Pretty Red Flags

by Heidi Stark

He said it was love. She believed him.
Now she’s trying to survive him.

Margaux thought she’d escaped.
A new name, a new town, and a dream job writing dark fiction from a picture-perfect island—everything about Sunset Cay screamed fresh start. Even the flirty surfer who made her laugh like she used to.

But fairy tales unravel fast when the red flags are this pretty.

The man she’s falling for isn’t who he says he is.
And the one watching her from the shadows?
He never stopped.

Now Margaux is caught between two dangerous men—one who swears he’ll protect her, and one who swears she belongs to him.
But love has always looked like a warning sign.

And survival? That’s going to require becoming the kind of woman they both should’ve feared.

Pretty Red Flags is a sharp, slow-burn psychological thriller wrapped in obsession, control, and karmic justice. Perfect for readers of Verity, Behind Closed Doors, and It Ends With Us.
This isn't a love story. It's a survival story.

Genres: Dark Romance, Romance, Dark

652 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 6, 2024

About the author

Heidi Stark writes contemporary dark romance with a twist of danger, desire, and the occasional sports scandal.

Known for her badass heroines and irresistibly morally grey men, Heidi has captivated readers with 20+ titles, including the gripping Blood and Sand series, the fiery Volcano of Pain, and her highly anticipated new release, Beautiful Terror.

Originally hailing from the lush landscapes of New Zealand, Heidi now calls the U.S. home, where she shares her creative chaos with her feline sidekick, Fang.

When she’s not crafting heart-pounding stories, Heidi is a whirlwind of energy—hitting up barre classes, devouring true crime podcasts, dabbling in roller derby, people-watching, or indulging in her guilty pleasure: reality TV binges. Always on the hunt for inspiration, she’s probably plotting her next book—or her next travel adventure.

Dark, daring, and deliciously addictive—Heidi’s world is one you’ll never want to leave.

Subscribe to Heidi's newsletter here, and join her on social media:
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Website

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

EDIT:
This book has changed its name & synopsis since I first reviewed it! I have not reread it, but I think the synopsis correctly reflects what a reader should expect when starting this read. It wasn’t for me but happy reading!!!


Original review (January 9, 2025):
Nope, just nope. And not for the reasons you may think. It’s not even because it has 3 pages of trigger warnings.

I think this book is marketed as a dark romance(?) this is not that and it will truly hurt people who are not in a good place, or have been in an abusive relationship. This is a book about abuse, NO ROMANCE. This is a book about a “supposed” love interest who won’t help the girl who he loves and is instead just a passive watcher who sees her get hurt psychologically and physically and does NOTHING.

If I were to categorize this book it’d be psychological horror/thriller, with a large focus on abuse horror. I think this book was going for more shock value than anything else. There were writing discrepancies, discontinuance of plot and character description, and often there were the phrases and thoughts that were continuously repeated.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kris-Posey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Morally PITCH BLACK!

Probably should heed the trigger warnings in this one…
FYI— Heidi Stark was not stuffing about!

This story repeatedly punched me in face!
The content for the most part was hard to swallow, Timmy being a carnival of red flags, and watching Margaux get sucked into the vicious cycle as she did throughout this one was uncomfortable. But, it was so uncomfortable because it is so easily related to real life situations many people go through every single day— & that hits different.

Heidi Stark did warn her readers though, so some of the content in the more negative comments kind of confuses me a bit.

The character and world building in Volcano of pain was NEXT LEVEL! I honestly think this one is so all consuming with how well the plot navigated certain circumstances the reader can’t help but be sucked into, feeling all the feels— and they aren’t good feels.

This was unlike anything of the fictional nature I’ve previously read, & that in itself was exciting!
Heidi stark pushed at some pretty serious boundaries and I was here for it— completely sucked into the vortex of this story.

However, I feel like this was far longer than needed for what I feel was a lead up to the main event (Beautiful Terror). I feel like that’s the book where the main story unfolds and a lead up of 600+ pages seemed a little excessive in my own opinion— but depending on how the second book plays out, I might just change my mind on this.

Solid reading that delivers an emotional drop kick.

[Ashley Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate read this. Or hate finished it is probably more accurate. I was torn between DNF’ing the book and also being obsessed with wanting to know how it ends. I hate this MMC with a passion. But also wish I could shake the FMC. Ugh. Will I read the next one because I want to know how this ends? Maybe? Still annoyed and I finished this a few days ago. May need to change my rating at some point because obviously it’s got me thinking that’s for sure.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

First things first: this book will not be for everyone. Please, check your triggers. That said—I highly recommend it.

As someone who has experienced toxic relationships, this book hit home. The dynamic between Margaux and Timmy, from cover to cover, shines an unflinching light on abusive relationships and lives up to the title Pretty Red Flags. The behavior feels acceptable when you’re busy making excuses for it—until suddenly, it’s too late.

I absolutely loved Margaux. Her determination to reclaim her life and do the unthinkable—move far away and start over—was powerful. Chasing her dream of becoming an author, cat in tow, felt both brave and achingly real. I don’t blame her for seeking connection before her move or for falling into the trap of Timmy’s love bombing. That false sense of safety, the comfort of familiarity in a new place—it’s so easy to understand. But as this story shows, things rarely “get better.” They just get worse.

At 654 pages (an 8.5-hour read), I never expected this to become one of my top reads of the year—especially as a year-ender. And yet, here we are.

Now I’m diving straight into Beautiful Terror, because I am fully invested in Margaux and Sabre.

[Amber Batchelor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever had a book make you cry and mad? Well this did for me! FYI there are major triggers for abusive, emotional, and narcissistic manipulation by the MMC towards the FMC. The reason I got so upset is because I also had a relationship that emotional abuse and narcissism by my partner. It was a very hard journey, and thankfully it never led to abuse. In this book Margaux didn’t get off that easily. She has so many red flags thrown at her by her new partner, Timmy, that it’s not even funny. I feel her pain because I too ignored all those red flags as well. However, I did get out before it got too bad and I couldn’t be able to leave. Margaux keeps forgiving Timmy for all the horrible things he does to her. I won’t go into details but the list is a mile long!

I rate this book a 4⭐️ only because I think the book could have been shortened by like 100 pages. I think there were just so many stories of him and his red flags that were unnecessary. I would have enjoyed it more if the main red flags were only written about and not a lot of fluff. Overall a great emotional dark journey especially if you relate to this story line. I would highly recommend it if you can handle deep and personal jabs to your life.

[Jennifer Reimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an absolute rollercoaster of everything, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and couldn’t out it down. The twists and turns the emotions the suspense, all kept me hooked from the beginning of the first page. The characters in this book were very well written that it made you want to hate and love them at the same time. This book is filled with DV in it so make sure you watch your trigger warnings, but for someone that has gone thou it herself I didn’t find it too bad. Margaux wanted to start all over and moved, finding love with Timmy she thought she had everything, but then she starts to see things that she was trying to believe if they were always there or if they just started. This was a very intriguing and captivating read.

[Morgan Blacketer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was lucky to be chosen to read an ARC copy of this book. I enjoyed some aspects of the book, but honestly, it ENRAGED me a vast majority of the time. I will probably read the second one, but i don’t think i’ll be able to finish it. Dex was an, in my opinion, utterly useless character. “i WaNt tO pRoTeCt MaRgAuX” THEN DO SOMETHING BESIDES STALK HER AND HACK INTO HER PHONE. this book absolutely infuriated me and i hate read about 60% of it.

[Nicole Scarborough · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely check the trigger warnings. This is the beginning of Margaux and Dex's story and it is so good. It's mostly Margaux's pov but it's needed to truly start the story. The chemistry is good and it's well written.

[Hesper · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gentri, do not read unless you want something to hate! This book could have been 200 pages. So repetitive and whiny...struggled to get through it and will not be reading the 2nd book in the series. Had a very hard time getting through this one!

[Shellyann Paape · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t feel as stupid with my ex

Good book, little drawn out. But it made me feel a lot less stupid when it came to the blind eye I took with my ex. I want to jump into the story and slap her silly. I wish her friends would have.

I will need to read book two. I need to know what happens next

[Lauren Head · Rating 4 out of 5]

First things first always check your triggers! It was an emotional ride through this book but every single moment was worth it! Heidi didn’t disappoint!

[Ashlyn Petty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a TOUGH read. I had to take multiple breaks throughout reading. PLEASE read trigger warnings prior to reading. The author depicts the truths that come with a DV relationship and the tug of war thoughts that the victim struggles with.

[Jennifer Swanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

This slow-burn pitch black dark romance was enjoyable because I could relate to the main character, Margaux, after experiencing a similar relationship. I found myself yelling at her to see the signs and calling Timmy some choice names.

The author’s detailed character development and plot make this story about Margaux, an author who moves to Hawaii to start over and focus on her writing career. Before moving, she meets a charming guy named Timmy, who seems perfect, but red flags soon appear.

This dark romance is not for everyone, so be sure to read all your trigger warnings. As someone who was in a similar relationship, this book provided me with validation and healing.

I’m excited to dive into my ARC copy of Beautiful Terror, which ended on a cliffhanger.

Side note: I’m curious about Timmy’s backstory and how he became the way he is.

[Lucy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah, so nothing about this is romance. I understand that it's a duet and maybe we'll get more of Margaux x Dex in the next book but this was not it. This is over 600 pages of an abusive relationship. That's not me dogging on dark romance. I mean an actual abusive relationship, physically, emotionally, financially, mentally abusive.

It was wholly uncomfortable and honestly, did nothing to endear me to Margaux. I know that being in a relationship like that can be hard to leave. But she's been married 3 times previously, left a 6 year relationship that did not have any love in it, and immediately jumped into some fucked up dependency with a drug-addicted, alcoholic 39-year-old. She has a history of abusive relationships and yet, not an ounce of self-preservation.

And then we get little snippets of Dex cyber-stalking her, literally seeing that she's getting the shit kicked out of her, and yet doing nothing. None of these characters are likable, or frankly redeemable. Just gross.

[Jenni · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 - 3.5 stars
**Warning:** This book includes trigger warnings, so be sure to read them before starting the first page. Even if you're unsure, please make it a point to read them anyway. There are quite a few.
Volcano of Pain is part one of the Burn It All Down duet, and it ends with a harsh cliffhanger. The story is filled with violence, danger, and unexpected developments that kept me on the edge of my seat at times. The plot is harsh, brutal, cruel, and toxic.
I enjoy a good dark read, and Heidi delivers. This is a book you will either love or hate—if you're like me, you might even hate to love it.
Margaux has faced abuse throughout her life, and now she falls hard and fast for Timmy, or who she believes he is. He turns out to be mentally and physically abusive. She begins to see the darkness within him but feels powerless to escape it.
I have several issues with this story. Firstly, it's a lengthy read at over 600 pages. There's repetition throughout as Heidi clearly lays out the plot, but sometimes less is more.
Secondly, Timmy—oh my god. I wanted to inflict the same physical harm on him that he was dishing out. He is a narcissist of the highest order, and he knows exactly how to manipulate those he targets.
Thirdly, I kept waiting for Margaux to leave or for Dex to save her, but neither happened. I wanted to shake Margaux and felt frustrated with Dex for not stepping up. He watches from afar—argh!
That said, Volcano of Pain is an emotionally brutal story, but it's also skilfully written. It is a raw, gritty, torture-filled, and emotionally draining journey that you can't put down because you need to know what will happen next. You become strangely invested in the outcome.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talk about a story hitting all the truths of life and relationships. I’ve followed and read books from Heidi (not to mention ARC read a few too) and still swoon with each one I come across!

First off always, always, check your triggers! It was an intense and crazy ride through this book but every single moment was absolutely worth it! Make sure you add this to your TBR stat! You’ll never be disappointed with any of Heidi’s books! This I’m now wondering will there be a book two?! Because I need more! ‼️

[Books and Daisies · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Review: Volcano of Pain

Volcano of Pain is a dark romance that centers on Marg—a carefree, somewhat gullible woman with a history of falling too fast for the wrong men—as she embarks on a new chapter in a new place. The narrative follows her tumultuous interactions with Timothy, a man she meets on a dating app who is, by all accounts, a walking red flag. Despite his glaring issues, Marg is inexplicably drawn to him, repeatedly comparing his quirks to those of her previous partners in a desperate bid to make sense of his behavior.

The pacing of the novel is notably drawn out. Marg remains entrenched in a state of denial about her relationship choices until the very end, which can make the reading experience feel both exhausting and frustrating. Moreover, the character of Dex—Marg’s childhood crush and her absent brother’s best friend—appears to be strung into the story without a clearly defined role, leaving readers wondering about his ultimate significance.

Overall, while the book delves into the murky waters of toxic relationships and self-deception with a raw and emotionally charged narrative, its sluggish pace and unresolved character arcs may leave some readers unsatisfied. There’s a promise of more clarity in the sequel, and for those willing to endure its slow burn, the next installment might provide the resolution this first book lacks.

[Beejai Bohls · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in this series. I have been on a dark romance kick lately and picked this book up because I could read the second one right away. I found that this had everything that I was wanting in a dark romance. Please be aware of the warnings before reading this book. There is a lot of suspense, more than what I thought there would be. The drama left me sitting on the edge of my seat and I couldn't read the words fast enough to figure out what was going to happen next. I read this book till it was done and am excited to start the next one. I have a feeling that I wont sleeping for a bit so I can finish this story out. Since this is a series, you will want to read the next book as it doesn't necessarily end in a cliff hanger but it does leave you wanting to know what happened next. There is character development throughout the book. I was not a fan of the characters at the beginning but pushed through and ended up really enjoying the book. The plot moves quickly but it isn't lacking. On to read book two.

[Fierce Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part One of a Duet – Ending with a Cliff-hanger

Spice: 🌶🌶

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Darkness Level: 🩸🩸🩸🩸
Tropes: Insta-love, Domestic-abuse, Mental-health

Format: Arc E-book – 611 Pages

Explaining a relationship with a narcissistic person is complicated, if not impossible. But that is exactly what Heidi Stark managed to do in this book. And she did it without rush, without judgement, and more importantly without filters.

Margaux is a normal average girl. She could be anybody. You, me, the neighbour. And she falls head over heels for Timmy, who at first glance is everything she thought she was missing or didn’t know she needed in her life.

But what starts as a new adventure, slowly morphs into cycles of love-bombing, micro-aggressions, gas-lighting, malice and sometimes even pure cruelty. The time-line of the book is short. Everything happens within a few months. But the author takes her time to slowly dissect the sweet gestures, the attention to details, the manipulations, the isolation, the self-doubts, the justifications, and the surrenders.

As an outsider, you see the red flags like neon signs, but what’s interesting is that so does Margaux. But as only those of us who have been in her shoes can attest to, it’s so easy to slide them under the rug and focus on the good times. Because the good times are soooo good. The sex is incredible. The gestures are personal and romantic. The apologies are sincere.

The book also does an incredible job of showing how someone who has already been in a physically abusive relationship before, can still fall for a mentally abusive relationship. How it is still possible to say, it’s not the same. He hasn’t really “hurt” me. It’s just a phase. It’ll get better. I HAVE TO BETTER.

I won’t go into Timmy’s personality or actions, as I feel like that might give too many spoilers. But I will say kudos to Heidi for her insight into someone with mental health disorders and how difficult it is to navigate and differentiate between the reality of what is manipulation and what is a result of said illness/s.

If you decide to read this book, don’t forget the book ends in a brutal cliff-hanger and the second part is not yet released.
PLEASE go in without judgement, and remember that no amount of amazing literature is worth YOUR mental health. Take care of yourself.

Extra trope/content info:
- Travelling
- Beautiful destination
- Praise

**Trigger Warnings**

>>>The full list of TWs are at the beginning of the book but here are some of the essentials:

Mention of SA and rape (off page – not by Mmc)

Child abuse (off page – not by Mmc)

Emotional, Financial and Physical abuse

Dub-con

Non-con

Somnophilia

Alcohol, Drugs

Mild stalking

Cheating (implied but not confirmed)

Sexism, misogyny, racism

Slut shaming

Mental health – PTSD, Schizophrenia, Paranoia

Attempted murder


Thank you, Heidi Stark, and NetGalley, for providing me with the arc in exchange for an honest review.




Pre-Read Review : This is the first arc I have ever received. So, needless to say, I am excited🤩!
I downloaded the e-book and opened it and read the “Dedication”:

"To the survivors. The people who have escaped.
The people who are still going through it.
The people who are not quite ready to get out yet.
And for those who never made it out alive.
For those who never go through it, and to the people who say ‘why didn’t you just leave?’, you are lucky as fuck.
(And please stop saying ‘why didn’t you just leave’.)"

67 words in and my heart is racing…
I can already feel the pain I am about to cause myself. Specially knowing it ends in a cliff-hanger. I think I didn’t realize it was duet when I requested the Arc. I usually NEVER read books that are not completed. But I feel like I owe it to the author who accepted my request for the arc to do so.

So… with that being said, here we go…

[Roxsanne Lesieur · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not for anyone under the age of 18 and you will need to read the trigger warnings before you jump in.

Margaux is a woman in her forties who wants a fresh start, she has just left a long term relationship and she now wants to embrace the future which she has always wanted and the freedom that she craves, living by the beach and becoming a full time author and so she begins to look into it as an actual future instead of a beautiful dreams, however, things don't go as smoothly as she was hoping when her job decides that she cannot continue there if she moves to Sunset Cay and they tell her this after she has already confirmed her plans.

This doesn't deter her and so she decides to carry on with the plan and get something when she has moved to tide her over and so while she is doing this, she decides to try and make some connections before she moves, and this is where a hot surfer comes into play. So, when the day comes and she moves herself and her cat across to Sunset Cay, he comes to meet her and from the word go, she falls and falls hard, he is everything that she wants in a person and more and things move very quickly to feeling like he is the one.

As time passes and Margaux is drawn into her surfer's light like a moth to the flame, things take a dark turn as his perfect facade slowly begins to crack and some worrisome events and niggling actions start to wear away at Margaux and she is not sure what to do. She is so in love and is so tangled in this passionate relationship that she cannot see the wood for the trees and so she just glosses over the everything and decides to tackle them in the future and soon enough, these become insecurities about herself, and this is where things begin to spiral out of control.

All through this whirlwind romance, there is someone watching from the sidelines, Dex, a friend of Margaux's brother who feels extremely protective of her, he has always been in the shadows and helping Margaux from afar, but when he realises that she is in trouble, even if she doesn't know it, he is keeping her safe and ensuring her survival, but as the lines between protection and obsession blur, he has to keep control and wait for the perfect moment to act.

Will Margaux be able to stop the downward spiral, or will she be sucked into a black hole and of this happens, will Dex be able to save her from it, or will she be absorbed by the darkness and lose her light? This is an extremely dark romance with a suspenseful storyline where nothing is as it seems and the lines between right and wrong, darkness and light and protection and obsession are blurred and danger lurks in the shadows, but you will soon become hooked into the flow of Margaux's life and have to read to the end to find out what happens.

[Jenny Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I considered leaving one star, but I have it two because the accuracy of the mind of a schizophrenic. This is not a psychological thriller, and there's really no stalker, because the "Stalker" was more of a childhood friend with little regard for privacy boundaries. If I had a stalker that allowed me to be in abusive relationships and endure a history of rape by a previous incident he would be fired.
No, the actual main male character was Timmy. He's a beach bum with a clear schizophrenic issue that goes ignored by the main female character. The book is boring and I almost quit reading it. Everything is from the MFC POV with only 3 or so very short chapters from Dex the "Stalker" looking in on her from time to time.
The storyline of death takes place over the course of only a few weeks. By the 3rd day with Timmy, the lead Marg has already thoght her way through 400 pages, moved him in to her apartment actively ignored Timmy's lying, cheating, stealing, rape when she didn't want to have sex without a condom, snappy mood swings, childish outbursts, jealous behavior, admitted rap sheet and arrest record, and the open use of buying selling and using drugs. Then she shocked that he would physically attack her by week two.
How is she so in love with him by week 2 that she can't let him go after he tried to kill her? How is she so in love by day 3 that she allowed him to stay around knowing he was a druggie and a drunk and had no job, even his pathetic drugged out loser friends are shocked? How is she a cooperate anything when she's this stupid? How do you actively ignore the signs of someone so unstable after just 3 days.
I was shocked at the timeline because it's just so unrealistic that 400 pages of drama could go by, and the Marg is seemingly so in love that she ignored this guy's insanity. Also, let's not forget that by the end of the first week she was on the verge of being kicked out of her brand new apartment because of Timmy.
I felt obligated to give this book 2 stars instead of one because all of this is probable on a different timeline. If all this drama happened over the course of 6 months to a year then I would believe it. After 6 months of Timmy's ups and downs it would be reasonable that a person would be invested enough time and energy into a relationship to overlook his obvious abuse and try to make the relationship work,but after only a few days, there's no way this is likely.

The trigger warnings were meh, the long drawn out endless pages and chapters of rambling unnecessarily were much harder to get through then the trigger scenes.

[Jamie Mustard · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh boy lets chat….
I would like to thank the Author Heidi Stark for letting me review the ARC for this book.

Thank you for the long list of trigger warnings at the start of this book. I will not list them all but we have Domestic Abuse, Rape, Assault, Attempted Murder, Drugs and Alcohol just to name a few.

I also want to say thank you for starting this book with “Stop asking “Why didn’t you just leave.” I have been there and thankfully I did leave right away.

Now the book. I can not tell you how many times I almost DNF’d this book and I don’t do that. This book was not labeled right on the site I received the ARC from. If I would have known that this was what it was about I most likely would not have read it.

OMG this book could have and should have been so much shorter. There were so many things in the book that really didn’t belong. Like all the phone calls to her friends that lasted only 1 page. I get what she was trying to do with those stating that she had friends and then they all started to shut her out. But still. There was way to much of the back and forth. I felt like I was reading the same lines over and over just written in different ways.

There were also random people who came up in the book that really didn’t need to be there. Just a random person that had no context to story line at all.

Knowing that there is a 2nd book coming has not changed my mind on Dex. His whole build up to the story just to be dropped at the end of the book with nothing really got under my skin. His small part in the book bugged me. I know that he is the one that is going to save her in the long run but his “Hey how are you?” Texts drove me nuts. You know whats going on. Hop your ass on the plane and be the friend that you claim to be. Just the way he was written screams he is just as bad. Sitting back and watching everything unfold.

Marg's part in the book drove me nuts. “Oh I am so scared”, “Oh but I love him so much” “My apartment scares me so bad now that I piss my pants” but I need to run home to my abuser that caused that problem. I know that he is going to kill me but maybe I can fix him. (Note I do get what she was playing here but to do it for 600 pages was to much.)

Anyway, I will not be reading the rest of these books.

[Diamond · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. Yes, I know this book is part of a duet. Again, yes, I AM impatiently waiting for the second book to come out so I can find out what happens.

I do see the struggle Margaux has with Timmy. Their timeline is so short. She became so attached to him in such a short amount of time. It was slightly infuriating. I am not saying I don't understand because if anyone knows about following emotions its me. Her attachment and fierce loyalty to him annoyed the fuck outta me. That was the point wasn't it though. I read along with how she diminished herself from who she was and what she loved to make herself fit Timmy. The parts when Timmy threw her words around and made her feel in the wrong hurt because I know that pain. Sometimes thinking you're wrong and you started this unnecessarily can hurt the worst. But if I could go into a book, Timmy and like 90% of his friends would get a fucking punch to the throat.

Timmy's friends, with like the exception of 2 are all so toxic too. But, what aggravated me the most was Dex. He feels so useless to the story. I know his time will come in book 2 but for book 1 I couldn't. He was a bystander constantly repeating "I need to protect Margaux", "I have a fierce need to protect Margaux", etc. All the while she's getting abused every which way by Timmy. Not just that, she's been abused in the past before Timmy. Really, what is Dex's purpose? He barely even talks to his best friend anymore because that guy is a dick so what is holding him back?

The one constant I had with Margaux while reading this was the constant anxiety. My chest was tight the whole time reading this. Waiting for her to leave him, waiting for Dex to intervene, hoping Timmy doesn't kill her. My anxiety is hiking just thinking about it and that ending.

I NEED to know what happens next. Please finish book 2 soon!

For those who aren't used to toxicity or abuse in their life this might not be the book for you because you won't understand Margaux. For those that are, check the trigger warnings. It is a good book. Dex's passive nature is the reason its only good and not great but I have a feeling shit is going to happen in book 2 and I can't wait.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

[Marissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoa. I was not ready for that. When I finished this amazingly dark, brutal, realistic tale of Margaux I had to go read a sweet, sunshine romance just to even out. Wow. This author paints such a realistic portrait of what Margaux goes through, thinks, experiences, feels, admits that you feel you are right there with her.

You definitely need to know your triggers when reading this one. It is not about the kink or the spice. It is about the experience, the realism. It is about the heavy emotions. It is about the weight of Margaux’s depression. It is about the chill of isolation. It is about the beautifully horrific details of life with this abuser.

Margaux has just ended a 6 year relationship. She needs a change. Margaux decides to move to Sunset Cay, a tiny archipelago off the California coast, to live out her dreams of writing on the beach. She makes the plans, does her research, and starts everything in motion. She starts talking to guys online so that she will know someone when she moves there. Then slowly her plans start hitting snags. Her job tells her that she can’t work remotely from there and forces her to resign. Her cat’s vet paperwork doesn’t come through fast enough and the cat will be required to spend possibly months in quarantine. The leasing agent at the apartment building convinces her to take a different apartment only to wind up being neighbors.

When Margaux arrives on the island, despite wanting a couple of days to settle, one of the guys she is chatting with online insists on meeting her right away. Timmy swoops in and starts to occupy every minute, every inch of Margaux’s life. Only a couple of days into the relationship, Timmy declares his love for Margaux. A few days after that, he proposes. He has managed to move himself into her apartment without her realizing it. Three weeks into her new life in paradise, it turns into a nightmare when Timmy rages out, harming Margaux in multiple ways. It doesn’t get better.

This book does end on a cliffhanger. And that is where you are when you reach the end, hanging on the cliff of your emotions, the tension, the action. Wow.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is intense, pretty much like every other Heidi Stark book. The writing is amazing, and the characters are relatable and hate-able. Definitely read through the LONG list of trigger warnings before diving headfirst into this book. I had to take a couple breaks to get out of the dark vibes. Heidi definitely makes you feel like the helpless outsider seeing your friend in a destructive relationship that they can't/won't get out of even though the signs are all lit up yelling at you to leave before it's too late.

Timmy, MMC, definitely gives me the ick feeling. For one, he's 39 and acts like a kid craving attention. The snuggling with a large shark stuffed animal would've been my breaking point at the beginning. Like, what grown man does that? Weird, right? He tells Margaux all of the things she wants to hear and quickly starts pushing boundaries.

Margaux, FMC, sees issues with Timmy's antics, but has excuses to always forgive and forget. You want to shake some sense into her but know she's going through what many other people have gone through in real life. It's hard to finally take the step and face whatever fears you have to leave the abuse and save yourself.

Dex, best friend of Margaux's older brother, needs to be more present in this book. I kept waiting for him to swoop in and save her. He keeps tabs on her and stands by to watch the disaster unfold. They both have, in their minds, "unforbidden" feelings for each other, which neither make known because of pretty much being childhood friends and he's her brother's friend. No excuses in my mind. Come on, just get together already.

"As long as I stay on his good side, as long as I keep things light and fun, everything will be okay." -Margaux

This shouldn't be the mantra in a relationship. I look forward to the next book from Heidi Stark.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[janae sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is there to say about this book. First thing is to make sure you read the trigger warning list. Though it is a couple of pages long you really need to make sure you go through it thoroghly because you are going to wish you did if you don't.

Volcano of Pain is a very heavy book. it touches on a subject that a lot of people face and it does so with great respect and seriousness. This boom though over 600 pages really shows how serious and hard it is to get out of abusive relationships. This book has well developed characters, plot, and the pacing is phenominal. At first it felt a little fast but then you really got to feel how quickly and easily you are fall for someone that turns out to be the complete opposite of what they portray.

The FMC is Marguax. She is leaving her life in New Zealnd after a breakup. She is searching for the love she never received. Marguax is naive and full of hope for others potential, but has a past that would make you think she could make better decisions for herself. The first MMc is Timmy. He is the scum of the earth.Like how are you going to be a straight up loser and abusive. Timmy's personality in the beginning was infectious and full of childlike wonder, but as time goes on you just want to put in six feet under. Just as confused Marguax was with the bait and switch Timmy pulled so are you. The other MMC is lowkey. he does have his own POV's every so often throughout the book. He gives me Zade, from Haunting Adeline, vibes. He keeps a close eye on his best friends little sister because he is deeply in love with her. His name is Dex. I cannot wait to see how he saves Marguax in the second book.

Though this book is a thick boy, you are left on a cliffhanger. I was so happy that i had the second book at the ready. Heidi Stark did her thing with this book. I cannot wait to read the second book of this duet.

If you are looking for a suspenseful thriller with a large heaping of dark romance this is the duet for you.

[Veronica Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow. What a journey this book was. Volcano of Pain by Heidi Stark is book one of the Burn It All Down Duet. This book is titled a Dark Stalker Romance but personally I think it leans more towards a Psychological Thriller/Pitch Black Romance. It is heavy on trigger warnings so please read those carefully, and it is definitely not for the faint of heart; in my opinion for readers that are 18 years old or older due to the heavy topics. It ends with a cliffhanger so if that’s not your thing, book 2 will be released in just a few days (02/21/2025) and you can read them back to back.

This book was really heavy and at times hard to read. Our FMC is Margaux, she’s unhappy with her corporate job and also unhappy in her current relationship of 6 years. So she makes a much needed change by ending her relationship and moving to an Island that she had always loved visiting in her youth. Unfortunately, her job made a last minute change to their remote job requirement and caused her to not qualify to work in that particular state remotely so she made the decision to resign and work as a full time author and micro-influencer. Upon arrival to her new life and after chatting for a few weeks via a dating app she meets our MMC Timmy. They begin a whirlwind romance where he love bombs her after only a week. Then the red flags begin (as if love bombing wasn’t enough) and things just aren’t as perfect as she thought they were, more like Timmy isn’t as perfect as he made himself out to be.

This book will make you love, hate, scream, maybe even cry for the FMC. There is spice but with the journey these two put you through it out weighs the spice by far.

I cannot wait for book two to see how it all unfolds for Margaux and Timmy.

I received an Advance Readers Copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 - 3 Stars

Volcano of Pain is the first book in the Burn It All Down Duet by Heidi Stark. This promised a dark romantic suspense with a stalker element, secrets, danger, dramatic developments, tension, raw and gritty details, chemistry, sizzle, emotion, and intensity. It comes with 3 pages, yes- 3 PAGES of trigger warnings… so if you have any issues you should read them before diving in. Dark romance is one of my guilty pleasures, and I have read and loved a LOT of them, so when I saw this pop up on social media I couldn’t wait to discover all the dark and suspenseful details that this might hold.
After reading this duet, I can’t say that I felt the ‘romance’ side of the story- to me it read more like a tense psychological drama rather than a dark romance. I also felt that the author was ‘trying too hard’ with all the ‘triggers’ she added in the book/duet. It felt more like she ‘gathered’ all the ingredients that could be used in a ‘dark’ romance- and then decided to throw them all into the mix, and while that could work at times- in this instance, for me, it didn’t. And unfortunately, I felt it was also detrimental to the story, character connection/chemistry, and their development. These issues made it difficult to fully connecting to the characters, as the MMCs were detestable in so many ways, and while I normally love a good antihero or morally gray/black character I didn’t find that here ---- and the FMC just frustrated me to no end.
But that is just my opinion, and looking at some of the other reviews, I seem to be on my own in that department, so if this interests you in any way then you should probably grab a copy and decide for yourself.
Happy Reading…

Thank you, Heidi Stark!

[Anna Hirsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volcano of Pain by Heidi Stark
4 Stars

I’m not even sure where to start. This is NOT a romance book (dark or otherwise). The book is pure abuse. It is very important to read the trigger warnings and there are three pages worth. If you have ever been in an abusive relationship, this is not the book for you. You will relive your nightmare. This book frustrated me on so many levels. The obvious one being that Margaux was abused. Timmy is a forty year old man who most of the time acts like a two year old pulling a tantrum. I was fed up with him ten pages into the book. Margaux was an idiot to put up with his shenanigans even before he got abusive. Timmy is narcissistic and cruel. He is most likely schizophrenic and bipolar and I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a multiple personality disorder. Now I understand that it is difficult for the abused to leave the relationship and I am not trying to insult or offend anyone. When it gets to the point that he tries to kill you, it is time to leave. There is no excuse for staying. It is not an accident.

If I based my rating on my personal feelings, I would give this book maybe a two star. Many times I wanted to toss it aside. I gave it a four star because I realized that for the author to evoke such strong feelings in me, she did her job well. She clearly and precisely wrote what it feels like to be in an abusive relationship. The confusion, the longing, the highs and lows and the fear. That being said, the book could have been shorter because there were many repetitions of his tantrums. We understood that he is a disaster. Do I want to read book 2, no. Will I read it, probably. I’ll be angry throughout but I want to see Timmy get what he deserves.

[Santana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a whirlwind of emotions, both good and bad. Margaux is ready for a change after the end of her long term relationship. She decides to move to Sunset Cay. She meets a hot surfer bro by the name of Timmy online before she moves and they hit it off instantly. Naturally when she gets to Sunset Cay, they decide to meet in person and are inseparable since.

Margaux is so desperate for love and attention that Timmy can do no wrong in her eyes even when the flags are bright red. She keeps making up excuses for him and continues to live with her rose coloured glasses on. There is something dark about Timmy but as time goes on, Margaux becomes more and more trapped by what she thinks she wants instead of seeing what is really going on.

From almost day one, I was screaming at Margaux to steer clear. From the beginning, Timmy seemed off to me but obviously if she listened, that would make for a boring dark romance novel.

Then there’s Dex, Margaux’s older brother’s childhood best friend. Dex took it upon himself to be there for Margaux when her brother was not. Over the years, he started to see her as more than a little sister. She is the forbidden fruit but that doesn’t mean he can’t protect her from afar that he has always done.

This book was dark and deliciously steamy. Margaux went through a lot of trauma and still has a lot of healing to do. She also seems to have very crappy taste in men. The author did an amazing job portraying all kinds of emotions and really delved into Margaux’s inner feelings and thoughts. It was very easy to become the character. My only issue is how long the books are, they are very slow paced and kind of felt like there were a lot of repetitive things and some of the storyline seemed unnecessarily long.