Paranormal Romance

A witch and an archdemon must work together to find a path through all Nine Circles of Hell in this steamy, dark fantasy romance from the viral TikTok author. The living do not belong here with the damned. An uneasy truce exists between the witches of Hollows Grove University and the archdemons who now walk among them. Unlike her fellow...

Discover Thirsty by Lucy Lehane, a vampire romance - with bite! Perfect for fans of My Roommate is a Vampire and Boyfriend Material, this queer paranormal romcom is a rollicking, highly entertaining read of enemies-to-lovers, chaotic supernatural friend groups and scorching chemistry. Charlie needs to revamp his career. Writing advice columns was hard enough before the whole internet was dying...

USA Today bestselling author Terry Spear thrills with sexy wolf shifter romance full of intrigue and steamy chemistry in the Scottish Highlands. "The chemistry crackles off the page." - Publishers Weekly for Heart of the Wolf Fun, sexy, adventurous wolf shifter romance in the present-day, wild Scottish Highlands with a meet cute that would make any alpha ready to mate...

The Witch and the Vampire by Francesca Flores is a tale of betrayal, survival, and rekindled emotions. Ava and Kaye used to be best friends. Everything changed two years ago when vampires shattered the magical barrier protecting their town. In the attack, Kaye's mother was killed, and Ava was turned into a vampire. Since then, Ava has been confined to...

Welcome to a world in the shadow of our own, a fairy-tale land where the dangers are real. In this second book in the Omte Origins trilogy, Amanda Hocking creates a new adventure in her much-loved Trylle universe. The Morning Flower poses a pivotal question: Will she finally discover her true home? In the beautiful city of Merellä, Ulla, Pan,...

Welcome to a world in the shadow of our own, a fairytale land where the dangers are real. In The Ever After, the final book in the Omte Origins trilogy, Amanda Hocking creates an epic adventure in her much-loved Trylle universe. In the final instalment of the Omte Origins trilogy, Ulla, Pan and Eliana will embark on their greatest adventure...

#1 New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout returns to the world of the Lux with The Burning Shadow, the steamy, shocking second instalment of the Origin series that will leave readers reeling. When Evelyn Dasher crossed paths with Luc, she was thrown headfirst into the world of the Lux—only to discover that she was...

In this queer gothic romance, a young marquis caught between freedom and passion, honour and love will have to unravel a centuries-old curse to find his own happy ending. Trapped in a world of straight expectations, queer marquis Emile longs for independence. So, when his aunt declares he must marry to produce an heir or be disowned, he runs away...

REVISED AND EXPANDED PAPERBACK EDITION Sexy monster romance! When parks department supervisor Reece Rollins decides to sign up for a triathlon, there are two things holding him back. One, his fear of monsters. Two, his sub-par swimming skills. At the urging of his sister's wolven mate, Reece joins Leviathan Fitness to train in the gym's Olympic-size swimming pool. After running...

A jaded grim reaper and a woman who wants another chance at life give 'til death do us part a new meaning in this paranormal romance from Jenna Levine, the bestselling author of My Roommate is a Vampire. He came for her soul. She left with his heart. Lucy McKenzie's life has always been a disaster. So it should come...

From TikTok sensation Tessa Hale comes the second in a why-choose, enemies-to-lovers shifter romantasy series where everyone has demons and love means sacrifice. One secret tore my life apart. It sent me running from the place I thought I would be safe, right into the path of untold enemies. But when my life is in danger, the wolves I thought...

From TikTok sensation Tessa Hale comes a new vampire romance series, a spin-off of Wolves of Crescent Creek. Four ruthless vampires. Enemies by history. Allies by necessity. Bound by the gods themselves to...me. Hidden in the human world, I was meant to live quietly, unaware of the power bound beneath my skin. But magic doesn't stay buried forever. Neither do...

For Merry Gentry's legion of fans and followers, the wait is over! The original queen of spicy romantasy, the No.1 New York Times bestseller Laurell K. Hamilton returns with the first in an epic and thrilling two-book conclusion to her genre-defining Merry Gentry series. I am Meredith Gentry. Princess of the realm of Faerie, private investigator in the mortal land...

DELUXE EDITION—this beautiful hardcover features gorgeous stencilled edges! From Harper L. Woods comes The Cursed, the next chapter in her Coven of Bones series—a pulse-pounding romantasy where The Magicians meets Gothikana. Betrayal. He was the deception waiting in the night; the truth I never saw coming. After a lifetime of manipulation, I finally learned the truth. I was his puppet—even...

DELUXE EDITION — this beautiful hardcover features gorgeous rose stencilled edges! An Instant New York Times and USA Today Bestseller! From indie darling Harper L. Woods comes The Coven, a sexy, deliciously imaginative fantasy romance where The Magicians meets Ninth House with vampires. Revenge. Raised to be my father’s weapon against the Coven that took away his sister and his...

From TikTok sensation Tessa Hale comes a why-choose, enemies-to-lovers shifter romantasy series where everyone has demons and love means sacrifice. Never stop running. And no matter what, never let the world know who you really are. I've spent my whole life hiding. Training. Preparing. Hoping that no one will discover my secrets. What I can do. Who I am. And...

Hanna Harp’s incendiary debut paranormal dark romance, perfect for fans of Sadie Kincaid’s Forged in Blood and Keri Lake’s Anathema, follows Cade, a devoted hunter fighting to shield his sister Callisto from a haunting generational curse. However, when a mysterious spirit begins to break down his defences, both his passion and his will ignite into a scorching, fourth-wall breaking read...

The first book in Robin Hobb's New York Times bestselling Rain Wilds series, set in an immersive world full of dragons, magical ships, and unforgettable characters—reissued with beautiful cover art by renowned illustrator Jackie Morris. New York Times Bestseller Too much time has passed since the powerful dragon Tintaglia helped the people of the Trader cities stave off an invasion...

When a powerful witch discovers she's the daughter of an Alpha werewolf and is taken by his Pack, she's determined to break free all the while denying her attraction to her abductor. Cordelia Levine comes from a long line of powerful witches. She's been flying under the radar in the human world, focused on strengthening her magic. She loves working...

The previously quiet life of Cordelia Levine, half-werewolf, all witch, has been turned upside down. Both of her parents are now dead, and her grandmother's vicious attack on Trevelyan, her pack's home, has left the Albion Pack fleeing and severely reduced in number. As they recover and strategise a path forward, Cordelia is navigating her role in the pack as...

Guilt. Grief. Obsession. Michael Stein arrives at the Schechter Institute for Judaic Studies battered and broken, blaming himself for the tragic accident that took his boyfriend’s life. He is haunted by his guilt and grief, but is determined to repent at the Institute by completing his boyfriend’s research into demonic entities. Instead of being welcomed by the archivist, Michael is...

Sometimes you just want to eat the one you love...right? Jenny Greenteeth has watched civilizations fall and wars break out during her lifetime. Preferring to keep her own company, she has been living in Boston for the last few hundred years – currently, in an abandoned subway station. Here, she has access to the waterways, an interconnected subterranean system that...

Deception and danger lay in wait in the beautiful, harrowing California backcountry in this gripping suspense novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan. Surgical and trauma nurse Harlow Frye loves the small town of Knightly, where breathtaking views of the Sierra and a tight circle of female friends provide a refuge from her professional life. But lately,...

Neon Gods meets The Phantom of the Opera in this spicy modern retelling with a magical twist. SPECIAL DELUXE EDITION WITH STAINED EDGES, CHARACTER ART, AND MORE. There was a time I felt lost and alone...until I met them, and together our souls took flight—My gentle Raoul and our deadly Angel of Music. Haunted by the violent death of her...

It's always spooky season here… Poppy McMaster was supposed to be getting married, not climbing out of a bathroom window in her wedding dress and fleeing to the only place she's ever truly felt like herself: the small town she grew up in, where Halloween lasts all year. But when she gets there, home isn't waiting for Poppy the way...

Perfect for fans of the Threadneedle series, lose yourself in this brand-new paranormal fantasy. Available to pre-order now! Pepper Montgomery is a mortal woman on a desperate quest to save her dying sister. When a trail of cryptic breadcrumbs leads her to the elusive Night Market – a hidden bazaar where the supernatural thrives – she discovers a world of...

Magic built their empire. Blood will decide who rules it next. When a CEO falls, one family’s battle for control becomes a brutal game of betrayal, desire, and power in this sharp, seductive debut for fans of Succession – with fangs. Power runs in the blood. A hundred years ago, magic ran wild – belonging only to the fae, the...

An epic tale of survival, magic, and romance... Teenager Stella Grey has always felt an intense recurring sense of déjà vu, often plagued by strong dreams that feel more real than her waking moments. One ill-fated morning, her dream from the night before actually comes to life, as she awakens and finds her house ransacked and her mother unconscious near...

When the Grim Reaper develops feelings for the children’s librarian whose soul he is supposed to collect, he finds that with feelings comes something far worse than death—life. Helena Hart isn’t having the best night. Her date just ditched her, her Halloween costume bombed, and her only sympathetic ear is a dead silent partygoer in a Grim Reaper get-up. But...

Molly Mason is not a team player. She does more work than the rest of her team, but when a promotion becomes available, they bring in an outside hire over her. To add insult to injury, she's tasked with training him. This is easier said than done, though, when he has the digital literacy of a toddler and is, infuriatingly,...

For fans of Hannah Whitten and Ava Reid comes a thrilling new fantasy by the author of Spit Back the Bones. Once a fool. Twice a thief. In a village plagued by mysterious deaths, Adelaide Thorn wonders if she is truly touched by the Devil. The villagers believe her to be the monster responsible for all the tragedies. Even her...

For fans of LGBTQ+ graphic novel love stories who enjoy action adventure graphic novels and manga like Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation and The World After the Fall. "In this spellbinding graphic novel, two souls are bound across time by their enduring mutual love for one another." - Foreword Reviews, STARRED review Reaper spends his days completing his task of sending...

In The Calling, the sizzling second book in the Darkness Rising trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong pumps up the romance, danger, and suspense that left readers of The Gathering clamouring for more. Maya Delaney's paw-print birthmark is the mark of what she truly is—a skin-walker. She can run faster, climb higher, and see better than nearly everyone...

Sweet Peril Embrace Your Destiny Anna Whitt, daughter of a guardian angel and a fallen one, promised herself she'd never do the work of her father—polluting souls. She'd been naïve to make such a claim. She'd been naïve about a lot of things. Haunted by demon whisperers, Anna does whatever she can to survive, even if it means embracing her...

A New York Times bestseller The bestselling sequel—and conclusion—to Victoria Schwab's instant #1 New York Times bestseller This Savage Song. Kate Harker is a girl who isn't afraid of the dark. She's a girl who hunts monsters. And she's good at it. August Flynn is a monster who can never be human, no matter how much he once yearned for...

Discover the breathtaking power of supernatural love in this darkly sensuous classic from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan’s Carpathian series. The stranger silently summoned her across the continents, across the seas. He whispered of eternal torment, of endless hunger... of dark, dangerous desires. And somehow, American surgeon Shea O’Halloran could feel his anguish, sense his haunting aloneness,...

Don't miss this spectacular new series that will steal your heart and haunt your dreams. Welcome to Shadow Falls camp, nestled deep in the woods of a town called Fallen... One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever. Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls - a...

Step into the world of Shadow Falls, a camp that helps teens tap into their special... talents. Once you visit, you'll never forget it - and you'll never, ever be the same. From the moment Kylie Galen arrived at Shadow Falls Camp, she's had one burning question: What am I? Surrounded by vampires, werewolves, shape-shifters, fairies, and witches, Kylie longs...

New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins, writing as Erin Sterling, casts a spell with a spine-tingling romance full of wishes, witches, and hexes gone wrong. Nine years ago, Vivienne Jones nursed her broken heart like any young witch would: vodka, weepy music, bubble baths...and a curse on the horrible boyfriend. Sure, Vivi knows she shouldn't use her magic this...

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! Once Upon a Broken Heart marks the launch of a new series from Stephanie Garber about love, curses, and the lengths that people will go to for happily ever after. For as long as she can remember, Evangeline Fox has believed in true love and happy endings... until she learns that the love of her...

Finale is the “thrilling and surprising conclusion” (Entertainment Weekly) to the #1 New York Times bestselling Caraval trilogy. It’s been two months since the Fates were freed, since Legend claimed the throne for his own, and since Tella discovered the boy she fell in love with doesn’t really exist. With lives, empires, and hearts hanging in the balance, Tella must...

Evangeline Fox ventured to the Magnificent North in search of her happy ending, and it seems as if she has it. She’s married to a handsome prince and lives in a legendary castle. But Evangeline has no idea of the devastating price she’s paid for this fairytale. She doesn’t know what she has lost, and her husband is determined to...

Ox Matheson was twelve when his father taught him a lesson: Ox wasn't worth anything and people would never understand him. Then he left. Ox was sixteen when the energetic Bennett family moved in next door, harbouring a secret that would change him forever. For the family are shapeshifters, who can transform into wolves at will. Drawn to their magic,...

What does a witch do when life's a bore? You wish for something more. If wishes were fish, homebody witch Lucy Caraway could open an aquarium and gift shop. When she isn't grading papers over homemade tea blends, Lucy’s leafing through spellbooks to protect her familial magic from complete mayhem. On the eve of her ten-year high school reunion, Lucy...

Reincarnated as a Sword (Manga) Vol. 14 A DATE WITH DESTINY! Fran enters the Cook King Contest to prove that Teacher's curry is the greatest food in the world! Looking for ingredients to use in their dish, Fran and Teacher visit the Crystal Cage, but a powerful monster awaits them within. However, a mysterious adventurer helps her face down the...

Librarian Anne Adams has found the perfect escape: a job cataloguing the library of Winterbourne, an architectural masterpiece on a remote island off the west coast of Scotland. Surrounded by an awe-inspiring landscape, the library is magnificent, with priceless first editions, a librarian's dream. However, Anne's early weeks in her new job are beset by obstacles - no internet, a...

Librarian Anne Adams has found the perfect escape: a job cataloguing the library of Winterbourne, an architectural masterpiece on a remote island off the west coast of Scotland. Surrounded by an awe-inspiring landscape, the library is magnificent, with priceless first editions, a librarian's dream. However, Anne's early weeks in her new job are beset by obstacles - no internet, a...

REVISED AND EXPANDED PAPERBACK EDITION After a wedding cake catastrophe on the street, local baker Tegan lands in the most unexpected place—a solid wall of fur and fangs named Atlas. She's never met anyone like him and finds herself enamoured by his wolfish charm. After their sweet encounter, Atlas invites her to his gym anytime she needs his cake-lifting services....

In this high-stakes sequel, the ruthless Unseelie King will stop at nothing—including burning entire kingdoms—to reclaim his fated mate from the dragon prince who stole her, risking everything for a love bound by fate and blood. He lost her to his enemies, but he will burn kingdoms to get her back. After the dragon prince steals Lira to make her...

Japan, 2005. While researching her ancestors, 20-year-old Isla encounters a vicious typhoon who sends her back in time to 1877, the dawn of the Satsuma Rebellion. Through a combination of fate and courage, Isla meets her ancestors, as well as Keiichiro Maeda, a samurai who she ends up falling for. She must decide whether to stay with the man she...

From bestselling author Scarlett St. Clair comes a dark and enthralling reimagining of the Hades and Persephone Greek myth! How far will Hades go to defy Fate? Become enchanted by the fantasy world of gods and mortals in bestselling author Scarlett St. Clair's reimagined New Greece. Readers are "hopelessly addicted" to the story of Hades and Persephone told from Hades's...

A delicious mix of Regency romance and shapeshifting adventure from author Susanna Allen. Fans of Bridgerton won't want to miss this steamy paranormal historical romance from author Susanna Allen! The Regency has gone wild in the third book in the Shapeshifters of the Beau Monde series, featuring: A shifter duke who's been denying his lion form The beguiling lady who...

Whisper Me a Love Song 8 is an adorable new yuri manga for fans of Kase-san and Yamada and Bloom Into You. One day, first-year high school student Himari sees her upperclassman, Yori, sing in a band, and it awakens feelings inside her that she doesn't understand... but Yori does! Anime coming April 2024! As the school festival kicks into...

Maybe this is a ghost story… Andrew Larimer has left his past behind. Rising up the ranks in a New York law firm, and with a heavily pregnant wife, he is settling into a new life far from Kingsport, the town in which he grew up. But when he receives a late-night phone call from an old friend, he has...

'It has everything I love in a romantasy. I absolutely adored it' CARRIE ELKS 'Fun, sweet and sexy' SARAH HAWLEY 'A magical rollercoaster which will charm the hex out of the hardest of hearts' JESSICA THORNE ----- One hurricane. Two stranded witches. Sparks are bound to fly... Kay knows three things to be true: a witch who cannot control their...

A fledgling shifter pack struggles to survive in this thrilling paranormal tale from USA Today bestselling author Terry Spear. USA Today bestselling author Terry Spear brings a perfect paranormal romance with nonstop action, thrilling suspense, and sizzling chemistry! Perfect for readers of Christine Feehan, Patricia Briggs, and Nalini Singh. David Davis and his fellow Arctic wolves are seeking a new...

Refuel your passion with a new instalment of the Torpedo Ink series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan. While Gedeon "Player" Lazaroff is one of Torpedo Ink motorcycle club's roughest members, he's also one of the calmest. Little rattles Player, except for the times his gift gets the better of him. When that happens, he has to...

A riveting plot, steeping with sultry sexual tension and unforgettable love scenes (Kresley Cole, #1 New York Times bestselling author), makes this first entry in the Moon Chasers series an unforgettable paranormal romance. Claire Morgan has always been the quiet one: a shy, mousy schoolteacher, overlooked and unwanted. Until one day, out of nowhere, she wakes up a whole new...

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! Stephanie Garber’s The Ballad of Never After is the jaw-dropping sequel to Once Upon a Broken Heart, starring Evangeline Fox and the Prince of Hearts on a new journey of magic, mystery, and heartbreak. Not every love is meant to be. After Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, betrays her, Evangeline Fox swears she'll never trust...

An LGBTQIA+ epic romantic fantasy for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Scarlett St. Clair. Once I was a Charmer, and the magical beasts of this world loved me. Now I'm something else. Something darker. A spicy, beautifully angsty enemies-to-lovers LGBTQIA+ fantasy romance. As a member of the Charmers Council, Gaige is able to form lasting bonds with the magical...

A high school girl's chance encounter with an enigmatic female classmate whose musical aspirations were complicated when an accident almost completely took her hearing leads to the slow blossoming of love. Perfect for fans of yuri series like Whisper Me a Love Song and sweet, sophisticated romances like A Sign of Affection. The Moon on a Rainy Night 3 Saki's...

As players of Monster Hunter and Dungeons & Dragons know, the slime is not exactly the king of the fantasy monsters. So when a 37-year-old Tokyo salaryman dies and wakes up in a world of elves and magic, he's a little disappointed to find he's become a blind, boneless slime monster. As players of Monster Hunter and Dungeons & Dragons...

Port Astor is a city of ghosts. Once home to the beautiful, brutal courts of the fae, forty years ago they vanished without explanation – and Port Astor decided to forget. But echoes of the fae still linger. Brix and Bellefeather are paranormal investigators, working to keep Port Astor's ghosts from consuming its citizens. Both have hauntings of their own:...

From Nadia El-Fassi, author of the spellbinding Best Hex Ever, comes a brand-new cosy paranormal romance, perfect for fans of My Roommate is a Vampire and The Pumpkin Spice Cafe. In this cosy and spicy paranormal romance from the author of Best Hex Ever, a successful horror writer whose novel is being adapted into a movie clashes with the lead...

As dawn breaks on All Souls Day, the lingering mists part to unveil an unending vista of serried gravestones. Between them looms a theatre like a haunted house and the sleek iron carapace of a steam train – the Pearl. On board are the cast, orchestra and crew of a travelling ballet company, performing The Apple and the Pearl.As he...

Neon Gods meets The Phantom of the Opera in this spicy modern retelling with a magical twist. There was a time I felt lost and alone... until I met them, and together our souls took flight – My gentle Raoul and our deadly Angel of Music. Haunted by the violent death of her parents, Christine Daaé longs to find solace...

"Be the biggest, baddest witch in town so no one ever dares bully you again." That was her grandmother's advice, and it's been Emberlyn's law since she was a child. This mantra has kept the local coven at bay - until now... They're furious she won't give up Black Willow Manor, her grandmother's prized home, and, worse - that the...

From the author of Hearts Still Beating comes a chilling and romantic supernatural novel set in a small town with dark secrets, about a teen girl who falls in love with a ghost. No one is safe in Blackridge. Not even the ghosts. Every summer for the past twenty years, a kid from Blackridge has disappeared, snatched away and never...

The hotly-anticipated sequel to the compelling romantasy With Fire in Their Blood. Return to Castello, the crumbling Italian city torn between two warring mafia clans, where dark magic electrifies the streets and love leads to ruin... In one act of flame and fury, Lilly Deluca plunged the town of Castello into a brutal civil war and was stripped of her...

They call him many names, but Angelic isn't one of them... Sebastian Ballister, the notorious Marquess of Dain, is big, bad, and dangerous to know. No respectable woman would have anything to do with the "Bane and Blight of the Ballisters"—and he wants nothing to do with respectable women. He's determined to continue doing what he does best—sin and sin...

Buffy the Vampire Slayer gets a modern, body-positive makeover in the second of Gloria Duke's charming paranormal romantic comedies. You thought life was hard for a vampire? Try being the newest Slayer on the block. Yet just when Carrie Adams thought it couldn't get any worse, she learns that in the world of the unexpectedly supernatural, nothing is ever what...

Neon Gods meet Wuthering Heights in this spicy modern retelling with a magical twist. He was the other half of my soul—the mirror to my every dark desire. My destruction, my redemption, my salvation—my Heathcliff. Cathy Earnshaw's got the devil inside her—or at least that's what the small, cultish community she's spent her whole life trapped inside would say. She...

The game’s afoot once more as Holmes and Watson face off against Moriarty’s gang, the Pinkertons, flesh-eating horses, a parliament of imps, boredom, Surrey, a disappointing butler demon, a succubus, a wicked lord, an overly-Canadian lord, a tricycle-fight to the death and the dreaded Pumpcrow. Oh, and a hell hound, one assumes. Warlock Holmes: The Hell-Hound of the Baskervilles promises...

Nancy has just about given up on finding her special person when Jack Jackson-big, scary and the town loser-walks into her bookstore. He's apparently even more desperate for help in the romance department than she is. And after a bit of gentle persuasion, he finally accepts her guidance in securing his dream girl. Practice dates, lessons in tenderness-you name it,...

The human world is no place for a god, but toiling on Earth may just teach an angel how to fly once again... Wings of Steel & Fury tells the tale of Eleazar Starson, prince of Splendour and heir to the Great Throne of Honor, who is living his worst nightmare. Betrayed and grievously injured, he has been cast from...

Shelby Black has a secret. For the past six months, her uncle Roy has been training her to be an exorcist. But high school is hard enough without having to explain that you fight demons for a living, so Shelby keeps her extracurricular activity to herself. The last thing she wants is for her crush, Spencer, to find out what...

'Extraordinary!' Rebecca Yarros She stole from a monster – now she must pay the price . . . Street thief Kierse should have known something wasn’t right. Now she’s trapped in a library — with a monster. She can’t run. She can’t hide. And this man – this being, filled with terrible power and darkness — is well within his...

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Sure to become your next fantasy obsession' The hottest forced proximity x forbidden romance vampire story to sink your fangs into this year! I’ll be forced to take the crown, simply because of who my parents are. Never mind that my skin, my eyes, the way I move, everything will give me away for what I am. Human. In...

I LOVED THIS SO MUCH ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review Tropes: Fake relationship! 💑 Marriage of convenience 💍 Coffee shop setting ☕ Spice ✨ Pandora has real problems. She still lives with her parents, she’s working a dead-end job, and, oh yeah, she’s a vampire who must get married by her birthday in three months’ time or she won’t inherit the ancient...

She's a lover. He's a…funeral director? Lily loves running her bridal boutique, spreading joy with every wedding she plans. Meanwhile, Mort is content running the funeral home next door. They couldn't be more different. But when a marriage proposal outside the two shops ends in a you're dead to me instead of a yes, everything changes as lightning strikes and...