Poisoner – I.V. Ophelia (2026)

The Lost Apothecary meets Gothikana in this Victorian-era gothic dark romance about Alina Lis, a botanist and amateur poisoner who kills unsavoury men according to her own twisted sense of justice. After targeting Silas Forbes, a conceited playboy with pale, lifeless eyes and a hunger that feels anything but human, Alina discovers that he is no ordinary prey. Silas begins appearing wherever she goes, watching, waiting and weaving himself into her life with an intensity that both unnerves and enthrals her. As their twisted courtship deepens, scandal and unseen enemies close in, forcing Alina to protect her secrets and her heart from a predator unlike any she has faced. Will she succumb to his darkly seductive charm, or outwit the monster who has turned her own deadly game against her? This dark supernatural romance for mature readers aged 18 and over includes enemies-to-lovers, an obsessively devoted hero, gothic horror, morally grey and anti-hero characters, a STEM heroine and vampires. Content warnings appear in the author's note at the beginning of the book.