Novel Haven by Anabelle Stehl

Description

Lara vs. Luca.
Introverted vs Charismatic.
Cozy gamer vs. horror gamer.

Lara is a shy programmer in London pouring her whole heart into Novel Haven, a gentle pixel-art game about books, healing, and community. Luca is the confident developer behind Desolate Dread, a psychological horror game that mines his own nightmares for inspiration. They couldn’t be more different, yet both are fighting for the same prize at the prestigious GameChanger Convention: recognition, visibility, and desperately needed prize money that could decide the future of their studios.

Thrown together at a glamorous country estate for the convention weekend, they keep colliding in hallways, backstage spaces, and after-hours events–where sharp banter slowly gives way to late-night honesty, shared vulnerabilities, and a connection neither of them saw coming. Behind the facade of competition, they’re both secretly longing for someone who understands them off-screen. They could be perfect for each other, but with industry politics, viral scandals, and a single winner-takes-all award on the line, trusting the enemy might be the biggest risk of all.