Paloma Light · Reading Guide
When His Shadow Gives Him Away: Shadow Magic in Fantasy Romance
A guarded officer, and a shadow with little discretion. Set in the violet-misted city of Respa, at a warm bakery. A take on the romantic appeal of magic that makes hidden feelings visible.
Published
Fictional men who believe they are being discreet.
That's one of my favorite archetypes to write about!
If I give one of them a shadow that keeps reaching for the woman he likes, then I am having an excellent time.
My MMC, Officer Alico Argent, is having a professional crisis because of this.
Under Violet Lights is my short fantasy romance/romantasy about night-shift baker Ravenna Carmine and supernatural officer Alico Argent.
Set in Respa, a rain-soaked city in the fictional world of Nepenthia, it brings together a late-night bakery, a dangerous supernatural mystery, and a man whose shadow manifestation makes his affection hard to hide.
Alico takes control seriously.
Not a traditional "Dark MMC" or "Protect her at all costs" archetype, but someone more level-headed and professional.
He has procedures to follow.
Ravenna has spent months serving him tea and giving him broken cookies. She has also noticed that his interest in the bakery seems to extend beyond what she can provide as an employee.
A serious man with an indiscreet shadow
One of the pleasures of a supernatural guarded romantic lead is highlighting the little details that escape his control.
He remembers words she mentioned in passing or he stays in the bakery longer than he needs to.
Fantasy romance can make those things a bit more interesting.
Alico can be sitting properly at the counter while the darkness beneath his chair stretches toward Ravenna.
He can face a supernatural threat with a weapon in his hand, but explaining why his own shadow wants to be near the baker presents a different challenge.
Every attempt at composure gives her another reason to suspect that her interest might be returned.
When magic becomes romantic body language
Shadow magic in fantasy romance can create an intimidating presence and potentially even frightening. As the opposite of light, shadow magic can easily become sinister.
In Under Violet Lights, it gives affection a new identity.
Alico is shadow-adapted, and his manifestation is literally part of him.
Its movements express feelings and impulses he has learned to contain.
He explains it plainly: “If it reached for something, that meant some part of me wanted to reach for it.”
When his shadow curls around Ravenna’s shoes, there is a desire for closeness in the gesture. When he pulls it back, his embarrassment belongs to him too.
She is witnessing the real him before he has found a comfortable way to talk about it.
The pleasure of being someone’s exception
Alico and Ravenna have already spent months getting to know each other. She knows his tea order and the habits that make him such a particular customer.
He notices her generosity, and how she makes room for the people of Respa who need a place to rest.
Their mutual pining grows through that connection.
The broken cookies become an excuse.
This is why his shadow’s behavior is so significant. There is already an established relationship for it to deepen.
Ravenna has reasons to hope he likes her, and Alico has spent a lot of time containing how much he likes being around her.
The darkness reaching across the floor agrees.
Even the protective officer wants somewhere warm to sit
Respa Bakery stays open for people whose lives continue after most of the city has gone to bed.
Alico spends his working life watching entrances and deciding how to keep other people alive.
At the bakery, Ravenna remembers what he likes and puts food beside his cup.
Ravenna is kind, and she has a temper when somebody starts making decisions for her.
She will listen to a warning but she will also object when Alico’s concern becomes an assumption that he is in charge.
Her willingness to challenge him gives their attraction room to become a relationship between two people with their own judgment.
Beneath the supernatural trouble, they are learning how to ask for things from each other.
Unlock their full story - Under Violet Lights
If you enjoy fantasy romance with shadow magic, a guarded protective hero, and mutual attraction that becomes increasingly hard to hide, Under Violet Lights offers a short visit to a city of rain and violet mist.
There is romantic banter across a bakery counter, an ancient supernatural mystery beyond its windows, and an officer whose feelings keep appearing at the worst possible moment.
The warmth of the bakery sits alongside real danger in Respa. The story includes supernatural violence, unsettling creatures, references to childhood trauma, strong language, and mentions of sexual romantic content.