Unlimited characters, stories and romance—that’s the draw of the 1001 Dark Nights series, a collection of novellas from M.J. Rose and Liz Berry. This romance series draws inspiration from the original One Thousand and One Nights, the famous collection of Middle Eastern tales.
In the original Nights, the Persian king Shahryar has found his wife to be unfaithful and has her killed. Deciding all women must be the same, he marries a new virgin each day, and has the previous day’s bride beheaded.
This continues until Scheherazade, the daughter of the vizier, offers herself as the next bride. On the night they marry, she starts to tell the king a story, but does not finish it that evening. Intrigued, the king keeps her alive to hear its end on the following night...when she begins another tale.
At the beginning of each novella in 1001 Dark Nights, readers are introduced to a similar framework—an unnamed narrator who has studied all sorts of literature and knows endless stories has the magical ability to travel into the books she reads. Curious about the myth of the Arabian Nights, she travels into Scheherazade’s tale—and accidentally trades places with her. Now, in order to stay alive, she must do as Scheherazade did, and spin story after gripping story.
Related: 11 Titillating Time Travel Romance Novels
To fulfill this fantastical premise, 1001 Dark Nights invites dozens of acclaimed romance authors, from Lexi Blake to Heather Graham to Lorelei James, to contribute to the series. Each novella introduces readers to a world the author has already built—but you don’t need to be familiar with any of the original series to read a story from 1001 Dark Nights. Each novella works as an introduction for new readers, or simply as a standalone tale to enjoy on its own.
What’s more, the collections include all kinds of romance stories, from paranormal to contemporary to erotic—no matter what you’re looking for, there’s a Dark Nights tale for you.
There are more than 100 novellas in the 1001 Dark Nights collection, which should be enough to keep new readers busy for quite some time. You can dive in anywhere—but we suggest starting with one of the steamy novellas listed below.
Krewe of Hunters Series
Crimson Twilight
Sloan Trent and Jane Everett are madly in love and about to be married—until something goes terribly wrong. As members of the same special unit of the FBI, they’re used to dealing with dead bodies...but that doesn’t make them any less shocked when the priest who was supposed to perform their nuptials is found lifeless at the bottom of a staircase, just hours before the ceremony.
While the priest may have simply tripped, the maid thinks his death was no accident. Many others have died on the same staircase — and the culprit may not be entirely of this world.
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Masters and Mercenaries Series
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Dungeon Games
Lieutenant Derek Brighton from the Dallas Police Department isn’t sure why he’s been called in on a case being handled by the Texas Rangers...until he sees how the latest victim has been tied up. Derek immediately recognizes the knot as one used in Japanese rope bondage. Thanks to his ex-wife, who works as a District Attorney, Derek’s been hand-picked as a BDSM expert to work on the case of a serial killer who’s on a streak of murdering well-known submissives in the area.
The killer has already killed a woman Derek has played with before—and his next target is Karina Mills, a private detective who runs in the same circles as Derek. He finds her completely infuriating...and completely intoxicating.
To make sure she doesn’t get hurt, Derek volunteers to become Karina’s Dom. He’ll have to be near her, sleep next to her, and protect her...and if they do a little playing of their own, he just might be able to get her out of his system. But even if Derek can’t sort out his feelings for Karina, he’s going to make damn sure she stays alive.
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A Midnight Breed Novella
Tempted by Midnight
Lazaro Archer is a first-generation Breed—one of the vampire nation’s oldest individuals. After his Breedmate and children were killed by a madman two decades earlier, leaving him only with his grandson, Lazaro refuses to be vulnerable with anyone again. But when a peace-making mission between humans and Breed goes terribly wrong, Lazaro has no choice but to protect Melena, a woman he’s saved once before.
Melena has never forgotten the Breed male who saved her life all those years ago, although he’s very different from the angry man who’s protecting her now. Still, Melena is drawn to Lazaro, and he to her. It doesn’t take long for them to give in to their desires...but they still need to figure out who betrayed them if they’re going to stay alive.
Desire Exchange Series
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The Flame
Cassidy Burke has a budding business, a handsome, successful husband and a wonderful gay best friend named Sean—or at least she did, until they almost had a threesome together during Mardi Gras. She doesn’t know how far it would have gone if they hadn’t been interrupted...and she can’t stop thinking about how much she wanted it to happen.
The three of them probably would have decided to never speak “the incident” again—if not for an unusual gift Cassidy received from a neighboring business owner. He said he was no ordinary candlemaker, and he was right—somehow, the candle he gave Cassidy smells like both her favorite men. “Light this flame at the scene of your greatest passion and your heart’s desire will be yours,” he tells her...and Cassidy can’t resist.
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Blacktop Cowboys® Series
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Roped In
After waking up in an ambulance with another serious injury, steer-wrestler Sutton Grant made a deal with God: If he still had the ability to walk after this, he’d give up bulldoggin’ forever. And recover he did...but now he needs help keeping his horse, Dial, in competition condition. He knows the perfect woman to help—Dial’s previous trainer, London Gradsky. Unfortunately, he and London haven’t always got on very well.
However, London’s just been dumped by her boyfriend for a rodeo queen. And she’ll do anything to save face, including asking Sutton to pretend to be her new boyfriend in exchange for helping him train Dial. He agrees to the deal...but soon enough, neither one of them are faking their passion.
Related: 14 Western Romance Books That Will Make You Yearn for a Cowboy of Your Own
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