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DARK FANTASY AUTHOR

Eddy Rose

Gladiators and grimdark stories

They stood amid the bones of an ancient arena, owner and gladiator, striking a deal where death was the prize.

The Black Hearth by Eddy Rose is a dark fantasy romance that blends the brutal spectacle of Gladiator with the grimdark mystery of The Witcher—then sets it on fire with a steamy, slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers arc. If you crave a mature, ruthless heroine, a quiet, haunted gladiator, and a world dripping with blood and ruin, don’t wait—join my newsletter to get early access to news, updates, and ARC opportunities.

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Meet the Author

Eddy Rose

Eddy Rose writes grimdark fantasy filled with gladiators, grit, and romance. Her characters are morally grey, complex humans with emotional depth, strong character development, and often a fatal lack of social skills.

A psychologist by day and author by night, she builds brutal worlds filled with deadly arenas, rich lore, and her own hand-drawn maps.

Based on the Gold Coast, Queensland (at least in theory), Eddy is famously hard to find unless you’re her husband or son, but she’s deeply fond of her reader community and will shamelessly spoil them with free short stories and maps through her newsletter.

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In a place of blood and sand, the arena offers what he never sought.

A Taste of Blade and Roar, a Twilight of Blood short story, is out now. Grab your free copy here.

In the blood-soaked pit of the Switchblade Arena, survival is a spectacle, and death is entertainment.

The King’s newest gladiator, a young purebred beast raised for the arenas, must earn his place in the merciless head trainer’s team by surviving an impossible fight—a Slayer’s Pit. But as he steps onto the shifting sands, he discovers the arena offers far more than blood and death. What he finds there will shape the beast destined to become the Lion of Zarall.

A Taste of Blood and Roar is a Twilight of Blood short story and a prequel to Lion of Zarall.

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  • Reading Makes You More Empathetic

    Reading Makes You More Empathetic

    Let’s talk about one of the incredible benefits of reading fiction—its ability to make us more empathetic. While we often think of books as a form of entertainment, – or escapism – research has shown that diving into the world of a novel can actually help us better understand the emotions and perspectives of others.

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  • The Research Behind Lion of Zarall: Gladiators, History, and Imagination

    The Research Behind Lion of Zarall: Gladiators, History, and Imagination

    Here’s some behind the scenes of my research for Lion of Zarall and how I blended historical inspiration with my own imagination. While the gladiators in my book aren’t set in a Roman era, they’re definitely inspired by historical gladiators. I took the essence of what made those warriors fascinating but gave it my own

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  • Psychology of Reading Dark Fiction

    Psychology of Reading Dark Fiction

    Have you ever wondered why we’re drawn to the dark side? Last week I talked about my reasons for writing dark fiction. This week, I wanna bring psychology into reading dark fiction. So if you’re feeling compelled to the stories filled with fear, pain, danger, gore, and tragedy, and if you’re wondering why, read on. 

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  • Why We Like Morally Grey/Ambiguous Characters?

    Why We Like Morally Grey/Ambiguous Characters?

    Let’s face it—perfect characters can be, well, boring. Sure, they’re admirable, and maybe even inspirational, but they often lack the depth that keeps readers hooked. Especially in dark fiction, where the lines between right and wrong blur so easily, it’s those morally ambiguous characters that pull us in. And there’s a psychological reason why we

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  • Cover Reveal Recap & Your Exclusive Sneak Peek of Lion of Zarall

    Cover Reveal Recap & Your Exclusive Sneak Peek of Lion of Zarall

    It’s been an amazing couple of weeks, and I’m still buzzing with excitement from our cover reveal! Last week, we celebrated my beautiful cover over on Instagram with a fun giveaway to mark the occasion, and I have to say, the response was incredible. Thank you so much to everyone who entered and shared the

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