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Devour Me: A Forbidden Desires Novel
"YOU CAN'T SAVE ME, BUT YOU CAN SAVE YOURSELF FROM ME."
Sage is a young detective determined to make a mark in a field dominated by skepticism and prejudice.
When a case of a serial killer on the loose comes across her desk, she does anything she has to to bring down this psychopath.
But when she meets a charming psychologist, her whole life gets turned upside down.
She finds herself drawn into a web of intrigue and mystery that challenges everything she thought she knew.
Will she be able to do the right thing, or will her heart get in the way?
Sage is a young detective determined to make a mark in a field dominated by skepticism and prejudice.
When a case of a serial killer on the loose comes across her desk, she does anything she has to to bring down this psychopath.
But when she meets a charming psychologist, her whole life gets turned upside down.
She finds herself drawn into a web of intrigue and mystery that challenges everything she thought she knew.
Will she be able to do the right thing, or will her heart get in the way?
- GenresDark Romance
299 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 30, 2025
16 people are currently reading
334 people want to read
About the author
Monique Koen
7 books55 followersMonique Koen is a South African author living in Australia with her husband and two beautiful children. She’s a horror movie fanatic, obsessed with true crime stories about serial killers, and has always dreamed about being a Forensic Psychologist.
When she's not spending time with her family or dwelling in the world of horrors, she brings her imagination to life.
When she's not spending time with her family or dwelling in the world of horrors, she brings her imagination to life.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 9, 2025
An amazing, fast-paced read that I devoured in just two hours (pun intended 😉)! Devour Me is short but so gripping—it pulls you in from the first page and doesn’t let go. This book is a part of connected series and although I didn’t read the other before I read this book, BELIVE ME I WILL BE READING THEM ASAP!
Onto my favorite scene : The snake play…OMG. New kink unlocked, not even ashamed. Lilith absolutely did her thang 🐍 , and Dane did his 😉. Monique Koen knows how to push boundaries in a way that’s dark, delicious, and totally addictive. Even though you kind of feel like you know what’s coming next in this book, the execution still manages to catch you off guard. That balance between predictable and shocking? Nailed it.
Dane aka Dr. Storm 😮💨, is the kind of psychopath you love to fear (or fear to love?). He’s intense, unhinged, and utterly magnetic. Sage, or Little Minx if you will, is a detective but GIRLLLL , how did she not see all the red flags waving in her face? (I mean i can’t blame her red flags are green to me too buttt still) Somehow, all of that made the whole dynamic even more chaotic and fun to read because the ending definitely.. well maybe those red flags were green and maybe Sage is a little bit demented herself (in a good way).
Also, side note: Benji, her brother, LOVED. I loved that man. 🫶🏼
Highly recommend this book if you're into dark romance with twisted characters, bold kinks, and a fast, satisfying payoff. I had so much fun reading this and feel lucky to have had an early taste. Thank you Monique Koen for the ARC — I loved it! 🐍🖤
Onto my favorite scene : The snake play…OMG. New kink unlocked, not even ashamed. Lilith absolutely did her thang 🐍 , and Dane did his 😉. Monique Koen knows how to push boundaries in a way that’s dark, delicious, and totally addictive. Even though you kind of feel like you know what’s coming next in this book, the execution still manages to catch you off guard. That balance between predictable and shocking? Nailed it.
Dane aka Dr. Storm 😮💨, is the kind of psychopath you love to fear (or fear to love?). He’s intense, unhinged, and utterly magnetic. Sage, or Little Minx if you will, is a detective but GIRLLLL , how did she not see all the red flags waving in her face? (I mean i can’t blame her red flags are green to me too buttt still) Somehow, all of that made the whole dynamic even more chaotic and fun to read because the ending definitely.. well maybe those red flags were green and maybe Sage is a little bit demented herself (in a good way).
Also, side note: Benji, her brother, LOVED. I loved that man. 🫶🏼
Highly recommend this book if you're into dark romance with twisted characters, bold kinks, and a fast, satisfying payoff. I had so much fun reading this and feel lucky to have had an early taste. Thank you Monique Koen for the ARC — I loved it! 🐍🖤
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2025
🌟 5/5 Stars
🔥 5/5 Spice
Devour Me by Monique Koen is dark romance at its finest—intense, addictive, and so emotionally raw that it leaves you breathless.
This is the story of Sage, a determined cop who believes in fighting the bad guys, and Dane, a dangerously handsome man with a haunted past. Dane has spent his life as a fixer—clean, controlled, untouchable. Until Sage. She cracks open the carefully built walls he hides behind, and suddenly, feeling becomes as dangerous as the men he’s been running from his whole life.
Their chemistry is explosive. From the first moment, it’s obsession disguised as attraction, and when the layers peel back, you see two broken souls who find both ruin and redemption in each other. Dane takes “touch her and die” to a whole new level—protective, feral, and absolutely unhinged in his devotion.
The spice? Unholy. Raw. Obsessive. Every scene pulses with tension and heat, perfectly blending dominance, vulnerability, and desire. It’s not just physical—it’s emotional combustion.
And the ending? Equal parts heartbreaking and beautiful. It shocks, it guts, and yet it delivers a conclusion that feels so right for their journey. Monique Koen proves once again how talented she is—balancing brutality, passion, and tenderness in a way that keeps you turning pages long into the night.
If you crave dark romance that devours you whole, Devour Me is an absolute must-read.
🔥 5/5 Spice
Devour Me by Monique Koen is dark romance at its finest—intense, addictive, and so emotionally raw that it leaves you breathless.
This is the story of Sage, a determined cop who believes in fighting the bad guys, and Dane, a dangerously handsome man with a haunted past. Dane has spent his life as a fixer—clean, controlled, untouchable. Until Sage. She cracks open the carefully built walls he hides behind, and suddenly, feeling becomes as dangerous as the men he’s been running from his whole life.
Their chemistry is explosive. From the first moment, it’s obsession disguised as attraction, and when the layers peel back, you see two broken souls who find both ruin and redemption in each other. Dane takes “touch her and die” to a whole new level—protective, feral, and absolutely unhinged in his devotion.
The spice? Unholy. Raw. Obsessive. Every scene pulses with tension and heat, perfectly blending dominance, vulnerability, and desire. It’s not just physical—it’s emotional combustion.
And the ending? Equal parts heartbreaking and beautiful. It shocks, it guts, and yet it delivers a conclusion that feels so right for their journey. Monique Koen proves once again how talented she is—balancing brutality, passion, and tenderness in a way that keeps you turning pages long into the night.
If you crave dark romance that devours you whole, Devour Me is an absolute must-read.
August 29, 2025
I stayed up way too late finishing Devour Me and I don’t even regret the book hangover it left me with today. Monique Koen’s writing style is something truly special — the way she blends past and present tense gives her storytelling this magical, almost haunting rhythm. It’s hard to explain… you just have to experience it for yourself.
One thing I love is that Monique is an Australian indie author, and honestly, I have no idea why her books aren’t more widely talked about. I’ll definitely be recommending this series to my dark romance girlies because it deserves the hype.
From the very start, the prologue had me hooked. I’ll admit, I was hesitant at first (massive fear of snakes over here), but it ended up being such a minor part of this deeply disturbing and compelling story. Dane is such a complex character — a beautiful psycho whose mind was written with raw realism. Honestly, sometimes I wondered how he could be a psychologist when he clearly needed one himself (haha). Sage, on the other hand, was a sweetheart. A detective chasing a serial killer, with a charming nature that drew me in right away. Watching everything click into place for her was heartbreaking.
This doesn’t feel like a HEA to me. In my eyes, it’s not. I’m left craving more — to know how Sage moves on and what happens next. But that’s also the power of this book: it lingers, it disturbs, and it makes you want more.
One thing I love is that Monique is an Australian indie author, and honestly, I have no idea why her books aren’t more widely talked about. I’ll definitely be recommending this series to my dark romance girlies because it deserves the hype.
From the very start, the prologue had me hooked. I’ll admit, I was hesitant at first (massive fear of snakes over here), but it ended up being such a minor part of this deeply disturbing and compelling story. Dane is such a complex character — a beautiful psycho whose mind was written with raw realism. Honestly, sometimes I wondered how he could be a psychologist when he clearly needed one himself (haha). Sage, on the other hand, was a sweetheart. A detective chasing a serial killer, with a charming nature that drew me in right away. Watching everything click into place for her was heartbreaking.
This doesn’t feel like a HEA to me. In my eyes, it’s not. I’m left craving more — to know how Sage moves on and what happens next. But that’s also the power of this book: it lingers, it disturbs, and it makes you want more.
August 29, 2025
Dane is dark, broken, and feral in his obsession — and I was really rooting for him throughout this book. Sage, as a determined profiler, balanced his intensity in ways that kept me hooked. Their chemistry was undeniable and I found myself invested in every scene they shared.
Strangely enough, I actually wished this book had been a little longer. I wanted more moments between Dane and Sage before their bittersweet ending. Their connection deserved just a few more breaths before it all came crashing down.
This installment is definitely darker than the previous ones — full of obsession, manipulation, trauma, and danger. Monique Koen doesn’t shy away from heavy themes, and it shows in the intensity of the story.
Content Warnings: stalking, obsessive/possessive behavior, serial killings, torture, trauma, mental illness, mentions of child & sexual abuse, explicit sexual content with kink (bondage, breath play, primal play, snake play, praise).
A dark, obsessive romance that left me both unsettled and captivated. I’m very intrigued to see who we meet in book 4.
Strangely enough, I actually wished this book had been a little longer. I wanted more moments between Dane and Sage before their bittersweet ending. Their connection deserved just a few more breaths before it all came crashing down.
This installment is definitely darker than the previous ones — full of obsession, manipulation, trauma, and danger. Monique Koen doesn’t shy away from heavy themes, and it shows in the intensity of the story.
Content Warnings: stalking, obsessive/possessive behavior, serial killings, torture, trauma, mental illness, mentions of child & sexual abuse, explicit sexual content with kink (bondage, breath play, primal play, snake play, praise).
A dark, obsessive romance that left me both unsettled and captivated. I’m very intrigued to see who we meet in book 4.
August 24, 2025
Thank you to Monique for the ARC. First of all, check your trigger warnings because this book will take you on a wild ride.
It drops you straight in, and made me feel like a little detective putting the pieces of the puzzle together, I felt like I was in the midst of a thriller/horror movie or an episode of SVU. It’s a short and fast spicy read!
I felt really sad for Dane and his history but I can’t believe Sage didn’t work it out sooner! I couldn’t possibly be forgiving like her haha! The ending had my jaw on the floor, I was so shocked she could confront him and drop that bombshell.
I highly recommend you read the first two books of this series first, you don’t necessarily have to, but it does give you some background to other characters that are mentioned. I think as a whole it’s a very good series!! but I didn’t connect to these characters as much as the ones in the first two books. It’s hard to beat Argent and Starlet 😩😍
It drops you straight in, and made me feel like a little detective putting the pieces of the puzzle together, I felt like I was in the midst of a thriller/horror movie or an episode of SVU. It’s a short and fast spicy read!
I felt really sad for Dane and his history but I can’t believe Sage didn’t work it out sooner! I couldn’t possibly be forgiving like her haha! The ending had my jaw on the floor, I was so shocked she could confront him and drop that bombshell.
I highly recommend you read the first two books of this series first, you don’t necessarily have to, but it does give you some background to other characters that are mentioned. I think as a whole it’s a very good series!! but I didn’t connect to these characters as much as the ones in the first two books. It’s hard to beat Argent and Starlet 😩😍
August 24, 2025
Monique… girl… wow!
We have been talking about book 3, it feels like forever and I have been awaiting *patiently* for it to drop onto my kindle! It definitely lived up to the hype that I had been building in my head!
I love a good dark romance and this certainly hits the spot.
I loved Dane and his no bullshit, grumpy attitude but when it came to Sage he fell head over heels in an instant for her.
I love a good “suspense plot” and this one had that to a tee, I think I only figured it out a chapter before we knew what was actually going on!
If you have read Monique’s books before, you know her endings always spin you for a loop, and this one is an epilogue that you can interpret in multiple ways… there is a line that I did tear up a little - that’s how you know you’ve read an amazing book!
We have been talking about book 3, it feels like forever and I have been awaiting *patiently* for it to drop onto my kindle! It definitely lived up to the hype that I had been building in my head!
I love a good dark romance and this certainly hits the spot.
I loved Dane and his no bullshit, grumpy attitude but when it came to Sage he fell head over heels in an instant for her.
I love a good “suspense plot” and this one had that to a tee, I think I only figured it out a chapter before we knew what was actually going on!
If you have read Monique’s books before, you know her endings always spin you for a loop, and this one is an epilogue that you can interpret in multiple ways… there is a line that I did tear up a little - that’s how you know you’ve read an amazing book!
August 23, 2025
Where to even begin..Sage is complete bad*ss as a detective and her first case may completely crush her. As she navigates her career and attempts to put her personal life on hold she finds that may not be as easy as she thought when she meets Dane.
Dane our completely unhinged MMC would do everything in his power to keep Sage. But at what cost to him.
A deliciously spicy read that I couldn’t put down! A slow burn but oh so worth it with twists that make you turn the pages!
Touch her and 💀 vibes, stalking, primal play, 🐍 play (yep you read that right), trauma, and mental health representation. It’s a definite must!
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Dane our completely unhinged MMC would do everything in his power to keep Sage. But at what cost to him.
A deliciously spicy read that I couldn’t put down! A slow burn but oh so worth it with twists that make you turn the pages!
Touch her and 💀 vibes, stalking, primal play, 🐍 play (yep you read that right), trauma, and mental health representation. It’s a definite must!
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
August 24, 2025
There is Dark Romance and DARK romance.
The first one is a morally grey MMC where you lovely accept whatever he is doing bc of the way the writer make you fall in love with him through all his cute little attentions…
And then you have Dane.
Dane will make you feel uncomfortable, will make you feel suffocating. He is not romanticized by the author. He is too much. His red flags are crimson. He is obsessed to insanity.
Yet here you are feeling what Sage feels for him: the love, the fear, the anxiety, the tears. Every steps of the way.
The ending? F*ck Yes!
The first one is a morally grey MMC where you lovely accept whatever he is doing bc of the way the writer make you fall in love with him through all his cute little attentions…
And then you have Dane.
Dane will make you feel uncomfortable, will make you feel suffocating. He is not romanticized by the author. He is too much. His red flags are crimson. He is obsessed to insanity.
Yet here you are feeling what Sage feels for him: the love, the fear, the anxiety, the tears. Every steps of the way.
The ending? F*ck Yes!
September 1, 2025
There’s dark, morally grey MMCs… and then there’s Dane 😬
He’s not romanticised, not softened at all...just pure obsession turned pyscho. His red flags are everywhere, and he knows exactly how unhinged he is. This book drags you in from page one, making you piece things together, all while weaving in a fast-paced, spicy storyline. The tension had me hooked, and the ending left my jaw on the floor. I was so relieved it didn’t follow the usual path, as this MMC went way too far for a typical HEA.
⚠️ CHECK YOUR TRIGGERS WARNING!!! ⚠️
He’s not romanticised, not softened at all...just pure obsession turned pyscho. His red flags are everywhere, and he knows exactly how unhinged he is. This book drags you in from page one, making you piece things together, all while weaving in a fast-paced, spicy storyline. The tension had me hooked, and the ending left my jaw on the floor. I was so relieved it didn’t follow the usual path, as this MMC went way too far for a typical HEA.
⚠️ CHECK YOUR TRIGGERS WARNING!!! ⚠️
September 5, 2025
What a complex story filled with complex characters!!!! I think I felt every emotion reading this story!!! I felt the heartache and pain that Dane was feeling..... and Sage was the perfect FMC for him. Watching the unraveling happen was gutwrenching @!! A short, quick, deep, spicy read!!!! Interesting concept for a story with the careers for the characters very interesting!!!! you will see what I am talking a bout after you read!!! thank you to Monique for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this story!!!
August 20, 2025
You’ve done it again! Mon you never fail to make your reads enjoyable.
This one took me on such a journey. It was fun, it was sweet, it was dark and twisted. It was everything you want in a book and more.
It was super fast paced and thoroughly enjoyable! Everything about it I loved.
You managed to make me feel bad for the serial killer. My heart broke for Dane and his upbringing, I just wanted to wrap him up in bubble wrap.
Love love loved it! 😍
This one took me on such a journey. It was fun, it was sweet, it was dark and twisted. It was everything you want in a book and more.
It was super fast paced and thoroughly enjoyable! Everything about it I loved.
You managed to make me feel bad for the serial killer. My heart broke for Dane and his upbringing, I just wanted to wrap him up in bubble wrap.
Love love loved it! 😍
August 21, 2025
Great read, Dane’s story alone is absolutely heartbreaking. What he went through and how he struggled daily with his mental health. He is definitely a relatable character in that sense. His love for Sage ran so deep. Sage is such a strong FMC how her confidence grew and she became bold was brilliant. Snake play was definitely an eye opener but I loved it. Can’t wait to read more in this series
August 30, 2025
Thank you Monique for the chance to read this ARC.
This book jumps straight into it, it's dark and twisted from the first chapter! This fast paced DARK romance gives us Sage and Dane. Sage gives bad*** strong female character vibes, Dane has had a hard start to life and flies so many red flags, but he fell so hard and loved Sage so deeply. I can't say I've ever read about snake play, so that was a first.
That ending... I didn't know what to expect leading up to it.
Be sure to check the trigger warnings.
This book jumps straight into it, it's dark and twisted from the first chapter! This fast paced DARK romance gives us Sage and Dane. Sage gives bad*** strong female character vibes, Dane has had a hard start to life and flies so many red flags, but he fell so hard and loved Sage so deeply. I can't say I've ever read about snake play, so that was a first.
That ending... I didn't know what to expect leading up to it.
Be sure to check the trigger warnings.
August 24, 2025
Oh my heart 😭 my heart hurts!! I love Dane & Sage so much!! Their story is absolutely insanely beautiful 😭 DARK ROMANCE GIRLIES WILL EAT THIS UP!! Oh man I am actually speechless at how much I love this! What have you turned me into Monique 😭😭🥰🥰
October 13, 2025
I wanted a crazy unhinged mmc and Dane is it! I wish the book was longer. I wanted more. I didn’t want it to end. Dane just wanted to be loved and wanted. This is a book that will stick with me for a while. 😭 I hope there’s more in the series. Im left with so many more question’s!
January 15, 2026
The plot was good but it was really short so the ending had a lot of unanswered questions for me + no HEA so wasn’t worth it really.
But if you love a deranged MMC who is insane and knows it this is great just don’t expect the ending to be worthwhile.
But if you love a deranged MMC who is insane and knows it this is great just don’t expect the ending to be worthwhile.
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December 21, 2025Don’t understand how this is so highly rated. This was absolutely awful and un-rateable.
December 31, 2025
Last of the 3 part series.
Decided I’m not into psychopath romances
Decided I’m not into psychopath romances
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews