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Dark #1
Dark Dare
When my opportunity arises to enact revenge against the nightmare that took my best friend and everything I loved from me, you bet I take it. Consequences be damned.
Fire will rain down on my new stepbrother and his two best friends. They can't escape the fallout of my rage; it's intertwined like poison, destroying everything it touches. They thought I’d be an easy target to break. That they’d bring me to my knees like all the girls who came before me. They have no idea what I’m capable of. They aren't the only psychos roaming around Soule University.
Mayhem thinks they control everyone, but the sun's about to go down on their reign.
They have secrets that could destroy them, and I mean to use them. Those with all the power and privilege have the most to lose. I'm going to make sure they lose it all before I'm done.
The wolves are closing in on me, but where 𝑪𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔, 𝑹𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑫𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒏 thought they'd feast on easy prey, I have a surprise for them.
My name is 𝓞𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓢𝓹𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓱𝓲𝓵𝓵, and I'm not afraid of Mayhem.
Dark Dare is a dark stepbrother, college, bully, enemies to lovers why choose romance with a MMA twist. This is the first book in the series and will end on a cliffhanger.
Fire will rain down on my new stepbrother and his two best friends. They can't escape the fallout of my rage; it's intertwined like poison, destroying everything it touches. They thought I’d be an easy target to break. That they’d bring me to my knees like all the girls who came before me. They have no idea what I’m capable of. They aren't the only psychos roaming around Soule University.
Mayhem thinks they control everyone, but the sun's about to go down on their reign.
They have secrets that could destroy them, and I mean to use them. Those with all the power and privilege have the most to lose. I'm going to make sure they lose it all before I'm done.
The wolves are closing in on me, but where 𝑪𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔, 𝑹𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑫𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒏 thought they'd feast on easy prey, I have a surprise for them.
My name is 𝓞𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓢𝓹𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓱𝓲𝓵𝓵, and I'm not afraid of Mayhem.
Dark Dare is a dark stepbrother, college, bully, enemies to lovers why choose romance with a MMA twist. This is the first book in the series and will end on a cliffhanger.
- GenresWhy Choose
402 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 22, 2026
26 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
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January 15, 2026
⛥ 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐲 ⛥
𝘙𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘑𝘢𝘯 22𝘯𝘥
"ɪᴛ's ᴛʀᴜᴇ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇʏ sᴀʏ: ᴡʜᴇɴ sᴇᴇᴋɪɴɢ ʀᴇᴠᴇɴɢᴇ, ᴅɪɢ ᴛᴡᴏ ɢʀᴀᴠᴇs."
"𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆'𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒇𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒖𝒏, 𝒖𝒏𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔. 𝒀𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒘."
"𝗢𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻, 𝘁𝘄𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝗽𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱. 𝗜𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀; 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻."
ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛ
🩷 ᴅᴀʀᴋ ᴄᴏʟʟᴇɢᴇ ʙᴜʟʟʏ
🩸 sᴛᴇᴘʙʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀ
🩷ᴍᴀsᴋᴇᴅ ᴍᴇɴ
🩸 sᴛʀᴏɴɢ ғᴍᴄ
🩷 ʀᴇᴠᴇɴɢᴇ/ᴠᴇɴɢᴇᴀɴᴄᴇ
🩸 ᴍᴍᴀ
🩷 ᴘʀɪᴍᴀʟ ᴘʟᴀʏ
🩸 sᴇᴄʀᴇᴛs, ʟɪᴇs & ᴍʏsᴛᴇʀʏ
🩷 ᴡʜʏ ᴄʜᴏᴏsᴇ ᴍᴍᴍғᴍ
🩸 ᴇɴᴇᴍɪᴇs ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴠᴇʀs
“ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ ɪs ᴡᴀɪᴛɪɴɢ ᴀʜᴇᴀᴅ ᴏғ ᴍᴇ; ɪᴛ's ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴍʏ ᴇᴀʀ, sᴀᴠᴏʀɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀsᴇ.
"𝚈𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚊 𝚕𝚘𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚏𝚞𝚗. 𝚆𝚎𝚕𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎, 𝚜𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛."
5✨
MY JAW IS ON THE GROUND. first of all, i need the next book like air because THIS CLIFFHANGER IS NO JOKE. Dark Dare had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. like i couldn’t put it down or look away. i kept checking the percentage because i didn’t know how it was going to end. and oh man it did not disappoint. i did not see that plot twist coming. not by a LONG shot. There were moments i hated the boys and then the next moment i loved them. they were little shits and then i just wanted to hug them the next minute. Olly is FIERCE. she takes ZERO of their shit and reigns hell on them right back… i’m so ready, yet full of anxiety to see what comes next because DAMNT i’m still processing that plot twist. i 10000% recommend this book to anyone and everyone. thank you so much for this ARC. i loved it.
𝘙𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘑𝘢𝘯 22𝘯𝘥
"ɪᴛ's ᴛʀᴜᴇ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇʏ sᴀʏ: ᴡʜᴇɴ sᴇᴇᴋɪɴɢ ʀᴇᴠᴇɴɢᴇ, ᴅɪɢ ᴛᴡᴏ ɢʀᴀᴠᴇs."
"𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆'𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒇𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒖𝒏, 𝒖𝒏𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔. 𝒀𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒘."
"𝗢𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻, 𝘁𝘄𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝗽𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱. 𝗜𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀; 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻."
ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛ
🩷 ᴅᴀʀᴋ ᴄᴏʟʟᴇɢᴇ ʙᴜʟʟʏ
🩸 sᴛᴇᴘʙʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀ
🩷ᴍᴀsᴋᴇᴅ ᴍᴇɴ
🩸 sᴛʀᴏɴɢ ғᴍᴄ
🩷 ʀᴇᴠᴇɴɢᴇ/ᴠᴇɴɢᴇᴀɴᴄᴇ
🩸 ᴍᴍᴀ
🩷 ᴘʀɪᴍᴀʟ ᴘʟᴀʏ
🩸 sᴇᴄʀᴇᴛs, ʟɪᴇs & ᴍʏsᴛᴇʀʏ
🩷 ᴡʜʏ ᴄʜᴏᴏsᴇ ᴍᴍᴍғᴍ
🩸 ᴇɴᴇᴍɪᴇs ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴠᴇʀs
“ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ ɪs ᴡᴀɪᴛɪɴɢ ᴀʜᴇᴀᴅ ᴏғ ᴍᴇ; ɪᴛ's ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴍʏ ᴇᴀʀ, sᴀᴠᴏʀɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀsᴇ.
"𝚈𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚊 𝚕𝚘𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚏𝚞𝚗. 𝚆𝚎𝚕𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎, 𝚜𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛."
5✨
MY JAW IS ON THE GROUND. first of all, i need the next book like air because THIS CLIFFHANGER IS NO JOKE. Dark Dare had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. like i couldn’t put it down or look away. i kept checking the percentage because i didn’t know how it was going to end. and oh man it did not disappoint. i did not see that plot twist coming. not by a LONG shot. There were moments i hated the boys and then the next moment i loved them. they were little shits and then i just wanted to hug them the next minute. Olly is FIERCE. she takes ZERO of their shit and reigns hell on them right back… i’m so ready, yet full of anxiety to see what comes next because DAMNT i’m still processing that plot twist. i 10000% recommend this book to anyone and everyone. thank you so much for this ARC. i loved it.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Dark Dare had me on the edge of my seat the whole book. I could not put this book down even if I tried I was hooked and held in a chokehold.
I literally didn't see the plot twist coming.
I hated the boys in one breath and loved them in the next, they had 3 different personalitys and each made me swoon seperately
I loved sim he was my favourite he was protective and possessive instantly... He can call me lavender 😍😍
This book is a dark romance story with intense feelings and drama. The mood is dark which fits well with the book.
Please check your triggers as covers alot of topics
I loved the characters and plot throughout the book
This book has some spice but the spice it did have was hot hot.
I went into the book knowing it ended on a cliffhanger but I certainly wasn't prepared for the ending
I need book 2 pretty please now.
Thankyou for allowing me to be an arc reader for this amazing book
This is my honest review
I literally didn't see the plot twist coming.
I hated the boys in one breath and loved them in the next, they had 3 different personalitys and each made me swoon seperately
I loved sim he was my favourite he was protective and possessive instantly... He can call me lavender 😍😍
This book is a dark romance story with intense feelings and drama. The mood is dark which fits well with the book.
Please check your triggers as covers alot of topics
I loved the characters and plot throughout the book
This book has some spice but the spice it did have was hot hot.
I went into the book knowing it ended on a cliffhanger but I certainly wasn't prepared for the ending
I need book 2 pretty please now.
Thankyou for allowing me to be an arc reader for this amazing book
This is my honest review
Review of advance copy received from Autor
Review of advance copy received from the Author
5 ⭐️
#Stepbrother #Touch Her & Unalive
#Primal #MFMMM
#Bully #Forced Proximity
The first thing I have to say about this book is that it’s a 10-star Why Choose.
I absolutely loved it from beginning to end. It’s incredible.
I strongly recommend reading the trigger warnings and keeping in mind that this is not a book for everyone, as it doesn’t feature conventional, soft-hearted protagonists, they are twisted, brutal and dangerous. This is an enemies-to-lovers story filled with bullying, revenge, psychopaths, a lot of spice, and a strong female main character.
It ends on a cligghanger (🥲 can't wait for book 2)
5 ⭐️
#Stepbrother #Touch Her & Unalive
#Primal #MFMMM
#Bully #Forced Proximity
The first thing I have to say about this book is that it’s a 10-star Why Choose.
I absolutely loved it from beginning to end. It’s incredible.
I strongly recommend reading the trigger warnings and keeping in mind that this is not a book for everyone, as it doesn’t feature conventional, soft-hearted protagonists, they are twisted, brutal and dangerous. This is an enemies-to-lovers story filled with bullying, revenge, psychopaths, a lot of spice, and a strong female main character.
It ends on a cligghanger (🥲 can't wait for book 2)
Review of advance copy received from Author
When Olivia’s opportunity arises to enact revenge against the nightmare that took her best friend and everything, she loved from her, you bet she takes it. Consequences be damned.
Fire will rain down on her new stepbrother and his two best friends. They can't escape the fallout of her rage; it's intertwined like poison, destroying everything it touches. They thought she’d be an easy target to break. That they’d bring her to her knees like all the girls who came before her. They have no idea what she’s capable of. They aren't the only psychos roaming around Soule University.
Mayhem thinks they control everyone, but the sun's about to go down on their reign.
They have secrets that could destroy them, and Ollie means to use them. Those with all the power and privilege have the most to lose. She’s going to make sure they lose it all before she’s done.
The wolves are closing in on Ollie, but where Cross, River, and Damon thought they'd feast on easy prey, she has a surprise for them.
Her name is 𝓞𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓢𝓹𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓱𝓲𝓵𝓵, and she’s not afraid of Mayhem.
Dark Dare is a dark stepbrother, college, bully, enemies to lovers why choose romance with a MMA twist. This is the first book in the series and will end on a cliffhanger.
YOU'RE MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS!!! Please read and pay close attention to the trigger warnings at the beginning of this book. There is some content and scenes in this book that are not suitable for all readers and could be triggering for others. Always remember that your mental health comes first at all times.
Tropes: OTT Possessive, Dominant, and Protective MMCs, Revenge, Mental Health, Violence/Gore/Torture, Drugging (without consent), Forced Proximity, SA - Some Detailed, MMCs are Intimate with Each Other, Touch her and be Unalived, Dark College Bully, Stepbrother, Masked Men, Strong FMC, Revenge/Vengeance, MMA, Primal, Secrets, Lies, & Mystery, Why Choose – MMMMFM, Enemies to Lovers.
Dark Dare is the 1st book in The Dark Duet by A.L. Maruga.
I’ll be honest, I’d never read anything by A.L. Maruga till I read her Casbury Prep Series. And honestly, I fell in love with her writing with that series and as she’s a fellow Canadian, she earned a special place in my heart, even if she is from the East Coast where I am from the West Coast.
I knew as soon as I opened this book that Dark Dare was going to blow Casbury Prep out of the water and wow, if I thought I enjoyed the Casbury Prep series, then I can’t describe how much I enjoyed Dark Dare. This book defied all my expectations.
This book not only had me enthralled the entire time I was reading, it kept me on the edge of my seat. In fact, I meant to just read a few chapters one morning while having my coffee and the next thing I knew it was evening and I was reading the last page. I just couldn’t put it down except to go to the washroom or step outside for a few minutes. This book would not let me go. It didn’t disappoint in any way what so ever and that plot twist, man, that’s one I didn’t see coming at all.
I found that there were so many moments that I wanted to jump into the book and scream at the boys I was just so mad at them and hated them so much. And then suddenly the next second I would blink and suddenly I realized I actually loved them, even though they were these little shits I just wanted to hug them and make them feel loved.
Olivia is so fierce and strong, she’s not willing to take any of Cross, River, Damon, and Sim’s shit and she gives them just as much hell as they try and reign down on her. While I am so ready for the 2nd half of this duet but at the same time, I am so full of anxiety for what Olivia, Cross, River, Damon, Sim are going to do to each other. And besides that, I am still trying to process that incredible plot twist that I never saw coming.
I have to say that there is no % that is high enough to show how highly I recommend this book. I will scream about this book from roof tops if I have to. I just loved it so much.
Let me tell you, the cliffhanger this book ends on is a killer.
A Few Of My Favorite Quotes Are:
"She's currently staring daggers at us, and it's making me all warm and tingly on the inside," Damon chuckles
“It’s true what they say: when seeking revenge, dig two graves.”
“There nowhere left to run, unhinged princess. You’re ours now.”
“Once bitten, twice shy is what pops in my head. It never hurts to be cautious; the world has taught me it’s not a safe place for women.”
“Death is waiting ahead of me, it’s breathing in my ear, savoring the chase.”
“You’re going to be a lot of fun. Welcome home, sister.”
Fire will rain down on her new stepbrother and his two best friends. They can't escape the fallout of her rage; it's intertwined like poison, destroying everything it touches. They thought she’d be an easy target to break. That they’d bring her to her knees like all the girls who came before her. They have no idea what she’s capable of. They aren't the only psychos roaming around Soule University.
Mayhem thinks they control everyone, but the sun's about to go down on their reign.
They have secrets that could destroy them, and Ollie means to use them. Those with all the power and privilege have the most to lose. She’s going to make sure they lose it all before she’s done.
The wolves are closing in on Ollie, but where Cross, River, and Damon thought they'd feast on easy prey, she has a surprise for them.
Her name is 𝓞𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓢𝓹𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓱𝓲𝓵𝓵, and she’s not afraid of Mayhem.
Dark Dare is a dark stepbrother, college, bully, enemies to lovers why choose romance with a MMA twist. This is the first book in the series and will end on a cliffhanger.
YOU'RE MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS!!! Please read and pay close attention to the trigger warnings at the beginning of this book. There is some content and scenes in this book that are not suitable for all readers and could be triggering for others. Always remember that your mental health comes first at all times.
Tropes: OTT Possessive, Dominant, and Protective MMCs, Revenge, Mental Health, Violence/Gore/Torture, Drugging (without consent), Forced Proximity, SA - Some Detailed, MMCs are Intimate with Each Other, Touch her and be Unalived, Dark College Bully, Stepbrother, Masked Men, Strong FMC, Revenge/Vengeance, MMA, Primal, Secrets, Lies, & Mystery, Why Choose – MMMMFM, Enemies to Lovers.
Dark Dare is the 1st book in The Dark Duet by A.L. Maruga.
I’ll be honest, I’d never read anything by A.L. Maruga till I read her Casbury Prep Series. And honestly, I fell in love with her writing with that series and as she’s a fellow Canadian, she earned a special place in my heart, even if she is from the East Coast where I am from the West Coast.
I knew as soon as I opened this book that Dark Dare was going to blow Casbury Prep out of the water and wow, if I thought I enjoyed the Casbury Prep series, then I can’t describe how much I enjoyed Dark Dare. This book defied all my expectations.
This book not only had me enthralled the entire time I was reading, it kept me on the edge of my seat. In fact, I meant to just read a few chapters one morning while having my coffee and the next thing I knew it was evening and I was reading the last page. I just couldn’t put it down except to go to the washroom or step outside for a few minutes. This book would not let me go. It didn’t disappoint in any way what so ever and that plot twist, man, that’s one I didn’t see coming at all.
I found that there were so many moments that I wanted to jump into the book and scream at the boys I was just so mad at them and hated them so much. And then suddenly the next second I would blink and suddenly I realized I actually loved them, even though they were these little shits I just wanted to hug them and make them feel loved.
Olivia is so fierce and strong, she’s not willing to take any of Cross, River, Damon, and Sim’s shit and she gives them just as much hell as they try and reign down on her. While I am so ready for the 2nd half of this duet but at the same time, I am so full of anxiety for what Olivia, Cross, River, Damon, Sim are going to do to each other. And besides that, I am still trying to process that incredible plot twist that I never saw coming.
I have to say that there is no % that is high enough to show how highly I recommend this book. I will scream about this book from roof tops if I have to. I just loved it so much.
Let me tell you, the cliffhanger this book ends on is a killer.
A Few Of My Favorite Quotes Are:
"She's currently staring daggers at us, and it's making me all warm and tingly on the inside," Damon chuckles
“It’s true what they say: when seeking revenge, dig two graves.”
“There nowhere left to run, unhinged princess. You’re ours now.”
“Once bitten, twice shy is what pops in my head. It never hurts to be cautious; the world has taught me it’s not a safe place for women.”
“Death is waiting ahead of me, it’s breathing in my ear, savoring the chase.”
“You’re going to be a lot of fun. Welcome home, sister.”
Review of advance copy received from Author
This book!!! It was so deliciously good with MMCs who have thrown all their morals out the window!! It'll have you smiling, enraged, surprised and in need of a fan to cool down from all the heat! If you're good with the TW's, then I def recommend (book 2 is currently being written as of Jan 2026).
Olly (Olivia) and her best friend, Cheyenne, went through a very traumatic experience together, but sadly, her friend never recovered and is now gone. Olly feels like she needs to get revenge on the one who hurt them which is why she attends Soule University. It's here that she meets Cross, River and Damon, the Mayhem crew. They run the school, are untouchable, and are feared by all, including staff and security (meaning they can do whatever they want). Their fathers own the town, and all the people within it and the Mayhem crew are the princes who will one day take over.
Omg, the first day Olly (and we) meet the guys 😡... she instantly finds out what kind of people they are. They're cruel, callous, cocky, and sadistically demanding. These MMCs get off on humiliating and degrading people (not in a good way), especially those who are new to the school. They are surprised and intrigued by Olly when she stands up to them while they are traumatizing a poor freshman girl. No one else would dare step in, but she's not afraid of them in the least. She's trying to complete her mission of revenge, but now has to deal with the guys and all the ways they try to 'put her in her place'. They are on a mission to make her submit and are frustrated that she can meet them at their games. All of them seem to have a love/hate view of her; they love that she doesn't back down easily, but it also drives them crazy that she can do that. I felt so much satisfaction that she didn't just give in when they treated her horribly.
Cross - He is the leader and step-brother of Olly. Cross's father married Olly's mom recently, and he is even worse than his son. Cross borders between being in control of his emotions and being a bomb ready to explode.
Damon - He is unhinged. Damon struggles with his mental health, and we learn about his inner struggles. They can cause him to lose touch with reality sometimes. Cross tries to keep Damon under control as much as possible, as he's known to go too far (also, they will send him in when they need someone like that, the enforcer, punisher, executor).
River - He seems to be the most level-headed of the guys and does not want to hurt Olly permanently, but is still just as mean as the rest of the crew.
Sim - MMA Fighter - sweeter, but still very dominant. Not one of the original Mayhem crew. He is protective of Olly and has an intense obsession with her.
Olly - She is an MMA fighter who is sassy, strong, confident and fiercely independent. Olly is only a danger to others in her own way, as she won't go out of her way to hurt anyone unless provoked. I'm not usually a fan of books with a FMC who leans towards a strong alpha, but this one worked, and I was cheering her on (in the bedroom, she is more Beta!!). The MMCs don't lose any of their 'alphaness' at all, but she can give as good (or better) than she gets; she doesn't care what others think of her and won't let anyone get in her way.
This does end on a cliffhanger, and I hope the second book comes out soon!!
Overall: 4.5 out of 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Spice/Heat: 3 out of 5 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Main Characters: Cross, River, Damon, Sim & Olly (Olivia)
Nickname: Lots!
Darkness: 5 out of 5 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 (Non-Con/Themes)
Type of book: MMMMF, RH/Why Choose, Multiple 1st Person POV
Reading Order: Books need to be read in order - Duet
Title: Soule University Duet - Dark Dare: Book 1
Ending Type: Cliffhanger
🖤OTT Possessive, dominant, and protective MMCs
🩷Dark College Bully Romance
🖤Enemies to Lovers
🩷Masked Men
🖤Huge TW List
🩷Step-Brother
🖤Strong FMC
🩷Revenge
🖤MMA
🩷Mental Health
🖤🍇
🩷Violence/Gore/Torture
🖤RH/Why Choose
🩷Drugging (without consent)
🖤Forced Proximity
🩷SA - some detailed
🖤Forced Proximity
🩷MMCs are intimate with each other
🖤Touch her and be Unalived
🩷Non-con Primal 'Play'
🛑⚠️ This book has very dark themes; there are descriptive parts that may be extremely offensive or triggering to some. Please check all the authors' TW/CW before reading! 18+ ⚠️🛑
*I received an early copy of this book & am voluntarily leaving this review.
Olly (Olivia) and her best friend, Cheyenne, went through a very traumatic experience together, but sadly, her friend never recovered and is now gone. Olly feels like she needs to get revenge on the one who hurt them which is why she attends Soule University. It's here that she meets Cross, River and Damon, the Mayhem crew. They run the school, are untouchable, and are feared by all, including staff and security (meaning they can do whatever they want). Their fathers own the town, and all the people within it and the Mayhem crew are the princes who will one day take over.
Omg, the first day Olly (and we) meet the guys 😡... she instantly finds out what kind of people they are. They're cruel, callous, cocky, and sadistically demanding. These MMCs get off on humiliating and degrading people (not in a good way), especially those who are new to the school. They are surprised and intrigued by Olly when she stands up to them while they are traumatizing a poor freshman girl. No one else would dare step in, but she's not afraid of them in the least. She's trying to complete her mission of revenge, but now has to deal with the guys and all the ways they try to 'put her in her place'. They are on a mission to make her submit and are frustrated that she can meet them at their games. All of them seem to have a love/hate view of her; they love that she doesn't back down easily, but it also drives them crazy that she can do that. I felt so much satisfaction that she didn't just give in when they treated her horribly.
Cross - He is the leader and step-brother of Olly. Cross's father married Olly's mom recently, and he is even worse than his son. Cross borders between being in control of his emotions and being a bomb ready to explode.
Damon - He is unhinged. Damon struggles with his mental health, and we learn about his inner struggles. They can cause him to lose touch with reality sometimes. Cross tries to keep Damon under control as much as possible, as he's known to go too far (also, they will send him in when they need someone like that, the enforcer, punisher, executor).
River - He seems to be the most level-headed of the guys and does not want to hurt Olly permanently, but is still just as mean as the rest of the crew.
Sim - MMA Fighter - sweeter, but still very dominant. Not one of the original Mayhem crew. He is protective of Olly and has an intense obsession with her.
Olly - She is an MMA fighter who is sassy, strong, confident and fiercely independent. Olly is only a danger to others in her own way, as she won't go out of her way to hurt anyone unless provoked. I'm not usually a fan of books with a FMC who leans towards a strong alpha, but this one worked, and I was cheering her on (in the bedroom, she is more Beta!!). The MMCs don't lose any of their 'alphaness' at all, but she can give as good (or better) than she gets; she doesn't care what others think of her and won't let anyone get in her way.
This does end on a cliffhanger, and I hope the second book comes out soon!!
Overall: 4.5 out of 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Spice/Heat: 3 out of 5 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Main Characters: Cross, River, Damon, Sim & Olly (Olivia)
Nickname: Lots!
Darkness: 5 out of 5 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 (Non-Con/Themes)
Type of book: MMMMF, RH/Why Choose, Multiple 1st Person POV
Reading Order: Books need to be read in order - Duet
Title: Soule University Duet - Dark Dare: Book 1
Ending Type: Cliffhanger
🖤OTT Possessive, dominant, and protective MMCs
🩷Dark College Bully Romance
🖤Enemies to Lovers
🩷Masked Men
🖤Huge TW List
🩷Step-Brother
🖤Strong FMC
🩷Revenge
🖤MMA
🩷Mental Health
🖤🍇
🩷Violence/Gore/Torture
🖤RH/Why Choose
🩷Drugging (without consent)
🖤Forced Proximity
🩷SA - some detailed
🖤Forced Proximity
🩷MMCs are intimate with each other
🖤Touch her and be Unalived
🩷Non-con Primal 'Play'
🛑⚠️ This book has very dark themes; there are descriptive parts that may be extremely offensive or triggering to some. Please check all the authors' TW/CW before reading! 18+ ⚠️🛑
*I received an early copy of this book & am voluntarily leaving this review.
Review of advance copy received from Author
DARK DARE (The Dark Series) - A.L. Maruga
WHY CHOOSE - MMMFM
MULTIPLE POV’s
CLIFFHANGER
TRIGGER WARNINGS: There are a lot of them so please take the time to learn if any of these triggers are yours and do not proceed if they are.
MMC’s -
Cross (Olly’s Stepbrother),
River (Cross’s best friend),
Damon (Cross’s best friend)
Sim - not part of the Mayhem. He’s an MMA fighter who also has a thing for Olly
FMC - Olly (Olivia)
3.5 ⭐️
I’m not usually one for the "Why Choose" “RH” trope, but I decided to go ahead and give this one a go.
Let’s start with the win: Olly. She is a top-tier, vengeful badass who doesn't know the meaning of the word "cower." Watching her hunt for revenge for her best friend while refusing to back down from the "men of Mayhem" was the only thing that kept me turning pages.
But then... there’s the rest. Around the 50% mark, the wheels started falling off.
The Sim Problem: Can we talk about how Sim does not belong? Every time he was on the page, I was eye-rolling into another dimension. The "Simba" and "little lion" nicknames? Cringe. Absolute physical cringe. He’s delusional, claiming her as his girlfriend when she never agreed to anything, and quite frankly, he should have been offed chapters ago.
The "Kings" who aren't Kinging:
For a group of supposedly "scary, fierce men" who run things, they have zero backbone. Why is River getting first dibs if Cross is the leader? Why is Sim (an enemy) allowed inside their house alone with Olly? They felt less like dangerous Kings and more like high schoolers playing dress-up. They were all bark and zero bite.
If this had just stayed between Cross and Olly, with guys looking but not touching, it would have been a 5-star read for me lol. As it stands, I was just scrolling past the filler and wishing Mayhem would actually act like the monsters they claim to be. I needed them to be rougher, meaner, more dominating and that just didn’t happen here.
The book does end on a cliffhanger and I am anxious to know what happens in the next book. Overall the book was good I just need for Sim to go away and all will be well 🫠😂
* I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own ♥️
WHY CHOOSE - MMMFM
MULTIPLE POV’s
CLIFFHANGER
TRIGGER WARNINGS: There are a lot of them so please take the time to learn if any of these triggers are yours and do not proceed if they are.
MMC’s -
Cross (Olly’s Stepbrother),
River (Cross’s best friend),
Damon (Cross’s best friend)
Sim - not part of the Mayhem. He’s an MMA fighter who also has a thing for Olly
FMC - Olly (Olivia)
3.5 ⭐️
I’m not usually one for the "Why Choose" “RH” trope, but I decided to go ahead and give this one a go.
Let’s start with the win: Olly. She is a top-tier, vengeful badass who doesn't know the meaning of the word "cower." Watching her hunt for revenge for her best friend while refusing to back down from the "men of Mayhem" was the only thing that kept me turning pages.
But then... there’s the rest. Around the 50% mark, the wheels started falling off.
The Sim Problem: Can we talk about how Sim does not belong? Every time he was on the page, I was eye-rolling into another dimension. The "Simba" and "little lion" nicknames? Cringe. Absolute physical cringe. He’s delusional, claiming her as his girlfriend when she never agreed to anything, and quite frankly, he should have been offed chapters ago.
The "Kings" who aren't Kinging:
For a group of supposedly "scary, fierce men" who run things, they have zero backbone. Why is River getting first dibs if Cross is the leader? Why is Sim (an enemy) allowed inside their house alone with Olly? They felt less like dangerous Kings and more like high schoolers playing dress-up. They were all bark and zero bite.
If this had just stayed between Cross and Olly, with guys looking but not touching, it would have been a 5-star read for me lol. As it stands, I was just scrolling past the filler and wishing Mayhem would actually act like the monsters they claim to be. I needed them to be rougher, meaner, more dominating and that just didn’t happen here.
The book does end on a cliffhanger and I am anxious to know what happens in the next book. Overall the book was good I just need for Sim to go away and all will be well 🫠😂
* I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own ♥️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
ARC Review
I am genuinely not okay after this book. My jaw is on the floor, my brain is still buffering, and I need book two immediately. Dark Dare didn’t just hook me... It dragged me under and refused to let go.
From the very beginning, this story is tense, dark, and emotionally loaded. Olly Springhill is not a fragile FMC waiting to be broken; she is angry, calculating, and fully prepared to burn everything down in the name of revenge. She doesn’t flinch, she doesn’t fold, and watching her push back against the power dynamics at Soule University was beyond satisfying.
Cross, River, and Damon are chaos in human form. They’re dangerous, morally questionable, and completely unhinged in different ways, and somehow the dynamic between them works. One minute I hated them, the next I was painfully invested. They’re cruel, protective, possessive, and layered, and the shifting balance of control between them and Olly kept me glued to the page.
This book leans hard into dark college bully romance with enemies-to-lovers tension, revenge at the center, and a why choose dynamic that actually feels earned. The pacing is relentless. I was constantly checking how much time I had left because I knew something explosive was coming… and somehow I was still wildly unprepared for that ending.
The mood stays dark, the stakes keep rising, and the emotional intensity never lets up. There are secrets, power plays, manipulation, and moments that made me sit back and stare at the wall for a minute. This is not a soft or gentle story, and it absolutely won’t be for everyone, please read the trigger warnings; but if you like brutal tension, morally gray characters, and a strong FMC who refuses to be prey, this book delivers.
The cliffhanger is straight-up cruel, and I am both desperate and terrified to see what happens next.
Absolutely 5 stars.
Thank you so much to A.L. Margua for the ARC, this review is my honest opinion, and I will be impatiently waiting for book two. 🖤🔥
ARC Review
I am genuinely not okay after this book. My jaw is on the floor, my brain is still buffering, and I need book two immediately. Dark Dare didn’t just hook me... It dragged me under and refused to let go.
From the very beginning, this story is tense, dark, and emotionally loaded. Olly Springhill is not a fragile FMC waiting to be broken; she is angry, calculating, and fully prepared to burn everything down in the name of revenge. She doesn’t flinch, she doesn’t fold, and watching her push back against the power dynamics at Soule University was beyond satisfying.
Cross, River, and Damon are chaos in human form. They’re dangerous, morally questionable, and completely unhinged in different ways, and somehow the dynamic between them works. One minute I hated them, the next I was painfully invested. They’re cruel, protective, possessive, and layered, and the shifting balance of control between them and Olly kept me glued to the page.
This book leans hard into dark college bully romance with enemies-to-lovers tension, revenge at the center, and a why choose dynamic that actually feels earned. The pacing is relentless. I was constantly checking how much time I had left because I knew something explosive was coming… and somehow I was still wildly unprepared for that ending.
The mood stays dark, the stakes keep rising, and the emotional intensity never lets up. There are secrets, power plays, manipulation, and moments that made me sit back and stare at the wall for a minute. This is not a soft or gentle story, and it absolutely won’t be for everyone, please read the trigger warnings; but if you like brutal tension, morally gray characters, and a strong FMC who refuses to be prey, this book delivers.
The cliffhanger is straight-up cruel, and I am both desperate and terrified to see what happens next.
Absolutely 5 stars.
Thank you so much to A.L. Margua for the ARC, this review is my honest opinion, and I will be impatiently waiting for book two. 🖤🔥
Review of advance copy received from Author
4⭐ ARC Review 'Dark Dare'
🖤 Dark Bully Romance
🖤 Step-Brother
🖤 Masked Men
🖤 Strong FMC
🖤 Revenge/Vengeance
🖤 MMA
🖤 Secrets/Mystery
🖤 Spice
I thoroughly enjoyed this dark bully romance. Cross, River & Damon, are extremely unhinged is an understatement. Privileged and corrupted MMC's who control and take anything and anyone in their power. Putting fear in where they live and the town they run.
Our FMC Olly is such a fierce and strong character. Both physically and mentally with everything she has endured and currently facing. Her loyalty to her past friend, to seek ultimate revenge for her and herself.
Sim, a man with dark secrets and a past, who will give up all he's fought for to protect her.
Olivia comes to learn Cross is not just deranged but also her new stepbrother. Soon to be her next three nightmares in her new reality.
Cross and his two best friends see that Olly is not just any normal girl that they would usually bring to heel. They see the rage, fire and determination that they find beautifully captivating. They are the Mayhem, and will stop at nothing to have her. They want the fight in her for themselves.
We have very strong characters but we also see a slither of a softer side that Olly is without knowing she's doing, a change in our unhinged MMC'S emotional side. Feeling protective over her normally is not a side of themselves they feel for others.
I enjoyed the different pov's in this read to get inside the deranged trio's minds, but at the same time it was a bit repetitive reading some previous parts again. There's a lot of spice, be it consensual or not, Please check your trigger warnings! I loved our bad ass FMC! Her ability to fend for herself, who won't back down.
I cannot wait for the book two as we are left on a huge cliffhanger. I really believe it will be an amazing read, to see this story through and get the secrets & answers we crave and who will make it out alive!
🖤 Dark Bully Romance
🖤 Step-Brother
🖤 Masked Men
🖤 Strong FMC
🖤 Revenge/Vengeance
🖤 MMA
🖤 Secrets/Mystery
🖤 Spice
I thoroughly enjoyed this dark bully romance. Cross, River & Damon, are extremely unhinged is an understatement. Privileged and corrupted MMC's who control and take anything and anyone in their power. Putting fear in where they live and the town they run.
Our FMC Olly is such a fierce and strong character. Both physically and mentally with everything she has endured and currently facing. Her loyalty to her past friend, to seek ultimate revenge for her and herself.
Sim, a man with dark secrets and a past, who will give up all he's fought for to protect her.
Olivia comes to learn Cross is not just deranged but also her new stepbrother. Soon to be her next three nightmares in her new reality.
Cross and his two best friends see that Olly is not just any normal girl that they would usually bring to heel. They see the rage, fire and determination that they find beautifully captivating. They are the Mayhem, and will stop at nothing to have her. They want the fight in her for themselves.
We have very strong characters but we also see a slither of a softer side that Olly is without knowing she's doing, a change in our unhinged MMC'S emotional side. Feeling protective over her normally is not a side of themselves they feel for others.
I enjoyed the different pov's in this read to get inside the deranged trio's minds, but at the same time it was a bit repetitive reading some previous parts again. There's a lot of spice, be it consensual or not, Please check your trigger warnings! I loved our bad ass FMC! Her ability to fend for herself, who won't back down.
I cannot wait for the book two as we are left on a huge cliffhanger. I really believe it will be an amazing read, to see this story through and get the secrets & answers we crave and who will make it out alive!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Welcome to Soule—The "Big Cock Capital" of Dark Romance
I DARE YOU TO READ IT 😉
Prepare for a descent into madness. I Dark Dare you to pick up this story if you want a college romance that feels like a beautiful, unhinged fever dream. It’s a brutal journey of vengeance set in a town where power is poison and the men are as dangerous as they are obsessed.
What’s Inside:
MMMFM / RH: Why settle for one when you can have all that lethal talent? The chemistry in this group is pure, primal fire. It’s dark, it’s messy, and the high-stakes tension between all five of them kept me on the edge of my seat
The "Guys": Cross, River, and Damon are the definition of 'he’s a 10 but he’s a literal psychopath.' I spent the entire book oscillating between pure rage and total obsession. You’ll want to ruin them and rescue them at the exact same time
Lethal FMC: Olivia is the nightmare they never saw coming. She’s fierce, resilient, and gives zero shits about their 'power.' Watching her flip the script on Cross, River, and Damon is incredibly satisfying—she’s a queen who takes no prisoners.
The MMA Twist: The MMA twist cranks the heat to a breaking point. It’s not just about the brutal fights in the ring; it’s the high-stakes physical tension and the dangerous, possessive energy that radiates off every page
This story is a masterclass in vengeance and raw physical tension. Soule more than lives up to its reputation as the 'Big Cock Capital,' serving up a plot that’s just as hilarious as it is heavy. It’s a wild, 'hunted by the men you love to hate' ride that keeps you breathless until the very last second. Be warned: the cliffhanger is absolutely massive—you’ll be screaming for the sequel before you even close the book.
If you want a story where the "Red Flags" are just part of the decor, this is a must-read.
Spice : 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I DARE YOU TO READ IT 😉
Prepare for a descent into madness. I Dark Dare you to pick up this story if you want a college romance that feels like a beautiful, unhinged fever dream. It’s a brutal journey of vengeance set in a town where power is poison and the men are as dangerous as they are obsessed.
What’s Inside:
MMMFM / RH: Why settle for one when you can have all that lethal talent? The chemistry in this group is pure, primal fire. It’s dark, it’s messy, and the high-stakes tension between all five of them kept me on the edge of my seat
The "Guys": Cross, River, and Damon are the definition of 'he’s a 10 but he’s a literal psychopath.' I spent the entire book oscillating between pure rage and total obsession. You’ll want to ruin them and rescue them at the exact same time
Lethal FMC: Olivia is the nightmare they never saw coming. She’s fierce, resilient, and gives zero shits about their 'power.' Watching her flip the script on Cross, River, and Damon is incredibly satisfying—she’s a queen who takes no prisoners.
The MMA Twist: The MMA twist cranks the heat to a breaking point. It’s not just about the brutal fights in the ring; it’s the high-stakes physical tension and the dangerous, possessive energy that radiates off every page
This story is a masterclass in vengeance and raw physical tension. Soule more than lives up to its reputation as the 'Big Cock Capital,' serving up a plot that’s just as hilarious as it is heavy. It’s a wild, 'hunted by the men you love to hate' ride that keeps you breathless until the very last second. Be warned: the cliffhanger is absolutely massive—you’ll be screaming for the sequel before you even close the book.
If you want a story where the "Red Flags" are just part of the decor, this is a must-read.
Spice : 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2026
Power Games, Blood Debts, and No Safe Words.
This book did not romance me.
It threatened me.
Dark Dare is aggressive, unapologetic, and allergic to softness. The men are walking red flags wrapped in power, privilege, and masks. Olly Springhill doesn’t run from them, she matches their violence with intent. Every interaction feels like a dare someone is going to regret accepting.
The bully dynamic is cruel in a way that actually lands. Not performative. Not pretty. Just sharp, calculated pressure designed to break someone… until it doesn’t. Watching Olly flip the narrative from prey to problem was deeply satisfying and deeply unhinged.
The why choose tension is feral. No instant trust. No easy forgiveness. Just power games, psychological sparring, and desire that feels like it should come with a warning label. The masked men element makes everything feel dirtier. Heavier. Like you’re not supposed to be watching.
The MMA aspect brings real physicality. Pain is currency here. Control is earned in blood and sweat, not words. And the revenge plot? Deliciously vindictive. Secrets aren’t just dropped, they’re weaponized.
Then there’s that ending.
Not a cliffhanger.
A threat.
This book grabs you by the throat and leaves you there, fully aware there’s more coming and no way out.
Read this if you like:
🩸 FMCs who don’t beg
🩸 Men who are problems on purpose
🩸 Dark college bully romance that commits to the bit
🩸 Why choose dynamics that hurt so good
🩸 Stories that don’t care about your feelings
Dark Dare isn’t safe.
It isn’t sweet.
And it absolutely isn’t done with you yet.
You’ve been warned. 🩸🖤🔥
This book did not romance me.
It threatened me.
Dark Dare is aggressive, unapologetic, and allergic to softness. The men are walking red flags wrapped in power, privilege, and masks. Olly Springhill doesn’t run from them, she matches their violence with intent. Every interaction feels like a dare someone is going to regret accepting.
The bully dynamic is cruel in a way that actually lands. Not performative. Not pretty. Just sharp, calculated pressure designed to break someone… until it doesn’t. Watching Olly flip the narrative from prey to problem was deeply satisfying and deeply unhinged.
The why choose tension is feral. No instant trust. No easy forgiveness. Just power games, psychological sparring, and desire that feels like it should come with a warning label. The masked men element makes everything feel dirtier. Heavier. Like you’re not supposed to be watching.
The MMA aspect brings real physicality. Pain is currency here. Control is earned in blood and sweat, not words. And the revenge plot? Deliciously vindictive. Secrets aren’t just dropped, they’re weaponized.
Then there’s that ending.
Not a cliffhanger.
A threat.
This book grabs you by the throat and leaves you there, fully aware there’s more coming and no way out.
Read this if you like:
🩸 FMCs who don’t beg
🩸 Men who are problems on purpose
🩸 Dark college bully romance that commits to the bit
🩸 Why choose dynamics that hurt so good
🩸 Stories that don’t care about your feelings
Dark Dare isn’t safe.
It isn’t sweet.
And it absolutely isn’t done with you yet.
You’ve been warned. 🩸🖤🔥
Review of advance copy
Brief storyline:
FMC: Olly - agreed to live with her mom & new stepfather for college - to seek revenge for a past wrong. What she didn’t expect is a stepbrother and his friends, and their crazy side. She is my kind of girl though - tough as nails and will put you in your place in 2secs. Also, don't mind getting dirty doing it.
MMCs: Cross (stepbrother) River and Damon - Mayhem crew - Dad’s run the MC/ town gang, along with all the other illegal stuff to go with it. What they don’t expect is the chaos the new step-sister is going to bring. These guys might be hot, as well as some of the fighters. But some of the other things they get up to make them seem like they might just be a little too entitled.
Thoughts:
I love finding new-to-me authors that expand my bubble of rearing genres. Dark Dare definitely pushes the limits on some of the triggers- but I have to admit I really enjoyed this fast paced, hot burning, sin filled storyline.
These guys might be the “Mayhem crew” - but Olly is bringing nothing but chaos to their lives and that just doesn’t sit well. They are willing to do anything to gain control back - even push limits past their own interests. That includes using her and anyone she gets close to, or messing with her secrets. What they don’t realise is her secrets & past are about to make them all pay.
Man that cliffie was not what I saw coming, and I know heads are going to roll in the next book. Can’t wait for this story to continue!
*Please Check the TW!
FMC: Olly - agreed to live with her mom & new stepfather for college - to seek revenge for a past wrong. What she didn’t expect is a stepbrother and his friends, and their crazy side. She is my kind of girl though - tough as nails and will put you in your place in 2secs. Also, don't mind getting dirty doing it.
MMCs: Cross (stepbrother) River and Damon - Mayhem crew - Dad’s run the MC/ town gang, along with all the other illegal stuff to go with it. What they don’t expect is the chaos the new step-sister is going to bring. These guys might be hot, as well as some of the fighters. But some of the other things they get up to make them seem like they might just be a little too entitled.
Thoughts:
I love finding new-to-me authors that expand my bubble of rearing genres. Dark Dare definitely pushes the limits on some of the triggers- but I have to admit I really enjoyed this fast paced, hot burning, sin filled storyline.
These guys might be the “Mayhem crew” - but Olly is bringing nothing but chaos to their lives and that just doesn’t sit well. They are willing to do anything to gain control back - even push limits past their own interests. That includes using her and anyone she gets close to, or messing with her secrets. What they don’t realise is her secrets & past are about to make them all pay.
Man that cliffie was not what I saw coming, and I know heads are going to roll in the next book. Can’t wait for this story to continue!
*Please Check the TW!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Definitely dark, psychological, and full of every trigger you could think of, Dark Dare is a compelling dive into deviant and twisted characters. It sucked me in, grabbed me by the throat, and kept me intrigued as I wondered just who Olly would end up with next: the stepbrother, the unhinged one, the caring one, or the MMA fighter. Cross, Damon, River, and Sim all pulled Olly in different directions, satisfying distinct needs physically and within her psyche, revealing complex psychological layers to their personas. The physicality of each character's being teases at what is to come. The five of them are capable of great unrestrained physical harm against friend and foe. Enthralling, captivating, and unputdownable, I devoured Dark Dare. Four hundred pages of guessing what would come next, twists and turns that kept me guessing what could happen next to Olly as she confronted each man and their psychological shortcomings. When you don't have a filter, anything goes, and unlocking sides of themselves that were sensual yet psychotic, the characters take you on a ride through every tainted, deviant behaviour you can think of and then some. Dark Dare ends on one doozy of a cliffhanger, which has me curious as to how Olly will save herself from this predicament.
Dark Dare was my first foray into A.L. Maruga's writing, and I can't wait to dive into her backlist. If this is a sample of the author's writing and all her books are as savoury as Dark Dare, I'm in for a real treat that will keep my taste buds happy and my feet kicking up in delight.
Dark Dare was my first foray into A.L. Maruga's writing, and I can't wait to dive into her backlist. If this is a sample of the author's writing and all her books are as savoury as Dark Dare, I'm in for a real treat that will keep my taste buds happy and my feet kicking up in delight.
Review of advance copy received from Author
4.5⭐️
I got an arc, but my rating/review are my own!
this was so darkkk!!!! it was freaking yummy but it did question my morals😬😬😬🤭 but I freaking loved it 🤭🫣
look at this dedication:
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𝓣𝓸 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓼𝓮 𝔀𝓪𝓵𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭 𝓫𝓻𝓸𝓴𝓮𝓷, 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓳𝓪𝓰𝓰𝓮𝓭 𝓹𝓲𝓮𝓬𝓮𝓼 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓫𝓮𝓪𝓾𝓽𝓲𝓯𝓾𝓵, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓘 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓶𝓮𝓷 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂, 𝔀𝓱𝓸 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓶𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓫𝓮𝓵𝓲𝓮𝓿𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽, 𝔀𝓱𝓲𝓵𝓮 𝓶𝓪𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓵𝓮𝓰𝓼 𝓼𝓱𝓪𝓴𝓮, 𝓻𝓮𝓶𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓪𝓫𝓲𝓵𝓲𝓽𝔂 𝓽𝓸 𝓫𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓮, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓬𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓪 𝓰𝓸𝓸𝓭 𝓰𝓲𝓻𝓵.
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quotes:
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“𝖄𝖔𝖚’𝖗𝖊 𝖌𝖔𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖙𝖔 𝖇𝖊 𝖆 𝖑𝖔𝖙 𝖔𝖋 𝖋𝖚𝖓. 𝖂𝖊𝖑𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖊 𝖍𝖔𝖒𝖊, 𝖘𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗.”
••
"𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓫𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓼𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓭 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝓫𝓾𝓼𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓼, 𝓿𝓲𝓸𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓽 𝓵𝓲𝓽𝓽𝓵𝓮 𝓹𝓼𝔂𝓬𝓱𝓸, 𝓾𝓷𝓵𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓪𝓷𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓮𝓷𝓭 𝓾𝓹 𝓸𝓷 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓴𝓷𝓮𝓮𝓼 𝓫𝓮𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝓶𝓮, 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓶𝔂 𝓬𝓸𝓬𝓴 𝓼𝓱𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓭 𝓭𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓽𝓽𝔂 𝓽𝓱𝓻𝓸𝓪𝓽." 𝓗𝓲𝓼 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓭 𝓬𝓸𝓬𝓴𝓼 𝓭𝓻𝓪𝓶𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓬𝓪𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓲𝓭𝓮, 𝓪𝓼 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓮𝔂𝓮𝓼 𝓼𝓵𝓲𝓭𝓮 𝓭𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝓶𝔂 𝓯𝓻𝓪𝓶𝓮 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓫𝓪𝓬𝓴 𝓾𝓹. 𝓗𝓮 𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓷𝓼 𝓯𝓸𝓻𝔀𝓪𝓻𝓭, 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝔀𝓪𝓻𝓶, 𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓽𝔂 𝓫𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱 𝓼𝓴𝓲𝓶𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓬𝓻𝓸𝓼𝓼 𝓶𝔂 𝓯𝓪𝓬𝓮. "𝓞𝓻 𝓶𝓪𝔂𝓫𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓯𝓮𝓻 𝓶𝔂 𝓬𝓸𝓬𝓴 𝓭𝓮𝓮𝓹 𝓲𝓷 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓪𝓼𝓼?" 𝓢𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓭𝓮𝓶𝓮𝓪𝓷𝓸𝓻 𝓲𝓼 𝓬𝓪𝓾𝓼𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪 𝔀𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓯𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓵𝓲𝓪𝓻𝓲𝓽𝔂 𝓽𝓸 𝓻𝓲𝓼𝓮 𝓲𝓷 𝓶𝔂 𝓫𝓻𝓪𝓲𝓷, 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓘 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓘 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓷𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓵𝓪𝓲𝓭 𝓮𝔂𝓮𝓼 𝓸𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓭𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓾𝓻𝓫𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓯𝓾𝓬𝓴𝓮𝓻 𝓪 𝓭𝓪𝔂 𝓲𝓷 𝓶𝔂 𝓵𝓲𝓯𝓮. 𝓘 𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓻𝓮𝓶𝓮𝓶𝓫𝓮𝓻 𝓶𝓮𝓮𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓱𝓲𝓶.
"𝓕𝓾𝓬𝓴 𝔂𝓸𝓾!"
"𝓒𝓪𝓻𝓮𝓯𝓾𝓵 𝓷𝓸𝔀, 𝓰𝓲𝓻𝓵, 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓭𝓮𝓶𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓲𝓷𝓼𝓸𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓽 𝓽𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓲𝓼 𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓷 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮𝓵𝔂 𝓽𝓸 𝓰𝓮𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓪 𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓭 𝓬𝓸𝓬𝓴 𝓼𝓱𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓭 𝓭𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓻𝓸𝓪𝓽, 𝓸𝓻 𝓾𝓹 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓼𝓮𝔁𝔂, 𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭 𝓪𝓼𝓼."
"𝓘'𝓶 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓱𝓶𝓪𝓷, 𝓯𝓾𝓬𝓴𝓮𝓻𝓼. 𝓘𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓽𝓻𝔂 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓸𝓾𝓬𝓱 𝓶𝓮, 𝓘'𝓵𝓵 𝓻𝓲𝓹 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓪𝓻𝓶𝓼 𝓸𝓯𝓯 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓫𝓮𝓪𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓶. 𝓝𝓸𝔀, 𝓘 𝓪𝓼𝓴𝓮𝓭 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓪 𝓺𝓾𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓘'𝓶 𝓵𝓸𝓪𝓽𝓱 𝓽𝓸 𝓻𝓮𝓹𝓮𝓪𝓽 𝓶𝔂𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓯, 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓼𝓲𝓷𝓬𝓮 𝓘'𝓶 𝓰𝓾𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓽𝓱𝓻𝓮𝓮 𝓭𝓸𝓷'𝓽 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓪 𝓯𝓾𝓬𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓫𝓻𝓪𝓲𝓷 𝓬𝓮𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓸 𝓻𝓾𝓫 𝓫𝓮𝓽𝔀𝓮𝓮𝓷 𝔂𝓸𝓾, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓪𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝓼𝓹𝓪𝓷 𝓸𝓯 𝓰𝓷𝓪𝓽𝓼, 𝓱𝓸𝔀 𝓭𝓸 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓶𝔂 𝓷𝓪𝓶𝓮?
𝓘'𝓶 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓪𝓯𝓻𝓪𝓲𝓭 𝓸𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾, 𝓪𝓼𝓼𝓱𝓸𝓵𝓮, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓭𝓸𝓷'𝓽 𝓬𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓶𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽, 𝓸𝓻 𝓘'𝓵𝓵 𝓻𝓲𝓹 𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓻𝓸𝓪𝓽 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓫𝓾𝓻𝔂 𝓲𝓽 𝓾𝓹 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓪𝓼𝓼!"
"𝓘'𝓿𝓮 𝓪𝓵𝔀𝓪𝔂𝓼 𝔀𝓪𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓪 𝓯𝓾𝓬𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓹𝓮𝓽."
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tropes:
☆🍁dark college bully
☆🍁masked men
☆🍁enemies to lovers
☆🍁step brother
☆🍁reverse harem
☆🍁mma
☆🍁strong fmc
☆🍁revenge
I got an arc, but my rating/review are my own!
this was so darkkk!!!! it was freaking yummy but it did question my morals😬😬😬🤭 but I freaking loved it 🤭🫣
look at this dedication:
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𝓣𝓸 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓼𝓮 𝔀𝓪𝓵𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭 𝓫𝓻𝓸𝓴𝓮𝓷, 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓳𝓪𝓰𝓰𝓮𝓭 𝓹𝓲𝓮𝓬𝓮𝓼 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓫𝓮𝓪𝓾𝓽𝓲𝓯𝓾𝓵, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓘 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓶𝓮𝓷 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂, 𝔀𝓱𝓸 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓶𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓫𝓮𝓵𝓲𝓮𝓿𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽, 𝔀𝓱𝓲𝓵𝓮 𝓶𝓪𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓵𝓮𝓰𝓼 𝓼𝓱𝓪𝓴𝓮, 𝓻𝓮𝓶𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓪𝓫𝓲𝓵𝓲𝓽𝔂 𝓽𝓸 𝓫𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓮, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓬𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓪 𝓰𝓸𝓸𝓭 𝓰𝓲𝓻𝓵.
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quotes:
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“𝖄𝖔𝖚’𝖗𝖊 𝖌𝖔𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖙𝖔 𝖇𝖊 𝖆 𝖑𝖔𝖙 𝖔𝖋 𝖋𝖚𝖓. 𝖂𝖊𝖑𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖊 𝖍𝖔𝖒𝖊, 𝖘𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗.”
••
"𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓫𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓼𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓭 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝓫𝓾𝓼𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓼, 𝓿𝓲𝓸𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓽 𝓵𝓲𝓽𝓽𝓵𝓮 𝓹𝓼𝔂𝓬𝓱𝓸, 𝓾𝓷𝓵𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓪𝓷𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓮𝓷𝓭 𝓾𝓹 𝓸𝓷 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓴𝓷𝓮𝓮𝓼 𝓫𝓮𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝓶𝓮, 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓶𝔂 𝓬𝓸𝓬𝓴 𝓼𝓱𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓭 𝓭𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓽𝓽𝔂 𝓽𝓱𝓻𝓸𝓪𝓽." 𝓗𝓲𝓼 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓭 𝓬𝓸𝓬𝓴𝓼 𝓭𝓻𝓪𝓶𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓬𝓪𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓲𝓭𝓮, 𝓪𝓼 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓮𝔂𝓮𝓼 𝓼𝓵𝓲𝓭𝓮 𝓭𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝓶𝔂 𝓯𝓻𝓪𝓶𝓮 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓫𝓪𝓬𝓴 𝓾𝓹. 𝓗𝓮 𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓷𝓼 𝓯𝓸𝓻𝔀𝓪𝓻𝓭, 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝔀𝓪𝓻𝓶, 𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓽𝔂 𝓫𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱 𝓼𝓴𝓲𝓶𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓬𝓻𝓸𝓼𝓼 𝓶𝔂 𝓯𝓪𝓬𝓮. "𝓞𝓻 𝓶𝓪𝔂𝓫𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓯𝓮𝓻 𝓶𝔂 𝓬𝓸𝓬𝓴 𝓭𝓮𝓮𝓹 𝓲𝓷 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓪𝓼𝓼?" 𝓢𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓭𝓮𝓶𝓮𝓪𝓷𝓸𝓻 𝓲𝓼 𝓬𝓪𝓾𝓼𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪 𝔀𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓯𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓵𝓲𝓪𝓻𝓲𝓽𝔂 𝓽𝓸 𝓻𝓲𝓼𝓮 𝓲𝓷 𝓶𝔂 𝓫𝓻𝓪𝓲𝓷, 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓘 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓘 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓷𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓵𝓪𝓲𝓭 𝓮𝔂𝓮𝓼 𝓸𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓭𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓾𝓻𝓫𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓯𝓾𝓬𝓴𝓮𝓻 𝓪 𝓭𝓪𝔂 𝓲𝓷 𝓶𝔂 𝓵𝓲𝓯𝓮. 𝓘 𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓻𝓮𝓶𝓮𝓶𝓫𝓮𝓻 𝓶𝓮𝓮𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓱𝓲𝓶.
"𝓕𝓾𝓬𝓴 𝔂𝓸𝓾!"
"𝓒𝓪𝓻𝓮𝓯𝓾𝓵 𝓷𝓸𝔀, 𝓰𝓲𝓻𝓵, 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓭𝓮𝓶𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓲𝓷𝓼𝓸𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓽 𝓽𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓲𝓼 𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓷 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮𝓵𝔂 𝓽𝓸 𝓰𝓮𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓪 𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓭 𝓬𝓸𝓬𝓴 𝓼𝓱𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓭 𝓭𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓻𝓸𝓪𝓽, 𝓸𝓻 𝓾𝓹 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓼𝓮𝔁𝔂, 𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭 𝓪𝓼𝓼."
"𝓘'𝓶 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓱𝓶𝓪𝓷, 𝓯𝓾𝓬𝓴𝓮𝓻𝓼. 𝓘𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓽𝓻𝔂 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓸𝓾𝓬𝓱 𝓶𝓮, 𝓘'𝓵𝓵 𝓻𝓲𝓹 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓪𝓻𝓶𝓼 𝓸𝓯𝓯 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓫𝓮𝓪𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓶. 𝓝𝓸𝔀, 𝓘 𝓪𝓼𝓴𝓮𝓭 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓪 𝓺𝓾𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓘'𝓶 𝓵𝓸𝓪𝓽𝓱 𝓽𝓸 𝓻𝓮𝓹𝓮𝓪𝓽 𝓶𝔂𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓯, 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓼𝓲𝓷𝓬𝓮 𝓘'𝓶 𝓰𝓾𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓽𝓱𝓻𝓮𝓮 𝓭𝓸𝓷'𝓽 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓪 𝓯𝓾𝓬𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓫𝓻𝓪𝓲𝓷 𝓬𝓮𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓸 𝓻𝓾𝓫 𝓫𝓮𝓽𝔀𝓮𝓮𝓷 𝔂𝓸𝓾, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓪𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝓼𝓹𝓪𝓷 𝓸𝓯 𝓰𝓷𝓪𝓽𝓼, 𝓱𝓸𝔀 𝓭𝓸 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓶𝔂 𝓷𝓪𝓶𝓮?
𝓘'𝓶 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓪𝓯𝓻𝓪𝓲𝓭 𝓸𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾, 𝓪𝓼𝓼𝓱𝓸𝓵𝓮, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓭𝓸𝓷'𝓽 𝓬𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓶𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽, 𝓸𝓻 𝓘'𝓵𝓵 𝓻𝓲𝓹 𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓻𝓸𝓪𝓽 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓫𝓾𝓻𝔂 𝓲𝓽 𝓾𝓹 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓪𝓼𝓼!"
"𝓘'𝓿𝓮 𝓪𝓵𝔀𝓪𝔂𝓼 𝔀𝓪𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓪 𝓯𝓾𝓬𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓹𝓮𝓽."
••
tropes:
☆🍁dark college bully
☆🍁masked men
☆🍁enemies to lovers
☆🍁step brother
☆🍁reverse harem
☆🍁mma
☆🍁strong fmc
☆🍁revenge
Review of advance copy received from Author
"Together, they are uncontrollably depraved, unhinged, filled with flaws, and dangerous to themselves and others."
This is in the authors note! Was she wrong???? No, No she wasn't! These characters are absolutely all of the above and then some. Don't go into this book expecting sweet, pliant, agreeable characters, that won't happen here. Here you'll find yummy, unhinged, depraved, very flawed men and a fierce, kick*^* woman that takes nothing from no one including the above mentioned men. Olly is FANTASTIC! Cross, River and Damon, aka The Mayhem Crew, have got someone now who gives as good as she gets and she's not intimidated by them at all. Then there's Sim, opposite from the others it seems. Vengeance is what Olly came for and she's determined it will be hers. Trauma and tragedy are a big part of their story and there's no mincing words. Dark Dare is an intense, emotional, dramatic, dramatic, dramatic story and is full of triggers. Make sure to read the trigger warnings and the authors foreword before you start Dark Dare. It ends on a cliffhanger, (yeah I know, me too) and I'm on pins and needles not so patiently waiting for the rest of their story.
"It's true what they say: when seeking revenge, dig two graves."
This is in the authors note! Was she wrong???? No, No she wasn't! These characters are absolutely all of the above and then some. Don't go into this book expecting sweet, pliant, agreeable characters, that won't happen here. Here you'll find yummy, unhinged, depraved, very flawed men and a fierce, kick*^* woman that takes nothing from no one including the above mentioned men. Olly is FANTASTIC! Cross, River and Damon, aka The Mayhem Crew, have got someone now who gives as good as she gets and she's not intimidated by them at all. Then there's Sim, opposite from the others it seems. Vengeance is what Olly came for and she's determined it will be hers. Trauma and tragedy are a big part of their story and there's no mincing words. Dark Dare is an intense, emotional, dramatic, dramatic, dramatic story and is full of triggers. Make sure to read the trigger warnings and the authors foreword before you start Dark Dare. It ends on a cliffhanger, (yeah I know, me too) and I'm on pins and needles not so patiently waiting for the rest of their story.
"It's true what they say: when seeking revenge, dig two graves."
Review of advance copy received from Author
Dark Dare by @authoralmaruga
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Thank you for the ARC opportunity @authoralmaruga - why have I developed a soft spot for Damon? He is so dark and red flag and unforgivable but I kind of like him.
This book is a lot; the triggers are high in number and very very real. They are present from the very beginning so check them first if you don’t eat triggers up like sweets.
Dark Dare features characters who are absolutely morally unredeemable; Olly as the FMC is an absolute bad ass and would kick anyone’s butt!!! She is slightly more redeemable than the MMCs but oh she has absolute potential to be very red flag. Cross, River and Damon as members of Mayhem are awful but I got to say it I kind of love them. They are dark, obsessed and have no moral compass.
There is a whole lot going on in Dark Dare. It’s part 1 of a duet and I am desperate to know what happens after that cliff hanger. I see Dark Dare as setting the scene (and the scene is good) and book 2 is where it will all come together.
There is a huge amount of potential to come from the story line (including ⚔️ in the why choose arrangement 👏) and I can’t wait to see more feminine rage, revenge and a whole heap of darkness.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Thank you for the ARC opportunity @authoralmaruga - why have I developed a soft spot for Damon? He is so dark and red flag and unforgivable but I kind of like him.
This book is a lot; the triggers are high in number and very very real. They are present from the very beginning so check them first if you don’t eat triggers up like sweets.
Dark Dare features characters who are absolutely morally unredeemable; Olly as the FMC is an absolute bad ass and would kick anyone’s butt!!! She is slightly more redeemable than the MMCs but oh she has absolute potential to be very red flag. Cross, River and Damon as members of Mayhem are awful but I got to say it I kind of love them. They are dark, obsessed and have no moral compass.
There is a whole lot going on in Dark Dare. It’s part 1 of a duet and I am desperate to know what happens after that cliff hanger. I see Dark Dare as setting the scene (and the scene is good) and book 2 is where it will all come together.
There is a huge amount of potential to come from the story line (including ⚔️ in the why choose arrangement 👏) and I can’t wait to see more feminine rage, revenge and a whole heap of darkness.
Review of advance copy received from Author
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ // 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Dark Dare by A.L. Maruga was 🤌🤌🤌. It was wild, unhinged, and steamy. Cross, River, and Damon are your typical unhinged, aggressively, possessive dark men, and then there is Sim with a shadowed past and equally aggressive possession, that gradually becomes more unhinged the longer he keeps Olivia Springhill in his thoughts and prayers.
Olivia is a beast of an FMC. She's strong, violent and just as unhinged as the men. But she recognizes when she's out of her element. Yet, she never goes down without a fight.
She's worms her way under Cross, River and Damon's skin simply by existing and being herself, and sinks into Sim by letting him own parts of her body that the other three men have to fight tooth and nail for. All the while, she's juggling four men coming at her with their own intentions while she's trying to exact her revenge.
I really enjoyed this wild ride of a book, and yes while it does end on a cliff hanger, it was a reasonable cliffhanger, that didn't have me screaming with frustration and anxiety.
Thank you A.L. Maruga and her PR team for letting me read this book. I can't wait for Dark Reckoning, and to see how this story continues to transpire.
Dark Dare by A.L. Maruga was 🤌🤌🤌. It was wild, unhinged, and steamy. Cross, River, and Damon are your typical unhinged, aggressively, possessive dark men, and then there is Sim with a shadowed past and equally aggressive possession, that gradually becomes more unhinged the longer he keeps Olivia Springhill in his thoughts and prayers.
Olivia is a beast of an FMC. She's strong, violent and just as unhinged as the men. But she recognizes when she's out of her element. Yet, she never goes down without a fight.
She's worms her way under Cross, River and Damon's skin simply by existing and being herself, and sinks into Sim by letting him own parts of her body that the other three men have to fight tooth and nail for. All the while, she's juggling four men coming at her with their own intentions while she's trying to exact her revenge.
I really enjoyed this wild ride of a book, and yes while it does end on a cliff hanger, it was a reasonable cliffhanger, that didn't have me screaming with frustration and anxiety.
Thank you A.L. Maruga and her PR team for letting me read this book. I can't wait for Dark Reckoning, and to see how this story continues to transpire.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Do you dare go up against Mayhem?!? The answer is yes, lol, for real. HOT, MASKED, POSSESSIVE... need I say more. Dark Dare is about strong FMC who will take any man down and fight for revenge while going against her new stepbrother and his two friends all while trying to resist them and also making another man purrr like a little cub. The tension in this book is everything and the spice is perfection. This book will take you down some dark twists and turns so definitely beware of your triggers. This is DARK. There is no other way around that but it's so so worth it. I love a strong FMC and one that can literally bring a man to his knees and make the MMCs go crazy is just a cherry on top. This book has some heavy triggers in it and is definitely one that you want to go into knowing what you can and cannot handle. I loved everything about this and did not see the cliffhanger going the way that it did. This book left me wanting so much more and I cannot wait to see the characters continue to develop. The details and descriptions used to give you insight into their thoughts and feelings was so descriptive that I felt like I was feeling everything with them. I already know that the MMCs are going to cause Mayhem on everyone in book 2 and I cannot wait to read it.
January 18, 2026
Holy hell was this a dark romance, with unhinged, psychopathic main characters. Right off the bat it starts off with a bang, and when it says it’s a dark romance, it is damn dark. Like Cross—the stepbrother is cool and calculating on the outside but a whole lotta emotions and unhinge-ness underneath, River—the quiet observer but can strike and be ruthless when warranted, Damon—the psychopathic and very unhinged one of the group that I feel like just wants to belong. And then we have Olly—the fiery, hard headed, literally and figuratively, girl that gives as good as she gets. She’s a literal bada** and I loved her. Oh and I can’t forget about Sim—the one she didn’t expect, I feel like he’s her calm. God I freaking loved this book so much! Even though the book started out strong, it didn’t feel like it went downhill after. The drama that ensued between The Mayhem, Olly, and Sim just was one thing after another. It never got boring. But how can it when you have a FMC like Olly, lol. But overall the writing was great, loved the plot and storylines of and between the characters, loved how detailed scenes were (especially the spicy ones), the progression, and right when it was getting to the good part, BOOM, cliffhanger lol😂. LOVED LOVED LOVED!! can’t wait for book 2
Review of advance copy received from Author
Dark Dare- A.L Maruga
I was lucky enough to be chosen as an ARC reader for this and woah!
This book was intense, crazy & may make you want to throat punch a few people!
The FMC is fierce and takes no shit and isn’t afraid of assholes with entitlement issues.
Olivia “Olly” has come to Soule for a reason but finds herself faced with a few other ‘obstacles’ on her journey to revenge.
Cook is the asshole step brother who thinks he can manipulate her.
Damon has his own issues he is facing while also trying to battle his feelings toward his friends & olly
River.. hmmm you want to hate him but at the same time he’s just not as bad as the others (maybe just not yet?!)
& Sim (Simba) the sweet protective lion cub, how could we not love you! Fiercely protective, kind, warm, dominating but not in an asshole way.
One thing they all have in common? Their want/need to possess Olly.
This book is a wild ride of mixed emotions and a lot of ‘what the f**k’s haha!
The book ends on a cliff hanger and a need to know what happens next!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Check your trigger warnings before jumping into this one!
I was lucky enough to be chosen as an ARC reader for this and woah!
This book was intense, crazy & may make you want to throat punch a few people!
The FMC is fierce and takes no shit and isn’t afraid of assholes with entitlement issues.
Olivia “Olly” has come to Soule for a reason but finds herself faced with a few other ‘obstacles’ on her journey to revenge.
Cook is the asshole step brother who thinks he can manipulate her.
Damon has his own issues he is facing while also trying to battle his feelings toward his friends & olly
River.. hmmm you want to hate him but at the same time he’s just not as bad as the others (maybe just not yet?!)
& Sim (Simba) the sweet protective lion cub, how could we not love you! Fiercely protective, kind, warm, dominating but not in an asshole way.
One thing they all have in common? Their want/need to possess Olly.
This book is a wild ride of mixed emotions and a lot of ‘what the f**k’s haha!
The book ends on a cliff hanger and a need to know what happens next!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Check your trigger warnings before jumping into this one!
Review of advance copy received from Author
🅰🆁🅲 🆁🅴🆅🅸🅴🆆:
𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕜 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕓𝕪 𝔸. 𝕃. 𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕦𝕘𝕒
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶
This is a dark stepbrother why choose MMMFM bully romance with an MMA twist.
I didn’t know what an MMA twist meant, but let me tell you - it was something I didn’t know I needed until Dark Dare.
Three masked psychopath MMCs, one badass MMA fighter FMC, and one MMA fighter golden retriever MMC.
It's a dark, unhinged, spicy, but also funny story - with a freaking cliffhanger at the end of the first book…
However, it is not for the faint of heart, reading TW is highly recommended!
So I only have one question: where is the second book? GIMME IT NOW! 😁
If you like being chased by three masked psychopaths through a dark, eerie forest while naked - this is your book. 🫣
If you like a strong FMC who hands the boys their asses - this is your book. 🫣
| 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐞? 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲. | 🫣😂
𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤:
×͜× 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒆
https://books2read.com/darkdare
𝗜 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸! 😉
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬:
⛥ Dark College BuIIy
🩷Stepbrother
⛥ Masked Men
🩷Strong FMC
⛥ Revenge/Vengeance
🩷MMA
⛥ Pr1mal
🩷Secrets, Lies, & Mystery
⛥ Why Choose MMMFM
🩷Enemies to lovers
𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕜 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕓𝕪 𝔸. 𝕃. 𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕦𝕘𝕒
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶
This is a dark stepbrother why choose MMMFM bully romance with an MMA twist.
I didn’t know what an MMA twist meant, but let me tell you - it was something I didn’t know I needed until Dark Dare.
Three masked psychopath MMCs, one badass MMA fighter FMC, and one MMA fighter golden retriever MMC.
It's a dark, unhinged, spicy, but also funny story - with a freaking cliffhanger at the end of the first book…
However, it is not for the faint of heart, reading TW is highly recommended!
So I only have one question: where is the second book? GIMME IT NOW! 😁
If you like being chased by three masked psychopaths through a dark, eerie forest while naked - this is your book. 🫣
If you like a strong FMC who hands the boys their asses - this is your book. 🫣
| 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐞? 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲. | 🫣😂
𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤:
×͜× 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒆
https://books2read.com/darkdare
𝗜 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸! 😉
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬:
⛥ Dark College BuIIy
🩷Stepbrother
⛥ Masked Men
🩷Strong FMC
⛥ Revenge/Vengeance
🩷MMA
⛥ Pr1mal
🩷Secrets, Lies, & Mystery
⛥ Why Choose MMMFM
🩷Enemies to lovers
Review of advance copy received from Author
💋Dark College Bully
🖤Stepbrother
💋Masked Men
🖤Strong FMC
💋Revenge/Vengeance
🖤MMA
💋Primal
🖤Secrets, Lies, & Mystery
💋Why Choose - MMMMFM
🖤Enemies to Lovers
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
😍😍😍😍😍
You know how sometimes it takes a couple pages or chapters to really get into a book? Well this is not that book!!!! Page One and you are like “ok, holy shit, keep calm and make sure your seatbelt is fastened)this book is about to be crazy and it def was!!!! Loved every damn word- screw saying every page cause this was every damn word!!!
Who doesn't want to read about a Badass FMC who is consumed by revenge?
Men who think they can make her bend a knee only to become obsessed? And I mean Obsessed!! These men are what I want in my unhinged morally black MMC's!!!
This book will have YOU obsessed as well cause hot dayum!!!! So dirty and delish...... ate this book up and left zero crumbs behind....this ends on a fluffy but you know the next one these men are about to go freakin feral!!! Well…… even more feral than they already were that is ☠️
🖤Stepbrother
💋Masked Men
🖤Strong FMC
💋Revenge/Vengeance
🖤MMA
💋Primal
🖤Secrets, Lies, & Mystery
💋Why Choose - MMMMFM
🖤Enemies to Lovers
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
😍😍😍😍😍
You know how sometimes it takes a couple pages or chapters to really get into a book? Well this is not that book!!!! Page One and you are like “ok, holy shit, keep calm and make sure your seatbelt is fastened)this book is about to be crazy and it def was!!!! Loved every damn word- screw saying every page cause this was every damn word!!!
Who doesn't want to read about a Badass FMC who is consumed by revenge?
Men who think they can make her bend a knee only to become obsessed? And I mean Obsessed!! These men are what I want in my unhinged morally black MMC's!!!
This book will have YOU obsessed as well cause hot dayum!!!! So dirty and delish...... ate this book up and left zero crumbs behind....this ends on a fluffy but you know the next one these men are about to go freakin feral!!! Well…… even more feral than they already were that is ☠️
Review of advance copy received from Author
⛥ 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐲 A.L. Maruga ⛥
MMC: Damon, Cross, River
FMC: Olivia
⛥ ᴅᴀʀᴋ ᴄᴏʟʟᴇɢᴇ ʙᴜʟʟʏ
🖤sᴛᴇᴘʙʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀ
⛥ ᴍᴀsᴋᴇᴅ ᴍᴇɴ
🖤sᴛʀᴏɴɢ ғᴍᴄ
⛥ ʀᴇᴠᴇɴɢᴇ/ᴠᴇɴɢᴇᴀɴᴄᴇ
🖤ᴍᴍᴀ
⛥ ᴡʜʏ ᴄʜᴏᴏsᴇ ᴍᴍᴍғᴍ
🖤ᴇɴᴇᴍɪᴇs ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴠᴇʀs
Olly (Olivia) and her best friend went through a very traumatic experience. Sadly, her friend never recovered and is now gone. Olivia feels like she needs to get revenge. She wants to find the one who hurt them and this is why she attends Soule University. Attending here, this is where she meets River, Cross and Damon —the Mayhem crew. They are the kings that run everything.
💜 Olly - MMA fighter. She is a sassy strong take no shit FMC. Out for revenge.
🤍Cross -is the leader and step-brother of Olly. (Blue mask)
🤍Damon - unhinged. He’s like the enforcer. (pink mask)
🤍River - most level-headed of the guys; doesn’t want to cause more trauma. (green mask)
🤍Sim - MMA Fighter
‼️‼️THIS ENDS ON A CLIFFHANGER ‼️‼️
I seriously can’t wait for more!! 🤤
| 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐞? 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲. |
MMC: Damon, Cross, River
FMC: Olivia
⛥ ᴅᴀʀᴋ ᴄᴏʟʟᴇɢᴇ ʙᴜʟʟʏ
🖤sᴛᴇᴘʙʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀ
⛥ ᴍᴀsᴋᴇᴅ ᴍᴇɴ
🖤sᴛʀᴏɴɢ ғᴍᴄ
⛥ ʀᴇᴠᴇɴɢᴇ/ᴠᴇɴɢᴇᴀɴᴄᴇ
🖤ᴍᴍᴀ
⛥ ᴡʜʏ ᴄʜᴏᴏsᴇ ᴍᴍᴍғᴍ
🖤ᴇɴᴇᴍɪᴇs ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴠᴇʀs
Olly (Olivia) and her best friend went through a very traumatic experience. Sadly, her friend never recovered and is now gone. Olivia feels like she needs to get revenge. She wants to find the one who hurt them and this is why she attends Soule University. Attending here, this is where she meets River, Cross and Damon —the Mayhem crew. They are the kings that run everything.
💜 Olly - MMA fighter. She is a sassy strong take no shit FMC. Out for revenge.
🤍Cross -is the leader and step-brother of Olly. (Blue mask)
🤍Damon - unhinged. He’s like the enforcer. (pink mask)
🤍River - most level-headed of the guys; doesn’t want to cause more trauma. (green mask)
🤍Sim - MMA Fighter
‼️‼️THIS ENDS ON A CLIFFHANGER ‼️‼️
I seriously can’t wait for more!! 🤤
| 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐞? 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲. |
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This was dark and unhinged in the best way possible.
If you’ve read any of this author’s previous work, you’ll know she writes dark and depraved mmc’s with a strong fmc. This is that but on steroids. Three of the four mmc’s are utterly pitch black, angry, obsessive, irredeemable alphâhòles. I don’t know that I’ve ever been so afraid for an fmc, as I am for Olly. She has a massive target on her back, she’s unable to back down and her only ally is Sim, and god I just love him. He is so cute, in an unhinged, golden retriever kind of way.
The parents are dreadful, but they don’t come into it much, but I still want them all torn down.
I’ve never, at least for a long, long time, wanted to rage against an ending so much as I do this one. It’s honestly eating away at me, I am furious and upset that this happened.
It’s left me feeling on edge and overwhelmed by the pain of Olly and everything she’s gone through.
I need the next book.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
If you’ve read any of this author’s previous work, you’ll know she writes dark and depraved mmc’s with a strong fmc. This is that but on steroids. Three of the four mmc’s are utterly pitch black, angry, obsessive, irredeemable alphâhòles. I don’t know that I’ve ever been so afraid for an fmc, as I am for Olly. She has a massive target on her back, she’s unable to back down and her only ally is Sim, and god I just love him. He is so cute, in an unhinged, golden retriever kind of way.
The parents are dreadful, but they don’t come into it much, but I still want them all torn down.
I’ve never, at least for a long, long time, wanted to rage against an ending so much as I do this one. It’s honestly eating away at me, I am furious and upset that this happened.
It’s left me feeling on edge and overwhelmed by the pain of Olly and everything she’s gone through.
I need the next book.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Review of advance copy received from Author
What the fuck… what the actual fuck!? Way to just shove us off the edge of the damn cliff A.L. Maruga! Haven’t you ever heard of cruel and unusual punishment!? Because I’m pretty sure that Dark Dare’s cliffhanger counts as such!!!
I’ll be honest, at about 60% or so I really didn’t see how I’d ever find Damon likable after everything he’s done/thought. Now? I’m still on the fence about him but leaning more towards “damn that’s one sexy psychopath”. Don’t get me wrong, the man literally belongs in a padded cell with a green jello cup after how he behaved. But Lordy he is one fiiiiiine crazy person. Oh and the other three male hotties in Dark Dare? Well let’s just say I’ve already melted into a puddle for them…
If you like your men morally black, not grey, pitch black, then Dark Dare is definitely right up your alley and the perfect addition to your tbr! Happy reading my fellow fucked up dark romance babes!
I’ll be honest, at about 60% or so I really didn’t see how I’d ever find Damon likable after everything he’s done/thought. Now? I’m still on the fence about him but leaning more towards “damn that’s one sexy psychopath”. Don’t get me wrong, the man literally belongs in a padded cell with a green jello cup after how he behaved. But Lordy he is one fiiiiiine crazy person. Oh and the other three male hotties in Dark Dare? Well let’s just say I’ve already melted into a puddle for them…
If you like your men morally black, not grey, pitch black, then Dark Dare is definitely right up your alley and the perfect addition to your tbr! Happy reading my fellow fucked up dark romance babes!
January 22, 2026
Holy moly, talk about a page turner! I was lured in right away and could not look away. This is dark, it’s twisted, and unhinged.
I found myself hating and then loving our MMCs several times throughout the book. Cross, River and Damon are part of Mayhem and that is exactly what they cause. You want to hate them because they are toxic and unhinged, but then they show certain parts of theirselves and you can’t help but love them. But Sim…I LOVED HIM. He was so protective and obsessive over Olivia. And he called her Lavender…. Swoon!
Olivia is a freaking baddie for sure. This girl will fight with everything she is and you can’t help but love her character. She is fierce and she has strength like no other. M
This book is full of unhinged moments, there are many secrets that Mayhem doesn’t want out, but Olly wants to reveal. And then when the spice hits, it’s HOT!
And then that cliffhanger…I was not ready!!!
I found myself hating and then loving our MMCs several times throughout the book. Cross, River and Damon are part of Mayhem and that is exactly what they cause. You want to hate them because they are toxic and unhinged, but then they show certain parts of theirselves and you can’t help but love them. But Sim…I LOVED HIM. He was so protective and obsessive over Olivia. And he called her Lavender…. Swoon!
Olivia is a freaking baddie for sure. This girl will fight with everything she is and you can’t help but love her character. She is fierce and she has strength like no other. M
This book is full of unhinged moments, there are many secrets that Mayhem doesn’t want out, but Olly wants to reveal. And then when the spice hits, it’s HOT!
And then that cliffhanger…I was not ready!!!
Review of advance copy received from Author
this isnt my first A.L maruga book so im aware in how things are in them
this is on the darker/bully side of things.
there is sharing, mm aspects, primal forced play, mafia aspects, mentions of SA and death.
unfortunately this was a mixed bag for me.
i found it a bit longwinded and skipping through as it was taking me so long to read this.
i didnt like how she was flipping between hating them and having sex with them.
i felt sorry for Damon and River but really wasnt keen on Cross
i did like Sem and found it funny when he was trying to be the knight in shining armour although i found this very misplaced and would. have loved more of this through the book. but i didnt like how she never corrected the obsession he has and calling her his girlfriend.
its worth the read if you like a slower burn book.
this is on the darker/bully side of things.
there is sharing, mm aspects, primal forced play, mafia aspects, mentions of SA and death.
unfortunately this was a mixed bag for me.
i found it a bit longwinded and skipping through as it was taking me so long to read this.
i didnt like how she was flipping between hating them and having sex with them.
i felt sorry for Damon and River but really wasnt keen on Cross
i did like Sem and found it funny when he was trying to be the knight in shining armour although i found this very misplaced and would. have loved more of this through the book. but i didnt like how she never corrected the obsession he has and calling her his girlfriend.
its worth the read if you like a slower burn book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This book is a dark romance story with a lot of intense feelings and drama. The main characters have a complicated relationship that keeps the story going. The mood is pretty dark and fits the genre well.
That said, some parts of the book felt a bit cheesy or over the top. At times, the dialogue and situations made me cringe because they seemed unrealistic or forced. The plot also had some moments that were kind of extra and hard to take seriously.
Even with these issues, the book still has some interesting parts and will probably be enjoyable for readers who like dark romance and are okay with a few awkward moments.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
That said, some parts of the book felt a bit cheesy or over the top. At times, the dialogue and situations made me cringe because they seemed unrealistic or forced. The plot also had some moments that were kind of extra and hard to take seriously.
Even with these issues, the book still has some interesting parts and will probably be enjoyable for readers who like dark romance and are okay with a few awkward moments.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Deliciously dark, unhinged and pulse-pounding!
🖤 Masked Men
🖤Stepbrother
🖤Dark college Bully
🖤A badass Fmc
🖤 Mmcs in a very dark shade of morally grey
🖤 Revenge/Vengeance
🖤 Primal hunt
🖤 Why Choose MMMFM
🖤Intrigue, secrets and deception
🖤Enemies to lovers
Ollie owned me right from the start,she's stong,fierce and determined and the boys may be unhinged and flawed but her darkness is irresistible for them.
And there's so many twists and turns that kept me engrossed in the story that couldn't stop reading until the last word.
Not going to summarize the story because it's too good to spoil the fun.
There's a long list of triggers so check the TW before diving in.
Ends in a cliffhanger that left even higher expectations .Can't wait to see what's coming!
🖤 Masked Men
🖤Stepbrother
🖤Dark college Bully
🖤A badass Fmc
🖤 Mmcs in a very dark shade of morally grey
🖤 Revenge/Vengeance
🖤 Primal hunt
🖤 Why Choose MMMFM
🖤Intrigue, secrets and deception
🖤Enemies to lovers
Ollie owned me right from the start,she's stong,fierce and determined and the boys may be unhinged and flawed but her darkness is irresistible for them.
And there's so many twists and turns that kept me engrossed in the story that couldn't stop reading until the last word.
Not going to summarize the story because it's too good to spoil the fun.
There's a long list of triggers so check the TW before diving in.
Ends in a cliffhanger that left even higher expectations .Can't wait to see what's coming!
Read
January 22, 2026I don't even know where to begin on this review. Im lost for words on what to say because what I just finished reading was absolutely amazing. This book had my eyes glued to the pages and I didn't want to put it down. You have Olly who moved in with her mom and new step-dad to attend school. Her step brother and his two friends where the leaders of the school and they caused so much havoc but when then eyes landed on her they wanted her but they just kept wanting her more because Olly doesn't mess around with there antics and she fights back and keeps winning against them. These men dont know how to handle it. The way this one ends will have you ready for book two and im so ready to see what happens next.
Review of advance copy received from Author
The latest read from AL and I wasn’t disappointed. If you are a fan of her Casbury series Dark Dare is like that on steroids. The guys are more unhinged, depraved and obsessive, Olly the FMC doesn’t back down for anyone, her sights set on her revenge. But if you need a little ray of light in your morally black reading then there’s the little lion cub Sim who I’m sorry gives Sammy from the Brothwrhood series a run for his money.
Sucks it’s a duet only for the reason that now I’m having to wait after that cliffhanger to find out what happens next, but if I know AL the second installment will be more explosive than the first.
Sucks it’s a duet only for the reason that now I’m having to wait after that cliffhanger to find out what happens next, but if I know AL the second installment will be more explosive than the first.
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