A cursed scribe. A nightmare Librarian. Giving her heart could cost her everything.

For years I have dedicated myself to the Library, staying hidden and unremarkable. As a lowly scribe, I can escape the weight of my family's disappointment. My failure to manifest my family's magical lineage might have destroyed my life in the high court, but in the Library, I can reclaim my own fate. When I find a book on my desk, I don't think twice before opening it. I should have.

It changes everything. I wake with no voice, no memory, a dark curse mark spreading across my skin and the haunting attention of a Librarian. Entirely captivating, Sila is a high-handed, overbearing nightmare, the sort of creature I should avoid at all costs. But when my past comes for me? She saves my life and takes me into her shadows.

Because it turns out I am neither hidden, nor unremarkable. The Library has its own plans for me, the high court another, and Sila? She might be the only thing that can save me.

Her Shadow so Dark and Lovely is a sapphic dark fantasy romance by Elsie Hawthorne featuring a queernormative world, a nightmare love interest, and an unassuming scribe fighting for her life-and heart. Book 1 of the Heart of the Library Duet in a Curse of Fallen Stars series.

Content warnings can be found on the author's website.