Meet Ethan Blackhart: From Premier League Red Cards to Gothic Heirs
Before he was the shadowy figure walking the foggy grounds of Blackhart Manor, Ethan "Bullet" Blackhart was a household name.
As a Premier League striker, Ethan was famous for two things: an uncanny ability to score impossible goals and an explosive temper that kept referees’ yellow and red cards working overtime. The press loved him, the fans idolized him, and the tabloids devoured every mistake he made.
Then came the red card that ended it all—a hamstring tear that cost him and his team the Survival Sunday match and shattered his career. After his involuntary retirement, Ethan got another albatross around his neck: the ancestral home he vowed never to return to now demands his full attention.
A Hero Under Construction (And Heavy Construction at That)
Despite wanting to retreat to his luxury penthouse in London to lick his wounds, Ethan was forced back to the one place he vowed never to return to: a crumbling, eight-hundred-year-old estate in northern Skye, Scotland.
In The Ghost of Blackhart Manor, Ethan isn't looking for redemption, and he certainly isn't looking for love. He’s a man carrying the dual weight of losing his career and an inherited family legacy that feels more like a prison sentence than the privilege his title claims. His goal is simple: sell the manor, avoid the world, and if that doesn’t bring him happiness, burn it all to the ground.
Why Readers Will Fall for "Bullet"
Ethan embodies the ultimate grumpy, wounded-hero trope with a sharp, modern edge:
The Fall from Grace: He went from stadium lights and applause to damp stone corridors and solitude. Watching a high-powered athlete navigate the silence of a brooding estate while trying to figure out how to fill the new hole in his world makes his character arc deeply compelling.
Protective to a Fault: Beneath the dry wit, growling beard, and fierce defiance lies a man desperate to protect the vulnerable space he’s found himself in. The corridors are filled with the darkness of his past, but can he let the walls of protection fall far enough to let the light from his future in?
The Match for Rose: Ethan is used to people either fearing his temper or exploiting his fame. When botanist Rose Rosario walks onto his estate completely unaware of who he is or what he had accomplished on the pitch, Ethan’s curiosity is sparked.
As Rose quickly learns, Ethan Blackhart might be finished with football, but he hasn't lost his instinct to fight—especially when a determined woman starts asking questions and unearthing the secrets he thought were dead and gone.
Magic, blood-bonds & redemption…
Want a sneak peek at this new series? Check out the Blackhart Brothers Series page (scroll to the bottom for the excerpt). And as we wait (patiently) for pre-order news, be sure to sign up for the newsletter, and check out the Clan MacLaoch Curse series if you haven’t already.
