Desolate

Spooks and horses

I will note I'm not a romance reader. Usually it's because the genre is soaked in cliches and tropes. And yes, while horses tend to be quite common in women-written fiction (it's a thing, I have no idea why), I was surprised that I didn't get cowboys, nor two dudes making out on the back of one, or long rides followed by sexy picnics. Thus, what is "Desolate"?
This is a LGBT book, that I'd probably lean towards calling it psychic thriller + horror and not in paranormal romance as it's currently classed. Though granted, it does have paranormal and romance, just the Rose Hill asylum featured in this novelette is more Silent Hill and way less roses. Not a bother for me, just letting people know that if you're thinking the Romanian boyfriend, Nicolaj, is a hidden vampire and so on, I'm going to steer you clear here that this isn't particularly cliche or trope-ridden. It's a dual POV that features a man who loves a man. Nicolaj works in a cute store full of pagan goodies (and is practicing himself), and Westley is a medium who sees dead people and is otherwise focusing on his Olympic equestrian career. And a particular spirit from Rose (Silent) Hill has it out for Westley.
Spice level is classed as a one, though author Lea does really write some absolutely sensational kissing. They're an author who likes going into depth of place, and their rituals are evocative. The book unfortunately has more word missups than normal, and at times the dialogue and personal descriptors are written in a regency style rather than contemporary. I'd like to see Lea tackle the regency romance genre because their literary voice gravitates naturally towards it. (Which I personally think is hard to do.)
My general criticisms of the story is the sudden surprise introduction that Westley can actually see ghosts. Vito, his guardian ghost/spirit/angel is just thrust into the story as if the reader is supposed to know him, which had me startled. If there is a precursor story to this one, maybe that would work, but I found it jarring. The other one is something that will hopefully resolve itself within the series, because if this was a stand-alone novelette, it is a detriment. There are three conflicts in the story that the heroes must confront: 1, the ghost that is attacking Westley. 2, the equestrian competitions. 3, Westley and Nicolaj's communication. And the latter is where it slips. Westley has told Nicolaj that he sees ghosts following the passing of his parents, and no one else. And Westley is fearful that if Nicolaj finds out about this particularly evil spirit that is harming him, he will be committed to an asylum. Nicolaj is a practicing pagan/witch, and believes in the weird and occult essentially. Also, Nicolaj is a smart and observant man who knows that the evil entity is attacking him. The issues with their relationship are so profound, that at one point Westley is obviously bleeding, he has human-like claw marks down his back, and for the 12th time, Westley gaslights Nicolaj and not only tells him, again, that "everything is fine" he then does the very unclassy thing of bus-throwing Nicolaj's cats and saying the cats did it. Nicolaj in turn is passive-aggressive, constantly blaming Westley for not talking to him (when he already knows what's going on), and defaults to "We'll talk about it later" but never does. This is an unhealthy relationship where the issues noted are unresolved. This isn't the miscommunication trope found in romcoms, this is a toxic relationship that needs help. If this is what Lea is aiming for, they wrote it well, and I hope throughout book's 2, and/or 3 they come to resolve these personal issues and come together better as partners. On the other hand, if this is were a standalone book, a reader might be frustrated. Yes, the Silent Hill dilemma is resolved at least, but hopefully there will be more payoff in the future of this series.
I think that Lea set forth a good base for a series, and they can expresses a freedom in their work unburdened by tropes associated with their genre. This book probably would be best taken in as a whole collection, and hopefully the author is working on the follow up to this. It closes on the one plot point and leaves others open to explore, which is a good marker for series potential.