Father Cade, a priest in an alpine village, harbors a violent obsession with punishing those he deems immoral. When Amaya, a woman fleeing a traumatic past, appears in his parish to care for her sister, his rigid morality clashes with a dangerous attraction. This dark retelling of The Hunchback of Notre Dame centers on the psychological tension between religious fervor and physical desire. Cade attempts to suppress his impulses through self-inflicted penance, while Amaya’s arrival forces him to choose between his vows and his predatory instincts.
This novel serves readers of dark romance who seek stories centered on moral corruption and the anti-hero trope. It attracts those interested in the subversion of religious imagery and the blurred lines between salvation and damnation. Readers walk away with a graphic portrayal of how obsession overrides ideology, focusing on the psychological decay of a man who serves a god while indulging in his own shadow. The narrative delivers a stark look at the consequences of repression within a high-stakes, forbidden relationship.
Insights from Crossed
“I am a man of God, but I am still just a man.”
Father Cade spends his whole life hiding behind a collar. He realizes he can't pray away a desire that feels as natural as breathing.
“I don’t want to be saved. I want to be seen.”
Amaya grew up in a world that tried to break her spirit. She uses her pain as a shield instead of a weakness.
“The devil doesn't come in red. He comes in a suit and a smile.”
The church in this story isn't a sanctuary. It is a cage built by men who fear what they cannot control.
“She is my sin. And I am her salvation.”
Cade thinks he is protecting Amaya from himself. He is actually just starving them both of the only truth they have.
- Published
- 2023
- Publisher
- Sourcebooks, Incorporated
- ISBN
- 9781728275857
- Language
- EN
