The Poisoner

The Lost Apothecary meets Gothikana in a Victorian era gothic dark romance about a secret poisoner, driven by her own sense of justice, who finds the tables turned when her next target – a dangerously obsessive predator – marks her as his next prey. 

She's out for blood. He's out for her surrender. 

Alina Lis, a botanist and hobbyist poisoner, has made a pastime of killing unsavoury men in her own twisted sense of poetic justice. After a fateful encounter at a friend’s party, her next target becomes Silas Forbes, a conceited playboy with pale, lifeless eyes and a hunger that feels anything but human.

But when Silas appears at her apothecary days later, it becomes clear he is no ordinary prey. Wherever Alina turns, Silas is there – watching, waiting, and weaving himself into her life with an intensity that both unnerves and enthralls her.

As their twisted courtship deepens, whispers of scandal and unseen enemies begin to close in. Alina must protect her secrets and her heart, but Silas is a predator unlike any she’s faced. Will she succumb to his darkly seductive charm or be able to outwit the monster who has turned her own deadly game against her?

*This is a dark, supernatural romance for a mature, 18+ audience and contains themes and content that aren’t to everyone’s liking. Please check the author’s note at the beginning of the book for content warnings before reading.*

Tropes include:

- True enemies to lovers
- He’s completely obsessed with her 
- Gothic Horror 
- Morally gray / anti-hero characters 
- STEM heroine 
- Vampires

About the Author

USA TODAY bestselling author I.V. Ophelia is known for her gothic vampire series The Poisoner. Born in small-town New England, she now haunts the streets of New York City, writing the most unhinged tales she can conjure. When not crafting gothic romance, she works as a full-time artist, hoards 19th-century gowns and antique furniture, dotes on her menagerie of pets, and plots her next literary transgression.