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Now He's Mine
Not yet published
Expected 4 Feb 26Halgrove Hill University was supposed to be my fresh start. I was ready to put the past behind me and bury the memories and heartache of a boy I once knew.
We'd been best friends since we were six years old, a pair of misfits who saw one another when the rest of the world didn’t. For years we were inseparable, two halves of a whole soul.
But nothing is meant to last forever.
Two days before my sixteenth birthday, Austin and his family moved across the country without a warning. I didn’t think that would be that last time I ever heard from him.
Now, five years later, he’s standing in my dorm room, with his perfect crooked smile, a far cry from the boy I once knew, telling me he's also enrolled at HHU.
He’s everything I’ve always wanted, and never allowed myself to have. But now? He’s here. And I’m never letting him go.
Please This is not a happily ever after.
We'd been best friends since we were six years old, a pair of misfits who saw one another when the rest of the world didn’t. For years we were inseparable, two halves of a whole soul.
But nothing is meant to last forever.
Two days before my sixteenth birthday, Austin and his family moved across the country without a warning. I didn’t think that would be that last time I ever heard from him.
Now, five years later, he’s standing in my dorm room, with his perfect crooked smile, a far cry from the boy I once knew, telling me he's also enrolled at HHU.
He’s everything I’ve always wanted, and never allowed myself to have. But now? He’s here. And I’m never letting him go.
Please This is not a happily ever after.
- GenresDark Romance
180 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication February 4, 2026
810 people want to read
About the author
Cadence Smoke
5 books764 followersCadence Smoke is a Contemporary, Dark Romance & Gothic Romance Author from Canada. In addition to writing, she enjoys spending time with her family and fur babies, as well as reading books of various genres.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to the author for allowing me the absolute privilege of being able to arc read her debut novel! I truly appreciate it!
If you're reading to fall in love with an amazing cast of characters and a truly incredible book and be absolutely wrecked at the same time, you're going to love this book!
It's that cliffhanger at the end that will wreck you the most and have you absolutely begging the author for more right away! If you've already read her novella 'Thrill Her' than you're already familiar with this band of characters, if you haven't though you're going to want to pick it up and read it about a quarter of the way through 'Now He's Mine'. Trust me you're going to love tandem reading them together the most! It gives the story, an even better Easter egg element you're not going to want to miss! Bonus, every playlist for both will have your high school self so excited!
Vix's personality and style reminds me so much of myself when I was younger, and I'm absolutely here for it! But when you combine her previous and what will be her current love story with Austin, my gosh are you going to want to swoon! You're going to absolutely fall for him! But huge twist who you might end up falling for the most will definitely be his best friend Kash! Kash is honestly everything! I know he's totally not the MMC... but he's everything you're going to want for yourself and more! Leah though will be the 100% supportive and loving best friend you either already have or will have always wished you could have! She feels like the Enid to Vix's Wednesday! When you combine the four of them together you're going to find the group of friends you've always dreamed of, and the family you're never going to want to live without!
The story is full of love, spice, absolute laugh out fun, darkness, twists you're honestly not going to see coming and utter heartbreak but my gosh are you going to love every minute of it! No matter what it is you might read, this is definitely a book everyone will absolutely love, adore and be left begging for more!
Thank you so very much again from the bottom of my heart to the author for allowing me the absolute privilege of being able to arc read your debut book baby! I truly appreciate it and I can't wait until it releases so I can bring it home!
If you're reading to fall in love with an amazing cast of characters and a truly incredible book and be absolutely wrecked at the same time, you're going to love this book!
It's that cliffhanger at the end that will wreck you the most and have you absolutely begging the author for more right away! If you've already read her novella 'Thrill Her' than you're already familiar with this band of characters, if you haven't though you're going to want to pick it up and read it about a quarter of the way through 'Now He's Mine'. Trust me you're going to love tandem reading them together the most! It gives the story, an even better Easter egg element you're not going to want to miss! Bonus, every playlist for both will have your high school self so excited!
Vix's personality and style reminds me so much of myself when I was younger, and I'm absolutely here for it! But when you combine her previous and what will be her current love story with Austin, my gosh are you going to want to swoon! You're going to absolutely fall for him! But huge twist who you might end up falling for the most will definitely be his best friend Kash! Kash is honestly everything! I know he's totally not the MMC... but he's everything you're going to want for yourself and more! Leah though will be the 100% supportive and loving best friend you either already have or will have always wished you could have! She feels like the Enid to Vix's Wednesday! When you combine the four of them together you're going to find the group of friends you've always dreamed of, and the family you're never going to want to live without!
The story is full of love, spice, absolute laugh out fun, darkness, twists you're honestly not going to see coming and utter heartbreak but my gosh are you going to love every minute of it! No matter what it is you might read, this is definitely a book everyone will absolutely love, adore and be left begging for more!
Thank you so very much again from the bottom of my heart to the author for allowing me the absolute privilege of being able to arc read your debut book baby! I truly appreciate it and I can't wait until it releases so I can bring it home!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Some books end when you close the cover—this one followed me into my thoughts and refused to leave.
I was lucky enough to be an alpha reader for Now He’s Mine, and from the very beginning it pulled me in completely. The story was packed with twists and turns, the kind that make you stop reading just to process what you were hit with. It was intense, emotional, and deeply relatable, especially in the way Cadence handled mental health representation with honesty and care.
❝𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞… 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛. 𝐍𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫. 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.❞
The characters felt real, their struggles hit close to home, and the tragedy absolutely broke my heart. I definitely had my mouth open and my kindle was yeeted.
❝𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈’𝐦 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐳𝐲 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮.❞
This wasn’t just a story I read—it was one I felt. Every chapter raised the stakes, and just when I thought I could breathe, the book ended on a cliffhanger that left me stunned and desperately needing more.
❝𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟.❞
Even now, it’s living in my head rent free. This is the kind of book that lingers long after the final page, and I can’t wait to see where the story goes next.
🦋 Childhood friends
✨ College setting
🦋 First loves
✨ He falls first
🦋 She falls twice
✨ Flirting through food
🦋 College parties
✨ He’s devoted to her
🦋 Best friends
✨ Black cat FMC
🦋 Cinnamon roll MMC
✨ No HEA - this ends on a cliffhanger
⭐️ 4.25/5
🌶️ 2.5/5
I was lucky enough to be an alpha reader for Now He’s Mine, and from the very beginning it pulled me in completely. The story was packed with twists and turns, the kind that make you stop reading just to process what you were hit with. It was intense, emotional, and deeply relatable, especially in the way Cadence handled mental health representation with honesty and care.
❝𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞… 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛. 𝐍𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫. 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.❞
The characters felt real, their struggles hit close to home, and the tragedy absolutely broke my heart. I definitely had my mouth open and my kindle was yeeted.
❝𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈’𝐦 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐳𝐲 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮.❞
This wasn’t just a story I read—it was one I felt. Every chapter raised the stakes, and just when I thought I could breathe, the book ended on a cliffhanger that left me stunned and desperately needing more.
❝𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟.❞
Even now, it’s living in my head rent free. This is the kind of book that lingers long after the final page, and I can’t wait to see where the story goes next.
🦋 Childhood friends
✨ College setting
🦋 First loves
✨ He falls first
🦋 She falls twice
✨ Flirting through food
🦋 College parties
✨ He’s devoted to her
🦋 Best friends
✨ Black cat FMC
🦋 Cinnamon roll MMC
✨ No HEA - this ends on a cliffhanger
⭐️ 4.25/5
🌶️ 2.5/5
Review of advance copy received from Author
*I was given this book as an eArc but my review is based solely on my own thoughts and opinions*
I don’t think I’ve ever read anything as romantic as this book. Their relationship and their past/youth warms my heart and is something we all wish for in life.
I don’t think there’s a man out there who’s mature enough to do what Austin does with Kash. That’s how you know this is a book and not real life haha. I was not expecting it to head the direction that it did. It felt kind of off, all of a sudden it’s a why choose and super dirty. But I guess that’s college for you lol.
I was not prepared for the sadness, like what the heck. Why did you do this to me? Be prepared to have your heart ripped out. I don’t want to give too much away but it’s giving me my girl and bridge to teribithia vibes, just more adult.
It’s a very short read, I read it in like half a day. I do think there should have been more cause the ending was very abrupt but honestly i don’t think my heart could take any more.
I need time to recoup man. That was a lot.
I don’t think I’ve ever read anything as romantic as this book. Their relationship and their past/youth warms my heart and is something we all wish for in life.
I don’t think there’s a man out there who’s mature enough to do what Austin does with Kash. That’s how you know this is a book and not real life haha. I was not expecting it to head the direction that it did. It felt kind of off, all of a sudden it’s a why choose and super dirty. But I guess that’s college for you lol.
I was not prepared for the sadness, like what the heck. Why did you do this to me? Be prepared to have your heart ripped out. I don’t want to give too much away but it’s giving me my girl and bridge to teribithia vibes, just more adult.
It’s a very short read, I read it in like half a day. I do think there should have been more cause the ending was very abrupt but honestly i don’t think my heart could take any more.
I need time to recoup man. That was a lot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Author
✨🖤 ARC Review🖤✨
Now He’s Mine by Cadence Smoke
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🌶️🌶️🌶️
First and foremost, I want to thank Cadence Smoke for gifting me an e-arc of Now He’s Mine and allowing me to read this ahead of release. This review is voluntary and all opinions are honest and my own.
Stop it. I’ve been waiting for this book for what feels like forever and this will now stay forever in my head.
Cadence created characters and a world that made you feel like watching their story on a movie screen. You watch them grow up, you’re feeling what every character feels, you’re on it with each one. When they’re happy, you’re giggling. When they’re facing tragedy, you’re right there watching it play out in real time.
I’m so excited to see where this series and world takes us.
Be prepared to cry from your eyes, your thighs, and have heart palpitations.
Now He’s Mine by Cadence Smoke
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🌶️🌶️🌶️
First and foremost, I want to thank Cadence Smoke for gifting me an e-arc of Now He’s Mine and allowing me to read this ahead of release. This review is voluntary and all opinions are honest and my own.
Stop it. I’ve been waiting for this book for what feels like forever and this will now stay forever in my head.
Cadence created characters and a world that made you feel like watching their story on a movie screen. You watch them grow up, you’re feeling what every character feels, you’re on it with each one. When they’re happy, you’re giggling. When they’re facing tragedy, you’re right there watching it play out in real time.
I’m so excited to see where this series and world takes us.
Be prepared to cry from your eyes, your thighs, and have heart palpitations.
December 8, 2025
I was privileged to be able to read this early, definitely my favorite book of the whole year so far I do believe. 10/10 recommend!
This book was written with such stunning emotional depth that I felt every beat, every rise, and every heartbreak right alongside the characters. I knew going in that my heart was going to be ripped out, but that still didn’t prepare me for how hard it would hit. I cried full-on, uncontrollable tears.
The writing is beautiful, immersive, and painfully human. And as for the paper-mache butterflies… I’ll never be able to look at one again without remembering this story and the way it shattered me. A gorgeous, devastating read that will stick with me.
Book 2 can’t come fast enough!
This book was written with such stunning emotional depth that I felt every beat, every rise, and every heartbreak right alongside the characters. I knew going in that my heart was going to be ripped out, but that still didn’t prepare me for how hard it would hit. I cried full-on, uncontrollable tears.
The writing is beautiful, immersive, and painfully human. And as for the paper-mache butterflies… I’ll never be able to look at one again without remembering this story and the way it shattered me. A gorgeous, devastating read that will stick with me.
Book 2 can’t come fast enough!
Review of advance copy received from Author
I was so speechless after reading this it was such a beautiful and emotional read. I loved all the spice, friendships, building relationships and second chances. I loved all the happiness that was written. Did I straight up think I was gonna be this emotional? Absolutely not but I’ll say at the end you had me crying my eyes out, the absolute hurt running through the book had me in a chokehold. I’m anxious and excited to see what comes next
Review of advance copy received from Author
Vix + Austin
-romantic tragedy
-childhood best friends to lovers
-first loves
-he falls first
-college life
-black cat fmc x cinnamon roll mmc
well....that was definitely not how i thought this was going to go...just for it to all go to shit 😭😭😭😭😭😭 what the hell man
-romantic tragedy
-childhood best friends to lovers
-first loves
-he falls first
-college life
-black cat fmc x cinnamon roll mmc
well....that was definitely not how i thought this was going to go...just for it to all go to shit 😭😭😭😭😭😭 what the hell man
Review of advance copy
January 14, 2026What to expect:
🥰 He Falls First
💞 Childhood Best Friends to Lovers
🫶 First Loves
🌟 Cinnamon Roll MMC x Black Cat FMC
📚 College Life
💔 Tragedy
Reading
🥰 He Falls First
💞 Childhood Best Friends to Lovers
🫶 First Loves
🌟 Cinnamon Roll MMC x Black Cat FMC
📚 College Life
💔 Tragedy
Reading
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews