Book 1

Devil's Cove

by R C Matthews

Published 29 August 2016
Shrouded in unspeakable horror and spoken of only in whispers, the abandoned Devil's Cove Manor lures Captain Devlin Limmerick and his unquenchable thirst for revenge to its doors. Feared as the Devil on the high seas, the pirate's desire to avenge his past is matched only by his hunger for the powerful young medium he has coerced to aid him in his nefarious quest.

Blinded from youth and touched with an ability to communicate beyond the grave, Grace is both feared and revered by the uneasy town folk. Yet she is powerless against the unrest brewing within the manor walls and finds herself drawn to the Devil's darkness. Still, she refuses to sacrifice her soul to set Devlin's unspeakable plans in motion.

But an evil lurks within these walls, and their very souls are in jeopardy. Grace's presence at the manor spurs inexplicable happenings, forcing Devlin to believe nothing is as dead as it seems--not even his heart. Plunged into the throes of passion and danger, they discover the only way out is to search deep within and summon the courage to believe in true love.

Sensuality Level: Sensual

Book 2

Blackburn Castle

by R C Matthews

Published 10 April 2017
Curses and witches enliven this gothic romance, the second in Matthews’s Tortured Souls saga.

Victor Blackburn is living on borrowed time. An ancient curse violently claims the life of each Blackburn male on his twenty-seventh birthday. As his approaches, his only hope of survival is a witch who vanished long ago without a trace.

Mercy Seymour eagerly counts down the days until the curse will claim Victor’s life. She watched him murder her mother, and only his death will free her of the hatred and anger she harbors.

When fate throws them together in Devil’s Cove, desire simmers between the handsome pirate and the spirited barkeeper’s niece until they learn the truth about each other. Desperate for her cooperation, Victor spirits her away to Blackburn Castle in the Scottish Highlands, where forces of magic and mists from beyond the grave weaken her resolve, opening her eyes to the truth of the past.

As Victor and Mercy unearth the fabled stones needed to break the curse, they discover that the only weapon powerful enough to destroy hate is love. But will they have to sacrifice their relationship to save what means the most to them?

Sensuality Level: Sensual

Book 3

River Road

by R C Matthews

Published 6 November 2017
When a pirate and voodoo priestess must lift a deadly curse on those they love, do they dare let a relationship blossom amid danger? River Road is the gothically satisfying end to this fan-favorite series!

Charles Moore relishes his dangerous life as the pirate Hatchet, since manning a clipper ship keeps his mind off the role he played in the brutal Civil War. But now an ancient curse has killed two of his loves, and he can’t ignore the whispers that New Orleans’s Voodoo Queen, Marie Laveau herself, has hexed his family.

Creole widow Hope Leblonc bristles under the city’s Black Codes that have stripped her of so many freedoms and forced her practice of voodoo underground. When Hatchet treats her like the respectable woman she is, she offers him a deal: she’ll lift the curse if he’ll steal back a family relic she needs to become a mambo in her religion.

But they’re both holding secrets that endanger their lives. When ghosts from the past exact revenge for the skeletons in the Moore family closet, they reveal a connection between Hope and Hatchet that makes the curse more powerful than ever. Will they discover that love is worth the risk in time to survive the coming darkness?

Sensuality Level: Sensual

Tortured Souls

by R C Matthews

Published 12 March 2018
Pirates, witches, curses, and voodoo form a thrilling backdrop for this sensual gothic series that “keeps readers absolutely riveted” (Library Journal).

Devil’s Cove: Captain Devlin Limmerick, the pirate feared as the Devil, eagerly takes ownership of the abandoned Devil Cove’s Manor in his quest for vengeance on his past. Only Grace, a beautiful, blind medium, can aid him with his nefarious plan. Yet even though she finds herself drawn to his darkness, she refuses to sacrifice her soul to set his revenge in motion. Plunged into the throes of passion and danger, they discover the only way free from the evil closing in on them is to summon the courage to believe in true love.

Blackburn Castle: An ancient curse violently claims the life of each Blackburn male on his twenty-seventh birthday, and Victor Blackburn’s only hope of survival is tied to a witch who vanished long ago. Mercy Seymour eagerly counts the days until Victor’s death will free her of the hatred and anger she harbors after watching him kill her mother years ago. Yet when fate throws them together, desire simmers between the handsome pirate and the spirited barkeeper’s niece…until they learn each other’s true identities. Desperate, Victor spirits her away to Blackburn Castle, where they discover that the only weapon powerful enough to destroy hate is love. But must they sacrifice their relationship to save each other?

River Road: An ancient curse has killed two of Charles Moore’s loves, and the pirate known as Hatchet blames New Orleans’s Voodoo Queen, Marie Laveau herself, for the hex. Creole widow Hope Leblonc bristles under the city’s Black Codes that have forced her practice of voodoo underground. When Hatchet treats her like the respectable woman she is, she offers him a deal: she’ll lift the curse if he’ll steal back a family relic she needs. But they’re both holding secrets, and ghosts from the past reveal a connection between Hope and Hatchet that makes the curse more powerful than ever. Is love enough to survive the coming darkness?

Sensuality Level: Sensual