Author: Sarah Jane Whitney
First Published: 30 October 2026
“I’m exactly as dangerous as I intend to be.”
I will start by saying that I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are my own. Thank you so much to Sarah for sending a copy my way!
Adam made a world where men are gods and women are warnings.
But Lilith was never meant to kneel.
She returns not to forgive, but to set the record alight—dragging divine lies into the flames with Lucian, the Morningstar, at her side.
Together, they turn passion into retribution… and make the gods remember why they feared her first
Beyond the Dark & Deadly Woods is the gothic paranormal romance of my dreams. It has Supernatural and Penny Dreadful vibes, all wrapped up in lush European Folklore. I devoured this. I 100% will reread this next spooky season.
It’s 1886, and the hunting season has officially arrived in Kingshollow. For 6 months, the aristocracy will hunt every creature that lurks in the dark. It’s a tradition, a sport for them. Imogen Halliwell is an up-and-coming hunter and socialite whose strange ways have a high success rate. Her success is thanks to her shapeshifting demon familiar, Silas. This might be her last season and she’s determined to forge her own path away from her brother’s plans. She takes on The Brentworth Bounty, a deadly quest that’s already killed several hunters. With Silas by her side, Imogen believes she can find the creature. First, she needs to research, as information is power. Enter Professor Bryce Arden, a folklorist with a convenient expertise in the occult. Arden has his own agenda. Under his academic facade is a vengeful pagan god who Brentworth’s late heir summoned. He gets closer to Imogen to see if she can find the grimoire that summoned him. Once she helps him, he’ll dispatch Imogen like the other hunters. The more time they spend together, the more he finds himself willing to make an exception for Imogen and her intriguing ‘pet cat’.
Imogen is a bit of an outcast. She’s an up-and-coming hunter renowned for her success rate and her willingness to find the nonlethal option. This is largely thanks to Silas, her demon familiar. My heart breaks for her as everything she know is about to change as her bond to Silas is coming to end and her brother is arranging her marriage. She’s determined not to be treated as an object to be traded to improve her family’s standing. Imogen is relentless and throws herself into this hunt, as too much is riding on it, even if it comes at the expense of her and those she loves.
Oh Arden! We love a monster who falls hard for his human. He does have this Howl vibe to him – dramatic, charming, with a deadly edge. I adore how it took him forever to figure out why he was obsessed with Imogen. The way he swoops in at the end had me swooning!
We do get some excellent steamy scenes. Imogen is wonderfully practical and understands that their arrangement will be casual for the duration of the hunt. She also needs to be discreet because while societal expectations relax during the hunting season, her reputation will be stained if their entanglement gets out. I adore how frustrated Arden gets at how practical she is about it because maybe he wants cuddles after. We also have a caretaking scene, which you know is my favourite, and I adored how he heals her after she’s ambushed during an investigation.
I adored this world. If that epilogue is anything to go by, we will be getting more from it. If you love horror and folklore of the Souls Trilogy by Harley Laroux & the lush gothic vibes of I.V. Ophelia’s The Poisoner series, you need to add this to your TBR.
