Category Archives: Dark

Dark, Kidnapping, Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Review, Standalone, Thriller

#review #thriller #standalone Run on Red by Noelle W. Ihli

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A rural country road. No cell signal for miles. A terrifying game of cat-and-mouse.

By the time Laura and Olivia notice the headlights tailing them through the hills, it’s too late. What seems, at first, like a case of road rage quickly unfolds into a heart-pounding chase—and a battle for survival.

Who are the men in the truck? What do they want? And can Laura and Olivia outrun—and outsmart—them long enough to call for help, even if it means taking their chances in the hills on foot?

As their situation grows more perilous, the girls realize that the real terror has only just begun. But flight won’t save them from their pursuers. If they’re going to make it home alive, they’ll have to fight.

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61381555-run-on-red

Amazon  https://amzn.to/3HDUQVA

Review by Twinsie Dee

i bought this book and here is my honest review

Olivia and Laura were on their way to a bonfire out in the middle of nowhere going on backroads, twist, turns and hills. Olivia was getting car sick in the old beat-up Volvo that Laura’s sister let them take for the night. Olivia noticed a truck following super close to them and was able to grab the plate number and text it to her bestie you know to be safe in her true crime mind you can’t be careful enough in a time like this, well this wasn’t because they were in the middle of nowhere she did it all the time so they didn’t think too much of it but she wanted them to have a lead just in case something bad were to happen to her. next thing the truck passes them and sits in wait blocking them from their path and now the girls were in their very own Dateline episode that they didn’t want to be in, with 2 mask men coming towards their car what happens next you will never see coming. What do these guys want to hurt them, or possibly kill them, what did they do. So many twists, turns, and gut retching pain that will have you on the edge of your seat till the last page.

Noelle’s two great passions are murder and horses (separately, never together).

She lives in Idaho with her husband, two sons, and two cats. When she’s not plotting her next thriller, she’s scaring herself with true-crime documentaries or going for a trail ride in the foothills (with her trusty pepper spray).

Audio Book, BDSM, Dark, Dark Romance

#WOTR24 #BDSM #Dark #Erotica #Audio – Corrupted Innocence, Innocent Brides #1 by Measha Stone, narration by Jay Alder and Kylie Stewart

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He wouldn’t take my money. He wanted my innocence instead.

When Nikolai Romanov came looking for my brother, I emptied my savings hoping I could pay off his debt. But it wasn’t even close to enough, so Nikolai Romanov decided to take me instead.

I didn’t expect a Russian mafia boss like him to be gentle with me… and he wasn’t.

Not when he spanked me for daring to wear panties under the dress he chose for me, and certainly not when he stripped me out of that same dress and made me scream in his bed.

He told me I would be his for a month, but the way he looks at me says I’m his forever…

Goodreads

Amazon

Review by Twinsie Angie

I bought this audiobook.

OHH This book!! I have read one other book from Measha and it was hella dark so I felt this one was a light dark??  Is that a thing?  LOL

Charlie’s DB brother, Oliver, ran into some trouble.  That trouble was in the name of Nikolai.  I gotta admit. I loved Nikolai when he was refusing to take Charlie’s money and well when he made the “deal”, I was a little excited for what would happen.

Nikolai and Charlie are both amazing characters.  They both love their family and will do anything for them.  I also loved how Charlie pushes Nikolai’s limits and sometimes it was a good result and other times it wasn’t so nice…or maybe it was??  LOL

As the story progressed seeing them two develop feelings and then of course have miscommunications.  But I loved how possessive Nikolai was with her.  I can’t wait to read more from the series.

The narration was great for the 2 characters. I enjoyed the life they brought to the characters and story.

Measha Stone is a USA Today bestselling romance author with a deep love for romantic stories, specifically those involving the darker side of romance, all the possessive dominant heroes, and their feisty heroines. If you love a well deserved happily ever after, you will enjoy her books.

Audio Book, Dark, Dark Humor, Dark Romance, Romantic Comedy

#Audio #dark #DarkComedy #Killers – Butcher & Blackbird, The Ruinous Love Trilogy book 1 by Brynne Weaver, narration by Jo Arden and Lucy River

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Every serial killer needs a friend.
Every game must have a winner.

When a chance encounter sparks an unlikely bond between rival murderers Sloane and Rowan, the two find something elusive—the friendship of a like-minded, pitch-black soul. From small town West Virginia to upscale California, from downtown Boston to rural Texas, the two hunters collide in an annual game of blood and suffering, one that pits them against the most dangerous monsters in the country. But as their friendship develops into something more, the restless ghosts left in their wake are only a few steps behind, ready to claim more than just their newfound love. Can Rowan and Sloane dig themselves out of a game of graves? Or have they finally met their match?

Butcher & Blackbird is the first book in the Ruinous Love Dark Romance trilogy of interconnected stand-alone dark romantic comedies. This dual POV novel ends on a HEA.

***Butcher & Blackbird is a DARK ROMANCE intended for an adult audience – please see Brynne’s website for a comprehensive list of CWs***

Goodreads

Amazon

Review by Twinsie Angie

I purchased the audiobook.

The narration was amazing.  I haven’t listened to a story by either narrator but thought the killed it 8see what I did there* with the story.

My friend Kate messaged me and was like “GIRL you need this book.”  I opened Goodreads to get the blurb and was SOLD….serial killers who kill other serial killers and fall in love…DUH This is a no-brainer.8  I looked up the triggers and was like WTF list was that.  I laughed even.  But when I downloaded the book and they read the list of triggers I laughed so hard.  Like crazy hard.  I knew I was going to be in for an epic ride when the story began.

So Blackird/Sloane is caught when Butcher/Rowan finds her.  They have a bit of a chat and decide t have to “friendly” competition every year.    And this is how the delicious story begins.

Sloane is a neurotic mess and Rowan is a bit of one too.  They two of them grow to be friends and even kinda wanna be with the other…granted Rowan admits this right away in the beginning but Sloane was a little thick to get the point.

The chemistry was a slow simmer until the pot was boiling.  I was dying much like they were for “more” to happen…when I does KABOOM.  Hold on to your butts because this rocket is full throttle.  They two are soon exploring each other and what could be.

Of course we have some drama and  a mega plot twist but the story made my heart so happy.  I also am looking forward to book 2 with Lachlan and Lark.  These two are going to be a riot.  I feel like the banter will be just as amazing and Rowan and Sloane.

I didn’t think the story was super dark until about chapter 21 and I got a little squeamish BUT I have read way worse.  I will say I don’t know that I can eat Cookies and Cream ice cream again…IYKYK!!

Brynne is a fan of velociraptors, the Alien movies (well, most of them), red wine, and wild adventures. She can relate nearly anything you say to a line from the movie Hot Fuzz. She has been trying unsuccessfully for years to convince her husband that they should acquire a pet mink to add to their menagerie of animals (what could possibly go wrong with that plan?!). Brynne has been everything from an archaeologist to a waitress, a deep-sea core analyst to an advertising account executive. For the last several years, she has been working in the field of neuroscience clinical research. Brynne has been writing since childhood. When not busy at her day job or working on her next book, Brynne can be found with her husband and son on their family farm in NS, Canada, or enjoying her other passions which include riding horses, reading, motorcycling, and spending time with family and friends around a raclette and a bottle of wine.

Cliffhanger, Dark, Part of a Series, Reverse Harem, Review, stalker

#review #seriesstarter #rh #dark Friends With The Monsters (Friends with the Monster 1) by Albany Walker

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Gather round close, for I have a secret to tell.

Late at night, while everyone is sleeping, dreaming of white knights and fairytales. I’m making friends with the monsters.

They call to me, like finds like, right? My biggest secret, I’m the scariest monster I know.

I think I’m the bad guy.

MFMM Reverse Harem novel with adult themes not recommended for those under 18.

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51919431-friends-with-the-monsters

Amazon https://amzn.to/46WlHq8

Review by Twinsie Dee

i was given this book by the author for an honest review

When needing to eat intel’s opening up all the windows in the middle of the night, for all kinds of monsters to come into the house. Thats what keeps Damiana alive she’s always knew she was different and no one that she knew was like her. she isn’t afraid of the monsters that lurk in the shadows, but when a human figure finds her home in the middle of nowhere, she has more to deal with then she thought. Lies, deceit and distrust feed her better than anything so you need to watch yourself or your soul could be next. the twist, turns and mystery are great, Albany never freaking disappoints and this is another amazing book by her.

Albany lives in Michigan where she’s happily married to her high school sweetheart. She spends most of her time juggling her four children’s extracurricular activities, with her nose stuck in a book. When not reading you can find her writing her very own book boyfriends. Albany’s passion is writing romance with real characters that are far from perfect, but always seem to find their own happily ever afters.

Audio Book, Cliffhanger, Contemp. Romance, Dark, Part of a Series, Reverse Harem, Review

#review #audiobook #rh Created in Chaos (Corrupt Credence 2) by Albany Walker Narrated by Corvin King and Brooke Daniels

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I thought I’d already lost everything, but life has a way of proving you wrong

The moment I set my scuffed sneaker on Cadieux Island for College, my fate was sealed, but there’s no way I could have prepared for what was coming.

I should have run when I attracted the Morningstar’s attention, ruthless twins that lord over the elite school and everyone in it. I thought I could handle them, or at least survive them, but now it seems I might not live without them.

They demand my allegiance, loyalty and devotion, but I’m afraid I’ll lose so much more to them.

Four founding families, entrenched in secrets and deep-rooted history, are locked in a never-ending cycle for power and domination, and I just became the pawn everyone wants to use, or get rid of.

Welcome to Cadieux Island where the weak get slaughtered and only the strong survive.

Created in Chaos is the second book in the Corrupt Credence series. A dark college MFM romance told on duel POV with mature content for adult listeners.

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/202563326-created-in-chaos

Amazon https://amzn.to/3QUwTO0

Review by Twinsie Dee

 i was given this audio book from the author for an honest review.
I have waited a long time to get this audio book just to listen to this man’s voice, and to be back into this world with these sexy devil’s twins ugh they are perfect. Anyways our story left off with Lucian and Nox seeing Nova being but, in an ambulance, heading to the hospital. But once things are calmed down and life is back to as normal as possible. Lucian and Nox refuse to let Nova out of their sights, they need to find out who did this to their girl and why they targeted her, also what or if her grandparents played a part in the attack and what their ultimate goal is. Will Nova pick her family side or stay with the Morningstar’s’ and who is really telling her the truth about her parents and new life. ugh these characters and this world omg I just can’t get enough of them Lucian and Nox are swoon and I need book 3 asap.
Im obsessed with this world and the Morningstar twins ugh sweet jesus.

Albany lives in Michigan where she’s happily married to her high school sweetheart. She spends most of her time juggling her four children’s extracurricular activities, with her nose stuck in a book. When not reading you can find her writing her very own book boyfriends. Albany’s passion is writing romance with real characters that are far from perfect, but always seem to find their own happily ever afters.

Age Gap, Audio Book, best friend's father, Dark, Enemies to Lovers, Erotica, Fairy Tales, Friends to Lovers, Paranormal, Small Town Romance

#Paranormal #FairyTales #Dark #AgeGap #bestfriendsdad #novella #steamy #FriendstoLovers #Nanny #BestFriends #SingleDad #EnemiestoLovers #SmallTown #Audio -Twinsie Angie Top 5 from July – December 2023 – Beastly Tales Trilogy by MJ Haag, Beekeeping Age by Sophie Stern, Confessions of Ti,ber Creek by S.J. Chaynie, Perfect Risk by CA Harms, and Worth the Fall by Bria Quinlan

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These are my favorite books the 2nd half of the year.  The first half of the year favorite’s can be found here

Want tickets to Writers on the River #2024?    You can meet all of the following authors at the event.

They are available starting November 6th at Writersontheriver.com

SOLD OUT –$75 VIP Plus – 11-12 Lunch with the Authors , 12-1 VIP hour, 1-4 General Admission time. You get a filled VIP bag and admission to the after party is included. *Limited Quantity expected to sell out first day*

SOLD OUT –$50 VIP -12-1 VIP hour, 1-4 General Admission time. You get a filled VIP bag and admission to the after party is included. *Expected to sell out first day*

SOLD OUT –$25 Early Access – 12-1 VIP house, 1-4 General Admission time. You also get a filled VIP bag but NO admission to the after party. *Expected to sell out opening day*

$10 General Admission – 1-4 General Admission time. You can purchase a bag but it is not filled with VIP swag. There is no admission to the after party included.

$35 After party – 7-11 After Party with food and cash bar. Dj with a photobooth is also included in the fun.

Here is my top 5 in no order

Beastly Tales Trilogy by MJ Haag

From Book 1: ** Adult Romance **
Benella is concerned with two things–avoiding the two village boys who torment her and scrounging for food to help feed her family. Unfortunately, the best wild fruit and vegetables are near the walls of the estate, a dark misty place inhabited by an unforgiving beast.

When her tormentors lock her behind the massive gates, Benella knows her fate is sealed. Yet, the fate isn’t one she expects. Her encounter with the beast starts a bizarre cycle of bargaining for her freedom, a freedom the beast seems determined to see her lose.

A classic fairy tale with a seductively dark new twist, the Beauty and the Beast saga begins with Depravity.

Intended for mature readers due to sexual situations and moderate language. This book is part 1 of 3.

The completed Beastly Tales
Depravity, Part 1
Deceit, Part 2
Devastation, Part 3

My favorite is book 2 so here is the review –HERE

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Beekeeping Age by Sophie Stern

He’s older. Wiser. Hotter.
More mature.
And he’s my best friend’s dad.

Remington West is the kind of guy who can get me into a lot of trouble. He’s twenty years older than me, for one thing. He’s Anna’s dad, for another.
Still, there’s an electric energy between us that I just can’t push away.
My body doesn’t seem to care that he’s all wrong for me.
It only seems to care that he’s of beekeeping age, and I…
Well, I’m ready to be kept.

Beekeeping Age is a standalone age-gap contemporary romance.

My review HERE

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Confessions of Timber Creek by SJ Chaynie

Elle Andrews is my best friend. The one I let slip away, and now, she’s my four year old daughter’s new nanny. I may have had ulterior motives when I convinced her to take the job, but she needed work, and I needed a replacement. The plan was easy. Get her into my space, and prove to her that despite the past, I’ve always been hers. But when disturbing news about her parents surfaces, and four years of buried tension comes out, the plan takes an unexpected turn. There are three sides to every story. Yours. Theirs. And the truth.Book 2 of the Timber Creek Series. Series will contain interconnected standalones.

My Review HERE

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Perfect Risk by CA Harms

Perfect Risk (Book #1 in a 12 Book Series)

Mason Creek, Montana is my home. It always has been and truth is, there is no place like it.

I can hide away in a big city, pretend as if I’m not drowning. I can ignore the sadness inside my heart that is begging for a change. But if I’m being honest, my sense of belonging has disappeared. I thought I wanted the big city life, the fast track and all the glamorous things. Turns out, there’s nowhere I’d rather be than home.

Coming back to help run my mom’s business gave me the perfect escape.

But there is one problem.

An unresolved past has a way of haunting anyone. Things can sure get complicated when the man that broke your heart all those years ago is now your new landlord.

It may get a little messy, I may regret my decision to stay…
But then again, this might just be the Perfect Risk.

My Review HERE

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Worth the Fall by Bria Quinlan

Who could possibly lose her job, apartment, and boyfriend in one day?

This girl.

I won’t lie. When my boyfriend took me out for a fancy-shmancy dinner, I was thinking jewelry not “please return your security deposit” the weekend I was moving in. Which, can we just talk about the fact I was going to move in with a long-term boyfriend who wanted a security deposit?

Instead, I got a lecture about not being able to pull my weight and a breakup. In public.

I’m over it. I’m over the good-paying job that kept me trapped in the wrong spot, the fear of moving on…and men. New rule: World Domination Without Men.

Period.

There’s only one thing slowing me down. That cop.

Yeah. Okay, so I may have accidentally broken some laws this weekend. Nothing big. But that hot cop has shown up everywhere. Now he’s living across the street from my new place and doing super hot cop things like cooking and salsa dancing.

I can’t help but wonder: Can I do the Single Girl Takes on the World thing and let Mr. Hottie Officer in or do I need to put him in the slammer of my big picture plan?

Now I just need to decide: Take over the world solo or risk another heartbreak with Officer Hottie?

My Review HERE

Beastly Tales

Beekeeping Age

Confessions of Timber Creek 

Perfect Risk

Worth the Fall

COVER REVEAL, Dark

#CoverReveal #AltCover #Perorder #Dark – Where’s Molly by H.D. Carlton

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Designer: @opulentdesigns121

Photographer: @lanefotograf_2

Sign up for the tour here → https://bit.ly/41s6HPy

 

Where’s Molly, an all-new must-read, dark, second chance romance from USA Today bestselling author H.D. Carlton is coming February 16th!

“Molly Devereaux has been missing for more than two weeks, and police are still searching for the girl who seemed to vanish out of thin air. The world still wants to know… Where’s Molly?”

In my dreams, I never escaped the Oregon woods.

Life after death isn’t easy to accept, especially when I still feel like a ghost.

Now, I live deep in the mountains of Montana—the paradigm of beauty. But they are also the home of horrors.

Horrors that I only unleash at night.

When my pigs are allowed to feast.

Pre-order your copy today → https://books2read.com/wheresmolly

Add Where’s Molly to Goodreads →  https://bit.ly/3trZLFE

 H. D. Carlton is an International and USA Today Bestselling author. She lives in Ohio with her partner, two dogs, and cat. When she’s not bathing in the tears of her readers, she’s watching paranormal shows and wishing she was a mermaid.

 

Dark, Dark Dark and more Dark, Dark Romance, Duet, Trigger Warnings

#BookPromo – Hunting Adeline (Cat & Mouse Duet, #2) by H.D. Carlton

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AN AMAZON TOP 50 BESTSELLER!

The conclusion to the Cat and Mouse Duet is here…

The Diamond

Death walks alongside me,
But the reaper is no match for me.
I’m trapped in a world full of monsters dressed as men, and those who aren’t as they seem.
They won’t keep me forever.
I no longer recognize the person I’ve become,
And I’m fighting to find my way back to the beast who hunts me in the night.
They call me a diamond,
But they’ve only created an angel of death.

The Hunter

I was born a predator,
With ruthlessness ingrained in my bones.
When what’s mine is stolen from me in the night,
Like a diamond hidden within a fortress,
I find that I can no longer contain the beast.
Blood will paint the ground as I tear apart this world to find her.
And bring her back to where she belongs.
No one will escape my wrath,
Especially not those who have betrayed me.

Warning: This is the second and final installment to the Duet. You must read Haunting Adeline first.

Dark

#WOTR24 #NewRelease #Halloween #Dark #Triggers – Don’t Be Scared by AJ Merlin

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Don't Be Scared by [AJ Merlin]

Every town has a history.

Ours is just a little darker than most.

For years I’ve celebrated Halloween and Hollow Bridge’s history with everyone else who lives here. Parades, festivals, and insane Halloween parties have always been a staple for us. Some bad behavior is expected, given what we’re celebrating.

But murder has never been on the table before.

Someone in Hollow Bridge wants to bring the stories to life, and they’re not firing any warning shots. When rumors of someone wearing a Halloween mask surface, it isn’t long before the first person is killed.

No one is safe, but when I end up with a serial killer kneeling over me and a knife at my throat, I expect to be the next victim of the Hollow Bridge killer. I don’t expect for him to speak to me, from behind the garish mask he wears.

“Who should be the next to die, Bailey?”

Inexplicably, he lets me go. But I’m never going to be safe from him.

Because he wants more from me than just a name.

Don’t Be Scared is a full-length, MMF standalone for anyone looking for a spicy and dark Halloween read. It contains graphic violence, darker kinks, and murder. For a full list of triggers, please use the look inside feature.

Goodreads

AJ Merlin would rather write epic love stories than live them. I mean, who wants to limit themselves to only falling in love once? She is obsessed with dark fantasy, true crime, and also dogs. From serial killers to voyeurs all the way down to the devil himself, AJ’s specialty is in writing irredeemable heroes who somehow still manage to captivate their heroines (and her readers).

Cartel/Mafia, Dark

#NewRelease #Mafia #ArrangedMarriage – The Corsican Crime Lord Book 1 by Charmaine Pauls

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Love Like Poison: Corsican Crime Lord, Book One by [Charmaine Pauls]

Every year on my birthday, my tormentor returns to claim one of my firsts.

A DARK MAFIA ARRANGED MARRIAGE ROMANCE
On my sixteenth birthday, a stranger from Corsica shows up at my party. Angelo Russo looks like an angel, but more the kind who decapitates dragons than the kind with soft white wings. He’s dark like the ocean and breathless like water. He says he wants all my firsts as if he already owns them, but my father orders me to stay away from this man.

No matter how hard I try, I can’t escape him. No one can keep me safe. Every year on my birthday, he brings me a gift, each one having a detrimental effect on my life with unimaginable consequences. With every gift he offers, he claims another one of my firsts. Before I know it, he’s taken control of my existence, turning me into a nervous wreck, because when I turn eighteen, I know what first he’ll come for next.

Note: Love Like Poison is the first book in the Corsican Crime Lord series and ends on a cliffhanger. Sabella and Angelo’s story continues in Hate Like Honey (Book Two).

Join Charmaine’s newsletter at https://charmainepauls.com/subscribe to be informed of new book releases.

Charmaine Pauls was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa. She obtained a degree in Communication at the University of Potchefstroom and followed a diverse career path in journalism, public relations, advertising, communication, and brand marketing. Her writing has always been an integral part of her professions.

When she moved to Chile with her French husband, she started writing full-time. She has been publishing novels and short stories since 2011.

Charmaine currently lives in Montpellier, France with her family. Their household is a lively mix of Afrikaans, English, French, and Spanish.