Flesh & Flora: A Horror Romance Charity Anthology

by Azalea Crowley, Wren Blackburne, Talia Greer

Ever wondered what it would be like to romance the monster in a horror movie? Have you wanted to read horror romance but don't know where to start? Want to help support a good cause? Dive into these horror romance tales and sate your curiosity!

Flesh & A Horror Romance Anthology is the first of an annual charity anthology presented by Azalea Crowley that focuses on bringing monsters to the forefront of the horror romance genre, highlights diverse voices, and helps raise money for charity.

Participating

Azalea Crowley

Wren Blackburne

Talia Greer

Aaron Hunt

Ursula de Galvan

Lizzie Strong

Enoli Lee

Tyler Battaglia

All profits from this charity anthology will be donated to the National Wildlife Federation.

Kindle Edition

Expected publication March 24, 2026

About the author

Azalea Crowley (she/they) writes for the weird girls who related more to monsters than princesses and were obsessed with the romance subplots in horror movies. Readers who were othered might find a home in her books, where both the scary monsters and weird women are loved and accepted as they are.

When she is not writing diverse horror romance, Azalea dabbles in diverse fantasy romances based off her love of TTRPGs like D&D or Daggerheart. Originally from Hawaii, she now accepts her fate as a vampire as she freezes in the PNW caring for her husband and small monster (dog) baby.

Find her at https://www.azaleacrowley.com/ and sign up for her newsletter and receive unhinged love letters and uncensored ruminations.

Reviews

[Mrs. Pendragon Pages · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looove it!
If you are new to Horror Romance and/or monster romance, this is a fantastic way to get introduced to it. With many short stories from various authors, this anthology offers everything from cozy moments to hair-raising horror.
And if you are a seasoned horror romance reader, you will find it hard to pick a favorite story.
Syrup, By Azalea Crowley
Azalea has a knack for writing Vore and psychological horror so effortlessly that you don’t realize it’s disturbing until you’ve devoured the entire book and look at the goosebumps it has given you, until after the fact.

Thank you to the authors for the ARC; all opinions are my own

[Katie Flournoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll keep coming back and adding to this review as I make my way through the anthology.

Oh, to be kept! Beautifully unsettling, Syrup, is a short, sweet, second chance love story with a mycelial twist. Author Azalea Crowley never fails to layer atmospheric tension, analogies of disabilities, and unconditional acceptance within a captivating plot. This tale is part of the charity anthology, Flesh & Flora, a collection of botanical horror romance stories featuring nine talented authors.

After all, even the monstrous wants to be loved.

I had the honor of reading this as an ARC and look forward to diving into the rest of the anthology!

***

With an ominous atmosphere that seeps under your skin, Take Root is a tale of an unexpected second chance romance and an rescue mission gone wrong. This story explores themes of connection, belonging, and queer love within a vivid landscape and almost tangible plot. Author Talia Greer has created a cosmic botanical horror that's equal parts eerie and engrossing. I devoured this story and so look forward to reading more by Greer!

[Kat Reads Skulls · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, yet hair raising anthology! Horror romance, I enjoyed most of the stories (my fave Syrup by Azalea Crowley), and wished a few were full books. That said, I have insomnia and anxiety and would like to get more sleep, not less lol! I’m not normally an anthology person, but I can see the appeal and enjoyed getting these snapshots of stories and authors. This is a charity anthology as well, so good (spooky) vibes all around!

[Kristen Kovatch Bentley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading an advance copy of this anthology! These stories are definitely not what I typically read, but this was the perfect way to experience a new-to-me genre and get to know the voices of some new authors as an introduction to their work. These are all vastly different stories from each other, which speaks to the creativity of each writer.

My personal favorites in this anthology were Wren Blackburne’s “Monotropa Uniflora” and Ursula de Galvan’s “The Golden Seed.”

[Eilidh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting and not what I expected.

Of course some stories where better than others (to me at a least) but I don’t think I’m an anthology girly. Each story finished just as I was getting into it.

They were great little sprinkles of stories but I didn’t want more. But I do get why people would love this. I am the problem

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so fun! I loved getting to read some short stories from authors I love and some I'm being introduced to for the first time. This was a lovely spooky anthology and I wouldn't be mad if some of these shorties turned into full length books someday. My favorites were Azalea Crowley & Lizzie Strong's stories so definitely read those two at a minimum!!

[Kitm0nster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each of these short stories are creepy and hit the mark of Horror Romance.

Give it a shot, you won't be disappointed