Crossed by Emily McIntire

Crossed by Emily McIntire

Crossed (published in August 2023) is the fifth book in Emily McIntire’s smash-hit Never After series. The series is famous for its dark, "fractured fairy tale" romances that flip classic stories on their heads, reimagining the villains as the protagonists and giving them their own twisted happily-ever-afters.

Crossed is a dark contemporary reimagining of Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. It explores a deeply taboo, high-stakes relationship where religious devotion collisions head-on with obsession.

The story takes place in the gloomy, corrupt town of Festivalé, Vermont, and follows two incredibly complex protagonists:

• Father Cade Frédéric: A devout Catholic priest who moved from the streets of Paris to dedicate his life to the church. However, Cade harbors a violent inner darkness—a "sickness" that drives him to brutally murder those he deems too sinful to live, acting as a self-appointed executioner.

• Amaya Paquette: A resilient 24-year-old woman carrying massive emotional scars. By day, she acts as a mother figure to her younger brother, Quinten (who is autistic). By night, she does what she must to survive and protect him—working as a stripper at a local club under the stage name Esmeralda.

When Father Cade arrives in town to cleanse it of sin, he crosses paths with Amaya. He is instantly transfixed and consumed by an aggressive, overwhelming obsession. Convinced that her hypnotic beauty is a form of "witchcraft" designed to lure him into damnation, Cade originally stalks her with the intent to destroy her to save his own soul.

But as their volatile paths continue to cross—and as Cade bonds unexpectedly with her little brother—the thick line between his religious righteousness and absolute sin completely disintegrates. They find themselves caught in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse against local town corruption, a predatory wealthy mogul named Parker, and the ghosts of their own pasts.

Language: English.

Genre: Romance.

Binding: সেলাই করা বাইন্ডিং

Quality: Premium Quality Books.

Printing: High Quality Printing.

Paper: Eye Friendly paper (Cream White)

Cover: Matt cover (Paperback).