[2021 WATTYS Winner] Giovanna joins a handsome nobleman to save a friend from an arranged marriage, but they discover a plot that may have victims of Venice's Black Death rising from their graves. * * * As a child, Giovanna Visconti learned the arts of bloodletting and elixir brewing from her father with an intent to simply support his work, not take it over. But when he falls ill from the pestilence that's been ravaging Venice for months, she reluctantly dons the beaked mask of the plague doctor. Vowing to protect her father however she can, Giovanna hides him away and sees her first patient--the handsome, but alarmingly feverish Matteo Barozzi. Although she successfully treats this son of a high-ranking official, in a careless moment Giovanna fails to properly conceal her identity. The only reason she isn't tossed into a dank jail cell is thanks to the young man's honor and feelings of indebtedness. The association between the charming aristocrat and the clever commoner should end there, but when Giovanna's dearest friend goes missing right after her betrothal to the Doge's son and amid strange reports of nighttime attacks, violent commotions, and inexplicable behaviors in the community, the only person Giovanna can turn to for help is Matteo. Together, they must carefully navigate Venice's increasingly deadly canals to uncover a sect peddling false cures and a smuggling plot involving the highest levels of government or risk the entire Republic falling victim to something even worse than the plague: the risen dead. Historical Fiction with Fantasy Elements THE BORGIAS X FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH * * * WATTYS 2021 winner for Historical Fiction and special HQ prize for "Catchiest Hook" AMBYS 2022 winner for Best Zombie story Content Warning for adult situations including assault and death.

Highest Rank: #2 Historical Fiction- Noah has been a Servant for as long a he could remember. His Mistress Cathliene Manchester just recently remarried to the Lord Louis Montego. This means that her and her twin sons are now members of Society. When the Montego family receives invitations for a Masked Ball celebrating the Alminian Princess's year of eligibility, an order from Noah's Mistress will change his life forever. Witness Noah's struggle as he experiences desire for a woman who is socially superior. After all what is Noah, but a Simple Servant? [[Word count: ~ 101,000]] [[Completed] ]

She was sold to a richer family, and then substituted their daughter to be a palace servant candidate at 15. As news spread fast like the wind, she knows that a palace servant's life is not easy. She wishes for release as soon as she enters the palace. A chameleon she wants to be, to blend in with the surroundings, attracting no attention. However, fate decides otherwise. As everyday passes, she begins to witness, one by one, the scheming yet melancholic lives of people in the palace. She wants to leave such a place, only to find out later that she can never escape the tight grasp of cruel destiny. This girl, her name is Jade Yeva/Yè Ān Yù. --- •Sequel: Princess In The Palace (can be read as a standalone) •Full summary in summary chapter. •This is actually a Historical Chinese-based story, with names tweaked into English to suit English readers too. Name translation will be provided at the end of chapters. ***HIGHEST #5 in Historical Fiction.

Born a slave, made an heiress, Annabelle must battle a society unwilling to accept her and a love that threatens to ruin her in order to keep her freedom. ***** Born a slave, Annabelle soon finds that fate has other plans when she's purchased by a man named Elijah Finley, who not only rescues her from an abusive master, but also gives her her freedom. However, her new life comes at the cost of another: Elijah has made Annabelle the heiress to his estate, in spite of having a son. So Henry Finley, unwilling to accept his father's will, is determined to regain his rightful fortune at any cost -- even if that means seducing his father's former slave... Content and/or Trigger Warning: This story contains some racist and sexist language that reflects the historical time period when it's set. [[word count: 80,000-90,000 words]]