WHAT WOULD IT COST?

by Syn Blackrose

TW’s:
* Psycho MC
* Manipulation
* Control
* Humiliation
* Temperature play (Cold)
* Stalking
* Violence
* Cheating (not between the MCs)
* Mental abuse
* Toxic behavior
* Mention of kidnap
* Spanking

BLURB:

Leo

Money. That’s what has turned my life upside down.

Money is the reason my marriage is barely holding together.

Money is the reason Ethan Taylor has thrown himself into my life.

Ethan is the reason I can barely sleep. Ethan is the reason I question myself and who I really am.

Ethan, Ethan, fucking Ethan. That damn name is always on my mind.

The big question…when everything in your life is falling apart, would you accept an offer from your boss that could make it right? Heal your marriage?

Would you hand over your body for one night to an attractive psycho? Not forgetting that I’m straight.

He’s manipulative. Dangerous. Toxic.

He is always one step ahead.

Ethan

I’m rich. Successful. And bored.

Months of being restless, unsure of what it is my body needs, until a gorgeous man called Leo starts working at my hotel.

He’s perfect. Attractive. Sexy. But the best part is that he is so worn down by life, that I can’t resist him. That makes him vulnerable.

I want to bend him to my will. To take him as my own.

Social expectations mean nothing to me. I have no morals. No empathy. I don’t give a fuck what’s happening in your life.

But I care about what Leo does. I need to know everything about him.

I’m going to tear him down so I can rebuild him.

I will offer him everything he dreams of, while locking him up in my golden cage.

By the time I’ve finished, he won’t be able to leave. But even better, he won’t want to leave.

No limits. No rules.

Genres: Dark Romance, M M Romance

Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 26, 2026

About the author

Hi my lovelies,

I'm afraid I am not active on Goodreads; therefore, I will not respond to messages or requests on here.

If you would like to reach out to me, please check out my Instagram account.

Thanks! Syn xx

Reviews

[Emna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rtc

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, I devoured it in less than 24 hours! I want to say so much, but I’m not about to spoil it for anyone. What I can say is that Ethan and Leo’s journey to their HEA is absolutely worth your time. I really enjoyed the cameos from the world Syn has built, it’s always such a joy to see familiar faces. I’m also intrigued by Marcus and excited to see him pop up in future stories. Syn has a real talent for creating characters you can’t help but fall in love with, flaws and all. I’ll be eagerly waiting to see what comes next.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will have unable to put it down. Ethan is a man who gets what he wants no matter the cost. But what is the cost…you will have to pick up the book to find out. Be sure to check the trigger warnings.

[Ashley Dead.inside_but_reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a darker romance with alot of mental manipulation so make sure you check the TWs before heading in. There is a HEA at the end of this one so your good there.

🌶🌶🌶

Leo has just move to New York with his wife *coughTRASHBAGcough* and started a new job at a big hotel chain. Leo is an artist who works with metal and he really just wants to do that but his wife has basically moved here to "scout for other opportunities" 🤨 When Leo catches the eye of the owner of the hotel Ethan he doesn't really know what he is in for. Ethan is on that Psychopathic Spectrum so instead of simply talking to Leo he starts to enact an elaborate plan to push Leo into his world by making him an offer he can't refuse. Ethan meticulously starts reworking Leo's life to basically revolve around only him.
I love these books with the mental twists to them because they scramble my brain a bit too! Like.....is what Ethan is doing wrong ABSOLUTELY but am I over here screaming "Leo just go to him" also ABSOLUTELY.
Syn writes some of the best Obsessive/Possessive men out there and when you add in the brain break factor this just had my name all over it! This is a stand alone so you don't need to read any of Syn's other books before this one but it also gives you a peek into the Synverse (is this a thing? If not it is now) by bringing in some characters from the other books that you will DEFINITELY want to look into if you haven't!

[Sam Holloway · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m so glad Syn is back, what a perfect Valentine’s Day gift to receive this ARC!

Syn does a great job writing dark manipulative romances. Leo is lost and in a loveless marriage with his high school sweetheart, Sarah. Just one encounter with Ethan and Ethan knows Leo belongs to him, no matter what it costs. Ethan promises just one night with a contract, but of course he has something up his sleeve to completely own Leo.

Ethan is a self confessed monster, very emotionless and robotic. Leo has a fire inside of him that only truly comes out around Ethan. They make a very interesting and sexy couple. The spice was great, their encounters so fueled with tension. The way Leo surrenders is *chefs kiss*👌🏻

Syn certainly delivered when it came to Ethan being emotionless and psychotic. The man is very scary and thinks in only black and white. Leo, of course, is just like Seb and Tyler and definitely clings to the resposible citizen image until the very end.

I had a little bit of trouble connecting with these characters, specifically Ethan. I can usually find some type of love within Syn’s characters and relationships, albeit twisted in nature, but didn’t quite feel it between Leo and Ethan. Still, it was an intruiging book and I’m definitely excited for more. I really hope we see Marcus’s book soon.

⭐️ Rating: 3.5/5 (rounded to 4)
🌶️ Spice: 4/5

[Readbookswithcats · Rating 5 out of 5]

Happy Valentines to me!!! 🥰

What it Would Cost is a dark, MM, boss/employee romance. Leo is married, his wife convinced him they needed to move to the city and now they struggle paycheck to paycheck to get by. He gets a new job in a mailroom and runs (quite literally) into the boss and CEO, Ethan.
Ethan has always been rich and a bit off. He doesn’t feel things the same way others do. He built this company and is always branching out but feels like his world is missing something. Then he meets Leo, and he finally finds what he is looking for.
The only real complication is Sarah, his wife, who’s greedy for money and status and puts her husband down whenever she can, as a form of control.
He decides to offer the couple a million dollars for one night with Leo, leaving out the small print that Leo would belong to him for far longer than a night.

This book was really good and such an easy read. I couldn’t put it down, it holds dark themes, manipulation, violence, and obsession. I love that this is in the same world as the Kozlovs! You do get cameos from Syn’s other books but you don’t need to read them to read this story!!

Thanks for letting me read!! I was so excited!!!! ♥️🫶🏻

[Anita Hickman · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I won’t force you,” Ethan says. “I don’t need to.”

OOOH Ethan's was so so good and so bad at the same time.

MM
Psycho MC
Manipulation
Control Humiliation
Temperature play (Cold)
Stalking
Violence
Cheating (not between the MCs)
Mental abuse
Toxic behavior

Ethan makes a proposal to give Leo a million dollars to be with him for one night .
There's only one problem..

Leo is married.

Will this stop our UNHINGED Ethan from getting what he wants . Hell No!!

He goes right to it, staking his claim and getting rid of everything in between that stands in his way.

Including her.


This is one of my favorite books of Syn Blackrose's. She jumped out Mafia style romances and went straight to unhinged and did it with such ease. Ethan is the epitome of dark, dangerous, and an Alpha male that Leo needs. Syn Blackrose did a wonderful job displaying his personality with ease. I fell right into this book and loved it.

[Shawna S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Syn never disappoints.
I devoured this book, and it will linger with me.


Ethan is flawed in the best way. He's a Psychopath but his fixation when he first sees Leo makes him endearing.

Leo is married to a woman who is very negative and obviously unhappy. he is trying to make the life she wants for them.

Ethan propositions Leo for one night, and he will pay them a million dollars.

After that night, everything changed for everyone.
What is building between Ethan and Leo is strong and inevitable even if Leo is fighting it.
This one is a bit more emotional than some of her previous books (at least for me). Their story is still very spicy and
are better together, and I love how the ending plays out.

[Danni Crass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Syn ceases to disappoint once again. I absolutely devoured this book! It's obsessive and so beautifully dark if dark can be beautiful which I say it can be! Ethan kind of made me laugh throughout the story with his psychopath personality. He was unhinged but very straight forward. I loved how he pushed Leo out of his comfort zone, allowing him to finally be able to breathe and thrive into the person he was meant to be. I am glad Sarah got what she deserved. I really wanted to yeet her off a cliff, but Ethan's way is so much better. The spice was most definitely oh so spicy and on fire. I am curious about Marcus, though. If he doesn't have a book already then I definitely need his.

[Sam Vautier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Living a dreary life, no art to create, a wife he doesn’t really love, in a city he doesn’t want to be in, Leo starts a new job in the mail room of a large hotel. A hotel owned by Ethan.

When Ethan sees him, he sees something he wants. And he always gets what he wants.

He offers Leo a deal, one night with him for a million dollars.

This was SUCH a joy to read and having to work in-between reading was such a hardship because I didn’t want to stop! The manipulation and humiliation were fabulous, is it weird to be jealous of Leo? Probably.. oh well.

[Cathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This read was just enough to feed my need for crazy and obsessive. I love stories about a controlling MC and boy ethan and did not disappoint. Ethan can be summed up in two words Crazy and oh so toxic. I loved this book and definitely recommend it.
Ps. the sex scenes especially the first one was fire.

[Ashlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leo is just trying to survive. Ethan wants what he wants and won't let anything get in his way. When Ethan sets his sights on Leo, all bets are off and nothing is off the table. This was such a wild ride! I loved seeing some of the cameos from Syn's other worlds collide with this one and I can't wait for Marcus to get his own story!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As soon as I read the blurb for this one I’ve been looking forward to it, cheating(not between the MCs), stalking, psycho MC, paying to have him for “just one night” sign me up! I couldn’t put it down. Ethan is a complete red flag, which I love, and was exactly what Leo needed.

[Taniareadingcorner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a blast with this book. Ethan was a psycho manipulator who played Leo perfectly. Leo was the perfect prey for Ethan. I can see him becoming friends with Seb and the other guys in the Kozlov world.

Thanks for the ARC Syn x

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing as always!

[Gustavo · Rating 5 out of 5]

História incrível. Adorei Ethan e Leo juntos. A manipulação e a obsessão foram perfeitas. O toque picante foi ótimo. Recomendo muito.