Meet Victoria & Gabriel: The Heart of Once Upon a Midnight Dreary

Every gothic tale needs two things: a heroine with courage and a hero with shadows.

Let me introduce you to the heart of Once Upon a Midnight Dreary:

Victoria Ravenwood
An heiress who inherits Ravenfell Manor after years away. Independent, determined, and braver than she realizes, Victoria isn’t just reclaiming a house—she’s reclaiming herself. But when she walks its haunted halls, she soon realizes the greatest risk isn’t the ghosts. It’s giving her heart to the man who stands beside her.

Gabriel Allward
The mysterious caretaker who has lived within Ravenfell’s walls for decades. Bound by secrets, haunted by loss, Gabriel is both protector and prisoner. He’s brooding, complex, and far more than he appears.

Here’s a little taste of their first connection:

“It’s all right,” he said into her hair. “I’ve got you.”

His voice, low and steady, wrapped around her. She clung to him. Not just out of fear from the near-miss, but something else. Something unspoken. Something deeper.

Affection. The beginnings of affection tugged at heart.

“What…what is happening?” she breathed.

She tilted her head up, their eyes colliding. In his gaze she saw it. Longing. Regret. Loneliness. A tenderness he didn’t try to hide that split her heart in two. In that instant, she understood. He felt the same.

Without thinking, she lifted on tiptoe, drawn by that longing and tenderness buried deep in his eyes. Her lips parted, her breath catching as she reached for him.

Tell me—are you already swooning for Gabriel, or are you warning Victoria to keep her distance? 😉