Truth or Dare

by Dakota Wilde

Some secrets should stay buried...

Hazel
My phone buzzes with an incoming text. Frowning, I glare at the unknown number flashing across my screen.
The message reads,

"Let's play a little game, Hazel. Truth or Dare..."

A crudely cut Missing Person's picture has been attached to the message. I zoom in on the grainy details. Her distorted blue eyes stare back at me. Her crooked smile forever slashed across her face. A moment of happiness frozen in time, forever asking to be seen. To be found.

But only I know where to find her.

Ace
Taunting her.
Watching her.
Being close to her.
It all brings me such a rush. Knowing that I have her at my mercy because, I know her secret. And I'll hang it over her head, making her play my little game of Truth or Dare, until I make her mine.

Truth or Dare is a dark stalker romance, stand alone book, intended for a mature audience of 18 plus.
Please check the author's list of content before reading.Stand AloneStalkerMurder MysteryDark RomanceTopics of mental health18+

Genres: Dark Romance, Dark, BDSM, Romance, Friends To Lovers, Contemporary Romance, Suspense

320 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 29, 2024

Reviews

[Darlene I read WAY to many books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hazel went through something when she was a teen, and she escaped her hometown. Now she's a cam girl living her life one day at a time. Still haunted by her past, she gets a text saying an old game they use to play at that horrible place. Truth or dare. And the mystery stalker asks her to do a few dares to remember who she is where she's from. They weren't bad dares, more like run naked, sexual stuff she sorta had mixed feelings about. When she discovered who the mask guy was, she was shocked and confused and learned the truth. There connect was insta again even if he always wanted her since the first moment he met her.

I was a bit shocked how easy Ace was beat up, lol. He seemed alpha, but when he went up against his brother and father. It felt like he couldn't win that Hazel almost got raped.

But I was glad Hazel stood up for herself 👏🏻💓💓




No ow/Tiny om drama, no cheating, drama, sexy times, virgin guy/no virgin gal

Recommend-yes
Cover-⭐️⭐️⭐️
Heat level-🌶🌶🌶


Slowinsta
Past and Present
Seperation 10 years
Praise kink
Humiliation
Degradation
panic attacks
Murder
Head games
Emotional torture
Non-con
Dubcon
Gore
Suicide thoughts
Force orgasms
Grief
Drugs
No condom
PTSD
goraphobia
generalized anxiety
Hea

[Inés Molina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

A thrilling journey with a truth or dare game twist to it that was fun and spicy. I was immersed in the plot, past and present, emerging to put the pieces together. I loved this story. The characters' mental health was so well written and relatable.
I also love that Ace has a mask on.

[Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read about someone going to a “school” similar to the one I was sent to as a kid. I didn’t know how I was going to handle the subject matter due to my own trauma, but I was so glad I read it. Dakota was able to write Hazel in such a way that made me absolutely believe she had been to a place like I had and understood the lifelong impact that can have. Seeing the journey and progress she makes through the story was really important to someone like me.
I loved how Ace not only knew he wanted Hazel but didn’t put his own unrealistic expectations on her. He didn’t want who he wanted her to be, he wanted her just like she was, broken pieces and all.
As for the plot of the story, I was very engrossed. I love a dual-pov and the mystery of what happened to Hazel and what haunts her kept me reading. Not to mention the spice was there to give a blush to cheeks and a kick to your feet.
Well done, Dakota!

[morallyblackbooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 50%.
Because well, first of all I wanted a well-realized masked male character but that's not the case here. He acts harsh towards her, but it's all appearance because then he melts for her as soon as he sees her. and what he does when he stalks her is so cringe.

I'm sorry, it seemed nice but for me it wasn't like that

[Alexandria Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Step into the twisted world of Truth or Dare, where secrets that should stay buried claw their way to the surface, and a masked man’s obsession turns a deadly game into a dangerously irresistible romance. 😈

Hazel's life is a dark tangle of trauma and survival, but when Ace reappears with a cryptic text “Truth or Dare…” she's forced to face her worst fears, with the lines between past and present blurring.

Ace? Oh, he’s all kinds of unhinged. Taunting Hazel, st@lking her, knowing her darkest secrets, and waiting for the perfect moment to make her his.

And trust me, the spice levels between these two? Off the charts.😮‍💨

The chemistry is scorching hot, and their “games” will have you biting your nails while desperately flipping through the pages.

I loved the layered trauma in Hazel’s character—her agoraphobia, anxiety, and panic attacks were written with raw, emotional depth that felt so real. Seeing her navigate her fears while grappling with her past was both heartbreaking and empowering.

And Ace? The masked, dangerously obsessed man with a soft spot for Hazel? He’s the perfect antihero, pushing her toward growth while dragging her into his own dark desires. Ace’s patience, paired with his intense obsession, made their dynamic electric.

From the pulse-pounding tension of the truth or dare game to the murder mystery lurking in the shadows, this book keeps you hooked from start to finish.

And the plot twist when Hazel finally unearths her lost memories? Jaw-dropping.

If you love dark romance with a thrilling twist, Truth or Dare is one you won’t be able to put down.

😏So, truth or dare? Dare to read this book.

[Heather Beal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need an Ace!

I really really enjoyed this book. It’s a short quick read packed with everything I love! Spice, masked stalker, trauma… what I loved the most was how relatable the FMC was to me.. not a lot of authors can correctly portray mental health issues like the ones in this book.. but the author did a phenomenal job!

[jennifer langdon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book hit in so many different ways.
Tackling some real-life struggles, anxiety, panic attacks, and other daily struggles.

Hazel and Ace made perfect duo, both riddled with truama but fitting together so perfectly. They had a true understanding of each other, and it was beautiful.

The plot was dark and mysterious, with lots of twists keeping me on my toes.

Stalker, yes, please.
Lots of heart racing spicy scenes, double yes.
And a cute racoon as a pet, absolutely.

[The Bookish Mortician · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve read other work by Dakota Wilde and REALLY enjoyed it, so I was stoked to start this. I love a good stalker romance. I was super disappointed with how this turned out though. The backstory was really interesting, especially with so much info coming out about these types of schools and their treatment of students. I enjoyed the character development and that Dakota touched on some really heavy mental health elements. The build up to Ace and Hazel meeting was pretty intense, but it just plateaued. She goes from being terrified to just being like “oh it was you? Oh ok good deal. You were always a little creepy lol.” They have some spicy scenes. Then he’s like “hey leave your house and come do this potentially dangerous thing with me” as if she didn’t just have crippling agoraphobia a few chapters ago and she’s just like “mmm sounds sketchy, but ok!” They do the things and shit hits the fan, so Ace is like “hey come to this whole ass other state with me!” And she’s like “yeah ok sounds good” again, as if she didn’t JUST have 10 years worth of crippling agoraphobia. Like did he just miraculously heal that or… ? The spicy scenes get redundant, tropey, short lived, and just kind of lame. And the whole time, it’s obvious he’s waaaaaaay obsessed with her, but I don’t get the same emotional feedback from her, if any. Like is she just picking up where she left off with his brother 10 years ago and settling? I can’t quite say. Then of course there’s a plush, sun shiny happy ending and that’s it. Apparently a year is enough to work through some super deep seated trauma. Really disappointed in this one. Couldn’t wait to be done and I’m relieved I am.

I read this on Kindle and it was littered the entire way through with typos, misspellings, and words straight up missing. Sloppy and distracting.

[Merrit Townsend (always1morebook) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truth or Dare is a stand alone that follows Hazel and her friends during an incident that occurred during her time at Kingston Prep. This book is dark and so unhinged....did I love it?...Heck ya, I did.... and I am questioned my morals every page I turned...LOL.

The life struggles that Hazel experiences from her past traumas were so well written. From agoraphobia to anxiety and panic attacks and what it would be like to live with those on a daily basis. Then throw a stalker into the mix, plus being on the run and mercy me, Hazel is having a rough go. Enter ACE.....I loved him and finding out why he turned out the way he was. The difficulties of being kidnapped/taken and thrown into a school that continuously abused its students as a way to making them reform...man I felt their pain and helplessness. This book was amazing, So much so that I read it in one sitting. The truth or dare aspect reminded me of being a teenager and that was a fun twist. I loved the mystery to the story but at the same time it hurt my heart.. Well done Dakota...

**Before diving into this book, please read the authors note. This book is dark and content warnings are there for a reason but it is also very personal to the author. She puts a lot of her own personal experiences into this book. If it's not for you that's ok but please take note that she puts those warnings in there for a reason.

[Autumn Kiger · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 🌟 4/5 🌶
This book was amazing. Dakota just knows how to write. She tells such great stories and gives you such a great background and it is like you are there with the characters. This follows Hazel "Mallory" she is on the run... Her and some kids were taken to a place to "fix" them because they were not good kids. They became friends. They became family. They were betrayed. It starts with a Dare. Hazel is dared to go into a haunted house and of course she accepts it. Her bestfriend goes with her...duh. The night is blur for Hazel and she can not remember what happened for years except what people tell her & they tell her she is a murderer. She believes them. She was buried alive but she does not remember that, she just ran and ran. She has been on the run and there have been people looking for her. He found her but not for bad reasons. He found her because he loves her, he has always loved her. He wants her to know the truth. So he (Ace) stalks her. He presents Truth or Dare to Hazel....we all know what she will choose. Dare of course. Slowly but surely she becomes Hazel again and Ace helps her do that. Truths come out and the truth hurts. Ace's brother Kyle is the one that need saving because he was a crook. He was a killer. He betrayed them. I gave away some things but still READ THIS BOOK

[✨✨ Claire✨✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even tho this is a stalker read, it's not what you'd expect. And it evolves into something completely different that turns alot darker and the stalker trope becomes just a small part of it.

Our mfc is Hazel who is trying to get past a tragic accident from 10yrs ago but is having huge difficulties doing this. Moving every 12 months so noone finds her, she thinks she's safe.

Until she gets a text message with "truth or dare" to her on it.

Her stalker tests her in ways that pushes her boundaries before he reveals himself.

After the reveal, he explains why he's there and together they aim to right some wrongs of the past.

I don't want to give anything away so that's all I'll say. But Ms wilde has written a truly twisted tale based around a prank gone wrong and people not being who they portray. It's great to watch Hazel finally claim her life back after everything she's gone thru.

Read the TWs for this before you head in, try not to read as much  blurb so  youre truly walking into a blank story and you should enjoy the twists and turns and the growth and justice that is explored!!

[Manda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up on a whim, because I can't pass up anything with "stalker" in the title. I was not disappointed. Our MCs share a traumatic past that leads our FMC to struggle with a series of mental health issues, that surprisingly start improving with the appearance of her (rather invasive) stalker and his twisted way of making her face her demons. On that note, our MMC is actually really sweet and kind of adorable, so I refuse to hold the whole invasion of privacy/breaking & entering thing against him. He simply did what any morally grey BB with boundary issues and obsessive tendencies would do to insert himself into the life of the woman he has loved for more than a decade (swoon). The story is interesting, the romance is dark, and the man is masked 😏. 🤍💗🖤

[Brimstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

DAKOTA!!!!!
This book had me in. A. ChokeHOLD!
The emotions, the anxiety, the SMUT 🫠 I asked for something to keep me out of the reading slump, AND SHE DELIVERED!!!!
Hazels growth with her phobias/issues is truly lovely. I loved experiencing some of my own through this book. Not a lot of authors are great with expressing / truly embodying different mental illnesses but this one was spot on. I think the world building was perfect in painting the story of Broken to repairing 🖤🤌

I loved the growth, the encouragement from Ace, the R E VE N G E 😨
And ACE 😈 UGH give me some more of him. Love love love his patience and pushing her to be MORE!
THANK YOU DAKOTA FO LR AN AMAZING READ!

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

“If I take you, Hazel, there’s no going back. You’ll be mine, just like you always have been. If I take you like you want, I’m f-ing you bare so you can feel all of me, and I can feel all of your sweet, wet 🐱. I’ll make you feel things that you can’t numb with pills or wash away with alcohol. If we do this, I’m going to claim your GD soul for my own.”

“She’s pure light. A welcome beacon to my darkness. And I want it. I want her to fill every corner of my dark heart with her vibrance.“

Truth or dare, Hazel?
Ace is totally obsessed with Hazel, but she’s not ready for him yet. How can he get close to her (other than the stalking he’s already doing, of course)? Play her favorite game that they played as teenagers, truth or dare.
Hazel has a fuzzy memory of what happened the day her friend went missing, but with the help of her masked man, she will get to the bottom of what really happened.
*check content/TWs

MF
Stalker
Amnesia
Ex’s brother
Masked
Somno
Mental health rep

🌶️🌶️🌶️
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Midnight Makeout Club · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow wow wow. Literally had me melting for this sexy ass masked MMC!

This book (for me, not for everyone) was such a nice easy read that had me constantly turning the pages to find out the next twist and turn of events. I am such a sucker for time jump books where the story is gradually being reviled over the course of the time jump. I LOVED the first half of this book the most because it was like a game of cat and mouse and Ace was always on step ahead of Hazel.

I can't wait to read more from Dakota Wilde!

[Jesy Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was nothing short of amazing. The plot was absolutely fantastic and kept me coming back for more! I couldn't put it down. The way Hazel and Ace both deal with their own trauma and mental health is so well written it feels easy to understand and relate to their characters. Are the sexy parts sexy? Good lord yes. But the rest of the book is just as incredible.

[Danielle Wezowicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't normally write reviews, but this book deserves it.
The thing I love the most is how throughout it gives you insight on mental health. Not many people understand certain parts of mental health. It has well explained self harm in a way that people can really understand.
Thank you for shedding light of this to the world.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hazel and Ace

Truth or Dare by Dakota Wilde is a dark stalker romance standalone. Make sure to check your triggers. This follows the stories of Hazel and Ace both in the past and present. Add in a murder mystery and correct politicians/law enforcement. Oh and we can't forget the spice. Read to find out if they can make it out of their past and start to heal.

[j a y d e p r a v e d · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was such a fun and wild read for me
i loved the absolute mystery in it
and i love the aspect of using truth or dare to achieve the desired effect

if you havent picked it up and read it yet; DO IT

[Savannah G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy moly! What a ride! Dakota has done it again! This one is a heavy one with past trauma for our girl Hazel. Dakota did amazing writing a character with so much trauma and taking us along as she deals with the aftermath. I’m a sucker for a good dark romance and this one delivered!!!

[Samantha Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stalker romance?
Say less 👏🏻👏🏻
Truth or Dare kept me turning the pages, absolutely enthralled in Hazel and Ace’s story. The story line was a web of past and present, that built and shaped our characters into who they are. I love that Dakota Wilde was not afraid to write about trauma, and the way that our minds handle that in forms of anxiety and fear. It made connecting with Hazel on a personal level extremely easy, and feeling her vulnerabilities for ourselves made the story feel real.
Plus? The spice between Hazel and Ace was 🥵🥵 masked perfection.

"𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘮𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦."

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mental health rep, trauma, lost memories, and a stalker all great things to have in a dark romance.

[Jennay Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was an excellent stalker, thriller, romance, revenge plot. Their pasts and presents entertained and created such glorious results *chefs kiss*. It gives representation to severe trauma and internal struggles of people with anxiety and I loved that!
Plus He calls her his little Doe.


"Our past linking us, and our present binding us"

[Amber Lawyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started out hella strong and somewhere after half way I wasn’t pulled into the story anymore. I liked it enough to finish though and I wanted to see what happened.
-stalker
-touch her and die
-revenge
-animal sidekick
-murder mystery
-mental health rep and trauma + healing
Check your content and trigger warnings

[Kayla Hahne · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The two of us may be broken, but our broken pieces fit perfectly together making a beautiful mosaic of our damaged fragments." This book was not at all what I had expected. Not only was it a dark romance but there was a little mysterious twist thrown into the mix as well. I was SHOCKED when Hazel got her memories back. Definitely did not see that one coming. What a great read, as always. Dakota's writing is phenomenal. I ate this book up. I love Ace and Hazel, and I'm so happy that through all their trauma, they found each other.

[Literary Dystopia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing! To me it gave me cruel summer vibes with the fact that it had time jumps and gave us perspective. There were a few twists I wasn’t expecting and it overall exceeded what I was expecting! So good. And different. I’m glad I got to read this!

[Kristie-Anne Bridges · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow where do I even start with this book. If you enjoy stalker romances than this is definitely a book to read!!!

It has a lot of complexities to it which makes you feel like you are the one with the stalker. Hazel is an amazing MFC & I loved seeing her embrace who she is. Ace is the perfect badboy who you don't know how to take, do you love him or be terrified of him, the answer is both!!!

Some of the themes/tropes in this book are:

*Stalker
*Agoraphobia
*Murder
*Attempted Murder
*Mental Health
*Trauma
*Abuse
*Virgin MFC

I was fortunate to receive an advanced copy of this book and this is my honest opinion.

[Cari Ann ☆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Forced myself to read up to 62% of this book... thinking it would eventually grab my attention and hold it....Finally decided to put it down and give up. I ALWAYS finish a book once started. But I can't waste anymore time on this one. Just not for me.

[Liz :)]

Dnf at 55%

[Jay · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 10% because I won’t settle for books that don’t know how to punctuate dialogue correctly.