Dark Cravings By Joel Abernathy May 2026

A "sweetheart" trapped in a monstrous body, he suffers from immense guilt for his past actions while under the influence of his wolf blood. His journey is one of reclaiming humanity and finding belonging.

The novel heavily utilizes religious imagery to contrast the "righteous" hunters with the "monstrous" shifters. It questions whether redemption is possible through suffering or if one must embrace their darker nature to survive. Dark Cravings by Joel Abernathy

Dark Cravings by Joel Abernathy is the first installment in the Hunters of the Church series, a dark M/M paranormal romance that blends gritty fantasy with high-stakes emotional conflict. Released in 2022, the novel explores themes of redemption, monstrous nature, and the thin line between hunter and prey. A "sweetheart" trapped in a monstrous body, he

Reviewers from Goodreads and Romance.io praise the world-building for its unique take on shifter lore. While some readers found the early smut scenes particularly brutal and the power imbalance jarring, others highlighted the "exquisite writing" and the emotional depth of the character development. Dark Cravings (Hunters of the Church, #1) by Joel Abernathy Reviewers from Goodreads and Romance

A central thesis of the book is that the true monsters are not always those with cursed blood, but those who use their power to subjugate others in the name of righteousness.

The story follows , a young man who has spent years trapped in his werewolf form with no memory or control over his animalistic urges. After being captured by a group of "holy" hunters, he is brought to an Abbey where his blood is intended to be harvested to empower the hunters.