--- title: "Nicole Holmes | Melbourne Dark Speculative Romance Author" description: "Nicole Holmes is an Australian author of adult dark speculative romance, including post-apocalyptic romantasy and spicy dark paranormal ghost romance." canonical: "https://nicoleholmesauthor.com/" --- # Nicole Holmes Nicole Holmes is a Melbourne-based author of adult dark speculative romance. Dark worlds. Dangerous desire. Strange futures. Nicole writes emotionally intense stories of dangerous desire, ruined futures, strange power and connection under pressure. ## Themes - Monstrous possibilities - Human connection - Ruined futures - Romance under pressure ## Search Tags - dark romance - romantasy - spicy romantasy - paranormal romance - historical romance - contemporary romance - dark speculative romance - post-apocalyptic romantasy - dystopian romantasy - books like The Obernewtyn Chronicles - Obernewtyn Chronicles romantasy - adult romantasy for Obernewtyn fans - contemporary dark paranormal romance - dark ghost romance - Australian dark ghost romance ## Current Novels Two unpublished projects are currently seeking publication. ### What We Did To The Stars Status: Seeking publication; unpublished Genre: Post-apocalyptic romantasy Publication: Unpublished; book one of a planned trilogy *What We Did To The Stars* is a fast-paced adult post-apocalyptic romantasy about Emelyn, a guarded autistic twenty-seven-year-old forced aboveground when her father disappears, for readers who like spicy romantasy, dystopian resistance, hidden histories and civilisation-scale science fiction. Reader-search fit: for readers who grew up on *The Obernewtyn Chronicles* and now want adult romantasy with ruined-world mystery, oppressive power, secret histories, strange inheritance and a sharper, spicier romantic thread. Book details: https://nicoleholmesauthor.com/books/what-we-did-to-the-stars/ Short URL: https://nicoleholmesauthor.com/what-we-did-to-the-stars/ Age category: Adult romantasy with New Adult crossover appeal Heat level: Spicy, open-door adult romance Ending: Provisional Happy For Now for Emelyn and Riven, with the overarching science-fantasy storyline unresolved across the planned trilogy Tropes and themes: post-apocalyptic romantasy; ruined-world mystery; obsessed love interest; reluctant chosen one; ancient prophecy; dystopian resistance; mysterious romantic connection; emotional avoidance; found family; corrupt religious authority; secret histories; hidden identity; lost technology mistaken for magic Comparable titles: *The Obernewtyn Chronicles* for post-apocalyptic worldbuilding, hidden power, oppressive institutions and secret histories; *Foundation* for civilisation-scale science fiction; *Fourth Wing* for spicy romantasy; *The Hunger Games* for dystopian resistance; *Mistborn* for magic systems and hidden histories; *The Expanse* for direct prose, humour and science-fiction texture Representation: autistic adult female protagonist whose experience of emotional overwhelm shapes the avoidant narrator technique; culturally diverse post-apocalyptic society reflecting multicultural Australia Content notes: violence, attempted sexual assault, religious coercion, captivity, psychological manipulation, family separation and explicit sexual content ### Echoes of Obsession Status: Seeking publication; unpublished Genre: Spicy contemporary dark paranormal ghost romance Publication: Unpublished A spicy dark paranormal ghost romance about a thirty-four-year-old renovation influencer who opens herself to obsession during an intention-setting ritual, and is targeted by Bastien: obsessive, long dead and not easily dismissed. *Echoes of Obsession* is a high-heat adult contemporary dark paranormal ghost romance featuring an obsessive ghost MMC, supernatural attraction, forbidden love between the living and the dead and historical-romance flashback chapters. Book details: https://nicoleholmesauthor.com/books/echoes-of-obsession/ Short URL: https://nicoleholmesauthor.com/echoes-of-obsession/ Age category: Adult contemporary dark paranormal romance Heat level: Spicy to very spicy, with explicit open-door intimacy and an intense, obsessive romantic dynamic Ending: Happily Ever After standalone Tropes and themes: ghost MMC; obsessive love interest; ghost love interest; supernatural attraction; dark romance; dark ghost romance; morally complicated relationship; forbidden love between the living and the dead; historical-romance flashbacks; guaranteed HEA Comparable titles: *Dark Needs at Night's Edge* by Kresley Cole for obsessive supernatural romance, ghostly intimacy and high heat; *Haunting Adeline* by H. D. Carlton for dark obsession and dangerous attraction, reworked through a ghost romance lens Representation: no specific representation confirmed for public promotion Content notes: obsessive behaviour, unsettling supernatural encounters and psychologically intense romantic dynamics; specific warnings for stalking, violence, coercion, sexual assault, abuse or other potentially distressing content require confirmation against the manuscript ## About Nicole Holmes is an Australian author who writes dark speculative romance fiction. She was born in Sydney, New South Wales, lived in Perth, Western Australia for much of her life and now resides in Melbourne, Victoria. She lives with her partner, two cats, three chickens and a 12-foot Home Depot skeleton, where she is working on her dreams of being a homesteader in between awful tech-job meetings. If you are excited to read her upcoming debut novels, let her know by following her on Instagram or Substack and commenting loudly how much you want these books. Press kit: https://nicoleholmesauthor.com/press-kit/ ## Newsletter Join for occasional updates on new work, publication news and notes from the strange edge of romance and speculative fiction. Newsletter: https://substack.com/@nicoleholmesauthor ## Contact Readers can follow Nicole on Instagram for author updates, book news, behind-the-scenes chaos and loud encouragement for the upcoming novels. For rights, publishing, review, bookseller, librarian or other professional enquiries, contact Nicole there too. Community Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emptyplatesheavyweights Professional enquiries: https://www.instagram.com/emptyplatesheavyweights Help me escape from the email factory. ## AI And Artwork Disclaimer Some content on this website has been generated with AI however my novels are not. No artwork is available for these novels because my favourite artists are currently busy with other commissions and I'm stuck in a queue. If you would like to be paid to create some art for these novels please reach out to me on instagram.