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Kings & Consorts #1
Twisted Devotion
Emily
Never enter the mortuary after midnight.
I thought it was superstition.
How could I have known Dad was cremating corpses for a crime lord?
I should’ve listened. Now, it’s too late.
A cold-blooded monster has me in his sights.
My stalker. My captor. My ruin.
I should hate Ruarc for using me to blackmail my father.
But with every rough touch and wicked promise, I lose myself to his dark seduction.
Soon, there won’t be any of me left.
Ruarc
Don’t get involved.
Good advice, especially for someone dealing in secrets and sins.
I lived by that rule since I took the throne.
Until her.
The undertaker never told me he had a daughter.
One with emerald fire in her eyes and enough soul to share.
I decided Emily was mine from that first moment.
Mine to touch. Mine to mold. Mine to break.
And I plan on keeping her.
Twisted Devotion is a dark obsession romance and has content that may be triggering to some readers. For a full list of TWs please check the author’s website.
Never enter the mortuary after midnight.
I thought it was superstition.
How could I have known Dad was cremating corpses for a crime lord?
I should’ve listened. Now, it’s too late.
A cold-blooded monster has me in his sights.
My stalker. My captor. My ruin.
I should hate Ruarc for using me to blackmail my father.
But with every rough touch and wicked promise, I lose myself to his dark seduction.
Soon, there won’t be any of me left.
Ruarc
Don’t get involved.
Good advice, especially for someone dealing in secrets and sins.
I lived by that rule since I took the throne.
Until her.
The undertaker never told me he had a daughter.
One with emerald fire in her eyes and enough soul to share.
I decided Emily was mine from that first moment.
Mine to touch. Mine to mold. Mine to break.
And I plan on keeping her.
Twisted Devotion is a dark obsession romance and has content that may be triggering to some readers. For a full list of TWs please check the author’s website.
386 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 15, 2023
3887 people are currently reading
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About the author
Poppy St. John
4 books443 followersRomance Without Restraint
Please click "+Follow Author" to be notified when the author has a new release.
Poppy writes steamy contemporary romance with a focus on all things forbidden, dark, and taboo. She likes her main men morally gray and has always had a thing for bad boys who will do anything to win the hearts of the women they love. All her stories end with a hard-won HEA ♡
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Please click "+Follow Author" to be notified when the author has a new release.
Poppy writes steamy contemporary romance with a focus on all things forbidden, dark, and taboo. She likes her main men morally gray and has always had a thing for bad boys who will do anything to win the hearts of the women they love. All her stories end with a hard-won HEA ♡
Join the Petal & Thorn newsletter:
https://www.subscribepage.com/petalan...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 727 reviews
April 9, 2023
MY REVIEW AND OTHERS can also be found on my blog: ╰┈➤KITTY KATS CRAZY ABOUT BOOKS
ღ 𝗧𝗪𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗗𝗘𝗩𝗢𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 ღ Is author Poppy St. John's debut novel, a full length romance novel. Spoken in 'dual perspectives.' HERO: Ruarc HEROINE: Emily
What you'll get
💋 Stalker
💋 Captive
💋 Obsession
💋 Murder
💋 Betrayal
So after seeing this pop up a time or two on my news feeds, and then reading that blurb I knew I had to go off #oneclicking I dived into this straight away and I'm so glad I took that plunge into this author debut novel.
Her dad always said never to enter the mortuary after midnight, but after breaking that one rule and witnessing something sinister going down with an unknown man and her dad she was going to get to the bottom of it. Rule number two was never enter his office, yeah she did that too and uncovered some very unsavory things going down.
This also put her under Ruarc's radar, he's the masked king of his lucrative syndicate, a place where all your deepest darkest desires take place at Delirium a place where nothing is off the table.
Once Ruarc set eyes on her it was game over, she became his biggest obsession, he stalked her, kidnapped her, claimed her.
Emily has put her life into the legacy her mother left behind, she's more comfortable around the dead than the living as she works side by side with her father in their isolated little morgue.
And what a pleasant surprise I got with how much I enjoyed this book, being that our hero stalked and then kidnapped the heroine and a mortuary was the setting in this book it could’ve gone down a dark path. Even though it didn’t I still enjoyed the storyline, to the point where I’m keen to read the next standalone book in this series.
April 3, 2023
For all the things I liked about this book, there was an equal amount of things I unfortunately didn’t like.
A lot of it just had to do with the pacing of the book because I liked the characters. They were well developed and while I didn’t necessarily connect with either of them, I did enjoy reading about them.
I LOVED Emily’s feisty side. I loved when she fought him and didn’t just let him walk all over her.
Ruarc was so funny when he took away her furniture after she tried to escape 😭 I was honestly dying at this. I don’t really know why cause I know it’s not funny but I could not stop laughing.
“And then take every scrap of furniture, every book out of this room. Leave nothing.”
NOT THE BOOKS 💀 BOY you know you like watching her when she reads her spicy scenes
(He really did. She would “perform” for him)
I love a good kidnapping so I loved that part of the book and I think if that was the biggest chunk of the book I would have liked it a lot more. I like so see the hatred slowly turn into that fiery love and passion. I like to see her falling for him even though she knows it’s wrong.
He was already obsessed but I love it when they realize that its not obsession but ✨love✨
I also like it when they are low-key mean to the girl especially in the beginning of the kidnapping. IDK why but I just love a good asshole.
Now, sadly, what I did not enjoy…
The number one thing has just got to be the amount go build up in the story. Build up to the plot, build up to the love, build up to the smut. It was just too much build up.
The plot twist & bad guy was predictable. Of course it is going to be the only guy close to the MMC. Normally if it is going to be a betrayal like that the MMC needs to have multiple people that he has put his trust in so there isn’t an obvious culprit.
And the “bad guy” was taken down so quick that I can’t even consider it a climax. I really don’t know what the climax in this book was because there was not really any big thing that happened.
Most of the book the characters were not together. If I had to make a diagram it would look like this:
_
buildup/not even interacting
_
kidnapping/together
_
broken up
_
_
^epilogue
The buildup/ intro of the story went day by day and got to be a little boring/slow. I think he should have taken her earlier because while the beginning was taking up all this time being the center of attention, when she was kidnapped we barely got to see scenes with them together. When she was taken by him, days would skip and it would say they were together (mainly just fucking), but we never actually saw that and when they were suddenly having a deep conversation I was like “wtf? when did this connection form?” I needed more of them actually together because when he “set her free” I did not give a fuck 🤣
He also said he was going to break her…
“I’d break her and spend each day laying her shattered pieces back into place, shaping something new. Something made for me”
He apparently did according to the both of them, but I did not feel like. Did not see anything like that happen. Never seemed to me that she broke. The most I saw was her crying when he told her to leave.
I thought I was about to get some crazy kinky smut in this book. The first chapter man literally has this convo:
“This is a different kind of contract, love,” I told her. “Protects us both.”
Her brows furrowed. “In case of what?”
“Lots of things.”
…accidental death among them.
Now I read this and was like, “OMG?!! What is this guy into?”
Wanna know?
Spanking.
Missionary. Doggy style.
I’m not shaming whatsoever but that convo made me think he was going do be pretty kinky.
He was not.
(He did fuck her with a pew-pew but at this point I have read that kind of scene so many times that it’s pretty tame)
The kinkiest chapter was the epilogue when he pulled out a leg spreader and butt plug 🤣
“Accidental death” my ass.
I just expected a lot more from the smut from the way he talked about his preferences. Man owns a sex club and was constantly talking about toys and shit. Never once used one on her, like??? Robbed.
Especially cause they were being set up as a brat/dom situation. The spice could’ve been so good 😫
Overall, I DID enjoy the book, but I don’t think I would necessarily reread. I just wish they were actually together for more of it rather than being separated.
I do think I will read the next book in the series when it comes out though!
*ARC received in exchange for honest review*
A lot of it just had to do with the pacing of the book because I liked the characters. They were well developed and while I didn’t necessarily connect with either of them, I did enjoy reading about them.
I LOVED Emily’s feisty side. I loved when she fought him and didn’t just let him walk all over her.
Ruarc was so funny when he took away her furniture after she tried to escape 😭 I was honestly dying at this. I don’t really know why cause I know it’s not funny but I could not stop laughing.
“And then take every scrap of furniture, every book out of this room. Leave nothing.”
NOT THE BOOKS 💀 BOY you know you like watching her when she reads her spicy scenes
(He really did. She would “perform” for him)
I love a good kidnapping so I loved that part of the book and I think if that was the biggest chunk of the book I would have liked it a lot more. I like so see the hatred slowly turn into that fiery love and passion. I like to see her falling for him even though she knows it’s wrong.
He was already obsessed but I love it when they realize that its not obsession but ✨love✨
I also like it when they are low-key mean to the girl especially in the beginning of the kidnapping. IDK why but I just love a good asshole.
Now, sadly, what I did not enjoy…
The number one thing has just got to be the amount go build up in the story. Build up to the plot, build up to the love, build up to the smut. It was just too much build up.
The plot twist & bad guy was predictable. Of course it is going to be the only guy close to the MMC. Normally if it is going to be a betrayal like that the MMC needs to have multiple people that he has put his trust in so there isn’t an obvious culprit.
And the “bad guy” was taken down so quick that I can’t even consider it a climax. I really don’t know what the climax in this book was because there was not really any big thing that happened.
Most of the book the characters were not together. If I had to make a diagram it would look like this:
_
buildup/not even interacting
_
kidnapping/together
_
broken up
_
_
^epilogue
The buildup/ intro of the story went day by day and got to be a little boring/slow. I think he should have taken her earlier because while the beginning was taking up all this time being the center of attention, when she was kidnapped we barely got to see scenes with them together. When she was taken by him, days would skip and it would say they were together (mainly just fucking), but we never actually saw that and when they were suddenly having a deep conversation I was like “wtf? when did this connection form?” I needed more of them actually together because when he “set her free” I did not give a fuck 🤣
He also said he was going to break her…
“I’d break her and spend each day laying her shattered pieces back into place, shaping something new. Something made for me”
He apparently did according to the both of them, but I did not feel like. Did not see anything like that happen. Never seemed to me that she broke. The most I saw was her crying when he told her to leave.
I thought I was about to get some crazy kinky smut in this book. The first chapter man literally has this convo:
“This is a different kind of contract, love,” I told her. “Protects us both.”
Her brows furrowed. “In case of what?”
“Lots of things.”
…accidental death among them.
Now I read this and was like, “OMG?!! What is this guy into?”
Wanna know?
Spanking.
Missionary. Doggy style.
I’m not shaming whatsoever but that convo made me think he was going do be pretty kinky.
He was not.
(He did fuck her with a pew-pew but at this point I have read that kind of scene so many times that it’s pretty tame)
The kinkiest chapter was the epilogue when he pulled out a leg spreader and butt plug 🤣
“Accidental death” my ass.
I just expected a lot more from the smut from the way he talked about his preferences. Man owns a sex club and was constantly talking about toys and shit. Never once used one on her, like??? Robbed.
Especially cause they were being set up as a brat/dom situation. The spice could’ve been so good 😫
Overall, I DID enjoy the book, but I don’t think I would necessarily reread. I just wish they were actually together for more of it rather than being separated.
I do think I will read the next book in the series when it comes out though!
*ARC received in exchange for honest review*
June 4, 2023
Started off strong, but went downhill 60% in.
August 7, 2023
i’m sorry but it was too much like haunting adeline .. except like .. not good
June 21, 2025
This series has been on my tbr for a while now. So glad I finally got to get started on it. I thought this was a great book! Rurac is the typical obsessive MMC we love in a dark romance. Love it when those morally grey men bring out the kink in a woman who may not have been secure enough to on their own.
May 24, 2023
4.5 stars
I ate this shit UPPPP. I was craving a stalker romance and this book hit every mark for me!! I appreciated that it wasn’t an Insta-love as most stalker romances tend to be, and there was a good build up!! Loved the back story of the mortuary & how everything played out.
Ruarc was the perfect mafia daddy & wild as hell, but all that I would expect from a crime lord. And the perfect candidate for a stalker if I say so myself 😇 Obsessed, possessive, dominating, hung like a horse & knows how to USE IT. And he owns a sex club?! Pls I need him.
Emily was a good girl gone bad & we love that about her!! But she held her own & I appreciated the fight she put up. I get it though, eventually we would all fold for daddy R, too.
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Tropes:
•Mafia romance
•Breath play
•Hate to Love
•Stalker romance
•Billionaire
•Dark & Spicy
I ate this shit UPPPP. I was craving a stalker romance and this book hit every mark for me!! I appreciated that it wasn’t an Insta-love as most stalker romances tend to be, and there was a good build up!! Loved the back story of the mortuary & how everything played out.
Ruarc was the perfect mafia daddy & wild as hell, but all that I would expect from a crime lord. And the perfect candidate for a stalker if I say so myself 😇 Obsessed, possessive, dominating, hung like a horse & knows how to USE IT. And he owns a sex club?! Pls I need him.
Emily was a good girl gone bad & we love that about her!! But she held her own & I appreciated the fight she put up. I get it though, eventually we would all fold for daddy R, too.
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Tropes:
•Mafia romance
•Breath play
•Hate to Love
•Stalker romance
•Billionaire
•Dark & Spicy
March 30, 2023
★4 twisted stars★
A tale about obsession and secret desires, what happens when the devil unearths your deepest fears? What you thought was out of reach becomes available, dare to grab that forbidden pleasure…
~𝙏𝙤𝙪𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝. 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧. 𝙒𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨~
Ruarc is the king of his syndicate, his criminal organisation isn’t limited to shady underworld business. Living in the shadow means answering to any kind of demands, Ruarc strives to accommodate any type of desires, his territory expands to cater to the most forbidden, taboos requests. Delirium, his den of pleasure, prides itself on providing to accommodate any needs but also to protect the identities and privacy of its elite members.
~𝙒𝙝𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙄? 𝙃𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙧𝙚. 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙, 𝙨𝙝𝙚’𝙙 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙚~
Emily has spent her life with dead people, her deceased mother built a family oriented mortuary to give rest and decorum to lifeless bodies. Alone with her father, Emily carries out her mother’s legacy even if some days she feels more dead than the people on her cold slab.
~𝘼 𝙜𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙬, 𝙍𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙘 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚~
Chance would have it that Emily and Ruarc crossed paths, since their first meeting their lives won’t ever be the same again. Emily will discover a side of her she never knew existed, Ruarc fights hard to keep his strongly built walls intact. However, there is only so much you can do when desires, obsession and a thirst for life clash and threaten to annihilate you, decimating your defences, breaking and rebuilding you.
This is a story by new to me author Poppy St John, although there is nothing original and the plot is pretty predictable I enjoyed this ride. I liked the setting of a mortuary, the possessive side of Ruarc was very appreciated, Emily was nice albeit a tad flat sometimes, I liked her job though! The chemistry between the main characters was good and believable. I wished there was more depth to their personalities but I liked how they evolved together.
A tale about obsession and secret desires, what happens when the devil unearths your deepest fears? What you thought was out of reach becomes available, dare to grab that forbidden pleasure…
~𝙏𝙤𝙪𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝. 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧. 𝙒𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨~
Ruarc is the king of his syndicate, his criminal organisation isn’t limited to shady underworld business. Living in the shadow means answering to any kind of demands, Ruarc strives to accommodate any type of desires, his territory expands to cater to the most forbidden, taboos requests. Delirium, his den of pleasure, prides itself on providing to accommodate any needs but also to protect the identities and privacy of its elite members.
~𝙒𝙝𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙄? 𝙃𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙧𝙚. 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙, 𝙨𝙝𝙚’𝙙 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙚~
Emily has spent her life with dead people, her deceased mother built a family oriented mortuary to give rest and decorum to lifeless bodies. Alone with her father, Emily carries out her mother’s legacy even if some days she feels more dead than the people on her cold slab.
~𝘼 𝙜𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙬, 𝙍𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙘 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚~
Chance would have it that Emily and Ruarc crossed paths, since their first meeting their lives won’t ever be the same again. Emily will discover a side of her she never knew existed, Ruarc fights hard to keep his strongly built walls intact. However, there is only so much you can do when desires, obsession and a thirst for life clash and threaten to annihilate you, decimating your defences, breaking and rebuilding you.
This is a story by new to me author Poppy St John, although there is nothing original and the plot is pretty predictable I enjoyed this ride. I liked the setting of a mortuary, the possessive side of Ruarc was very appreciated, Emily was nice albeit a tad flat sometimes, I liked her job though! The chemistry between the main characters was good and believable. I wished there was more depth to their personalities but I liked how they evolved together.
August 24, 2023
This book was a very SPICY read! It was amazing, from the spice, the characters, the plot, the story line. Had me on my toes!!! 🥵 On my way to read book #2!!!
May 13, 2023
Right OK I feel bad for the 1 star after all the 4 or 5 but I think I was reading something different from everyone else. This book is just all over the place and has so many things I hate. He sees her one night in baggy clothes, she "stands" up to him cause you know no-one else ever has and he's done for. He kidnaps her an when she tries to escape he leaves her in a cold basement for days, with no shower and smells her Jesus no. Then there's the body betraying syndrome from the h. Then times jumps and were made to think that after 1 chapter its been a month of none stop sex. He does the letting her go an been cruel cause you know he can't have feelings. I was just about done at this stage.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 21, 2023
I can’t recall why I borrowed this one from KU so I went into this book completely blind. Authors note in the beginning directs you to her website for trigger warnings. I checked there are no trigger warnings listed anywhere on her website. I don’t have any triggers per se but I *always* check trigger and content warnings because what I do want are spoilers and a heads up for what is in store for my adventure. Linking to your website for content warnings that aren’t actually there is annoying.
This book isn’t 100% safe. I’ll drop specifics at the bottom of the review. There will be spoilers past this point.
The beginning of this story is a bit slow paced for my taste. H/h meet @ 8% and he’s instantly obsessed or so we are told. More stuff about their separate lives until we see evidence of active stalking at 16%. We don’t get nearly enough on page stalking in this book for it to be a stalker book. We get a couple of instances and then H telling us he’s stalking her and obsessing over her.
H doesn’t take her captive until 35% and mostly ignores her. At first she’s in a cold, dark basement, then a cozy furnished bedroom. He goes days between his interactions with her though we’re told he watches her on camera. H quickly goes from defiant captive to trying to provoke his attention. During this hot/cold section with the ignoring he comes to h a couple times. Once he uses his Glock to fuck her and another to punish her by making her blow him after she tears up the room. The scene ends with her screaming she hates him.
Then he takes her to his sex club and they have uninspiring sex at 61%. She suddenly becomes a somewhat willing captive with freedom to move about house. The change in h’s personality was jarring and unbelievable.
Then this author makes her fatal mistake for me in the book . While I wasn’t loving this book it solidly in the ok range. Not great, no terrible but not a bad read. H feels some feelings and decides he must let h go. H forces to leave at 74%. This is a lethal blow to captive romance for me. Julian Esguerra (Twist Me trilogy by Anna Zaires) set the gold standard. He’d literally die before freeing Nora. Take a valuable note from Julian. Morally gray/black antihero’s and straight up villains DO NOT NEED a redemption arc. We aren’t reading these fucked up men for their redemption. I want to see the h seduced into darkness by her H. There is nothing weaker and less appealing than a pathetic wannabe antihero who frees the captive h or pushes her away “for her own good.” Grow a pair and own your shit.
Mr. Pathetic continues to stalk h after forced her away. She leaves her doors and windows unlocked because she’s also a pathetic doormat who begs him to stay after he *repeatedly* rejects her and pushes him away. These two fucking deserve each other. I’m not sure precisely how long their separation was because any length of separation is too fucking long.
No virgins
Former manwhore
No OW drama
Mild OM drama
No cheating
Separation
HEA
Safety spoilers - In the prologue we see H in his sex club watching people get it on. He’s propositioned by an escort and accepts. Nothing happens on the page. Not sure what the point was other than illustrate that the owner of a sex club actually has sex in it with people. I’m shocked, I tell you.
18% after he’s met and begun stalking h, he’s watching some patrons of his sex club and gets turned on. He continues watching and tries to jerk off but can’t keep his hard on.
28% The h has met H and thinks she’s being stalked. After she gets spooked one night she spends the night at her ex’s place and they fool around some on page. They end up having sex off page. However at 32% she briefly reminisces about the encounter. It’s short and not hugely descriptive but it’s there. H later kills this OM though it wasn’t entirely on purpose.
This book isn’t 100% safe. I’ll drop specifics at the bottom of the review. There will be spoilers past this point.
The beginning of this story is a bit slow paced for my taste. H/h meet @ 8% and he’s instantly obsessed or so we are told. More stuff about their separate lives until we see evidence of active stalking at 16%. We don’t get nearly enough on page stalking in this book for it to be a stalker book. We get a couple of instances and then H telling us he’s stalking her and obsessing over her.
H doesn’t take her captive until 35% and mostly ignores her. At first she’s in a cold, dark basement, then a cozy furnished bedroom. He goes days between his interactions with her though we’re told he watches her on camera. H quickly goes from defiant captive to trying to provoke his attention. During this hot/cold section with the ignoring he comes to h a couple times. Once he uses his Glock to fuck her and another to punish her by making her blow him after she tears up the room. The scene ends with her screaming she hates him.
Then he takes her to his sex club and they have uninspiring sex at 61%. She suddenly becomes a somewhat willing captive with freedom to move about house. The change in h’s personality was jarring and unbelievable.
Then this author makes her fatal mistake for me in the book . While I wasn’t loving this book it solidly in the ok range. Not great, no terrible but not a bad read. H feels some feelings and decides he must let h go. H forces to leave at 74%. This is a lethal blow to captive romance for me. Julian Esguerra (Twist Me trilogy by Anna Zaires) set the gold standard. He’d literally die before freeing Nora. Take a valuable note from Julian. Morally gray/black antihero’s and straight up villains DO NOT NEED a redemption arc. We aren’t reading these fucked up men for their redemption. I want to see the h seduced into darkness by her H. There is nothing weaker and less appealing than a pathetic wannabe antihero who frees the captive h or pushes her away “for her own good.” Grow a pair and own your shit.
Mr. Pathetic continues to stalk h after forced her away. She leaves her doors and windows unlocked because she’s also a pathetic doormat who begs him to stay after he *repeatedly* rejects her and pushes him away. These two fucking deserve each other. I’m not sure precisely how long their separation was because any length of separation is too fucking long.
No virgins
Former manwhore
No OW drama
Mild OM drama
No cheating
Separation
HEA
Safety spoilers - In the prologue we see H in his sex club watching people get it on. He’s propositioned by an escort and accepts. Nothing happens on the page. Not sure what the point was other than illustrate that the owner of a sex club actually has sex in it with people. I’m shocked, I tell you.
18% after he’s met and begun stalking h, he’s watching some patrons of his sex club and gets turned on. He continues watching and tries to jerk off but can’t keep his hard on.
28% The h has met H and thinks she’s being stalked. After she gets spooked one night she spends the night at her ex’s place and they fool around some on page. They end up having sex off page. However at 32% she briefly reminisces about the encounter. It’s short and not hugely descriptive but it’s there. H later kills this OM though it wasn’t entirely on purpose.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 23, 2024
I liked some parts more than others. The story set-up was interesting and I liked the fact that the heroine Emily Snow worked at her family business which happened to be a funeral home, the same one that our anti-hero Ruark is using to dispose of any inconvenient bodies. But then I found Ruark to be quite cold and one-dimensional in his behaviour. There was one main persona with him and he stuck to this religiously. We saw maybe a bit of emotional growth in the conclusion but frankly, Ruark was frustrating and didn't have much of a personality.
Emily could also be equally irritating and her metamorphosis from good girl to lovesick gangster moll just wasn't that convincing. If I'm honest I found the romance portion of this rather uninspiring and I did feel that something in their chemistry together was absent. I just couldn't see how they'd fallen for each other as their interactions together just weren't that deep, beyond the physical that is.
I did like the general storyline but I felt it took forever for Ruark to cease stalking and get on with kidnapping Emily. He was also very naive when it came to the traitor in his midst as it was so obvious who it was. I also liked the club storyline but did think it would be a bigger part of the story so I was disappointed when it wasn't.
Overall this was enjoyable enough and the writing was good I just didn't like it as much as I was expecting and at times struggled to connect, it also didn't feel that dark despite the content.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com
May 29, 2023
⚰️"Her soul called to me, beckoning me into the light...Emily ruined me just as surely as I ruined her."⚰️
This book was just added to my' favorite books ' pile. What stood out for me was. How well written it
was, that the writing and vocabulary was poetic and seasoned.
Emily, was soo real in a literal sense. As in us. I saw myself in her. Discovering ourselves in books.
Intrigued by dark romance and its depths, until you get to
experiment, and then it all make sense. Something click,
and you are home where you belong.
She also has one thing I love in FMCs, she has a unique and interesting job. ⚰️⚰️⚰️💀💀
Ruare, the MMC, was unhinged, morally grey at best, sometime villain.😏😏
I loved his characteristies, stalker, unapologetic, Obsessed and with a broken inner child.
«You've never felt more you,
than when you're with me."
This book was just added to my' favorite books ' pile. What stood out for me was. How well written it
was, that the writing and vocabulary was poetic and seasoned.
Emily, was soo real in a literal sense. As in us. I saw myself in her. Discovering ourselves in books.
Intrigued by dark romance and its depths, until you get to
experiment, and then it all make sense. Something click,
and you are home where you belong.
She also has one thing I love in FMCs, she has a unique and interesting job. ⚰️⚰️⚰️💀💀
Ruare, the MMC, was unhinged, morally grey at best, sometime villain.😏😏
I loved his characteristies, stalker, unapologetic, Obsessed and with a broken inner child.
«You've never felt more you,
than when you're with me."
December 2, 2024
i’m ashamed to even be rating this. i’ve read better wattpad books.
March 28, 2023
“And who are you, little lamb?”
I always love giving new authors a try, especially when their book comes with a glorious list of trigger warnings for me to indulge in. Twisted Devotion is Poppy St. John’s debut, and what a stunning debut it is! Buckle up, because you’re in for a wild ride with this dark and spicy tale of infatuation and finding your perfect match.
Emily, workaholic and local undertaker’s daughter, and Ruarc, billionaire crime boss with tastes that lean towards the darker end of the spectrum, take center stage. What begins as a chance, blood-drenched encounter between the two quickly turns into deliciously depraved obsession. When exploitation threatens a delicate agreement, Ruarc takes Emily as collateral, with a promise to break her. What he isn’t prepared for is the strength and fire his little lamb possesses.
The chemistry between the two is incredible, insta-lust, yet quick to love. Their relationship has some serious Beauty and the Beast vibes, and you can’t help but root for the pair. Each provides what the other is in need of and craving, two halves that make a formidable whole.
In addition to the steam, we get an alluring blend of betrayal, vulnerability, along with a healthy dose of unaliving, creating the perfect storm. While the plot does take its time to fully emerge, all the beautiful pieces fall into place when it finally does, making everything leading up to the reveal so completely worthwhile.
Twisted Devotion is told in a flowing, easy voice that keeps the pages turning. I honestly blew through this one at an alarming pace and am very much looking forward to seeing what St. John has in store for us next. If you’re looking for a dark read with a firecracker FMC, a haunted MMC with stalker tendencies and a whirlwind, steamy romance, this may be exactly what you need. Really enjoyed this one.
I always love giving new authors a try, especially when their book comes with a glorious list of trigger warnings for me to indulge in. Twisted Devotion is Poppy St. John’s debut, and what a stunning debut it is! Buckle up, because you’re in for a wild ride with this dark and spicy tale of infatuation and finding your perfect match.
Emily, workaholic and local undertaker’s daughter, and Ruarc, billionaire crime boss with tastes that lean towards the darker end of the spectrum, take center stage. What begins as a chance, blood-drenched encounter between the two quickly turns into deliciously depraved obsession. When exploitation threatens a delicate agreement, Ruarc takes Emily as collateral, with a promise to break her. What he isn’t prepared for is the strength and fire his little lamb possesses.
The chemistry between the two is incredible, insta-lust, yet quick to love. Their relationship has some serious Beauty and the Beast vibes, and you can’t help but root for the pair. Each provides what the other is in need of and craving, two halves that make a formidable whole.
In addition to the steam, we get an alluring blend of betrayal, vulnerability, along with a healthy dose of unaliving, creating the perfect storm. While the plot does take its time to fully emerge, all the beautiful pieces fall into place when it finally does, making everything leading up to the reveal so completely worthwhile.
Twisted Devotion is told in a flowing, easy voice that keeps the pages turning. I honestly blew through this one at an alarming pace and am very much looking forward to seeing what St. John has in store for us next. If you’re looking for a dark read with a firecracker FMC, a haunted MMC with stalker tendencies and a whirlwind, steamy romance, this may be exactly what you need. Really enjoyed this one.
March 31, 2023
I received an ARC for an voluntary review
This book contains triggers, please visit author’s website for further details.
This author is a first for me. Emily and Ruarc’s story blew me away.
Emily was told to respect the rules her father had set for her, however Tessa, her friend, her interest was piqued, after all rules were made to be broken, only she got more than she bargained for and came face to face with a man who for all intents and purposes was a ghost. She didn’t fear this man, but now her own interest was piqued and after a little investigating she finds out more than she bargained for, shedding light on her father’s extra curricular activities, changing the course of there familial relationship.
At first Emily doesn’t notice anything out of the ordinary, but she gets the feeling that she is being watched, and when personal effects go missing she knows her thoughts are not unfounded. She makes an open play to her would be stalker, showing that she is not afraid, tempting him, teasing him, but moreso daring him to show himself.
And when he does, her fight and flight response kicks in giving everything she has, but she is not match for his strength, finally claiming his little lamb. Her father now not having any choice but to now acquiesce to Ruarc’s demands.
But Ruarc is dealing with his own problems with his business Delirium. It has been compromised and he is not impressed with the lack of information he is receiving about who is responsible, and he expects nothing less than perfection and he will not tolerate incompetence, for he is not a forgiving man.
Emily tests Ruarc’s patience like never before, vying for his attention, pushing his buttons, testing his limits, to the point she abuses his hospitality where he strips her of the basic human comforts he allowed her, to teach her a lesson.
Ruarc is not a game player, but with Emily he is, and his games are wicked and decadent. He loves the thrill of the chase, seeing what she will do. She denies the way he makes her feel, yet it is her own body that gives her away to him, that she likes what he does to her, that underneath her facade she hides her wants and needs, her basest desires, for if she lets go of what is holding her back, she will find that he will give her everything she wants and more.
And when he takes her to Delirium, his inner sanctum, she is intrigued by what she sees, turned on by the excessive indulgence and sensual pleasure, heightening her curiosity and her senses, her desire, evident on her face. Ruarc instantly regrets bringing her to Delirium, however she stops him, and he’s done holding back with her, claiming her hard and fast in the most wickedly and depraved way possible.
They begin to open up to each other, a sense of trust forming between them as they share parts of their lives. Ruarc gives Emily certain liberties, allowing her freedom to move around the house, yet unbeknownst to her it was a test, and one she passed. Yet she overhears something that she wasn’t supposed to hear and when she shares this news with Ruarc, he knows she has nothing to gain by lying to him. But when he confronts her father, does he learn the truth, that his most trusted friend, a person who he considered family betrayed his trust in the most horrible way possible.
Which leads to Ruarc doing the unthinkable, he pushes Emily away, hurting her, destroying whatever had been going on between them. Leading Emily to wallow in her own pain. But Ruarc is struggling just as much with his own pain, the visceral betrayal hurting him, and the only way to assuage his anger is to make Nixon pay for his transgressions, and he does.
And when he comes face to face with Emily, does she make him see the error of his ways, telling him that she accepts every single facet of him, his savagery in all its glory, and in this particular moment he says those three all important words, that shakes her heart, yet from her, will he only accept her help, no longer able to trust her father, but she has stipulations, negotiating her own terms, he is proud of her for standing up for herself and happily agrees.
And after all is said and done, does she try to convince him endlessly to take her back to Delirium. Ruarc will not budge on this, however when she opens up to negotiating does he make his intentions clear of what he wants from her, and Emily gives him more than they both bargained for. Ruarc claiming Emily in the most decadent and sensual manner, taking her beyond her heights and limitations, the likes she has never experienced before. But in the end, Emily gives Ruarc her heart, finally telling him those all important three words. For now Emily belongs to Ruarc, and Ruarc belongs to Emily, they belong to each other and are now one with themselves.
This story is told from dual POV, we get to see the growth and development of these characters through there strengths and weaknesses, what we see and feel shapes these characters, giving readers insight to who they are flaws and all, that they are in fact humans who all feel but handle what happened to them differently.
This book has it all dark mafia romance, enemies to lovers, one dominant alpha male, a heroine who can hold her own giving as good as she gets, touch her and die vibes, madness, mayhem, revenge, vengeance, violence, murder, defiance, manipulation, adrenaline seeking suspense, jealousy, twists, truths and betrayal.
The tension between them was undeniable, she was very responsive to him from the beginning, he was as much in tune with her as she was with him, the friction burning hot between, making way for those s*x scenes, including those BDSM kinks which were blazing hot, the degradation downright dirty and physical, it had all the pleasure and passion one would expect, Ruarc giving Emily the pain and pleasure she deserves, it was off the charts and had all of the feels and there HEA was perfect
Highly recommend both author and book!
This book contains triggers, please visit author’s website for further details.
This author is a first for me. Emily and Ruarc’s story blew me away.
Emily was told to respect the rules her father had set for her, however Tessa, her friend, her interest was piqued, after all rules were made to be broken, only she got more than she bargained for and came face to face with a man who for all intents and purposes was a ghost. She didn’t fear this man, but now her own interest was piqued and after a little investigating she finds out more than she bargained for, shedding light on her father’s extra curricular activities, changing the course of there familial relationship.
At first Emily doesn’t notice anything out of the ordinary, but she gets the feeling that she is being watched, and when personal effects go missing she knows her thoughts are not unfounded. She makes an open play to her would be stalker, showing that she is not afraid, tempting him, teasing him, but moreso daring him to show himself.
And when he does, her fight and flight response kicks in giving everything she has, but she is not match for his strength, finally claiming his little lamb. Her father now not having any choice but to now acquiesce to Ruarc’s demands.
But Ruarc is dealing with his own problems with his business Delirium. It has been compromised and he is not impressed with the lack of information he is receiving about who is responsible, and he expects nothing less than perfection and he will not tolerate incompetence, for he is not a forgiving man.
Emily tests Ruarc’s patience like never before, vying for his attention, pushing his buttons, testing his limits, to the point she abuses his hospitality where he strips her of the basic human comforts he allowed her, to teach her a lesson.
Ruarc is not a game player, but with Emily he is, and his games are wicked and decadent. He loves the thrill of the chase, seeing what she will do. She denies the way he makes her feel, yet it is her own body that gives her away to him, that she likes what he does to her, that underneath her facade she hides her wants and needs, her basest desires, for if she lets go of what is holding her back, she will find that he will give her everything she wants and more.
And when he takes her to Delirium, his inner sanctum, she is intrigued by what she sees, turned on by the excessive indulgence and sensual pleasure, heightening her curiosity and her senses, her desire, evident on her face. Ruarc instantly regrets bringing her to Delirium, however she stops him, and he’s done holding back with her, claiming her hard and fast in the most wickedly and depraved way possible.
They begin to open up to each other, a sense of trust forming between them as they share parts of their lives. Ruarc gives Emily certain liberties, allowing her freedom to move around the house, yet unbeknownst to her it was a test, and one she passed. Yet she overhears something that she wasn’t supposed to hear and when she shares this news with Ruarc, he knows she has nothing to gain by lying to him. But when he confronts her father, does he learn the truth, that his most trusted friend, a person who he considered family betrayed his trust in the most horrible way possible.
Which leads to Ruarc doing the unthinkable, he pushes Emily away, hurting her, destroying whatever had been going on between them. Leading Emily to wallow in her own pain. But Ruarc is struggling just as much with his own pain, the visceral betrayal hurting him, and the only way to assuage his anger is to make Nixon pay for his transgressions, and he does.
And when he comes face to face with Emily, does she make him see the error of his ways, telling him that she accepts every single facet of him, his savagery in all its glory, and in this particular moment he says those three all important words, that shakes her heart, yet from her, will he only accept her help, no longer able to trust her father, but she has stipulations, negotiating her own terms, he is proud of her for standing up for herself and happily agrees.
And after all is said and done, does she try to convince him endlessly to take her back to Delirium. Ruarc will not budge on this, however when she opens up to negotiating does he make his intentions clear of what he wants from her, and Emily gives him more than they both bargained for. Ruarc claiming Emily in the most decadent and sensual manner, taking her beyond her heights and limitations, the likes she has never experienced before. But in the end, Emily gives Ruarc her heart, finally telling him those all important three words. For now Emily belongs to Ruarc, and Ruarc belongs to Emily, they belong to each other and are now one with themselves.
This story is told from dual POV, we get to see the growth and development of these characters through there strengths and weaknesses, what we see and feel shapes these characters, giving readers insight to who they are flaws and all, that they are in fact humans who all feel but handle what happened to them differently.
This book has it all dark mafia romance, enemies to lovers, one dominant alpha male, a heroine who can hold her own giving as good as she gets, touch her and die vibes, madness, mayhem, revenge, vengeance, violence, murder, defiance, manipulation, adrenaline seeking suspense, jealousy, twists, truths and betrayal.
The tension between them was undeniable, she was very responsive to him from the beginning, he was as much in tune with her as she was with him, the friction burning hot between, making way for those s*x scenes, including those BDSM kinks which were blazing hot, the degradation downright dirty and physical, it had all the pleasure and passion one would expect, Ruarc giving Emily the pain and pleasure she deserves, it was off the charts and had all of the feels and there HEA was perfect
Highly recommend both author and book!
August 10, 2023
This was such a deliciously good darkness. The story had most all of my favorite tropes and kinks, and there was more story than sex, which is also a requirement for a great romance book for me. I haven't read this author before, so wasn't sure what I was getting into, but I was very pleasantly surprised, and can't wait to read more by her.
December 21, 2024
2.5 stars that I’ll generously bump to a 3 solely for the first-half vibes. Listen, this book isn’t winning any literary awards. Thats okay. But I did like the bones of the story and the characters together. I will say that the pacing towards the end was all off and that really disrupted my enjoyment of the book. Overall I had a pretty good time and sometimes it’s as simple as that.
November 7, 2023
“Fear is your red lipstick, little lamb, though it suits you more than that shade ever could.”
When I read the blurb for Twisted Devotion and saw that not only was it a gothic, captive, stalker romance but the FMC also worked in a mortuary, I knew I had to read this!!!
The MC Rurac was completely unhinged and so morally grey, you couldn't help but love him. He had such a tough exterior but was an absolute softie for Emily. I also enjoyed his version of stalking it had me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what he did next!
Emily our FMC was fantastic, she came across as very quiet and socially awkward but my gosh was she a wee fire cracker! She was head strong and independent and did I mention she was into reading dark romance?! When I was picturing her in my head I kept seeing her as Abby from NCIS 😍
I absolutely loved how Poppy St John did not shy away from keeping this story very morbid and dark. The setting in the mortuary was perfect as well as the "fun club" setting 😉
This book is definitely more on the slow burn side of dark romance, with the romance taking awhile to form but I really felt like this made the relationship between the two characters feel so much more authentic!
I cannot wait for the next book in the series!!!
4.5 ⭐️
3 🌶
When I read the blurb for Twisted Devotion and saw that not only was it a gothic, captive, stalker romance but the FMC also worked in a mortuary, I knew I had to read this!!!
The MC Rurac was completely unhinged and so morally grey, you couldn't help but love him. He had such a tough exterior but was an absolute softie for Emily. I also enjoyed his version of stalking it had me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what he did next!
Emily our FMC was fantastic, she came across as very quiet and socially awkward but my gosh was she a wee fire cracker! She was head strong and independent and did I mention she was into reading dark romance?! When I was picturing her in my head I kept seeing her as Abby from NCIS 😍
I absolutely loved how Poppy St John did not shy away from keeping this story very morbid and dark. The setting in the mortuary was perfect as well as the "fun club" setting 😉
This book is definitely more on the slow burn side of dark romance, with the romance taking awhile to form but I really felt like this made the relationship between the two characters feel so much more authentic!
I cannot wait for the next book in the series!!!
4.5 ⭐️
3 🌶
August 29, 2023
DNF… this is literally just an exact copy of Haunting Adeline, just the writing isn’t as good. It’s the exact same thing from the very beginning. I tried giving it the benefit of the doubt, and read 60% and then I grew tired of it because all I kept thinking was “wow she literally copied the whole story.”
If you read this before Haunting, I’m sure it’s fine, but after, it’s just copied.
“Little mouse” = “little lamb”
The gun scene
The stalking
The description of both the characters
It’s all the same, she just tried to make minor changes to make it her own, but it’s not.
If you read this before Haunting, I’m sure it’s fine, but after, it’s just copied.
“Little mouse” = “little lamb”
The gun scene
The stalking
The description of both the characters
It’s all the same, she just tried to make minor changes to make it her own, but it’s not.
May 21, 2023
I DNF’d this at about 63% ish. I’m all for consent, and even for noncon, but don’t mix the two. I was told the H is a big baddie and even had a girl sign a waiver in the beginning of the book “to cover accidental death” but yet H acts a different way immediately with the h in the same club. The complete 180 of H’s character just threw me out of the book, and after putting it down for a few days I realized I didn’t want to pick it back up. So apparently this story just wasn’t for me.
May 20, 2024
I don't even have a reason as to why I didn't like this, I just Got so bored with the story so quickly
March 20, 2023
(Thank you Candi Kane PR and the author Poppy St. John for the eARC in exchange for an honest review)
Please read trigger warnings on the author’s website.
This is my first book from the author and I turned the pages like the good girl that I am.
What a ride! This book had all my favourite tropes and I loved it. I wouldn’t say it was a very dark romance, it is darker than contemporary but not the darkest I’ve read.
Ruarc is an unique name for a MMC and just like any other MMC he also had the fragile bits amongst the kinky ones. I liked that he was dealing with himself and his issues. Emily was the spitfire Ruarc needed and she too tried her best to work on their bond.
I found the chemistry a little slow burn between them, the pace of their relationship was slow too and the other plotline was not really necessary because it didn’t give much of an impact in the book.
But overall this book was enjoyable for the tropes and I definitely am interested in the next standalone of the series!
Please read trigger warnings on the author’s website.
This is my first book from the author and I turned the pages like the good girl that I am.
What a ride! This book had all my favourite tropes and I loved it. I wouldn’t say it was a very dark romance, it is darker than contemporary but not the darkest I’ve read.
Ruarc is an unique name for a MMC and just like any other MMC he also had the fragile bits amongst the kinky ones. I liked that he was dealing with himself and his issues. Emily was the spitfire Ruarc needed and she too tried her best to work on their bond.
I found the chemistry a little slow burn between them, the pace of their relationship was slow too and the other plotline was not really necessary because it didn’t give much of an impact in the book.
But overall this book was enjoyable for the tropes and I definitely am interested in the next standalone of the series!
August 19, 2024
This book was pretty decent but it was also very predictable there were no twists I saw where this book was headed and was right. I'm happy I read it and will definitely give the second one a shot but probably later down the road. such a good book for young adults to dive into dark romance but my first introduction to dark romance was haunting Adeline. this was very tame compared to the other DR I read...,......maybe im the issue 🤔. The book was timy and I read the prologue on AUg 11th and wasn't able to even pick up the book again until the 17th so finished it within 24hrs from really starting so yes was a decent read
June 28, 2025
This audiobook is the first book in The Kings and Consorts.
Ruarc is a hot tattooed mafia dude, that runs a High profile escort business.
Emily is the daughter of a mortician who happens to have a deal with Ruarc. Her father takes care of the people Ruarc brings him aka🔥⚰️.. One unlucky evening, Emily over hears a conversation with her father and Ruarc something she shouldn’t have and so their story beings.
So he kidnaps her and has his way with her👀
“You’ll take what I give you and you’ll like it.. now swallow”
The narrators did an amazing job narrating and bringing Emily and Ruarc to life(duet). But I had a tough time connecting with Emily. I can’t explain why. I did love that she was feisty and have him hell. But something was missing. BUT I did enjoy the audiobook very much and will definetly recommend it to someone who is looking for an easy mafia read with insta love and an unhinged MMC.
Ruarc is a hot tattooed mafia dude, that runs a High profile escort business.
Emily is the daughter of a mortician who happens to have a deal with Ruarc. Her father takes care of the people Ruarc brings him aka🔥⚰️.. One unlucky evening, Emily over hears a conversation with her father and Ruarc something she shouldn’t have and so their story beings.
So he kidnaps her and has his way with her👀
“You’ll take what I give you and you’ll like it.. now swallow”
The narrators did an amazing job narrating and bringing Emily and Ruarc to life(duet). But I had a tough time connecting with Emily. I can’t explain why. I did love that she was feisty and have him hell. But something was missing. BUT I did enjoy the audiobook very much and will definetly recommend it to someone who is looking for an easy mafia read with insta love and an unhinged MMC.
September 22, 2025
I love a good stalker, Stockholm syndrome, forced proximity, mafia, and dark romance. This book was gory, and i learned a lot more about morgues and cremation processes than i ever knew beofre LOL. it was also intriguing in the sense that the mfc wasn't a whiny little bitch, she actually stood up for herself and fought back and I liked that she wasn't immediately in love with him. she was aware how crazy it was that she was starting to have feelings for her KIDNAPPER lol. On the other hand, the "plot twist" was so very predictable I literally put the book down and rolled my eyes but I knew what I was singing up for. alot of books in this genre are very similar but I love them all the same 🤷♀️
June 14, 2025
interesting
I dont know how i feel 100% so for now its a 3 stars for me.
I had a hard time connecting to the characters and i did not feel their connection.
Ive read dark romance where the mmc is morally black but i would still feel the character connection but i just didnt with this one.
I found the plot interesting overall and it kept me going in the hopes i would find the connection i was looking for but in the end i didn’t.
I dont know how i feel 100% so for now its a 3 stars for me.
I had a hard time connecting to the characters and i did not feel their connection.
Ive read dark romance where the mmc is morally black but i would still feel the character connection but i just didnt with this one.
I found the plot interesting overall and it kept me going in the hopes i would find the connection i was looking for but in the end i didn’t.
November 27, 2024
Dark obsession indeed.
This book is not for the one's that get triggered with stalking, kidnapping and consent non consent. There is a HEA with a side of betrayal first. Did I like it? Yes. Would I recommend it? Yes. If you like a lot of spice in your books then have a read of this one, but please bear in mind the triggers, if you are triggered by any of the above.
This book is not for the one's that get triggered with stalking, kidnapping and consent non consent. There is a HEA with a side of betrayal first. Did I like it? Yes. Would I recommend it? Yes. If you like a lot of spice in your books then have a read of this one, but please bear in mind the triggers, if you are triggered by any of the above.
June 29, 2023
*cough* I should’ve known from the authors note that it was going to be a ride. Damn. Yeah def read the content warnings. Imma go read my bible now. Maybe bathe in holy water. I’d still recommend tho. Only to the kinkiest of bitches 🌶️ 🖤
March 29, 2023
This was my first book by this author and it a very interesting one!
Ruarc is the king of his kingdom and exclusive club that caters to the most prestigious clientele.
Emily is a mortician who works at her family’s mortuary along side her father who deals with business for Ruarc.
The book started a little slow for me but once we got into the story after Ruarc takes Emily, my the spice was *chefs kiss*.
The book was enjoyable and a fast paced read.
Ruarc is the king of his kingdom and exclusive club that caters to the most prestigious clientele.
Emily is a mortician who works at her family’s mortuary along side her father who deals with business for Ruarc.
The book started a little slow for me but once we got into the story after Ruarc takes Emily, my the spice was *chefs kiss*.
The book was enjoyable and a fast paced read.
March 25, 2023
“fear is your red lipstick, little lamb, though it suits you more than that shade ever could.”
this started off enticingly morbid and became sinfully twisted in the best way; i was invested, enthralled from page one. i appreciated how the author didn't shy away from the macabre rawness of death, not brushing over the subject. it's easier in mafia and crime adjacent books to forget the other side of it, you root for the killer, and that's that. but what if the killer grows obsessed with a mortician? the daughter of his employee that takes care of disposing of the bodies left in his wake? in its familiar eerieness, this embodied an addams family-esque essence, the setting and atmosphere that of a thrilling erotic version of a tim burton's movie. how a story so intrinsically rooted and driven by death felt so alive and immersive, leaving me hungry and longing to live speaks for the writing in this. it's hard to believe it was a debut novel.
* i was sent an arc by peachy keen pr in exchange for an honest review
this started off enticingly morbid and became sinfully twisted in the best way; i was invested, enthralled from page one. i appreciated how the author didn't shy away from the macabre rawness of death, not brushing over the subject. it's easier in mafia and crime adjacent books to forget the other side of it, you root for the killer, and that's that. but what if the killer grows obsessed with a mortician? the daughter of his employee that takes care of disposing of the bodies left in his wake? in its familiar eerieness, this embodied an addams family-esque essence, the setting and atmosphere that of a thrilling erotic version of a tim burton's movie. how a story so intrinsically rooted and driven by death felt so alive and immersive, leaving me hungry and longing to live speaks for the writing in this. it's hard to believe it was a debut novel.
* i was sent an arc by peachy keen pr in exchange for an honest review
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