Recovery: A Dark Romance

by J.M. Sins

While Maya dreams of finding her forever love, Blaine avoids emotional connections, hiding behind meaningless situationships. Their worlds collide, he’s blindsided by her beauty and breaks all of his own rules to win her affection.
But his love quickly grows deep and obsessive, his declining behaviour shaped by the childhood he denies.
As truths from his dark past begin to surface, the only way he can save his relationship with Maya and spare both of their lives is to heal the wounds of his past… before time runs out.

Trigger warnings
Domestic Violence
Childhood trauma
Murder

348 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 25, 2025

About the author

I am a fiction writer from the UK.
My background is in counselling and the health and social care sector.
From a young age I had a keen interest in how childhood trauma affects our behaviours. As I entered adulthood this interest developed in particular in the effects of childhood trauma on our adult relationships.
This has become the basis of my current writing, specifically, the RECOVERY series.

I have no preferred genre for reading, I am more of a mood reader, but enjoy the supernatural (specifically vampires!), crime-thrillers, romance, spiritual/personal development and anything with the ability to move me emotionally.

Reviews

[Lucy Brighton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This debut novel is a beautifully written and emotionally charged story that explores love, trauma, and redemption. It follows Blaine, a man haunted by a painful past, and Maya, a young woman whose sheltered life has been filled with love and stability. As their relationship deepens, the story delves into themes of life, death, and the enduring impact of emotional wounds, keeping the reader questioning what is truly happening until the very end.
The inclusion of the Elders and the concept of multiple lifetimes adds an intriguing spiritual dimension, giving the story a unique edge within the dark romance genre. Although some scenes may be triggering, they contribute to the realism and depth of the characters’ development.

[Sarah Marriott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very easy to read and I enjoyed it. To begin with I was a bit baffled by the 'elders' chapters, but the developing love story between Blaine and Maya was captivating and saw me through. I loved seeing their romance develop, and when red flags started emerging, it was heart breaking. As Blaine's traumas are slowly revealed it makes you question whether he can recover from his experiences. The role of the Elders is slowly revealed and the author has included an interesting narrative around the progression of souls and multiple lifetimes, which was different. It seems there is to be more books to follow this one and it will be interesting to see the direction it takes.

[Ashley Mindykowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

emotional journey

This brings you on an emotional journey through the relationship of a man that has buried his past and an inexperienced woman that has had all of the love and opportunities of a good and loving family. The concept of life and death is very interesting. It brings up a lot of emotional turmoil and if you’ve had a hard upbringing, it will definitely make you look at your own situation. The story keeps you guessing on what exactly is happening throughout.

There are some possibly triggering events but it only adds to the story and makes the character development more believable. Well worth the read and an emotional journey all the way to the end!

[Kyra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating and surprising read. It says dark romance right there on the title, but I hadn't anticipated an additional element to the story (no spoilers here) though!

What followed was a look at a person being as broken as someone can be and the truth behind that was heartbreaking.

This story was extremely beautifully written and a very good debut novel.

[Raye Chinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recovery was an engaging and intriguing read. The author sprinkled breadcrumbs throughout that kept me guessing, and while I did predict the ending, the unique spin made it fresh and memorable. Definitely one I’d recommend