Voices in the Briars

The reserves of St. Jerome's orphanage have never enjoyed an easy life. Born with disabilities or deformities, they're separated from the rest of the orphans and are marked for a future working for the guilds or in noble households as servants. At least that's the belief for as long as the orphanage has been around.

Lóránt Kárpáthy was born mute and as such has become the target of bullies. He's also drawn the attention of fiery-tempered Dávid Bodnár, an older boy who gladly takes on the mantle of Lóránt's protector. The two friends find solace in each other's company through shared daydreams and hopes for the future.

It's a close bond that is soon tested when David is adopted while Lóránt becomes the special beneficiary of a mysterious patron. A patron who sees to Lóránt's education and sudden exclusion from the rest of the orphans when he's sent to live in near solitude in St. Jerome's north tower.

A childhood of colorful daydreams in spite of heartbreak falls prey to dark hallucinations that devour time. To the blood-soaked secrets of a family descended from a line of legendary hunters. To the appearance of a strange nobleman claiming the hand of a young man, a nobleman who brings his new husband to a sprawling manor hiding its own secrets behind its shut doors, its sepulchral corridors, and its army of silent servants. There are secrets outside as well—among seductive roses and hungry, whispering briars.

And woven among those secrets is the terrible truth behind St. Jerome's reserves.

Set in the dark dreamscape of 19th century Hungary, Voices in the Briars is a gothic gay romance and a retelling of the "Bluebeard" fairy tale.