MM Dark Suspense/Romance Serial Killer Hurt-Comfort Age Gap
Elijah When I first came to him, my nightmares were already tearing me apart. Scenes of murder—vivid, brutal, and terrifyingly real. Some from the news. Some that hadn’t happened yet. Different victims. Same faceless killer. Silas Cross was the only person who hadn’t called me crazy. My therapist. My anchor. The one man I trusted in a world that had never been kind. But the more I opened up, the more I craved him—the safety of his voice, the heat in his eyes—even as the visions sharpened, and something darker began to stir beneath the surface. I didn’t know if Silas would save me from it… Or become the very thing I feared.
Silas When Elijah walked into my office, I saw something rare— Raw fear. Delicious innocence touched by something darker. My first instinct was to protect him. Then he started telling me about the murders. Crimes I knew too well. And every new detail he revealed brought him closer to a truth I couldn’t afford to let him reach. Our connection was dangerous. Our obsession, inevitable. But if Elijah saw too much… If he uncovered the face behind the blood… Then I’d have no choice but to stop him. One way or another.
Trigger This series is rated R and not recommended for readers under 18. All books contain explicit content, scenes of violence, dub-con, past trauma, and very graphic material.
While He Sleeps is a twisted, high-heat ride through obsession, secrets, and blurred lines between predator and protector. It features a brilliant and ruthless forensic psychiatrist with a god complex, a traumatized boy with blood-stained nightmares, and a dangerous attraction that could destroy them both. In this novel, you'll find manipulation, violence, possessive longing, and a twisted bond that refuses to break. All leading to a HEA with no cliffhangers and enough heat and heartbreak to leave you wrecked. This standalone is part of the Bloody Desires Multi-Author series.
Medusa Stone is a Spanish-born novelist and poet, literary award winner, blogger, and journalist in Europe. Passionate and driven by the defense of human rights, she moved to the US in the year 2000, where she became an anti-trafficking advocate, author and fervent activist against sexual exploitation and slavery. Through Medusa Stone's novels, she explores the misuse of BDSM as an excuse for sexual abuse, with vulnerable characters at the hands of powerful men and organizations. Much of her writing explores the dark nature of humanity; the fine line between love and lust; pain and pleasure; Master and slave. Now a day, the author resides in Gibraltar, UK.
The story starts with some introductions and soon we’ll understand the bigger picture. It’s all intriguing AF! Fasten your seatbelts, because dang it was a harsh ride!!
Silas Cross is a morally grey forensic psychiatrist. Elijah is a former patient, he has some kind of special connection with Elijah. He makes Silas soft.
Elijah suddenly left him years ago, but Silas always knew where he was. He’s obsessed with Elijah.
Kane is also Silas’s former patient, they have a completely different connection, but it is also special. Kane is as morally grey as Silas, maybe even worse. Together they end the scum of the earth, especially child abusers!
Elijah has vivid nightmares about murders, which drives him crazy, he needs to return to Silas. He wants Silas to be his, he’s as obsessed with Silas as Silas is with him. With Elijah back, Kane is furious and dangerously jealous.
‘My drug. My downfall. My goddamn undoing.’
Long story short, a lot is going on here. Things I can’t tell. The story is getting darker and darker. Taking justice into their own hand isn’t a clean job, it’s more bloody gore. Watch how the predator gets chased. His opponent is clever and dangerous. Even more, watch how this all enfolds. Altogether it was a super intriguing story, it’s ingenious, dark, vicious, but has some soft moments. . . . . . . . I received an arc
That doesn't mean this book was bad, but for me personally, it was definitely hard to follow from time to time.
There's a lot happening, but nothing's happening at the same time. One chapter is chaotic and frantic and the next is a cozy domestic scene... And it soon becomes a pattern, although I wouldn't say that the book is predictable, because it definitely isn't.
The book is dark: there's cheating, A LOT of lies, there are gore and graphic scenes, gaslighting, manipulation, lots of bad stuff surrounding children (huge trigger warning by the way)... But it also wasn't as dark as I thought it would be. It was more... Messy? Definitely twisted. Not necessarily in a bad way, but the situations they found themselves in were sometimes handled messily by the characters, in my opinion.
And I hated the cheating. Very much so. I kind of skipped all of it so do with that as you will. But... Yeah, there's a but. You'll see.
Now: as I said, it wasn't a bad book at all. The plot was interesting in its core and I was curious about certain things that were hinted at from times to times. I was very interested in seeing how the whole murder and err... Medium (?) thing would play out! Plus, I LOVED the side cast.
And to be fair, the more I kept reading, the more this book frustrated me. But then, I was hit by the biggest plot twist in fucking history. I audibly gasped- I did! I then had A LOT of second thoughts because damn, the entire book got a whole different meaning from there, so I went back and re-read some scenes before I even had finished the story.
Yeah, I was THAT gagged. And honestly, that twist redeemed the entire book for me. And the ending? Tears in my eyes, I'm telling you.
Happy ones, for once.
I recieved a free copy of this book and this is my honest review
Oh my god, THIS BOOK!!! I have never read a book like this before. I've read many dark stories but never a story about serial killers. Truthfully it was hard to review because morally you don't want to be on a murderer's side...but this book makes it impossible to hate them!
We are first introduced to Silas who rescues a small boy on a horrific night, setting the scene for the rest of the story. Elijah was the reason for all of it
I was drawn in right away, almost endeared to Kane, I felt sorry for him throughout the book. Kane was Utterly broken. Elijah was the "Angel" of the book, he suffered a trauma as a child that broke his brain a little but not in a seeminly dark way, he just wanted to live and be happy, he was the "light". Silas was the catalyst; he was the tie that bound them all together. He straddles the line of dark and light depending on who he is dealing with. Kane bringing out the dark, Elijah bringing out the light. Silas’s love for Elijah is crazy deep, psychotic deep, Stalkery/creepy/dark deep but for some reason (in this story) it feels gooey and gushy and for some reason, real. He also seemed to love Kane although they had a different relationship. I spent most of the book wondering who Silas would ultimatley pick, wondering if they could live happily as 3...
“My heart ached, split in two, both halves bleeding. Elijah, my light. Kane, my darkness. And I loved them both, in ways that ruined me.”
The story line is crazy good; I didn't want to put the book down... It took me a bit to understand the actual motive behind the killings, I originally thought it was just to bring justice for the children impacted directly by the monsters abusing them, but it was more than that, it was about the man who made the monsters. Bringing him to justice in the best way. Add in Elijah and his visions, and Kane's jealousy, the suspense was just intense. And do I need to mention Leon?!? I would have liked to know how Rafael was introduced to Silas as one of "his boys" I suspect it was through his practice, but it was not revealed where the relationship bloomed. I can' t go into the rest without completely ruining it even though I had some spoilers in this review already. Trust me when I say... AMAZING conclusion. I was so impressed with how this book ended, I will say one of the best books I have read in a bit.
I would recommend this book to everyone....read it now!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
4.25 stars - I wasn’t real sure what I was going to get with this story and it takes a good bit of the story for it to all really make sense. Basically, Silas is a doctor who specializes in helping child trauma victims. He is frequently called in by the police to help with their cases. But it goes so much deeper than that. On the side, he also has a side gig going where he and two others maintain a kill list to take out the abusers who continue to escape justice.
Kane is the main member who does the actual killing while Silas plays the part of clean-up, from the crime scene to the alibis. One other stays in the background and does all the leg work as they prepare for each kill by gathering evidence and mapping out behavior patterns, etc. Here is where things get a bit darker and more convoluted. Kane was a patient of Silas and one he has groomed or helped find an outlet for his anger and trauma issues. Kane is a bit of a loose cannon, and Silas seems to manage him pretty well for the most part.
That all changes when Elijah comes back into the picture. He was another of Silas’ patients whose past abuse still haunts him. He has visions/dreams of the killings and believes he has them to help catch the killer(s). He is barely functioning due to these issues and the meds don’t seem to be helping him much anymore.
Then there is the added factor of Dr. X or Dr. Xander who seems to want to help Elijah as well. But, he has a past with Silas as well. As I said, it takes a good while for the pieces to all come together. Things really start to ramp up when Kane feels threatened by Elijah taking Silas’ affections and attention. Silas is walking a tightrope between the two that he can’t seem to get off of. Kane is the dark, and Elijah is the light. I had my suspicions fairly early on, and they all play out in the end, but this is a bit of a wild ride to get there. In the end, things straighten out and a new family is formed with friends who helped Elijah along the way. This is definitely a dark and violent story, but I loved the psychological side and look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
While He Sleeps is not your average dark romance, it’s brutal, messy, utterly unsettling, and yet completely addictive. This is a story where the line between saviour and monster is razor-thin, and by the time you realise which side you’re on, it’s already too late.
Elijah is tormented by violent visions, nightmares that seem all too real. When he turns to psychiatrist Silas Cross for help, what begins as therapy spirals into a dangerous obsession. Silas is brilliant, manipulative, and harbouring secrets of his own. From the start, you know their connection is unhealthy… but that doesn't stop you from wanting to see where it goes.
So chaotic at times yet completely compellling! Jumping from frenetic and violent to oddly quiet and domestic, and that shift can be a bit jarring. There's a lot happening—and yet sometimes it feels like nothing is. But in a way, that disjointedness reflects the characters themselves: fractured, unstable, and on the edge of something disastrous.
The content is heavy with graphic violence, manipulation, dubious consent, gaslighting, trauma involving children, and yes, cheating. Some scenes made me deeply uncomfortable, and I’d advise readers to check the trigger warnings carefully. It’s not an easy read by any stretch.
That said, the storytelling is masterful. Just when I thought I had a handle on things, a twist came out of nowhere that completely floored me. It made me reassess everything I’d read, and I actually went back to reread earlier scenes to catch what I’d missed. It’s rare for a book to genuinely shock me, but this one did, brilliantly.
I also really enjoyed the side characters, who brought moments of levity and warmth that helped balance the darker tones. And the ending? Completely wrecked me. Somehow, through all the madness and moral ambiguity, it still manages to deliver a proper HEA—albeit a twisted one.
This book isn’t for everyone. It’s dark, morally murky, and emotionally intense. But if you’re drawn to hurt/comfort stories with a psychological edge, and you don’t mind walking into the shadows a bit—While He Sleeps might just ruin you in the best possible way.
I received a free ARC copy and this is my honest review.
If you love your M/M romance dark with edge-of-the-seat suspense and twists that you dont see coming, then you will love this book. Silas is a psychiatrist who specialises in child victims of ab*sers. Elijah and Kane were victims, and Silas saved them as children. Now they are in Silas' life> Silas has always felt for Elijah, and he keeps an eye on him to keep him from danger. Elijah works at an animal shelter to help keep him grounded with all the issues he has had in his life. Kane is still in Silas' life and helps him, along with Rafael, to keep an eye on people and keep a check on who is still doing things, and help save the children. I received an arc for my voluntary honest review for NN Book Blog. If you love a dark MM Romance keeping you on the edge of your seat with all the twists and turns that you dont see coming. Medusa blows you away with that twist at the end. However, this book may not be for everyone therefore, please check the author's trigger warnings before you read or purchase this book. Although this is part of the Bloodie Desires Series it is able to be read as a stand alone.
Wow! Silas Cross is certainly an interesting therapist. He’s morally grey and crosses some lines. Ex-patient Elijah returns to Silas with wicked violent nightmares. Of course, Silas is supposed to help him through this right, but…not really, not fully. Silas has another patient who is doing his dirty work to help clear the scum of the earth. Silas has to walk the line between good and evil, helping Elijah but not too much or his secrets will be discovered. I loved the dynamics between the characters. Check the trigger warnings. I received an ARC copy from the author and this is my honest review.
Wow! This book was a wild ride. A very dark psychological thriller with a complicated love story.
Eli is sweet and so adorable. At first, I had a problem with Silas because a manipulative psychiatrist is really hard to stomach. But then I got a glimpse behind his façade and he grew on me. My favourite, however, is Kane. I hated that he was so often pushed aside in favour of Elijah.
But that's exactly what makes a great book! I became deeply emotionally invested and experienced a whole spectrum of feelings. Have your tissues ready!
The dynamic between the main characters was enjoyable and intense, i truly felt like i knew each character and like i was there!
Medusa has done a great job here of creating a world of darkness and love, where the least expected of vigilantes end up being a source of light!
The relationship between elijah and silas was heart warming, and left me feeling loved and supported! it just goes to show that there can be love and kindness, even in those who see themselves as above the law!
OH.......... WOW....... While He Sleeps by Medusa Stone is Absolutely Brilliant part of the Bloody Desires Series and it's one of my favourites could not put it down I was hooked from the start its dark, deadly full of suspense and twists you don't see coming it's a rollercoaster of a ride that keeps you at the edge of your seat from start to finish Love...... Love...... Silas and Eliijah together their relationship is heartwarming but dangerous and so possessive simply Fantastic recommend so much.
I loved this book! I love dark literature and complicated, well-done plots and this one was definitely the best I've read this year. Loved the characters! They made me laugh, cry, and feel every emotion they were feeling (even the ones I wished I would've not identified with). The plot is great and the twists and turns were so unexpected they left me shaking at times. A true rollercoaster of emotions that keeps you at the edge of your seat from beginning to end.
†I love you," Silas said, the words ripped straight out of him like blood. "I love you both. I've always loved you both. Don't make me choose, baby boy... because I already did. I chose you. All of you.'
Initially I was gonna rate this a 2-3 ⭐️, however the PLOT TWIST HOLY CRAP! Didn’t see that coming from a mile away. I was like how can Silas cheat on Elijah???? But tbh after the plot twist everything made sense.
I absolutely should not have liked this book as much as I did. Someone was torturing and killing child abusers which, I know, is not a good thing… but also kind of is? All I have to say is HOLY PLOT TWIST! I did not see that coming. I was totally there for it. WOW.