Marlene Dawson "Mystic Ember"

16 booksFantasyCozy FantasyUrban Fantasy

Marlene Dawson writes atmospheric romance and mystery novels infused with haunting settings, emotional depth, and a touch of the mystical. Drawn to storm-soaked coastlines, hidden secrets, candlelit shops, and complicated hearts, her stories blend romance, suspense, and magical realism into immersive worlds readers can disappear into. When she isn’t writing, Marlene spends her time surrounded by houseplants, crystals, animals, and creative projects inspired by nature and folklore. She is also the creator behind The Mystic Ember and Houseplants4you, where her love of storytelling, beauty, and quiet magic continues beyond the page. She believes every story should feel like stepping into another world—and that some places, much like secrets, never truly let you go.

KDP

Books

The Guardian Cats of Elderwood

The Guardian Cats of Elderwood

An ancient magic awakens when a forest's smallest protectors face their final stand.

Fantasy

For ten years, Emma Carter has found solace in the quiet shadows of Elderwood Forest, feeding a colony of feral cats she believes are just strays. But these are no ordinary felines. They are the Guardian Cats—ancient magical protectors bound to the land by a prehistoric pact. When charismatic developer Daniel Brooks arrives with blueprints for luxury apartments, Emma’s world shatters. Her plan to relocate the colony reveals a devastating secret: the cats are tethered to the forest’s soul. To move them is to kill them. As the bulldozers idle at the edge of the woods, the discovery of a tiny, dying kitten named Rowan changes everything. Bearing the mark of the legendary Heart Guardian, Rowan holds the key to a power long forgotten. Now, an unlikely alliance forms between a woman fighting for her friends and a man forced to choose between his career and the magic he never believed existed. As the Harvest Moon rises, the forest itself begins to stir. Emma and Daniel must stand their ground against the machinery of progress to save the last fairies and ensure the magic of Elderwood doesn't vanish forever. Escape into a world of wonder, whiskers, and the enduring power of nature in this enchanting tale of bravery and belonging.

Out of Bounds

Out of Bounds

A single mistake shattered her memory, but his hidden truth could break her heart

Romance

One misplaced swing. One split second. One life changed forever. Sebastian Cruz is the king of the court, a tennis prodigy known for his lethal precision. But during a high-stakes match, his focus falters, and a stray ball strikes Elena Hart, a young ball girl, with devastating force. When she wakes up in the hospital, the world is a blank slate. She doesn't remember the accident, the sport, or the man sitting by her bedside with a haunted look in his eyes. Consumed by a guilt he can't escape, Sebastian becomes Elena's silent protector. He offers her a place to recover, a sanctuary within his walls. As the days turn into weeks, their connection transcends the boundaries of player and stranger. In the quiet moments between physical therapy and shared dinners, a deep, magnetic love begins to bloom. Elena is falling for the man who saved her—unaware that he is the very reason she needed saving. But secrets have a way of finding the light. When the digital trail of that fateful match surfaces, the foundation of their new life together is pushed to the breaking point. Can a relationship built on a beautiful lie survive the ugly truth? Or was their love out of bounds from the very beginning?

Falling Crow on a Tuesday

Falling Crow on a Tuesday

When the sky rains black feathers, the heart learns to fear the coming Tuesday

Romance
Horror

Science cannot explain the rain of feathers and hollowed-out hearts in Oakhaven. Every Tuesday at exactly 5:15 PM, the sky goes dark as hundreds of crows drop dead, their bodies devoid of life but untouched by poison. For Dr. Evelyn Shaw, a clinical ornithologist, the phenomenon is a biological impossibility she is determined to solve. But when she arrives in the eerie town, her data-driven logic crumbles before the terrifying reality of the Blackwood Marsh. Nathan Cole, a reclusive biologist with a haunted past, has been tracking the shadows for years. Together, they unravel a dark tapestry of ancient family secrets and supernatural debt. The Vane family is preparing for an ascension, and the crows are merely the appetizer for an entity that has grown hungry for larger prey. As the 'Tuesday Event' begins to mark Evelyn herself, the investigation transforms into a desperate struggle for survival. Amidst the rot of the swamp and the rising tide of horror, an unlikely romance flickers into life—a fragile light in a town built on blood. To stop the cycle, Evelyn must choose between the cold facts of her training and the visceral, magical truth required to survive the final sacrifice. In Oakhaven, the silence is louder than the scream.

The Glass Archivist

The Glass Archivist

In the shadows of the Berlin Wall, one man's secrets could poison a nation

Historical Fiction
Thriller

East Berlin, 1960. Hansel Koertig is a man of shadows, a low-level archivist for the Stasi who finds safety in the silence of glass plate negatives. But when he discovers a hidden cache of photographs, the quiet life he has built begins to shatter. The plates reveal a high-ranking official in secret meetings with a man long dead—evidence of a catastrophic bioweapon experiment known as Project Viridian. Now, that failed legacy is leaking into the local water supply, and Hansel’s own daughter is paying the price in blood. To save his family, Hansel must do the unthinkable: smuggle the evidence across the Berlin Wall. His only hope lies with a desperate network of tunnel diggers, but a mole within the Ministry is closing in. With a mandatory interrogation scheduled for the end of the week, Hansel is trapped in a deadly game of cat and mouse. In a city where every wall has ears and every coworker is a potential informant, Hansel must identify the traitor before his time runs out. The truth is fragile as glass, and the price of exposure is death. Marlene Dawson Mystic Ember delivers a chilling, high-stakes Cold War thriller that explores the cost of silence and the weight of a father’s love.

Where the Wild Fields Bloom

Where the Wild Fields Bloom

Healing old wounds requires more than just rebuilding a broken barn

Romance

Sarah Thorne has spent her life strategically planning her next move, but no corporate strategy could prepare her for the wreckage of her heart. Following the sudden loss of her husband, Sarah trades her polished Connecticut high-society life for a crumbling Pennsylvania farm purchased sight-unseen. She expected a project; she didn't expect a revolution. Jackson Miller knows every inch of that soil—and he knows exactly how it feels to lose it. Forced to work as a handyman on the land his family lost to foreclosure, Jackson has every reason to resent the city woman with the checkbook. But as the autumn chill turns into a brutal winter, the shared labor of restoration begins to bridge the divide between them. From battling unseasonal ice storms to fending off a predatory developer intent on paving over their heritage, Sarah and Jackson find a rhythm that transcends their contracts. But with her condescending brother-in-law breathing down her neck and small-town gossip swirling, Sarah must decide if she's just visiting the ruins or if she's finally found a place where she can truly bloom. In this slow-burn romance, two broken souls discover that the most resilient legacies are built on the foundations we choose to save.

The Starlight Thorn

The Starlight Thorn

A cursed touch, an immortal guardian, and a magic that blooms in the dark

Fantasy
Romance

In the kingdom of the Sundered Plains, Lyra Solari is a woman defined by what she destroys. Cursed with a touch that withers all life, the exiled botanist searches for the Midnight Tendril—a mythical vine rumored to bloom only during a total eclipse. It is her only hope to break her blight, but the price of salvation is steeper than she imagined. When the moon finally masks the sun, Lyra’s blood accidentally awakens Vesperian, a spirit-knight bound to the vine for millennia. He is her protector, her captive, and soon, her heart’s greatest desire. But their awakening has not gone unnoticed. The Arch-Magus Malakor is hunting the plant’s celestial magic to secure eternal life, and his armies are turning the world to ash to find it. As the vine begins to die, so does Vesperian. To save the man she loves and prevent a tyrant from seizing godhood, Lyra must embrace the very destruction she has spent her life fleeing. In a world at war, she must decide if her touch is a curse or the precise weapon needed to save a fading realm. Love and duty collide in this breathtaking romantic fantasy where the brightest stars are born from the deepest shadows.

The Glass Fortress

The Glass Fortress

Building an empire requires a strong foundation, but passion could bring it all down

Romance

Gage West is used to hostile territory, but the boardrooms of West Construction are deadlier than the mountains of Kandahar. Returning home to reclaim his late father’s crumbling empire, the former Tier-1 operator finds himself surrounded by corporate vultures and family betrayal. To save his legacy, he needs a vision—and only one woman has the brilliance to provide it. Maya Brooks is an architectural genius with a reputation in ruins. Blacklisted by an industry that fears her talent, she has every reason to stay in the shadows. But when Gage offers her the chance to design the Landmark Project, the professional sparks fly—and the personal ones ignite. As they reconstruct more than just steel and glass, their intense connection shatters every boundary they’ve built to protect themselves. But their enemies are watching. From the predatory Julian Vane to the venomous Cassandra West, those who want the company will stop at nothing to expose the scandals hidden behind the glass walls. In a world of corporate sabotage and high-stakes desire, Gage and Maya must decide if their love is a structural flaw or the strongest foundation they’ve ever known. Survival is a design choice. Winning is a war.

The Heir I Was Told To Hate

The Heir I Was Told To Hate

A forbidden, scorching romance between enemy heirs

Romance
Erotica

They were raised to destroy each other. Damon Kael and Liora Vex are heirs to rival shipping empires locked in a decades-long war that has already claimed too many lives. At a glittering gala in Monaco, a single look ignites an obsession neither can control. Their nights become stolen moments aboard luxury yachts and secret coastal villas, where their bodies betray every loyalty they were taught. But while Damon’s father plots Liora’s death, her father readies a takeover that will leave the Kaels ruined. Caught between ruthless dynasties and a love that could ruin them both, they must choose: the empires they were born to inherit, or the fire that consumes every rule they once obeyed. A searing, high-heat forbidden romance for readers who crave danger, desire, and the ultimate betrayal.

The Rival's Daughter

The Rival's Daughter

A forbidden love forged in blood and betrayal

Romance
Erotica

He was sent to break her. She was supposed to be leverage. Raffaele Moretti rules New York’s underworld with cold precision, the heir apparent to his father’s brutal empire. Sabrina Castellano is the secret weapon of the rival West Coast family—fierce, trained, and unafraid. When the Morettis kidnap her to end a territory war, Raffaele is ordered to guard their prize. Trapped together in a remote mountain safehouse, their hatred ignites into something far more dangerous. Sabrina refuses to cower, and Raffaele’s icy control begins to fracture. In stolen moments and whispered confessions, they discover that loyalty to blood may be the greatest cage of all. As both families close in and execution orders are issued, Raffaele must choose between the legacy he was born to inherit and the woman who has claimed his soul. On the run from every mob on both coasts, they must destroy the empires that raised them—or die trying. A scorching enemies-to-lovers mafia romance about passion that defies bloodlines.

Crown of Ash and Moss

Crown of Ash and Moss

Two warring kingdoms, a forbidden love, and a truth buried beneath the ashes.

Fantasy
Romance

A centuries-old blood feud. Two hearts caught in the crossfire. Princess Aryka of the Lower Forest was raised to hate the Highland invaders. Prince Myka of the Highlands was born to conquer them. On a battlefield stained with the blood of their people, they meet not with blades, but with an unexpected moment of mercy that changes everything. In a hidden cabin within the neutral zone, the unthinkable happens: enemies become allies, and allies become something more. But as their forbidden connection deepens, they uncover a terrifying secret. The war that has ravaged their lands for generations is a lie—a grand deception orchestrated by their ancestors to hoard an ancient, sacred magic. Now, branded as traitors and hunted by the very families they once fought for, Aryka and Myka must race against time. To save their people, they must dismantle a cycle of hatred that has defined their world. But in a land where loyalty is measured in blood, can love survive the final battle? Crown of Ash and Moss is an epic romantic fantasy that explores the power of truth and the courage to build a new world from the ruins of the old.

The Last Summer at Briar Lake

The Last Summer at Briar Lake

When a summer escape turns into a battle for home and the heart

Contemporary Romance
Romance

Clara Bennett is desperate for a fresh start. Escaping the wreckage of a failed engagement, she takes a seasonal job at the rustic Briar Lake Marina, hoping the quiet water will soothe her restless spirit. But she didn't count on Luke Mercer. Luke is as guarded as he is grieving. Struggling to keep his family’s legacy afloat, he’s facing mounting debt and aggressive developers who want to turn his sanctuary into a luxury resort. To him, Clara is a temporary distraction he can’t afford. To her, Luke is a man worth fighting for. As the humidity rises, so does the tension between them. Late-night conversations by the dock turn into a deep, soul-stirring connection that neither saw coming. But with the end of summer looming and the sale of the marina finalized in weeks, Clara and Luke must decide if their bond is just a seasonal fling or a love strong enough to weather any storm. In this sweepingly romantic tale, Marlene Dawson explores the beauty of second chances and the courage it takes to build a life you truly love. Will the sun set on Briar Lake for the last time, or is this just the beginning of their forever?

What the Ocean Took

What the Ocean Took

A broken marriage and a fight for survival in the deep blue ocean

Literary Fiction
Psychological Drama

One mistake can change everything. One wave can wash away the past. Sara and Ryan came to the Caribbean to save their marriage. After a devastating betrayal, the crystal-clear waters were supposed to be a place of healing, not a battleground. But when a routine diving excursion goes horribly wrong, Ryan is left alone in the open ocean, forgotten by the boat that brought him there. As Ryan faces the brutal reality of the sea—dehydration, exhaustion, and the predators circling in the shadows—he is forced to confront the wreckage of his own life. Back on shore, Sara’s anger turns to a haunting desperation as she fights to find the man who broke her heart. What the Ocean Took is a gripping psychological drama and survival thriller that explores the thin line between life and death, and the even thinner line between forgiveness and moving on. When everything is stripped away by the salt and the sun, only the raw truth remains. Will it be enough to bring them back together, or has the ocean already taken too much?

Evergreen Hearts

Evergreen Hearts

A beautiful story of resilience, growth, and finding hope in the wake of tragedy

Contemporary Romance

Samantha finds peace in the quiet rhythms of her plant shop, Second Bloom. She knows that with enough sunlight and water, even the most fragile leaf can thrive. When she meets Tomas, a charming delivery driver, she feels a different kind of growth taking root—a romance that promises a vibrant future. But life can be pruned back in an instant. A devastating accident leaves Tomas facing a new reality as an amputee, and the man who once moved with easy grace is now lost in a forest of physical pain and emotional shadows. As he struggles to redefine his identity, Samantha must learn the hardest lesson of all: how to nurture someone without smothering them. Together, they must navigate the rocky soil of rehabilitation and the fear of being a burden. In the delicate balance between independence and intimacy, they discover that true love isn't about being perfect—it's about the patience to heal and the courage to bloom again after the storm. Evergreen Hearts is a touching, realistic portrayal of disability and the enduring power of a love that refuses to wither.

The Mystic Ember Grimoire

The Mystic Ember Grimoire

Awaken your inner spark through the transformative art of ritual oils and intentional magic

Non-fiction
Body, Mind & Spirit

Ignite the fire within and transform your daily life into a sacred journey of self-discovery. In The Mystic Ember Grimoire, seasoned practitioner Marlene Dawson invites you to bridge the gap between ancient wisdom and modern mindfulness. This isn't just a book of spells; it is a comprehensive guide to reclaiming your personal power through the tactile magic of the natural world. Whether you are a curious beginner or a seasoned seeker, you will learn to harness the 'Ember'—the internal spark of will that fuels all manifestation. Discover the art of crafting potent spell jars for protection, blending fragrant ritual oils for emotional healing, and mastering the focused intensity of candle magic. Dawson provides clear, step-by-step instructions that demystify esoteric practices, making them accessible and sustainable for a busy modern lifestyle. Inside, you will find: • The philosophy of intention-based magic and the history of folk traditions. • Detailed recipes for oils and jars tailored to personal growth and resilience. • Techniques for using color and light to focus your mind and manifest change. • Reflection exercises to help you trust your intuition and build a resilient inner landscape. Your path to empowerment begins with a single spark. Are you ready to tend your flame?

The Moonwater Ledger

The Moonwater Ledger

In a town built on secrets, the truth is written in blood and shadow

Mystery
Thriller
Romance

Some inheritances are gifts. Others are death sentences. When Evelyn Vale returns to the mist-shrouded town of Blackwater Cove to reopen her grandmother's occult shop, she expects old books and dusty herbs. Instead, she finds a community that speaks in whispers and turns their backs on her family's legacy. Hidden beneath a floorboard lies the Moonwater Ledger—a record of town sins, cryptic symbols, and a chilling warning that someone is watching her every move. As the shop's shadows begin to move on their own, Evelyn finds an unlikely ally in Rowan Mercer, a local investigator with his own reasons for digging into the past. Together, they realize that Evelyn’s mother didn't just walk away twenty years ago; she was a casualty of a secret society that has controlled Blackwater Cove for generations. With a violent storm gathering and the elite of the town desperate to keep their rituals hidden, Evelyn must decode the ledger before the evidence—and her life—is burned away forever. In this town, the past doesn't stay buried, and the cycle of secrets is only just beginning. Discover the dark secrets of The Moonwater Ledger in this gripping supernatural mystery.

Cora & Max: A Dark Awakening

Cora & Max: A Dark Awakening

An ancient hunter's hunger meets a passion that could destroy them both

Paranormal Romance
Romance
Fantasy

Cora is used to protecting the vulnerable, spending her days at the local animal shelter. But when she feels a pair of eyes watching her from the shadows of the park, she realizes some predators cannot be tamed. Enter Max: a century-old hunter who has spent decades mastering his lethal instincts. He is a billionaire with a dark secret, living a life of cold isolation until the moment he sees Cora. The magnetic pull is instantaneous, a primal hunger he hasn't felt in a hundred years. To get closer, he makes a massive donation to her shelter, weaving himself into her world through coincidental encounters and shared, vivid dreams. Despite Max’s warnings of the danger he poses, Cora finds herself drawn to his secluded estate. What she discovers there is a connection that transcends the physical—a supernatural bond that suggests her own past is not what it seems. But as the dark Council closes in, seeking to use Cora as a catalyst for power, Max must choose between his ancient loyalty and the woman who has awakened his frozen heart. In a world where love is a weakness and blood is currency, can a monster learn to protect what he was born to hunt?