Here’s The Tea
Saela and Zaire LaRue thought surviving each other would be the hardest part.
They were wrong.
Their marriage has clawed its way back from betrayal, silence, and the night Saela walked into Fall Tree Lake and never expected to come out.
But some things do not stay buried just because you survive them.
Not grief.
Not memory.
Not blood.
And certainly not the dead.
As Saela and Zaire begin rebuilding what nearly broke between them, something older begins waking beneath the surface.
Their eyes glow.
Their bodies answer to instincts neither of them understands.
Forgotten memories return with teeth.
Voices slip through the cracks of their minds.
And the people closest to them finally begin confessing the truth:
their lives were never entirely their own.
Long before they were husband and wife, they were Nali and Nero—ancient lovers tied to a child who should have remained dead, a catastrophe that poisoned an entire people, and a cycle of reincarnation that keeps dragging them back toward the same unfinished ruin.
Now Umberland is calling them home.
Not to the life they know.
To the one waiting underneath it.
A place where bloodlines were bred with purpose.
Where memories were stolen to keep power sleeping.
Where prophecy has hands.
Where monsters wear familiar faces.
And where the same lake that once swallowed Saela hides a cathedral of bone, roses, and death beneath its red-lit water.
There, ancient thrones wait in the dark.
There, Lady Death knows their names.
There, a kingdom buried beneath Umberland welcomes its King and Queen back from the grave.
But the deeper Saela and Zaire go, the more terrifying the question becomes:
If they have loved each other across lifetimes… what else have they done together?
And if destiny has been feeding them back to one another over and over again—
what happens when the truth finally remembers them too?
Deep End is a dark, sensual Black gothic romantic fantasy of reincarnated lovers, corrupted bloodlines, stolen memory, ancestral power, monstrous awakening, death-haunted devotion, and a marriage forced to decide whether love is still sacred when fate has had its hands on it from the beginning.
Some truths only surface when you’re willing to go under…
Tropes and genres include: Black romance, gothic romance, contemporary fantasy, romantic fantasy, established marriage, hidden society, political fantasy, ancient bloodlines, secret organizations, chosen one elements, emotional healing, found family, conspiracy mystery, second-chance marriage, and supernatural mystery.
Rumor Has It
This story is the third in a series called Love Like Honey. It picks up right where Saela and Zaire left off in book two (Sand Castles)—a hot and steamy moment.
If you thought Sand Castles revealed some thangs, baybeeee you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. All I’ma say is Deep End is bussin’ things wide the fuck open.
From bloodline secrets, to mythic creatures, the spiritual realms, gifts, and powers….just get ready. That’s all I’ma say.
Where you can read it
What You’re Saying
The word is in. Here’s what y’all have to say about Deep End.
A Guide To Deep End
How It looks
Scenes in the book To ♡
As of now, visual scenes are only available in the immersive copy of this book, buuuuut let’s go ahead and give you a quick sneak peek here.
How It Sounds
Who makes an appearance
If you thought we went deep in Sand Castles, whew chile. The characters in Deep End only get shadier. Slide through to see everyone we meet in Deep End.
Side Note: We get to meet Zaire’s parents FINALLY, albeit via flashback.
P.S. You can see all the characters we meet and the locations we visit in this book here.
Where It All Goes Down
We don’t stray too far in Deep End. Everything continues to go down in Graymont and Umber City, but we do get to experience a world underneath Fall Tree Lake called Rosehollow. And let’s just say… it’s definitely not what you’re expecting.
P.S. You can see all the characters we meet and the locations we visit in this book here.
Trigger Warnings
This story holds grown-adult feelings—grief, desire, ancestral memory, betrayal, and the raw, relentless work of coming back to yourself.
Within these pages, Sand Castles follows Saela and Zaire as they navigate not only the ruins of a fractured marriage, but the buried legacies that threaten to consume them both. Their journey touches deep emotional, physical, and spiritual terrain—often dark, occasionally violent, and always human.
While written with care, this story includes themes and imagery that may be difficult for some readers. Please take care as you read. Pause when you need. Skip what doesn’t serve you. Breathe.
This story approaches trauma, sexuality, and faith with tenderness—but it does ask you to sit with discomfort, contradiction, and the long shadow of survival. If something feels too close, you have permission to pause. To skip. To protect your peace.
You are not alone in what this story explores. Take what you need. Leave what you don’t.
Hit the drop down below to see the list of triggers.
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Sexual assault / rape, including graphic traumatic flashbacks and disclosures
Non-consensual drugging / forced substance use / paralysis and loss of bodily control
Reproductive violence / forced pregnancy termination / invasive gynecological procedures without consent
Reproductive coercion / threatened sterilization / non-consensual taking of reproductive material
Pregnancy loss / stillbirth / infant death / maternal death / graphic childbirth imagery
Suicide references / past suicidal ideation and attempts / attempted overdose / drowning
Parental suicidal threats / supernatural manipulation toward suicide and self-harm
Intimate partner violence / non-consensual choking and strangulation / coercive control
Childhood emotional abuse and neglect / parental rejection / threats against a child
Kidnapping / captivity / physical and medical restraint / confinement in a vehicle or trunk
Graphic violence / gore / mutilation / dismemberment / displayed human remains
Stalking and harassment by a past abuser / threatening messages / surveillance and targeting
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Graphic body horror / painful supernatural transformations / breaking bones, dislocations, and tearing skin
Blood / exposed tissue / severe injuries / biting / knife violence
Near-death experiences / cardiac distress / resuscitation / loss of consciousness
Non-consensual medical procedures / medical instruments and syringes / medical trauma
Traumatic flashbacks / intrusive memories / dissociation / blackouts and disorientation
Panic attacks / severe emotional distress / depression / emotional withdrawal
Self-directed violence, including head-banging / references to self-inflicted ear injury
Dangerous driving / car crash imagery / near accidents / vehicle-related trauma
Fire and arson / threats of murder / assassination plots
Grief / generational trauma / shame / self-blame / fear of dying
Family betrayal / long-term deception / memory suppression and manipulation
Verbal cruelty / humiliation / victim-blaming / sexual shaming
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Explicit, consensual sexual content, including oral sex and penetration
Consensual choking / breath restriction, distinct from the abusive strangulation depicted elsewhere
Consensual dominance and submission / rough sex / pursuit and chase play
Spanking / hair pulling / biting / marking and bruising
Public and outdoor sexual activity / possessive and claiming language
Bodily fluids / tears during sex / emotionally intense intimacy
Sexual shame / relationship insecurity / jealousy / references to infidelity
Sexual harassment / unwanted sexual attention / sexually degrading comments
References to sexually transmitted infections and testing
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Cult involvement / indoctrination / religious manipulation / purity culture
Supernatural compulsion / mental and emotional influence / loss of bodily autonomy
Intrusive, hostile internal voices / possession-like experiences / involuntary speech
Supernatural suppression of identity and abilities, including through childhood drugging
Ancestral and past-life memories / reincarnation / prophecy / questions of free will
Afterlife and spirit-realm experiences / resurrection references / occult and ceremonial imagery
Colonization / racialized oppression / targeted harm across generations
Cannabis, tobacco, and other recreational substance use / intoxication references
Incarceration / public scandal / disputed allegations involving sexual assault and criminal activity
