins has made his peace with the dead, unearthing their bodies for profit and keeping whatever treasures he finds. But when Cash pries open a tomb and finds Edie Buxton-Whyte alive inside, he’s thrust into a world where death is just the beginning.

Offered a place at the prestigious All Souls College thanks to his act of heroism, Cash soon hears whispers of a secret society hidden within the cloistered halls. As unsettling visions of Edie haunt his dreams and anonymous threats are slipped under his door, Cash is drawn deeper into a fight he never knew existed. A battle between the monsters that slither in the shadows and the forces working against them.

As darkness closes in and the danger turns out to be closer to home than they ever imagined, Cash and Edie must tread carefully. But the deeper they dig and the more they uncover, the more Cash begins to wonder if Edie is still the girl he risked everything to save…or something else entirely.

The Rose and the Serpent is a YA gothic, dark academia fantasy brimming with dark secrets, forbidden knowledge, and a love that defies even death itself. Perfect for fans of One Dark Window, A Study in Drowning, and Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter Chronicles.

Sign up for an ARC of The Rose and the Serpent

I hope you all enjoy my creepy but cute gothic fantasy with dark academia vibes!

Lyndsey

Review: One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

Hi book friends! I’ve got another incredible fantasy pick for you today, I know I’m a little late getting to this one, but goodness am I glad I finally picked it up! And now my copy of book two has arrived, I’ll promptly be diving back into the world of the Shepherd King. If you’re yet to have the pleasure of meeting Elspeth, Ravyn and The Nightmare, this review is for you.

TL;DR It’s a darkly lush gothic fantasy with one of the coolest magic systems I’ve come across in years, and fairy tale vibes, but like, the Brothers Grimm versions…

Blurb

ELSPETH NEEDS A MONSTER. THE MONSTER MIGHT BE HER.

An ancient, mercurial spirit is trapped inside Elspeth Spindle’s head – she calls him the Nightmare. He protects her. He keeps her secrets. But nothing comes for free, especially magic.

When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, she is thrust into a world of shadow and deception. Together, they embark on a dangerous quest to cure the town of Blunder from the dark magic infecting it. As the stakes heighten and their undeniable attraction intensifies, Elspeth is forced to face her darkest secret yet: the Nightmare is slowly, darkly, taking over her mind. And she might not be able to stop him.

For fans of Uprooted and For the Wolf comes a gothic fantasy romance about a maiden who must unleash the monster within to save her kingdom.

Title: One Dark Window

Author: Rachel Gillig

Link: https://www.amazon.com/One-Dark-Window-Rachel-Gillig-ebook/dp/B09QCCH9N7/

Format: Audiobook

Review: 5 stars

I knew I was going to love One Dark Window before I even opened the cover, the blurb absolutely sold it to me – a girl with a monster inside her mind? Highwaymen? Dark magic? And romance? Yes please! I ordered the paperback of book two as soon as I finished and now I’m desperate to pick it up (just as soon as I finish writing this review!).

One Dark Window is like Renegade Nell meets Wuthering Heights with added tarot cards and a thick fog separating them from the rest of the world, similar to the Fold in Shadow and Bone. There’s even an evil entity living in the misty woods that kills anyone who ventures too near without a talisman (rabbit’s foot, etc.). It was very atmospheric and the writing was descriptive but still fast-paced, which I loved.

The magic system was ingenious and yet so simple, using different cards from a special pack, called Providence Cards, created by the legendary Shepherd King. Each card has a different design and allows the user to access a different type of magic – but nothing comes for free, even magic.

Elspeth was the type of female main character I absolutely adore, still feminine but oh so capable, cunning and clever. Even when the Nightmare inside her mind wasn’t taking over her body and giving her enhanced abilities, she was still a brilliant protagonist with as much agency as an unwed young woman in a gothic novel can possibly have.

She’s been hiding her affliction from the physicians and Destriers (the King’s best cavalrymen, tasked with eradicating magic-wielders and anyone who succumbs to the infection that causes magical abilities) since she was nine years old. Magic, other than from the Providence Cards, has been outlawed by the Rowan King, so Elspeth is in a lot of danger if anyone finds out about the Nightmare…

Enter Ravyn Yew, mysterious and handsome nephew to the king, and Elspeth’s worst enemy. Because he’s the Captain of the Destriers, and he’s taken a special interest in our girl, for reasons known only to himself. And as the tension between them builds and their secrets start to come to light, Elspeth realises he may not be the biggest threat she faces. Because the Nightmare is growing stronger, and it’s only a matter of time until it overpowers her completely.

The romance in One Dark Window was *chef’s kiss*, Ravyn is a true gentleman, and a bit of a rogue when he wants to be. I’m looking forward to seeing the romance between them grow in book two, after all the longing stares and accidental touches, and that one scene (iykyk), it’s the least we deserve!

The world building in this book was absolutely incredible, Gillig has thought of everything and I was gripped by the explanation behind the Providence Cards, the Shepherd King and the mist. If you’re also a big fan of a detailed backstory, then you’ll definitely enjoy this about One Dark Window, there’s so much to the world, its history and magic system, and I really enjoyed learning about it all.

I’m dying to read Two Twisted Crowns and find out what happens next for Elspeth! I gave One Dark Window 5 stars, I listened to the audio book and burned through it in a few days, but my copy of book two is a paperback because I recently cancelled my Audible membership due to having too many audiobooks and not enough time. Obviously I regretted that immediately, but we move.

If you love gothic fantasy, historical novels and dark fairy tale-esque books, then this series is definitely for you!

I’m currently working on a gothic romantic fantasy called The Rose and the Serpent, so it was great for research. I can only hope that my next book will be anywhere near as atmospheric, captivating and swoony as this one! One can dream…

Lyndsey