Okay, so I actually really liked this!

This surprised me because in the past Sophie has somewhat (and I say this with the upmost respect for her and her writing) let me down in the past. But I actually felt like the characters had some emotion to them. Even if one of them was a sociopath lol.
Overall, I really enjoyed seeing Mara develop as a character and seeing her and Cole entwine their stories together.

Content Warnings

morgansbookshelves's review

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Bumped up my rating from a 4.5 to a 5! I love how dark and twisted this book is. Lark has a very impressive talent for making you root for the bad guy, as much as I should have disliked Cole I couldn't help but hang on to every word in his chapters. Seeing how his mind worked was fascinating and I am so glad that I have access to book 2. I need to see how this is going to end.

Content Warnings

leslielikesliterature's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Content Warnings

planreadrepeat's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is dark. Very dark. While there is sexual content, the first half of the book is around power-play, murders, violence, and obviously mentally ill characters. Always check content warnings!

I did like the book. It was odd feeling any sympathy for a sociopathic character but the way they were written does make you wonder why they are the way they are. I'm not sure I like the premise of finding a woman to "save" you and love will fix everything. But it does make for a very engaging story. The sex scenes were not what I'd consider enthusiastic consent, but the characters definitely want to be there other than the one kidnapping scene.

Content Warnings

_missal3x's review

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Content Warnings

ginniereads's review

Go to review page

dark reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

boomwormbrittany's review

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

4.75

There Are No Saints follows Cole who has a rivalry with a fellow artist and serial killer. Mara is an artist who happens into Cole's orbit and the eyes of Cole's rival, Alastor. When Cole becomes obsessed with Mara, his own obsession could lead to both their downfalls.
Sophie Lark doing it again. I absolutely adore her books and I definitely think she has cemented herself as one of my favorite authors now. I really loved this book. I wasn't sure if I was a dark, taboo romance type of person but turns out I am.
First off, I love how easily accessible Sophie Lark's writing style is. It sucks me in the second I start reading and I don't want to ever put the book down. I'm always in awe of her writing and how it flows so perfectly.
Second, I really liked Mara and Cole a lot. Mara definitely is a take no shit type of person. She has lived a pretty difficult life up to the point she meets Cole but she doesn't let that bring her down. She's always creating and her thought processes were so intersting to follow. I thought that Sophie Lark did a great job with Cole as a character as well. His psyche is so interesting to study but also frightening to think that someone would think like that. I really loved how she made those two work together.
The plot of this really had me on the edge of my seat. When I wasn't reading this book, I was thinking about what could possibly happen next. Even up to the end, I didn't know how things were going to go. The ending of this left me so excited to read the next book in the series.
The only reason this got a 4.75 was because I felt like I couldn't fully connect to Cole and I wanted more of his backstory. However, I also recognize that he is, by nature, a closed off character so I'm hoping we get more in the next book.
Overall, I really loved this book. I can see this being one I go back to time and again if I want a quick read that I can just fall into.

Content Warnings