Dark Signs

by Nikki Kelly

Ivy Valentine has always been interested in the darker side of romance.
Her obsession with masked men and being hunted for sport lands her on the doorstep of Eden's Vices, an all inclusive club that allows its members to enact their wildest fantasies and deepest desires.
What Ivy doesn't know is that her matches hold another secret, and her life is about to change forever.

Welcome to Eden's Vices.

Dark Signs is a Why Choose fantasy novel set in downtown London.
With masked, dark, protective MMC's that ooze 'touch her and die' vibes, Dark Signs is a short, spicy standalone novel that encompasses all a dark fantasy girl's dreams.

Genres: Dark Romance, Why Choose, Dark, Fantasy, Paranormal, BDSM, Romance

221 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2024

About the author

Hi!
I'm Nikki, a lover and writer of all things Fantasy and Romance, where the Morally Grey Villain will always get his happy ending.

From a young age, I've always loved writing stories, from children's books about a girl and her flowers and planting hot dog trees, to dark fantasy novels where the villainous anti-heroes burn the world to save the girl and then everything in between.

When I'm not reading and writing, I'm cuddled up on my couch in my dark home watching the birds and kangaroos with my kids and husband.

I hope you enjoy my work!

Reviews

[Kaitlyn | fairycorebookclub · Rating 5 out of 5]

CALLING ALL DARK ROMANCE, REVERSE HAREM GIRLIES WHO ALSO LOVE SLEEP TOKEN - you need to read this immediately. I am STILL cooling off from this one and haven't been able to stop thinking about our four MMCs - Nav, Caz, Kill and Val.

First of all, Nikki, thank you so much for granting me an ARC of this delicious story. I'm so excited to scream about this one at the top of my lungs for the dark romance book x ST community!

As always with dark romances, please check trigger warnings before diving in. However, I will say that with dark romances I can be quite picky. I'm all for a grocery list of especially sexual trigger warnings but only if they're done a certain way - with lots of consent and with our MC feeling completely safe at all times despite living out some of her deepest, darkest fantasies. And Nikki did exactly that with this one. Right from the jump, our lovable plus-sized FMC Ivy lays out all her desires and consents to them all, reassured with an established safeword, boundaries and the promise of aftercare. As it should be! PERFECT CONCOCTION. Chefs kiss.

"𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐟*𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐲, 𝐝𝐨𝐯𝐞. 𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐛 𝐮𝐩 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮."

This is a reverse harem (MMMMF? I'm bad with the acronyms lol) and each of the guys has such a distinctive personality that Ivy is getting all the best traits/personalities amongst all the guys. Did I mention that our boys are also MASKED, TATTOOED, PIERCED and have their own little nicknames for our FMC?! Hellooooo SIGN me UP! Nav is our softie, Caz is our silly, light-hearted one, Kill is our dominant/bratty one and Val is our mysterious one who runs the whole show. I love each of them in their own way and they can BRING IT in our spice scenes but also can all melt down to such sweethearts who will burn the world down for our FMC when the clothes go back on.

"𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐫?"

This is a dark fantasy romance - which I completely forgot while reading and was super excited with the fantasy elements came into play and it also was a super exciting plot twist I didn't fully see coming! Also all of the Sleep Token references and Easter Eggs in here had me giggling and kicking my feet, literally so fun as a hardcore ST fan to pick up on but if nothing that will leave you feeling out of the loop/nothing that feels out of place in the story if you're not a ST fan yourself.

"𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐞, 𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞. S𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐬."

I can't wait to catch up with all of these babies in the next Eden's Vices novel!

[julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

look. bestie. if you have a sex fantasy about sleep token, that’s cool. you don’t have to write it into a book like that and publish it

found myself missing a lot of commas and apostrophes while reading this. definitely needs an editor. the writing in general might’ve been good, the story and characters really potential, but i was constantly just so put off by the blatant sleep token sex fantasy of it all and the sleep token references that all i could do was cringe

i hate that i know i would’ve enjoyed this as an original work instead of a sleep token fanfic. now i kinda just hope vessel knows about this book and it gives him the ick

[Nikki Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love short and spicy, dark paranormal, why choose romance novels, this one is for you!

Kill, Caz, Nav and Val are protective male leads who hold a dark secret that will change Ivy's life forever.

It includes:
Dacrophilia, knife play, period play, sharing, degradation and praise, pet names, and voyeurism.
Sprinkles of fantasy are spread throughout.

If this sounds like something you'd like, give it a go :)
♡♡

[readswith.erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mmmm… delicious.

Who doesn’t love a why choose / dark romance / vampire / MEN OBSESSED novel?

Loved this! I have to say. I think Navien was my favourite 🤭🤭🤭

[Bethsbooksau · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like a spicy, why choose/RH that's a short read - then this is the book for YOU!

I'm not gonna lie. When I got a few chapters in, I thought this book wasn't for me. I like a good plot and my fantasy elements.

It's a dark and spicy book straight off the bat, and I found myself getting so drawn into the story as I continued to read and was wondering where and what exactly was going to happen.

Once I was well and truly hooked and into it, I made some guesses on *who* and *what* I thought people were 🫣 I binge read it and couldn't put it down!

Was a great fast paced short read, that was spicy but still brought in some great fantasy elements 👌🔥

[Bianca Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd rate it lower but I did like *some* parts of it.
The book had SO MUCH POTENTIAL. But
A LOT of it was just a sleep token fan fic..
The author tried too hard to let us know they were British..
The spice was out of place.
A lot of it was cringy.
But why all of a sudden are they vampires?
Please be serious.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woaaaaah this was a WILD RIDE 🔥
Think this was my favourite dark romance I’ve read the worst part was it’s only 221 pages long 😫😂
I read it in one night I couldn’t stop reading!

It starts off heavy and just gets better 🥵

Ivy has a thing for masked men and being hunted… then she finds out about Eden’s Vice an inclusive club where you can find whatever suits you… then she finds Caz, Nav and Kil 👀👀👀👀 they will do anything for their little dove!

Amazing why choose
Masked men
Curvy FMC
Touch her and d!3
Dark fantasy
St@lker

Can’t recommend this enough wow 😱 when does the next one come out???! 😫

[Tess Marais · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love dark romance and you’re looking for a short and very spicy book with ‘touch her and die’ vibes and a why choose romance, then Dark Signs is right up your alley.🔥
Nikki absolutely nailed this book! It was so good and I never wanted it to end!🖤

I really enjoyed the plot and all the characters.🔥 The men were all so unique and I love that they each had nicknames for Ivy.🖤 They are super protective of her and it warmed my heart to see how they took care of her.🥹
Ivy is a plus-size FMC who I have grown very fond of. I love the way she handled everything and how strong she was. She is definitely a favourite FMC of mine now.🖤

I’m so grateful that I got to receive an arc of Dark Signs and I can’t wait until it releases in October!🎉 It will be available on KU so please go and support this incredible author once Dark Signs is released.🖤

You can also read Nikki’s debut novel, Bound By Shadows, on KU. It’s a dark romantasy that’s also short and sweet, and definitely worth the read.🔥

[Kay Fonz]

I'm not going to rate this down even though I DNF at 77%. I read the trigger warnings and knew what was on the table. It's just not my cup of tea, but there was a lot about it I still did like.
Valid things I didn't like: the FMC describes women in the beginning and it has a huge male gaze feeling to it or the FMC/writer is bi. It's fine, but I was here for the RH and the female gaze, not the other random hot women she's not going to and has not previously... had relations with. Next is the typos. There's quite a few and not because it's UK English vs American English. Like "to" and "two" swapping, so ones that aren't easily caught by a spell checker. There's a few grammar issues too, but I'm not generally that picky as long as I know what's happening/how something needs to be read/inflected, and I only encountered a few flow issues that took me out of the book for a second due to that.

I would encourage anyone who likes Sleep Token, paranormal, RH, powerful stalker behavior, and likes drippy mess sexy time to read this. If you're unsure about degradation, this is the book I would read to discover if it's something you like. I learned I don't like degradation/cold behavior and definitely not dripping spit from a ball gag and laying in your own drippy mess on top of a fur pile. That's a sensory limit. The premise and plot in the book is right up my alley, but limits were discovered here, haha.

[Hannah Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨ARC Review✨

Blurb:
Ivy Valentine has always been interested in the darker side of romance.
Her obsession with masked men and being hunted for sport lands her on the doorstep of Eden's Vices, an all inclusive club that allows its members to enact their wildest fantasies and deepest desires.
What Ivy doesn't know is that her matches hold another secret, and her life is about to change forever.
Welcome to Eden's Vices.

~ I adored Ivy; she felt so relatable at times - and those men?! 🫠 Kill, Caz, and Nav were all delicious but Val was literal perfection! 🙌🏼

If you’re looking for a fast paced, dark fantasy why choose with masked men and a sprinkling of “touch her and d!e”,
then you should pick up Dark Signs!


*Check in with content warnings before diving in 🖤

I received an advance copy of this book and my review is given voluntarily.

[Alyssa Grimes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would sell my husband to have 4 vampires who are obsessed with me, chase me and are also all boyfriends- just don’t tell him this ok?! But for real this is mostly smut and I devoured it and they all have cute nicknames for her and everyone loves everyone, yes pleaseeeee

[Flora.reads.books]

DNF

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't have the feeling I can say much without giving away spoilers (which I don't want), but at first, I wasn’t sure what to expect since it didn't look like my typical fantasy read (especially with it being set in modern London), but I was intrigued to keep on reading. Then came the second half — pure fantasy goodness! Looking back, there were subtle hints early on that I didn’t fully catch until later. Dark Signs is a quick, short, and fun novel, but be warned — it’s a steamy read that will definitely make you blush! ☺️

[fae.reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautifully dark and filthy read wrapped up in a pretty little package.

I can not fault this book for anything.
Every character in this book really stood out to me, I fell in love so easily with all of them. When they spoke you could immediately tell which character was talking and I admire being able to create such depth in short books like this <3

I was quite literally on the edge of my seat reading some scenes! This book was so exciting!! I didn’t want to put it down but I also wanted to make it last as long as I could.
There were some really spicy scenes and I mean spicy!!! But there were also some really soft, sweet moments and I was melting hard!!

Thank you so much to Nikki for allowing me to read an arc, I’m so grateful you trusted me with your work xx

I had a gut feeling about this book and my gut is never wrong 🫶🏼 I will be recommending this forever!

[B · Rating 2 out of 5]

Idk… I just couldn’t get into this book. I spent WAYYYY too long trying to push through to finish reading it. (It’s supposed to be a quick read.) Many errors, but I felt the vibe was off the whole book. I didn’t realize it was fantasy, but once it clicked, it felt more forced. Idk. Very cliche. Very bland. I wasn’t a fan. I felt like a lot of the 🌶️ scenes were extremely out of place. I cringed for about half of the book. My husband would be reading right next to me & look over & be like.. baby, your face says you hate what you’re reading. You don’t have to finish it. 😂 Apparently, some parts were cringey enough it was written all over my face. I wanted to love it. I thought it would be more about this “club” vs whatever the plot was.(?)

[Lexie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dark Signs is a paranormal "why choose" romance set in modern-day London, blending urban fantasy with a touch of mystery.

The story features a human female lead who crosses paths with three swoon-worthy, dream-like men—plus one enigmatic figure who prefers to linger in the shadows.

Their introduction is unlike anything I’ve read before. Imagine combining the tropes of "fake dating" and "s*x club" into one bold, steamy twist—it’s a new trope that this book pulls off brilliantly, but I’ll leave the details as a surprise for you to discover.

Dark Signs is undoubtedly an unconventional read.

If I’m being honest, the book and I didn’t exactly hit it off at first. The pacing felt slow in the beginning, but once I got past the first third, it started to pull me in.

That said, this is totally subjective. If you’re a fan of long, steamy scenes, you’ll probably have no issue with this at all!

Once I pushed through, I realized those slower parts were essential for building both the tension and the expectations—Valentine’s as well as our own.

After that, the pacing picked up, and while there weren’t many plot twists, things definitely stayed interesting.

The world-building is quite promising. The variety of creatures and their unique magical abilities set up a solid foundation for future books in the series. The dark, atmospheric tone was perfectly executed by the author, immersing readers in the story's world, plot, and characters.

If you're looking for a short novel with a lot of smut and not too much action (unless in bed), this book is for you!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Dark and Filthy ⭐️s
4 🌶️

🖤MMMMF
💀Masked Men
🖤 St@lking
💀 Curvy FMC
🖤 BDSM
💀 Touch her and ☠️
🖤 Dark Fantasy

This book. Read it. Dark romance soothes my soul and this book was no exception. I’m STILL thinking about the men in this book and it has been a few days since I finished.

Ivy knows what she wants to experience, she just doesn’t know how to go about getting it for herself. Enter Eden’s Vices, a club to help her with her deepest desires. Her matches (all four of them) fulfill all of her desires and then some. The men were all super protective over Ivy and each had their own nickname for her. They really took care of her and her needs.

This is a fast paced, short but dark and spicy reverse harem novel. I want to tell you what really put it over the top for me, but I went in without knowing and the twist absolutely blew my mind. I only read the synopsis and it doesn’t give the twist away, just that there is a secret.

Nikki without a doubt, nailed this book. I never wanted it to end and I want more! A girl can dream right?!

“Just remember, whatever happens next, you are ours, little dove.”

[Yasmin (yazg.books) ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 ⭐️

“I could die between your thighs, little one, and I would believe I've reached heaven.”

This was such a fun read!
It was short, sweet and very spicy.
If you're into RH, (like me...) and of course why choose, you'll really enjoy this read.

Thank you so much to Nikki Kelly for allowing me to arc read this wonderful story!

It was super fast paced and was packed with a good story line and interesting characters.
Val has my heart though, I love me a big bad boy.
(I think I love all the boys though, you know lol.)


^ How I imagine Val, hehe.

Anyway...
I loved that this story had a FMC who was a little softer and represented that part of me I find relatable. I will highly recommend this book!

[Danielle (aborderlinesmind) · Rating 3 out of 5]

this easily would've been a 4 star read for me, but there were just too many grammatical errors—whether "to" should've been "two," or it was full-on missing a word or two in the sentence. it just, overall, really needed better editing/proofreading.

howeverrrrrr, i absolutely L O V E D the storyline of this book. so much.

ivy is the plus-size fmc that is very self-conscious (initially) of her size/body, but after hearing about a local establishment, eden's vices, she decides to take the chance on her wildest fantasies coming to life. after meeting with chloe, she explains, in detail, her ideal night.

after being kidnapped by several men & having her body used (with consent, of course) in ways she could only dream about, she soon realizes she wants more. but when her contract is quickly canceled, her membership fees (plus more) are returned to her & she can no longer get ahold of the establishment, she finds herself in a deep slump, unsure of what went wrong or how to move on from the experience.

that is...until they find her & have no intention of letting her go.

if you can get past the grammatical issues & just enjoy the plot (despite there being a lot, i promise it's such an enjoyable read), you should add this to your tbr & pick it up!

[Carissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one’s for the Sleep Token girlies!

This is a MMMMF dark romance that includes a lot of light ST references. You can def still read and understand everything if you’re not into ST though. It’s a quick read with SUCH a plot twist👹 Do note, this one is SPICY🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

This was a really fun one and I read a large portion of it in one sitting, while blaring Sleep Token from my Alexa. (I’m sure my apartment neighbors are sick of me hahaha) I got to a point where I the knew the plot twist was about to be revealed and was just absolutely speed reading to get there😂

[Jaide · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's reads like this that remind me dark romance holds a special place in my soul.

It's short, spicy and packed with with twists that keep you on your toes. For a read that starts rather dark, the development of Nav, Caz, Kill and Val towards Ivy in the end gives you the sweet kick you need..

The spice was *chef kiss* and balanced the plot perfectly.

I love to admit it, this one had me kicking my feet like a kid.

Fav quotes

"I could die between your thighs, little one, and I would believe I have reached heaven"

"All the dark signs, led me to you"

[BookishBabeJenni · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book felt like there was something missing, but I don't know what it is. Also, we're all human and everyone makes mistakes, but the number of them in this book just constantly took me out of the story. It was a bummer! Another pass for editing would really improve things a lot.

Overall though, writing a book is hard and this is a lot better than anything I could do, I'm sure. This was a lot of fun, as a mask lover, and was super hot. I probably won't read it again, but in my opinion it's worth reading at least once.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super quick, well-paced, why choose, paranormal romance. This book helped me out of a bit of a slump after reading some heavy hitting books.

I enjoyed how are MMCs all have unique personalities so it was easy to know who was who by the way the acted and how they spoke. Our FMC was relatable and I feel like we watch her character develop through the book.

Loved my introduction to Nikki’s work!

[Nicole Johns · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a Dark Romance so check your trigger warnings before reading.

Ivy is a plus size FMC who wants more in her life. She joins Edens Vices Club that allows members to live out their most desires. Her matches hold a secret which changes Ivy life.

This book is fantastic, had me gripped from the beginning. I could not put this book down one of the best dark romance books I have ever read.

I definitely need to read more from this author

[scarlett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went into this one not really knowing what to expect, and honestly… it just wasn’t for me. The spice definitely took the lead, but the plot, what there was of it, felt kind of all over the place and rushed. I found myself a bit lost at times, which made it hard to stay hooked. I can see why some people dig it. It’s fast, steamy, with some twist, but for me? It just didn’t hit the way I was hoping.

[Senja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Out of the 252 page book the spice was over 100 pages so you KNOW IT WAS BANGING!
I think the supernatural part of this book threw me off a little bit and it isn’t something I’m usually used to reading so I don’t think that side of it was for me but I am sure that many people will really enjoy this read!

[₊⋆ Nyxia ☾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"All the dark signs led me to you."

This book was SO good, ahhhh. Couldn’t put it down. First off, the dedication I don’t think I’ve ever related more to one. The plot was so good. I was hooked.

The spice is insanely hot! The men, swoon. Love the twists in this book I didn’t know where it was going to go.

Amazing read! I loved it.

[Sylvana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved it!!

I'm so happy I finally picked this one up. It was exactly what I needed!

The spice is absolutely delicious, very well done, and the guys are hot as hell! It was good, it was hot, it was spicy

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the fantasy/paranormal part of it! Lovable and hot characters, I need more!!

[Faithe · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was more disorganized, bizarre, and frenzied than a rat king in a hoarder home. I’m actually kind of mad with myself for hoping the writing would improve, and finding that somehow it got worse. Like, I love the fact you wrote a book for you! I think that’s a great accomplishment. But this was something that could’ve stayed on a very very very niche fanfic website or a personal hard drive.

[angellia pai · Rating 4 out of 5]

needs editing

Truly would have been a 5 star read if edited appropriately. There were way too many spelling, grammar, punctuation, and formatting errors to give it the gold. The plot and spice were perfection otherwise.