In this atmospheric, terrifying novel that draws strongly from "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," the author of Alice and The Girl in Red works her trademark magic, spinning an engaging and frightening new story from a classic tale. Everyone in Sleepy Hollow knows about the Horseman, but no one really believes in him. Not even Ben Van Brunt's grandfather, Brom Bones, who was there when it was said the Horseman chased the upstart Crane out of town. Brom says that's just legend, the village gossips talking. More than thirty years after those storied events, the village is a quiet place. Fourteen-year-old Ben loves to play "Sleepy Hollow boys," reenacting the events Brom once lived through. But then Ben and a friend stumble across the headless body of a child in the woods near the village, and the discovery makes Ben question everything the adults in Sleepy Hollow have ever said. Could the Horseman be real after all? Or does something even more sinister stalk the woods?

A superstitious schoolmaster, in love with a wealthy farmer's daughter, has a terrifying encounter with a headless horseman.

Katrina Van Tassel. Katrina the flirt, the coquette, the tease-so called by the Sleepy Hollow villagers because she hasn't given her hand to one of her eager suitors. Everyone expects her to choose the muscled, handsome Brom over lean, studious Ichabod-but Katrina has objections to both of them. One autumn night, a harvest party at the Van Tassel house ends in a violent confrontation, and Katrina comes face to face with the most horrifying myth ever to haunt Sleepy Hollow-the Headless Horseman himself. Taken prisoner by the Horseman, Katrina is forced to confront her own prejudices and expectations as she discovers a deeper world of intrigue and magic. This dark romantic novella is perfect for fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout, Laura Thalassa, and Bec McMaster. (Medium heat, adult content.) The book is inspired by and based upon Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," first published in 1820. However, the story has been entirely rebuilt and re-imagined. I have made an effort to be historically accurate wherever possible, but the storytelling and the romance take precedence over the accuracy of historical detail and dialogue. The book is also not intended to perfectly replicate the topography of the actual village of Sleepy Hollow in Mount Pleasant, New York.