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624: Swallowed by Darkness
The devil had me dragged out of my bed and tried to make me a deal. Get rid of my baby and he'd compensate me well. There was no way I could get rid of something that had been made out of love, even if it hadn't been planned. I don't know how he even knew. It's not like I told anyone I was pregnant, much less my fiancé’s father. But when he locked me in his study with him, he knew... and he was desperate to put an end to it.
If you don't take a devil's bargain, you may just find yourself in hell anyway. That's what happened to me. I couldn't get rid of my child, and I couldn't run... he was too fast. There were too many of them.
They ruined me that night, and dragged me into their twisted world.
There's no hope here. No color. Just captives, prisoners, each used for whatever we can provide. We just hold on as long as we can to who we used to be, until that's taken too. And while it's a horror we all endure, I'm the only one who has a ticking time bomb inside of them.
I know I'll die here. What I don't know is if my baby will, too.
If you don't take a devil's bargain, you may just find yourself in hell anyway. That's what happened to me. I couldn't get rid of my child, and I couldn't run... he was too fast. There were too many of them.
They ruined me that night, and dragged me into their twisted world.
There's no hope here. No color. Just captives, prisoners, each used for whatever we can provide. We just hold on as long as we can to who we used to be, until that's taken too. And while it's a horror we all endure, I'm the only one who has a ticking time bomb inside of them.
I know I'll die here. What I don't know is if my baby will, too.
196 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 5, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews
November 2, 2025
ARC review 🫦
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Beautifully brutal, heartbreakingly human.”
Swallowed by Darkness isn’t just dark—it’s pitch black, the kind that seeps into your bones and refuses to let go. From the first page, I felt every ounce of the heroine’s fear, defiance, and aching hope. When the devil himself comes to her door—her fiancé’s father, no less—and demands the unthinkable, she refuses to bow. What follows is a descent into a world of power, cruelty, and survival that had my stomach in knots and my heart in pieces.
It’s not an easy read, but it’s one that matters. The writing is raw, emotional, and unapologetically haunting. There’s no glossing over the pain here—only the fragile spark of resilience that refuses to die, even when everything else has been stripped away.
If you’re looking for sunshine and safety, this isn’t it. But if you crave stories that rip you open, make you bleed, and remind you what strength truly looks like—this one will stay with you long after you close the final page.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Beautifully brutal, heartbreakingly human.”
Swallowed by Darkness isn’t just dark—it’s pitch black, the kind that seeps into your bones and refuses to let go. From the first page, I felt every ounce of the heroine’s fear, defiance, and aching hope. When the devil himself comes to her door—her fiancé’s father, no less—and demands the unthinkable, she refuses to bow. What follows is a descent into a world of power, cruelty, and survival that had my stomach in knots and my heart in pieces.
It’s not an easy read, but it’s one that matters. The writing is raw, emotional, and unapologetically haunting. There’s no glossing over the pain here—only the fragile spark of resilience that refuses to die, even when everything else has been stripped away.
If you’re looking for sunshine and safety, this isn’t it. But if you crave stories that rip you open, make you bleed, and remind you what strength truly looks like—this one will stay with you long after you close the final page.
April 8, 2026
Is it wrong of me to say I enjoyed this one? Not just because of the storyline, but the writing of it, as dark as it was it held you to each word, the underlying meaning of what type of a world we live in even if this is fiction. It leads you through the fight, the determination, the trauma cycles perfectly, the devastation, submission and lost hope, ensuring you are captivated within her utter desperation of living in hope or giving up entirely.
I am not even going to give you a summary because you can read Carly’s synopsis, just be aware it is not a read to enter into lightly and it doesn’t have an HEA. It’s written for it to affect the reader, within a profound pitch way that hits hard, it is after all an erotic horror 😱
I am not even going to give you a summary because you can read Carly’s synopsis, just be aware it is not a read to enter into lightly and it doesn’t have an HEA. It’s written for it to affect the reader, within a profound pitch way that hits hard, it is after all an erotic horror 😱
January 13, 2026
ARC REVIEW
This was utterly devastating. It has torn my heart apart and shattered it. It never restored my heart to its former state. Instead, it continued to erode it piece by piece. Fast-paced and well-written. Know your triggers before reading.
Thanks to Book Sirens for sending me an advanced copy to read and review
October 24, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥🔥
624: Swallowed by Darkness by Carly Claire was haunting, intense, and completely unputdownable. This story grabbed me from the first page and refused to let go. It’s dark, emotional, and full of moments that had me holding my breath.
The concept alone gave me chills—a woman trapped in a twisted world, fighting for her life and her baby against pure evil. The tension was constant, and the writing pulled me straight into the nightmare. You could feel the fear, the hopelessness, and the small sparks of defiance that kept her going.
And let’s talk about the spice, I wouldn’t say its spicy, as much as its very heavy with dark ugly spicy scene. The emotions hit hard and left me reeling. It’s one of those reads that lingers with you long after you’ve finished.
💫 5/5 stars
🔥 5/5 spice
Creepy, emotional, and completely addictive. This one had my heart racing and my jaw on the floor.
“To the bad days, with the knowledge it could always be worse. But also, fuck the Tuesdays.”
🔥🔥
624: Swallowed by Darkness by Carly Claire was haunting, intense, and completely unputdownable. This story grabbed me from the first page and refused to let go. It’s dark, emotional, and full of moments that had me holding my breath.
The concept alone gave me chills—a woman trapped in a twisted world, fighting for her life and her baby against pure evil. The tension was constant, and the writing pulled me straight into the nightmare. You could feel the fear, the hopelessness, and the small sparks of defiance that kept her going.
And let’s talk about the spice, I wouldn’t say its spicy, as much as its very heavy with dark ugly spicy scene. The emotions hit hard and left me reeling. It’s one of those reads that lingers with you long after you’ve finished.
💫 5/5 stars
🔥 5/5 spice
Creepy, emotional, and completely addictive. This one had my heart racing and my jaw on the floor.
“To the bad days, with the knowledge it could always be worse. But also, fuck the Tuesdays.”
March 22, 2026
Okay… this one was HARD to read. Like genuinely uncomfortable at times. But also? I could not put it down. This is not your typical dark romance. This is full-on dark erotic horror and it absolutely does not hold back.
Lauren’s story is honestly heartbreaking. After she becomes pregnant, her boyfriend’s father who is a powerful senator decides to “handle” the situation so his name isn’t ruined. And by handle… I mean she is taken, held captive and stripped of everything that makes her… her. She’s reduced to nothing more than a number, completely cut off from her identity, her voice, her autonomy.
What she goes through is brutal. Dehumanizing. There were moments I had to pause because it was just… heavy. But at the same time I needed to keep reading to see if she would make it through. Watching her go from who she was to what she’s forced to endure was honestly hard to process.
The writing pulls you in right away and keeps you there. The atmosphere is dark, suffocating and intense the entire time. I continue to feel I shouldn’t keep reading this… but also I need to know what happens.
This isn’t a romance by no means. It’s more about survival, control, power and the absolute worst sides of humanity.
This book is extremely dark, heavy on trauma, captivity and exploitation so definitely check your triggers going in. By the end I just kind of sat there like… what did I just read?
Not a feel-good read. Not even an easy one. But it was gripping, intense, and impossible to look away. The author’s writing definitely made me feel this one.
Lauren’s story is honestly heartbreaking. After she becomes pregnant, her boyfriend’s father who is a powerful senator decides to “handle” the situation so his name isn’t ruined. And by handle… I mean she is taken, held captive and stripped of everything that makes her… her. She’s reduced to nothing more than a number, completely cut off from her identity, her voice, her autonomy.
What she goes through is brutal. Dehumanizing. There were moments I had to pause because it was just… heavy. But at the same time I needed to keep reading to see if she would make it through. Watching her go from who she was to what she’s forced to endure was honestly hard to process.
The writing pulls you in right away and keeps you there. The atmosphere is dark, suffocating and intense the entire time. I continue to feel I shouldn’t keep reading this… but also I need to know what happens.
This isn’t a romance by no means. It’s more about survival, control, power and the absolute worst sides of humanity.
This book is extremely dark, heavy on trauma, captivity and exploitation so definitely check your triggers going in. By the end I just kind of sat there like… what did I just read?
Not a feel-good read. Not even an easy one. But it was gripping, intense, and impossible to look away. The author’s writing definitely made me feel this one.
November 6, 2025
This story will rip your heart into a million pieces. Have a box of tissues handy while you read Lauren's story. It's very very dark with the sinister monsters that defile her and take and take until there is nothing left.
Carly has written a beautiful erotic horror filled story that is very emotional, about a darkness that some people experience and often never find the light again. My heart aches for those that experience something like human trafficking, where despicable things are done to women by very powerful people, etc. Where the only peace you feel you can have is being numb and lost to the abyss.
Check those TW before reading this book. This story is not for the faint of heart. I don't know if I will ever be the same after reading this book. I devoured this story full of erotic horror. Left feeling numb and forever broken.
Carly has written a beautiful erotic horror filled story that is very emotional, about a darkness that some people experience and often never find the light again. My heart aches for those that experience something like human trafficking, where despicable things are done to women by very powerful people, etc. Where the only peace you feel you can have is being numb and lost to the abyss.
Check those TW before reading this book. This story is not for the faint of heart. I don't know if I will ever be the same after reading this book. I devoured this story full of erotic horror. Left feeling numb and forever broken.
December 1, 2025
This book is heavy. It is not romance, but an erotic horror. A novella but packed full of SA, physical abuse, violence, trauma. It is not for the faint of heart. I had to collect my thoughts before I wrote my review.
The impact 624: 𝑺𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 had on me was severe. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it, but it wasn’t an easy read. The last book I read by 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞 was dark, but not this dark. She was truly able to transport me into this depraved world and evoke all the emotions as if I was right there with these characters. Lauren, the FMC, aka 624, went through so much in this story and it was heartbreaking. The ending is not called an HEA, but in my eyes it was. It was an escape from her tragic reality. Well done, Ms. Claire. Thank you for the opportunity to arc read this story.
“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘭.“
The impact 624: 𝑺𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 had on me was severe. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it, but it wasn’t an easy read. The last book I read by 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞 was dark, but not this dark. She was truly able to transport me into this depraved world and evoke all the emotions as if I was right there with these characters. Lauren, the FMC, aka 624, went through so much in this story and it was heartbreaking. The ending is not called an HEA, but in my eyes it was. It was an escape from her tragic reality. Well done, Ms. Claire. Thank you for the opportunity to arc read this story.
“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘭.“
December 5, 2025
This story was absolutely unhinged.. raw, brutal, and undeniably ugly in the most devastating way.
Lauren, better known as 624, carries a story that is nothing short of heartbreaking.
My heart, mind, and body broke for her with every chapter. It may be a short book, but it is not an easy read.
There is no trigger list included, so let me be clear: if you have any triggers, this book is not for you. And if you're looking for a happy ending, you won’t find it here.
This book is so heavy, so emotionally disturbing, that I genuinely don’t think I’ll ever be the same after reading it. It lingers. It haunts. It hurts. And it will sit with me for a long, long time.
ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.
Lauren, better known as 624, carries a story that is nothing short of heartbreaking.
My heart, mind, and body broke for her with every chapter. It may be a short book, but it is not an easy read.
There is no trigger list included, so let me be clear: if you have any triggers, this book is not for you. And if you're looking for a happy ending, you won’t find it here.
This book is so heavy, so emotionally disturbing, that I genuinely don’t think I’ll ever be the same after reading it. It lingers. It haunts. It hurts. And it will sit with me for a long, long time.
ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.
February 18, 2026
Pitch Black. Send help. And the sequel.
This book didn’t just cross the line — it set the line on fire and locked me in a room with it.
A devil of a father-in-law offering money to erase her unborn child? Disgusting. Unforgivable. I was feral from page one.
She refuses… and gets dragged into hell anyway. Captivity. Control. Stripped down to nothing but survival instinct — all while carrying a ticking time bomb inside her.
There’s no romance glitter here. Just darkness, power, and a woman clinging to the last pieces of herself in a world that wants to break her.
I was stressed. I was furious. I couldn’t look away.
This book didn’t just cross the line — it set the line on fire and locked me in a room with it.
A devil of a father-in-law offering money to erase her unborn child? Disgusting. Unforgivable. I was feral from page one.
She refuses… and gets dragged into hell anyway. Captivity. Control. Stripped down to nothing but survival instinct — all while carrying a ticking time bomb inside her.
There’s no romance glitter here. Just darkness, power, and a woman clinging to the last pieces of herself in a world that wants to break her.
I was stressed. I was furious. I couldn’t look away.
January 1, 2026
3.5 stars rounded up. I'm a sucker for an erotic horror, yes I would categorize this book as such, NOT a dark romance. This was messed up, fast-paced, but also left me wanting more. I feel like I would've rated this higher if it were longer and we got more story/backstory on our characters. But for what it was, it was a great fucked up little story.
December 11, 2025
I went into this story fairly blind and it was horrific. The things that happened in this book are not for the faint of heart and there are no HEAs, only pain and misery. You could feel the MCs pain through the whole story. Definitely a very rough story to get through.
January 27, 2026
Seriously the darkest book I’ve ever read but couldn’t put it down
April 15, 2026
”meet me under the cherry blossoms.” “as the sun sets.”
“and we can watch the clouds drift over the stars.”
wth the ending got me heartsick!!
not at all what i anticipated. i am distraught
“and we can watch the clouds drift over the stars.”
wth the ending got me heartsick!!
not at all what i anticipated. i am distraught
February 12, 2026
What did I even read?
This book was nothing but 🍇. I get it is "horror erotica" but if you find any of this erotic...... you need to seek the help of a therapist
This book was nothing but 🍇. I get it is "horror erotica" but if you find any of this erotic...... you need to seek the help of a therapist
November 2, 2025
ARC Review:
This book came with heavy emphasis on no happily ever after. Triggers and Trauma galore. Proceed with caution.
The story is heartbreaking, depraved, depressing and so very very dark. There is no redemption and no hope.
There is an end, and in its own way, is devastatingly poetic. This is well written, well thought out and very raw, open and honest about the realities of our world. This is Horror Erotica.
This was easily a 5 star read for me. I immensely enjoy Carly’s books. I would recommend it, absolutely!
This book came with heavy emphasis on no happily ever after. Triggers and Trauma galore. Proceed with caution.
The story is heartbreaking, depraved, depressing and so very very dark. There is no redemption and no hope.
There is an end, and in its own way, is devastatingly poetic. This is well written, well thought out and very raw, open and honest about the realities of our world. This is Horror Erotica.
This was easily a 5 star read for me. I immensely enjoy Carly’s books. I would recommend it, absolutely!
October 25, 2025
A review of two halves, as the author says in her introduction, you need to be in the right headspace for this book.
If you are looking for a repugnant, repulsive, abhorrent book, then you have found the right one. Bleak, nasty, unpleasant and at times vile. 5 stars
If you are not looking for that kind of book, then this is the wrong book for you. 1 star
It's well written, and I'm glad it's not written to titillate, it's not torture porn, it's just torture.
I decided on 3 stars for this as it's not a book that you can read another chapter to see if you will get into it or not, it either works or it doesn't, I think 3 stars reflects that, and as I said above, if you are in the right head space for this kind of thing, then it's 5 stars all day.
I got a copy of this from BookSirens, and this is my honest review
If you are looking for a repugnant, repulsive, abhorrent book, then you have found the right one. Bleak, nasty, unpleasant and at times vile. 5 stars
If you are not looking for that kind of book, then this is the wrong book for you. 1 star
It's well written, and I'm glad it's not written to titillate, it's not torture porn, it's just torture.
I decided on 3 stars for this as it's not a book that you can read another chapter to see if you will get into it or not, it either works or it doesn't, I think 3 stars reflects that, and as I said above, if you are in the right head space for this kind of thing, then it's 5 stars all day.
I got a copy of this from BookSirens, and this is my honest review
November 5, 2025
i don't honestly think i've ever read a book as sad as this one. my heart is broken. in every single way.
i lost count how many times i cried during this,i never usually go for sadness,i read erotic horror,nothing erotic about this horror,its devastating.
i know you're probably thinking this is negatively reviewed,you'd be wrong,it's a 5 stars for me. it is the most guttural book i have ever read and created an impact and an emptiness in me i didn't know was possible. i have a black little heart and am a heartless bitch usually,but this cracked my armour,a huge crack too.
the story is devastating,the plot line is unlike anything i've read before,it was torture,from start to finish. and i truly don't envy carly for the depths she had to go for this story,like girl are you okay? like i'm checking in on you,i hope you're not sad after this😭
but the note at the end really was the nail in the coffin for me,it is unbelievably true,like carly has said. not everybody gets a happy ending,some people endure pure torture and still don't make it out,some meet their bitter end & too indeed become swallowed by darkness.
ratings are going to be tricky from all the years flowing down my face so let's see!
character/s? 5⭐️ lauren. my sweet lauren. april,the most beautiful special one. blossom. they all play a part. in the lost devastating way,lauren is by far the most complex and tragedies character i have ever read,and i don't say that lightly. her character speaks to me on a level i locked away,her pure pain and sadness feels like you're living with her. it feels like you're entwined with her as you read her story. it is powerful. it is impactful. and i can say. this story will make a difference,for a better or for worse for somebody. but one thing you can take.. this is a tradgey. the story is utterly heartbreaking. but real.
plot? 5⭐️ the plot line. a deep dive into a tragic look at the realities of human trafficking, a look so deep it makes you question how is this possible, how can this happen. although a work of fiction,this is all very real. and it feels it. you feel it in your bones. i have chills, i have tears. a story so moving,in the tragic way. carly did something with this,part of me didn't want to love it,but somehow i did,it is a story so tragically heartbreaking if that makes sense?
overall?? 4.5⭐️ heart broken. that would be saying it lightly. this story has opened my eyes to the world of tragedy and the pure impactful stories that come from this. impactful. that is all i can say. eye opening,guttural. my heart and mind are opened,and broken. but opened none the less.
i lost count how many times i cried during this,i never usually go for sadness,i read erotic horror,nothing erotic about this horror,its devastating.
i know you're probably thinking this is negatively reviewed,you'd be wrong,it's a 5 stars for me. it is the most guttural book i have ever read and created an impact and an emptiness in me i didn't know was possible. i have a black little heart and am a heartless bitch usually,but this cracked my armour,a huge crack too.
the story is devastating,the plot line is unlike anything i've read before,it was torture,from start to finish. and i truly don't envy carly for the depths she had to go for this story,like girl are you okay? like i'm checking in on you,i hope you're not sad after this😭
but the note at the end really was the nail in the coffin for me,it is unbelievably true,like carly has said. not everybody gets a happy ending,some people endure pure torture and still don't make it out,some meet their bitter end & too indeed become swallowed by darkness.
ratings are going to be tricky from all the years flowing down my face so let's see!
character/s? 5⭐️ lauren. my sweet lauren. april,the most beautiful special one. blossom. they all play a part. in the lost devastating way,lauren is by far the most complex and tragedies character i have ever read,and i don't say that lightly. her character speaks to me on a level i locked away,her pure pain and sadness feels like you're living with her. it feels like you're entwined with her as you read her story. it is powerful. it is impactful. and i can say. this story will make a difference,for a better or for worse for somebody. but one thing you can take.. this is a tradgey. the story is utterly heartbreaking. but real.
plot? 5⭐️ the plot line. a deep dive into a tragic look at the realities of human trafficking, a look so deep it makes you question how is this possible, how can this happen. although a work of fiction,this is all very real. and it feels it. you feel it in your bones. i have chills, i have tears. a story so moving,in the tragic way. carly did something with this,part of me didn't want to love it,but somehow i did,it is a story so tragically heartbreaking if that makes sense?
overall?? 4.5⭐️ heart broken. that would be saying it lightly. this story has opened my eyes to the world of tragedy and the pure impactful stories that come from this. impactful. that is all i can say. eye opening,guttural. my heart and mind are opened,and broken. but opened none the less.
December 8, 2025
Before you even start this book, it is imperative that you read the content warning at the beginning. The author lays it all out and lets you know that this is not a romance and there won’t be a HEA. If you are one of those dark romance readers that loves a morally grey MMC and you don’t mind the depraved things you are reading because in the end you know that everything will work out, this may not be the book for you. This is a book so dark and depraved that it tore at my soul as I read. This is a book that will rip and tear at your insides while you ask yourself how people can be this awful. You may wonder why someone would want to read something like this, and if that is what is going through your brain, this is not for you. This book is so well written and one where it produced such an emotional reaction in me that when I finished, I put my kindle down and just stared ahead, wiping the tears from my eyes and thinking about what I had just read. This is only about 170 pages, so not one that will take a long time to read. But it absolutely is one that will stay with me for a while.
One thing that makes this book so powerful is that it is told completely from the POV of the FMC, Lauren. You feel what she feels. You have the same questions rolling through your brain that she does. You ache with everything that she experiences. It honestly is what separates this book from one that is just hurt and pain piled on a poor woman. But what really rips you apart is the fact that the FMC is not a woman but really just a child of 17. She is someone that had their whole life ahead of them, until everything is taken by a man with money and power. Add on top of that that Lauren is pregnant and so her decisions are not ones that she makes for herself, but for her child.
This is not a romance. This is not a happy book and not a book to read when you are looking for someone to overcome everything and be saved by a knight to live happily ever after. This is a book when you want to feel, even if it means feeling like your soul was ripped out. What really hurts is that this is something that actually happens and there are people like this that rule by destroying others. There are definitely situations that would be considered spicy if they all weren’t noncon. But this isn’t one of those books. I thought it was so well written and it will definitely stick with me, but it is not for happy reasons. This book makes you feel and think. That’s what makes it great.
One thing that makes this book so powerful is that it is told completely from the POV of the FMC, Lauren. You feel what she feels. You have the same questions rolling through your brain that she does. You ache with everything that she experiences. It honestly is what separates this book from one that is just hurt and pain piled on a poor woman. But what really rips you apart is the fact that the FMC is not a woman but really just a child of 17. She is someone that had their whole life ahead of them, until everything is taken by a man with money and power. Add on top of that that Lauren is pregnant and so her decisions are not ones that she makes for herself, but for her child.
This is not a romance. This is not a happy book and not a book to read when you are looking for someone to overcome everything and be saved by a knight to live happily ever after. This is a book when you want to feel, even if it means feeling like your soul was ripped out. What really hurts is that this is something that actually happens and there are people like this that rule by destroying others. There are definitely situations that would be considered spicy if they all weren’t noncon. But this isn’t one of those books. I thought it was so well written and it will definitely stick with me, but it is not for happy reasons. This book makes you feel and think. That’s what makes it great.
December 3, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 𝓻𝓪𝓽𝓮
🌶️🌶️ - 𝓼𝓹𝓲𝓬𝓮
🔥🔥🔥 - 𝓹𝓵𝓸𝓽
🩸🩸🩸 - 𝓰𝓸𝓻𝓮
🖤 𝓶𝓪𝓲𝓷 𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼🖤
Lauren & Victor
🖤 𝓽𝓻𝓸𝓹𝓮𝓼🖤
captivity
human trafficking
🖤 𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀🖤
This book is DARK. The author made it explicitly known that this was not going to be a romance. Everything about this story from the start has been bleak and you soon hope for the best for our female main lead after all the horrific ordeals she is forced into. You will have an emotional breakdown the more she is put through. A tough read but one that is worth finishing because you NEED to know what’s going to happen.
*spoilers*
Lauren attends at funeral and finds Victor, a man she has an insatiable thirst for, there. But he’s only back for a short time before he has to return to the military. A moment of pleasure and he proposes to her and after a little consideration, she replies with a yes. But now she might be pregnant at seventeen, so she hides it by faking the same sickness his sister and her best friend, Allie, has. Until the day she finds out his father knows and he’ll prevent his son from finding out.
Including putting her through a literal hellish ordeal that turns into a life is solitude and order. Now, instead of Lauren, she is referred to as 624 and must satisfy clients as the baby inside of her grows. With only her friend April, another captive, to keep her sanity in order, she insists that Victor will come back one day to save her from this atrocious affair. Day after day, month after month, the torture and assaults increase as she starts to give up. I won’t go too much into details but damn. Definitely do not go into this if you get triggered easily from violence on women.
This book is heavy on the dark subject matter. Emphasis on the DARK. This has no HEA. No satisfying ending. You might even want to watch an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse afterwards so you don’t wake up from the horrid dreams that could come from it. But it’s absolutely a great plot and I’m happy to hear that we actually get to know more about her bundle of joy in another series! 5/5 on plot and pacing, with a rollercoaster of emotions that flood the pages.
🌶️🌶️ - 𝓼𝓹𝓲𝓬𝓮
🔥🔥🔥 - 𝓹𝓵𝓸𝓽
🩸🩸🩸 - 𝓰𝓸𝓻𝓮
🖤 𝓶𝓪𝓲𝓷 𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼🖤
Lauren & Victor
🖤 𝓽𝓻𝓸𝓹𝓮𝓼🖤
captivity
human trafficking
🖤 𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀🖤
This book is DARK. The author made it explicitly known that this was not going to be a romance. Everything about this story from the start has been bleak and you soon hope for the best for our female main lead after all the horrific ordeals she is forced into. You will have an emotional breakdown the more she is put through. A tough read but one that is worth finishing because you NEED to know what’s going to happen.
*spoilers*
Lauren attends at funeral and finds Victor, a man she has an insatiable thirst for, there. But he’s only back for a short time before he has to return to the military. A moment of pleasure and he proposes to her and after a little consideration, she replies with a yes. But now she might be pregnant at seventeen, so she hides it by faking the same sickness his sister and her best friend, Allie, has. Until the day she finds out his father knows and he’ll prevent his son from finding out.
Including putting her through a literal hellish ordeal that turns into a life is solitude and order. Now, instead of Lauren, she is referred to as 624 and must satisfy clients as the baby inside of her grows. With only her friend April, another captive, to keep her sanity in order, she insists that Victor will come back one day to save her from this atrocious affair. Day after day, month after month, the torture and assaults increase as she starts to give up. I won’t go too much into details but damn. Definitely do not go into this if you get triggered easily from violence on women.
This book is heavy on the dark subject matter. Emphasis on the DARK. This has no HEA. No satisfying ending. You might even want to watch an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse afterwards so you don’t wake up from the horrid dreams that could come from it. But it’s absolutely a great plot and I’m happy to hear that we actually get to know more about her bundle of joy in another series! 5/5 on plot and pacing, with a rollercoaster of emotions that flood the pages.
November 13, 2025
Man oh man was this ever darrkkkk!!!! I’m usually the kind of reader that can always confidently say I don’t have any triggers, even when going into the pitch black and erotic horror genres but I have to be honest, I had a hard time getting through this one. The kind of torture the FMC went through was brutal and there is no HEA, no matter how much you want there to be. No the ending is terrifying and sad. I’ve read the first book in Carly’s Embrace the darkness series and a lot of things clicked into place and it made me feel a lot of things. Carly mentions at the beginning of this book that was so this story is for those who have been feeling numb lately, because this book WILL make you feel something! Check your triggers people! Seriously, I don’t say this lightly. This is one of the darkest books I’ve ever read and what was so terrifying for me while reading this was knowing these awful things could and do happen in real life and they could happen to anyone. All it takes is being at the wrong place at the wrong time or having your partners father find out your pregnant out of wed lock so he tests you by telling you to get rid of the it and when you say no you automatically fail that test because in their world women/wife’s are to be obedient and listen and do what their told. So the lesson here people is read the room and think before you speak, if someone is playing a game in a world you don’t belong in play the game right back until you can get out of said world. I would have told him I’d get the abortion and as soon as I was able to talk to the boyfriend I’d tell him I was leaving and where to find me once he was done with his tour, then we could run away together. Might have to learn how to fight to protect myself and my family and might have to take out his father cuz he would probably spend a lot of resources hunting us down but you gotta do what you gotta do! I suggest reading this book before you start the other books in the “Escape the darkness series. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
November 23, 2025
The story is one of the bleakest, most relentless pieces of erotic horror I’ve ever read, and it announces that intention from the very first lines. Carly Claire is blunt that this is not a romance, not a dark romance, not a love story in disguise but a tragedy about pain, captivity, and the dismantling of a woman’s identity.
The story follows Lauren, who is kidnapped by the wealthy, politically powerful family of the man she loves. She believes she is about to marry Victor, but instead she’s dragged into the kind of underground trafficking ring people whisper about but never truly imagine. Once she’s taken, her name is wiped away and replaced with a number—624—stripping her of the last anchor she had to her former life. From there the novel becomes an unbroken descent into physical and psychological torture, showing the day-to-day reality of a woman whose worth has been reduced to her body and whose only companions are other women destined for the same fate.
Meanwhile, the men who run the operation cycle in and out of Lauren’s life, each representing a different flavor of cruelty. Some are bored, some are amused, some are businesslike, and some are almost tender in a way that is more grotesque than violence.
The book closes with an author’s note acknowledging that not all stories end in healing, because some people need fiction that reflects pain instead of glossing over it, because sometimes tragedy is the only honest form a story can take.
This novel is brutal, explicit, harrowing, and unyielding. It offers no hope and no rescue, yet it is written with a strange, terrible beauty. The cherry blossom scenes are lyrical enough to hurt, and Lauren’s internal voice is so vulnerable that even in her lowest moments she remains painfully human. It is not a book for most readers. But for those who actively seek the darkest corners of fiction, the ones that refuse catharsis or redemption, this is unforgettable in exactly the way a nightmare can be—a story that crawls under your skin and doesn’t leave, not because it comforts, but because it refuses to lie.
The story follows Lauren, who is kidnapped by the wealthy, politically powerful family of the man she loves. She believes she is about to marry Victor, but instead she’s dragged into the kind of underground trafficking ring people whisper about but never truly imagine. Once she’s taken, her name is wiped away and replaced with a number—624—stripping her of the last anchor she had to her former life. From there the novel becomes an unbroken descent into physical and psychological torture, showing the day-to-day reality of a woman whose worth has been reduced to her body and whose only companions are other women destined for the same fate.
Meanwhile, the men who run the operation cycle in and out of Lauren’s life, each representing a different flavor of cruelty. Some are bored, some are amused, some are businesslike, and some are almost tender in a way that is more grotesque than violence.
The book closes with an author’s note acknowledging that not all stories end in healing, because some people need fiction that reflects pain instead of glossing over it, because sometimes tragedy is the only honest form a story can take.
This novel is brutal, explicit, harrowing, and unyielding. It offers no hope and no rescue, yet it is written with a strange, terrible beauty. The cherry blossom scenes are lyrical enough to hurt, and Lauren’s internal voice is so vulnerable that even in her lowest moments she remains painfully human. It is not a book for most readers. But for those who actively seek the darkest corners of fiction, the ones that refuse catharsis or redemption, this is unforgettable in exactly the way a nightmare can be—a story that crawls under your skin and doesn’t leave, not because it comforts, but because it refuses to lie.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 19, 2025
This book HURT. It hurt my heart and soul and I don't think I'll be the same after reading this. This book is pitch black and the warnings should NOT be taken lightly. I think this story will have a permanent spot in my soul whether I want it there or not. This book is where happiness goes to die. With that being said...
This book was beautifully written. It was haunting in its writing because there is so much to pain and torture and agony than just the obvious and this book sheds light on it. The amount of pain I felt while reading this was insurmountable but I regret nothing. Watching Lauren's downfall was tragic. I definitely had to put this book down a few times because it was hard to get through. The amount of tears I shed! I wished so much for Lauren to get her happy ending, but that's not what this book was about.
The part about reading this book that really pained me was that this is a reality for a lot of people. This book put human trafficking in such a blatant spotlight. I don't think I could ever forget this book. I don't think I'll be able to reread it again anytime soon but I am glad I read it. This pain was needed. I've cried and felt for many characters in many books but I don't think I hurt for anyone quite like Lauren.
I was there when she was at her most content and then again as I watched her autonomy get stripped away. Then again as her body betrayed her. Then, finally, as her mind betrayed her too.
I honestly don't know how to put into words what I experienced reading this book because it was just so much raw emotion that the words for it doesn’t exist.
Thank you for writing this Carly Claire. That couldn't have been easy.
Please take her warning at the beginning seriously because your mental health matters, especially with something this dark.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book was beautifully written. It was haunting in its writing because there is so much to pain and torture and agony than just the obvious and this book sheds light on it. The amount of pain I felt while reading this was insurmountable but I regret nothing. Watching Lauren's downfall was tragic. I definitely had to put this book down a few times because it was hard to get through. The amount of tears I shed! I wished so much for Lauren to get her happy ending, but that's not what this book was about.
The part about reading this book that really pained me was that this is a reality for a lot of people. This book put human trafficking in such a blatant spotlight. I don't think I could ever forget this book. I don't think I'll be able to reread it again anytime soon but I am glad I read it. This pain was needed. I've cried and felt for many characters in many books but I don't think I hurt for anyone quite like Lauren.
I was there when she was at her most content and then again as I watched her autonomy get stripped away. Then again as her body betrayed her. Then, finally, as her mind betrayed her too.
I honestly don't know how to put into words what I experienced reading this book because it was just so much raw emotion that the words for it doesn’t exist.
Thank you for writing this Carly Claire. That couldn't have been easy.
Please take her warning at the beginning seriously because your mental health matters, especially with something this dark.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
November 7, 2025
"All the people I’ve loved have left me."
This is a very hard book to review. What a rough way to start out a book! This book is not a romance though, at all. This is an erotic horror with tragedy vibes. It definitely left a lasting and horrific impression. This book needed more femine rage.
If anything can go wrong, everything will go wrong. That's where we find 17 year old orphan, Lauren. Literally, between a rock and a even harder place. OK if 624 doesn't get revenge on everyone that deserves it? This book won't be worth the emotional upheaval! Time to break out some daggers or guns.
What is worse, betrayal from everyone or yourself? This book is very reminiscent to me of Pam Godwin, Pepper Winters, and Jennifer Hartmann. All mixed together. It's torture, abuse, and horrific! What's left to do when all the bad outweighs the good so much you can't even remember the good? I'd think that makes the person dangerous or absolutely hopeless. That's a terrifying place to be. I guess in the end it comes down to fight or give up. Death is a fickle bastard but somehow men are so much worse.
Just know going into reading this there is no happy. Only sadness, destruction, decay, control, torture, and exploitation of women. I did not get enough closure or revenge. Lauren never stood a chance even from her first breath to her last, utter ruin.
Best Quotes:
"They’re repugnant and disgusting, but the worst thing about them is that they take the only things that the world hasn’t gifted them."
"If death won't come to me on his own, I will make him come to me."
"No. I’m pain. I'm agony, and my body has been taken over by the violence to the point where I believe nothing of me remains."
Thanks to Carly Claire for sending this ARC. I think?
This is a very hard book to review. What a rough way to start out a book! This book is not a romance though, at all. This is an erotic horror with tragedy vibes. It definitely left a lasting and horrific impression. This book needed more femine rage.
If anything can go wrong, everything will go wrong. That's where we find 17 year old orphan, Lauren. Literally, between a rock and a even harder place. OK if 624 doesn't get revenge on everyone that deserves it? This book won't be worth the emotional upheaval! Time to break out some daggers or guns.
What is worse, betrayal from everyone or yourself? This book is very reminiscent to me of Pam Godwin, Pepper Winters, and Jennifer Hartmann. All mixed together. It's torture, abuse, and horrific! What's left to do when all the bad outweighs the good so much you can't even remember the good? I'd think that makes the person dangerous or absolutely hopeless. That's a terrifying place to be. I guess in the end it comes down to fight or give up. Death is a fickle bastard but somehow men are so much worse.
Just know going into reading this there is no happy. Only sadness, destruction, decay, control, torture, and exploitation of women. I did not get enough closure or revenge. Lauren never stood a chance even from her first breath to her last, utter ruin.
Best Quotes:
"They’re repugnant and disgusting, but the worst thing about them is that they take the only things that the world hasn’t gifted them."
"If death won't come to me on his own, I will make him come to me."
"No. I’m pain. I'm agony, and my body has been taken over by the violence to the point where I believe nothing of me remains."
Thanks to Carly Claire for sending this ARC. I think?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 15, 2026
624: Swallowed by Darkness is one of those books that doesn’t ease you in. It grabs you by the throat from the first page and refuses to let go.
This is not a story about hope wrapped in pretty words. It’s about endurance. About what it costs to keep breathing when everything has been stripped away: safety, autonomy, even identity. The atmosphere is suffocating, relentless, and intentionally bleak. You feel the weight of captivity, the fear, and the constant calculation of survival in every chapter.
What hit me hardest wasn’t just the brutality; it was how deeply internal this story is. The way the FMC retreats into memory, clings to love she once knew, and holds onto the smallest fragments of herself just to survive another moment. The trauma isn’t sensationalized; it’s quiet, grinding, and devastatingly real.
At the core of it all is motherhood: not romanticized, not softened, but fierce and desperate. Love becomes resistance. Survival becomes an act of rebellion. Even when the world is nothing but darkness, there is still something worth protecting, and that thread is what keeps this story from collapsing into hopelessness.
This book requires trigger warnings to be taken seriously. It deals with extreme themes, and it does not pull punches. But if you are a reader who can handle dark fiction that explores trauma, dehumanization, and the will to survive without pretending it’s easy; this story will stay with you.
Swallowed by Darkness is brutal, haunting, and emotionally exhausting, but it’s also a powerful reminder that even when everything is taken, choosing to endure is still a form of strength.
As always be mindful of trigger warnings, what i like you may not.
Happy Reading!
This is not a story about hope wrapped in pretty words. It’s about endurance. About what it costs to keep breathing when everything has been stripped away: safety, autonomy, even identity. The atmosphere is suffocating, relentless, and intentionally bleak. You feel the weight of captivity, the fear, and the constant calculation of survival in every chapter.
What hit me hardest wasn’t just the brutality; it was how deeply internal this story is. The way the FMC retreats into memory, clings to love she once knew, and holds onto the smallest fragments of herself just to survive another moment. The trauma isn’t sensationalized; it’s quiet, grinding, and devastatingly real.
At the core of it all is motherhood: not romanticized, not softened, but fierce and desperate. Love becomes resistance. Survival becomes an act of rebellion. Even when the world is nothing but darkness, there is still something worth protecting, and that thread is what keeps this story from collapsing into hopelessness.
This book requires trigger warnings to be taken seriously. It deals with extreme themes, and it does not pull punches. But if you are a reader who can handle dark fiction that explores trauma, dehumanization, and the will to survive without pretending it’s easy; this story will stay with you.
Swallowed by Darkness is brutal, haunting, and emotionally exhausting, but it’s also a powerful reminder that even when everything is taken, choosing to endure is still a form of strength.
As always be mindful of trigger warnings, what i like you may not.
Happy Reading!
February 23, 2026
624: Swallowed By Darkness
This was one of the most hauntingly dark & heartbreaking reads I’ve read in a long time😭 it didn’t let up & my heart broke the whole way through!
Lauren didn’t have much in life but her partner, Victor. He is her one safe place, she loves him more than words can say & he’s promised her a long happy life together once he’s finished in the military.
But Victors dad, a senator, will not have that. He’s caught wind that she’s pregnant & no son of his will have a child out of wedlock & ruin his name. He offers Lauren a lot of money to get rid of the baby. Lauren is mortified & obviously doesn’t accept
And this is where her life shatters into a million pieces 😭 The senator is worse than the devil, gang rapes & brothel houses are his idea of fun, he owns them, he runs them & he plays in them.
Lauren is now number 624, she is nothing, she is worthless, she is a hole 😩
This was so sad!! My heart absolutely shattered, I struggled through Laurens most painful moments & held on to the hope that it would end for her so bad! I knew at 95% in that this was only going to end one way but I still wasn’t prepared for what I read 😭
Honestly the brutality of this really did strike me to the core, it happens in real life & there is no happy ending, it’s scary & it’s real 😢
I got this ARC from booksirens but I’m most definitely going to be following Carly & reading more from her. As harrowing as it was, it was written to make you feel every emotion alongside it & for your heart to be torn out of your chest.
If a book can leave me sobbing then I’m automatically going to give it all the stars & praise it deserves.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ please check the triggers with this one! It’s a lot of SA & brutality 🤎
This was one of the most hauntingly dark & heartbreaking reads I’ve read in a long time😭 it didn’t let up & my heart broke the whole way through!
Lauren didn’t have much in life but her partner, Victor. He is her one safe place, she loves him more than words can say & he’s promised her a long happy life together once he’s finished in the military.
But Victors dad, a senator, will not have that. He’s caught wind that she’s pregnant & no son of his will have a child out of wedlock & ruin his name. He offers Lauren a lot of money to get rid of the baby. Lauren is mortified & obviously doesn’t accept
And this is where her life shatters into a million pieces 😭 The senator is worse than the devil, gang rapes & brothel houses are his idea of fun, he owns them, he runs them & he plays in them.
Lauren is now number 624, she is nothing, she is worthless, she is a hole 😩
This was so sad!! My heart absolutely shattered, I struggled through Laurens most painful moments & held on to the hope that it would end for her so bad! I knew at 95% in that this was only going to end one way but I still wasn’t prepared for what I read 😭
Honestly the brutality of this really did strike me to the core, it happens in real life & there is no happy ending, it’s scary & it’s real 😢
I got this ARC from booksirens but I’m most definitely going to be following Carly & reading more from her. As harrowing as it was, it was written to make you feel every emotion alongside it & for your heart to be torn out of your chest.
If a book can leave me sobbing then I’m automatically going to give it all the stars & praise it deserves.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ please check the triggers with this one! It’s a lot of SA & brutality 🤎
November 2, 2025
It’s been a long time since I’ve found myself completely glued to a book from start to finish in one sitting — but this one held me captive. It left me emotionally wrecked by the sheer sense of dread, evil, and haunting realism woven throughout the plot.
This story doesn’t just unsettle; it challenges. It forces you to confront the ongoing power plays between the sexes that still echo through our society today, reflected both socially and politically across the world.
While the synopsis makes it clear that this is not a traditional happily ever after, what unfolds is a harrowing descent into power, greed, and corruption. The sense of doom and despair is relentless, leaving you emotionally disoriented by the pure evil that humanity can wield—especially when power and money intertwine.
Lauren’s character stood out for me — her strength, determination, and loyalty to love, even amid tragedy, were both heartbreaking and inspiring. The ending is deeply emotive and perfectly aligned with the story’s central theme: love endures, even in the darkest corners of existence.
This isn’t a romance that comforts; it’s one that provokes and unsettles. It reminded me that while we often glorify dark romances, there are always two sides to that coin — the fantasy and the harsh truth. As the story itself points out, so much of our fate comes down to the anatomy we’re born with, but in a perfect world, that shouldn’t determine whether we live in heaven or h€ll.
Tread carefully with this one — not because it’s unworthy, but because it will challenge your emotions, your beliefs, and perhaps even your heart.
November 11, 2025
This was a journey packed into 170 pages of a girls descent into her very own version of Hell. And we as the reader, buckle in and hold on for dear life. While this is not the darkest pitch black story I’ve read, it still packs one hell of a punch and the trigger warnings MUST be read. YOU as the reader, choosing to read this book, are responsible for your own triggers, not the author.
Lauren is 17 and has found her true love. Coming from a broken home, she’s found everything she could ever want in Victor, love, dedication and the knowing that their lives are meant to be together.
Victor’s father, a powerful Senator, has plans for Victor, to follow in his footsteps. While Victor may not particularly want the life his father plans for him, he’s powerless to stop it. Victor is away from home a lot, working towards his future, which leaves his father and his Insidious plans for Lauren to come into full effect once he finds out her secret, that in his sick side business, will be extremely lucrative…
You’re then entered into Lauren’s nightmare, faceless men, trafficking, pain and depravity all while her mind goes to a place where it’s just her and Victor and the Cherry Blossom tree. How else could she possibly cope when she lives a literal hell?
It’s tough to read, it’s difficult to stomach and the ending will hurt your heart. A HEA does not live here unfortunately, not in the traditional sense.
But is it a good book? It’s an extremely good book. Beautifully written and handled with sensitivity. Know what you’re letting yourself in for before you crack the pages, but it is a beautifully tragic, heartbreaking story.
Highly recommend.
Lauren is 17 and has found her true love. Coming from a broken home, she’s found everything she could ever want in Victor, love, dedication and the knowing that their lives are meant to be together.
Victor’s father, a powerful Senator, has plans for Victor, to follow in his footsteps. While Victor may not particularly want the life his father plans for him, he’s powerless to stop it. Victor is away from home a lot, working towards his future, which leaves his father and his Insidious plans for Lauren to come into full effect once he finds out her secret, that in his sick side business, will be extremely lucrative…
You’re then entered into Lauren’s nightmare, faceless men, trafficking, pain and depravity all while her mind goes to a place where it’s just her and Victor and the Cherry Blossom tree. How else could she possibly cope when she lives a literal hell?
It’s tough to read, it’s difficult to stomach and the ending will hurt your heart. A HEA does not live here unfortunately, not in the traditional sense.
But is it a good book? It’s an extremely good book. Beautifully written and handled with sensitivity. Know what you’re letting yourself in for before you crack the pages, but it is a beautifully tragic, heartbreaking story.
Highly recommend.
December 20, 2025
If darkness ever felt less like a monster and more like a familiar room, 624-Swallowed by Darkness will feel painfully close. This book is not about saving yourself, but about enduring what refuses to leave. Carly Claire tells a story shaped by trauma, silence, and the quiet devastation of loving someone who harms you. It is heavy. It is intimate. It does not pretend healing is simple.
Lauren’s story unfolds through pain that does not resolve neatly. Abuse here is not sensationalized, nor is it softened. It is woven into daily life, into memory, into the moments where leaving feels impossible and staying feels fatal. The darkness in this book is not only external. It lives in fear, in self-blame, in the way survival sometimes means shrinking until you almost disappear.
What makes this story devastating is its honesty. There is no promise of rescue. No guarantee of justice. Just the truth that some scars remain, and some demons are carried rather than conquered. And yet, within that weight, there is recognition. A quiet acknowledgment of those who have lived through similar nights and learned to breathe anyway.
This is a book that understands pain as something real, something earned, something that deserves to be witnessed rather than erased. It does not ask you to look away. It asks you to sit with it.
If you are looking for a story that does not offer false comfort, but instead says “I see you,” this one will linger long after the last page.
Note: I received this book as an ARC 🖤
#SwallowedByDarkness
#DarkRomance
#EmotionalRead
#TraumaRepresentation
#SurvivalNotSalvation
#ARCReview
#HeavyReads
#ReadWithCare
#EmbraceTheDarkness
Lauren’s story unfolds through pain that does not resolve neatly. Abuse here is not sensationalized, nor is it softened. It is woven into daily life, into memory, into the moments where leaving feels impossible and staying feels fatal. The darkness in this book is not only external. It lives in fear, in self-blame, in the way survival sometimes means shrinking until you almost disappear.
What makes this story devastating is its honesty. There is no promise of rescue. No guarantee of justice. Just the truth that some scars remain, and some demons are carried rather than conquered. And yet, within that weight, there is recognition. A quiet acknowledgment of those who have lived through similar nights and learned to breathe anyway.
This is a book that understands pain as something real, something earned, something that deserves to be witnessed rather than erased. It does not ask you to look away. It asks you to sit with it.
If you are looking for a story that does not offer false comfort, but instead says “I see you,” this one will linger long after the last page.
Note: I received this book as an ARC 🖤
#SwallowedByDarkness
#DarkRomance
#EmotionalRead
#TraumaRepresentation
#SurvivalNotSalvation
#ARCReview
#HeavyReads
#ReadWithCare
#EmbraceTheDarkness
December 6, 2025
Preface to say, I don't read TWs, because I like surprises 🤷🏽♀️
This book is DARK. If TWs matter to you, check them. This book has all of them haha.
I just described this book to someone in detail and how devastatingly sad it was and just got worse until the end but so we'll written.
Their first question was. "If it was that bad (sad),Why did you finish it?"
Yes it's dark, a soul-shattering story that left me feeling broken for our MFC. Trafficking is real no matter how much we feign ignorance or wish it weren't so. I had he choice to walk away from the filthy mattress and bleeding wounds between these pages. What's more is it not fiction for someone, somewhere. I finished it because someone is losing hope and doesn't have to option to not finish their real life version of this kind of hell. Their story may never be heard and their name forgotten. So I stayed for Lauren, to hear her story and remember her name.
This isn't a love story by conventional standards. There is a mother's love for her unborn babies and her attempts to spare them the pain of what they are to endure once born.
While a victim Lauren also reclaims what little power she still had even though her mind had started to shatter and her body had be brutalized. The amount of mental strength she was able to scrape together and rally in the end made me sob. She set herself free in the only way she knew she could and with hope that her babies would be spared.
Absolutely a well written story that left me speechless at times.
This book is DARK. If TWs matter to you, check them. This book has all of them haha.
I just described this book to someone in detail and how devastatingly sad it was and just got worse until the end but so we'll written.
Their first question was. "If it was that bad (sad),Why did you finish it?"
Yes it's dark, a soul-shattering story that left me feeling broken for our MFC. Trafficking is real no matter how much we feign ignorance or wish it weren't so. I had he choice to walk away from the filthy mattress and bleeding wounds between these pages. What's more is it not fiction for someone, somewhere. I finished it because someone is losing hope and doesn't have to option to not finish their real life version of this kind of hell. Their story may never be heard and their name forgotten. So I stayed for Lauren, to hear her story and remember her name.
This isn't a love story by conventional standards. There is a mother's love for her unborn babies and her attempts to spare them the pain of what they are to endure once born.
While a victim Lauren also reclaims what little power she still had even though her mind had started to shatter and her body had be brutalized. The amount of mental strength she was able to scrape together and rally in the end made me sob. She set herself free in the only way she knew she could and with hope that her babies would be spared.
Absolutely a well written story that left me speechless at times.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 5, 2025
I think I absolutely need therapy after this book. Slivers of sunshine struggled to even PEEK through the darkness in this book. It's hauntingly good with the sheer levels of raw and emotional carnage thrown through every page. Lauren is a whole different type of badass. Her strength and her endurance through every cruel and twisted event that happens helps to shape someone that, despite the pitch black surrounding her, she doesn't lose sight of what she finds important. She refuses to bow down and give up, even with everything stacked against her. If you're looking for your typical spice or maybe something a smidge out of the norm but nothing extreme, this book is NOT for you. But if you like challenging your beliefs and want a book that will unpack and live in your mind long after you finish reading it, this is absolutely a book for you! It's dark, it's degrading, it's dangerous, and I couldn't put it down! I'm not sure what that says about me but I'm taking it anyways. I couldn't stop turning the pages, I HAD to know what happened next even while part of me was dreading what I'd find. This isn't a book for the faint of heart. It will mentally and emotionally challenge you through the entire thing but Carly did a beautiful job with the realism of what actually happens in the dark. Often times with dark romance, the line blurs between fantasy and that slice of reality when it comes to what the world is truly like. She did a phenomenal job winding both together.
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