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Lianyu Tan, author of sapphic dark fantasy novels

dark sapphic desire

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    • Captive in the Underworld
    • The Wicked and the Willing
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Dark sapphic romance books by Lianyu Tan: Captive in the Underworld, a dark lesbian romance retelling of Hades/Persephone and The Wicked and the Willing, a Lambda Literary award-winning historical vampire gothic horror novel. Text: You want her, you need her, you fear her

Award-winning sapphic dark fantasy

Lianyu Tan is a Lambda Literary and Golden Crown Literary Award-winning author of sapphic speculative fiction. She is the author of The Wicked and the Willing, a lesbian gothic horror vampire novel set in 1920s Singapore, and Captive in the Underworld, a lesbian dark romance retelling of the Hades/Persephone myth. Her short stories have been published by Cleis Press.

Lianyu lives with her wife in Australia. Find links to her work at lianyutan.com and on social media at @LianyuTan. Subscribe to her newsletter for bonus content and short stories: https://lianyutan.com/subscribe

Pronunciation: lee-en you tahn PronounceLianyuTan.mp3

 

 

 

Captive in the Underworld

Available in print, digital, and audiobook formats

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The audiobook is voiced beautifully by Eva Caine.

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The Wicked and the Willing

Available in print, digital, and audiobook formats

Print and ebook links

AmazonDirect from author Apple

Kobo Google Play Goodreads

Bookshop.org Other Content warnings

Audiobook links

The audiobook is performed by Emily Woo Zeller, an AudioFile Golden Voice and an Audie, Earphones, and SOVAS award-winning narrator.

Audible US Audible UK Audible CA

Audible AU Spotify Apple

Barnes & Noble Google Play Other

Book cover: The Wicked and the Willing by Lianyu Tan, an F/F gothic horror vampire novel. Dark background with red acanthus and blood dripping down, Fearful young Chinese woman wearing white qipao.

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Image: Cover of the novel Captive in the Underworld by Lianyu Tan. Tag: What Hades wants, she takes. Caption: A dark lesbian romance novel. Cover image features a picture of pomegranates.

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Reviews for The Wicked and the Willing


⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

This is a f---ing fantastic book.

Alexis Hall

Author of Boyfriend Material

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Haunting.

Horrific.

Highly recommended.

TJ Dallas

Author of The Bartender's Pride

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

If you like dark stories with a romantic element, I cannot recommend this book enough. It does not shy away from blood, gore, or feels.

Megan Johnson

Goodreads

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Dark and violent, with exquisite tension and beautiful attention to details... You won't be disappointed.

Kathleen de Plume

Author of Dragon Queens

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Readers are given a choice to choose our own ending and take sides. I chose my "perfect" ending. Which would you choose?

@pipsqueakreviews

★★★★★

An amazing dark fantasy...

Do not expect fluffy or warm and fuzzy

Lianyu Tan will show you no mercy.

Victoria Tsao

Goodreads

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Reviews for Captive in the Underworld


★★★★★

Everyone knows I won’t shut up about this book, but I can’t help it—it rung me like a BELL. …Gorgeously written, dark and sexy, everything about this book was a deep pleasure to read. And Hades is perfection. I’d let Hades drag me to her cold castle any day.

Sierra Simone

USA Today bestselling author
★★★★★

A dark sapphic romance based on the myth of Persephone and Hades... entertaining, captivating, and exceptionally enjoyable... I read it twice in a row without stopping… if you like my work, I bet you’ll like this a whole lot!

Rae D. Magdon

Author of Lucky 8
★★★★★

I adored this brutally ruthless Hades... She was everything I wanted her to be... frightening and passionate all at once... a beautiful example of classic dark romance... Gorgeous novel, highly recommend.

Roses and Thorns Blog

Book reviewer
★★★★★

[The] best Hades/Persephone story I've ever read… such a gripping read I literally devoured it whole in one sitting like I was Kronos eating his kids… the world and the characters are so lush and compelling I'm tempted not to finish this review and just start rereading the book instead.

Katarina

Goodreads reviewer

Top: Free short story Middle: Cover image of 'Breathless' by Lianyu Tan on a generic ereader. Bottom: exclusive to newsletter subscribers

Free!

An F/F Hades and Persephone short story, and companion story to Captive in the Underworld.

Hades steals her breath away.

A few weeks into their marriage, Persephone is still learning how to please Hades, dreaded goddess of the underworld. As her fear wars with desire, Persephone must learn how to satisfy her captor and steel her own heart in order to survive.

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