His to Keep: A Story of Obsession and Captivity

by Lena Everhart

Some obsessions don’t knock.
They break in, chain you to the floor, and whisper that it’s fate.

Callie Morgan was never lost.
She lived in the glow of attention—an influencer whose life was always visible, always admired, always watched.
And Silas had been watching longer than anyone.
Not as a follower.
As the endgame.

He didn’t just want to be near her.
He wanted to remove the world between them.
So he took her.

Now she wakes up in a stranger’s home with no way out, trapped under a gaze that no longer hides, held by a man who calls his obsession love—and expects her to call it the same.

A dark romance of stalking, kidnapping, and captivity—where attention becomes obsession, and love becomes the most dangerous kind of prison.

Genres: Dark Romance

353 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 23, 2025

Reviews

[ashlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wild ride. The obsession was strong in this one. Silas was not playing when he planned on taking Callie. He might be on the…psycho side, but he’s just so lovable, even when he’s mad. You won’t get smut here, it’s all story and it was a good one.

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now I won't lie, the first 25% of this book felt like I was trying to force my way through. I didn't find either character palatable or enjoyable to read their pov but I then realised how clever of a writing device this was from the author. The last 75% I devoured in a day and it definitely had me looking around at everyone else on the train I read it on with suspicion!
Ended up fully enjoying the book and would recommend but please check your triggers - the author does a great at highlighting them. This isn't just morally grey this is pitch black.

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

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was intense, suspenseful, gut wrenching and a totally wild ride. Each step of the way Silas and Callie had to navigate their internal struggles as well as what dynamics (if any) would work for them! I loved how complex each character was and the differences between what’s shown to the world and what is going on in our minds. Cannot wait for book 2!!.

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

[A79senlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Callie and Silas have one thing in common: They’re invisible, unseen, hiding in plain sight. Callie has a thriving social media presence with a life she presents to the world, a carefully concealed front that shows off a version of herself. She’s watched but not seen. Meanwhile, Silas purposely lives as an average person, nothing remarkable that would cause him to be noticed or remembered. But they see each other. Callie is searching for the real in the land of the fake and finds comfort in rituals like making coffee and triple-checking that doors are locked, while Silas’ life has been governed by uncovering and studying patterns ever since he went off the meds that kept him “chemically civilized.”

I love dark stalker romance and this book is dark-dark, but the best part of the book for me is the beautiful writing. It’s not just engaging; it’s engrossing. I highlighted so many passages before I realized I had more highlights than regular text!

A couple of my favorites:

💜 Maya throws back a tequila shot like it owes her money.
💜 One lamp glows low in the living room, casting the kind of soft, artificial warmth that wants to be the moon but doesn’t quite know how.

There soooo many more. I didn’t realize this wasn’t a standalone but I am really looking forward to the continuation of Silas and Callie’s story.

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

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into this expecting a typical dark romance...you know the ones that sometimes give you pause and then later you realize that its nothing like that...not nearly anything like what the warning in the beginning of the book promises you. "So dark, you'll question every other dark romance you've ever read" type warning? NOOOOO this books warning lived up to its hype, I was way under prepared for how dark this would be. I just finished reading this and I'm shaking...SHAKING! 5/5 simply because this book unnerved me in a way that made me pause because as fake as this book is, for someone out there this has been or could potentially be their reality and that shakes me to the core.

I feel like I need to stare at a blank wall and listen to a lo-fi playlist to reset my brain and body or something! I don't know what I need to be honest. I don't even know how to use words correctly to let you know that this book might f**k you up, seriously, do not under estimate the content warning.

The writing is beautiful yet heart-breakingly raw that you feel it on a level that makes you question reality. Written from both Callie and Silas' povs, get ready for a wild ride because I'm still processing everything this book gave me...panic, anger and a bit of depression at the moment but whoa is this book good!

However by the end of this book, I was left feeling defeated...devastated in a way that I cannot fully or correctly put into words. So if you're wondering, do I recommend this book? Yes and No, please please please I cannot stress this enough read the content warning and make sure that you go into this book with your eyes wide open and no expectations of this being a happily ever after or that Silas and Callie will fall in love and everything will be sunshine and rainbows, because that's not what kind of story that this is. If you want something that lives up to its promise to be beyond dark and will definitely have you rethinking your reading choices then this is the book for you.

SPOILERS BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW HOW TO TALK ABOUT THIS BOOK WITHOUT SPOILERS HONESTLY....







This book is basically a weird Stockholm love story to put it nicely? And I don't even think the love part is true, because we know it's not but if you read this book you'll understand what I mean at the end.

Callie is a woman that we can all relate to, she wants to be seen, desired, wanted but not touched, real enough to notice but not real enough to touch! Who lives her life as a performance that she wants women to envy and men to desire becoming a part of. She keeps her self isolated just visible enough in real life for what seems her only friend and others to mistake her as being okay. But she like most of us, is lonely yet not lonely in a way that requires a need for others to constantly be around. And this my friend is where she royally and utterly F**KS up!

See she knows someone has been watching her but she does what most of us would do in this situation, she brushes it off...it's paranoia...just too much alone time....too much quite...to much anything for it to be what it really is...a gut feeling. You know the one that people tell you not to ignore...she does because she doesn't want to be labeled crazy or appear that way! And when she finally acts on her feeling it's too late, she ignores all the signs and invites her undoing in. Sure she starts being more serious when the gravity of her situation finally hits her like a freight train hitting a car that thought it could outrun it. However much like the car she's too slow to react and things only snowball in a terrible way from there!

Silas is to put it bluntly, psychotic....literally like diagnosed and institutionalized psychotic! Only he's not what we're warned about he's not the guy you cross the street to avoid or look at twice to make sure you're still safe...he seems normal...almost safe if you had to pick between what we think isn't and is when crossing that street to avoid what we view as dangerous, you would pick him.

The thing about Silas is that he knows what he's doing is wrong...he knows that but it doesn't stop him from letting this obsession that he has for Callie get to him. Slowly he lets it take over until it's all consuming, but not in the way that you would expect. He's calculating and methodical in a way that could be considered admirable if we were talking about work ethics or something where it could and or would be required...however in this sense its something and completely different...it's horrifying knowing that there are real people out in the world that tick like this.

Now this next part I don't want to be taken as me romanticizing this book or the things that happen in it at all, because I'm not but because this is text you can never tell how someone else will take the words that hold not inflection.

Throughout this entire book I found myself relating to Callie and it was in a sense that this would most likely be the type of woman I would have been, had I not become a mother. I can absolutely relate to Callie feeling like there's always the edge to the silence and not in a way most people can cope with by creating background noise or having to fell the void of...emptiness. The wanting to be noticed but not touched...alone but in a way that I choose but not completely.

But more so when Callie completely breaks and gives in to Silas not because it's love or could be, but simply because what's the point of fighting anymore when he'll never give up. If you get away he'll find you but what happens then will be so much worse than what you've endured and survived so far. So why keep peaking over the edge of the unknown? Waiting for the wind to blow you one way or the other and instead take your fate into your own hands in a sense, jump and see what happens. You'll either shatter so completely that you'll never be fully put back together again or let something else dictate when, why and how severely you'll break? So why fight what you know is awaiting you any longer?

Silas I hated him, even in moments when he showed some symbolism of humanity, where we the reader sees these moments that appear almost sweet and relatable. But they're not, they're calculated and timed just right to lull you into a false sense of security and safety as they were set up for Callie...to make things easier and more appealing...to give Silas a false projection of humanity.

He literally, repetitively tells Callie that he won't hurt he..he only wants to love her. Yet at every turn he does...over and over and over and over again. He doesn't want someone to love...to be obsessed with...what Silas wants is someone who is completely, totally...utterly dependent on him without even knowing or realizing that they are. He wants Callie to live, eat, breathe and be so consumed with Silas that, that's all she knows and wants. He believes he can break her and remold her to what he wants but never takes into account that you can know someone or think you do so completely, however you never will there are places inside of us that even when don't know exist until we're pushed so far broken down so much that even what was hiding in the dark surprises us!

By the end of this book, I was left feeling defeated...devastated in a way that I cannot fully or correctly put into words. So once again if you made it this far and you're still wondering, do I recommend this book? Yes and No, please please please I cannot stress this enough read the content warning and make sure that you go into this book with your eyes wide open and no expectations of this being a happily ever after or that Silas and Callie will fall in love and everything will be sunshine and rainbows, because that's not what kind of story that this is. If you want something that lives up to its promise to be beyond dark and will definitely have you rethinking your reading choices then this is the book for you.

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

[Brita Mackay · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some obsessions that don't knock.

Callie Morgan had never been lost.
She had always lived in the glow of attention – she was an influencer her life was always visible, always admired, always watched.
And Silas, he had been watching longer than anyone else.
Not as a follower.
No, Silas was going to be the endgame.

Silas didn't just want to be near her.
No, Silas wanted to remove the world between them.
So, he took her.

Now Callie wakes up in some stranger's home without a way out, trapped under a gaze that no longer hides, she finds he's held by a man who calls his obsession love – and what's more, he expects her to call it the same.

His To Keep is a romance of stalking, k! dnapping, and captivity – where attention becomes obsession, and love becomes the most dangerous kind of prison.

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: Twisted Love, He Takes Her & Calls It Love, Quiet Observation, Calm Calculated Composure, and Patient Devotion.

There are three things that Callie and Silas have in common and they don't even know it. They are both invisible, unseen, living in hiding right in plain sight.

Callie is an influencer, she has a thriving social media presence proving her influencing career has really taken off. Now she curates the life she shows to the rest of the world very carefully, concealing what she doesn't want the rest of the world to see, showing only the best of herself. She's allowing her life to be watched but never seen.

Somewhere else in the city, Silas lives his own life as an average person, showing that he's nothing remarkable that's worth truly seeing or being noticed, or even remembered.

But, somehow after Silas takes Callie and she gets over that shock, not only is Silas able to see who Callie really is what's more, Callie can really see who Silas is under all the horrible things that he's done.

Callie is searching for so much more in a land that's so fake, she wants something real and she manages to find this comfort in simple rituals like making coffee, checking that the doors are locked multiple times.

Silas on the other hand finds that his own life is governed by uncovering and studying patterns. He's been doing this ever since he weaned off the medication that his doctors had put him on to keep him “chemically civilized.”

I loved the way that Lena built up the tension slowly with each glance, word, and the little bit of freedom that Silas allowed Callie and it was slowly becoming a power struggle. So she did the only thing that she could. She resisted, she adapted.

But, their connection remained undeniable yet disturbing and it is rooted in obsession, fear, and yet there is this thing that started to resemble something like intimacy. And it was real, in a way that neither Callie nor Silas could shake or let go of and they didn't want to.

The truth is that it's not a traditional love that grows between them. What grows between them is slow, volatile, and it is shaped by isolation, Silas's control, and Callie's fight for survival. You know that it is morally gray, an emotional roller coaster ride, and it is solely unbalanced. And yet, by the middle of this book, there is something that forms that neither Callie nor Silas truly understands and I can promise you that I can't let go.

Dark Romance books are one of my favorites and adding in stalkers are quickly becoming one of my all-time favorites. But, in His To Keep, the plot, the storyline, the characters it's all amazing, but what's truly my favorite part is the stunning writing itself. It's enthralling and engrossing. I just loved it so much.

Two of my favourite Quotes are:

- Maya throws back a tequila shot like it owes her money.

- One lamp glows low in the living room, casting the kind of soft, artificial warmth that wants to be the moon but doesn’t quite know how.

I am so excited to get my hands on the 2nd book and read the continuation of Callie and Silas's story.

This is a deep dark slow burn, that has a dark stalker, a captive romance that forces you to explore a twisted love, it is full of obsession, control, survival, trauma, identity, dependency, a huge power imbalance, manipulation, submitting to your captor, resisting all the manipulation, and worst of all the isolation.

If you are a lover of dark stalker romance, trauma, identity, manipulation, isolation, and obsession, then His To Keep by Lena Everhart is the book for you to pick up next, and remember this is just the first book.

[PlotTwist&Tea · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you ever thought you were into obsessive men… congratulations, this book politely grabs you by the throat and asks, “Are you sure, sweetheart?”

Lena Everhart didn’t write a romance. She wrote a psychological hostage situation wrapped in velvet lighting, social-media existentialism, and a stalker who is disturbingly good at IT. This isn’t your “oops he’s a little toxic but he’ll buy you flowers” brand of dark. This is “lock your windows, delete your apps, and maybe sage the apartment just in case” energy.

From page one, Everhart serves aesthetics, tension, and a level of voyeurism that should probably be illegal. Callie is a beautifully messy, chronically online girl whose entire personality is curated chaos and TikTok validation. Silas is the kind of man who doesn’t blink enough and can dismantle your entire digital footprint before breakfast. Together, they create a story that feels like scrolling doom while someone breathes behind your shoulder.

What makes this book dangerously addictive is how intimate the writing feels. Every scene hits like a camera zooming in too close. Everhart knows how to coil tension, soften it, then snap it again. Silas narrates like a man who thinks therapy is a government conspiracy, and Callie narrates like a girl who hasn’t slept in three days and insists she’s “fine.”

It’s wrong. It’s messy. It’s hot in a morally questionable way that your brain will judge you for and your body will not.

And no, there is absolutely no redemption arc. This is captivity, obsession, and psychological possession dressed in lyrical prose. Everhart didn’t come here to fix anyone. She came here to flip your morals upside down and ask if you still like what you see.


Trigger Warnings (from the book itself)

— Abduction & captivity
— Physical restraint
— Non-consensual touch
— Dubious consent / coerced intimacy
— Psychological manipulation & gaslighting
— Stalking & digital surveillance
— Threats of violence
— Antisocial personality traits
— Emotional control & possessiveness

If any of those make you hesitate, please listen to the warning page. This is not a “dark-light” romance. This is a crawl-into-your-bones, ethically messy narrative meant to make you squirm.


Final Thoughts

If you love morally corrupt men, claustrophobic intimacy, and stories where the author looks you in the eyes and dares you to judge her, this book will ruin your sleep schedule and possibly your standards.

Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.

And yes, I’m rolling my eyes while admitting it was fabulous.

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

[kymagirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

She wasn’t stolen for love. She was taken to be kept.

Callie has built a life on boundaries, control, and carefully managed distance. Everything changes the moment she wakes up in a strange house, held by a man who claims he understands her better than anyone ever could. His voice calm. His hands steady. His plan already started.

Silas doesn’t want affection. He wants permanence. He watches. He studies. He takes. To him, love means control, and captivity is the only guarantee of loyalty. He calls it care. He calls it safety. But every locked door and soft command is a thread in a cage designed just for her.

Days pass, routines form, and choices shrink. What looks like comfort is really compliance. What feels like intimacy is shaped by fear. Callie evolves from a confident, independent woman into someone forced to navigate captivity with psychological resilience, adapting to survive without ever fully surrendering. Silas begins as an obsessive stalker masking his control as care, gradually becoming more overt in his domination, revealing a complete detachment from moral boundaries.

Tension builds slowly. Every glance, every word, every inch of freedom becomes part of a mental power struggle. She resists. He adapts. Their connection is disturbing and undeniable, rooted in obsession, fear, and something that starts to resemble intimacy. Real in a way neither of them can shake.

What grows between them is not love in the traditional sense. It’s a slow, volatile burn shaped by isolation, control, and survival. It’s morally gray, emotional, and unbalanced. But in the middle of it all, something forms that neither of them fully understands and neither can let go.

A slow burn, steamy, dark stalker, captive romance exploring twisted love, obsession, control, survival, trauma, identity, dependency, power imbalance, manipulation, submission, resistance, and isolation.

[Sarita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story left me stressed out every time I had to put it down. Callie was not my favourite FMC ever. I liked her more as the book went on though. At the beginning I found her a little annoying and not very compelling, kinda hallow but that might have been intentional with her depressive tendencies. I enjoyed that she grew and begun taking a more active role in her life during the course of the book. I liked what she did when she was worried about being stalked, she tried to make smart decisions to protect herself. Silas is troubling. This is definitely not a typical romance book. Even for a dark romance I thought it read more like a thriller and I wanted Callie to stab him and regain some power. I think if she would have had a little more power in their dynamic it would have felt a little less upsetting. The disclaimer at the beginning of this book is accurate. Silas needs serious help, he is not secretly soft for her and wants to control every aspect of her existence. I also thought the conclusion when they got more on the same page was a little rushed. It was very compelling story and I was definitely turning those pages fast. I wanted to see what Callie would do next and if she could gain some ground with Silas. Silas is so cold he felt very robotic which makes sense with his diagnoses but how fast he flipped when triggered would be a terrifying dynamic to live with and not something I think I could live with or want for someone even fictional. I would classify this as a thriller with not a love story but love story adjacent vibes. I think this book set the stage for this toxic love to change and grow. Overall I enjoyed this captivating and twisted tale but if you want to feel good after reading this is not the book for you. I am stressed. If you are looking for a wild ride that will keep you reading a mildly concerned then ditch your morals and enjoy!.

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

[Michelle Frater · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're ready to step inside the twisted mind of an obsessive psychopath who believes he can manipulate a woman into loving him—welcome to Silas's world. What makes this psychological thriller so compelling is the unsettling complexity of its two leads. Silas, with his icy control and chilling precision, isn’t just unhinged, he’s terrifyingly calculated. But it’s not just him. Callie, the object of his obsession, presents a disturbing contrast between her curated, picture-perfect online persona and the vulnerable, conflicted woman behind the screen. Her relentless pursuit of digital validation unknowingly draws the attention of a predator—one who watches, waits, and plans. At first, Silas thinks Callie is just another pretty face in the crowd. But the more he observes her, the more fascinated he becomes—until watching isn’t enough. What follows is a meticulously orchestrated abduction, executed under the cover of night, where Callie finds herself in a new, isolated “home.” But the true horror isn’t in brute force, it’s in the way Silas weaponizes gentleness. His calm demeanor and faux tenderness are more disarming than violence, making his psychological manipulation all the more disturbing. And yet, amid the mind games and mental warfare, Callie clings fiercely to a sliver of resistance that Silas can't quite reach. When she finally makes her desperate bid for freedom, and Silas drops the mask, he reveals the true face of her nightmares. The ending? Not at all what I saw coming. Just when you think the storm has passed, Lena hits you with a cliffhanger that leaves you breathless and desperate for more. I can’t wait to see where this twisted tale heads next.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Dark Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the ARC team for an advance copy!

This book starts out focused on Callie, a social media influencer who seems to use her social presence to create a superficially happy life while really feeling unhappy and empty. Callie is noticed by Silas, who becomes her obsessed stalker. She is taken by him and kept in a house that he has carefully curated to make her feel comfortable - but instead, she feels trapped.

The beginning of the story, going back and forth between Callie and Silas, feels a little slow - their meeting and the kidnapping are definitely a slow burn here. The writing during this part of the book is almost overly descriptive, and it feels like we go over the same thoughts again and again. But I think this may be intentional, as each of the characters are stewing in their own feelings, a bit emo and unsure of their place. The pace changes suddenly after the kidnapping, and their interactions are much more lively, evolving as time goes on.

There is no HEA here - it's not yet listed as part 1 of a series, but the end says "to be continued," and nothing is fully resolved yet. I loved the story so much, and I'm looking forward to the sequel!

I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 because the pace in the beginning was frustrating to me - it may not be to others, but the ruminating aspect of that section made me feel very impatient for the story to move on. I also felt like I don't know much about Callie yet - we know that she's masking her real feelings with her social media, but we don't know what's behind that careful mask. But the unique aspects of this stalker/kidnapping story, the feistiness of the FMC, and the twists and turns are so worth the read.

[vixen ‹𝟹 reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝖙𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖘/𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖌𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝖇𝖊𝖑𝖔𝖜 ↴
(𝔪𝔞𝔶 𝔟𝔢 𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔰𝔦𝔡𝔢𝔯𝔢𝔡 𝔰𝔭𝔬𝔦𝔩𝔢𝔯𝔶)‼️

⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢
𝖘𝖊𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖘: tbd
𝖘𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖞 𝖙𝖞𝖕𝖊: ongoing
𝖍𝖊𝖆/𝖈𝖑𝖎𝖋𝖋𝖍𝖆𝖓𝖌𝖊𝖗: cliffhanger
𝖌𝖊𝖓𝖗𝖊: dark romance
𝖕𝖔𝖛: dual

𝖈𝖔𝖚𝖕𝖑𝖊: Callie & Silas

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘
→ Callie Morgan (26, influencer)

📕 𝖙𝖎𝖒𝖊𝖑𝖎𝖓𝖊 → this book ends on a ‘to be continued’ and is NOT intended to be read as a standalone.

♥️ 𝖙𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖘 - twisted love, he takes her & calls it love, quiet observation, calm calculated composure, patient devotion

🧨 𝖘𝖕𝖎𝖈𝖊 - dark tension, playing house, slow burn, occasional tenderness, twisted comforting

🚩 𝖗𝖊𝖉 𝖋𝖑𝖆𝖌𝖘 - morally pitch black, dark obsession, stälking, kïdnäp vs relocation, control, dub con, surveillance, power imbalance, restraints, confinement, coerced intimacy

⛔️ 𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖌𝖊𝖗𝖘 - elements of non con, mänipülation, gaslighting, coerced dependence, mental/psychological diagnosis + themes, triggers and content in line with dark romance genre.

────── ⋆⋅🖤 𝖒𝖞 𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖚𝖌𝖍𝖙𝖘 🖤⋅⋆ ──────

This book proves it’s not the smut that keeps a dark romance reader coming back for more, it’s the story.

And what a journey that story was. I’m sweating. For all and any reason you can imagine when it comes to a highly morally complicated mmc.

Usually, slow burn isn’t a major fave of mine, but if it’s delivered like this, consider me converted.

The twisted mindset of this man had me torn between ripping out his heart or my own to serve him on a silver platter.

But with every complicated detail of his mentality, every reasoning or justification, made the rabbit hole more inviting just to stitch back even a shred of what he tore apart in my mind.

⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢
⇉ 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘕𝘖𝘛 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥.

[A. Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has some triggering scenes and subject matter. Seriously, check the warnings. It is dark. Like it states in the title, the book focuses on obsession, kidnapping, and captivity. It did take me about 100 pages to really get into this book.

Callie puts her whole life out there on social media. Deep down, Callie appears very unhappy and unsatisfied. Callie catches the attention of a stalker/voyuer. This stalker knows what he wants out of Callie, but Callie is clueless!

Silas, at first, seems patient and nice. Silas is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Without giving the whole plot away, I wasn’t truly satisfied. I'm all for alternative endings, HEA, or an ending that's not happy. I'll take any of them. This book didn't end. There will be another book.

I was disappointed in Callie. I feel like Silas showed his true colors at a certain point, but I didn’t like Callie's action at the very end. Callie either has to fight or give into Silas. I just didn’t like what Callie chose last. If the circumstances were different, there wouldn't be another book, though. I just know, personally, no amount of good behavior would make me forget how Silas acted. Silas is definitely a morally black character!.

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

[Mafia Wife · Rating 4 out of 5]

She has been growing her following as an online influencer. It is a carefully constructed facade. It shows one side of her, the one she wants to present to the world, but it isn't all of her. She recognizes that life has become fake, and that results in some OCD tendencies as she struggles to feel anything real. He is dark and obsessive, but blends into the corners of society, until he stops taking his meds, and his obsession ramps up. It is her, everything is about her. He blows right by morally gray, and bleeds into the darkness. Not content to just watch her anymore, he takes her. He keeps her. He builds a life for her. This is a slow burn as he stalks her and plans the life he intends for them. This is a complete mind obsession as he takes over her life, first using calm and gentleness but ultimately taking what he wants. This is not a traditional love story, but more like a love bombing manipulation as he possessively is determined to have her. It is dark and disturbing and dirty with a side of depravity. This was not listed as a duet but the ending is a cliffhanger with a message that the story will be continued.

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

[Marcia Gomes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, I was super invested at the beginning of the book, but halfway through I started to lose hope. We spend the first half constantly reading about how the FMC is depressed and does nothing except go for coffee with her friend and post pictures ‘to show off and get attention.’ Then she starts receiving messages and gifts from a stalker, and her solution is to post everything on social media???? Wtf??

Finally, the MMC kidnaps her, like he’s been saying he would since the beginning of the book, and things start to get interesting again. At this point, my hope for the book went back up, especially because the FMC fights back for a long time and it’s not one of those typical kidnapping stories where she gives in after one long look or a super cliché line.

The second issue was the ending. So she’s fighting tooth and nail to escape, and out of nowhere she suddenly throws herself at him and kisses him??? Just because the book had to end?? I didn’t get the author’s idea here. I think this book had a lot of potential, but it ended up falling short…”.

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

[Belu · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.5 rounded up)

🖤 Tropes:
- Obsession
- Captivity
- Morally gray MMC
- Dual POV
- Psychological tension
- Dark romance.

I closed this book with mixed feelings, both shaken and fascinated. It’s dark, twisted, and disturbingly intimate. The kind of story that crawls under your skin and refuses to leave.

Silas is terrifyingly magnetic, the kind of character you hate to care about. And Callie… she’s fragile, brave, and heartbreakingly real. Their dynamic is heavy, uncomfortable, yet impossible to look away from.

Lena’s writing is haunting and immersive. She captures obsession in a way that feels both poetic and suffocating. But there were moments where the romanticization of control crossed a line for me. I wished for more awareness, more consequence.

Still, this book lingers. It’s not something you just read and forget. It makes you question what love becomes when it’s poisoned by possession.
It hurt, it captivated, it made me feel too much...and maybe that’s exactly what it was meant to do.

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

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark Obsession

Silas takes obsession to the nth degree! Callie has become his reason for living, existing and he’s not satisfied with just watching anymore. He wants her under his complete control so he takes her and holds Callie captive. He is an evil genius and has the capacity to keep her if he so chooses.

Now they face an emotionally charged cat and mouse where Silas wants her to submit to him in every way possible but Callie is scared and instinctively needs to fight.

This is a dark story that leads to intimacy but it’s not a romance. Silas wants romance with Callie but that’s not what is happening in this story. Callie is trying to survive in any way she can in situation out of her control.

This read will not be for everyone. It is dark and deranged, but I found it intriguing. One thing the author can do is create emotional suspense, but sometime I found it to be too much. Emotional suspense is good as long as it leads you somewhere. The story has to keep moving along.

Also, it ends in a happy for now cliffhanger.

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

[Laura Wolff · Rating 5 out of 5]

She did not say it was a two part story! This left me on a cliffhanger. I NEED to know what happens!!!! Leeeeeeennnnnnnaaaaaa!

This story was definitely dark. Please read the trigger warnings before you jump in. It starts out tame but gets dark quickly.

Callie is drowning in herself and trying to find which way is up. She is like so many in this generation. She require a dopamine hit from likes and views on her Insta. But Silas sees her, all of her. And he wants her, mind, body and soul. But she doesn’t see him. Yet.

After he takes her to the cabin he prepared is when stuff gets surreal. I can’t even talk about what happens because it’s all connected and crrraaazzzzyyyyy.

I am so glad I read this book and I love me some Lena Everhart but I wish I had known it was not a complete story, I was not mentally prepared to be left hanging like this. I feel like I have PTSD after reading this and not knowing if she ever complies the way he wants.

This story doesn’t have the spice we usually look for in a dark romance but it does have some, mostly at the end of the book.

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

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get ready to jump into a world of twisted obsession...or love...depending on which character you ask.

Callie is a social media influencer stuck in the rut of having a life that is only surface level. She longs for more but doesn't know what that means. She has perfected the algorithm, knows exactly what will get her the attention, and seems to have it all together, unless you look closer.
This is exactly what Silas does. He sees all of her. Her daily routine, her friends, her social media account, her past, her emptiness, and even the inside of her apartment. He is a stalker of the next level
While he has enough insight to know he is not normal, he can't let her go. He thinks he has everything set up for her, until she tries to leave.
This story will keep you on the edge of your seat with the perfect amount of inner dialogue as you grip your kindle, waiting as nervously as Callie, until Silas finally snaps...

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

[Emily Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Darkness is honest. Darkness doesn’t pretend to comfort.”

His to Keep is intense, twisted, and every bit captivating from start to finish.

Silas and Callie each had to battle their own internal struggles, and I found myself relating to both characters at times. Mental health always holds a special place in my heart as we all battle demons within. Sometimes we win and other times they win.
The FMC, Callie, was an interesting combination of detached, unstable, and strong - you can relate to how she portrays her lifestyle and life through carefully curated posts - “she wants to control how the world sees her.”
The lead MMC, Silas, is full of red flags that would make most of us run for the hills in the real world, yet I found myself empathizing and liking him more and more throughout their story.

Please read trigger warnings before reading, but if you love a possessive, unhinged MMC who stalks, kidnaps, and protects… you will thoroughly enjoy His to Keep 🖤

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

[Genevieve Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book started off a bit slow for me, but once it picked up, I was completely hooked. The tension steadily built as the unsettling dynamic between Callie and Silas unfolded, turning into a gripping, dark spiral that I couldn’t look away from. The premise, a social media influencer kidnapped by her stalker. This book was both disturbing and fascinating, and the author did a great job making you feel trapped right along with Callie.

Silas is a chilling character, obsessively in love and terrifyingly convinced it’s fate. The story explores obsession in a way that’s intense, twisted, and emotionally charged. By the time I got to the end, I didn’t want to stop reading, and then it left me on a cliffhanger! I definitely need the next book.

If you’re into dark romance with psychological twists, this one is worth the read.

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

[RedFlower · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a rollercoaster this plot was! It was gripping to the bone and intoxicating to read! The writing and narrative blew me away!

This dark story had a slow and deliberate pace, beautifully setting the background for how it all began—Silas's obsession with Callie. The suspense was enticing, killing me bit by bit, wrapped in Callie's doubts and second-guesses. Silas and Callie are both strong characters, and I loved Callie's fierceness the most. This girl did not back down, even when faced with terror and inner struggle. Dark, raw emotions and the questionable compass of what’s right and wrong hang in this magnetic plot. I loved it, and I can’t wait to read what comes next for this complex couple.

I highly recommend this author and story to everyone who enjoys this genre.

Give it a go!

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

[Chloe B · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is very messed up dark captive romance book but I LOVED IT!! Silas is a very morally grey character he has dark antisocial tendencies which are portrayed heavily in the book. Silas stalks the FMC, Callie who he is obsessed with and feels possessive over. There is a long build up to the moment Silas kidnaps Callie, it builds a lot of tension and anticipation. Both of these characters are very complex with so many similarities and many differences. Their flaws and imperfects make it easy to relate and connect with the characters.

Overall this book had me on a roller coaster and had me questioning how this book was going to end, which was a HEA. Although the ending left me wanting to read more of this story and I hope there will be a second book.

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

[bunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this like I was the one chained to the floor. Silas is not morally gray, he's pitch black and off his meds, and I ate it up like a little sick freak. The stalking? Next level. The setup? Uncomfortably calculated. Callie thinks she’s just a pretty face on a screen, but this man has her whole life mapped out like a Pinterest board from hell. It’s slow burn in the worst/best way, the kind that gets under your skin before you even realize how screwed you are. The writing was actually stunning too, which pissed me off because I came for a quick unhinged read and ended up highlighting like half the damn book. No fluff, no romance safety nets. Just pure, obsessive descent. And yes, there’s a cliffhanger....



because of course there is.

[Soso By Default · Rating 2 out of 5]

From the synopsis, this story was right up my alley. (Great idea for a book!) That being said, this just was not it for me.

The story was extremely repetitive. Sometimes, it would say a sentence, only to say it again less than a paragraph later. Not reworded. Literally just mixing up the words a bit.
Character wise, they were wishy-washy at best.
This was a slow burn. Maybe a 🌶️🌶️. And the first 220 pages were hard to get through, honestly. Then, the story felt rushed, thrown together, and incomplete. (Probably because it ends with, "To be continued..."
As excited as I was to begin this book, I do not foresee myself reading the next book.

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

[Anna Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok so please keep in mind this is not a romance, nor is it a healthy friendship—but it is good writing. This is psychological stripping-down, and I loved it. The prose is precise and easy to read, and the build-up, climax, and ending are all satisfying, though the ending left me wanting more.

Please read the trigger warnings.

The only thing holding this back from a five-star rating were a few moments that felt overexplained. At times, the internal exposition was a bit too heavy for me, though that may come down to personal preference. There is also one spicy scene, which is easy to skip if you’re here purely for a darker psychological thriller.

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

[Zachariah Greene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prepare yourself for an intense journey with this story. Silas is profoundly unhinged when he abducts Callie, a social media influencer who thrives on public attention. It seems Silas is her most devoted admirer, consumed by obsession and determined to possess her entirely, all under the guise of winning her affection. He is undeniably disturbed, yet he fully embraces his nature. The narrative is filled with unexpected and dramatic developments, creating a dark and tumultuous atmosphere. Nevertheless, it consistently compelled me to continue reading, eager to discover the outcome. Overall, it is an excellent book.

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

[SJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good stalker romance and this one is just so dark and delicious. Check your triggers because this one is unhinged in the best of ways. If this is Lena Everhart's first novel, bravo to her writing skills. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Callie the FMC has a popular online presence. She has a persona she shows the world but deep down she is lonely and not at all who she shows and says she is.

Silas the MMC lives across the street from her building. He begins by observing her but quickly escalates from stalking, to kidnapping and keeping her captive.

I loved the dual point of view. Seeing into the minds and thought processes adds another level of insight.

[Samantha Millican · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Story of Obsession and Captivity, His to Keep is just that. A twisted dark romance where Silas is completely and utterly obsessed with Callie, a social media influencer who’s caught his eye, and it’s not healthy. Silas goes on to kidnap and hold Callie captive till she falls in love with him. Totally normal. More like completely unhinged! But dark romance readers crave this dichotomy to fulfill fantasies they would never seek in real life, that’s the beauty of a story. Lena does a wonderful job creating these characters, while also engaging a plot that keeps you rooted to see how it all plays out.

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

[SBee Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

★ “You weren’t part of a plan, Callie. You became the plan.” ★

💝🫶🏼 Please mind your triggers before diving in 🫶🏼💝

Thoroughly obsessed with an influencer he notices across the way from his apartment window, Silas begins to focus his attention on Callie, the girl he cannot seem to stop thinking about. But he really SEES her, beyond what she displays on social media, it’s how she is when she is alone which calls to him. Twisted love dynamics, a connection which finally and honestly clicks for both of them. Being in Silas’ mind was chilling at times. Looking forward to more reads from this new-to-me author!