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Saint's Confession: Madness Duet Book 1
Monsters.
They hide in the shadows, draw blood from the innocent, and consume your soul until the last drop.
That’s what Soulstealers are like.
Cruel, emotionless, and capable of anything—especially deceit.
My name is Stefanie Sanders, and I am a hunter by blood. My family is one of the bloodlines that founded Black Mountain Hunters—one of the largest organizations in the world dedicated to ridding people of bloodsucking parasites that lurk nearby.
However, people stopped believing us.
They began to forget that real life is filled with monsters and lies.
One of those monsters just happens to be a tall, handsome devil who arrives in our town only a few months after my grandfather’s death, inserting himself into my life.
At first, I don’t pay him any attention, annoyed by his mere presence. But as time passes and he reveals his true nature, I begin to realize that I’m not just playing a dangerous game with a monster.
I am slowly becoming one myself.
They hide in the shadows, draw blood from the innocent, and consume your soul until the last drop.
That’s what Soulstealers are like.
Cruel, emotionless, and capable of anything—especially deceit.
My name is Stefanie Sanders, and I am a hunter by blood. My family is one of the bloodlines that founded Black Mountain Hunters—one of the largest organizations in the world dedicated to ridding people of bloodsucking parasites that lurk nearby.
However, people stopped believing us.
They began to forget that real life is filled with monsters and lies.
One of those monsters just happens to be a tall, handsome devil who arrives in our town only a few months after my grandfather’s death, inserting himself into my life.
At first, I don’t pay him any attention, annoyed by his mere presence. But as time passes and he reveals his true nature, I begin to realize that I’m not just playing a dangerous game with a monster.
I am slowly becoming one myself.
372 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 18, 2025
1 person is currently reading
4 people want to read
About the author
Tori Tomn
5 books5 followersTori Tomn is a contemporary fantasy author who seamlessly blends magic with the mundane, crafting stories where the extraordinary lies just beneath the surface. When she’s not writing, she is often immersed in a book, editing her stories, or learning a new language—usually all at once. Her work delves into themes of identity, transformation, and human emotions in characters who are anything but human. 'The Death of Us' is her debut novel and the first installment in a planned series.
Tori is currently working on 'The Death of Me', the second book in a planned series. She lives with too many notebooks, not enough shelf space, and an imagination that refuses to rest.
Tori is currently working on 'The Death of Me', the second book in a planned series. She lives with too many notebooks, not enough shelf space, and an imagination that refuses to rest.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 24, 2025
This book surprised me in many ways. The writing style is incredibly fast-paced and addictive: I genuinely flew through it. I also loved the premise and the early chemistry and banter between the characters…there’s so much potential in this world and in their dynamic!
The first half of the book reads almost like a YA, while the second half shifts into darker territory very quickly. While I appreciate bold narrative choices, I sometimes struggled with the FMC’s emotional progression. Despite the story spending considerable time on her emotions, she often seems barely aware of the trauma she has experienced. I would have liked to see more reflection and time devoted to her processing it. It’s also true that the ending sheds some light on her behavior and emotional state, which clarifies certain choices I originally couldn’t understand, but I still feel that giving more space throughout the story to her acknowledging and confronting the trauma would have made the emotional payoff even stronger.
I also found myself wishing for more clarity around the fantasy elements: there are some really interesting ideas here, but several appear late in the story without much build-up or explanation. I would have loved to see more of that! Because of this, I feel that dark romance readers will likely appreciate the book’s tone and themes more than readers who primarily come in for the fantasy element. And as always with this genre, I really recommend checking the trigger warnings, because there are some you might not expect from the first part of the book.
It’s fair to say that this was my first experience reading a dark romance, so more seasoned readers will probably connect with some of these elements differently. My notes may simply come from not being familiar with the genre’s conventions.
To conclude, the concept of this book is very compelling, but I really hope the next installment expands on the fantasy elements and the characters. I’m also definitely curious to explore more of the author’s work: her dark-academia series sounds much more up my alley!
Thank you to the lovely author for the ARC.
The first half of the book reads almost like a YA, while the second half shifts into darker territory very quickly. While I appreciate bold narrative choices, I sometimes struggled with the FMC’s emotional progression. Despite the story spending considerable time on her emotions, she often seems barely aware of the trauma she has experienced. I would have liked to see more reflection and time devoted to her processing it. It’s also true that the ending sheds some light on her behavior and emotional state, which clarifies certain choices I originally couldn’t understand, but I still feel that giving more space throughout the story to her acknowledging and confronting the trauma would have made the emotional payoff even stronger.
I also found myself wishing for more clarity around the fantasy elements: there are some really interesting ideas here, but several appear late in the story without much build-up or explanation. I would have loved to see more of that! Because of this, I feel that dark romance readers will likely appreciate the book’s tone and themes more than readers who primarily come in for the fantasy element. And as always with this genre, I really recommend checking the trigger warnings, because there are some you might not expect from the first part of the book.
It’s fair to say that this was my first experience reading a dark romance, so more seasoned readers will probably connect with some of these elements differently. My notes may simply come from not being familiar with the genre’s conventions.
To conclude, the concept of this book is very compelling, but I really hope the next installment expands on the fantasy elements and the characters. I’m also definitely curious to explore more of the author’s work: her dark-academia series sounds much more up my alley!
Thank you to the lovely author for the ARC.
October 14, 2025
Saint’s Confession by Tori Tomn.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
𝕵ᥲᥴᥱ ᥊ 𝕾𝗍ᥱ𝖿ᥲᥒіᥱ ❤️
This book is just too relatable .
I’d like to personally thank Tori for the emotional chaos I’ve just endured. And also thanks for the ARC.
Saint’s Confession isn’t just dark; it’s the sort of dark that makes you question your morals, your taste in men, and possibly your sanity.
Saint? Absolutely unhinged. Terrifyingly magnetic.
And of course, I adored him. Because why go for emotional stability when you can have a morally grey disaster wrapped in trauma and charm?
The writing is stunning. The slow burn that actually makes sense instead of just dragging attention.
The emotional depth is more than the plot. The middle felt a bit like limbo; not bad, but I did wonder if we were lost in guilt for a bit too long. (Well my personal preference).
The side characters… bless them, they existed. Barely.
The friendship between Lyla and Stefanie is just 😘 I just love them. And the kid ❤️ she stole my heart in the last pages.
Overall, Saint’s Confession was a wild, emotional mess.
I finished it slightly traumatised but also smiling like an idiot.
If you like dark romance that actually hurts and makes you feel loved, this one’s definitely for you.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
𝕵ᥲᥴᥱ ᥊ 𝕾𝗍ᥱ𝖿ᥲᥒіᥱ ❤️
This book is just too relatable .
I’d like to personally thank Tori for the emotional chaos I’ve just endured. And also thanks for the ARC.
Saint’s Confession isn’t just dark; it’s the sort of dark that makes you question your morals, your taste in men, and possibly your sanity.
Saint? Absolutely unhinged. Terrifyingly magnetic.
And of course, I adored him. Because why go for emotional stability when you can have a morally grey disaster wrapped in trauma and charm?
The writing is stunning. The slow burn that actually makes sense instead of just dragging attention.
The emotional depth is more than the plot. The middle felt a bit like limbo; not bad, but I did wonder if we were lost in guilt for a bit too long. (Well my personal preference).
The side characters… bless them, they existed. Barely.
The friendship between Lyla and Stefanie is just 😘 I just love them. And the kid ❤️ she stole my heart in the last pages.
Overall, Saint’s Confession was a wild, emotional mess.
I finished it slightly traumatised but also smiling like an idiot.
If you like dark romance that actually hurts and makes you feel loved, this one’s definitely for you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 15, 2025
**Thank you so much to the author, Tori Tomn, for reaching out and providing me with an e-ARC copy in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.**
✨️ Book Title: Saint’s Confession: Madness Duet Book 1
✨️ Author: Tori Tomn
✨️ Genre: Dark fantasy romance
✨️ Tropes: Seductive and power-hungry villain, monster in human form, chosen one, loyal sidekicks
⭐️ Star Rating: 4 / 5 stars
🌶 Spice Level: 4 / 5 peppers (hot+heavy - significant amount of open-door scenes)
⚠️ Trigger Warnings: Various forms of abuse, sexually explicit content (including BDSM), kidnapping, death, disappearance, firearms, violence, torture, depictions of blood and murder, cannibalism (not involving the main characters), and explicit language
📅 Release Date: October 18, 2025
All good things eventually fade, leaving us with memories and tears. It is our choice how we respond, and I prefer to cherish what we have rather than blame fate for taking them away from me.
Trained since she could walk, Stefanie Sanders is a hunter. Descending from one of the founding families of the Black Mountain Hunters, she’s dedicated her life to eradicating the world of parasitic monsters like Soulstealers. With the arrival of new blood in town, and his instant infatuation with Stefanie, will she still be able to stick true to her hunter instincts, or will she become part of the monsters she desperately despises?
Oh my - when I tell you I was hooked on Saint’s Confession, I feel like I’m understating the hold this book had on me. I finished it within a day and am desperate (but will do my best to wait patiently) to know what comes next!!
Saint’s Confession was full of twists and turns that made it impossible to put down. Additionally, Tori Tomn throws in some incredibly relatable quotes like:
That’s the issue with all the guys I meet. It takes them just one minute to speak and ruin the entire fantasy I had imagined.
She also throws in some fantastic truths that just slide perfectly into the storyline such as:
The truth is, when someone guilt-traps you, it means they did something they want to hide. Even from themselves. It means they want to change your mind in hopes of hiding their crime. It means you did nothing but were a decent human being who happened to be used for something.
The whole time, I felt like I could connect to each character emotionally, and was in awe of not only Stefanie’s strength but also her strategy. While that most likely comes with the territory of being a trained Black Mountain Hunter, how this was pulled together just flowed wonderfully through her character and into the storyline as a whole.
What kept this from being a 5-star read for me was the title. I know this may seem a bit unusual; however, I felt there was a disconnect between the title of this book and its actual contents. This left me with some uncertainty. While Stefanie is a good and protective person, she doesn’t come off as a “saint”. With quotes from Stefanie like “Darkness has never frightened me; instead, it has allowed me to feel and live as I desire.” (don’t get me wrong, I love this quote, and I love Stefanie’s character), it just made it a little hard for me to connect the title to the story. This then left me a little unsure if I was missing some details to have everything pull together.
With that being said, there is no doubt in my mind that this is definitely going to be a re-read for me. (with a physical copy on my list of books to buy)! I also can’t wait for the second book in the Madness Duet to be released, and I will be reading Tori’s other novel, The Death of Us, soon too!!
✨️ Book Title: Saint’s Confession: Madness Duet Book 1
✨️ Author: Tori Tomn
✨️ Genre: Dark fantasy romance
✨️ Tropes: Seductive and power-hungry villain, monster in human form, chosen one, loyal sidekicks
⭐️ Star Rating: 4 / 5 stars
🌶 Spice Level: 4 / 5 peppers (hot+heavy - significant amount of open-door scenes)
⚠️ Trigger Warnings: Various forms of abuse, sexually explicit content (including BDSM), kidnapping, death, disappearance, firearms, violence, torture, depictions of blood and murder, cannibalism (not involving the main characters), and explicit language
📅 Release Date: October 18, 2025
All good things eventually fade, leaving us with memories and tears. It is our choice how we respond, and I prefer to cherish what we have rather than blame fate for taking them away from me.
Trained since she could walk, Stefanie Sanders is a hunter. Descending from one of the founding families of the Black Mountain Hunters, she’s dedicated her life to eradicating the world of parasitic monsters like Soulstealers. With the arrival of new blood in town, and his instant infatuation with Stefanie, will she still be able to stick true to her hunter instincts, or will she become part of the monsters she desperately despises?
Oh my - when I tell you I was hooked on Saint’s Confession, I feel like I’m understating the hold this book had on me. I finished it within a day and am desperate (but will do my best to wait patiently) to know what comes next!!
Saint’s Confession was full of twists and turns that made it impossible to put down. Additionally, Tori Tomn throws in some incredibly relatable quotes like:
That’s the issue with all the guys I meet. It takes them just one minute to speak and ruin the entire fantasy I had imagined.
She also throws in some fantastic truths that just slide perfectly into the storyline such as:
The truth is, when someone guilt-traps you, it means they did something they want to hide. Even from themselves. It means they want to change your mind in hopes of hiding their crime. It means you did nothing but were a decent human being who happened to be used for something.
The whole time, I felt like I could connect to each character emotionally, and was in awe of not only Stefanie’s strength but also her strategy. While that most likely comes with the territory of being a trained Black Mountain Hunter, how this was pulled together just flowed wonderfully through her character and into the storyline as a whole.
What kept this from being a 5-star read for me was the title. I know this may seem a bit unusual; however, I felt there was a disconnect between the title of this book and its actual contents. This left me with some uncertainty. While Stefanie is a good and protective person, she doesn’t come off as a “saint”. With quotes from Stefanie like “Darkness has never frightened me; instead, it has allowed me to feel and live as I desire.” (don’t get me wrong, I love this quote, and I love Stefanie’s character), it just made it a little hard for me to connect the title to the story. This then left me a little unsure if I was missing some details to have everything pull together.
With that being said, there is no doubt in my mind that this is definitely going to be a re-read for me. (with a physical copy on my list of books to buy)! I also can’t wait for the second book in the Madness Duet to be released, and I will be reading Tori’s other novel, The Death of Us, soon too!!
October 4, 2025
Black Mountain Hunters is an organization that has people eliminate monsters. Stefanie comes from a bloodline of hunters and is next in line to lead. They are tasked with killing the Soulstealers who are killing in their town. They must be destroyed. Unfortunately, there is a complication that arises with the object that is needed to destroy them. Many complications arise and Stefanie is there throughout it all!
Stefani is the FMC that has found herself in quite the situation. Jace, the MMC, is someone she may or may not want to know. But know this, monsters exist. How do you stop a monster?
Wow! I really didn't see THAT coming! It is a very different read that sucks you in and keeps you reading. You just have to trust me, as I don't want to give away the book!
Thank you for the arc, Tori! Tori Tomn
Stefani is the FMC that has found herself in quite the situation. Jace, the MMC, is someone she may or may not want to know. But know this, monsters exist. How do you stop a monster?
Wow! I really didn't see THAT coming! It is a very different read that sucks you in and keeps you reading. You just have to trust me, as I don't want to give away the book!
Thank you for the arc, Tori! Tori Tomn
October 14, 2025
First and foremost, thank you Tori for reaching out to allow me the chance to read this ARC!! You were right that it was right up my alley with dark fantasy romance 🖤
From monsters vs hunters, forbidden angsty love and enemies to lovers, I was reeled in headfirst! Our FMC Stefanie and our MMC Jace steal the show and I never knew what was going to happen next! The ending and epilogue were twists that blew me away.
From monsters vs hunters, forbidden angsty love and enemies to lovers, I was reeled in headfirst! Our FMC Stefanie and our MMC Jace steal the show and I never knew what was going to happen next! The ending and epilogue were twists that blew me away.
October 20, 2025
I am so grateful to have had a chance to ARC read this. I went into this story basically blind, only reading a blurb, but boy was it fun! This is so different than I have ever read before and I was sucked in! This really felt like a roller coaster, in the best way possible! I loved how everything played out through the book, twists in the part I wasn’t expecting making me want more. I am interested to see how the rest of the story will play out when it continues!
November 27, 2025
This was a crazy ride and I loved it!
In this story we have Stefanie, a Soulstealer hunter, she is fierce, she is sassy and a raging feminist. The founding families incluing her own defeated the Soulstealers years ago but they are back, people are showing up as zombies and now she must uncover who is doing it and kill them. Unfortunately for her, it isn't as simple as that.
I loved Stefanie, she said some pretty funny stuff and I realized that me and her have the same opinion on a lot of stuff. I also really loved that she is the one that will lead the family and not the brother.
Stefanie will end up in arrangement with a Soulstealer and let's just say that crazy things happen 🤣
They are very hot together but it's so wrong.
I really liked how the story progressed until like 50%, because everything shifted and I was very much pissed at the Soulstealer and I was going to give this book 3 stars but i decided to push through and I understood that what I was reading wasn't really what was happening. In the end, I loved it, the plot twists and everything. Now I'm afraid for Book 2, my poor Stefanie will have a lot to deal with but I honestly can't wait.
The final chapter left me with some questions and I'm really curious to understand what's really going on.
I want to thank the author for reaching out for me and sending me a copy of this book in exchange for a review.
In this story we have Stefanie, a Soulstealer hunter, she is fierce, she is sassy and a raging feminist. The founding families incluing her own defeated the Soulstealers years ago but they are back, people are showing up as zombies and now she must uncover who is doing it and kill them. Unfortunately for her, it isn't as simple as that.
I loved Stefanie, she said some pretty funny stuff and I realized that me and her have the same opinion on a lot of stuff. I also really loved that she is the one that will lead the family and not the brother.
Stefanie will end up in arrangement with a Soulstealer and let's just say that crazy things happen 🤣
They are very hot together but it's so wrong.
I really liked how the story progressed until like 50%, because everything shifted and I was very much pissed at the Soulstealer and I was going to give this book 3 stars but i decided to push through and I understood that what I was reading wasn't really what was happening. In the end, I loved it, the plot twists and everything. Now I'm afraid for Book 2, my poor Stefanie will have a lot to deal with but I honestly can't wait.
The final chapter left me with some questions and I'm really curious to understand what's really going on.
I want to thank the author for reaching out for me and sending me a copy of this book in exchange for a review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 18, 2025
The writing, the emotional depth, and the way the characters are understood made me fall in love with them a hundred times over.
I found the characters incredibly relatable, and the storyline was easy to follow and fully sink into. At the end of every chapter I just wanted to keep reading more and more.
We have a strong-willed FMC who refuses to show emotion but feels everything so deeply.
And the plot twists? They kept me on edge and craving more.
I absolutely loved Stephanie and Jace. The slow burn? Chef's kiss. I need more, that's all I'm saying. It felt real, not dragged out just for the sake of it.
The emotions in this book, the depth of them... I loved every bit.
If you love dark romance that makes you hurt and happy at the same time, if you always fall for the morally gray men, the dark unhinged ones who make you question everything then this is the book for you.
I found the characters incredibly relatable, and the storyline was easy to follow and fully sink into. At the end of every chapter I just wanted to keep reading more and more.
We have a strong-willed FMC who refuses to show emotion but feels everything so deeply.
And the plot twists? They kept me on edge and craving more.
I absolutely loved Stephanie and Jace. The slow burn? Chef's kiss. I need more, that's all I'm saying. It felt real, not dragged out just for the sake of it.
The emotions in this book, the depth of them... I loved every bit.
If you love dark romance that makes you hurt and happy at the same time, if you always fall for the morally gray men, the dark unhinged ones who make you question everything then this is the book for you.
October 19, 2025
📚✨ Saint’s Confession by Tori Tomm
⭐️5/5 | 🌶️2/5
WHEN I TELL YOU I WAS BLUSHING, KICKING MY FEET, AND TAKING DEEP BREATHS OVER THE MMC… I AM NOT EXAGGERATING. It takes a lot for a book to make me physically pause to collect myself, but this one did it.
This story had my jaw on the floor more than once—the whiplash was CRAZY in the best way possible.
By the end, I was just… staring at a wall. You know it’s serious when a book leaves me in full post-read shock like that.
Tori Tomm has officially earned a spot on my auto-buy list. Notifications are ON, and I’ll be diving into their backlog immediately.
🕯�� Reading mood: curled up in bed, phone on silent, blinds closed, fully unwell over fictional men
⭐️5/5 | 🌶️2/5
WHEN I TELL YOU I WAS BLUSHING, KICKING MY FEET, AND TAKING DEEP BREATHS OVER THE MMC… I AM NOT EXAGGERATING. It takes a lot for a book to make me physically pause to collect myself, but this one did it.
This story had my jaw on the floor more than once—the whiplash was CRAZY in the best way possible.
By the end, I was just… staring at a wall. You know it’s serious when a book leaves me in full post-read shock like that.
Tori Tomm has officially earned a spot on my auto-buy list. Notifications are ON, and I’ll be diving into their backlog immediately.
🕯�� Reading mood: curled up in bed, phone on silent, blinds closed, fully unwell over fictional men
November 16, 2025
I swear I didnt know I would like this book as much as I did! Talk about a surprise. The way the characters kept me on my toes and my mind racing you would think I was actually in the book. The spice was dangerous but hot, the banter had me cackling, and the "omg whats about to happen" had me STRESSED!!!! I am definitely looking forward to book 2.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews