Dark is the Night - La série

James Spencer is hardly the typical “troubled youth” who ends up at Whisperwood School for Boys. Instead of hating the strict schedules and tight oversight by staff, James blossoms, quickly making friends and indulging in his love of writing, while contemplating the merits of sneaking love poems to the elusive and aloof William Esher. The rumours about William’s sexuality and opium reliance are prime gossip material amongst the third years. Rumours that only further pique James' curiosity to uncover what William is really like beneath all that emotional armor. And, when the normally collected William stumbles in one night, shaken and ranting of ghosts... James is the only one who believes him. James himself has heard the nails dragging down his bedroom door and the sobs echoing in the halls at night. He knows others have, too, even if no one will admit it. The staff refuses to entertain such ridiculous tales, and punishment awaits anyone who brings it up. Their fervent denial and the disappearance of students only furthers James’s determination to find out what secrets Whisperwood is hiding... Especially if it means keeping William and himself from becoming the next victims.

Since graduating from Whisperwood School for Boys, William has found a sense of normalcy in his life with James. He has a steady (albeit secret) relationship, a home, and a job—even if it doesn’t pay the greatest. Nevermind that he lacks James’ reckless bravery when it comes to dealing with spirits; he does his best and it hasn’t killed him thus far. When a new client calls on their expertise in solving a grisly multiple homicide, William resists. They’re spirit hunters, not detectives. But the money is too much to pass up when they don’t know when their next meal will be, and soon they’re arriving at Evenbury Manor, nestled in a close-knit rural community, ready to investigate. They're in over their heads, but in very different ways than William could have anticipated. The hills are filled with creatures far more dangerous than any they've ever encountered, and their usual tactics aren’t working. On top of his renewed struggles with his addiction, William is left to fend for himself against the dead to protect not only the community, but the person in the world that’s most important to him.

Benjamin Prichard has spent much of his life feeling like an outsider. Growing up, his odd behaviour and visions of ghosts left him isolated, not to mention being the child of an immigrant mother and an absent father. Benjamin walks the line between not being Chinese enough for one community, and not English enough for the other. Whisperwood School for Boys changes everything. More specifically, Preston Alexander does. Drawn into a close circle of friends for the first time, Benjamin finally feels as though he’s found somewhere he belongs. But life is never simple; his feelings for Preston are hardly platonic, and Benjamin doesn’t need one more reason to stand out—which means the option of pursuing those feelings is off the table. But after graduation, when tragedy flips his world upside-down, Benjamin will need to decide which path he wants to chase: the one his mother always wanted for him, or the one that follows the boy he loves.

James and William’s first Christmas together in their own home ought to be a cause for celebration. But when money is tight, and William is going through withdrawals in an attempt to get off of his laudanum completely, the level of holiday cheer is dismally low. James won’t give up so easily. Especially when he finds the perfect Christmas gift for William, and he’ll do whatever he must in order to get it. * A Calm Before the Storm is a short Christmas story companion to the Dark is the Night series.

Preston Alexander has wanted to see the world for as long as he can remember. Now, an opportunity has presented itself. A supposedly haunted item needs transporting clear across the Atlantic. James and William can’t take it, so Preston jumps at the chance. He may not know nearly as much about the dead as his friends, but surely it can’t be that difficult. Besides, he won’t be alone: Benjamin will be at his side, and together, they’ve always been able to handle anything. After abandoning his new job and the strained relationship with his father, and still grieving the loss of his mother, Benjamin Prichard is eager to figure out his place and purpose in life. He isn’t keen on the idea of travelling across the world, but if it means staying with Preston and keeping him out of trouble, he’s willing to give it a go. But their trip isn’t exactly the holiday they’d hoped for. Not only is their cargo possessed, but it’s also sought after by a mysterious group led by a man with supernatural abilities far beyond what either of them thought humanly possible. They aren’t just being trailed; they’re being hunted. This time, the true danger is as much the living as it is the dead.