JOSHUA IAN
This place to find out about current and upcoming projects for writer Joshua Ian. (Also featuring work done under the penname Lawrence I. Hill.)
DRAGONBLADE'S HISTORICAL RECIPE COOKBOOK
20 NOVEMBER 2023
Dragonblade's Historical Recipe Cookbook is a collection of recipes from some of your favorite Historical Romance authors. A wealth of recipes from various historical eras as well as family recipes passed down through the ages and generations.
Included is Joshua Ian’s recipe for Hartridge & Casas Royal Tea Room Kedgeree. Inspired by his novel Catering to Love, this new take on the traditional Edwardian kedgeree incorporates elements and flavor profiles of Greek and French cooking.
Romance – and recipes – go hand in hand, so step into Dragonblade’s parlor and try recipes from some of your favorite authors!
CATERING TO LOVE (DEPARTMENTS OF LOVE, BOOK 1)
6 SEPTEMBER 2022
Step into the sumptuous world of Hartridge & Casas, the Edwardian shopping palace, in this exciting new series. Every department serves its customers luxury, and, behind the scenes, serves its employees romance and intrigue.
After training under the famed Escoffier, Henri is now Head Chef at the Royal Tea Room - the jewel in the crown of the newly opened Hartridge & Casas department store. With his sights set on one day opening his own restaurant, Henri has no time for distractions, especially not love. But his moorings are shaken loose when Nico, a charming and gorgeous new waiter, appears.
However, the interfering adventurer Lord Ockley is determined to have Nico all to himself. When he can't, he threatens to expose Nico and Henri's relationship, risking not only the destruction of their careers and reputations, but possibly even worse.
Will Henri abandon his career dreams for the love of the only man who has ever touched his soul? Can Nico convince Henri that love is the most important dream of all?
Set against the backdrop of the 1908 Summer Olympics and the historic Franco-British Exhibition, Catering to Love is the story of two men trying to find love in a society where the mere mention of their passion risks ruin.
Buoyed by a colorful cast of characters, they cook up a new meaning to romance. It's a new century, with London blossoming into modernity, and love is the most important ingredient.
THE DARKLY ENCHANTED OMNIBUS: A GOTHIC ROMANCE COLLECTION
25 OCTOBER 2022
Dive into this collected edition of the first three volumes of The Darkly Enchanted Romance series. Sweet and sultry historical romances with just a touch of spookiness! Includes The Harvest Moon, The Ghost of Hillcomb Hall, and Manchester Lake.
ALL TALL FLOWERS: A SHORT STORY
15 JUNE 2021
England, 1910
It's Valentine's Day and Gareth, footman at the local manor, is determined to make his true feelings known for his companion, Robbie. Robbie has big dreams for his future and Gareth is hoping he can be a part of them. Armed with a box of chocolates, a solicitor's letter of good news, and hopeful determination, Gareth goes to meet Robbie for lunch. But will Robbie be as eager as Gareth to make their situation permanent? Or will the pressure of having to keep their love a secret be too much for their dreams to handle?
[Also available in Italian and Spanish translations.]
GRAVE SONGS FOR THE DEAD: A SHORT STORY CYCLE
5 APRIL 2022
Emma and her Aunt Agathe share a family resemblance - they can both speak to ghosts. But Agathe, rejected by her family and constantly beset by heartache, has spent her whole life fleeing her unusual gift. Emma, however, embraces it.
Grave Songs for the Dead is a cycle of three interconnected short stories, gothic with a touch of magic realism, set in the late 19th century.
MANCHESTER LAKE: A DARKLY ENCHANTED ROMANCE
9 MARCH 2021
England, 1910
Monty, along with his best friend Bishop, investigates an odd seal-like creature swimming in Manchester Lake. The pair soon realize they've found a selkie when the magnificent animal transforms into the most gorgeous man either of them has ever seen. Determined to discover the origins of the mystical man, they bundle him into Bishop's brand-new electric automobile and whisk him off to London.
There they find a host of distractions: a tastefully debauched house party hosted by silver-tongued aristocrats, and a queerly European-inspired novelty called the night club. Both are filled with a cast of characters sometimes amusing and sometimes frightening. And as the night unfolds, Monty comes face-to-face with ghoulish agents of the occult as well as revelations from the past.
Most surprisingly of all, Monty finds himself falling for the beautiful creature from the lake, who seems equally interested in him. Can he really find himself in love with a man he has only just met? Or do they have a deeper connection which goes much further back? And what does it all have to do with the memories of his trip to Paris three years prior?
The mystery of the selkie from Manchester Lake is only the beginning, and before their adventure is finished Monty will see the culmination of long suppressed secrets explode in a firestorm of magic and passion!
THE GHOST OF HILLCOMB HALL: A DARKLY ENCHANTED ROMANCE
23 SEPTEMBER 2020
The second entry in the Darkly Enchanted Romance series.
England, 1910
Landscape designer Jonas Laurence arrives at the cheerless and fog enswathed Hillcomb Hall, home to the Earl of Stanley and his family, to renovate their crumbling gardens. With a great storm crashing all around, his time is at the mercy of the house’s odd and mysterious occupants. Captivated by the hauntingly attractive portrait of Lord Stanley’s ancestor, which constantly seems to watch and taunt him, Jonas’s dreams become weird and distressing. And his waking moments are consumed by the strange stories and weird atmosphere of the manor estate. Ghostly visits in the night leave Jonas no choice but to accept his attraction to the otherworldly spirit from the painting. But is this affaire de coeur real? Or is it all just a trick of the mind, a sinister game being played by the inhabitants of Hillcomb Hall?
[Also available in Spanish & Italian translations.]
THE HARVEST MOON: A DARKLY ENCHANTED NOVELETTE
23 SEPTEMBER 2019
England, 1834.
On the night of a harvest moon, in the shadows of autumn, Malcolm comes across a quaint village tucked away in the forest. It seems the perfect spot for a weary traveller to lay his head, and maybe find a little company. But there is dark magic afoot, and lots of local gossip swirls around the seductive titian-haired weaver, Daniel. All Malcolm seeks is a night's pleasure. He never suspected he would have to worry about losing his life. Or his heart.
Note: If you'd like to read The Harvest Moon in print, it is included in the paperback edition of The Ghost of Hillcomb Hall.
[Also available in Spanish & Italian translations.]
DÉJÀ VU: A HOLIDAY ROMANCE SHORT
18 DECEMBER 2020
It's another Christmas alone in Atlanta, and Alvin is starting to reevaluate his life choices. Moving back to Atlanta, his current job, they were meant to be part of a temporary stopping point to deal with some family issues. But now, five years later, he's still here. In the midst of this inner turmoil, Alvin's world is shaken when an unexpected visitor comes to stay at the hotel in which he works. His childhood friend Tim, now known as world famous R&B singer Tee Mills, is visiting for the holiday. Is this a fated chance to rekindle the first love of his life? Or have their paths diverged so much that they can never reconnect? Alvin wants to know, but isn't sure he's brave enough to find out. Before the night ends, however, he'll have his answer - if Tee Mills has anything to say about it.
THAT SUMMER IN SPAIN
28 JANUARY 2020
It wasn't just a role this time...
Xavier Duran is ready for the breakthrough film role of his career, and he thinks he's found it.
Not only does this new job take Xavier to the beautiful countryside of Spain, it also takes him right into the arms of his silver screen crush, Hollywood hunk, Dennis Herbert.
Dennis may be gorgeous but everyone knows he's straight. Or is he?
Lines blur and soon Xavier can't tell if Dennis is just playing his lover or if he wants to take on the role off-screen as well.
Xavier has been burned before, and he isn't sure he wants to be the secret lover again. He's certainly not ready to risk his feelings on something deeper.
But passion presides and soon Xavier and Dennis are tangled in a web of fraught emotions and uncertain advances.
Is this only a fling? Or is this the beginning of a real romance?
One thing's for certain, it's going to be a scorcher of a summer.
GINGERBREAD: A DARK FICTION SHORT STORY
22 OCTOBER 2019
Miss Mona is the sweet old lady who lives on the fourth floor. Or, at least, that's what all her neighbors think. But the true soul underneath the cardigan is much, much darker than anyone would ever suspect. Mona is hiding some very disturbing secrets in her home. After all, everyone has their little obsessions, don’t they?
Includes the bonus short story “Spark."
THE 1 TRAIN: GLIMPSES OF NEW YORK CITY
14 APRIL 2020
A duo of short stories about life in New York City: one a contemplative take on love and connection, one a wry and witty observation of a frugal night on the town.
JOSHUA IAN
Author/Expert Chocolate Taster
Joshua Ian can easily be captured by a witty turn of phrase or a low-bottomed electronic bassline. If you manage to combine the two, then you have his heart forever. He lives in New York City and is a keen cinema lover and self-proclaimed Dark Chocolate Expert. When not staring at a blank screen and cursing the futility of life, he can be found watching cozy mystery shows, daydreaming of his future kaftan collection, or scouring used book vendors to accumulate more vintage romances and mysteries than his shelves are actually capable of handling. One day he plans to travel the world - to see what each country has to offer in the way of used books, movie theatres and dark chocolate, naturally.
