London, 1865. Vera Sorokina loves immersing herself in tales of adventure, mystery, and romance. Her own days are filled with the mundane work of running the book and print shop she owns with her father. Brogan Donnelly has built a career as a Penny Dreadful writer, yet he feels dissatisfied. Brogan and Vera's paths cross, and the attraction is both immediateand ill-advised. When the growing criminal enterprise run by the elusive and violent Mastiff begins targeting their area of London, Brogan and Vera must work together to protect the community they've both grown to love. But that means they'll need to learn to trust each other with dangerous secrets.