ERICA Getting kidnapped saved my life… and I might just be falling for my captor.
When I hit rock bottom, I decide to end it all, but during my last night I have a single wish: One fleeting moment of pleasure with a handsome stranger.
No names. No feelings. Just sex.
I get my wish when I meet the charming Dr. Morrow, but I pay a price worse than death.
Captivity awaits me, invisible chains binding me to a beautiful monster. It’s a contract with the devil, written in my blood and tears, yet the longer I stare into the bottomless abyss of Cain’s soul, the more I yearn for his brutal shadows.
Can I truly love a man who is addicted to my pain?
CAIN I’ve never been in love.
My heart only races when blood flows beneath my scalpel and my victim’s last breath rattles in their chest. It’s pure euphoria.
But when I see her for the first time, my pulse pounds and electricity runs beneath my skin. I want to rip every shred of purity from her soul, excise every scrap of virtue from her flesh like a tumor, and bathe her in my crimson shadows. I think I want to kill her.
I’m wrong.
From the very beginning, all I really crave is to love her, but I’m a cruel, violent man and I don’t ask for permission. I simply take what I desire.
Erica belongs to me, dead or alive, and I’ll never let her go. I’ll do anything to keep my little dove in her cage.
"Nobody except me gets away with hurting my little dove."
I devoured this book like it was my last meal. For a romance this dark and twisted, I squealed, kicked my feet, and grinned like an absolute menace far more than I should admit. Dr. Cain Morrow? That man knows exactly what to say to make you forget every red flag in sight.
And the writing... damn. The fact that this is a debut novel? Unbelievable. The prose was so immersive I practically hallucinated my way through it. No plot holes, no awkward pacing, just seamless flow, incredible tension, and character development that had me swooning.
Before diving in, check the trigger warnings. But if you're like me and treat those like a shopping list, you're in for an obsessively unhinged treat.
The MMC is darkness wrapped in devotion, absolutely twisted beyond reason, but still bound to his own moral code. That is... until he sees the FMC. Then morality ceases to exist. Whether she wants him to or not, he will take care of her.
3.75⭐️ I really liked this book, I think it’s PERFECT for dark romance girlies, there was a bit of an insta love factor in a dark romance way lol and that is not my favorite trope, but I still enjoyed this book and all its unhingedness, and the spice was great. Overall really liked it and would def say if you love dark romance with an unhinged mmc this is def for you, oh and also the crazy unhinged mmc is kinda a golden retriever, if such a man can be both 🤣
Thank you to the author who allowed me to have an arc copy early. My first arc I ever applied for, thank you! I absolutely absolutely loved this book! I couldn’t put it down, literally at all. I loved the storyline, the middle and the ending. It was phenomenal. 100% highly recommended!!!!! Most honest 10/10 rating of all. Can’t wait to read more books from I.M. Wraith!
The hero was definitely the highlight for me — a total golden retriever psychopath. Unhinged, obsessive, dangerously sweet, and completely devoted in the most twisted way. He was that perfect mix of soft when it came to her and absolutely ruthless when it came to everyone else. Honestly, I ate up every scene he was in.
The heroine though..I just couldn’t click with her personality. She didn’t feel layered enough, and most of her choices or reactions left me frustrated. I kept waiting for more depth or growth, but she stayed kind of flat for me.
Overall, it was a fun, smutty dark romance with an addictive hero, but the heroine held it back from being a full hit. The smut? Top-tier. 🔥 The spice absolutely delivered and kept me hooked through the entire book.
While Erica may not be described as a dark romance girlie, she sure reacts to be kidnapped by a serial killer like one. Absolutely loved it. It's highly entertaining and super spicy. Make sure to pay attention to the trigger warnings. I finished this in one sitting (I may or may not have stayed up until 1:30am). Length is great for a road trip book or a nice night in.
Crazy - but do good in a twisted way. The triggers are real, but it’s like a really good psychological thriller mixed with serial killer … Bonnie & Clyde … if you like your serial killers to love someone … read it … you’ll BLOODY love it.
Thank you so much to the author for gifting me an ARC in return for an honest review.
This is the darkest romance I've delved into, and it was DARK. (As in I had to take several breaks just to let my brain calm TF down.) Think Harley Quinn origin story, only darker, or humanizing and empathizing with Ted Bundy as one of his victims. All of the red flags are there - all of the toxicity well on display, and it's all very clearly stated as toxic and red flagged. There are elements in this novel that are so incredibly dark that readers are HEAVILY cautioned if they have any trigger sensitivities AT ALL, including, but not limited to: non-consensual touching/SA, possessiveness, forced drugging, and degradation.
Are the FMC and MMC morally grey? Absolutely not. Pitch black. A serial killer meets a girl down on her life luck and learns to yearn and love for the first time. A girl who has lived by the rules all along and finally giving up on life is kidnapped, threatened, and forced to live by the man who threatens to kill her.
Through the entire book, I sincerely couldn't decide if I wanted love to triumph or the girl's self-love to manifest and get her out of there.
The story and the development of the characters were great (even if they are both severely fucked up). Being this author's debut novel, I'm excited to see her prose expand to match her vivid and creative imagination. Some of the writing felt a little choppy, and some of the backstory felt more like a forced exposition rather than an organic part of the story, but neither criticism makes this novel unreadable; they are simply starting points to make the next novel (and I sincerely hope there will be a next novel!) even better.
For rating, I've been waffling around a 3.5. Considering this is an independent author's debut novel, I'm giving it a solid 4 as it's well done and a great starting point for the future.
ARC REVIEW: First things first, you better hope you have nothing important planned before you pick up this book, because you won’t be able to put it down once you start. The only reason I stopped reading was because I had to drive the kids home from school and make dinner. Secondly, I just can’t seem to add Cain to the always growing list of book boyfriends … because he jumped the line and went straight for book husband status (currently the only one, not even Zade made that cut so let that sink in shall we?).
The story captivates you as quick and effortlessly as Cain captures Erica. The character and story development for both of them is heartwarming and romantic in a way you wouldn’t expect based on the beginning of their journey together. And the song “RUNRUNRUN” by Dutch Melrose played through my head more than a few times while reading this — something about the lyrics just totally encompassed the vibes for Cain and Erica.
I am so beyond thankful for the opportunity to read Cry, Little Dove and I cannot wait to support I.M. Wraith in their future endeavours 🩶
I’ll eat your pu$$y as my last meal if they put me on death row.”Cain
Title: Cry, little Dove Author: I.M. Wraith Release date: 20th March 2025 Debut Novel, A Captor/Captive Dark Romance! Not suitable for under 18 years of age! Please check trigger warnings! Duel POV
I was lucky enough to accept an ARC of Cry, Little Dove, in exchange for my honest Review :-) This arc! So f*cking good. Dark, unhinged , the trigger warnings ! Um helloooo 👌😜😍🔥🫣🌶 🌶🌶🌶⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
CRY, LITTE DOVE - IT’S FOR THE DARK ROMANCE READERS WHO LOVE
Erica is broke, after her ex took all her savings and she has lost everything including the will to survive! . She wants one last night! We Introduce you to Cain! A man who she spends a night with and this One night stand takes a sudden turn.
“I’m a mute prisoner in my paralyzed body.”-Erica
The 1st chapter, holly Sh*t, jumps straight into it! This Dives in with Cains POV, And my gosh 🫣I cant say much but Hell to the bloody Yes! This was so good! What a start! Cain is something else ,He is more on the darker side of grey! Um Yes please you say, well read the book!!
“I’ll track you down to the end of the world if I have to, but you’ll never get away from me. I’ll find you anywhere, from Texas to the depths of hell”
This read had me seated! The darkness and spice in this was so intense it. I cant say to much without giving it away! But I devoured it within a day !
They may come from vastly different backgrounds, but these two become a match made in what would you say …. Hell, heaven Nar, a match made into a darkness they thrive in!
“She’s the only one who can break me.”
That end! This is a HEA and I will be buying when this is released. Will be keen to read more from this Author
Cry, Little Dove is a pitch-black romance following our down on our luck FMC, Erica, who engages in a ONS with hot not-a-cowboy Dr Cain. Morrow. Cain kidnaps Erica planning to harvest her organs but can't go through with hurting his 'little Dove'.
This book is DARK and the spice scenes were 'chef's kiss'. Dr Cain Morrow was EVERYTHING and utterly obsessed with his Little Dove. He takes morally grey to the next level and doesn't care who he hurts if it means he can keep Erica in his life. The man forges her medical records to reduce her credibility if she does try and turn him in - big oooof.
I received an ARC of this for my honest thoughts and I am so grateful to the author. I absolutely LOVED IT.
Ok... I will openly admit that when sounding happened so early in the book, I wasn't sure how I would end up liking it. (BC that's just my personal no, not because it's wrong for someone else to enjoy it). However - I quickly fell into the dark hole of their journey and enjoyed every bloody minute of it. I'm an ER nurse that enjoys dark, taboo books, and this checked every single box. I cannot wait to read more from this author!
Please check the TW pages. Please be aware he is morally black, and she is the Harley Quinn to his Joker. But if you enjoy a fast-paced, bloody good story with your own dark fantasies, this is the book you don't want to miss.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I highly recommend paying attention to the content warnings, but honestly, for my first foray into dark fantasy, it was cool to see how the adjectives and the writing different when we were in Cain’s perspective vs Erica’s. Definitely a twisted read, not necessarily the most…physically accurate, but fun
My first arc book! I absolutely loved this book and devoured it in under a couple hours. Dr. Cain Morrow, what a man. The book has a great flow to it, amazing attention to detail and really moves along. This is definitely a dark romance not just gray, dark. But to anyone who looks at a trigger list and goes ooo, fun. This book is for you! 👏👏👏 thank you to the amazing author! Please give me another 😂
Absolutely frickin’ nothing, because nothing I say will do this review the justice it deserves— & isn’t that just damn annoying?
All the stars. Honestly, just take them all!
What even was that? Two full pages of trigger warnings tickled me intrigued— but, then the book… Oh dear god, the book!!
I don’t know how it was done, nor how it was achieved so brilliantly, though there’s a beautiful love story wrapped up in the chaos and carnage of these pages & it’s destroyed me— it built me back up again, but I was leveled all the same, & in the very best of ways.
Love lost, love found… discovery, acceptance… revenge whilst wrist deep in someone’s chest cavity— yeah, damn well delicious is what this was.
I.M. Wraith is almost magical, with how she took a twisted monster of a character who I had practically pegged as irredeemable, & made me feel and fall in love with him!! Christ, I need Dr. Phil or something… this book was dark… there was so much dark!… hmm, I actually wonder if a priest would be better suited for my current predicament? I don’t think Dr. Phil can fix this— these thoughts, ya know? Yeah, these thoughts are sending me straight to hell, but I’ll be taking the bus… God knows there will be a few of you on the way, because I’m know you all liked it too— don’t even pretend! You’re fooling no one!
This book was a delectable play on light vs dark. The characters were complex, and so bloody relatable that it’s impossible not to become fully immersed in them and the unfolding story — I was hooked!
FMC- Erica is so real, raw and relatable & MMC, Dr. Cain— Godlike… plays god too, holding life and death in his hands and all that.
Anyway— rambling.
Just read it— heed the trigger warnings (seriously, the author ain’t putting them there for giggles and sh*ts)
PS: Fun fact— Cry, little Dove is I.M. Wraiths debut novel! Yet, this book oozes seasoned professional, & I really hope it’s just the beginning, because I need MORE!
- Well, me having nothing to say sure did end prematurely.
Personally for me, the biggest eye catcher personally was the southern villainous character! Absolutely sign me up! A bit of southern characteristics for an MMC who absolutely displays a black soul who would absolutely do anything and I say anything for the ones he cares about.
If triggers aren't your thing then cautiously open this book because it is loaded with them and honors any and all it lists. This definitely isn't for the faint of heart, but if you like your characters deliciously dark and pushes you to your outermost boundaries then you will absolutely fall for Cain.
Cain is probably both the worst, but also the best thing for Erica she could find, so if you're like me you'll find yourself falling for the MMC. If you find yourself loving Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton or No One has to Know by Carin Hart then this book is for you as it does seem a bit tinged darker than those. But if you're looking for a quick burn, stalker, obsessed man, a mile long trigger warning list book then you're at the right spot.
This author's writing was amazing and I hope to see her release more! I hope maybe we'll see a bit more of a cowboy dark romance because call me weak, but even so I could see this author releasing a lot of hooking books in the future!
A banger of a debut by I.M. Wraith. Captor/Captive dark romance and there truly wasn’t a dull moment in this story.
Erica is at the end of her rope. Life is bland, failure after failure, with one last hurrah before she bids adieu. But first..BBQ chips. HELLOOOO Dr. Morrow….He’s the tight pants, southern drawl, down-home cowboy philanthropist who has some DARK hobbies. Little did Erica know, she’s suddenly become one of Cain’s prime obsessions, and soon finds out they’re not as different as they seem.
The longing for acceptance and feeling of “home” is what drew these characters together so quickly. We see trust issues from Erica and a Jekyll/Hyde persona from Cain, but both of their needs for unconditional love seem quick to bloom—albeit their reservations and doubts. Stellar character development and I hope to see a continuance of Erica & Cain. Well done.
I read this book to discover what the fourth hole was, and I feel like the Holy Bible is the only thing able to erase this from my memory. I read it with Emily, and this book was a wtf, from the numerous trigger warnings, terribly cliché jabs, or cringe nicknames, it also made me cackle like I rarely do when I read a book. Cain needs to be put down honestly. Erica? The asylum and maybe learn how to masturbate. But together they were funny, the book wasn't badly written, but I kept imagining Cain with a funeral hat. I honestly don't know if I hated it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
“Villains do it better than the heroes” Hot Dexter meets Crazy Cowboy meets Devoted Philanthropist. What a rollercoaster this book was! Cain is possessive, morally black, unhinged, and sexy as hell. Erica is a stunning woman with dark, unspoken desires, who needed the right man to reveal the truth of who she was meant to be.
Check your TW. I couldn’t put it down. So addictive.
Amazing book so happy to have gotten the chance to have an ARC copy! I will 100% recommend this to any of my dark romance girlies! This book was so incredibly hot and it is definitely going to be a read again type of book! There were parts that jumped and created a little bit of confusion but I will still read again!
Twisted, depraved, and unhinged. You want a true dark erotic romance… here she be folks!
I loved everything about this book - the pacing, the darkness, the characters, the spice. All of it is amazing.
My one critique is the cover. It could use some work in my opinion. If I hadn’t seen a blurb and quote from another person, I would have passed by this one because covers do matter to me. Everything else was perfection.
Hehehe well well i might need one Dr. Cain morrow for myself 🤣 loook this is a dark romance, and if youre a dark romance reader this one is for you, i like every bit of it and damn i fall for them too <3
This book had me in a chokehold for an entire afternoon, I binge read it and ignored life. If you like the possessiveness of Zade in Haunting Adeline and his use of weapons (iykyk), read this. The stalking and rom commy feel but make it darker from Lights out? Read this. The banter and gore from Butcher & Blackbird? Read this!
If you take all the best parts of Rip from Yellowstone, Dexter, and Joe Goldberg from You but give them a massive bank account, a medical license, and a pitch black moral compass… you have our 37 year old MMC Cain. He’s obsessive, stabby, sexy, and funny. He falls first and knows he has to make Erica his. His southern drawl was delicious too. PLEASE CALL ME DARLIN Dr. Morrow. I’ll beg!
Erica is 7 years younger, has had a hard past, and is struggling to find her way in the world after an ex left her with nothing. She wants to check a few more things off her bucket list and have one final night with a stranger before she throws in the towel and gives up.
This story was awesome. Cain!!! The way I would crawl to that man and call him sir. I loved the captor captive dynamic in this book. I loved the banter, I loved how we got to see the true Cain and not just the persona he has to show the world. The spice was spicing! And the development between the two of them through the middle of the book was so beautifully written.
Mandy, Cain’s sister, was an awesome supporting character. I loved her relationship with both Cain and Erica.
My three favorite things are touch her and die, weapons play, and pet names. So check check and check.
This book has so quickly entered my top 5 favorite book list and I will definitely be recommending it to anyone who will listen. It’s got everything a dark romance book should have plus more. Idk if it’s a dark romance or a pitch black romcom because the dialogue was so well done and it was genuinely fun to read; it’s truly a genre all its own. I annotated so many things!!
There’s a ton of triggers so if you tend to read lighter books, take heed. I don’t have any triggers and my southern heart was obsessed with Cain. As my nan would say “well butter my biscuit he’s a tall glass of sweet tea”.
~ARC REVIEW~ I’m begging you, for anyone who is thinking about reading this, PLEASE check your trigger warnings, this book is not for everyone. If you don’t love dark romance, and when I say dark I mean pitch-fucking-black, do not read this book. ‼️‼️
Now, …. I honestly think I need to check myself into a mental hospital after reading this. Or I might have to bathe in a tub of holy water for a week. This was … an experience to say the least.
The fact that this is a debut novel is insane, the writing is so good and the story flows in a way that makes you not want to put it down. There were no plot holes, no questions left unanswered. I loved that it was so fast paced and the story ended at exactly the right time. I would’ve liked to see more of Erica’s background story and why she might be the way she is, but either way, it was nicely wrapped for both characters.
For anyone who thinks Zade Meadows was shameless, depraved, mentally unstable and utterly insane? Yeah, you don’t wanna meet ✨Dr. Cain Morrow✨
This book has easily become one of my favorite books ever. I will be thinking of Cain and Erica all the time now. He’s a schmexy cowboy serial deleter and she’s a broken woman who plans to end it all.
Is this book dark, yes. Is this book twisted, yes. Will the book make you question yourself, absolutely. Will it have you wanting your own Dr. Morrow, without a doubt!
Erica (FMC) is kidnapped by Cain (MMC) and he plans to kill her but those plans quickly change and now he’s determined to make her stay. Will he be able to? Can he make her see the darkness that’s lurking underneath?
Please do yourself a favor and pick this book up, read this book, and become obsessed with this book just like I have. I promise you won’t regret reading this book. PLEASE check your trigger warnings as this book will not be for everyone!
I’m going to leave you with one of my favorite quotes from the book, “From the moment we met, Cain recognized the seeds of darkness buried deep inside my heart, and he tended to them with patience until they bloomed. I can see the world in its vibrant radiance now because of him. Because he grew a beautiful garden of sin inside my chest, and I am filled with its colors. His colors.”
Cry, Little Dove is a dark romance story, and is the authors debut and I can't wait to read more from them. Definitely check triggers before diving in, but I'll tell you it's worth it for sure! I could not put it down it had me hooked from the get-go.
- tattooed fmc and mmc - Captor/ captive - Stockholm syndrome - serial killer - somno Etc.
The story follows Erica, broke, down on her luck after her ex-boyfriend stole all her savings, she was planning on one last night before ending it all. She meets Cain, who had broken into her room upon seeing her, a killer on the way to his next target where he is captivated by her, at first he seems like the perfect gentleman until he's not.
I absolutely loved both the fmc and mmc. The relationship is so toxic but ends on a hea which is needed. They both develop greatly throughout the story!
Definitely recommend this book, and I hope there's more coming.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
First thing I’m going to say is PAY ATTENTION to the trigger warnings!! Personally I wasn’t bothered by anything that occurred in this book but I am very much aware that a lot of people would be upset by it. This book is long enough that I thought it would take me a week to read it. But nope lol it only took two days because I couldn’t put it down. This book is this author’s debut novel and I am so impressed by this book. It’s so well written and flows seamlessly from one scene to the next. If I hadn’t known this was her debut novel I would have thought she’d been writing for years. The characters are well rounded and you feel like they’re actual people as opposed to words on a page. I can’t say enough good things about this book but I’m going to stop here so this review isn’t five pages long. Spice level is a 5/5.
“They’re like tiny galaxies in between crimson constellations scattered over your skin. And I’m the God shaping your universe of pleasure and pain, one gentle strike and one careful slice at a time.”
Swoon worthy! Medium spicy but tastefully so! (Make sure to check the tw) But know the story this author tells is so so worth the read, I can’t wait to read it again already!
If you’re looking for a bad guy who is so easy to love then look no further! This MMC checks all the boxes; morally so dark, passionate, possessive, oh and the accent? To die for! Wink wink. The journey that both the main MC and FC go on as they learn more about each other and themselves is so well written and explored. I cannot wait to read more that gets published by I.M. Wraith!!