The fifth book in Emily McIntire's Never After series, is a dark contemporary retelling of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." The story follows Father Cade Frédéric, a priest with a dark inner "sickness," and Amaya Paquette, a dancer in the town of Festivalé, Vermont. Cade is tasked with cleansing the town of evil, and he fixates on Amaya, believing her to be a witch luring him to sin. Amaya, who cares for her autistic younger brother, is trapped in a cycle of poverty and debt, dancing for greedy eyes to survive. The story explores their intense, forbidden attraction and the lengths Cade will go to, even if it means destroying the woman he loves, to conquer his inner demons and rid the town of what he perceives as evil.
