Slow Burn
Romance that develops gradually over time
7 items found (2 series, 5 stories)

A Crown of Ruin and Ruse
by Anie Ross
Ten years after escaping a life of servitude behind the Veil, Wren is dragged back into the shimmering, cruel world of the fae. Her captor is Fionn, a silver-tongued bastard prince from her past who remembers the magic in her blood better than she does herself. Fionn is crafting a masterpiece of manipulation to usurp the throne, and he needs Wren’s rare, touch-based mind-reading to harvest the secrets of his treacherous brothers. Forced into a secret coven of gifted women, Wren must master forgotten, ancient magic to survive a world where every smile is a snare. Caught between her hatred for the monsters who stole her life and a growing, dangerous desire for the prince who promises to change everything, Wren must decide if she is Fionn’s greatest weapon, his equal partner, or merely the latest sacrifice in his climb to the crown.

The Ballad of Cotton and Grace
by Marco Velos
Sportswriter Bish Weatherly writes the story of Harry "Cotton" Purcell, the most talented ball player who never made the majors, and Grace, the wife who followed him across Prohibition-era America. Spring 1922, Indianapolis. Bish has been in love with Grace since he before he introduced her to Harry years earlier. Now, with Harry at spring training and Grace pregnant and alone in a new city, Bish positions himself as the reliable friend—helping her find housing, buying gifts, being there when Harry isn't. Harry, son of ruined Alabama aristocracy, hits like Babe Ruth but can't control his "surly disposition." Each success fuels his conviction he deserves the major leagues; each setback confirms he's been cheated. As his career spirals through brilliant performances and self-destructive collapses, Bish documents it all on the pages of the newspaper while growing dangerously close to Grace. The crisis comes in Nashville, 1925. Harry is hitting .357 alongside Lou Gehrig. Gehrig goes to the Yankees. Harry doesn't. When Grace—exhausted and desperate—finally offers Bish the love he's claimed to want for years, he discovers things about himself that he didn't want to know. Decades later, Bish lives on, telling himself he did the right thing—until writing the story reveals he was never the man he pretended to be. *The Great Gatsby* meets *Remains of the Day*, set in 1920s minor league baseball.

Spiritualists, Alchemists, & Sorcerers, Oh My!
by Anie Ross
In a world of gaslit opulence and rigid etiquette, Blythe is a haunting anomaly—a brilliant spiritualist whose soul is trapped between life and death within an automaton body. Her only link to the living is Tarn “Madcap” Carrigan, a sorcerer-alchemist extraordinaire whose penchant for scandal is always one bad day away from another fatal mystery. With otherworldly secrets and new magic to discover, Blythe and Tarn are bound by an inseparable partnership.

So The Flower Blooms
by Rose M Joy
"King of this, King of that, All I know is he'd better come claim his Child!" Aurora may be pregnant, but at the same time, she may not. All the palace knows is that she claims she is with child, King Ron's, to be precise. It doesn't sound possible. They have never seen the man with their own two eyes. The existence of a legend like Ron is even questioned: Is he even real? But Aurora will find him one way or another. And he will claim his child.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way Home from Seoul
by Liesa J Hafen
Rachel ran away to Seoul after her fiancé cheated on her with her cousin. Three years later she needs to return home during a work vacation for a mandatory family gathering, not knowing her K-pop bias is on the same plane. Park Min Jae, leader of the K-pop group Hydra, has escaped an arranged date to enjoy his vacation writing music and hopefully finding the girl who long ago captured his attention. Imagine his delight when the girl steps in to fend off some exuberant fans, then takes him with her to amore secluded area for a family reunion. Rachel wants to help Min Jae have a normal vacation without any fangirling (including hers), without pulling him into her personal and family drama. Min Jae wants to use his time to get to know Rachel better, and maybe fill the void in her heart. While protecting her from toxic people and toxic thoughts is not what Rachel expected from her favorite K-pop artist, she comes to see that they both might be who each other needs to heal from past traumas. After all Min Jae is Korean, and Koreans are good with drama.

Lifnos Cozy Mysteries
by Lisa Troy
On a fictional Greek island, Anastasia Livanitis solves murders and other crimes with her ghostly sidekicks, and her journalist best friend, Nikos.

Chosen by The Moon
by Rose M Joy
“Your lips have a flavor reminiscent of mango.” “Wait, what?! How do you even know that?” “Isn't it obvious?. While you were sleeping, I—” Dove is fed up with playing the role of the Damsel in Distress. Now that she has the chance to pick a mentor, her dreams feel much closer than ever. Yet, she’s at a loss for words when the very essence of the night, draped in blue, suddenly decides to choose her.