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One charming serial killer. One fiery arsonist. A love that will burn brighter than the stars.

Castor Leos isn’t human. He breathes and bleeds, but deep down there’s a soulless monster that demands to be fed.

The ruthless Kalon Brotherhood has allowed him to sate his need for blood and death by turning him loose on their enemies. But when the stunning and equally dangerous Ava Rossi is marked as his next victim, everything changes. The flatline of Castor’s emotions flicker to life as infatuation with the fiery redheaded pyromaniac turns to obsession.

Castor has been charged with ending her life and instead, he becomes her savior. But disobeying orders comes with its own consequences, and if he won’t finish the job, someone else will.

Will the toxic lust between them spin into true love?

Or will it leave them both in a pile of ash?

Author’s Note: Castor and Ava are from very different worlds, but once they’re thrown together their need explodes. This book is dark from the outset, but the bright flame of desire burns throughout. Be ready for obsessive need and cold violence, and a hero ready to destroy the world for his one and only. Safe, no cheating, and with a well earned HEA.

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N. Andrews

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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Profile Image for Jen ♥.
1,786 reviews1,041 followers
October 5, 2023
MCs:
- Cas, unknown
- Ava, 25

Book info:
- Violence, death, torture
- Dual virgin
- Serial killer / pyromaniac
- Insta-love
- Parents' death
- Age gap
- Stalking
- Spit play
- HEA


Cas was hired by the brotherhood to kill Ava. You see he has the urge to kill people all the time and the brotherhood led by his siblings, helps him feed this hunger. And his next assignment is Ava.

Ava is a pyromaniac who only developed this urge when she was ten. Her parents died when she was two due to a failed experimental test executed in their town. It was like a smoke bomb that attacked the skin and caused pain until the victim dies.

Anyway, they met in a bar because Cas was stalking her like he always does with his victims. But for some reason he got intrigued and went from 0 to 60 about his obsession with her. It was the same reaction with Ava, she's naive and doesn't know how to act around guys. But when it comes to Cas, she became obsessed and possessive just the same.

There were twists, lies, and revelations along the story. They team up to find the people responsible for Ava's accident (when she was young) and to look for the people who want both of them dead.

This is kind of a slow burn but was so worth it. The spicy scenes were too hot to handle, and considering they're both newbies in this department. Cas is way too talented and Ava is one lucky girl to have found him (or be found by him).

I loved how the villain died, he deserved it anyway and it was satisfying reading how his own invention was used against him. I also liked the three epilogues in the story and how they slowly heal each other. The way they complement one another and how they perfectly fit each other.

Overall, this is fun and I enjoyed it. Worth reading, imo. ❤️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for MerReads.
442 reviews46 followers
December 13, 2024
I was kindly sent an ARC of this novel and here is my review.
DUAL VIRGIN DARK SUPER SAFE ROMANCE!!! *happy dance with goofy smile on my face*
THE MOST ROMANTIC, RAUNCHY COUPLE YOU WILL FALL IN LOVE WITH!!!
Safe
No cheating
No OM/OW and No OM/OW comparison
No gross condom use
No separation
DUAL VIRGIN/ each others one and only
HEA with satisfying epilogues

Firstly, that man on the cover is GORGEOUS!! Secondly, if you want a super safe dark romance (which is impossible to find) with very dark elements BUT with a couple with a love so intense to the point of madness, well here it is!!!!THIS IS IT! A rare gem!

I LOVED it from beginning to end! Cas is the perfect hero and his Ava the perfect heroine and together, their love can conquer the world!
I don't know how many times I swooned, sighed, gasped, clasped my hands to my chest in sheer delight! Nikolai Andrew has written a masterpiece. THIS is what we scream for in dark romance! Everything is there and I can already see readers scared of dark romances flocking to read this love story that will withstand the test of time.

Castor and Ava are such a strong couple, their love and lust seem to take shape and swirl around them. Their love is unmistakably there and you feel it, you SEE it. As for lust, their lust for each other is all consuming! I have read many sex scenes in the past, in books where the love was not there and it did nothing for me. When a couple in love to the point of madness, like Cas and Ava, make love, the scene is so erotic. Not hot, but an inferno. Nikolai created the perfect couple! I love them both to pieces! Cas is a serial killer suffering from hallucinations, but he has a strict code he abides by and Ava is a pyromaniac and is more similar to Cas than she thinks. They make you believe in soulmates. They are soulmates and each other's hurt, scars, urges, fears and vulnerabilities, mirror each other and blend into one, turning it into something beautiful, love everlasting.
Here is the beginning of the novel to wet your appetite and introduce you to our hero.
Cas is sent on assignments to kill evil people, it satiates his lust of killing without having to kill innocents. His inner beast comes out and they have some disagreements. His inner beast, the Minotaur is bloodthirsty, but Cas, also bloodthirsty won't kill the innocent. A cop is stationed near the targets house, I call him burrito cop. He is a slimy, evil man, to the point where I was so thrilled when Cas put a bullet in his head. Cas makes a mental note to send money as an anonymous gift to his family that are now free of evil burito cop. That was a nice touch. When he spared Gloria, the second cop on scene, that was a great set up for later. Cas is in a frightening costume, cloaked to conceal his body as he moves in the shadows. He confronts the second cop Gloria, and even though in his inner monologue he says he's going to kill her, he doesn't. Once he is in front of her, she says that she sees him, which means that when later in the story he wears the bullmask and Ava looks right into his eyes, we know that she can see him and recognize him since the bullmask doesn't conceal his face as well as he thinks! It is understandable that he thinks it does conceal him, because when he wears it he sees his Minotaur, his inner beast.
This is a perfect intro to our hero, he really does stick to his ethos by sparing Gloria, and it makes us root for him, for that goodness in him to shine out of that darkness. Later in the novel when he refuses to kill Ava, whom he thinks is still a child killer, he doesn't do it and it can only be because of one reason. Love!
OK! OK! SETTLE DOWN EVERYONE!! I can hear the gasps from here! Worry not and stick with our girl til the end, trust me. Cas is tasked to kill Ava because he BELIEVES what was told to him, that this Ava, his next target he has yet to meet, burns children. Ava is a pyromaniac and she felt that urge to burn inanimate objects when she was a small toddler, since she lost her parents. Stick with her story, all will be revealed. She is a killer, yes, but I promise not everything is as it seems. One thing I can tell you is that you will love Ava to pieces like I do, just give her a chance and find out her story 'til the end.
There are many events that unfold and truths revealed and I don't want to rob you from the experience of reading this dark love story. Our lovers are dark, but there is light in them, they are scarred and scream to be healed...and then they meet. This is just the beginning.
I am skipping to the swoony sex scenes, to explain to you why I have fallen in love with their romance. Ava is later swept away by Cas and she sees him in his costume. Satan-Cas/bullskull Cas (as she calls him in her inner monologue). She isn't going to guess it's Cas as his Minotaur, so she thinks it's a satanic version of Cas. She knows it's him in the first scene calling him by his name and I loved that state of shock he was in when he saw her stare at him in the eyes and say his name, there is no ambiguity, she knows it's him and it allowed me to get lost in the erotic scene and witness their first intimate moment together.
Her seeming lucid but dreaming, and him thinking it's a hallucination, is dubcon done right. For her it's a lucid dream with dark demon Cas, and for him it's the most beautiful hallucination he loses himself in, and together it blends enchantingly. They are both in a fog of the most potent aphrodisiac swirling around them, their need for one another. It was so incredibly well done. I am also so happy that when she tells him she is a virgin, Cas/MinotaurCas tells her he has never touched a woman before and like her he is a virgin too. They both get that assurance of being each other's one and only, even in that fog they are both in, it enhances their first intimate experience.
She wakes up seemingly alone, and tries to bring herself pleasure, wanting to conjure Cas/satanCas and bring to life what they shared. Even though she thinks it was a beautiful dream, the most intense, meaningful experience of her life, she desperately tries to turn this erotic dream into a memory she can hold onto forever. If it's all she can have from the man she has fallen in love with, so be it. Cas is never far away from his Ava...*smirk*
Their next sex scene where he assures her he is a virgin and all hers, when they are both clearheaded was so well done, there is no room for ambiguity their lust for each other unrestrained! *swooon* I could feel the delight that went through her. She knows that her experience with Cas/SatanCas/bullskullCas was all real, her dream was real! They both have a very heartfelt moment, being vulnerable to each other. When he said, 'I love you' she said it right back. *sigh* I clasped my hands to my chest and audibly 'awwwed' because he was in such in a vulnerable state he deserved to know she felt the same after his confession. He deserved to hear those words and let it soothe him. Things get hot and heavy, and she asks if he really is a virgin, to which he responds yes, assuring her he never belonged to another. Passion swirls around them, they both know they are each others one and only and there is no doubt. She latches onto her man, all parts of him, light and dark, knowing that no woman has ever and will never know him intimately, only her. And she is all his, when he hugs her, bites her possessively, and breaches her virginity, he knows that no other man will ever know her and feel her like he will. The romance in that is so powerful and the sex that follows is steamy, their love and lust is unleashed.
Their banter is adorable and I did chuckle. She was once so terrified of the thought of sex and him disgusted of the thought of the act, but together they laugh, and joke in bed. The moment he bit her nipple and then mumbled, "The Minotaur did that" was just so sweet and I chuckled. The balance of light and dark, rough and sweet, intense and soft, is so flawlessly done. Cas can choke her, but kiss her softly, he can cut her but then lick her blood soothingly.
I love when one of our main characters says "I love you", and it is echoed right back, it just makes the romance so sweet, because they are both pouring their hearts out to one another. It made reading the rest even more enjoyable and the really hard core sex scenes that follow later in the book even more fervent. The erotica is always so heightened when both know where they stand in their feelings for one another, and the little three words cement these feelings.
Even in the middle of their sex games including a predator/prey chase and spat there was humour with their banter, and when she tried to hide her scars he pulled her up and makes her say she is his queen and she is beautiful. All of these elements mixed in with the chase, knife play, pain, hair pulling, spitting, BDSM is so well done, lust and love are always together and it intensifies the experience.
Much later in the book, Ava is the first to say I love you this time, and he responds with such swoon worthy words! *sigh swoon sigh* It circles back to when he said "I love you" first, showing her his vulnerability and she echoed his confession. I find it so romantic, when these three powerful words are uttered. There is a finality in these words and every time I sigh in happiness for our couple with a big goofy grin on my face.
I wanted to highlight the love between them and introduce them to you, the rest of the book is chalk full of events unveiling, twists and turns. Our lovers together, fighting those around them that mean them harm and facing their foes, hand in hand, one united front, with love as their weapon and shield. I will say no more, this isn't a book to read, it is a love story to savor and I urge you to experience it. It is a DARK romance, with blood, gore, violence, death. And as for the sex triggers, there is knife play, dubcon, breath play, BDSM, rough sex, hair pulling, pain/pleasure, and spitting. It is rough and raw, but their love is there which makes the dark erotica so molten hot, it is all consuming. I enjoyed it so much I reread the raunchy scenes a few times.
The epilogues wrap this story in a beautiful, big, blood red bow.
Treat yourself to this novel, make yourself a boozy fall drink, wrap yourself in your coziest blanket and sit in your reading nook, shut out the world for a while and lose yourself into this beautiful love story. Even though it is dark, worry not, you are safe in Nikolai Andrew's hands.
Happy reading everyone and happy spooky season!
Profile Image for TTP.
426 reviews
July 22, 2025
- Dark romance
- He’s hired to kill her
- He falls first and harder
- Dual virgin (first everything)
- Mask kink

The best part of this book was how they both hated the idea of sex before they met each other.

Dark romance isn’t for me, but I still liked this very much. She’s obsessed with fire and he’s to killing, so they make a good couple.

Safety:
- Completely safe, both never done anything before, they are each other first and only - in everything.
- A guy is hitting on the h in the beginning, the H gets angry and breaks his face and fingers - and ends up unaliving him
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Soph.
642 reviews62 followers
September 28, 2025
★★★★★. two psychopaths who enjoy killing or being arsonists? 10s for me. Two virgins who experience it all with one another? 10s for me. A very very obsessed man? 10s for me.

For my safety readers; safe all the way.
Profile Image for Rose.
2,725 reviews26 followers
September 10, 2024
I’m not sure what it says about me, but I loved this story. It was entertaining and enjoyable. The excitement and suspense of what was going to happen next kept me interested and invested in the characters and story. Cas (Castor) was a special kind of crazy but he seemed to have more going on than met the eye. Ava (Octavia) had been hurt and because of that she changed and needed more to help her feel “normal”. Together they made a perfect kind of sense and seemed to fill the holes that each of them had so that they were whole. Or at least that was my perception of them.

I loved their happily ever after. I recommend reading this book.

Make sure you pay attention to the warnings from the author though because it definitely takes you outside of what would be considered ok.
Profile Image for Syd Springer.
4,074 reviews6 followers
October 4, 2023
4.5 Stars
This was a really good book! I loved the connection, chemistry, the drawing, acceptance that Leo and Ava have in this book. These two understand each more than anyone ever has, and it makes them fall hard and fast for each other. The only reason I have this 4.5 stars is because I truly felt as though something was missing and I couldn’t put my figure on it. I am really looking forward to Nikolai’s next book!

I received a free e-book copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
Profile Image for Oriana Reads.
4,322 reviews37 followers
December 25, 2023
This was a kind of twisted but sweet and romantic story. These two were broken and kind of monsters in their own way, but were perfect for each other. Both of them were never interested in other people romantically, until they met each other. Sweet, steamy, romantic , with action and a whole bunch of TWs and a bit gore 😉, but with an awesome HEA and absolutely safe( they were their one and only, so yeah dual virgins 😍) 😍😍😍😍
Profile Image for Belle (on hiatus).
429 reviews46 followers
May 16, 2024
3 ⭐️

They're bonafide psychopaths... but somehow perfect for each other??

I didn't read the earlier books, so I don't really get the family dynamics here, but other than that I enjoyed it. Cas clearly coexists with hallucinations and delusions, and Ava is a pyromaniac - but their love for each other was obvious from the beginning.

– Dual pov
– Dual virgin
– No cheating or OW/OM drama
– HEA ending
– Multiple triggers: look up on author's website, this is a dark mafia book
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