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Made by people who love these books as much as you do.
Deluxe editions of dark romance. Dark contemporary, dark fantasy, dark western, and more to come. Crafted with the authors and artists we adore.
Edition 01 is open
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One copy per reader · Ships within the US and Canada
DESTROYER by Meg Smitherman
It’s a Love Story- After Dark, Edition 01
At the center of a forbidden ruin, an artifact of black stone is unearthed.
Archaeologist Ru Delara, vilified by the scientific community for believing in magic, is summoned to investigate. But when she arrives, she finds herself inexorably drawn to the artifact, even though it could harbor untold destructive power.
Unable to resist its pull, Ru reaches out to touch the stone...
Waking in the dark, naked and alone, Ru sees that everything and everyone within a mile radius has been vaporized. Only she and the artifact remain intact. When a windswept stranger called Fen finds her in this vulnerable state, she has no choice but to accept his help.
Determined to discover the artifact's true nature, Ru and Fen travel to the Cornelian Tower, the scientific heart of the kingdom. But conspiracy brews in the capital city, and it's clear that Ru isn't the only person with a vested interest in the artifact.
Drawn into a conflict they hardly understand, all while contending with a profound and consuming mutual attraction, Ru and Fen must unravel the secrets of the artifact before it falls into the wrong hands... before its darkness engulfs them all.
About this edition
Our first After Dark edition: a deluxe collector’s hardcover of book one in Meg Smitherman’s dark fantasy duet, with original art by Kasia Jasmina.
Details
Images shown are mockups. The final edition may vary slightly.
We love our authors and our artists. Immensely. After Dark exists because a few books, and the people who pour themselves into them, deserve more than a paperback and a quiet shelf. Everything here is made by hand, with care, by people who genuinely cannot stop talking about these stories.
We publish dark romance across three worlds, with more waiting in the wings. Each edition is chosen because we could not put it down.
Real-world romance with its claws out. Morally gray love interests, slow burns that leave a mark, and want that refuses to behave.
Romance with teeth and magic. Cursed bargains, monstrous love interests, and worlds you would give almost anything to fall into.
Dust, heat, and heartbreak. Outlaws and ranchers, revenge and longing, all of it under a sky full of stars.
There are other worlds we are not ready to whisper yet.
We want to work hand in hand with the authors we already cannot shut up about, and we want to champion the smaller indie voices whose stories deserve a much bigger room. Either way it is a collaboration, never a transaction. We share the spotlight, we credit the work, and we send readers straight to your books.
We make books you would stand face out on a shelf. Original cover art, illustrated endpapers, sprayed edges, foil. We commission real artists and put their names on the work, because a special edition is a little gallery you can hold. Made to be displayed, not hidden.
Make art with usAfter Dark comes from It's a Love Story Books & Cafe, a romance bookstore and cafe you can actually walk into. It is where every edition begins: behind the counter, with a recommendation and something warm to drink. It is a pretty cool place, honestly.
Edition 02 is already in the works. Leave your email and you will get one quiet note when it is named, before anyone else.