Heart of Skulls

by Ashley Earley

When Scott Nelson first meets Natalie, all he can think about is slitting her throat. Until he realizes they share alarmingly similar homelives. Scott is an outcast with an abusive father, while Natalie is a punk with colorful hair and dreams of being an artist to avoid ever speaking to her family again.

Believing that distance from his father’s violent tendencies will relieve Scott of his own rage, he and Natalie do the only thing they can to break free of their abusive families: run away.

As soon as they pack up Natalie’s rusty Volkswagen in the middle of the night and begin their new lives, Scott’s gruesome cravings become harder to ignore. Blending in for the sake of a future with Natalie, Scott does his best to block out the violent thoughts fighting to take hold.

But he can only contain his murderous cravings for so long. After watching a stranger overdose at a party, Scott can’t deny his urges. From that night on, Scott’s hands are caked with the blood of young girls. Young girls who resemble Natalie …

A terrifying exploration of a killer’s mindset, debut author Ashley Earley compiles some of the world’s most notorious serial killers into one antagonist in an attempt to answer the age-old question of “are killers born or made?”

Genres: Horror, Romance, Dark Romance, Dark

Unknown Binding

Published October 3, 2023

About the author

Ashley Earley grew up in Georgia, where she spent most of her time running wild in the woods of her backyard, building forts to create her own fantasy worlds, obsessing over books and experimenting with her writing.

Today, she lives in Kansas with her fiancé and two pups. She still spends her time devouring any book she can get her hands on, writing, and editing for her clients at Earley Editing, LLC. In May of 2021, she graduated with distinction from University of Colorado Boulder, receiving a Bachelor’s in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing. She also enjoys snowboarding, exploring, annoying her dogs, constantly eating chocolate, and sharing her writing adventures on Instagram.

Her Thriller/Suspense short story, Chasing Hair of Gold, won first place in the 2016 Writer’s Digest Popular Fiction Awards.

You can visit her at www.ashleyearley.com or www.earleyediting.com for her editing services.

Ashley has been writing since 2010 and editing since 2016.

Instagram: @ashley_earley
TikTok: @ashley_earley
Author Blog: https://www.ashleyearley.com/blog
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/authorashley...

Reviews

[Getlyn♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ooh yikes this was dark 😬

Really emotional, disturbing and unsettling story about how much it takes to form a serial killer.
It was a slow burn, but once things started happening, it went from 0 to 100 real quick. Definitely was feeling Joe Goldberg and Jeffrey Dahmer vibes with this fella, this compulsive obsession was something out of this world.

I was even more awed at the ending, oh man what a ride. Very enjoyable read if you're into morbid stories like me. But if not sure, please make sure to check the trigger warnings!

[Ashley Earley]

after going through a rough time during the pandemic and a nasty breakup, writing this book was a form of therapy for me. while a creepy tale through the lens of a serial killer, i see and feel a lot more below the surface of this story. i hope readers see and feel what i felt while writing Heart of Skulls.

[◜♡* little lavender · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book requires checking trigger warnings.

“To the girls who thought they met their prince but ended up falling for the villain...”

The dedication alone was enough to draw me in.

The novel is emotional, deep, and more than anything, a disturbing dive into the mind of a killer.

The story begins with two troubled teenagers who end up escaping their family’s abusive natures. From chapter one I was already feeling for the characters. I have to admit, I did not want to feel bad for the main character, but he has and does endure a lot in the start.

As the story progresses, you watch Natalie and Scott’s personalities and true colors come out. It was incredibly well done. Watching Scott’s build-up, going from being a victim to creating victims brought me to a new level of disturbed and an intensity I didn’t know I could feel from a book. Every time he acts on impulse, things seem like they’re going well but as with all things in life, nothing is perfect.

I definitely recommend this read if you can stomach it, but I want to be clear that it is very, very dark. It’s emotional, and at times I had to set the book down and take a break to calm my head. But overall, this read is worth it, and I hope there will be more. A true page-turner that I didn’t want to set down even when I had to.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Megan Coggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very much like the show Dahmer. You thought Evan Peters acting was great and some of his one liners were funny but then you remember that he was portraying an extremely evil person.
This exemplified how childhood traumas can really negatively affect someone. And looking at serial killers, we know that is mostly the case.
And we know serial killers have relationships and even families and functioning jobs. Which was portrayed in this book.

Scott & Natalie both grew up in not great home lives, but we see Natalie growing up out of that and making a better life, while Scott takes a very sinister turn, who’s POV this book is told from. Leading us to question are killers born with it or learned? Choice or no?
Forewarning the ending is DARK and unsettling.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay but why do I always feel like everyone wants to be the hero in their own story.. but villains seem to have more fun in all the movies(; literally the premise of this story, had me GRIPPED from the first chapter!

I received an ARC for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily all thoughts/opinions above are my own(:

[Elizabeth Day · Rating 2 out of 5]

Many thanks to Ashley for the free copy in exchange for review. Some spoilers may lie ahead.

I’m really disappointed. I love Ashley and followed along with her publishing journey; the premise of the book sounded really interesting. However, the execution was poor, and only got worse as the book went on.
For one, I think it was marketed incorrectly, in multiple ways. There are very few horror elements in this book until the very end. The author kept saying it was a horror and not a dark romance, but for the majority of the book, it read as the opposite. The blurb also says Scott had been dreaming of killing Natalie since he met her. There is little to no indication of this through over half of the novel. There are indications of his violent tendencies, yes, but that is all. He never thinks about wanting to hurt Natalie through the strong majority of the novel. In fact, Scott was like a likeable character to start and his LOVE for Natalie was what drove him to madness—until he wasn’t and it wasn’t? I don’t know, man.

Scott’s motives in general were spotty at best. I couldn’t keep track of his train of thought… and I don’t think that was the point. Only toward the end was his scatterbrained mindset truly clear. While true sense can’t be made of a serial killer’s behavior, I should at least be able to follow the train of thought from one sentence to another. So little made sense.

It’s incredibly repetitive. There’s lots of obnoxious musing and very little action. It would’ve made a wonderful short story or maybe even a novella if the excess had been cut. That’s how many unnecessary words there were. This NOVEL could have been a really good SHORT STORY.

The story was only truly riveting in the last ten percent. Everything there was clear and genuine horror literature. The buildup was messy and the short climax was not enough to redeem it.

There was a lot of potential here that went unused. I’m hopeful for more of Ashley’s work in the future, but this was really disappointing.

(R rating)

[Taylor Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Had a hard time getting into this book. It was just the same thing over and over. I skimmed through the last 25% of it. I just wanted the main character to just die and it never happened. It was like he was very judgmental over everything. There’s no plot twist, no twist and turns. Just imagine Jeffery Dahmer into blonde women. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Don’t recommend but maybe someone else will enjoy it. Just wasn’t a book I cared for.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh Scooter, please don’t!

Scott and Nat joke that they are straight out of a cliche when they meet in their teenage wasteland environment. An artsy girl neglected by her grieving family and an abused loner escaping his alcoholic father, they find refuge in one another and then then courage to escape the fate handed to them by broken homes.

We follow them as they become young adults navigating college, jobs, and other adulthood milestones

But even moreso, as we see Scott, our main protagonist, turn into something worse. Something evil. Something you fear instinctively when you are searching for your car keys in a parking lot at night. Something that stops your heart when a stranger knocks at your car window. Something that makes you look behind your shoulder as you walk home.

This is told from Scott’s perspective which I absolutely loved. Yes, gruesome! Yes, bide the warnings. But if you love horror and gore, it is effective, well paced, and graphic. For me, this was tasty candy.

I enjoyed their romance. I probably shouldn’t have, but I did . And I swear I rooted for him for way too long. As someone who isn’t a romance reader, I really enjoyed how the two genre blended into one another, horror becoming more prevalent as you read on.

Will definitely be following the work of this author

Note: I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for nothing at all. The review is a simple and honest token of my appreciation

[Jessica Houseman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this as an arc. It was OK, but it took 47% of the book before the first unaliving. It was more of a contemporary romance up to that point. The unalivings had so many holes that needed explaining, like why didn't he freak out when he did it the first time. How did he know where to hide it? How'd he clean the car out? I felt there were so many pieces missing. Then, all of a sudden, he becomes a cannibal at the end. It jumped around a lot. The romance story was cute, though. I did have difficulty connecting to the characters, and it just felt dry.

[D. Howlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️I was given a copy of this novel in exchange for a review⭐️

I read this book in a day...
I can't remember the last time I started and finished an over 50k book in a single day.

some warning before moving on with my review:
🔥 Not for the faint at heart
🔥 Not for the squeamish
🔥 Trigger warning level (0-5): 5

Needless to say, I devoured this book, following the workings of a developing serial mind. I have always been fascinated by famous serial killers, Ted Bundy in particular. Why did they do the things they did, what were their reasons, what did they feel and think about before and after they committed these horrible acts. This book was a rush into one of those chaotic, unique, and twisted minds. The foundation the MC, Scott, was forced to build his life on, the trauma that never healed, the bandaid in the form of Natalie that he hoped would sustain him forever deepened the scars more and more.

Every page turn peeled back a small layer of skin until finally reaching the bare bones of the main character. Earley is brilliant at piecing together the triggers, making the actions seem reasonable (for the MC) yet mad. Seeing the evolution unfold was terribly addicting (what does that say about me 🤣).

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

For me, it was a home run. Dark, gritty, insane, heated, shocking, with bubbles of hope that popped almost as soon as they were blown. I loved every second of this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this book completely blind not knowing anything about it. When I started it I felt bad for the characters and their rough upbringing and I kept thinking to myself "things are going to get better. It will get happy soon."

That is not the case with this book. The more I read, the darker it got. By the end I was asking myself what the actual f*ck did i just read? And you know what? I LOVED it.

This book was completely different from any thoughts or ideas I had going into it and it kept me on the edge of my seat. If you want a book that is dark without a happy ending, this is the book for you.

[Kaitlyn Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hooked from the dedication To the girls who thought they met their prince
but ended up falling for the villain.

I see you. Your trauma and feelings are valid.
Your villain might not be as bad as this book’s main character,
but we cope in weird ways, don’t we? Never related more to anything in my whole life.

Readers be advised and please read trigger warnings before diving into this book

If you love Joe Goldberg you will love the mmc
There's times when I had to put down the book but I couldn't stop reading it was a vicious cycle the romance aspect of the book was chefs kiss 💋

If horror is your thing then this is a definite must read

I want to thank the author for sending me my first ever ARC It means alot

[Amber Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so excited to get an eARC of this horror debut, and I was not disappointed. Remember that this is a DEBUT. So yes I will be honest and say it starts off a little slow, and it is a little repetitive at times. But you can feel the confidence start coming off the pages as you go through the story. By the end I was begging for more. I kinda wish this was gonna be a series, cause I need to know what happens now. I loved it! Very Ted Bundy vibes. Trust me you don’t wanna miss this.

[Nadia Uhlenhaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Housekeeping items: heed the trigger warnings accompanying the novel, and the version of this book I read was an ARC. At the end, I will provide a TLDR since I have many thoughts on this one. Spoilers, possibly.

As someone who has read every book this author has published, I feel confident in saying that this is Earley’s best work to date. Her writing craft has improved immensely over time, and Heart of Skulls definitely reflects the evolution of an author.

That being said, Heart of Skulls struggles with some deep flaws at its fundamentals, making the rest of the novel rather shaky.

1: Our main POV character, Scott, is not a character, but a merely caricature. He is remarkably reminiscent of Joe (from the TV show YOU), but Scott lacks self-awareness, introspection, reflection, and real motivation. We are meant to believe that he is driven to do drastic things, but get no tangible explanation or, more importantly, insight. And that would be fine if the novel were something more like American Psycho; it’s simply not.

2: Natalie, the impetus for much of this novel, is flat, one-dimensional, and boring—all forgivable since this book is told through Scott’s view. However, she entered the novel in this way. From the beginning, she was a manic pixie dream girl type, lacking much of the ethereal allure. I needed much more from both Natalie and Scott to really have the following events click and make sense.

3: The novel falls into a predictable rhythm. For a suspenseful horror novel/thriller, predictability is a sin. Falling into patterns is expected, especially for Scott. However, there’s an issue when much of the novel falls into a cyclical pattern with very few repercussions, escalations, or deviations. The whole thing felt very low-risk, and, for the caliber of events in the novel, that shouldn’t be the case.

4: A list of smaller issues that I noted: very little levity to contrast the darkness, an oddly manufactured sense of urgency in the forms of a few random headlines and suspicious friends (but zero pay off, so it felt cheap), the first part of the novel was definitely its weakest and hard to get through.

Heart of Skulls had some great parts in it, too, however that really shine through.

1: The writing itself was quite strong—particularly the last few chapters had chills creeping down my back. There were numerous lines that I highlighted and appreciated.

2: While dark and violent, it didn’t feel gratuitous or showboating. In fact, some of the more violent scenes had some of my favorite introspection from Scott.

3: The last chapter was simply sublime.

4: Desmond entering the scene brought some much-needed motivation for Scott and his actions. The supermarket scene with Desmond, Natalie, and Scott was stellar and if the entire book had carried that momentum it would’ve easily been 5 stars.

5: There was an escalation in the beginning half of the novel (chair to gallery to girl) that was so realistic and I wished had played out more throughout.

TL;DR: At the end of the day, Heart of Skulls is not a terrible novel. It suffers greatly from fundamental problems, and that keeps it from reaching its true potential. However, there are nuggets of gold that might be enough to have me returning again.

[Calliope's Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Since I read the blurb of this book, I have been so excited to read it. The story is something completely different to what I usually read but it was very good! The story is set over a very long timeline, we get to see Natalie and Scott grow together and see what was supposed to be a great love story turn into a nightmare for both of them.

Ashley gave us an interesting insight inside the mind of a serial killer, Scott is a perfect example of how childhood trauma can affect the person you grow up to be.

The writing was spectacular and I hated every single one characters, reading this book made me so angry and frustrated but in the best way, I think this is exactly how I was supposed to feel.

The reason why I only gave it 3.5 stars is that it was really predictable and quite slow in some parts. The ending was very well done but I definitely expected it. Just by reading the blurb, I though this book was going to be a lot more than it ended up being, there is no twists and turns, everything is very linear and it definitely is more of a psychological thriller.

I would have loved more explanations as to why Scott acted and reacted the way he did, it didn't feel based on anything tangible which was a bit of a shame.

I would definitely recommend if you like YOU but don't expect anything different from it because the storylines are extremely similar.

[Sammy Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

*I received an arc for an honest review*

I so badly wanted to love this book but unfortunately it wasn’t for me. I couldn’t really connect with any of the characters and found it quite repetitive.


My assumptions:

So the beginning is promising I thought he’d k*ll his dad before they left and that is where he got the “taste for killing” but this isn’t the case.

When it was referred to being like “YOU” I assumed he stalked her and seen her getting abused and that is why he didn’t kill her, her abuse was more neglect/emotional.


I didn’t like the way he kept degrading these women constantly referring them to wh*res& b*tches. He brushes against his assistants breast whilst trying to fix her car and she does similar back thinking it was intentional, so he k*lls her and blames her for him nearly cheating on Nat.

The second murder he SAs the body which is of course messed up but the thoughts he has about the 17 year old urgh murderer, r*pist and also a perve. He’s just deranged was hoping he’d die😅

The ending was quite predictable was hoping for more of a plot twist.

There is so much potential for future books. The author is so sweet, I’m saddened to not have liked it and wasn’t going to post a review that’s why I’ve left it so long, wishing her the best for the future and looking forward to seeing her progress.

[Nichole · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried, I really tried to enjoy this book.
For months, the teasers, aesthetic, and tropes were all I could think about. I couldn't wait to dive into the story and I really thought it would be a top read for me. I expected a build up of the characters and their twisted back story, but I was left waiting for something to happen. For the first 50% of the book, the story was really flat and contained no suspense or intrigues enough to engulf me. I have a hard time DNFing books, but I really wanted to stop here. Instead, I persevered and progressed forward. I was really hoping that the tone of the book would flip and the pace would significantly improve, but it remained really slow. I struggled to finish the last half of the book as well. Furthermore, the MMC has quite a few developmental flaws and some of his behavior conflicts his back story. And lastly, the ending was very predictable and lacked any shock value. There is one element that will make other readers flinch, but it felt as if it was placed there as a last resort and half hearted attempt to make the character darker.
There are a lot of readers who did thoroughly enjoy this, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt.

[Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, just WOW! 💀🪨 (Skull Splitter)

This was my 1st horror book. It gave me all the feels! I had chills finishing up this book!

It was a little slow to get into at the beginning but once I got hooked, I was HOOKED!

I LOVED that the POV was Scott's (the psychopath)

The paint - had me like wtf. But in the best way!

‼️Check the trigger warnings‼️

This is NOT a romance!
The ending isn't a happy one but it's unlike anything I've read before & I enjoyed it! 😅

Thank you Ashley for the opportunity to read this! You have broaden my horizons to what books I will enjoy! I can't wait to see what you come up with next! 🖤

[April Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I tell you I binged this book in less than a day, and I'm a slowish reader (although I've gotten quicker this year). I DEVOURED it (haha, cannibalism joke intended), because it was so pacy. Thank you to the author for sending me an arc. I couldn't stop flipping those ebook pages, wanting to know what Scott was going to do next. If you're a fan of the Netflix series You, definitely check this one out. He definitely reminded me a lot of Joe's charming character, only he could also be a bit of a sadistic asshole at times as well.

[Staci · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an arc of this book for an honest review.

Im honestly just so sad that I didn’t love this one. The teasers, blurb, and tropes were all fantastic and I was so excited to get this one. Plus Ashley just seems super sweet on social media and I hope the best for her future books!

Most of the book was slow moving other than time jumps. The plot points were pretty repetitive with not much going on. There were obviously some big plot moments but nothing unexpected, no big twists.

With it being compared to YOU, I just expected a little more and am just a bit disappointed.

[ThatBookishWriter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! This book was a total page turner! Something that will remain in my mind for years to come. This was truly an emotional rollercoaster. It’s not for the faint of heart. Be sure to check the trigger warnings. It’s very dark and just gets more intense as you go.

We get to dive into a brain of a serial killer, seeing him live two different lives. Seeing him struggle between the urge to kill and trying to live his life with his partner. It was so fascinating to read. There were moments I was wanting to see him happy and get past the urge.

Him and Natalie didn’t have a good childhood growing up and you got to see them connect and get closer as the book goes on. Being each others rock and anchor.

I definitely didn’t expect the ending!!! It was so dark! If you were wondering how a serial killer manages to live two different lives and has the vibes of Jeffery Dunmer. This is definitely for you! Be sure to check for trigger warnings!! I know I said it in the beginning, but it’s truly important.

[mrs_z07 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐

[Sara Flavo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, the whole time reading this book I was happy I wasn’t a blonde. 😂
This was a slow burn up to 50% but once it started burning, it freaking SCORCHED everything in it way.
I can confidently say I have never in my life hated a character more than I hate Scott.
What a piece of work.
Nat gave him life, a purpose, a reason to continue living, and this is what she gets?
A man who *doesn’t* cheat on her, but sure does *eliminate* the temptation.
Every time he thought about other women and the way they dress, I wanted to pulverize his face.
He is vile, he is gross, he is just EWWW. I had goosebumps every time we could see how his mind worked, how he played with his victims…
I am so thankful to Ashley for showing me that I can truly feel hate towards a character.

Nat is so good. She is a pure soul. She is everything. She is me, and you, and all the girls in the world who go for the broken guys and fix them, hoping they stay fixed forever. Sad truth is that most of them don’t, just like Scott didn’t.

I recommend this to everyone who wants to be scarred for a little while.

[Abbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, if you haven't gotten the gist from everyone else, read those trigger warnings and TAKE THEM SERIOUSLY.
There were moments where the content was so brutal, gore-filled, and violent that I had to take a step back, swallow back my gag, and keep going.

The story itself is so beautiful. The details are rich and the imagery, although terrifying and brutal, really cement you into Scott’s head and his way of thinking. The way he views life and other people is so twisted, and Earley nailed being in the mind of a killer. I felt enthralled, disgusted, and just sad for Natalie more than anything.

Scott is an interesting main character. His negative character arc is not one I read very often, but Earley’s handling of the craft allowed it to feel like a very natural descent into darkness. The only thing I struggled with, from a technical standpoint, was Scott’s thought processes being repeated all the time. I was tired of hearing the same thought process over and over. But overall, Scott was someone I rooted for in the beginning, his growth and change and new life, but then I grew to hate him very quickly.

Pick up this book if you are into true crime, serial killers, vivid horror (think: Midsommar, etc.), and a terrifying and page-turning book. I couldn’t set it down, genuinely. I had to force myself to sleep instead of reading. Earley is an incredible writer and I can’t wait to read more of her work as she publishes more!

SPOILERS:
I just have to say quickly that my heart is broken for Natalie. While reading the last 4 chapters I just kept thinking about the story from her POV. This man she loves, had a child with, gave up her dreams for to raise their child — this man not only kills her, but abuses, degrades, and hurts her. And she still stays until the bitter, terrible end. Natalie was a hard character for me to like sometimes. She felt immature a lot, but I grew to adore the shit out of her. She just wanted a happily ever after. She just wanted love, safety, and warmth.
I wanted a happy ending for Natalie and Desmond more than anything else. I wanted to her to leave and get away from Scott. I wanted her to find happiness, the happiness she always deserved. Earley was able to capture that heart break so clearly, even though we only saw it through Scott’s incredibly messed-up and biased mind. My heart hurt for her and I wish more than anything that the ending didn't have to happen that way.

[Naturalbri (Bri Wignall) · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know those shows where it says you are looking inside the mind of a killer? Yeh, they’ve got nothing on this book. If you love true crime, horror and all things dark, then this gritty, honest and often brutal book is nothing shy of perfection for you.
From the start we are given the backgrounds of our two main characters. This is very important, one because is plays on your heartstrings and two because it supplies the thought-provoking question of whether killers are born or made. You connect with the beauty of Earley’s writing style, the honesty and detail- which opens up to you connecting with our main character, even if he is already displaying signs of the darkness growing inside him. You cannot help but look at the life he was dealt and feel for him- kind of like the upbringing of some of the worst serial killers.
Then things grown and change, they morph into a bleak world of the darkest thoughts you could imagine. His mind starts to trickle into reality and soon he must act on those dark thoughts and feelings he can no longer hide, but he can’t quite bring himself to react in full, so he does the next best thing.
The book Earley has given us provides a thought-provoking, heart-wrenching tale where you can’t help but still want to love the main character, but also hate him with every fibre of your being. It shreds your mind and your heart, as you are completely divided on what to think and how to feel.
And then the end…
That ending is just the icing on the devils cake on his 100th birthday. You will love the beauty of the tale and the writing she has given you, but may have nightmares about what the words say.
This is absolutely the best book I have read in ages.

[Ashlynn Poole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking for a new horror/love story? Well. This is it.
I wasn’t expecting any spice level for this book, knowing full well I wanted to read something that was just darker.
Ashley was able to capture minds and killings of notorious serial killers from the past. I felt strong Ted Bundy vibes from Scott in this story. I also kept connecting him to Joe Goldberg from You; he even had his voice in my mind.
The beginning origins of Scott and Natalie is sweet and romantic with a sad backstory of their lives. Running away together from their hometown lives to start new and fresh in college had me rooting for them and celebrating them getting away from terrible families.
But as they grow older, Scott transforms into something Natalie could’ve never imagined.
Even throughout Scott and his killings, I was still hoping he would turn around and be a new person. I hated him, don’t get me wrong. But I think that was the allure of it. The character arc you wish for but don’t know if you ever will get the deeper you get into the book.
Scott takes his hostility out on women who look close to Natalie. Thinking he can silence the overwhelming thoughts in his mind. Is it enough? Can he come out on top? Read this book to find out!

[Ashley Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got to be an ARC reader for this gritty but amazing written story of how a serial killer could be made. Adding the spoiler tag just because I want to make sure I don’t spoil anything.

Scott and Nat both had horrible childhoods and while they bond over that and leave that life behind, they both take two separate roads to recovering from them. I feel like this book shows how abusive childhoods can not only have the person grow and become a better person but could also end up turning one into a killer.

One of my favorite things about reading this book is how we see Scott and Nat from multiple points in their life and we can really see what causes Scott to turn into the Skull Splitter. Also, can I say that I LOVE that media name given to him because it fits sooooo perfectly.

Being able to read from the POV of the serial killer was amazing because I feel like you don’t normally see books written that way because it is difficult to understand what could cause them to snap and kill someone. While I had wished for a different ending, I wouldn’t end up changing one bit because as we all know, villains sometimes end up getting their HEA.

**While I was chosen as an ARC reader and received my copy for free, my thoughts and opinions are wholly my own.**

[Mimiru Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Non-spoiler) I love horror romance and this book did not disappoint. We get to follow the development of Natalie and Scott as they grow into the kind of evil, toxic romance that we love to read about. Ashley really does give us a very well interpreted inside look at the mind of serial killers and what gets them ticking. I loved this book and this story and by the end was wanting more!

⚠️HEED TRIGGER WARNINGS as this book contains content that may not be to everyone's tastes!

Scott gives us a very ghastly perspective that is filled to the brim with graphic and spine-tingling violence and gore. As a character he really has us readers devouring the way his mind worked and wrapped around what drove him to commit the acts that he did. We are not supposed to like this character and that in itself makes the discomfort we should be feeling as readers believable and welcome for the type of story that this is. Not all characters that are written are supposed to be liked, and Scott is absolutely one of them.

What to expect:
🔥 Slow-burn escalation of events
🔥 Graphic details of violence
🔥 Intriguing internal monologue and workings of the mind of a serial unaliver
🔥 Emotional story building

[Rebecca Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have honestly never read a book like this and I didn’t know that I needed this in my life! I went into this book completely blind and I was hooked from the very first page, empathising with Scott from the outset and desperately hoping that there would be something positive in his life. But honestly, I was not prepared for the emotional rollercoaster that this book took me on. It’s dark, twisty, emotional and occasionally unsettling as the reader follows Scott’s mental state through a variety of big events in his life; happy, sad and traumatic. As the story continued, I found my emotions regarding the MMC changing dramatically (and not in a positive way!) as he realises that he is a serial killer. That’s not even the unsettling part… the things that he does!! Ashley Earley has brilliantly captured the downward spiral of Scott’s mental state as he comes to terms with what he has done and the urges that he tries to overcome before killing again.
This book is a great debut and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
Thank you to Ashley Earley for a copy of the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Elizabeth Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC from the author in exchange for nothing but a review if I wanted.
I didn't look into the book before I started reading it. It was not at all what I expected. The first half of the book was slow. It was used mostly for character development, but I felt disconnected from the main character and questioned who he was. I feel as though there was a lot of repetition in the beginning as the author tried to mold the character for you, but it was lacking. When we got half-way through the book and the main events started to happen, it almost felt as if it was coming out of nowhere. The rest of the book seemed to go quickly, but there was still that disconnect between what you were reading and what you should be feeling. The ARC I received was not the final copy, so there are spelling errors and typos in the copy that can also pull you out of what you are reading. I do think if the author goes back through the book and re edits that this could end up being a fantastic book.