Insatiable

The Edge of Darkness Trilogy #1

by Leigh Rivers, Teddy Hamilton (Narrator), Lucy Rivers (Narrator)

IF HE CAN'T HAVE HER, NO ONE ELSE CAN

Kade Mitchell is obsessed with someone he despises. A snake in an angel’s skin, Stacey Rhodes is everything he can’t forget–the girl who shattered his heart and drove him deep into the darkness of the underworld. He watched her for years. Killed anyone who came close to her. But now, granted a brief moment of freedom from the life he’s trapped in, he’s back home and driven to claim her again, breaking every rule he’s ever made for himself. Not even his hatred can stop the pull between them. But he’ll never forgive her… will he?

As this is a dark romance, the author highly recommends seeing the 'content warning' page.

Genres: Dark Romance, Dark, Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Second Chance, Fantasy, Smut

11 pages, Audible Audio

First published August 10, 2023

About the author

Leigh Rivers is a Scottish Biomedical Scientist who has ventured into the world of writing dark, morally gray characters with rollercoaster storylines to drive her readers wild.

When she isn't reading, writing on her laptop, or gaming until ridiculous hours, she dances at the pole studio, goes to the gym, and walks her four dogs with her two sons and husband.

Reviews

[ames · Rating 1 out of 5]

the only sane person in this book is kade’s dad. mind you he’s in a fucking asylum

[Larissa Cambusano · Rating 5 out of 5]

IM SO OBSESSED SEND HELP

“at least I got to kiss her” 😭😭😭😭

[Krisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know it's time to give this book a shot when this is how the 𝗗𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 of the book proceeds,

"𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗹."

For a long time I had been craving for a dark romance that's actually DARK unlike many others that are categorised as one but never live up to the said trope. But guess what? This one absolutely did and was a total banger.

This is a 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗿-𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄.

જ⁀➴The story follows the tropes of a second chance romance and an enemies to lovers combined between Kade Mitchell and Stacey Rhodes who fell in love at 15 except for when things go south and both of them find their way back to one another again, but only this time it's forbidden. Yes, you heard that right.

જ⁀➴ 𝗞𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗹 I'm short of words when it comes to him. He went through hell and trust me his povs were quite difficult to read bc it was excruciating to keep up with everything he was going through. He's the kind who saves all his firsts for his woman, someone who seeks constant reassurance from her just to make sure he's not being toxic or manipulative towards her. To say I was truly mesmerized would be an understatement. He was portrayed to be a morally dark character who's only vulnerable around his woman and very evidently, Leigh did a wonderful job in that aspect.

જ⁀➴ 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘆 𝗥𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗲𝘀 I was on the fence about her character but as I got further into the book, i couldn't help but fall for her every time a little about her traumatic past was revealed, a lot of which made me understand why she ended up being the way she is. Despite being just as traumatized as the mmc, what intrigued me the most is her ability to stand her ground, leaving no stone unturned. She has a backbone of steel. A quality I couldn't not admire.

“𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗜’𝗱 𝗴𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂. 𝗜 𝗱𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂. 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂. 𝗜 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀.” 𝗛𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱. “𝗛𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂.”

EXACTLY THE TYPE OF ENEMIES TO LOVERS I CRAVE! 💅🏻

𝗜 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗲 – 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗲𝗱, 𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗜 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲.

𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗸𝗶𝗱. 𝗜 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘆.

𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱.

Kade Mitchell, the man that you're 🧎🏻‍♀️The way he's only vulnerable around her is everything.

𝗟𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲, 𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗿𝘂𝗯 𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗯 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗮𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻.

𝗔𝘀 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝘀 𝗜’𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗞𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗹, 𝗜’𝗺 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗿.

Can we just take a moment and appreciate the feisty Stacey Rhodes?

𝗦𝗵𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹 𝗜 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝗜 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗜’𝗺 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝘂𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗲.

𝗔𝗻 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝘀. 𝗜’𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗮 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀, 𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗯𝗼𝗶𝗹.

Is he a walking red flag? Yes. Am I colorblind when it comes to him? Also yes.

[annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

“Atleast I got to kiss her."

I don't even know how I'm feeling right now after reading this. I’m going to develop a new personality soon! THIS BOOK WRECKED ME. It’s the first in the series, and it was so messed up that I’m jumping to the next one immediately. Kade's obsession with Stacey is something I'll never forget.

• KadeStacey (21), have been obsessed with each other since they were 15. They became intimate when they were 18 and fell in love. But something happened between them, and they fell apart. Now, Kade despises her way too much.

⌞ Tropes ⌝
- Enemies to lovers
- Second chance romance
- Best friend’s brother
- It’s always been you
- Virgin MCs

⌞ Kade Mitchell ⌝

⌗ –

“She’s the girl I watch, the girl I obsess over until I feel like I’m going fucking insane."

Kade Mitchell is a complicated character. He’s got a lot of layers—psychotic, obsessive, but also deeply emotional, even though it’s hard for him to express it. As a teenager, he had a vulnerable side, always panicking and nervous around Stacey. But after their breakup, he went down a dark path, getting involved with the wrong people. He’s badly traumatized, and I literally sobbed because of what he was going through. Reading his pov, seeing how he retreated into his own mind, feeling the emptiness that consumed him, was heart-wrencing. They could never make me hate him 😭

⌞ Stacey Rhodes ⌝

⌗ –

“As much as I’d like to say I’ve forgotten everything about Kade Mitchell, I’m a terrible liar.”

Stacey Rhodes is equally traumatized by what happened to her. Though a lot of things have yet to be revealed, what she faces each day is a battle in itself. Her disgusting stepbrother controls and abuses her, her own dad never believed her, and she naturally doesn’t trust ANYONE (including Kade) to understand her. Those two years apart wrecked her as well!

⌗ –

"This is the price I’ll pay to make sure they never find out who Stacey Rhodes is to me.

My heart ached, especially during their bittersweet moments near the end. The way he hugged her, kissed her, despite the anger and hurt still between them. from the start, Kade was mean, because it completely broke him when he thought she cheated. But Stacey never got the chance to tell him what really happened. I have so many theories right now 😭 and I think Kade’s brother might be involved.

⌞ their history ⌝

⌗ –

“I want to share every single first with her and stick around.”

their flashback moments are scattered between chapters, and tbh they are so good. They show the caring and gentle side of Kade, who loved Stacey so much, and how she meant everything to him. How he’d do anything to make her happy. They were at their best together, vulnerable and in love. also major chase atlantic songs vibes 😭

The present version of their relationship is full of hate—hate fucking and just fucking. Honestly, there was a lot of smut. Despite everything, Kade still cares for her, and it shows in the little things he does. He’s obsessive, watching her for two years because otherwise, he’d go insane.

I hope Bernadette dies for abusing him constantly, and I hope he's freed from her clutches. I want his dad, to kill her brutally. Also, there is ow/om drama after they both broke up. they're definitely not celibate (either by choice or by force). It might give ick, but knowing the characters, i can never hate them!

⌞ book: psychotic obsession⌝

Now, Tobias and Aria’s (the parents) relationship is so fucking toxic aghhh 😭. The fact that they still love each other but aren’t even together? He’s the American Psychopath, and she's his first love. Their history is told in snippets and damn, it was so toxic that Tobias had to lock himself up in an institution because he hurt her. I was extremely excited since their own book is coming out next year, but after reading Betty's review, I've changed my mind. it's way too toxic for my tastes, and Aria is a cheater. 😭

⌞ ratings ⌝
• Voracious – 4 stars
• Restitution – 4 stars

[Marianna Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh. My. God. That ending actually has me sick to my stomach. I already know I’m not going to be the same after reading this trilogy. My heart hurts. But WOW. At the same time this also has the potential to be one of my new favorite dark romance series. I’m so emotionally invested in Kade and Stacey, their pain is my pain at this point.

That being said, please please please check your trigger warnings before reading this. It is by no means for the faint of heart some scenes are extremely heavy and difficult to read because of how much these characters go through.

If you’re looking for a love story that is going to rip your heart into absolute pieces and stomp on it over and over and over again… you’ve come to the right place.

Kade and Stacey have my whole heart. I swear second chance romance hurts so different. We get their relationship in the past and present and This is one of the few books where the past and present timeline is done so perfectly I was eating up every last crumb we got of Stacey and Kade in the past. They had all of their firsts together and I couldn’t stop giggling watching them fall in love… yet at the same time it made their tattered relationship in the present HURT SO MUCH MORE!! It makes you yearn for what could have been and I’m fucking SICK

KADE. MITCHELL. The man that you are. He must be protected at all costs!! I love him so much and I’m so scared for him it’s not even funny 😭😭😭 I first started this thinking okay your typical psychopath obsessive dark romance MMC I’ve read this before…. WRONG, so wrong. Yes he’s a psychopath (my new favorite one at that) and yes he’s obsessive and possessive but he is SO SO SO much more and has so many layers and so much depth as a character. What this man has been through, when I tell you I could not stop sobbing once his story started to unfold… and it only gets more and more heartbreaking.

We get to know Kade in the past as a man who was worried about how his inability to feel emotions could potentially harm Stacey and put her safety at risk. So this man quite literally checks himself into therapy and teaches himself to learn every emotion as best as he can FOR HER, he is open and communicative and honest and vulnerable only for her. He constantly asks her if he’s being too controlling or manipulative and LAYS HIS HEART ON THE FLOOR FOR HER!!

And then we see him in the present two years after his breakup with Stacey…. And present Kade is almost unrecognizable compared to who he was before and it actually makes me want to jump out of a window whenever I think too hard about it. Watching him struggle alone with his sanity in the aftermath of what he went through in those two years broke a piece of me I’ll never get back. His story has me in fucking shambles.

Speaking of shambles. My sweet strong broken angel Stacey. Tears. All the tears for this girl as well. In the beginning of this book she was slightly infuriating but only because you don’t get the complete story to explain her actions… but once I did, all I wanted to do was give her the biggest hug and take her pain away 😭😭! I. Can’t. Take. It. Her constant patience and gentleness and complete acceptance of Kade and who he is as a person melted my heart. The way she was always there to bring him out of the dark despite everything she had going on in her personal life only made me love her that much more.

God I could rant about these two all day, the grip
They have around my heart is ironclad. I’m so scared for book two because it’s only going to rip me apart more. But at the same time I simply cannot put these books down and need to know that my babies are okay even though it’s going to feel like I got ran over by a bus by the time I get through the last book.

Side note: Kade also unalives every man she’s been with since him because if he can’t have her nobody can and like swoon.

In this book you’ll get:
- second chance romance
- Best friends brother
- Touch her and you literally die
- Secret relationship
- Touch her and you quite literally will never be seen again
- A morally black psychopath MMC with the most tortured soul
- Lovers to enemies to lovers
- Past and present timeline
- Deep deep trauma rep
- Heavy themes and topics please check your content warnings
- Lots of spicy spice

[Yana · Rating 5 out of 5]

UMMMMM OMG WHAT IS THIS BOOK?!? I’m already soooooooo obsessed yes yes yes

[Noorj · Rating 1 out of 5]

A doormat MC check ✅
Tension, romance, angst ✅ just kidding there is literally nothing in this book but pure smut.

Idc I only liked the first chapter like they broke up two years ago and the first time he starts talking to her and he isn't even talking to her he is just insulting her yet she is on her knees. No no.
The second hand embarrassment I felt...

They literally did nothing through the entire book but fuck and even in their past povs they fucked. Where are the conversations where is the hate they are talking about. Non sense.

Also to Stacey I don't care how huge kade's dick you don't have to keep mentioning it every two lines I literally started picturing a tree log. 😭

I saw a review saying that the only sain character in this book is locked up in an asylum and I couldn't agree more.

This was pure torture for me.

[Iqra · Rating 5 out of 5]

#2 Reread - Nov 2025 - ೃ⁀➷ 5 stars

Did I finish this book or did it finish me?

“At least I got to kiss her.”



***

Rereading bc I miss them and as a refresher bc I neeeed to know what happened after this book.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

#1 Read - Sep 2024 - ೃ⁀➷ 4.5 stars

“Mani pārdod seksam un nāvei, lai aizsargātu visus, kurus mīlu.”
“Tajā skaitā jūs, vasaras raibumi.”
PHYSICALLY SICKKKKKKK

(if u don’t want spoilers — or to drain ur very life force by violently sobbing — don’t translate that quote, uv been warned)

This book has officially put me in the worst slump I’ve had this year. The book hangover is REAL and it’s driving me insane. I can’t even look at another book because I'm hopelessly, irreparably, frightfully in love with these characters to the point I might perish if I don’t read the second one, but I CANT DO IT IM SCARED-

Although, I felt like nothing was happening for the first 40% of the book or what direction the book would take, I remained patient and kept going bc I knew it’s only the first in a trilogy. And it really picked up after the halfway mark, I was speeding thru the second half bc of the sizeable increase in stakes, tension and drama.

Stacey, I hate u but I can’t help that I love u too. At first, I was a bit like she's annoying and there was nothing overly interesting about her to make me want to care for her outside Kade but boi was I wronggggg. I’m sorry bbg I’ll never doubt u again 😭. The way she has my heart clutched in her fist and every time she’s in pain I feel the pressure clamping around my heart 😩 she had sm patience with Kade my heart literally broke to pieces when she always helped him get out of his head even when she already had sm going on at home 🥹 she deserves the world she’s such an Angel I’m so scared about what's gna happen to her in the next book, pls I don’t want this painnnnn

Kade, the man that you are 😭 the shit this guy has been thru- I feel physically ill thinking about it. Like I genuinely cried fat ugly tears for him while I was reading. And then once the floodgates opened they just wouldn’t stopppp. When he and Stacey would interact and he’d say smth cutting to her about the video? *chokes on a sob* I CANNOT DO THIS ANYMORE 

When he was introduced and obsessed from the moment he noticed her, I was like, yeah, standard stuff, but then when he proceeded to not only be patient but vulnerable with only her, teach himself and learn every emotion for her, ask her if he’s being manipulative, toxic or controlling?? 🥹🥹🥹🔫🔫🔫 

Seeing him in the present compared to who he was before was so heartbreaking for me. Watching him struggling alone was painful but seeing how he couldn’t escape from the cycle of toxicity and how it affected his psyche to not have control over his life completely shattered me. I just wanna sob and sob for the younger Kade. He didn’t deserve any of this. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. 

Remember that little thing called my heart? Also in his fist. It’s getting LAUNCHED back and forth between him and Stacey and I didn’t sign up for this kinda abuse ✋😭🤚

Although the writing isn’t perfect in any sense, it was the story and its characters that were wringing every tear from me. I feel like maybe the writing wasn’t overly emotional or describing the complex emotions in depth because of the characters’ traumas, their coping mechanism being to stay as numb and not pick apart each emotion to keep themselves sane enough to survive. If this is the case (and I’ll be analysing the next books to see if this is true or it’s just the author’s writing style) then I’ll be singing sonnets about this author and the level of thought and detail that goes into their books.

This is one of the rare instances where a book with past and present time jumps consistently kept my attention. I’m incredibly hard to please when it comes to time jumps, so this was truly a pleasant surprise for me. The past chapters? Not a single skip. I applaud the author for that bc I was invested in a way I’ve never been in a long time. I can only think of one specific book from all the 700+ I’ve read that had this kind of effect on me.

I’m terrified to start the next book but I also know I won’t be at peace until I do 😭

will be accepting all the hugs and well wishes I can get xx

Side note:
DILF Tobias Mitchell 🫦🫦🫦🫦
That’s all I had to say Xx

𝗦𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘀: 🎧

rihanna - skin (sped up)
Who cares - Che Ecru
Freaky hoe - Che Ecru
Last chance - Che Ecru
XTC - Che Ecru
Obsessed - kami kehoe
Kandy - kami hekoe
Backseat - Daniel Di Angelo
Off the deep end - zandeos ft. BRIDGE
all I want is you - Dean Redmond
Falling backwards - Dean Redmond
Compare 2 U - prznt
Forever overdose - Amira Elfeky
Ghosted - k. Forest
Abyss - Yungblud
Cry for me - the weeknd
Disconnected - chase atlantic
Can’t remember a smile - MIIA
Chris Brown - Addicted (Solo)
Property - Nicole Jaskot
SIXTH SENSE - Xola
CHRIS GREY - SICK & TWISTED
Dancer in the Dark - CHASE ATLANTIC
Carine - Nobody Like Us
Josh Makazo - Numb
Us, Us - BRIDGE
memyself&vi - AUTOPILOT
11:45 - BRAN (feat. Hazel)
AdrianDaniel - Never Again
Mischke - Armageddon
Carine - Stuck In Your Mind
Carine - Call Me When You're High
Mellina Tey - Before I Move On


─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

I need to collect my thoughts… I’m a mess

***

I cannot wait to start this! It sounds so good 😋

[maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

✿ re-reading

I got 2 edits of kade & Stacey on my fyp today so of course I’m going to take that as a sign and reread this book and go through this torture and pain once again🤸🏻‍♀️


original review:

જ⁀➴ 4 ✰

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹“We’re all broken in some way. But we can also be fixed”⋆𐙚₊˚⊹

ᯓᡣ𐭩 story

Kade & stacey became each other obsession at 15; got together and fell in love at 18, unfortunately something happened between them that caused them to break up and made some wrong decisions going forward with their life. Now they don’t think they deserve to have a happy ending.

ᯓᡣ𐭩 my thoughts

I ATE THIS UP, it’s been a while since I’ve read a book in less than 24 hours, but this one was soo addictive. This book is originally from Wattpad so you can expect it to have that kind of writing in which it’s easier to read because it wasn’t complicated to understand and didn’t had any different dialect.

If you like dark romance I do recommend you this book, it was fast paced enough to keep me entertained and intrigued.

The story is told in two times: the present; in which they hate each other and the past through flashbacks. Those flashbacks were the cutest, you can really see that they loved and cared so much for each other while reading them.

check triggers warning before reading it

ᯓᡣ𐭩 characters

˚₊ · »-♡→ kade🚬

🕷.ᐟ “I’ve struggled with emotions since I was a kid. I felt alive for the first time when I had Stacey”

an obsessive psychotic, he can’t stop thinking about Stacey and even when he was far away he stalked her because the sole reason of not knowing what she’s doing makes him crazy. He loved her so much, she was the one who showed him that he has emotions and that he’s not like his father.

Being inside his mind was so interesting and I’m glad that a lot of chapters were from his pov, we can see how he struggled with feelings when he was younger and how he started to accept the love that Stacey gave him.

˚₊ · »-♡→ stacey🩰

🕷.ᐟ “I’m stuck trying to find my strength and voice”

the things that happened to Stacey💔 she’s a character that’s always hiding what she is been through, none of her friends knows what happens in her house and she doesn’t trust anyone to help her since her own father didn’t believed her. I love her, I wished I could give her a hug.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥˚✿ °. Stacey & Kade

🕷.ᐟ “We had everything, and now we have nothing but lies and grudges”

My heart breaks for them, I loved how they were both inexperienced and did everything for the first time together, kissing, cuddling, learning about emotions. It was just so beautiful. Their little moments together gave me life.

The line between them is so blurred once they meet again after 2 years without seeing each other. Their hearts still feels love for the other but their mind and all the grudges they have doesn’t let them be happy.

I can’t say too much without spoiling but I really love them😭

The things that both of them went through in this book hits different for me now because I literally just came out of a class in which my professor told us about her work, she is an attorney that works with abused people and listening to her made me realize that a lot of people go through that in real life and idk, I read so I can escape reality but sadly the topics that this book explores are reality for a lot of people.

ᯓᡣ𐭩 other characters:

𐙚 I NEED A BOOK ABOUT BASE AND LUCIELLA, I’m so invested in them, also Tylar and Dez, their crumbs weren’t enough.

𐙚 I know that Kade parents are going to get a book but I don’t think I’m willing to read it because his mother is already married and in a health relationship and the romance between his mom and dad is so toxic. after reading the trilogy I fear I NEED their book, I completely changed my opinion of them🫸🏻

𐙚 I seriously need Kade to discover what Stacey brother is doing to her and take action, because it makes me sick whenever he appears.

🎧ྀི Kade & Stacey mini playlistᰔ

⤷ spiracle ⟡ flower face
⤷ from now on ⟡ the greatest showman
⤷ do i wanna know ⟡ arctic monkey
⤷ maniac ⟡ conan gray
⤷ youngblood ⟡ 5sos
⤷ die with a smile ⟡ bruno mars & lady gaga
⤷ broken ⟡ lovelytheband
⤷ the hills⟡ the weekend
⤷ 21 ⟡ gracie abrams
⤷ where’s my love ⟡ syml
⤷ you broke me first ⟡ tate mcrae
⤷ feel something ⟡ jaymes young
⤷ remember than night ⟡ sara kays

💌tropes:

ꨄ︎ second chance
ꨄ︎ enemies to lovers
ꨄ︎ secret relationship
ꨄ︎ it’s always been you
ꨄ︎ best friend’s brother
ꨄ︎ touch her and die

-‘๑’- some of my favorite quotes -‘๑’-

・❥・“We’re a perfect fit – two puzzle pieces with tattered edges”

・❥・“Staying silent is like being in a mental prison.”

・❥・“I fit against him like the perfect puzzle piece. I feel at home in his arms and almost burst into tears from the intensity of the moment”

・❥・“I’m in Kade’s arms, feeling safer than ever”

・❥・“She feels like mine.
Stacey Rhodes is mine”

・❥・“I was the deranged kid. The mentally fucked-up kid. A boy who struggled with basic emotions.
But whenever I’m around her, I want to learn everything there is to feel. I want to be good enough for her”

・❥・“I was fifteen when I met her, and that’s when my obsession began”

・❥・“Since the moment I picked her up from that house, I’ve felt less dead inside. A speck of light in my darkness with her name on it”

・❥・“We were in love. We had a future, and we were going to make Luciella understand what we meant to each other. No one could come between us. Ever.
Then someone did”

・❥・“I can feel her smile against my mouth.
And then… butterflies. I have fucking butterflies while kissing someone. What the fuck is wrong with me?”

・❥・“Losing your voice to everyone is one thing, but losing your voice to someone you loved – trusted – is ten million times worse”

・❥・“I handed that boy my heart when I was a teen, and even now, years later, he still holds it”

・❥・“She’s the girl I watch, the girl I obsess over until I feel like I’m going fucking insane. I gave her my heart when I was a teenager, and do you know what she did? She shattered it”

side note: the book has a lot of OW/OM drama but when you read it you understand why it’s in the book, and there’s miscommunication too (the whole book is based in that) but it’s the type that makes sense and I can’t really blame the characters for not speaking up.



ᝰ.ᐟ pre-read: ᯓᡣ𐭩

This trilogy has been living on my fyp lately, I got too curious so I had to start it✨

[myra ★ · Rating 1 out of 5]

all there was is smut. if they just kept their hands to themselves and had one civil conversation, this entire trilogy would be 5 pages long.

i got fooled by booktok, again <3

[T.S · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0☆

i just finished reading this book, now i feel like staring at a solar eclipse.

at the beginning, i told myself i knew what i was going in for, but i was completely wrong. this author really wrote the most bittersweet, appetite-terminating, yet toes-curling book and just hurled it right at my head!?! 🤠#crimeswillbecommitted.

for the most part, the book didn't really grab my attention until the last 30% tbh. it dragged on forever, with the plot barely moving. it felt like a lot was happening but yet nothing happened.

that being said, Stacy and Kade deserve the world and nothing less. my chest was quivering and i was dragging my inner eyelids on concrete for them. i really loved the past and present timelines in this book, especially the past. seeing them experience their first love, first kiss, first everything made me giddy and made me understand them more in the present. (my blood is starving for this type of love 😪).

anyway, and normally i would keep 10 miles distance from a man named kade mitchell… but the kade mitchell in this book had me filing for a restraining order…. on myself. he is so possessive and obsessed BUT SO BABYGIRL AND SELFLESS. he has so many layers and so much depth as a character. BRO WHAT HE WENT THROUGH?! the more his story unfolded the more i felt deeply for him. the lengths this man went to protect his loved ones and show his love to Stacy!!?!. ACT OF SERVICES IS BACK BABY!🙌🏼

oh, and if i ever see Chris, Bernie, and Archie ugly ass face in public, i am lighting them on fire and running away.😑




* P.S buddy read with my gal Fiza 💋 our memes were everything

[Allia Reads (semi hiatus) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Self note:

Not a safe read at all😒

The H is forced to fuck other women in front of h and is raped multiple times during the trilogy. This is not a safe read and the H even fucked another woman in front of the h as revenge because he thought she cheated when she was in reality raped…

Idk why this has so many good reviews..

[el · Rating 1 out of 5]

i'm too old for this bullshit

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once I heard this was about a man obsessed with a woman he despises, I just knew I had to read it and wasn’t left disappointed

"I’m not a sincere man, maybe when I was younger and worshipped the ground you walked on. But now? I just want to rip your clothes off and sink my teeth in.” I mean.. hello

Kades fixation with Stacey began when they were teenagers and the author alternates showing us their journey between previous flashbacks and the present timeline to understand how things began with them and ended with him despising her. This was one of the things I loved because she structured everything so well; the push and pull, the frustration and yearning, chemistry, toxicity, overload of angst & banter (which btw was hysterical as they both provoked one another), and the brimming sexual tension—was so entertaining and explosively hot 🥵

I think I might’ve found my new fixation with this.

The lines between hate and love began to blur as Kade never fails to acknowledge how he hates her yet his actions say otherwise. most of his inner thoughts were honestly hilarious as he failed to honor the rules he set and went back and forth with them. his character resembles that of someone who is broken, very complex, unhinged, emotionally detached (except with Stacey) but with a vulnerable side to him given how intimate things were with them. I fear I folded very quick with him with that in mind besides as is. both characters have been through significant trauma and with that there’s some miscommunication which left me absolutely on edge here!! The whole time I was screaming for one of them to SPEAK UP 😭 I can’t even deny that I hated it yet ate it up with all of the damn tension there

the animosity between these two fueled me and added to my entertainment so it was a good time overall especially the dry humor which I personally enjoyed. this had a crime setting to it so some action and I'm intrigued where it’ll lead to. A few of the side characters interested me as well—Kade’s sister in particular (Stacey’s best friend) aside from their friends whom were pretty messy ngl lol i should also mention there being two psycho obsessed individuals here but only one is worth rooting for as the other is insanely deranged. The ending left off on a slight cliffhanger so I’m jumping into book 2! Random but if this book were a song it’d definitely be gangsta by kehlani and a chase Atlantic song

Check trigger warnings

just a few quotes

“Staying silent is like being in a mental prison.”

“Losing your voice to everyone is one thing, but losing your voice to someone you loved – trusted – is ten million times worse. I’ve never been heard.”

“Am I extreme? Yes. But for my own fucking sanity, I need to know what she’s doing. Is that weird? To hate her yet need to know what she’s doing? Even though she’s a snake? A snake who still belongs to me.”

“Fuck. I hate you. I fucking hate you.” I raise my hips. “You feel like you hate me.” 🫠

“I hate him. Loathe. I think I could slap him and not feel bad about it for ten full minutes.”

“He nods. “You irritate me. You’re a poisonous snake that won’t fuck off from my mind. You’re everywhere yet nowhere. A fucking disease.” I frown at him. “A disease? I will hit you.” Lmao

[ˋ✧*⁀➷ ʙᴇᴛᴛʏ (med school got me good) · Rating 4 out of 5]

HOLY. MOTHERFUCKING. SHIT.
YOU. NEED. TO. READ. THIS. BOOK.

[Daniela Cantusio · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly, I found the book very dragging. 80% of the story is the same paragraphs rewritten. The most irritating thing is that all of Kade and Stacey's conflict could have been simply resolved through ONE fucking dialogue. I can't take seriously a narrative that relies on something so fragile and simple to solve like that.

(1) Kade is a fucking murderer whom Stacey has already SEEN killing and beating people, yet she's afraid to tell him about her abusive step-brother because she thinks that wimp Chris will hurt Kade? WTF?? makes no sense at all.

(2) All the drama Kade got involved in is ridiculous. That woman and her husband abusing him and blackmailing him but at the same time being scared shitless of Tobias? Come on, please. This story has a thousand plot holes.

The book ends without closure, and honestly, I'd rather eat grass than subject myself to reading another dragged-out book just to find out how their story ends.

This book had a thousand things happening, yet at the same time, NOTHING happened. The story didn't evolve, it didn't make sense, and my god... what endless boredom.

Even the sex scenes became irritating and repetitive after a while that I found myself skimming through the page and letting out indignations at every paragraph.

And the inconsistency of the story is extremely irritating. One moment they hate each other, then they're fucking on a motorcycle. Jesus Christ. And that bullshit about not wanting to kiss on the mouth because it's too intimate and Stacey believes he's screwing around with everyone and she's just another one... when every action Kade takes ALWAYS prioritizes her and her feelings and well-being... how can she be such an idiot and think like that?

Oh, I swear, I couldn't swallow this story. I'm pissed off.

[manas (suffering) · Rating 5 out of 5]

kade, tobias, barry, ewan, and base…SMASH.

[Kursed Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the love of all that is holy. More than two weeks later and I’m still reeling. I don’t even know how to feel. Leigh packed more what the fçųkş in one book than I would’ve thought possible. It’s so good. Seriously. So. Good.

If you’ve been around for a while, you know my reviews always start with a brief overview, the broad strokes, if you will. I literally can’t do that here. I’m fearful that anything I say will be too much. And unless you have triggers, I highly recommend going in blind. This book is going to put you through the paces, but you really want that WTAF factor when the curveballs start flying.

So my summary is this: Insatiable is brilliant and heartbreaking and steamy and mindfuckingblowing.

Yes, the fancy stars are unique to this review because it deserves 50 billion stars, but my self-imposed scale only goes to five. Hence, fancy stars. 👇🏻

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Burn: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Darkness: 🖤🖤🖤🖤
Heat: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Range of Emotions: 😊🥵🥺😭🤯
Ending: 🧗🏻‍♀️ {Cliffy}
POV: 👫🏻 {Dual}

🗄️ Genre: Contemporary Romance
🗂️ Subgenre(s): Dark, Suspense

✨ Tropes: Enemies-to-Lovers, Forbidden, Heroine in Danger
💫 Microtropes: Alphahole, Jealous/Possessive, MINE!, One Bed, Touch-Her-and-💀, Who Hurt You

💋 Kinks: Degradation, Domination, Finger Licking Good, Spit

⚠️ Warning: This book is definitely NSFW or with a kiddo by your side. In fact, I would highly recommend you read this one after dark to avoid side eye or awkward conversations.

🚩 Safety Squad: There are many potentially triggering elements. If you have any hesitation, check the warnings before diving in. Otherwise, blind is best!!

📣 Type: Insatiable is the first book in The Edge of Darkness series and ends on a cliffhanger. This series must be read in order.

🛑 Be Advised: My Goodreads shelves are … explicit in both senses. As such, they could be considered spoiler-y.

[Laura Greenhalgh · Rating 5 out of 5]

RTC. i feel sick 😭😭😭

[ivy · Rating 3 out of 5]

“at least i got to kiss her.”

i barely start off reviews with quotes but oh my God. that quote stabbed me in the chest. my thoughts are everywhere right now.

‼️‼️ THIS REVIEW WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS ‼️‼️

idek how to start this review😭 i just have incoherent thoughts:

- i can’t wait for the moment when kade kills chris - that’ll be my top moment in this series
- the reason stacey can’t/doesn’t want to tell kade about her SA is because she thinks chris is going to hurt him? girl you’ve spent so much time with him in the past and even now - it’s glaringly obvious that kade is so much more powerful than chris. i think she also believed that kade wouldn’t believe her? it’s clear that he’ll move the world for her
- BYE BERNADETTE! i hope her and her husband both die a slow & painful death by kade’s hands - this is going to be my second favorite scene in the series 🤭
- i’m yearning for their cute & couple-y moments in the next two books 🧘🏻‍♀️
- KADE 🤸🏻‍♀️🤸🏻‍♀️🤸🏻‍♀️🤸🏻‍♀️🤸🏻‍♀️🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️ mom i want him!!!
- there was sooo much smut. the first couple scenes were hot but after that i just started skipping them
- the past chapters were a little bit boring - again, the first few were nice and i was loving reading about their past but then it just turned into two horny teenagers having sex and after that, nope, i was out 🙂‍↔️
- mads and i both read the little liar duet before this and HOLY, this was so much better that i’m wondering if she got a ghost writer for this/the little liar duet
- bernadette and Archie have to go
- i FLEW through this book. i read 40% in one day and then the last 60% the next day - Leigh rivers’ writing style is ADDICTIVE

3 stars for kade and kade(🤸🏻‍♀️) only😙

𓂃˖ lastly, thank you so much to my twin, mads, for reading this with me! i had so much fun screaming about this with you 🪷🌟💗 i love u so much

⋆｡𖦹°⭒˚｡⋆⋆｡𖦹°⭒˚｡⋆⋆｡𖦹°⭒˚｡⋆⋆｡𖦹°⭒˚｡

ꕥ pre-read . ݁₊ ⊹ . 💀
i've heard this series is really good and I'm desperate to like a dark romance 🫠
- buddy reading this with my best girl mads <3

[Erika Braga · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 MILLION STARS

I am obsessed with this book and Kade and Stacey supremacy forever 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

This story is dark and flawless! I love everything about it. I wish I could read it again for the first time.

I’ve read last year but I’m just updating my review 😂😂😂

[aira {vacay ia} · Rating 2 out of 5]

"At least I got to kiss her."

hmmmmmm, well, I'm in the minority, YET AGAIN. I know Nancy is going to side eye me so hard for this since she probably already predicted it. 🫣

Are we even surprised anymore? Either I'm just way too predictable or y'all just know me way too well by this point. However, I'm convinced this is a me problem, so if this is on your tbr, still consider checking it out and don't let my review deter you.

I do have to say that this was an improvement from Little Stranger/Liar and I don't say that lightly because we all know what happened there. If you don't remember or don't know, I would suggest staying ignorant and being happy. 😭😭 This was better, just fractionally better, but still better.

Let's talk about the positives, there were a few there was ONE and it was motivating enough for me to finish this book and commit to reading the rest of the trilogy.

TOBAIS MITCHELL aka Kade's dad. Someone said that the most sane person in this book was the one locked up in the asylum and I can't say they're wrong at all. I'm so serious when I say that he is my favorite character. Characters portrayed as psychopaths are really hit or miss for me, mostly a miss, but Tobais is everything that I needed from a psychopath character.

Everything else though was something.

There were so many filler events in the middle which just made this repetitive and crazy long. What more could possibly happen that they need two more books? Well, I guess we'll find out considering I'm intrigued enough to keep reading. I need every little minuscule detail I can get about Tobais Mitchell.

Dark romance is a sub-genre that I've realized I'm not really liking anymore. Very rarely is there genuine relationship building. A lot of it is just lust where they keep going at it for no reason. Why is everybody so horny for absolutely no reason? Like this guys dick is hard every 2 seconds and she's wet every second. I kid you not, literally all it takes is the other person basically breathing and they're ready to fuck.

Honestly, most chapters were stuck in a cycle of "I don't like you, I don't want to fuck you" and five seconds later, suprise suprise, they're doing exactly that.

Yeah, I have to say that there were some cute, heartwarming moments, but if we're talking about it in a general sense, both of them were just low-key annoying sometimes.

Kade being that "powerful" (well, somewhat) of a man and whatever is so not believable. Bro, you're 21, calm down. Having a psychopathic dad doesn't make it any more believable. Like you're telling me it took just 2 years for him to become like that? Idk if I would believe that. I don't expect huge amounts of realism in the books I read, but I wouldn't be able to look past it if was made-up to this extent.

If I deduct a star from the rating for every problem I had, we would be here all day and I would well run into the negatives, so instead, if we go based on what I was promised and the feels I got, 2 sounds about right. And the 2 stars are for TOBAIS and maybe a small fraction for Kade. I like his dad more. Sorry, not sorry.

--------

pre-read: new month, new traumatic dark romance read, here we go. 🤡

[Fiza · ia · Rating 3 out of 5]

How I'll feel after daring them to communicate, without fcking each other.



Cuz
Stacey: He's gonna die if i tell him anything.
Kade: She's gonna die if i tell her anything.

So
Stacey: You hate me?
Kade: Yes, i hate you.
*proceeds to put their hands in each other's 🩲*

Plus I'm glad i asked Youssra if it's hea? cuz Me and Tonya were like bro's gonna die from lung cancer at the end of the book, goodbye.
🚬 💀✌🏻

Okay now jokes aside 😭,

ngl i loved Kade, what was there to not love 😏

✓ begs to you
✓ gets nervous and have butterflies whenever you're around
✓ will listen to the song u told him abt
✓ owns dogs cuz you love them
✓ literally wants to cut his dick off cuz it'll hurt u the first time
✓ covers himself in snake tattoos bcz of the break-up cuz he thinks you're a snake
✓ will kill a whole gang cuz they looked at you

Also Me to Chris, Bernie and Archie:



Lastly, thankyou Tonya for bullying me to buddy read with you 😪🙏🏻

And to Youssra, these are good 3 stars 👹🤳🏻

[cora · Rating 4 out of 5]

warning: this has got to be the longest, dumbest fucking review i’ve written in my life. completely nonsensical and all over the place just like my emotions rn. i swore so much you could confuse me for a 14-year-old fuckboy. also, don’t be xenophobic and point out any mistakes pls and thx.

_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

WHAT THE FUCK???????? first of all, i need everyone to understand the torture and imprisonment one feels when having THREE BACK TO BACK ONE STAR BOOKS. i was losing vision in my left ear, tears were running, pills were popped (for the headaches) and i almost started praying (i’m an atheist). longest, most torturous 4 days of my life.

this book saved my family from a fire. paid for my college and bought me a house. saved cats from burning buildings. THIS BOOK RIGHT HERE IS WHY I’LL DEFEND WATTPAD BOOKS WITH MY LIFE. if you haven’t been through the trenches, you simply won’t fucking get it. they’re addicting, they have me kicking my feet like no other books can. people talk about their wattpad phase, IT WAS NEVER A PHASE TO ME!!!! this is a lifestyle, this is what it’s like to feel alive.

okay, enough yapping. more reviewing (if you can call it that)

lovers to enemies then back to lovers (kinda)????

YESSSSSSSSSSS.

"An emotion that makes me want to blind everyone in the world so they can never see how beautiful she is. I’ll stick a screwdriver deep in their ear canals, so they’ll never hear her laugh. The idea of anyone thinking they can have her after me makes my blood boil."

this is how i want my dark romance!!!!!!! THIS IS HOW I WANT MY MEN!!!!!!!!!!! i love dark romance but lately it's all been a miss. i don’t want to read about abuse. i want MMCs who’d hurt anyone who BREATHES near their women, not those who try to take their own women’s breath away (by almost fucking killing them). he believes she betrayed him in the worst possible way, yet still treats her with care??? and protects her??? without her knowing??? HE’S NOT EVEN A MISOGYNIST (hell is not low enough for where the bar is). reading this felt like a breath of fresh air, like what a discord mod must feel when he first touches grass.

Kade Mitchell is what i want tattooed on my brain. make posters of him, and i’ll put them on my walls in the psych ward. he was so obsessed with Stacey and as he fucking should. speaking of, i looooved bad, strong bitch Stacey Rhodes. both main characters have been through some of the worst shit one could imagine. it was frustrating at times, how they’d refuse to communicate properly bUT you cannot read this and fault them for it. how the fuck do you even unpack that kind of trauma? I’M traumatized and it wasn’t even me going through it!!

THE FLASHBACKS???? OF THEM YOUNG AND IN LOVE???

“I like you,” she admits. “Is that too soon? I’m sorry.”

She beams, smiling so hard I think I might just hug her to death. “I get butterflies.”
“So do I.”

MY SHAYLAS, MY BABIES!!! so fucking adorable!! the way he’d blush and stutter, the way she was so shy expressing her feelings. i was smiling so hard i for sure pulled a muscle.

the beginning of their relationship was lovely to read about, my heart was doing backflips. i love that he calls her freckles. specifically, i love when he calls her “MY freckles”<333. i asked my bf why tf he doesn’t call me that, and he said, because you don’t have any freckles. ok???? say you hate me and go.

pulling back to the present was like the equivalent of kissing my forehead then punching me in the face. they go through so much shit in the present chapters, and while a lot from the past is brought up, you don’t get to fully experience it yet. i’m so scared of what more is gonna come to light. i’m not ready, yet i’m starting the second one as soon as i can because i hate (and love) myself.

the mouth on this man goes crazy, i can’t put those quotes in my review, i’m too prudish, but trust when i tell you it was so hot i started overheating and popped another pill (for the fever). the book had a bit too much smut for my liking, but it’s forgiven because i love these two so much already. Kade was also a stand-up comedian;

"Regardless, he can’t have Stacey. I’ve claimed her and no one else can have her but me. Kind of. I think. Probably not, but I’d like to. Wait. How does one claim a person?"

“How did you get blood in your hair?”
Freckles, darling, I’m a fucking animal. You should’ve seen me Jackie Chan my shit today.

the ending was criminal. i’m taking it as a personal offense, because what the fuck was that???

"At least I got to kiss her."

yes😭 you😭 did😭

if you’ve read my entire review, bill me for your next therapy appointment because why would you put yourself through reading this shit?

_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

pre-read

three 1-stars in a row, and i can feel the slump coming. life is leaving my eyes. i need something crazy and quick. plss be good, i'm about to crash out 🙃

[dev · Rating 5 out of 5]

i touched myself whenever kade spoke ❤️

[Sahara · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm sick of mediocrity.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished this in one sitting…

WTF.

[Andy ₊✩‧₊˚౨ৎ˚₊✩‧₊]

*update: I slept on it and now I am pissed off . I hate miscommunication trope. Only if they would have ONE sensible conversation without him leaching on her breast or her imagining/ remembering how big his cock is ( by 50 % of the book I was sure it is a size of a third leg actually).

DNF 55%

This is not the fault of this book ( hence no rating) I just cannot deal with such a emotional baggage…… I am usually almost incapable of DNF but this just makes me miserable and I just can’t …🤷‍♀️

[♡✿Mania⁠✿♡ ꒰inactive꒱ · Rating 3 out of 5]

✯✯✯ ⅘     જ⁀➴3 ⋆.ೃ࿔✰ ˎˊ˗
╰┈➤❝𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐲 𝐑𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞. 𝐀𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐈 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫.❞


🚨Friends • Chase atlantic
0:24 ─●──────── -2:56
↺ |◁   II   ▷|   ♡
⋆｡𖦹°⭒˚｡⋆ ⊹₊⟡⋆ ⊹₊⟡⋆⋆｡𖦹°⭒˚｡

꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ 📞⭑꒷꒦
And what the hell were we?
Tell me we weren't just friends
This doesn't make much sense, no
But I'm not hurt, I'm tense
'Cause I'll be fine without you babe
꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ 📞⭑꒷꒦

⋆｡𖦹°⭒˚｡⋆ ⊹₊⟡⋆ ⊹₊⟡⋆⋆｡𖦹°⭒˚｡

🗝️ CONTENT WARNING ┆(CONTAINS SPOILERS)
⤷ rape (not the mmc)⤷SA⤷incest ⤷domestic abuse ⤷Voilence ⤷gore ⤷mental abuse⤷taboo ⤷stalking ⤷seggs next to dead boady ⤷miscarriage ⤷Explicit sexual content ⤷obbsesive mmc ⤷forced sex worker ⤷murder⤷physical and mental abuse (not between the MC's)⤷Drug use and withdrawals⤷kinky (gun play, Primal play, breath play, degradation , praise etc.)

✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩
🕸️ Second chance romance
🍷 best friends brother
🕸️ Morally black mmc
🍷lovers— enemies—lovers
🕸️ forbidden romance
🍷 miscommunication
🕸️forced proximity
🍷dancer x  psychopath
🕸️spicey spice
🍷 touch her and die
🕸️past/present timelines
🍷 truama rep
🕸️Cliff hanger
✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩

ᯓ★Spoiler free

𓆙 𝕆𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 𓆙

.𖥔📍 ݁ ˖HOLY COW, I CAN’T BELIEVE LEIGH RIVERS WROTE THIS?! Omggg, this was so much better than Little Stranger—it didn’t even feel like the same author!! I really liked the writing style and fairly enjoyed this overall. The characters are well layered and written. Honestly, this has me thinking my rating for the entire series is going to be way higher—hopefully—fingers crossed.
Insatiable was an absolute rollercoaster, and I’m still not over it. Kade and Stacey have totally stolen my heart—they deserve everything and more. Both the FMC and MMC need the biggest hug (seriously hoping they actually get one from each other in the next book!). They’re dealing with so much, which makes their relationship insanely complicated, and honestly, I have no idea how it’s going to work—but I’m dying to see how the author pulls it off.

I devoured this book even though it was heavy AF (I beg you to read the tw's—trust me when I say it's heavy IT'S HEAVY). And that ending? An INSANE cliffhanger that will literally make you spiral!! I honestly have no idea if this is ever going to be a HEA, and that uncertainty is killing me.I js know the other books are gna be even more traumatizing!


.𖥔📍 ݁ ˖ Now I did have some major issues with this book aswl, ngl, it was pretty underwhelming at times. I think part of it’s on me since I was down bad with the flu, so that probably bled into my reading experience. But one thing that really pissed me off was the miscommunication trope. Even tho it isn't a favorite of mine but I don’t usually mind that trope if it’s done well. But here? It was horribly executed. Like… could they not take a second to talk instead of constantly jumping each other’s bones?? PLEASE.

And omg, it got so smutty. The first few times—yeah, it was kinda hawtt ngl—but after that, especially toward the end, it just got annoying. I caught myself skimming through multiple scenes. The worst part? I kept holding my breath waiting for them to finally communicate until the very last page… but nope. The author made me look like 🤡🤡🤡
Also, HELLOOO I have so many questions and not a single one was answered!! There were so many filler events in the middle that made it feel repetitive and unnecessarily long. Like, what more could possibly happen that they need two more books?? Still, I guess I’m intrigued enough to keep going

Now, dark romance … I’ve realized it’s just not hitting for me anymore. When I first got into it, it was new, interesting and exciting (even if some books were horrendous ), but lately? It’s just repetitive af. There’s barely any real relationship development anymore—it’s all just lust. Like why is everyone so horny for absolutely no reason?? Bro’s hard every two seconds, she’s wet every other second—someone just breathes and BOOM 💀💀💀 I miss dark romances that had actual tension and plot.

Even some of the flashbacks felt unecessary —likeinstead of giving me emotional depth, it was just them banging again and again 😭 The ones I wanted to see? Never showed up. Ifykyk.
Honestly, this book felt like it was 80% smut and 20% everything else. I need significant plot progression to properly enjoy a story, and while I expected spice, I also expected balance. Yk what I mean?

.𖥔📍 ݁ ˖ Overall I would recommend people who are dark romance readers.

𓆙 ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤 𓆙
༘⋆
╰── ──╮
               ༄.°
⊹🕷️.ᐟ.ᐟ𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒚: I've seen people being iffy about her but I js knew she was inoccent from the start...and guess who was right?? MEEE!!!. Even tho I didn’t fully understand her at first, but as her story unfolded, I just wanted to hug her and never let go. The strength it takes to love someone like Kade—so damaged and dangerous—while carrying her own pain?? Unreal. Her patience and love for him melted me. Stacey Rodes is my baby, truly
This book only gave us a glimpse of her pain, and I know the rest of her journey is going to break me all over again. But omg, the fact that she won’t tell anyone—especially Kade—because of Chris?? Ikshe's only trying to protect him but Girl, THINK. If anything, Kade would end him.

⊹🕷️.ᐟ.ᐟ𝑲𝒂𝒅𝒆: OMGOSH the things he went through made me wanna cry and throw up—I wasn’t ready for that kind of trauma. I'm short of words when it comes to him. His POVs were honestly extremely painful and excruciating to read at times, it makes me physical ill seeing him go through so much underserved shi. He’s the type to save all his firsts for his woman and constantly seek reassurance just to make sure he’s not being toxic. To say I was mesmerized is an understatement. Leigh nailed the morally dark but soft-for-his-woman trope, and I'm soooo obbsesed with his pet name for her "My freackles" AHHHHHH why does no one call me that like sure I'm single and certainly do not have freackles but that's besides the point😔🖐🏻 like I'm already inlove with this man arghhhhh. But one thing which pmo was WHY COULDN’T HE JUST HEAR STACEY OUT?! LET HER EXPLAIN DAMN IT!!!

⊹🕷️.ᐟ.ᐟ𝑻𝒐𝒃𝒊𝒂𝒔: Daddy Tobias has me pretty intrigued tho ngl he does kinda scare me, anyways I love his relationship with kade and how he protects the people he cares about —you can feel the love he has for aria it genuinely shatters my heart knowing that they won't have a hea even though I can't wait to read his book Ik it's gna be painful!!

⊹🕷️.ᐟ.ᐟ𝑳𝒖𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒂: Honestly, she was annoying af I personally feel like Tylar was more of bsf to Stacey then her!! Like OMLLL she acts like a litch baby—grow tf up!! The fact they wouldn't have to go through sm if they told Luciella everything beforehand but they choose to respect her feelings!

⊹🕷️.ᐟ.ᐟ𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔: AHHH I loath this disgusting vile cockroach with every fiber of my being I kid you not I've already planned out several unhinged ways to torcher him before I brutaly murder him in cold blood then feed his corpse to alligators like Istg if Kade doesn't make him suffer and kill him I WILL!! The way I had this violent urdge to throw up every time he got near to Stacey!! LIKE HE IS THE REAL PHYCO HERE

⊹🕷️.ᐟ.ᐟ𝑩𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆: AFTER CHRIS I NEED THIS BISH AND HER VILE HUSBAND TO DIEEEE IN THE MOST GORESOME WAY URGGHHHHH!!! The things they do to kade make me sick to my stomach I swear I had to close the book at times js because it was making me physically ill .

⊹🕷️.ᐟ.ᐟ𝑩𝒂𝒔𝒆: SAAA MASHHHH?!?!!!!!??

𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄'𝙢 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙡𝙖𝙯𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙝𝙚𝙝𝙚𝙚.

𓆙 ℝ𝕠𝕞𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖 𓆙

⟢ 𖹭 𝓚𝓪𝓭𝓮 + 𝓢𝓽𝓪𝓬𝓮𝔂 ‧₊˚ ┊
╰── ──╮
❝ We had everything, and now we have nothing but lies and grudges. I can’t be mad at him – not really. But he walked away so easily, and I couldn’t fight for him. ❞

.𖥔📍 ݁ ˖ My babies deserve the world, istg  I was living for those cute, emotional, heartwarming moments between them — even if they lasted like two seconds. I can’t wait to see more of their coupley scenes in book two!
Ik I’ve said this before but there was way too much smut for me. Like one second they’re talking, and the next—boom—there fuking like banshees —HELLPPP— it felt like it was in every single chapter.
Now the flashbacks… listen. The first few were actually really sweet because Stacey and Kade were adorable accept for that.....eeehhhh. My heart ached, especially near the end. Reading both their POVs about each other was so heartbreaking, knowing they once were happy. The flashbacks showed how their love started, grew, and then broke because the pain was too much. Omgg they've endured sm AND I WAS NOT EXPECTING STACEY TO BE—ifykyk (I actually bawlled my eyes out)

Stacey’s been blaming herself, too scared to tell her truth; and Kade’s been blaming her too, because the heartbreak cut too deep. It’s messy—miscommunications, secrets, grudges—but their love? Still there. Still strong.I know ittt!!The way he hugged her, kissed her, despite all the anger and pain between them From the start, Kade was mean because he thought she betrayed her—but Stacey never got the chance to explain what really happened. I have so many theories right now… I swear Archie is involved!!

Though I do have a veryy important question to ask ahemmm...for the amount of times they had seggs why didn't he that scar between her breasts it actually makes no litch sence!!!


𓆙 ℚ𝕦𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕤 𓆙

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ " it's like I'm visiting heaven while living in hell. But I want to steal her and bring her to my chaos, set fucking fire to her world and keep her mine.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ “Staying silent is like being in a mental prison."

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥  “Losing your voice to everyone is one thing, but losing your voice to someone you loved – trusted – is ten million times worse”

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥  “As much as I’d like to say I’ve forgotten everything about Kade Mitchell, I’m a terrible liar.”

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥  “I want to share every single first with her and stick around.”

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ ”We can pretend that we weren’t in love at one point.”

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ “I can feel her smile against my mouth.
And then… butterflies. I have fucking butterflies while kissing someone. What the fuck is wrong with me?”


˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ “I’m not asking, Freckles. You’re going on a date
with me.”

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ "Because you’re hiding, and I want to hide with you.” I caress her cheek and press my lips to her forehead, catching her off guard. “Let’s hide together, Freckles.”

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ “I handed that boy my heart when I was a teen, and even now, years later, he still holds it”

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ “She’s the girl I watch, the girl I obsess over until I feel like I’m going fucking insane. I gave her my heart when I was a teenager, and do you know what she did? She shattered it”


˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ “We’re a perfect fit – two puzzle pieces with tattered edges”

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ “I fit against him like the perfect puzzle piece. I feel at home in his arms and almost burst into tears from the intensity of the moment”

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ “When did you start caring about him again?”
I frown. “I never stopped caring about Kade.”


˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ "I know you believe Kade can do better than me, and that’s fine. But I have never stopped loving him. Not once.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ “She was my granddaughter. No one takes from me and gets awaywith it. Once I deal with Kade, I’m going to hunt down whoever is responsible. I promise you, little one.”

────୨ ⋆.end ⋆.ৎ────

➴ voracious ꒰⁠ 3.78☆꒱
➴ restitution ꒰⁠ 4.5☆꒱

₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊

WTF WTF I FEEL SICK OMLLL... RTC!!

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈

𖦹⊹₊⟡｡🖤🍷𝕻𝖗𝖊~𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉 🍷🖤⊹₊⟡𖦹
  ⤷Dark romance has js nawtt been it recently plus I hated little strange with every fiber in my being— like I kid you not it might js be the worst book I've ever read istg!! Anyways I've been seeing this everywhere and majority loooove it I hope so tooo fingers crossed 🤞🏻

[Bookishness · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m unwell, someone send help! “At least I got to kiss her” 😩😢