Everyone longs for undying love...if only it can be found in this world. Jobless and betrayed by his friends, aspiring writer Aaron Pace flees to Shanghai, a glittering metropolis promising love and fortune. An exclusive poker party thrusts him into China's elite world, catching heiress Audrey Chen’s eye. After losing, Aaron is forced to spend a night in a haunted mansion, encountering Willow, a spectral beauty who evokes his deepest longing. Torn between Audrey's golden allure and Willow's otherworldly pull, Aaron's quest for truth plunges him into a perilous war between ancient astral powers and modern moguls, challenging everything he believes about love, reality, and himself. Prepare to enter a world where fantasies and nightmares play for keeps. Aaron's about to learn that in this game, the most shocking truth might be hiding in plain sight. Two women. Two worlds. One choice. The price? His soul. Inspired by Pu Songling's Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, the seminal paranormal anthology written in the 1600s, THE LONGING series brings the spellbinding world of seductive ghosts, beguiling fox spirits, and demonic shapeshifters to life through a modern Western protagonist's point of view. For the first time, fans of paranormal fantasies can experience a fresh and unique supernatural mythology unlike other works in this genre. Fans of books by Sarah J. Maas, Carissa Broadbent, Stephanie Garber, and Holly Black will find THE LONGING a thrilling and satisfying read.