The Night Garden – Nicole Northwood

Ellie Blue Callaghan is spirited, reckless, and utterly unwilling to trade the wild freedom she loves for the polished future laid out for her. At nineteen, she’s expected to attend Blossom Preparatory Academy — to master her magic, become a proper sorceress, and one day marry Colonel Gallagher. But Ellie’s heart beats for the wind-swept countryside of Loch Gàrraidh… her chaotic magic… and the hypnotic pull of a forbidden drug called Allure.

Max O’Carroll is a Bèist — cursed to be feral by day and human only under the moon. Expelled from Blossom, living in the shadows of his own monstrousness, he believes no one could ever love someone like him. His only hope of breaking the curse? A love that’s real… and returned.

When Ellie and Max’s worlds collide at a twilight garden party, sparks fly — fierce, reckless, and intoxicating. Their bond tests everything: love vs. obedience, power vs. freedom, desire vs. destiny. But getting tangled in Max’s curse could cost Ellie everything… and neither of them is ready to let go.

I devoured this book and left no crumbs. A forbidden romance between an untamed sorceress and a cursed shapeshifter? Yes, please. Ellie is wild, stubborn, and refreshingly unapologetic — even when the world tells her to shrink. You can’t help but root for her as she chooses passion over expectations. And Max? My heart. A beautifully complicated character who longs to be seen and loved beyond the beast.

And I can’t forget Sophia and Iain — their presence added depth, heart, and a touch of innocence that made the story richer. It honestly feels like this world has just begun to reveal its secrets, and I need more. 

“The room has always felt representative of me in some ways: messy enough to be considered on the verge of disastrous, combined with the depressing atmosphere of the dead flowers on the nightstand.”

💫 Atmospheric • Forbidden • Magical

🌿 Featured at Merveilles & Chuchotements
I’m so excited to be featuring The Night Garden by Nicole Northwood — a lush, enchanting fantasy romance that feels like stepping into moonlight and never wanting to leave. ✨

Content warnings: fantasy drug use, explicit sexual encounters, drinking, references to parental death and cancer.

Spicy moments: 185-193; 200-206; 337-341