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roxxyreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Short and spicy novella. Leaves off at a cliffhanger ending, and also ends rather abruptly. Reminded me of the Cat & Mouse Duet from HD Carlton. Really enjoyed! THIS IS A DARK EROTIC ROMANCE, PLEASE CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Vomit, and Murder
noellelovesbooks's review against another edition
3.75
Content Warnings: Sexual content, sexual violence, blood, gore, body horror, violence, murder, stalking, toxic relationships, and CNC.
You know growing up in a town that had a lot of corn fields...I never once thought they seemed anything other than boring and creepy ðŸ¤
We get instant obsession, stalking, touch her and die, and a lot of violence packed into a fun quick novella. Really hoping we end up getting a full length novel to explore more of our leading mans backstory because it sounds pretty interesting.
Really wish I would have recorded my hubbys facial expressions as I told him everything that happens in this book 🤣
You know growing up in a town that had a lot of corn fields...I never once thought they seemed anything other than boring and creepy ðŸ¤
We get instant obsession, stalking, touch her and die, and a lot of violence packed into a fun quick novella. Really hoping we end up getting a full length novel to explore more of our leading mans backstory because it sounds pretty interesting.
Really wish I would have recorded my hubbys facial expressions as I told him everything that happens in this book 🤣
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Murder, and Sexual harassment
mjacques's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Stalking, and Murder
thechaoticreader_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Sexual violence
bookishbeccah's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
+
Where to start...
First off, I love dark romance. I have read a lot of dark romance and I love the physiological aspect of it, this just felt very flat. I received this as an arc and I was super excited to read it since it had been hyped up so much on social media, sadly it didn't live up to the hype.
Where to start...
First off, I love dark romance. I have read a lot of dark romance and I love the physiological aspect of it, this just felt very flat. I received this as an arc and I was super excited to read it since it had been hyped up so much on social media, sadly it didn't live up to the hype.
"Most people in my small town of Hallow Grove, Iowa, are superstitious and fearful of the devil, but after reading one too many dark romance novels, I'm reasonably certain he'd fuck like a god."
What I liked:
The cover is very eye catching and the very beginning started out interesting (hence the quote). The description of her house set a good scene, but then it started to fall quickly after that. This book felt like it had a lot of potential for a dark, spooky, halloween book, but that potential was lost.
Novellas can be really good or they can be really bad; there isn't a lot of in-between with them, and the story development and character building is so important, especially if it isn't a novella off of an already established series, and I feel like that's where this book really fell short. With that said...
What I didn't like:
This book was short and very repetitive. I love a book with multiple POV's but when you write the same scene with nothing knew other than the POV, then you're just reading the same thing again and you lose the feel of the story. It also felt a little too 'Haunting Adeline' like, several similarities that were only just different enough such as his gift to her, and the nickname "Run, little mouse" and "Run, little nightmare" and instead of chasing her through the woods, its a corn field. Rhett is also a tech genius... so was Zade.
There was also a lot of unnecessary detail that felt like the authors where adding filler instead of building the plot or developing the characters. Speaking of plot, it got lost. Also, the characters.... Some spoilers beyond this point.
And the end.... just ends... not even really a cliffhanger, it just felt unfinished.
Certainly, don't let this stop you from trying this book, this is just my honest review and my thoughts. If you just want a stalker, dark, gruesome, basic quick read... go for it. If you might have triggers, definitely check the trigger warnings. I generally have no triggers and I am basing this review off the writing and character development. I really had high hopes for this book but it just fell flat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Stalking, and Murder
dovahkiin_shea's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
A man and woman lock eyes in a cafe. This immediately has him obsessing over her, stalking her, and killing for her.
This novella is short and spicy, and has so many TWs. Not sure what I was expecting, other than what the dedication mentioned. Very short, not deep, and definitely stalker-creepy-instalust. You might enjoy it, or it might make you roll your eyes at how corny (💀) it is.
This novella is short and spicy, and has so many TWs. Not sure what I was expecting, other than what the dedication mentioned. Very short, not deep, and definitely stalker-creepy-instalust. You might enjoy it, or it might make you roll your eyes at how corny (💀) it is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
aytac's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
flea_in_a_box's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Murder
spookshow's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It's Halloween, when the ghosts and ghouls come out to play. And it's Cara's favourite time of year. Only this year, she's going to get more than she bargains for when she catches the eye of Rhett, the masked man stalking her from the shadows, infatuated with her from the moment he laid eyes on her. Cara doesn't realise, but Rhett has staked his claim, and he'll destroy anyone who dares try to touch what's his. The more bloodthirsty Rhett becomes, the more Cara wants to give into him. He is the predator, and she is his prey, and he won't stop until he gets what's his.
I love spooky season. Absolutely adore it. So I'm all about those spooky recs and the books that are set on or around Halloween. When this one popped up available for to request an ARC, I jumped at the chance. It's short at just over 100 pages so it was a nice little palette cleanser between longer reads. As well as, this year, I've found that I'm all about those shorter reads and the novellas. I had a lot of trouble reading at my normal calibre the last 12 months, so I found that novellas really helped me feel like I wasn't a reading failure and it helped make my reading goal for the year more attainable.
I'm going to say this early. You need to read the TWs for this book. They are mentioned in the foreword TWICE. Take heed and take the TWs seriously. This is a dark book. It's short, but man does it pack a punch. I love that in the dark romance genre, TWs are commonplace, it helps to know what I'm getting myself into and whether I'm in the right mental state to be able to handle the book I'm about to pick up. After all, reading is an escape, I read because I enjoy it, so being given the heads up on how dark the book is and how heavy the subject matter is BEFORE I get to a scene that just destroys my mental health, it definitely a plus for me. Again, READ. THE. TWS. FOR. THIS. BOOK. You can find them in the front page, and you can also find them in the authors shared reading group on Facebook.
We meet Cara on Devil's Night, the day before Halloween, and I have to say, I was pretty invested in her character from the moment that we meet her. I don't know what it was, maybe because I found that her personality and interests were incredibly similar to my own. I empathised with her instantly, and I love that. We first meet Rhett basically straight away as well, and I won't lie, I was hooked on his character from the moment he steps onto the page. Yes, there were a few actions that he took later in the book that had me questioning whether I still held love heart eyes for him, but to be honest, yeah, I do. He's not a nice character. He is dark. He is obsessive; and he is unhinged. But aren't those the best kinds of book boyfriends? He's a bloody serial killer essentially, he says as much himself. Would I go for this type of person in real life? Of course not. But in book boyfriends? Oh yes, yes, I would. Books are all about that fantasy, ya know? And I think it's important to remember that. For such a relatively short read, I found that the authors were able to inject so much back story and personality into their characters and that is always a standing ovation from me. Some authors struggle to do this in a full-length novel that is part of a four-book series. These ladies did it in just over 100 pages. The characters had depth and were complex with a tonne of flaws that I just love. I love a real character. Someone that I feel I could meet on the street, someone that I could see myself being friends with. And that's what we get here. I do have questions, and I do wonder whether the authors might expand on this story because I have questions. I want to know more. I want to know more about these characters, about their lives, about their backstories. I want to delve deeper, and I sincerely hope we get that chance because I haven't been able to stop thinking about them or this book since I finished it over a week ago.
The story is told through alternating points of view between Cara and Rhett. I loved that each perspective's narrative sounded different. You could tell these were two different characters, and I'm assuming that each author was responsible for one of the characters which also lent a noticeable difference to their voices. The story is a quick one, it's not super in depth, and for me it felt like a taster of (hopefully) what is yet to come *crosses fingers*. It's told across two evenings, Devil's Night and then Halloween. This is a guilty pleasure, stalker, obsessed, spicy read. And when I say spicy, I mean SPICY. (AGAIN! CHECK THOSE TWs!) You don't know the struggle until you're trying to finish this book at work, on your lunch break, and you have people talking to you AT THE MOST INOPPORTUNE MOMENT BECAUSE GODDAMMIT WE JUST HIT THE SUPER SPICE AND I NEED EVERYONE TO GO AWAY SO I DON'T FEEL LIKE A WEIRD PERV! It was deliciously dark, and I got exactly what I came for (pun not intended...or was it?) with this story. And that ending! I was going to preorder the special edition of this, which is absolutely STUNNING mind you, but I live in Australia, so you all know that THAT wasn't going to happen. Shipping is a killer, it's like we live on the damn moon or something. And with the special edition, you get a bonus chapter, and I am SO annoyed that I won't get to read it because I really want to know what happened after they got back to Cara's house and she found his gift (IYKNK).
All in all, this was a super fun, quick and spicy read, that was a guilty pleasure of delicious darkness. Appealing to the dark and depraved smut lover that lives in the shadowed corner of my mind. If you like your romance DARK, and I mean dark, and the list of TWs are more like a shopping list for you, pick this one up, it's a fun ride that delivers exactly what it promises. If you are looking for the next literary masterpiece, don't pick this book up and then down rate it because it's pretty open and honest about the type of book it is. If you just want something that gives you that little thrill, bringing the cheeky smile to your face as you gasp "they can't DO that, can they?" then pick this one asap, you won't be disappointed.
I love spooky season. Absolutely adore it. So I'm all about those spooky recs and the books that are set on or around Halloween. When this one popped up available for to request an ARC, I jumped at the chance. It's short at just over 100 pages so it was a nice little palette cleanser between longer reads. As well as, this year, I've found that I'm all about those shorter reads and the novellas. I had a lot of trouble reading at my normal calibre the last 12 months, so I found that novellas really helped me feel like I wasn't a reading failure and it helped make my reading goal for the year more attainable.
I'm going to say this early. You need to read the TWs for this book. They are mentioned in the foreword TWICE. Take heed and take the TWs seriously. This is a dark book. It's short, but man does it pack a punch. I love that in the dark romance genre, TWs are commonplace, it helps to know what I'm getting myself into and whether I'm in the right mental state to be able to handle the book I'm about to pick up. After all, reading is an escape, I read because I enjoy it, so being given the heads up on how dark the book is and how heavy the subject matter is BEFORE I get to a scene that just destroys my mental health, it definitely a plus for me. Again, READ. THE. TWS. FOR. THIS. BOOK. You can find them in the front page, and you can also find them in the authors shared reading group on Facebook.
We meet Cara on Devil's Night, the day before Halloween, and I have to say, I was pretty invested in her character from the moment that we meet her. I don't know what it was, maybe because I found that her personality and interests were incredibly similar to my own. I empathised with her instantly, and I love that. We first meet Rhett basically straight away as well, and I won't lie, I was hooked on his character from the moment he steps onto the page. Yes, there were a few actions that he took later in the book that had me questioning whether I still held love heart eyes for him, but to be honest, yeah, I do. He's not a nice character. He is dark. He is obsessive; and he is unhinged. But aren't those the best kinds of book boyfriends? He's a bloody serial killer essentially, he says as much himself. Would I go for this type of person in real life? Of course not. But in book boyfriends? Oh yes, yes, I would. Books are all about that fantasy, ya know? And I think it's important to remember that. For such a relatively short read, I found that the authors were able to inject so much back story and personality into their characters and that is always a standing ovation from me. Some authors struggle to do this in a full-length novel that is part of a four-book series. These ladies did it in just over 100 pages. The characters had depth and were complex with a tonne of flaws that I just love. I love a real character. Someone that I feel I could meet on the street, someone that I could see myself being friends with. And that's what we get here. I do have questions, and I do wonder whether the authors might expand on this story because I have questions. I want to know more. I want to know more about these characters, about their lives, about their backstories. I want to delve deeper, and I sincerely hope we get that chance because I haven't been able to stop thinking about them or this book since I finished it over a week ago.
The story is told through alternating points of view between Cara and Rhett. I loved that each perspective's narrative sounded different. You could tell these were two different characters, and I'm assuming that each author was responsible for one of the characters which also lent a noticeable difference to their voices. The story is a quick one, it's not super in depth, and for me it felt like a taster of (hopefully) what is yet to come *crosses fingers*. It's told across two evenings, Devil's Night and then Halloween. This is a guilty pleasure, stalker, obsessed, spicy read. And when I say spicy, I mean SPICY. (AGAIN! CHECK THOSE TWs!) You don't know the struggle until you're trying to finish this book at work, on your lunch break, and you have people talking to you AT THE MOST INOPPORTUNE MOMENT BECAUSE GODDAMMIT WE JUST HIT THE SUPER SPICE AND I NEED EVERYONE TO GO AWAY SO I DON'T FEEL LIKE A WEIRD PERV! It was deliciously dark, and I got exactly what I came for (pun not intended...or was it?) with this story. And that ending! I was going to preorder the special edition of this, which is absolutely STUNNING mind you, but I live in Australia, so you all know that THAT wasn't going to happen. Shipping is a killer, it's like we live on the damn moon or something. And with the special edition, you get a bonus chapter, and I am SO annoyed that I won't get to read it because I really want to know what happened after they got back to Cara's house and she found his gift (IYKNK).
All in all, this was a super fun, quick and spicy read, that was a guilty pleasure of delicious darkness. Appealing to the dark and depraved smut lover that lives in the shadowed corner of my mind. If you like your romance DARK, and I mean dark, and the list of TWs are more like a shopping list for you, pick this one up, it's a fun ride that delivers exactly what it promises. If you are looking for the next literary masterpiece, don't pick this book up and then down rate it because it's pretty open and honest about the type of book it is. If you just want something that gives you that little thrill, bringing the cheeky smile to your face as you gasp "they can't DO that, can they?" then pick this one asap, you won't be disappointed.
I received an advanced copy of this book and am leaving this review voluntarily.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Sexual content, Violence, and Murder
sydneyglickman's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Murder, and Alcohol