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Diana Gabaldon
4.8
Fairydale: A Dark Gothic Fantasy Romance
by Veronica Lancet
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About this book
In 1955, orphaned teacher Darcy O’Sullivan travels to the remote, mist-shrouded coastal town of Fairydale to claim an inheritance from a father she never knew. What begins as a quest for answers regarding her lineage quickly devolves into a descent into a waking nightmare. Fairydale is a place of inexplicable deaths and dark, suffocating secrets, and Darcy finds herself caught in a volatile tug-of-war between two men who defy conventional explanation.
By day, she is drawn to Caleb Hale, a brooding local whose intensity exposes her hidden desires and pulls her into the town’s dangerous social web. By night, she is haunted by the spectral presence of Amon d’Artan, a charming nobleman from the eighteenth century who infiltrates her dreams with unsettling intimacy. As the boundary between the living and the dead blurs, Darcy struggles to discern reality from hallucination.
When an ancient, malevolent force awakens to threaten the town, she realizes her arrival was no accident. To survive the encroaching darkness, Darcy must navigate a lethal love triangle and confront the truth of her own bloodline, knowing that the cost of her choices may be her very soul.
Available Formats
Kindle: $0.00 Audiobook: $0.00
What readers are saying
Chloe harpertantalizing, flirtatious, Encourageable, horrifying
"Opinion: I loved this book. It has such a gothic horror fantasy romance vibe with historic elements. Darcy. I loved the character development of Darcy . Once we find out about her traumatic background and the pain she has endured as Sela, and her other variations of herself. It’s like you want her to finally be happy in this life. Amon, The man that you are , yes he is deliciously morally gray , he will literally burn the world over the death of his wife, and honestly I love to see it. This man was the biggest “it’s on site” “keep my wife’s name out yo mouth” type of man. I read some comments where people were like saying rape is romanized in this book. But where was that even at ?? Did you even read the book all the way through ? Spice : 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ ( the heat builds as the tension does) Themes: reincarnation, historic plots with a twist, religion, finding humility, second chances, healing from trauma, invisible loyalties, self sacrifice, enemies to lovers, fated mates Triggers: Blood play, suggested and described grape (pp. 316), child abuse, torture Plot: Darcy is an orphaned English teacher who was left by her mother to be raised by nuns. One day she received a letter addressed from a place called Fairydale, to attend her father’s reading of the will whom she never knew existed. When she arrived she quickly learns that nothing is as it seems there. But despite her growing concerns over strange phenomena that keeps happening, everyone acts as if it is a normal everyday thing. Until, Darcy is faced with multiple mind altering events that shape her perception of her current reality and leave her questioning if she is in fact going mad. She continues to stay in town for the money that is promised To her in her father’s will. While also dealing with strange dreams that started ever since she stepped foot in town. Dreams places and people she has never been, but they feel so familiar. As Darcy begins to try to attempt to put prices together she meets a man that feels frighteningly familiar she can’t help but feel pulled to him. And she soon finds out how all of these coincidences play a part in her place in Fairydale. ["
September 10, 2025 Verified Purchase
Ashley WadleyCaptivating
"Fairydale immediately captivated me with its unique blend of gothic horror, dark fantasy, and multi-timeline romance. Fairydale the town was unsettling and mysterious from the start, for example the eerie piano scene in the church, which hinted at a world where nothing was as it seemed. Although I did find myself re-reading passages due to occasional confusion, the compelling elements outweighed this for me. Amon, the morally grey hero with an intensity that is utterly captivating. His possessive, and deeply traumatized nature, paired with his sharp intelligence and fierce protectiveness, quickly made him my favorite. I loved his poetic declarations of devotion, such as "Where you go, I go. If you exist so do I, and if you're not, nor am.” Darcy made me laugh out loud when refusing to be spoken down to. But, her composure during the truly bizarre and unsettling events, especially given her sheltered and religious upbringing, sometimes stretched believability. I also felt that certain secondary plotlines, like the Pierce family and Darcy's potential half-siblings, held immense, yet unexplored, potential. While Amon completely won me over, the relationship between Caleb and Darcy didn't quite capture my interest in the same way. Overall, Fairydale is a book of striking contrasts. Despite some issues with pacing and character choices that may not suit every reader, those seeking an intense, obsessive, and emotionally charged dark romance will find themselves deeply drawn into its powerful and distinctive narrative. ["
July 2, 2025 Verified Purchase
Shannon S.Wow — that was a long 3 week journey!
"Ummmm… what in the 700+ pages and 31 hours of audio did I just experience over the last 3 weeks of my life? I genuinely considered DNFing Fairydale multiple times—but somehow, every time I got close to quitting, something pulled me right back in. Whether it was my own need to see how the chaos unraveled or the author’s knack for dropping just enough intrigue to keep me invested, I kept going. This is a dark gothic historical romance with heavy paranormal, horror, and fantasy elements, told across three separate storylines that constantly jump between timelines and POVs. That structure alone made it difficult to stay fully grounded—especially during the first 60% of the book. I found myself reading just a few chapters a day, struggling to connect deeply with the characters. But once I passed that point, the pacing picked up and I devoured the second half in a couple of days. That said, this book is long—and not just in page count. The narrative feels stretched in places, with too much time spent on smaller, less relevant details, and not enough on areas that really needed more depth or clarification. There were some plot points I really wanted the author to explore further, but can’t get into without major spoilers. The writing itself felt somewhat unpolished, and the book could’ve benefitted from tighter editing. It’s one of the longest books I’ve ever finished—and while I’m glad I stuck with it, I don’t see myself revisiting it again. It felt like a long walk for a small glass of water: satisfying in the end, but not quite worth the trek a second time. As for the audiobook, I used Whispersync with Kindle and listened to narrators Rylee Kuberra and Christian Gilliland. They did a decent job overall, but some key emotional scenes fell a little flat and lacked the intensity the story demanded. If you enjoy dark academia meets gothic fantasy with complex timelines and a hauntingly eerie atmosphere, Fairydale may be worth the time investment—but go in knowing it’s a slow burn in every sense of the word. ["
June 11, 2025 Verified Purchase
Emma LawlessAn epic adventure across different timelines and histories!
"Fairytale is an epic adventure across different timelines and histories that bring forth fresh plot lines that I, personally, have never read before. The amount of plot twists this book had made me audibly gasping and eagerly turning to the next page. I was addicted from the get go with the mystery that was placed on our FMC. This book was thrilling, mysterious, HOT, and nerve wracking. I swear I went through the stages of grief reading this. I got choked up several times reading the interactions and desperation between our MC’s. It was tragic and romantic as hell. I loved the gothic vibes and while I felt the story was a bit scrambled (strictly due to the multiple timelines and history) I felt it all fell into place near the end of the book. I DO wish we got a bit of an extension towards the end because I felt it was a tad bit rushed, but that may just be my desire to see the interactions between the MC’s last a new lifetime. The little bit of monster romance we got in the mix had me kicking my feet and squealing like a teenage girl. Overall, this book was epic and emotional and I loved it so, so much. I read the ebook, but bought a physical copy immediately for my trophy shelf. I look forward to the audiobook in a few months, as I’m sure it’ll bring these characters to life in ways I could never expect! ["
January 15, 2025 Verified Purchase
