laur_mere's reviews
130 reviews

Love and Formaldehyde by C.M. Guidroz

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

Spooky horror meets romance

Okay.. I finished this book in one afternoon, so yeah, I loved it! I thought it was the perfect mix of suspenseful, creepy horror feels and spicy, new found romance feels. Plus I found myself rooting for both MC’s, they’re both so likable, but I am a dark romance and erotic horror girlie to be fair... I also loved having both MC’s point of view in this story because it really added to the mystery and had me second guessing my own gut feelings the whole time.

Staycation: A chilling horror novel by RJ Clark, RJ Clark

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

I literally don’t think I can tell you anything about this story without ruining it, so don’t worry I won’t! All you need to know is that this is dark, disturbing, and down right infuriating at times, but you also can’t for the life of you put it down. It’s a fast paced complete mind f that will leave you questioning everything up until the end.

Staycation by R. J. Clark

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

I literally don’t think I can tell you anything about this story without ruining it, so don’t worry I won’t! All you need to know is that this is dark, disturbing, and down right infuriating at times, but you also can’t for the life of you put it down. It’s a fast paced complete mind f that will leave you questioning everything up until the end.

Across State Lines by Lauren Biel

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

“I’ve mastered my ability to seem like I’m enjoying everything and anything because that’s my job. And I’m f**king good at it. But he’s also met his match. Sexual deviant, meet sexual deviant. I can only hope it will save my life in the end. Why would he want to kill a woman who would let him do anything to her? Anything.”

This is one of those books where you think to yourself HOW could anyone love him, he’s the worst…. And then you do just that. Kane is so broken he has developed a DID just to try to cope, but poorly considering his favorite hobby. However Aurora is also broken and just perseveres almost out of sheer hatred, I mean no matter what is thrown at her… a urinal and chewed gum!? I wasn’t sure how the DID aspect was going to play out in this, but it was so well done, I both loved and hated them all. 

Lauren is so good at writing these completely unique, trauma driven, HOT, f**ked up, hitchhiker romances. Even after reading 3 in the series, I never know what I’m getting myself into and I love it! This is one of my favorites in the series so far and it is also one of the darker ones I think. Five dark and twisted hearts from me, I can’t wait to read more!

Bathed in Blood by Callie Moss

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

“The heavy door opens with the same ominous creek you hear in horror movies, the ones where the damsel’s chest is heaving under the weight of her fear as she cowers inside the closet, her hand clasped tightly over her mouth in hopes it would stifle her sobs. The killer’s heavy footsteps taunt her from outside the veiled safety of that closet. It's not a matter of if he finds her, but when. She knows it, the audience knows it, but we sit on the edge of our seats, anyway.”

This story is BRUTAL and heart wrenching, but also kinda hopeful and romantic in a fucked up way. I am struggling to find the words to express how much I loved this story and how much it equally hurt my heart! 

Something about Callie’s writing and story telling just grips you and makes you sit in this space of anxiety and longing, where you don’t want it to end, but you also NEED to know. I finished this in less than 24 hours, I couldn’t get it out of my head. 

I don’t want to spoil anything, so I will just add that Callie never disappoints, she has become an auto-buy author for me. If you enjoy horror romance with a side of splatterpunk, tragic traumatic backstories, and overly possessive dangerous hot men, this too is for you!

Obsession by Harleigh Beck

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

🖤🖤🖤🖤🌶️🌶️

“He’s just a man,” I whisper. But I know he’s not. Robbie is the closest I’ve been to tasting the sweetness of death. I was so close to freedom I could feel its soothing caress wrap itself around my fragile heart.”

“Touch him, and he dies. The choice is yours. Unless”—a breathy chuckle whispers across my lips—“you want me to k*ll him. Trust me, baby. It’ll be my pleasure.”

This right here is exactly why I will read anything that Harleigh writes. What a brutal and heartbreaking, but also thrilling and HOT read! 

I loved both of these broken MCs. Savannah and Robbie are similar in so many ways, but coped with their horrific pasts in such opposing ways. One shut down and ignored their pain completely and the other utterly combusted and ruined their life. Watching them find a dark and twisted path to each other, plus the revenge plot, and the added mysterious serial killer that has set their sights on Savannah?! So well done. My only complaint is that there were some lulls in the story from time to time, but I can’t wait to see what Harleigh writes next! 

Driving My Obsession by Lauren Biel

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 🌶️🌶️🌶️

“I sold myself for a dream, only to wind up in a nightmare. I’ll wake up eventually, but not today. Tomorrow isn’t looking too good either.”

“I’ve decided it isn’t enough to just k*ll her. Like a cat with an injured mouse, I want to toy with my prey before I rip out its entrails.”

Okay, first of all Ambrose is so unhinged.. I loved it! But I loved both MCs in this story and how they were both tragic in their own ways. They’re both utterly alone in the world, with their own version of significant past trauma, that’s lead them to work in a form of the “skin trade”. 

I loved the tension from their internalized conflict and warring within themselves over what the f*** was going on, verses how they were feeling. Though out the story I was also questioning, like how is this going to end well for either of them?! Plus the addition of the revenge plot at the end, that had a little bit of a horror touch to it.. perfection. My little dark and twisted heart loved this!

Bittersweet Chocolate by C.M. Guidroz

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

“Emerging from the kiss, a chilling calm settled over me, revealing a sinister plan taking root in the recesses of my mind… She’s lost it.”

“Many women endure their pain in silence, conditioned to bear disrespect with stoic grace. I was guilty of it myself.”

What an incredibly gross, violent, spiraling decent into madness and revenge… I mean what did I just read… naturally 5 stars. This was a quick read and I’m not going to lie, I found myself open mouth, aghast reading these final pages.. also gagging a few times, obviously. If you enjoy unhinged, horror, with gore and to question your sanity.. this book is for you too! And I can confirm, I’ll never look at boxed chocolates the same again.

The Queen Serpent by A.L. Maruga

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

4.0

🖤🖤🖤🖤🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

“Her skin calls to me to paint it red with the print of my hands. To leave all of my fingerprints across that porcelain surface, and to carve my name into her flesh so all who admire it, can see that she is mine. My property. My wh**e. My doll to play with.”

“This is the true him, the monster that lurks leashed inside a cage that he tries to contain…. My monster, my savage, my heart’s fucking desire.”

This is a DARK mafia romance y’all, that said it is also so f***ing HOT! Diego is completely obsessed, unhinged, and dangerous AF… basically a walking red flag MMC that can only be hot if he’s fictional. Issy is so very broken in so many ways, my heart broke for her, but I loved seeing her evolve and find herself and her strength. 

AL Maruga is so freaking talented, her writing feels so completely immersive, almost all consuming, and so beautiful. I have not read the Casbury series and I do wish that I did, clearly I need to backtrack and check it out. My only complaint was that the beginning was a little bit slow, but damn if I didn’t enjoy the ride!

Now Showing by Callie Moss, Callie Moss

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🌶️🌶️

Calm down. You need to calm down. She can't know. You saw how she looked at you… “You’re okay. I'm here little bird. You’re safe. You’re safe.” I say it out loud but meant it for my own ears. Like holding her in my arms isn’t proof enough that she hasn’t left that this isn’t another cruel game. That I'm not alone.

“You’re soft.” He nips, “So f**king soft I know I'll hurt you.” His teeth find my flesh harder and I brace for the pain, finding only pleasure when his teeth bare down on me. I moan clutching him to me so he can’t leave. Can’t change his mind. “I'll ruin you little bird.”

I loved this book so freaking much! It has elements of horror, thriller, spice, tragic backstories, forced proximity, and this huge mystery around where the h*ll they even are. This story felt all consuming to me, it haunted my thoughts as soon as I started it and I could not put it down. I also wasn’t expecting to feel all of the things this book made me feel, I was panicking right along side Felicity and my heart broke for both of the MCs, but especially Kai.  Callie Moss you have gained yet another loyal reader, my little dark and twisted heart loved this so much!