Cradle of Secrets: A Gothic Fantasy (Cradle of Secrets, 1)

When an intrepid American with a dark past becomes a hired gun for a mysterious woman in London, he’s shocked to discover a world crawling with monsters.

Jem has lied and cheated his way out of America and into the most fashionable circles of Victorian London’s elite. He has almost everything he ever wanted: a beautiful, if gullible, tycoon’s daughter on his arm and a patron who’s willing to fund his lavish lifestyle. But none of it delivers the high he always thought it would. So when a mysterious woman called Felicity appears at a ball and asks him to demonstrate his legendary gunslinger skills, he can’t resist.

But Jem is about to realise the problem with inventing yourself an elaborate adventuring background: it doesn’t hold up very long when you’re confronted with real monsters risen from the grave.

Narrowly escaping with his life, Jem discovers Felicity isn’t all that she appears either. He tries to return to normality, but when tragedy strikes, he’s forced to seek her out at her home, Grimwood Manor, where he finds her surrounded by a motley crew of friends, none of whom seem exactly . . . human.

Swept up in a world of witches, werewolves, and other creatures that ought not to exist, Jem struggles to keep his dark past buried. But when a string of supernatural murders rocks the human world, he must confront his fears and join forces with his new friends to figure out who’s creating monsters out of men.

A perfect blend of fantasy, romance, and paranormal mystery, Cradle of Secrets is the brilliant start to a gripping series perfect for fans of Bridgerton and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

Jasmine Wigham is the author of the Cradle of Secrets series. She grew up in County Durham, in England, reading any book she could get her hands on and fell in love with fantasy and its many worlds. Some of her favourite authors include Leigh Bardugo, Adiba Jaigirdar, Marissa Meyer, and Chloe Gong. When she’s not reading or writing, Wigham enjoys walking along the coast or watching period dramas.