Cinnamon ‘Cinn’ Saunders thought he’d learnt to control his little ghost problem. 

That is, until the moment he brings back a malevolent spirit from the shadowrealm, and quickly finds himself unjustly arrested for the murder of four people. 

After breaking free of foster care and a stint in juvie, all Cinn wanted to do was keep his head down and work his way up to become a professional chef. Now he’s forced to make a choice: life in jail, or allow a stranger to whisk him away to a mysterious institute in rural Switzerland with the promise of learning how to control his terrifying supernatural abilities.

Julien, the French charismatic charmer who is charged with warding over Cinn, also has a problem: the murder of his sister is still unsolved.

He needs help. Help that only Cinn can provide. He’ll do anything to get it, including making Cinn an offer that he can’t refuse. What Julien doesn't expect out of the bargain is their undeniable connection, which only serves to complicate matters as they navigate uncharted territories together.

Between battling an uprising of deadly creatures that not only threaten the moteblessed community, but the entire planet, and fighting their ever-growing attraction, can this opposites-attract pair overcome their demons to save the world, and each other?

The Shadows Beyond is part 1 of an MM urban fantasy romance duology, The overarching plot continues into book 2, with the end of book 1 offering a ‘happy-for-now’ for the main characters.

Content warnings: one usage of period appropriate homophobic language, alcohol & substance abuse (side characters), historic child abuse, smoking, grieving for deceased family members, violence, blood, gore, drowning, mentions of trauma

Cinnamon ‘Cinn’ Saunders has learnt a lot since his arrival at the Aurelia Arcanum Institute of Esoteric Sciences.

He's learnt he’s a shadowslipper, capable of moving between realms.

He's learnt that he's expected to be the solution to the ever-growing waves of deadly umbraphage attacks.

He's learnt that cocky French men with pretty, punchable faces can be fun to kiss. 

After Cinn's explosive arrival into his world, Julien Montaigne has also learnt a lot.

His dead sister Béatrice was a member of the terrorist group, the Arcane Purifiers;

Béatrice may or may not have returned to them as the world’s ugliest cat;

English men with a fondness for beanie hats make him go weak at the knees.

Trouble is stirring, and Cinn, Julien, Darcy and Elliot are about to be caught in the cross-fire between the consortium and the Arcane Purifiers. As dangers circle like sharks, the four friends must unravel the threads of the mysteries they’re wrapped up in and choose which side of the war they belong to before their enemies close in.