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Blackmail and Other Turn Ons: A Dark Rom-Com
Not yet published
Expected 20 Jan 26Willow Vale reads tarot, thirsts on TikTok, and kills men who deserve it. She’s fine—really.
Her moral compass? Crooked at best.
Her trauma? Unprocessed and thriving.
Her next target? A “healer” who preys on sick women and thinks no one will stop him.
But her latest obsession? Saint Shade, the masked magician/acrobat lighting up Las Vegas and every woman’s For You Page. He’s chaos wrapped in black silk, and she’s determined to unmask him.
Except the night she does, he catches her mid-murder.
But he doesn’t run. He doesn’t call the cops. He helps with the clean-up.
Now it’s mutual blackmail, and the stakes couldn’t be higher—her body count, his identity. One word from either of them could end it all, but neither seems ready to stop this game of chicken when their chemistry is hot enough to burn down the Strip.
He’s obsessed. She’s unhinged. Together they’re a love story written in bleach, blood, and bad decisions.
Your morally gray soulmate might not fix you—but they’ll definitely help you bury the bodies.
Perfect for fans of Butcher & Blackbird and Lights Out, this serial killer dark rom-com is wickedly funny, a little deranged, and dangerously addictive—guaranteed to make you laugh, blush, and question your morals in the best way.
Her moral compass? Crooked at best.
Her trauma? Unprocessed and thriving.
Her next target? A “healer” who preys on sick women and thinks no one will stop him.
But her latest obsession? Saint Shade, the masked magician/acrobat lighting up Las Vegas and every woman’s For You Page. He’s chaos wrapped in black silk, and she’s determined to unmask him.
Except the night she does, he catches her mid-murder.
But he doesn’t run. He doesn’t call the cops. He helps with the clean-up.
Now it’s mutual blackmail, and the stakes couldn’t be higher—her body count, his identity. One word from either of them could end it all, but neither seems ready to stop this game of chicken when their chemistry is hot enough to burn down the Strip.
He’s obsessed. She’s unhinged. Together they’re a love story written in bleach, blood, and bad decisions.
Your morally gray soulmate might not fix you—but they’ll definitely help you bury the bodies.
Perfect for fans of Butcher & Blackbird and Lights Out, this serial killer dark rom-com is wickedly funny, a little deranged, and dangerously addictive—guaranteed to make you laugh, blush, and question your morals in the best way.
- GenresDark Romance
347 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication January 20, 2026
3 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
I really enjoyed this book. We have a tarot card reader and an acrobat magician, which was a first for me. I enjoyed the characters. There were layers to it that were revealed piece by piece. This book made me laugh, gasp and 2nd guess myself. Truly a fun read. The mmc was possessive and we love that. The fmc was strong and kinda terrifying (in a good way). These two are perfect for eachother.
December 20, 2025
This book was really fun. I enjoyed all the characters.
Our FMC is Willow a 28 y/o and she is a serial unaliver of men who hurt women. She and her sisters had a traumatic upbringing. Their mother escaped a cult with them when the leader wanted to marry Willow at 6 years old. The sisters are all very different but love each other something fierce. They reside in Las Vegas where Willow is a Tarot reader.
Saint Shade is the 30 y/o MMC and after faking his own death about a decade ago and joining the circus he has made a name for himself as a masked acrobatic magician. He also posts thirst traps of himself on Tik Tok.
They both are very aware of each other since Willow is one of the people that follows Saint and comments on his thirst traps. Saint has his own notifications set up for when Willow comments on his profile. He knows where she lives and works and about her sisters.
That’s how Saint stumbles across Willow at her shop unaliving a man one night. When she sees him through the window he makes the decision to go inside and then proceed to help clean. While moving the body into the back of her truck his shirt gets pulled up and shows his tattoo. Immediately, Willow knows that he is Saint Shade. She ends up snapping a picture and sending it to one of her sisters and there starts the mutual blackmail.
We find out that the reason Willow started her side gig was because of a horrible professor in college. He ended up being her first victim. He stole her innocence and she has never been able to be with anyone else.
We don’t get Saints sexual history.
I absolutely loved how devoted Saint was from the start. He even said at one point he’s been her boyfriend since her first comment on his account.
The book alternates between POV.
This was my first read from this author and if she continues this series with the sisters I will check them out. They were a fun bunch and I liked the way the author writes.
I do wish a further into the future epilogue was included so we could see what their lives had looked like.
I received a complimentary copy and am voluntarily leaving my honest opinion.
Our FMC is Willow a 28 y/o and she is a serial unaliver of men who hurt women. She and her sisters had a traumatic upbringing. Their mother escaped a cult with them when the leader wanted to marry Willow at 6 years old. The sisters are all very different but love each other something fierce. They reside in Las Vegas where Willow is a Tarot reader.
Saint Shade is the 30 y/o MMC and after faking his own death about a decade ago and joining the circus he has made a name for himself as a masked acrobatic magician. He also posts thirst traps of himself on Tik Tok.
They both are very aware of each other since Willow is one of the people that follows Saint and comments on his thirst traps. Saint has his own notifications set up for when Willow comments on his profile. He knows where she lives and works and about her sisters.
That’s how Saint stumbles across Willow at her shop unaliving a man one night. When she sees him through the window he makes the decision to go inside and then proceed to help clean. While moving the body into the back of her truck his shirt gets pulled up and shows his tattoo. Immediately, Willow knows that he is Saint Shade. She ends up snapping a picture and sending it to one of her sisters and there starts the mutual blackmail.
We find out that the reason Willow started her side gig was because of a horrible professor in college. He ended up being her first victim. He stole her innocence and she has never been able to be with anyone else.
We don’t get Saints sexual history.
I absolutely loved how devoted Saint was from the start. He even said at one point he’s been her boyfriend since her first comment on his account.
The book alternates between POV.
This was my first read from this author and if she continues this series with the sisters I will check them out. They were a fun bunch and I liked the way the author writes.
I do wish a further into the future epilogue was included so we could see what their lives had looked like.
I received a complimentary copy and am voluntarily leaving my honest opinion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 27, 2025
A Slow Burn of Secrets, Setbacks, and Heartbreak
Blackmail and Other Turn Ons by Keary T. took me on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, and my feelings definitely shifted as I moved through the story.
Right from the start, I was hooked. I loved Willow immediately, especially the fact that she reads tarot cards. It added such a unique, mystical touch to her character. Her sisters were another highlight for me; their dynamic brought warmth and depth that made the early part of the book really enjoyable. Honestly, for about the first 40%, I was having a great time and flying through the pages.
Then things started to dip for me. Not-Kade kept popping up while Willow was in the middle of her side gig, and it became frustrating. She’s been surviving and handling life on her own for years, so watching him repeatedly interrupt her independence rubbed me the wrong way. That said, the story started to pick back up once their backstories were revealed.
Willow’s past absolutely broke my heart. Learning what she’d been through added so much emotional weight and helped me better understand her choices and walls. Not-Kade, too, has a history, and while I had a general idea of what his background might be, I was slightly off. Still, he remained a man of mystery, which kept me intrigued.
One standout moment for me was the Thanksgiving scene. Hands down, my favorite part of the book. The types of food being served had me yelling “please don’t eat that!”
The ending, though, heartbreaking. Once I reached that point, I couldn’t put the book down. I needed to know how things would unfold, and the emotional tension absolutely delivered.
I’d love to say more, but I don’t want to risk spoiling anything. What I can say is that I’m very excited for Iris’s story, which looks like it may be coming next.
As always, please check trigger warnings before diving in.
Blackmail and Other Turn Ons by Keary T. took me on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, and my feelings definitely shifted as I moved through the story.
Right from the start, I was hooked. I loved Willow immediately, especially the fact that she reads tarot cards. It added such a unique, mystical touch to her character. Her sisters were another highlight for me; their dynamic brought warmth and depth that made the early part of the book really enjoyable. Honestly, for about the first 40%, I was having a great time and flying through the pages.
Then things started to dip for me. Not-Kade kept popping up while Willow was in the middle of her side gig, and it became frustrating. She’s been surviving and handling life on her own for years, so watching him repeatedly interrupt her independence rubbed me the wrong way. That said, the story started to pick back up once their backstories were revealed.
Willow’s past absolutely broke my heart. Learning what she’d been through added so much emotional weight and helped me better understand her choices and walls. Not-Kade, too, has a history, and while I had a general idea of what his background might be, I was slightly off. Still, he remained a man of mystery, which kept me intrigued.
One standout moment for me was the Thanksgiving scene. Hands down, my favorite part of the book. The types of food being served had me yelling “please don’t eat that!”
The ending, though, heartbreaking. Once I reached that point, I couldn’t put the book down. I needed to know how things would unfold, and the emotional tension absolutely delivered.
I’d love to say more, but I don’t want to risk spoiling anything. What I can say is that I’m very excited for Iris’s story, which looks like it may be coming next.
As always, please check trigger warnings before diving in.
December 27, 2025
Let me start off by saying the spice in this book is very well written. The entire story is a page turner because it keeps you wanting to know what happens next. It was a bit of a slow burn for me but it worked for the story line and the things it talks about made sense to be one.
The MMC is described incredibly well and omg the mental picture of him is gorgeous!! He’s so mysterious and his identity being withheld through the majority of the book really kept me flipping pages well past when I should be sleeping. He’s the total package. He met the FMC sarcasm back with his own which made for really good banter/dialogue.
The FMC is a total badass and I loved her character. The way he helped her overcome her past trauma in such a beautiful way.
I would’ve really liked more in depth backstory to both the MMC and FMC but you were given enough information to understand the characters and why they were the way they were. But I like plot just as much as spice.
Overall this book made me laugh, cheer and I couldn’t put it down once I started.
The MMC is described incredibly well and omg the mental picture of him is gorgeous!! He’s so mysterious and his identity being withheld through the majority of the book really kept me flipping pages well past when I should be sleeping. He’s the total package. He met the FMC sarcasm back with his own which made for really good banter/dialogue.
The FMC is a total badass and I loved her character. The way he helped her overcome her past trauma in such a beautiful way.
I would’ve really liked more in depth backstory to both the MMC and FMC but you were given enough information to understand the characters and why they were the way they were. But I like plot just as much as spice.
Overall this book made me laugh, cheer and I couldn’t put it down once I started.
Review of advance copy received from Author
*ARC READER* I was so excited to be chosen and receive an advanced copy of Blackmail and Other Turn Ons and it did not disappoint. I was hooked from the beginning and it held my attention until the end. The FMC is a tarot card reader/witch/serial killer. The MMC is a magician/acrobat with a secret past. I was intrigued by the characters and felt they were introduced and described perfectly. The plot was never lost in the story and in someways played out like I never thought it would. I appreciated and loved the mature relationship between Willow and Saint Shade. There was a lot of humor throughout the book which I also enjoyed. I even found myself laughing out loud a few times…. (ViVi)! I am looking forward to another Vale sister book!
Review of advance copy received from Author
I have been reading this author for years, and this is a novel I knew wasn’t going to be like her others. However, I like her writing, so I went for it. Oh, my goodness, this is such a fun novel even if the storyline isn’t exactly fun. I was, in different spots, fascinated, horrified (smoothies will never be the same for me), amused, sad, tickled pink, touched, and just so many other emotions. This is a little bit twisted, but I think in a good way…at least for me. LOL! This book isn’t exactly like this author’s other works, but give it a chance; it’s definitely worth it. Highly recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I loved Willow and Saint Shade! Dark romcom is my favorite genre and I'm excited to see more authors getting into it. This book gives me Ruinous Trilogy vibes without feeling like a copy paste. I'm excited to see what happens in the next book!
I received this as an ARC and am leaving an honest review voluntarily.
I received this as an ARC and am leaving an honest review voluntarily.
December 19, 2025
*ARC READER*
Saint Shade/Kade/Not-Kade…😍🤤😍🤤 I found my new book boyfriend! Willow is a badass. Great mix of what I love in a book..spice, revenge, great storyline, humor/banter. Can’t wait to see where this series goes!
Saint Shade/Kade/Not-Kade…😍🤤😍🤤 I found my new book boyfriend! Willow is a badass. Great mix of what I love in a book..spice, revenge, great storyline, humor/banter. Can’t wait to see where this series goes!
Review of advance copy received from Author
woah I got this as a arc for a honest review so I'm gonna be blunt and as honest as I can wow I loved kade and willow and the dynamics between them the love humour even the darkness I don't want to spoil it for others but it's 100% worth a read !!!!
December 27, 2025
All my Nightwing girlies need to read this book ASAP. It satisfied that little hyper fixation for me. It was like a blind of Butcher and Blackbird, Caught Up, and the best Nightwing fanfic I could ask for.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I love everything about this book. Strong fmc and obsessed mmc
Serial unaliver ✔️
Banter ✔️
Just read it ... you will love it
Serial unaliver ✔️
Banter ✔️
Just read it ... you will love it
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews