Date Night: A Dark Serial Killer Valentine's Day Romance Novel

by Rae B. Lake

She loves me, She loves me not...She'll love me until her blood runs cold.

There’s something sinister within me. A darkness buried deep, broken and brutal—psychotic.

I thought I could resist. Years have passed since I held one of my dates in my arms, watching their last breath mingle with the moonlight.

She shouldn’t have sought me out. She shouldn’t have dared to ask questions. Now, I’m left with no choice but to claim her as my own.

Starla doesn't belong here. She wasn't supposed to be one of my victims. Yet, fate has twisted the knife, and she may very well become my final masterpiece.

I’ll set the stage. I’ll orchestrate the night.

By the time our date is over, I'll make sure she loves me...to death.

Genres: Dark Romance, Dark, Amazon

354 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 25, 2025

About the author

Rae is a daydreamer, nurse, bookworm, nature enthusiast, wife, momma, animal activist and an optimist. She has lived her entire life in NYC and loves to travel with her family. She believes that sweets should have a larger piece of the nutritional pyramid and that Buffy the Vampire Slayer was one of the best TV shows ever invented. When she is not working as a nurse in her community, she can either be found reading, writing, or taking a walk while listening to music. She has been writing books in her mind for as long as she can remember but decided that maybe there were others out in the world that would find joy in the words she would put down on the page.

Reviews

[cam 🍂 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This needed several additional rounds of editing, but it was a fun, easy read. Was kind of expecting a bit more from the spice though so that was a bit disappointing. Def for the girlies that love Joe Goldberg.

[eithy ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,25 ⭐️!!

[TSayers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun dark romance read. My ONLY complaint is… in trying to read all the details, the chapter titles completely ruined the surprise 🙈

[Carmela Dimattia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my lord! What did I just read? This book was chilling and so very hot at the same time. A dark read that had the hairs on the back of my neck standing to attention because the story was so intense and very intriguing but the intensity just about stole my breath. The twists had me on the edge of my seat but I just loved the characters of Starla and our so very hot serial killer. A very different story to what I thought it would be but it had all the drama, suspense and steam that makes this book such an amazing read. Fabulous!

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely had my attention throughout. It was a cute story but I do wish it had another round of editing done.

[Kristi Lange · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
this definitely could’ve used another round of editing 🥴

i have mixed feelings about this, i love dark romance and obviously what happens in them would never be okay in the real world but i also feel like usually it’s not something that’s likely to happen in the real world, ya know? serial killer is not far fetched and Starla falling for someone that killed 7 woman for no reason is hard to accept..

Starla is working on a documentary on the Date Night Killer and the town is not happy about it, including the sheriff. But Starla has a team of people working with her to tell the victim’s stories.

Soon enough she catches the attention of the Date Night Killer and he thinks that she could be the one to finally accept every part of him. He only visits her at night wearing a mask but it turns out he’s closer to her during the day than she thinks..

-serial killer x filmmaker
-stalker
-boy obsessed
-romantic suspense
-hidden identity/masked man

[Sarah Van · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay so. The story isn’t bad, but author really needs an editor. Errors such as not knowing the difference between “your” and “you’re”… yikes.

[Andra Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay Rae B. Lake! Gurl! You just wrote the darkest of dark romance stories. This serial killer takes prolific to another level. I should be sleeping because a gurl has to work but I had to see if all my hunches were for real and what kind of happily ever after we were going to get out of this one since....well you know the whole serial killer vibe. You turned me into a fricking true detective with this one, with some of the best commentary during sex that I have ever read. I have to say that remark that is about 50% of the way thru the storyline about being an inmate on death row....last meal....hidden.....made me spit out some really good sparkling wine. No worries, I refilled my glass, and was not mad at the waste as the laugh was good and made me wonder if I ever had it that good! Nope. There were a couple of other one liners that made me laugh out loud. And then I fell for the freaking serial killer. These characters are both despicable and lovable and pathetic yet vulnerable, and no I am not advocating becoming a serial killer...but compassion is a thing...right? Okay now I am all morally jacked after reading this story, but in a good way, I think. Yes, you will figure out who's who, but the game is, who else will figure it out, and who will live to tell the tale.

This book is beyond a page-turner with so much dark twisted drama, action, suspense, a titch of horror, steamy very dark romance, a little humor, surface level redemption but homie is still dark as the Milky Way's biggest black hole, and probably with the same effect. I digress. You will either absolutely love this story or think it is the most depraved book you have ever read. I love it.....sooooo....does that make me depraved?!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Booksprout for an ARC for this review. --- 3.5/5

Who doesn’t love a dark romance featuring a masked serial killer? I was drawn to the premise of this book, but I found it to be a slow burn. At times, I struggled to stay engaged with the documentary storyline, especially since we weren’t given much information to move it forward. I wanted more details about the killer and the victims to pull me deeper into the world, especially in the beginning.

However, once the story picked up, it escalated quickly. Starla is determined to make a documentary about the infamous Date Night Killer, a prolific murderer who suddenly stopped killing in a small town. Alongside some underdeveloped characters, she becomes the target of an obsessed masked man—someone much closer to her than she realizes.

Once I got through the slower first third, the story turned into a real page-turner. I found myself constantly guessing who the killer could be, and I loved the shocking reveal and the shift in the characters' relationship dynamics. My review stalls at a 3.5, however, as I needed a bit more build-up at the start to keep me pushing through. I'm really glad I stuck with it until the end!

[Dawnmarie Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a deliciously dark, gothic, holiday, slow-burn, stalker romance full of unexpected twists and turns that keep you turning the pages to see what's going to happen next. When the FMC Starla decides to do a documentary on the serial killer who hasn't been caught and has stopped his activities known as the Date Night Killer. The townspeople aren't too happy that Starla and her team are dredging up bad memories for everyone. Everyone except for the killer who's attention Starla has managed to capture and her life will never be the same. I don't want to say anymore and ruin it for anyone else with spoilers. You really need to read this deliciously dark, gothic, holiday, slow-burn, stalker romance full of unexpected twists and turns to see what happens. I would recommend reading this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Grinning Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because of spoilers, I can’t do my usual characters/triggers/tropes breakdown because I can’t even tell you the name of the MMC without it being a spoiler.
I can tell you that the FMC is named Starla, and she is making a documentary on the Date Night Killer, and that along the way, she picks up a killer stalker.
I loved the atmosphere of this book, sort of Modern Gothic. And having a MMC who is four pounds of crazy in a three-pound bag is always fun. He’s a Safe Stalker type, which when done right, can be delicious. Lake certainly does it right in this book. Obsessive love, danger, mystery… this book has got it in spades, which makes for a page-turning read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Samantha Millican · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this story! Dark holiday romance with some crazy twists, yes, please!
Having read Vicious Vows back in December, I couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to read this. So glad I did. Lake has sealed herself as being an author I will continue to read. The characters she creates are exciting and dangerous, they sink their hooks into your soul! I was trying to guess who the mysterious Date Night unaliver, with all the little morsels left throughout, I was still surprised when I found out. Loved that twist!!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A newish author for me. I wasn’t sure about this one as I’m not usually into serial killer dark romances but this story is compelling. This story stars Starla and a mystery man. She’s doing a documentary on a serial killer that has not been caught and has gone dormant. The town is reluctant to bring any of it back up. The bad memories are not yet healed and yet, Starla and her team is working on it. Things change very quickly when she catches he’s the mystery man. The story started a bit slow but picked up and grabbed me and I was compelled to keep reading.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lisa Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starla interest is peaked in a serial killer that was never caught but seems to have stopped going after victims. She decides to do a documentary on the man known as the Date Night Killer. Most of the town just wants to leave the bad memories behind them and her expose is just stirring up everything all over again.

Things take a dark turn when she catches the attention of the man her story is about. This stalker romance may be triggering for some but others of the genre will probably find it page turning, and very steamy.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a quick read, i definitely enjoyed it. There were a few spelling errors in the book, but it didn’t ruin my reading experience. Unfortunately i was spoiled who the killer was before i started reading when i clicked back on my kindle to read the dedication and clicked past the contents which have the character names next to the chapters. I knew going into this book that it was short, but i think there was potential for this to be a bigger book, with more background story. I do think this is a great book despite all of that, i like the story, the vibe, the characters. Will probably read other books by this author in the near future.

[Danee · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great story full of emotions and enough tension and dark touch, and a Date Night Killer, where you normally have to be afraid of that is not our fmc. The way the author has written this story keeps your attention from the first page. With the action many twists and turns that I sometimes did not see coming and the steam and desires, this story is really recommended to read if you like dark stories.






I received an Advance Reader copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Priscilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starla is making a documentary on the Date Night Killer and it has caused an uproar with the town of where it happened. Then she starts getting clues that the Dare Night Killer is a lot closer than she had expected. It is dark so check the TW list. It is interesting on how their relationship develops and it was a good surprise when his identity was revealed. It was more of a 3.5 stars for me.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starla is doing a documentary on a serial killer that has not been caught and has gone dormant. Her team is working in town and the people there don't want them bringing up the bad memories. She catches the attention of the serial killer and he begins stalking her and when he makes himself known, she is open to him. This is a slow burn, stalker romance, heed the TW's and be prepared for some twists.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Çağla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aslında kitap gayet güzel gidiyordu ve çok akıcıydı, merak ettiriyordu. Sonunda ne olacağını nasıl biteceğini çok merak ediyordum ama o son ne? 9 Bölümden oluşuyor ve 9. Bölüm bittiğinde sanki devamı var ama birisi silmiş gibi bitmesi beni çok sinir etti. Yani bu Tek kitap olamaz herhalde böyle bir sonla? Sırf bu yüzden iki puan kırdım.

[Jenni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starla finds herself in the signs of the date night k*ller, but she doesnt fear him like she should, he's drawn to her, but so is another, or is there? Well written the story holds you with suspense, desires, dark themes, action, twists and more.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Bren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast-paced and dangerous w/ jaw dropping twists a page turner for sure. I couldn't for the life of me figure out who the killer was even w/ the clues that were dropped here and there, but the suspense kept me trying. I've read a lot of Ms. Lake's books and loved them, but this one here held me captive from beginning to end.

[Merry Jelks-Emmanuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This dark sinister story had me all caught up in the characters. It grabs you from the first page and I felt like a detective trying to solve just who is really the killer. It is a thrilling suspense with twists and turns that holds you hostage and made this an excellent book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Phyllis Wolford · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a dark and interesting book. The characters are doing a documentary on a serial killer, and the female doesn’t know that her friend is the serial killer. Together they figure out what makes him tick and they fall for each other, even with their faults and deepest secrets.
This gives the towns people a chance to heal from the trauma of their young women going missing then being killed.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I agree with what other reviews have stated about the editing. That is my main complaint.

Otherwise it was a very easy read. I did figure out the killer along with the other plot twist but books like this are my main reading material.

If the editing were to get fixed this would be a five star read for me. I just can't handle the spelling errors along with the other errors I spotted.

[Tracy Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the perfect dark twisted tale. This author is perfect at these kind of stories and this is another one. You shouldn’t want certain things to happen during the story but since the characters are so amazing you can’t help it. Perfect.

[Kim Hammork · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh wow! I was not expecting all of the twists and turns in this book. Well written, I honestly didn’t know who the bad guy was. Good job.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[S I · Rating 4 out of 5]

Date Night by Rae B Lake
This was very entertaining and wildly gripping. I loved the chemistry between the characters. I was totally hooked.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sarah DeLong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This deliciously dark, serial killer romance is full of suspense and thrills. I loved this quick read that had me playing detective, guessing just who the serial killer was as well as getting a stalker of my own!

[Darkangel Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is most definitely a dark !over story. The characters are perfect and work well together and the plot is easy to follow and understand. I could not stop reading til the end.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Joy Boutwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book but starts off very slow to the point it is boring. The killer was easy to figure out. The ending picks up and gets interesting, but it needed an Epilogue to help close out the story.