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Cold Hands, Dark Heart: A Gothic Medical Romance
Paperback
Series: The Clinical Obsessions
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Feb 1 2026
Pages: 322
Weight: 0.86
Height: 0.80 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
He is the city's most brilliant surgeon of the dead. I am the fresh meat he intends to carve into his image.
Leopold Bell. The Chief Medical Examiner. A legend in the field of forensic pathology, and a man whispered about in the terrified corners of the hospital breakroom. They call him the Sin Eater-a man who consumes the darkness of the dead so the living don't have to. He is cold, exacting, and beautiful in a terrifying, sterile way.
I shouldn't be here. I'm a first-year resident with a secret that burns hotter than the fire that scarred me. I came to the Bell Institute to hide, to keep my head down, and to save my brother from the streets.
But Leopold Bell doesn't let things stay hidden.
From the moment I stepped into his morgue, he claimed me. Not as a student, but as a project. He pushes me to the breaking point, demanding perfection, dissecting my flaws with the same icy precision he uses on a corpse. He hates me. He obsesses over me.
And when a serial killer known as The Sculptor resurfaces-a monster who turns women's ribcages into wings-Leopold looks at me and sees the perfect bait.
Now, I'm trapped in a game of cat and mouse between a killer who wants to make me a masterpiece and a mentor who wants to own my soul.
Leopold says he's the only one who can save me. He says he's the wall between me and the dark. But when his cold hands touch my skin, I'm not sure if he wants to protect me... or finish the job.
In the morgue, there is no such thing as a clean cut.
COLD HANDS, DARK HEART is a high-stakes, atmospheric Gothic Medical Romance. It features a possessive, morally grey anti-hero, a resilient heroine, and a love story forged in blood and trauma. Expect forensic details, intense steam, and a Touch Her and Die vibe that will stop your heart.
Tropes & Themes:
Age Gap / Power Dynamic (Mentor & Resident)
Morally Grey Anti-Hero (The Sin Eater)
Gothic Medical Setting (Atmospheric & Dark)
Touch Her and You Die (Extreme Protective Vibes)
Serial Killer / Cat & Mouse Thriller
Trauma Bonding / Shared Scars
Forced Proximity (Snowed in/Locked in)
Competence Kink
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