I thought he was my guiding light. But what if he’s led me into darkness?
Mercy
I devoted my entire life to the Church of the Well—and its leader.
But then death came to our community.
And then he came. Ambrose Echevarria.
He says he’s an itinerant preacher. He lays hands on our congregation and fills them with God’s light. He fills me with God’s light.
And for the first time, I can feel my devotion slipping.
Ambrose
It was supposed to be easy. I just needed to infiltrate a cult for a few days, get access to information that would help a friend, and maybe spread some mayhem if I had the time.
But I didn’t account for Mercy Hendricks, the first human woman to catch my eye in two hundred years.
I’m a killer. I don’t save people.
So why do I want to save her?
Turn That River Red is a dark horror romance and the third book in the Hunter’s Heart universe, a series of interconnected standalones that are best read in order. This book contains graphic content that may be upsetting to some readers. Please review the full list of content notes on the author’s website.
I’m consistently blown away by the atmosphere that this author creates with each installment of this series.
Going into this ARC, I was foaming at the mouth to see how the story of a cannibalistic, itinerant preacher and a trapped, religious cult member would unfold and I was certainly not disappointed. The vibes were immaculate and the dynamic between our main characters was 🔥🔥🔥. Do yourself a favor and listen to the Preacher’s Daughter album by Ethel Cain when you listen to this one.
I sincerely hope there are more books to come in this series because I am well and truly addicted to it.
I want to start by saying this is my new all-time favorite series and if you're a dark romance reader, you NEED to add this to the TOP of your TBR (highly recommend starting with the first book, Bird on a Blade). Also, shoutout to the author for chapter 14.
I loved everything about this book...the plot, the revenge, the suspense, the horror, the characters (love a cinnamon roll serial k!ller), the spice (which will 100% make you question yourself). Rose Bitterly consistently does an amazing job of creating characters that you quickly come to care about and you will definitely find yourself routing for their happy ending.
Mercy's character development is amazing and I loved reading her thoughts throughout the book as she started to accept what Ambrose was. Ambrose is such a cinnamon-roll, despite being a serial k!ller (my favorite kind of MMC). It was a wild ride from beginning to end and I liked that characters from earlier in the series made an appearance. Again, I HIGHLY recommend this book/series if you like dark romance with a lot of spice. This series is different than any other series I've read so far and I'm just OBSESSED!
Rose has out done herself again. By far one of the best love stories I have read. Can't wait to read more from her. Growing up in the church you are taught what love looks like but finding out it's a complete lie only to find true love in the least likely way possible.
Rose has done it AGAIN!! This series has me in the best chokehold ever. Ambrose and Mercy was such a great read and loved seeing Mercy find herself and Ambrose realizing he can have it all.
Blasphemy, Brokenness, and a Brutal Kind of Healing: My Journey Through Turn That River Red by Rose Bitterly
I’ve been eagerly waiting for Turn That River Red—Ambrose’s story—and wow, it did not disappoint. After being completely wrapped up in Sawyer and Jaxon’s stories, I knew Ambrose had layers that Rose Bitterly was saving for something special. I was right.
Right out the gate, I appreciated the content warnings. As someone who grew up in a fundamentalist, borderline cult-like environment, those warnings helped me brace for what was coming. Without them, some scenes would’ve hit harder than I was ready for. That said, I still found myself totally drawn in—like I always am when reading Bitterly’s work. If you’ve read the previous books and novella in this universe, the payoff here is so rich. It’s like coming back to old friends, only to discover the darkest one has the deepest story to tell.
The Church of the Well is chilling—eerily reminiscent of The Handmaid’s Tale in its male/female power dynamics. It was horrifying and familiar, and that blend made it even more powerful. Ambrose, who’s always come off as stoic and reserved in earlier books, enters this story like a firestorm when it comes to Mercy. His presence is intense, and the revelation of why he was in the Church in the first place shows just how loyal and quietly fierce he’s always been.
What Rose Bitterly does so well—again—is walk this razor-sharp line between the blasphemous and the sensually forbidden. The story is depraved in parts, yes, but beautifully so. Somehow, she takes the worst of things—trauma, manipulation, religious abuse—and writes them into something almost sacred. It’s blasphemous as hell, and I loved every word of it.
The turns this story took? I’m still reeling. This book had me speechless more than once. I devoured it, barely stopping to take notes, and that’s how I know I’m obsessed. The fewer notes I take, the more I’m lost in the world—and Turn That River Red had me so deep, I forgot I was supposed to be reviewing it.
There’s religious trauma throughout—gaslighting, grooming, manipulation—but more than that, this story feels like a reclamation. As someone with my own religious scars, I connected deeply with Mercy. The way she’d been hurt by a group that claimed to serve God felt painfully familiar. And Ambrose? He’s the unholy protector she (and maybe even I) never saw coming. His quiet rage, his darkness, his depravity—all of it is what ends up healing her. It’s wild, but it works. So, so well.
It’s not easy to blend sacrilege and romance without slipping into cringe, but Bitterly does it masterfully. Her writing never shies away from the uncomfortable, but she doesn’t overdo it either. It’s raw, intimate, and beautifully ruinous.
If you have strong religious beliefs—especially Christian ones—this book is not for you. But if you want something dark, unflinching, and gorgeously written, Turn That River Red is absolutely worth it. I’m beyond grateful to have read it, and even more grateful to be on Rose Bitterly’s ARC team. I cannot wait for what she writes next.
when one of the trigger warnings was sexualised cannibalism I should have put the book down, but I didn't because it intrigued me. I didn’t even know it was a thing, you learn something new every day. So just a warning: cannibalism is described in great detail. I still loved this though. I love as a Christian when authors warp religions and make it dark, because it’s so interesting how some people can change a religion into something so terrible. Like the Church of The Well, they’re a cult that deals in sex trafficking and their leader took in a girl, groomed her and then married her. It honestly breaks my heart but I’m a masochist. Major cult themes, like her “husband” makes her believe that he’s a prophet and that’s why he needs 2 wives. But let’s stop talking about that asshoel and start talking about our mmc Ambrose. Yes he’s a cannibal, but I have a soft spot for guys who teach neglected girls how to love themselves and how to enjoy sex. I love his POVs , he’s so unhinged. In a way it’s a monster romance and it’s also a dark forbidden romance because well he literally hunts humans and she’s a church girl. But their love is so cute. I love how Mercy comes to accept Ambrose for who he is and love him. I loved this book and it’s easily a 5/5
Mercy and Ambrose. Received an ARC for this book and let me tell you, Rose writes the best romance / slasher books out there. The 3rd book in the Hunter’s Heart series follows Mercy, a young woman enmeshed in a fundamentalist Christian cult who is second wife to the leader of the church and is decidedly in a pretty shitty situation and Ambrose, a Hunter masquerading as a traveling preacher who enjoys dealing with his victims a la Hannibal Lector. Mercy has trauma like you wouldn’t believe and luckily Ambrose is more than willing to give her ….. experiences to both heal her and broaden her world view. Proud of you girl, you’re braver than I that’s for sure. Also I appreciated the nod to Israel Keyes towards the end of the book.
First of all, many MANY thanks to the author for an ARC. I was overjoyed to get to read this early.
4.5 stars rounded up
I loved this. Rose has such a way of writing morally black MMC’s that have a singular soft spot for their ladies and its intoxicating. i’m absolutely obsessed. i’m about to do everything i can to make sure the dark romance girlies get their hands on this trilogy. i’m stocking it in my book store, i’m singing its praises from the rooftops, i’m stopping people in the street to talk about it. i’m OBSESSED
(i will say, take the trigger warnings seriously. the religious elements are STRONG and it was a but uncomfy for me at times, but it’s nothing we weren’t warned about)
Once again, Rose Bitterly has delivered another binge worthy read. Since reading the first book of this series, the anticipation for the next one to release is high. As soon as this book hit my Kindle, I ate it up! I’ve been eagerly waiting for Ambrose’s story. I loved everything about this book! The plot, the revenge, the suspense, the horror, the characters (who knew there was such thing as a cinnamon roll serial unaliver), and that spice. It was a wild ride from beginning to end, and I loved that characters from earlier in the series made an appearance. I HIGHLY recommend this book/series. This series is different than any other series I've read, and I'm just OBSESSED! Once again, I'm left waiting for the next one to release.
I definitely recommend reading the other 2 books in this series before reading this one. They do give you background for who the characters are, and they are brought up a lot throughout this book. That being said, I highly recommend this book, and it is the darker of the three books. I thoroughly enjoyed how this whole story progressed. I feel like if there's no more books, I would be happy with how this ended. But if the author does write more, I will read it in a heartbeat. Ambrose and Mercy are made for each other as much as the other couples in this series were. Such a beautiful found family!
He’s a 10, but he’s a serial *deleter* He’s a 10, but he killed one of your friends and dumped them for you to find He’s a 10, but he’s pretending to be a preacher to comfort you
She’s a 10, but she was adopted by a religious cult She’s a 10, but she’s not allowed to be alone with men She’s a 10, and she’s asked you to kill for her
Ambrose is a former preacher-turned-serial deleter, led to the Church of the Well in search of the information. Mercy is the Reverend wife, but she wants to break free of the church she was raised in.
Turn That River Red is book three in the Hunters Heart trilogy. I feel that this book perfectly ties the stories of the MMC’s together, each having their own distinct plot line but building the world of the Hunters. Love, love, love this book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Every time I read a book from Rose Bitterly I am blown away by it. I only read one other book that was like a corrupted church with revenge type book and this was FAR better than that one. The book, plot and characters were all 5⭐️ The spice was 5 🌶️ Also I totally could see Ambrose as a Dom and I’m glad he basically was in this book 🥵
I am so glad we finally got to explore Ambrose this time and got to see him in a different light than the past books we have seen him. He’s like the happy middle of the three Hunters we have met! Iykyk. They are all unhinged, a walking red flag, and hot af in their own way. But Ambrose was the perfect mix of them. (For me at least)
This was so good! I’ve loved every book in this series so this is no exception. It was such a perfect, dark read. I liked Ambrose from the few times he was shown in the first too but omg I love this man. Mercy is pretty awesome as well. I liked her more than Edie but not as much as Charlotte. The men definitely take the cake in this series though. I’m so glad to have gotten to read this early. My impatience would have 💀 and I’d much rather it be Ambrose.
Ambrose and Mercy 🥰 just when I think I can’t possibly love this series more, we meet new characters that I absolutely fall in love with. This story was fantastic. I love that this story builds on each story and it’s not necessarily stand alone books. Mercy’s story may be my favorite so far. She came from such a broken upbringing, so much pain, just desperately searching for love and comfort. I love how quickly these two connect and click, but not in a way that feels rushed. And I am ALWAYS a sucker for a HEA.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I loved this book so much. I wish I could reread the whole series again for the first time. It's so creepy and just plain GOOD. The author's writing is "horrifyingly addicting". I read the whole book within a weekend. The way Rose bitterly writes horror romance is so refreshing and unique. The spicy scenes were really good, but the story itself was romantic in a way not other dark romance authors can achieve. The characters had the perfect build up and the story wasn't rushed at all.I loved this book and I'm so excited for the next book in the series.
This is definitely a slower start in the beginning but it picks up quickly. I loved this book so much. I honestly can’t decide who is my favorite couple but Mercy and Ambrose are so special. Ambrose who thought he couldn’t love a human and Mercy who learned to love a monster. They were just perfect. They were definitely somehow freakier than Charlotte and Jaxon which I didn’t think was possible. I’m also 100% down for a book on Charlotte’s family. I loved this found family so much and need to know what they do in the future. I read this as an ARC and this is my honest review.
possibly one of the most sacrilegious books I've ever read, there's a punchy bible quote for everything but there's also themes of guilt and forgiveness, worship, baptism, rebirth.
it's a religious trauma fever dream, and all your consent king cannibal fantasies come true.
do mind the triggers, sexualized cannibalism is not a joke tag. but I thought all the weird fucked up shit was kinda sexy this time, and the orgasms this lady was having were believable.
This is my first book by Rose Bitterly and I'm blown away! I couldn't put this down from page one I was sucked into the book! I did my grocery shopping while reading this book and almost ran people over because I DID NOT WANT TO PUT THIS DOWN! Sorry for yelling lol but yes go get your copy! I'm going back and starting from book one in this series and I'm excited to read those as well! I can't wait to see what comes next!
Another absolutely amazing book! Rose always seems to have a way of drawing you into the world she's creating. I love that Ambrose was able to help Charlotte find her family and sibling she didn't know existed, I always enjoy reading about the guys coming clean to the girls about who and what they are. Also loved the use of Spanish can't wait to see what she has in store next!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I’m so thankful I was able to be an arc for this book. This was a highly anticipated book for me and I’m so excited I got to read it early! I love the relationship between Mercy and Ambrose. I really enjoyed being able to read more about Ambrose in this book!
Mercy and Ambrose definitely belong together. I felt so much pain and sadness for mercy. Her growth was just what I wanted from this. Loved to see Ambrose fall for a human after all his previous scoffing at Jaxon and sawyer
This was amazing. Mercy and Ambrose will forever have my heart. I felt the love and the pain and every emotion in between in these pages!!! I cannot wait for the next book!!
Ambrose finally got his happy ending 🥹 I’m so happy for him. And Mercy, this poor sweet little girl I’m so glad our favorite killer rescued her and helped her find some freedom and some revenge. I definitely think the dogs helped as they would with any girl.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This entire series has blown me away, every book is consistently so freaking amazing! I just love the concept of the “Hunters” so much and it adds an extra piece to the whole storyline of a serial killer stalker. I also love the whole family vibe and as each book goes on we get to reconnect with the characters from the previous books! It’s perfection!
I fell in love with Ambrose and Mercy right from the start and their journey was a wild one. Ambrose was such a crazy and cannibalistic hunter aka serial killer but he went soft for Mercy. He really couldn’t stay away after hearing her scream and he kept thinking about taking a bite out of her…literally! Mercy went on a wild ride in this book and had so much character growth! She went from the second wife of a preacher that groomed her to bathing in the blood of a serial killer. She started out as a woman who didn’t have a voice but with Ambrose’s help she’s able to find her voice and speak up for herself and get vengeance!
Literally everything about this book was amazing…the plot, the horror elements, the insane spice that will leave you questioning your sanity, and the suspense! It was such a well rounded story. Oh my god, the spice was intense especially one scene in particular when Ambrose gets a little bitey🫦
Overall, I’d definitely recommend not only this book but this entire series for anyone who likes a dark romance featuring a serial killer and has horror movie vibes! I seriously love this book and each story is something new!