Her Dark Angel

by Chloe Higgins

Nash Beck

When my manager proposed that I fake date the lead singer of Dark Angel to bring more attention to my upcoming movie, I never thought it would turn out the way it did. Nash is cocky, arrogant, devastatingly handsome, and can charm the pants off any woman he lays eyes on. I thought I would be different. I thought I was strong enough to resist him, but it turns out I’m just like every other woman. But we are more alike than I thought. He too fights demons every day, and somehow, it brought us closer than I had expected.

Kinsley May

Hollywood’s Sweetheart is what everyone calls her. Although she suits the name, she is also a goodie two shoes who knows how to push every damn button I have. She’s infuriating, smart, caring, and the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on. I have no business fake-dating an actress, but I had no choice. I needed to fix my public image, and this was the only way to do it. I told her from the start she couldn’t fall in love with me, and here I was falling for her. And hard. She’s my little devil, and I’ll gladly be damned for her.

If I’m a little devil, then he’s fucking Satan.

Genres: Emotional

ebook

First published September 15, 2024

About the author

Chloe lives by the beach in New South Wales, Australia, with her two fluffy cats, partner, and twin sister. Ever since she was young, she has always loved to read and create stories in her mind whenever an idea presented itself and got into the romance genre in high school by reading "After" by Anna Todd on Wattpad. In recent years, her love for storytelling grew and she decided it was finally time to put pen to paper and share her ideas. She is always coming up with new ideas, so stay tuned for future projects.

Get book updates by following her socials:

Instagram: @chloehigginsauthor

TikTok: @chloehigginsauthor

Website: chloehigginsauthor.com.au

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/chloehigginsauthor

Reviews

[Dora Koutsoukou]

I liked the main characters, even though they had a mountain of baggage!
However, the pace and development were very slow.
It became tiresome watching Nash either in various sex scenes with a variety of partners (without using condoms of course) or drinking and drugging.

And by the time the masks began to fall, I was already halfway through the story and tired...

Dnf @ 52%

[Jenn ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive this book as an ARC and I am so grateful and I’m already for the next chapter to this series!

First of all let’s start with the tropes / trigger warnings
🎤 Set in the 80’s
🎤Dual POV and flash backs with dark pasts
🎤Rockstar x actress fake dating romance
🎤 Slow burn
🎤She falls first but he falls harder
🎤Cliffhanger ending
🎤 mental health and SA mentions- ( please see trigger warning and know your limit )

This romance was definitely a slow burn but it had all the right elements that keep you turning the page-

There was intense chemistry between the two main characters and also amazing banter and witty one liners between them.
The flashbacks provided such good insight into why the characters are the way that they are.

The side characters are amazing too and I can’t wait to see their stories develop!

There are so many parts to this story to love that I’m struggling to name them all but I’ll leave you with :

Spicey drive in movie moment.. 🌶️
&
He gets two tattoos for her 🫠😮‍💨

This book was such an easy read and I did enjoy all of it the only thing I really did not like is the cliffhanger !
And I wish Kingsley stood up to her parents more or we got some more information/ background/ story on that part maybe it’s coming in part 2 I’m not sure ..

And Nash’s dad I wish we got more Than that one moment -
I feel like these moments could have played a bigger part but again I’m not sure what is to come in part 2!

But my wish is to see Nash see Kingsley parents in action and he go into super overprotective mode and make us fall in love with him more .

That’s not to much to ask for right?


Chloe originally didn’t plan on this book being a duet but you can tell when reading there was no way to speed up Noah and Kingsley’s story and a duet was needed!
Chloe did a great job of ripping my heart out at the ending, in her defence I don’t see it ending anywhere else tbh.
But I really don’t know how much longer I can wait until the duet is released! 😅


Rating:
4 🌟
2 🌶️ ( but I’m a dark dark romance reader so spicey is tricker for me to rate )


Thank you again Chloe for the opportunity to have an arc review !
I can’t wait for more 😘

[Irum · Rating 1 out of 5]

This months reading is just not working out for me ☹️

6% she walks in on him screwing a girl from behind 💀💀💀💀

“A woman is on her hands and knees while Nash Beck drives his hips into her from behind, her tits bouncing wildly as locks of blonde hair sticks to her sweaty neck. Her knuckles are pearl white as she grips the tousled bed sheets and drags her bottom lip between her teeth. Her eyes have basically rolled into the back of her head as she moans loudly.
Worst of all, he doesn’t bother to stop what he’s doing. Instead, he just fucking smiles at me. ”


…….I’m out

[Rach❤️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC and WHAT THE ACTUAL! That cliffhanger ending has me SHOOK... the epilogue has me heartbroken and keen for book 2.

Nash and Kinsley have major chemistry, and wow, I thoroughly enjoyed both characters as individuals and together. Nash is so beautifully broken, and Kinsley, while she tries to hide it, is just as broken, and I love the mental health rep in this book. I also really loved that while the spicy scenes were spicy, they weren't completely over the top and in your face.

I also really enjoyed the flashbacks throughout the book, which made you feel more for the characters and learnt their backstory and boy their backstories broke my heart these poor babies were failed by everyone around them and Chloe showed just how you can really go either way after trauma which was so well written.

I loved all the side characters as well, Nash's bandmates were all great, and I loved Kinsley's besties, Matt and Sadie, and I was so happy they both had such supportive and loving people around them.

Overall, this book was such a fantastic read, and I really enjoyed it and everything about it. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good rockstar romance!

[Alissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Been wanting a rockstar romance for awhile and this book was it! Did not expect the turn of events at the end, but I’m so ready for book 2. I need to see Nash and Kinsley together! And I NEED Kinsley to get justice for her and Travis.

Will post the rest of the review closer to publication day.

Thank you to the author for this arc

[Lisa Conant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5
Spice: 🌶🌶🌶 1/2 out of 5

Tropes:
🎸Rockstar x Actress
💓Fake Relationship
❤️‍🩹Both have past tr@umas
💞Anxiety Rep
👿Moody/Angsty MMC
❤️‍🔥Slow Burn

📍Synopsis
Nash Beck

When my manager proposed that I fake date the lead singer of Dark Angel to bring more attention to my upcoming movie, I never thought it would turn out the way it did. Nash is cocky, arrogant, devastatingly handsome, and can charm the pants off any woman he lays eyes on. I thought I would be different. I thought I was strong enough to resist him, but it turns out I’m just like every other woman. But we are more alike than I thought. He too fights demons every day, and somehow, it brought us closer than I had expected.

Kinsley May

Hollywood’s Sweetheart is what everyone calls her. Although she suits the name, she is also a goodie two shoes who knows how to push every damn button I have. She’s infuriating, smart, caring, and the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on. I have no business fake-dating an actress, but I had no choice. I needed to fix my public image, and this was the only way to do it. I told her from the start she couldn’t fall in love with me, and here I was falling for her.

📍Review
What a riveting human drama, just whoa! This digs into the ugliness of tr@uma, addiction, and inner demons of the past that eat away and plague our two MMCs in their own ways.

Nash and Kinsley's fake relationship for the media begins with some delicious opposites-attract snarkiness. I appreciate the slow burn and how it takes well earned moments of vulnerability for them to reveal their hearts to one another.

Kinsley's hesitancy for intimacy and Nash's turn to anger/vices (drug$, alcohol, promiscuity) is revealed in a combination of flashbacks and heart-rending internal dialogs. Their kinship by way of the pains they are afraid to tell one another is angsty, painful, and achingly raw. But we are not without moments of beauty, humor and hope.

This story dives deep into how two wounded people feel so broken that they fear they are too fractured for the other. This is so much more than a rockstar romance, it's a revelation of human pain, love and forgiveness. Book 2 can't come fast enough! Nash, my dear sweet blue/green eyed angel of music, you deserve all the love and to have your heart healed.

[R.S. Whytelove · Rating 5 out of 5]

I simply cannot! (insert a wide range of emotions here).

This is the second time Chloe has done this to me; the first instance was in Blood Sport, and I've barely recovered from that before I was thrown in a tailspin with Her Dark Angel.

If there is one thing I love about dark romances (besides the smut 😏), is being emotionally dragged, and I definitely got that from Nash & Kinsley's story.

Let's start out with a list of everything I loved:

✅The main characters (I know you might be saying "duh", but I cannot tell you how many times I've read a story where everything else was 5 stars, but the main characters were either unlikable or just plain forgettable. Hence the development of the famous second-lead syndrome.) P.S. I still might have developed SL syndrome for Hudson but that's another story.

✅The flashbacks. I'm tricky about flashbacks because a lot of time I find them unnecessary and overdone, but that wasn't the case here. I actually found myself wanting to see more from both Nash and Kinsley's childhood. (Question for the author: Did they meet as kids? Because I have a sneaking suspicion that may be the case but I guess I'll need to wait to find out.)

✅The 🌶️. As a smut connoisseur, it's VERY easy for me to skip the spicy scenes that I feel just don't flow, BUT I'm excited to report, that I read (and might have reread....lol) every detail in this book. Nash and Kinsley's chemistry was off the charts even when they hated each other. P.S. I will never watch 'When Harry Met Sally' the same way again.

✅ The antagonists. And there were quite a few. I was ready to fight Kinsley's mother every time she opened her mouth. But as I said before, being emotionally dragged is part of the fun.

Now for the things I didn't love:

❌The cliffhanger. While I love the emotional rollercoaster as much as the next gal, I will NOT condone being left in shambles. I'm starting a petition for the immediate release of Book Two.

❌I need more scenes with Hudson.

❌No one has yet bitch-slapped Kinsley's mother. Seriously how has that woman not been punched in the mouth at least twice?

There are so many things I'm looking forward to in Book Two.

1. Interactions with Kinsley's parents and Nash, cause I just know he's about to tell them where to stick it.

2. A lynching scene with Reggie Black and his associates.

3. More of Nash and Kinsley ( Banter, SPicy scenes, and everything in between).

4. The fallout from the letter for both Kinsley's career and relationship.

I'm all-around salivating at this point for all things Backstage Sinners. Can't wait.

Trigger Warnings: Mention of DV, SA, Suicide, Drug & Alcohol abuse, anxiety, and panic attacks.

[Georgia Dalianis · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a book! This was a dark romance with really heavy themes. It is the first part of a duet which circles around Nash and Kinsley and their different but traumatic pasts with flashbacks. The present of the book is set in the late 80’s and the flashbacks are in the 70’s.

It’s kind of hard for me to rate this book because it feels like half the story, which it kind of is. 😂 But it gave me all kinds of feelings. Sadness, ickiness, frustration, swoon, happiness and a lot of empathy. I really felt for both of them, they deserve so much love and happiness. ♥️

The more I read of the book the more invested I got. I loved learning more and more about the characters and Nash especially began to show some real character development. I love him! 🥺😍🥵

To me the book felt a tiny bit over explanatory in some places, and therefore felt a little dense sometimes if that makes sense.

Tropes and stuff:
🎤Dark romance
🎬Slow burn
🎤Fake dating
🎬Actress x rockstar
🎤Dual POV
🎬Flashbacks for both MCs
🎤Mental health rep
🎬Spicy!

Thank you so much for giving me this ARC, Chloe 🥰 I can’t wait to read your next books!

If you have any triggers, I recommend you check trigger warnings for this book before starting it. 🖤

[Nikki South · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was in no way, shape or form ready for the emotional turmoil this book wound unleash. This book is so much more than a rockstar romance. 2 tortured souls who find each other through unconventional circumstances and who are from very different lives come together and find they have the ability to help each other heal. 2 souls who have lived through unthinkable trauma they have hidden from everyone in their lives find a connection that allow each of them to truly begin to reveal their darkest secrets and pain. This book was truly an emotional roller-coaster!! The ending had me absolutely sobbing. As a survivor of childhood abuse I want to thank Chloe Higgins for writing about a difficult subject and showing how many of us have to learn to smile through the pain of our pasts. This story truly touched my heart. The 80s hair band vibe was incredible and so well written. I can't wait for the rest of Nash and Kin's story.

[Melanie Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her Dark Angel took me into a murky, troubled side of the entertainment industry, but in a way which showed compassion for it's survivors, in a fiction piece that I hadn't expected to find.
A battle of inner demons is something so many feel like they face each day and I love that you were able to capture something that resonated with people who have endured trauma and face each day like a warrior preparing for a war. Both Kinsley & Nash are these strong personalities, wearing their masks to get through, not just in the industry but behind closed doors in their relationships with others. PTSD takes over a person's life so wholly, it becomes so hard to grow beyond those demons, but I hope they both can find the ability to communicate and fight the right monsters.

Oh gosh, Chloe.... I loved the way you brought Kinsley & Nash to life and I suspected the direction Travis's story would run too, but still hadn't been prepared.
I can't wait to read Book 2!

[₊⋆ Nyxia ☾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"ᴡʜʏ ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ ɪ ɢᴇᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴍʏ ɢᴏᴅᴅᴀᴍɴ ʜᴇᴀᴅ, ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴅᴇᴠɪʟ?"

Oh this book had me in an emotional chok3hold!
I loved it! Another great read from Chloe! I loved the mental health rep in this book. It was heavy at times and dark. I couldn’t put it down and will be anxiously waiting for the next.

"𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵. 𝘉𝘦𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯. 𝘐'𝘮 𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘺."

The characters, Kinsley & Nash were great. I was already seeing growth with Nash and eager to see where it goes. There’s trauma, and dark pasts. They both deserve the healing and love so much. This is a slow burn romance, the chemistry is definitely intense though. I recommend so much!

"𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐞𝐠, 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐞𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫."

🇹​​🇷​​🇴​​🇵​​🇪​​🇸​

💜 rockstar mmc
🖤 fake dating
💜 set in the 80s
🖤 slow burn
💜 he falls first
🖤 emotional | dark pasts
💜 mental health rep
🖤 he calls her “little devil”
💜 a book with heat & heartbreak

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished *Her Dark Angel* by Chloe Higgins, and I’m obsessed! Rockstar romance has officially become my new favorite trope. The chemistry between the main characters is on fire—so intense and perfectly balanced. The way Higgins writes their trauma and pain is deeply moving, giving the story a raw, emotional edge that pulls you in from the start. And the ending... I’m still reeling from it. It left me craving more in the best way. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book in the Backstage Sinners series! Highly recommend this one.

[Sara R.yan · Rating 5 out of 5]

🖤 Her Dark Angel will have me in a chokehold.. until book 2 comes out 😭
Kin and Nash’s story feels real, it’s gritty, dark, sexy, daring, hearty and a little bit heartbreaking. With effortless reading each page will keep you on your toes and the toe curling slow burn was definitely worth the wait 🥵 I loved the character development between kin and nash, together and separately. I can’t wait for their story to continue hopefully they find what they deserve. 🖤

[Clare Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first rockstar romance and it was a great performance. What started out as a potentially straightforward fake dating romance, hit me with a sucker punch. The author has absolutely nailed the unspoken tension found in a relationship between two traumatized souls, the recognition that this person knows you in a way that other people or previous partners never have. I can't wait to see how this story plays out in book two.

[Rebekah Bertram · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMGGGGGGGG

okay, I didn’t think I’d like a rockstar romance if in honest, but WOW!!! 5⭐️ Nash Beck you have my hearttttttttt

[Kelly Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg omg what a story it took me a day and a half to read I was hooked can’t wait for book 3 this was so confronting but special so many ??? But so intense and powerful for me

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an honest review of an ARC I received.

I do love myself a good rockstar romance and this one did not disappoint at all! Her Dark Angel is the first in a duet, and set in the 80's!

I can't think if a word that gives this book justice. It is amazing! The trauma both of the characters carry with them is real and raw. Yes, there is spice but that's not the main plot of the book. It has a great storyline and fantastic characters and omg, that cliffhanger!!!

Some readers may need to check the content warnings before reading though as there are some heavy topics.

🎤 Rockstar Romance
🎤 Rockstar MMC/ Actress FMC
🎤 Dual POV
🎤 Fake Dating
🎤 She Falls First / He Falls Harder
🎤 Slow Burn
🎤 Trauma
🎤 Spice