A review by koistyfishy
Her Soul to Take by Harley Laroux
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I am not catholic, but I feel like I need to see a Priest about confession and splash some Holy water on my face to cleanse me of my sins. I am not going to be ashamed to say that this book is deliciously dirty and salaciously sinful. But seriously whilst it does have a fair few mentions of Demons and Magic and a total badass "vibe" of spooky-darkness, the real darkness comes from the lustful icing on the kink-filled cake. There was kink in here that I didn't even know existed! But OH BOY, I feel like I have gotten a full-on education, and can I just say that I paid SUCH GOOD attention in the class that if you asked me to write a test on it RIGHT NOW - I am sure I'll pass with an A+.
This story follows our goth "Velma" look-alike Raelynn, who returns to a small family cabin in the woods in the town of Abelaum with her cat Cheesecake after her parents have decided they no longer want to live on the US side of the Atlantic and move to Greece. Of course, Rae is "Not like the other girls" and has this paranormal obsession that finds Ghost Hunting in abandoned buildings "Fun". In town, she meets Leon, a campus security guard but he is not what he seems. Unknown to her Leon is actually a Demon, enslaved to a cult in the town that wants nothing more than to sacrifice Rae to their long lost "Cthulhu-look-alike-mine-shaft" God. But Leon does not want Rae to be sacrificed. No...he wants her Soul and wants to keep her as his new shiny toy - to break her and make her scream.
Rae, is the epitome of Too Stupid to Live, and as Leon once said, "Damn woman's sense of self-preservation is broken". She has the common sense of a rock which is equivalent to the stupid girl in a Horror Movie. You know the one that suggests everyone should split up and instead of running out of the house, she wanders down into the basement alone.
Daddy Leon is taken directly out of the trope handbook for "I hate everyone but you". At times he is an asshole, I mean he is a Demon. But if he told me to bend over and beg you wouldn't find me saying "Mercy" any time soon. Any man that is going to run out into the night and fight a monster and PROTECTS YOUR KITTY is an OK MAN in my book. Also Harley Laroux, this review would have been a WHOLE lot different if Cheesecake died. I can handle a LOT of triggers...BUT DON'T YOU DARE KILL A CAT!
Speaking of cats...I absolutely LOVED the cat-and-mouse game between Leon and Rae. The chemistry between the two oozes off the page and you can feel the tension and constant push and pull between the two. I also liked that all their interactions were driven by mutual consent.
This book also has a fantastic balance of smut vs plot. Often times one could overbalance the other and you are either left unsatisfied with one, or the other. In this book, the smut enhances the plot, they work in perfect tandem and I can say that I am blissfully content with both. They were both captivatingly enticing and highly enjoyable!
Overall I highly recommend this book if you want something kinky and dark to read. It was everything I needed it to be to cure me of the HEADACHE my last book caused, so can imagine it would probably cure a "reading slump". It has romance, action, obsession, suspense, hot steamy scenes and a lot of kinks I am sure there will be something in there for everyone...
BUT PLEASE PLEASE read the trigger warnings in this before you pick this up. I understand this is a work of fiction and not a reality. My rating and enjoyment level of the book doesn't mean I'm agreeing or condoning the content. The book is not meant for the weak-hearted so please read the TW carefully and decide if this would be something for you ❤️️
This story follows our goth "Velma" look-alike Raelynn, who returns to a small family cabin in the woods in the town of Abelaum with her cat Cheesecake after her parents have decided they no longer want to live on the US side of the Atlantic and move to Greece. Of course, Rae is "Not like the other girls" and has this paranormal obsession that finds Ghost Hunting in abandoned buildings "Fun". In town, she meets Leon, a campus security guard but he is not what he seems. Unknown to her Leon is actually a Demon, enslaved to a cult in the town that wants nothing more than to sacrifice Rae to their long lost "Cthulhu-look-alike-mine-shaft" God. But Leon does not want Rae to be sacrificed. No...he wants her Soul and wants to keep her as his new shiny toy - to break her and make her scream.
Rae, is the epitome of Too Stupid to Live, and as Leon once said, "Damn woman's sense of self-preservation is broken". She has the common sense of a rock which is equivalent to the stupid girl in a Horror Movie. You know the one that suggests everyone should split up and instead of running out of the house, she wanders down into the basement alone.
Daddy Leon is taken directly out of the trope handbook for "I hate everyone but you". At times he is an asshole, I mean he is a Demon. But if he told me to bend over and beg you wouldn't find me saying "Mercy" any time soon. Any man that is going to run out into the night and fight a monster and PROTECTS YOUR KITTY is an OK MAN in my book. Also Harley Laroux, this review would have been a WHOLE lot different if Cheesecake died. I can handle a LOT of triggers...BUT DON'T YOU DARE KILL A CAT!
Speaking of cats...I absolutely LOVED the cat-and-mouse game between Leon and Rae. The chemistry between the two oozes off the page and you can feel the tension and constant push and pull between the two. I also liked that all their interactions were driven by mutual consent.
This book also has a fantastic balance of smut vs plot. Often times one could overbalance the other and you are either left unsatisfied with one, or the other. In this book, the smut enhances the plot, they work in perfect tandem and I can say that I am blissfully content with both. They were both captivatingly enticing and highly enjoyable!
Overall I highly recommend this book if you want something kinky and dark to read. It was everything I needed it to be to cure me of the HEADACHE my last book caused, so can imagine it would probably cure a "reading slump". It has romance, action, obsession, suspense, hot steamy scenes and a lot of kinks I am sure there will be something in there for everyone...
BUT PLEASE PLEASE read the trigger warnings in this before you pick this up. I understand this is a work of fiction and not a reality. My rating and enjoyment level of the book doesn't mean I'm agreeing or condoning the content. The book is not meant for the weak-hearted so please read the TW carefully and decide if this would be something for you ❤️️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Cursing, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, and Murder