Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ghost in the Rain | 2016 | Kathy L. Wheeler | Buy |
| 2 | Haunting at Spook Light Inn | 2016 | Kathy L. Wheeler | Buy |
| 3 | Blood Stained Memories | 2016 | Kathy L. Wheeler | Buy |
| 4 | Sea of Darkness | 2016 | Kathy L. Wheeler | Buy |
| 5 | Shadows and Lies | 2016 | Kathy L. Wheeler | Buy |
| 6 | Once Upon a Gothic | 2021 | Kathy L. Wheeler | Buy |
A World of Gothic takes Kathy L. Wheeler into darker territory than her Regency or contemporary work. The six books in this series — Ghost in the Rain, Haunting at Spook Light Inn, Blood Stained Memories, Sea of Darkness, Shadows and Lies, and Once Upon a Gothic — each build their atmosphere around a location that carries some kind of shadow: a ghost, a secret, a haunting.
Wheeler published five of the six books in 2016 in quick succession, suggesting the series came from a concentrated creative period. Once Upon a Gothic arrived five years later in 2021, adding a fairy-tale framing to the gothic material. The books aren’t horror — the tone stays closer to gothic romance than to thriller — but they’re notably moodier than Wheeler’s other series.
Readers who like Anne Radcliffe’s tradition of romantic suspense with atmospheric settings will find A World of Gothic more congenial than Wheeler’s lighter contemporary or Regency work. Each book stands alone, which makes it easy to sample without committing to the full series.