She lost herself the day her best friend died. He found himself the moment he saw her. Shaun wears her grief like a second skin. Haunted by the suicide of the only man she ever truly loved and shattered by the betrayal that followed, she drifts through life as a shell—broken, numb, and desperate to forget. Until a strange encounter in her friend’s bookstore leaves her feeling…watched. He’s always been a monster. Hardened by the brutal murder of his parents, he’s perfected the art of pretending—smiling, charming, fitting in. But when he sees Shaun, he doesn’t want to pretend. He wants to possess. Her shadows call to his, and the flicker of light she still carries? He’ll extinguish it, or make it his. As obsession blurs into something darker, Shaun is drawn into a world where desire and danger are one and the same. And when the truth of who he is finally comes to light—she realizes love isn’t just twisted. It’s a trap. That she willingly walks into—for him.
I spotted this book on BookTok and decided to give it a try, and honestly, I’m so glad I did!
We meet Shaun, who’s finally starting to rebuild her life after losing her best friend and escaping an abusive ex. But just when things seem to be looking up, a Monster finds her, and he’s not about to let her go.
There are definitely some classic tropes here (stalker, masked MMC, obsessive, totally unhinged) but honestly, they all come together to make a really compelling story. I really enjoyed the way the relationship between the Monster and Shaun developed. Did I guess who he was? Yeah, pretty early on, around 30%, but the actual reveal didn’t happen until about 65%. I wasn’t surprised, but I was definitely wondering when the guy had time to pull everything off…
And the ending? That totally shook me. Like, what just happened?! I have no idea where this story is going next, but if I could, I’d already be diving into book two.
⟣Tropes⟢ ✅ Touch her and 💀 ✅ 🩶 Morally Grey MMC 🩶 ✅ Obsessive/JP MMC ✅ Dirty Talk ✅ Dual POV’s (first person) ✅ FMC not Virgin ✅ He falls first ✅ Stalker ✅ Masked MMC ✅ 🔪 Play ✅ "Run" ✅ MINE ✅ Cliff
‼️‼️‼️Trigger Warning‼️‼️‼️ I don’t have any specific triggers and was okay reading it without any warnings, but always take care of your mental health before diving in, since this book definitely has triggers.
This is a debut novel by N.A Hunter. If you like Haunting/Hunting Adeline By HDCarlton then you will enjoy this book. There are similar vibes&theme between this book and Haunting Adeline. The writing was good, a little repetitive with the description of obsession/ possession. I know the stalker is obsessed, he is STALKING HER. I don’t really need to read a whole page about in description then again a few chapters later, then again a few chapters later haha 😂 . (Bangshead on wall)
I enjoyed the cat and mouse game between Shaun (The Dark Doll) and The Monster (Stalker). I didn’t know this book ends on a cliffhanger. When it ended and I was staring at the end, my mind was blown like NOOOO this author DIDNT!! There will be a book 2. I messaged the author and asked because I was going to lose my mind. 🤯
Warning ‼️ ENDS IN CLIFFHANGER!
Favorite Quote: “She brought it out—all of it, every twisted piece. Now I’d do anything for her. To her. I’m an addict, and she’s the fix I can’t quit, that I refuse to quit.”
This was captivating and held my attention from page one. Excited for the next one!! The way this man talks 🤤 the way she’s lowkey into it from the jump says everything!
I loved the way this was set up from beginning to end. It’s so well done and the writing flows so well! I don’t want to spoil but stalker/dark romance lovers THIS is it. You need this book in your life. I’m a kindle reader nine times out of ten but this is definitely getting a spot on the bookshelf!
the amount of times this book had me screaming into the void!!!
I need book two now!!! I need answers!!!
I wasn’t expecting the mystery surrounding the main male character, but I am here for it! You don’t find out his identity till about 65% through the book, and the way that he reveals his identity!!! 🤯🫠🥵
I found myself giggling and kicking my feet every time it was the Monster’s point of view.
This book had me up reading well into the middle of the night because I couldn’t put it down!!
Oh my God! Wow! I don’t even know where to start… if this isn’t in your TBR then you’re missing out on one of the best dark romances I have read so far! The plot twists of all plot twists and the cliff hanger at the end has me needing a book two! You must read you will not be disappointed
OMG! I can't believe it ended like that, it left me screaming! It was such a great read, I loved every part of this book—the story, the characters. It made me cry, I truly enjoyed it so much! And I can't wait for the second part.😍
HOW CAN IT END LIKE THIS. WHAT???!? This book was absolutely incredible. The only thing that annoyed me was the miscommunication between the MC’s. Other than that this book was really good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
(Always check your Triggers) I found this one from TikTok and it promised everything I wanted. Stalking √ Masked Man √ Obsession √ Chase Scenes √ Spicy √√√ A plus size woman who has been through SA (Grape scene, not with MC) in her past, finds herself the object of an obsession from the Masked Man who stalks her. While frightened, the mystery intrigues her and she admits that she feels protected, almost cherished. Her two best friends help with her mental trials while the stalker haunts her. She does find out who it is, and they go through obstacles together. I can't say more without giving things away. The reason I gave this book only 4 Stars is because the huge fight towards the end took me out of the book. I really couldn't understand why the FMC just ghosted the MMC without an explanation. She did explain to her best friends but not to the MMC himself. It felt like the author just added that in for tension or a grovel scene. That and the fact that the ending is a cliffhanger with something that seemed rushed took away the star but overall I would totally recommend this for anyone who likes Dark Stalker Romances.
If you're looking for a book where the man literally wants to fill the void in every part of the woman's life, he fell for, this is it! N.A. Hunter leaves you turning the pages and guessing! I couldn't put it down!
This book.... I loved it! I cannot wait for book 2. I gave it 4 stars only because I feel like the cliffhanger was very predictable. The spicy scenes were good but not every 3 pages which was great. I will definitely recommend this book
I’m obsessed with this book! I was struggling to find my next read when I started this, and the dedication page(s) had me hooked right away. I quickly fell in love with both characters! And the plot twist! 🫠 I would love to list everything I loved, but I don’t like spoilers. It’s so good! If you like dark romance, you will not regret reading this book. Hard to believe this is this author’s first book! Cannot wait for more!!
A very dark and twisted love unravels between Shaun and her masked stalker. From the moment he laid eyes on her, he immediately needed her. He's the monster while she's his doll. "Her monster" gives Shaun gifts that would make anyone else run immediately to the police. But she doesn't. She loves the darkness that is him because she herself can't escape the dark.
This is N.A. Hunter’s first book and she has me Hooked for life ! She’s also such a sweet and genuine soul, and please check out this book!
The FMC , Shaun, was such an interesting and complicated yet beautiful character. I related to her so much it was borderline scary. Seeing her go through her sexual assault and rape was very hard especially because I have gone through the same, but it was also a beautiful thing to connect with a character on such a deep level and see their growth throughout this book. My favorite thing was that after this assault happened, she did not let it make her a victim, but a survivor. I definitely could understand not having self-worth and feeling like finding genuine love would be impossible after something like that, because I have felt the exact same way for a very long time.
Shaun was also hilarious and I just loved her style and her vibe. She also was a book girlie,so I definitely related to that. I loved her tribe of friends. Dylan , Lane,and Xan seem like the best gal pals, and honestly wish they weren’t fictional characters😂😂. I really loved that she showed such a strong bond between her and her friends and also showed to be your most authentic self always and the right people will love you and see you for exactly who you are and not ask you to change or abandon you.
I really loved how she kept the MMC’s true self hidden for most of the book. It kept you on your toes and trying to figure it out the whole time was a lot of fun and entertaining. Also made it so hot and a kinky good time ! I did have an inkling as to who it was, and I was right but for a while, I had no idea. I love that he tattooed his name on her to show her who he was. However , I did get mad at Shaun for her reaction when she found out , even though I understood where she was coming from.
The MMC had so much more depth to him and truly was a tortured soul . I love a masked obsessive stalker, and he checked all those boxes. The spice and the slow burn was so fucking good between these two. It kept you wanting more during the entire book and when they finally did get together, you just felt the passion and the wanting come alive . The things Kai does with a gun , iykyk 🥵🥵🥵 The Way this man is obsessed with her and loves her and writes her a song had me all in my feelings, but in the best way🥰🥰🥰
The way this book ended had my jaw on the floor and I am not okay emotionally and I need the second book out like right now because I need to see what happens !! I also want to learn more about Kai’s past and Graham’s past. I hope we get to learn more in the second book.
As always, please check your trigger warnings . For us dark romance, girlies this is literally everything we would want and more plus the story is so intriguing and enthralling and keeps you wanting more.🖤🖤
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I love descriptive adjectives but there were so many in this book it seemed they were just used to, yes, fill the void. I skimmed a lot of this book because it just got too, “blah blah blah” and often felt repetitive. In my download, the thoughts of the two main characters would run together leaving me to figure out whose thoughts were being read. The descriptives used made me think the author had a list of adjectives, metaphors, or similes that needed used to sound more goth appropriate. The FMC… she was a conundrum, but not one I care to really figure out, and seemed like a cookie cutter of every girl I’ve ever known in this subculture (the exception being her favorite song is ‘Pony’). I fail to see anything original or special about her. I don’t know. Wasn’t the best. Wasn’t the worst. 2.5-3 stars, I suppose.
I made it a little past halfway and just couldn’t do it anymore. I wanted to love this book; I really did! The writing almost strikes me as AI assisted and it is overly descriptive at the wrong times, while lacking description where it’s needed. Aside from that, many of the sentences are only 2-4 words. I tried so hard to look past these things, but I just couldn’t do it. Hard DNF for me 😭
Love this book and everything about it. It was an emotional roller coaster for me. I didn't want to put it down even though I had to for sleep. lol. But every detail that was in this book was amazing and I cannot wait to read a second book if there is one. <3
My heart was racing and I was on the edge of my seat while reading this one. Wondering who the 'monster' is, and what he was going to do next. Couldn't wait to see Shaun's reactions to the monster's unhinged presence. Definitely recommend for anyone looking for a dark stalker romance.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS BOOK! I think you did an amazing job and love how it has a feel of haunting Adeline and lights out vibes!!! The author did an amazing job at keeping the interest and curiosity going!!! I can’t wait for more to come!!!
The point of views switch from dark doll to monster in each others chapters so it was confusing at times.. went back like what the heck who’s chapter am I on? Felt a little repetitive when talking about their feelings.. otherwise was good.
This book is dark, smoldering hot, raw, and addictive. It pulled me in and didn’t let go. Not an easy read, but impossible to put down. Ghost Face Dark Romance lovers will appreciate this one. Can't wait to read book 2! 🖤🔪👻
This book was a great blend of dark romance, humor, and suspense. I was hooked immediately and couldn't put the book down. The twist is perfect, and the ending left me dying for the next book!
I devoured this book. I borrowed this after seeing a post by the author on tik tok, so I had an inkling of what to expect, but Oh My God!!!! I NEED MORE 😩😩😩😩
Yes, it was a good book. However, it was obviously quickly written and unoriginal. It was basically the Temu version of Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton.