JL Mel

In the Dark

A debut dark romantic fantasy about the pull between the darkness that begs you to stay, and the one person who makes you want to fight for the light.

Discover Her Latest Release Coming Soon · Dark Horse Publishing
Photo of author JL Mel

About the Author

JL Mel

JL Mel lives in Wisconsin with her family, which includes her two teenaged children, one little old lady dog named Olive, and a big-boned fur snuggler cat named Sylvie.

When she's not thinking up dramatic book characters, she can be found camping and spending time with her parents, cooking with her kids, hiking with her handsome cowboy, drinking coffee while reading a book, or doing yoga. She prioritizes God, family and friends, and her own peace. And yes, she says "ope"!

In the Dark is her debut novel, coming soon from Dark Horse Publishing.

The Book

In the Dark

Some secrets are darker than the visions that haunt her. A debut dark romantic fantasy about the pull between the darkness that begs you to stay, and the one person who makes you want to fight for the light.

Published by Dark Horse Publishing

Katie has a gift.

At least that's what her father has always called it.

To Katie, her visions are nothing more than a curse, dark fragments of something she can neither understand nor escape. As she struggles to piece together the missing parts of her past, she's haunted by the fear that she's destined to follow the same self-destructive path that consumed her mother.

Katie's depression is like dark molasses, suffocating and thick, coating everything good until she can no longer remember what light feels like. Yet somewhere inside that darkness, she has found an unsettling comfort. It calls to her. Seduces her. At times, it feels almost carnal... even self-indulgent. Drugs, alcohol, and reckless choices don't silence the darkness, they simply make it easier to surrender to it.

Through it all, Theo has always been there.

Her lifelong best friend.

Her safe place.

The only person she's ever trusted with the horrors living inside her mind.

But when the line between friendship and something far more dangerous begins to blur, Katie discovers Theo has been carrying a secret powerful enough to unravel everything she believes about her past. A secret rooted in guilt. One that could destroy the fragile trust they've spent a lifetime building.

As Katie's visions grow darker and the truth inches closer, she finds herself caught between the darkness that's always begged her to stay... and the only man who's ever made her wonder if life is worth fighting for.

Because sometimes the greatest monsters aren't the ones waiting in the dark.

Sometimes they're the secrets kept by the people we love most.

Because sometimes the greatest monsters aren't the ones waiting in the dark. Sometimes they're the secrets kept by the people we love most.
— In the Dark

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