He Sees You: A Dark Christmas Romance

A Dark Holiday #1

by Elizabeth Knox, Amanda Willow (Narrator), Joe Arden (Narrator)

She writes about killers. He kills. This December, they'll meet.

Celeste Sterling came home to the Adirondacks with writer's block and daddy issues.

She'll leave with blood on her hands and a monster's ring on her finger.

Between now and then? Twenty-three days of being hunted by a man who makes her fictional villains look like choir boys. A man who collects deer skulls like love letters. Who knows every filthy word she's ever written—including the ones she deleted.

Welcome to a small town where everyone's keeping secrets, Daddy's gun won't save you, and the local serial killer has been waiting two years for his favorite author to come home.

Celeste thought she understood darkness. After all, she's made millions writing it.

But there's a difference between typing "he's dangerous" and having danger learn your daily routine. Between writing "touch her and die" and watching him make that promise literal.

Between creating a monster and realizing one already exists.

Genres: Dark Romance, Christmas, Dark, Holiday, Stalker, Audiobook, Romance

Audible Audio

First published November 1, 2025

About the author

Elizabeth Knox is a USA Today Bestselling romance author who specializes in romantic suspense, and dark romance. She’s well-known for her intense page-turning motorcycle clubs, and sinister dark mafia books. 

While Elizabeth loves to write, she is an avid reader as well, who reads a mixture of genres. She lives on a farm with her husband in the northeastern United States with her rescue animals. When she isn’t working, you can find her horseback riding, riding ATVs, or out on the farm with her animals.

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Reviews

[Kendra Renae · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️3.9 🌶️3


The twist and turns and cartwheels in this book had me spun. Did I enjoy being thrown around? Well yes lol yes I did🙂‍↕️

[Ali b · Rating 1 out of 5]

The idea was good and the beginning really pulled you in. But the cringe started around 40% and it did not recover.

[⦻ reo mikage ⦻ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started off strong, then just got cringey

[Malak☽︎ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I genuinely can't wrap my head around how a woman with a perfectly normal, highly successful life and a genuinely good relationship with her father can suddenly meet a man and fall “madly in love” at a speed that’s not just fast, but downright absurd.

There’s nothing natural, believable, or even logical about it. And somehow, on top of that, she casually adapts to his murder-soaked lifestyle and starts killing alongside him as if violence has always been second nature to her. No struggle. No moral conflict. No transition. Just instant acceptance.

What’s even more infuriating is how, in the span of a single day, she discovers that her father (the man she loves so much) is actually the biggest villain imaginable, and yet reacts with the most robotic calm. No shock. No breakdown. No tears. No sense of betrayal. Just… nothing. The emotional whiplash that should define this revelation is completely ignored.

Everything is rushed to an insulting degree. The character development is sacrificed for speed, the emotional scenes are skipped entirely, and the result is a storyline that feels lazy, hollow, and painfully unrealistic. Moreover, this was a very boring read.

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast paced dark small town romance. Celeste is a dark romance writer who returns to her hometown to try to write her next book. Cain is a serial killer who’s obsessed with Celeste. When these two meet it’s instant attraction and these two become each other’s whole world. The twists in this book will keep you interested. Always check TWs before jumping in a dark romance.

[SJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Tis the season for dark holiday romance...

This fast-paced dark romance packs a punch in 250 pages full of thrilling suspense, mystery, danger, and delicious spice.

I absolutely loved everything about this book. With amazing characters like Celeste our dark romance author who seeks inspiration after seeming to have lost her motivation and passion, and Cain this mysterious mountain man who has his own brand of darkness and moral compass. This was such an addictive read I quickly devoured all the pages.
I really enjoyed reading about the process the FMC had writing dark romance and how absolutely devoted the MMC was to her.

Celeste and Cain's darkness mirrors one another's and their compatibility is undeniable. I just loved the build-up and anticipation.

Tropes:
Stalker
Forced proximity
Anti-hero
Morally black
Serial unaliver
Vigilante
Touch her and ☠️
Ultra protective
Obsessive/Possessive MMC
Graphic
Explicit
Dual POV

Check TW

[Adriana · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I could give this a zero I would. It’s a no from me. My face was 🤨 the whole time. I read this for my book club only.

[Dankinia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd recommend this if you are in the mood for a spicy small town story about a serial killer and an author that writes dark romance novels deciding to embrace their inner darkness.

Overall, I rate it 3⭐out of 5 based on the following: 🤩Enjoyment - 3; 👥Characters - 3.5; 📖Plot - 3; 🗺️Atmosphere - 3.5; and🖋️Writing - 2 with the first 3 categories being most important.

What worked for me:
• Celeste realizing Cain is who she's been imagining when she writes her dark romance novels
• Cain using his darkness to avenge and protect those who need it

What didn't work for me:
• The story contradicted itself in a few places. I won't give specifics, but characters say they were one place and later say they were somewhere else or the FMC knowing details before they were shared with her.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Finished Reading
11/29/2025

[Ambers Book Nest · Rating 4 out of 5]

He Sees You by Elizabeth Knox is a dark Christmas romance that was exactly what I was hoping for. I went in expecting something quick, a little chaotic, and slightly unhinged—and that’s exactly what I got, in the best way.

I really loved the idea of a dark romance writer ending up in situations similar to the ones she writes about. It added a fun, slightly twisted layer to the story and made everything feel more intense. The book doesn’t hold back on its darker themes, but it’s still fast-paced and super easy to binge in just a few sittings.

Some parts were a bit predictable, but honestly, there was always another twist popping up just when I thought I knew where things were going. It kept things interesting and hard to put down.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one and flew through it. I’m definitely keen to see where the story goes in the second book.

"If I kiss you," I warn, my hands moving to her waist, "there's no going back. I don't do halfway. I don't share. I don't let go."

[Bookshelf ִ🪽་༘ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2⭐️
->rtc

[Mara Cătălina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well this sucked :)))

[Jessica Stueber · Rating 5 out of 5]

He Sees You
By Elizabeth Knox
(12/29/25)
5⭐️
3🌶️
🔘Erotic Horror
🔘Psychological Thriller
🔘Dark Romance
🔘Horror

Celeste Sterling is a dark romance writer, who currently has a case of writer’s block. She decides to go back home for the holidays to get some inspiration. Little does she realize how “inspired” she is going to become when she meets a man who should be one of the characters in her book. The lines between good and bad get fuzzy along the way and not everyone is who you think!

This book was dark and thrilling! It kept me captivated and guessing constantly! The enfing was amazing! I hope this series continues as there is much to still learn about these characters. Narration in this book was fantastic!

Thank you to Blue Nose for providing me with an advanced listening copy in exchange for my honest review.

Tropes:
👺 Serial Killer
🦹 Crime
🌶️ Erotica
💀 Death

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m half and half with this, didn’t hate it but also didn’t love it. Can a book be friendzoned? That’s probably the level I’m at tbh. I’m giving 4 stars mainly cause the narration was really good.

I liked the concept, Dark Romance writer who’s looking for inspiration for her upcoming book but finds something more, and she likes it. It’s definitely got some dark, twisted, and at times gory aspects to it; there’s a part that brings a whole new meaning to the term D***head, but there were quite a few times where I was just listening more for the noise than the story because there were too many predictable moments and parts of the storyline where I thought “ why does this sound like it’s trying to be… (insert book title here)” Even with that tho I still found myself listening to the end because I needed to know what happened. It’s definitely a good listen to pass the time with and the narration was done very well.

[Alina]

DNF at 68%

The beginning started off great, but it felt too rushed. By the middle of the book the main plot felt finished and the book kept trying to find something new to make the plot. The romance was nice but very surface level. They weren't together long enough to form an actual connection and all of a sudden they're engaged. It all just felt pretty mid.

[A79senlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book due to its fulfillment of my hallowed book trinity: cover, blurb and trigger warnings. If those three things sing to me, I’m sold.

There were some great moments here, but many others played a discordant note for me. The inconsistent timing of events, for example, drove me batty, and there were too many instances of the details not matching. To mention just a few (SPOILERS):

🔪 Cain says early in the book that Juliette was at Columbia (University) when their parents died, but later says Juliette was 13 and at a sleepover.
💋 Cain says his kiss is not like those “romantic kisses she probably writes about,” but he’s read every word she’s ever written, so there should be no “probably.”
👮‍♀️ With as meticulous as Cain is, how did he not consider that Jake could have been somewhere else (with witnesses) during the murders?
🛏️ Did Celeste have two “childhood bedrooms?” When she comes home, she’s staying in one, but when that becomes a crime scene, she moves to another one.
🚗 Cain says he can identify people’s cars by their engine noise, but when he and Celeste are together and they hear a car, he asks if it’s her father — he should already know it’s not.
💍 The state detective refers to Celeste as “Mrs. Lockwood” before he finds out that she married Cain.

Some things just flat-out made no sense to me, such as:

💋 “I kiss her forehead, tasting salt from tears she won't let fall.” Very pretty picture, but not physically possible.
🎁 How did Celeste’s dad know about the gifts?
🔪 Why did Cain lie to Celeste about not killing the female victims? He’s honest about everything else.
🧐 How do these people research and plan elaborate schemes in a matter of hours?
⁉️ The one that bothers me the most: Why on earth did Sterling show up at the wedding? Why did he agree to make the phone calls they demanded he make? And why did he then wait around to be killed?! He had ample opportunities to either escape or kill himself, but he just did whatever they said and hung around until it was his turn to be murdered.

Lest you think there was nothing I liked, I can tell you there is some lovely prose to be found, particularly some of the passages Celeste writes for her book. The characters were interesting and it held my attention throughout. The bones are there (no pun intended); the book just needs more editing.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Alexandria Segura · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️| 🎧 Audio: 5⭐ (DUET!)

First , as always thank you to Blue Nose Audio for the ALC.

The audio was a full 5/5 and absolutely carried this experience. Duet narration is always a win, and Joe Arden is a pleasure to listen to. I would happily consume anything he narrates. Amanda Willow also did an incredible job and complemented him perfectly.

As for the story itself: it wasn’t bad, but it felt like things moved very quickly..from just meeting to being together, and I never fully connected with the characters. That said, the ending was packed with twists, reveals, and surprises, and it definitely made up for what the book may have been lacking earlier.

And let’s talk about Jake’s punishment 👏👏
That was insane, unforgettable, and honestly incredible. A unicorn? If you know, you know.

I also really appreciate stories that feature vigilante-style justice, especially when it comes to taking down truly vile people.

Overall, a solid listen -elevated by phenomenal narration and a wild ending.

[Wendy Livingstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first in a new series, and this is Celeste and Cain’s story.
Celeste is a writer about killers, but she has daddy issues and is suffering from writer’s block. Cain is a killer, who has been following Celeste since before she published her first book. Celeste heads back to where she grew up seeking inspiration, and where her dad is the towns sheriff. Celeste spends 23 days being hunted by a man who makes her fictional characters look like choir boys.
This is a well written easy to read, action packed story, with family dynamics, friendships, emotions, surprises, danger, suspense, intrigue, secrets, obsession, touch her and die vibes, undeniable chemistry, and love, which leads to an entertaining, twisted, and unpredictable, dark Christmas romance.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Paige (wingsandsmut) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved listening to this audio and it was a quick dark romance book to enjoy!! There’s some suspense and twists and I ate it up! The audiobook performed in duet by Amanda Willow & Joe Arden and they both did a lovely job at narrating this. The intensity of certain scenes really came through and I just wanted to keep listening. There’s action, suspense, spice, complicated relationships, and instant chemistry between Cain & Celeste. If you want a quick and spicy dark romance, definitely add this to your list!

What to expect
-stalker
-obsessive/possessive
-serial killer
-small town
-forced proximity
-touch her and die
-morally grey

Thank you to Elizabeth Knox & Blue Nose Audio for letting me listen & review an ALC of this book.

[Clary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook version and I really enjoyed this one. The idea of an author getting inspiration back in her small hometown to write these dark romance stories was perfect. I loved the way Celeste wrote, her own words impactful and dark. The chemistry between Celeste and Cain was undeniable. Their romance was exquisitely dark, and exactly what I was looking for. Cain is the exact definition of morally grey, and I love how they ended up banding together against the "truly evil ones". The plot is definitely full of twists and turns, and it's full of suspense mixed with the perfect amount of spice. There were some inconsistencies in the story but I felt like they were minor enough that it didn't detract from my enjoyment of it. The narration by Joe Arden and Amanda Willow was phenomenal. Joe was this way of bringing these dark characters to life that ends up with me wanting more and more. And Amanda brought the perfect balance of emotions to the story.

[Lisa Baker-Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

He Sees You
by Elizabeth Knox
251 pages
7/16 - 7/16
Kindle/Audio Immersive
3.75/5⭐️
4/5🌶️
4.5/5🔪

Well now- what a Christmas story! A dark romance writer travels to her hometown in hopes of shaking off her writer's block. Her father, the sheriff, tells her about a string of suspicious murders.... and in a matter of a few days, she is being stalked. Her publicist's brother lives in the town and is the town outcast. He is suspected in the suspicious murders. Lots of trigger warnings in this one.... stalking, child trafficking, attempted rape, murder, small town cover-ups.... and the list goes on. I liked this one.... and I will read more by this author.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

The amount of highlights I put in this book is crazy! 250 pages jam packed with darkness, passion, twists and action. I had to pick my jaw up off the floor when I was done!
This is definitely one for those who love DARK romance and Christmas!

The moments in Chapter 17....chokehold, absolute choke hold.

"love and violence were not opposites but dance partners, moving together in terrible harmony."

[Eliza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook 5⭐️
Spice 2 🌶️
Story 4 ⭐️

He Sees You by Elizabeth Knox is a Dark Romance Christmas Novella. This is a very fast pace stalker, serial unaliver with dark themes novella. The story starts with our FMC who is a writer and lost her spark, in order to regain it , she goes back to her roots, where a complicated past and a stalker awaits. This story is very eventful, Cain & Celeste are made for each other, filled with delicious spice, action and suspense.
Audiobook: is a duet style narration by Amanda Willow and Joe Arden did an amazing job embodying the characters and brining them to life. If you are looking for a quick, delicious , obsessive, possessive MMC with Joe Arden’s Voice, this one is for you. Amanda did amazing for Celeste, she is a feisty FMC that grows in her own even more and biting the darkness to the surface, voicing her to perfection.
Thank you Blue Nose and Elizabeth for this amazing opportunity, experiencing this amazing adventure!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is absolutely pack with drama action
suspense steam and darkness.
The plot was interesting and grab my attention
and the characters had depth to them.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kalene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story took me on a journey I wasn't expecting!!! I am so glad I picked this up and read it! It was amazing it had me going insane at times but I was here for it all. I can't wait to read more by this author!!!!

[Alaina Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joe Arden will always make a book fantastic. The FMC narration was not my favorite. I did really like the story though. It was a good quick and dark book. Made me giggle inappropriately at times 🤣 the unicorn part killed me

[Jumping to Conclusions with ZellaBee · Rating 2 out of 5]

ZellaBee Rating: You Had One Job! (Had Potential but Repetition & Continuity Sucked the Life Out of It)

(Audible): Joe Arden & Amanda Willow ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Summary: If the Beast Was a Hot Murderer Who Was Dreadfully Predictable in Bed

👩🏻‍💻 Celeste’s Backstory 📜
👮🏻‍♂️Her father is the respected Sheriff in the town she grew up in.
👩🏻Her mother left when she was 10 years old. She tried to take Celeste with her and divorce him but he couldn’t let that happen. He murdered her mother telling his daughter that she left them for another man, still wearing his wedding ring.
🗑️When she was 17, a QB named Jake Bower was always sniffing around her. He tried to take her to a party and she refused driving herself. He followed and cornered her in a bathroom, shoving his hands up her skirt until she threw a beer in his face with everyone watching. He’s not only held a grudge against her ever since, he’s been obsessed with her.

🧔‍♂️Cane’s Backstory 📜
👧🏻🧒🏻 He & his younger sister Juliet were born to Michael & Sara Reeves. Their mother was a recovering heroin addict and their father made a bad investment that had him 300k in debt to a loan shark. In exchange for the money owed, Michael sold their 3-years old Juliet and 5-year old Cane and by the time Sara found out they were already sold off. She worked tirelessly to find them, making several police reports that were buried and trying as hard as she could.
👹They were “adopted” by rich philanthropists, Richard and Patricia Lockwood, church people and pillars of the community. Really they were drug addicts, loan sharks, child abusers, child traffickers and pieces of human shit. Their father owed Richard money and he adopted the as purchases
🪦Michael was murdered first because he knew too much. Sara was murdered due to her efforts to find and bring back her children 3 years after they were sold out from under her. Celeste’s father helped make it look like they were car accidents.
🤕The beatings Richard inflicted on him and his sister started when he was 8 years old. Patricia would watch and play Bach on the piano like a fucking psycho, sometimes participating.
💀 They decided to send him to military school after Cane fought back at 17 to protect Juliet. He waited for it to be cold enough for them to close the windows, sealed them from the outside and their bedroom door, cutting the but gas line. By the time they woke up, it was too late. Died screaming and trying to get out as he watched from outside. That was 20 yrs ago, was ruled an accident, and were his first kills.
🎁He came back to town 5 years ago reclaiming the property he earned from his shitty childhood. He inherited it all, the land, money and the house they grew up in that he let rot. Juliet didn’t want any of it becoming an editor in NY city instead. He built a cabin on the land instead and is constantly gossiped about despite him being a recluse they hardly see.

Celeste Sterling (31) writes dark romance novels that have become entirely too safe for her management team. Where are the men willing to completely disregard your autonomy, agency, and ability to say “No/Stop/Don’t” Celeste! No one wants a man that asks permission anymore. Celeste is bored, sexually unsatisfied, and sick of men-it happens, but her next book is supposed to be coming out soon and her reviews are shit. Netflix and a movie deal are on the line damnit.

Juliet, her editor and best friend suggests she gets back to her roots and Celeste takes this as a sign to go back to the mountains she grew up on. Despite the fact that her father called her and told her not to come home this holiday season because some women have come up missing. As she’s leaving, Juliet mentions to her that her older brother Cane lives there and is confident that the fresh air may do her good.

Cane Lockwood (32-34), tall, grey eyes, longish black hair (think Michael with darker hair and lighter eyes from the original Le Femme Nikita iykyk) He hunts, plays violin, has voice of a smooth criminal and has been off-ing motherfuckers left and right for the last 4.5 years. Don’t worry it’s the usual suspects of a man who spent his childhood powerless before deciding he never would be again: bullies, rapists, abusers, etc. He has all of Celeste’s books: advanced copies, drafts she never published, blogs, HS and college papers. He keeps pictures, knows her favorite books and movements, a thorough stalker with a direct pipeline to information…his sister.

Juliet essentially feeds him an obsession on a platter. An obsession that should be back in his town in less than 2 days after 2 years. After his most recent kill we found out about his murder room where he keeps his trophies. Then, the room within the room he uses as a shrine dedicated to Celeste. He hears on the police scanner that they just found the mother that was selling her 12 year-old daughter to grown men with a page from Celeste’s debut novel on her.

He’s preparing to go after his next victim Roy, a drifter that has been watching her father‘s house waiting. Celeste realizes her father is scared. Truly scared. While NOTHING else has changed about his home, including her preserved kids room, he got new locks on the doors, a security system and has a detail team watching the house around the clock. He tells her about the murders and the book page while Cane plays the violin in the woods.

The next night, Cane runs up against Roy in a tree just far enough and high up in a tree to watch and photograph her through her bedroom window. Cane sneaks up the tree and knocks him unconscious taking him down like a sac of potato’s dragging him to a platform to begin his work. In his bag he finds pictures, copies of her books he stole from the prison library with creepy doodles and notes, and fan fiction pertaining to her. It’s disturbing but not as disturbing as his drivers license collection of women he’s raped over the last 12 years. The most recent was a girl he grabbed 3 weeks after he got out of prison, that both looked like Celeste and was also a student in the same school and major as she was.

When Roy wakes Cane tortures him slicing open his chest stringing him upside with his intestines spread out like garlands and shoves a deer head inside his open cavity. All while he was still alive, fun. He leaves the trophies and a quote from another of Celeste’s books behind. The next day, Celeste finds a raven feather and heads into town managing to meet Cane amongst all the nosey town folk.

By the time Celeste gets back home, she finds a first edition of her favorite book Rebecca in her room with a note even with the door and windows locked with no sign of tampering. Her father goes to see Cane with Jake, now a Deputy in tow to ask where he was last night. Jake starts mouthing off about how Celeste was an anti-social uppity bitch proving he’s was watching her back then. He’s also been a Twitter Warrior for her for years against anyone that criticizes her books, and writing posts that are borderline creepy in support on her authors page.

Next, Cane leaves a skeleton key, a deleted passage from her draft of her 1st book and a photo that Roy took of her through her bedroom window. Then he watches as Jake comes by trying all the doors and windows for a way into the house that won’t trip the alarm. When he can’t find one he takes out a notepad and sketches the locking mechanism. The next day he shows up drunk at 10AM at the house pushing past her to get inside and confront her about the past, making sure to rewrite history along the way. In his mind he DID drive her to that party and only tried to KISS her when SHE freaked out and embarrassed him by throwing her drink in his face.

He whines about being drunk and young, that her backless dress was the invitation so he followed her upstairs. Her clear “get away from me” was a cock tease. Now he feels validated in the possibility of forcing her due to what she writes (common theme throughout). Then he switches tactics going for the fake apology and desperately stating that they’d be good together and he could give her a normal life. She slaps the taste out of his mouth when he asks her who is going to protect her from him now. He leaves and she drives to see Cane.

He admits to leaving the presents and killing Roy to protect her. He gives her a key to his cabin if she needs somewhere safe, warns her that Jake is escalating, and that her father is too preoccupied to notice. Then there’s the little detail that all the deputies in town have keys to her fathers cabin…so lock her bedroom door tonight. Good advice because like some form of drunk, rapist magic, Jake makes it into her house making such confident moves even while inebriated that it’s clear he’s practiced. Celeste doesn’t hesitate. She jumps out of the window, spraining her ankle and cutting her leg. Cane is able to distract Jake for a bit so she could make it to his cabin.

When Jake finally makes it to the cabin, Cane’s shows him the footage of him. She spends the night at the cabin so he can keep her safe and with no sex. The next morning she goes to her coffee and runs into her father after Roy’s body was found. He seems adamant that Cane did this and she defends him either way. After he leaves, she finds a note from Cane to meet him at midnight while JuJu tells her to be careful with him. She finds out about Rebecca, a girl who was a dating a guy named David that tended to rape unconscious women and make it look consensual. Cane warned her and she didn’t believe him until he showed her video. She dated Cane for a bit after that but when he cut the ex’s brake line killing him to keep her safe, she got scared and decided to leave which he didn’t fight. She’s now married with kids. At midnight, Cane shows her Jake’s file littered with complaints that her father made go away. After some incredibly unpleasant sex IMO her father comes looking for her and she escapes out the back door to make it look like she was on a night hike. In the following days, he decides to suspend Jake and that pisses him off enough to come looking for Celeste again. Drunk.

He breaks a window and chases her upstairs kicking her door in. She tries to fight back, he hits her multiple times even punching her in the face before attempting to rape her so Cane won’t want her. Cane shows up breaking both arms, legs and every finger before stabbing him in each of his eyes and cutting off his dick with a filet knife. While he’s sewing the pathetic cock to his forehead, Celeste cuts the artery in his neck that lets him bleed out slow. Deputies show up questioning him before Sterling makes it and when he does he tackles Cane throwing punches. When Daddy Dearest tries to talk to Celeste, asks how many cases he covered up for Jake. 7 in 6 years talking about the Jake like he was a troubled youth with no father.

She packs up to go stay with Cane, threatening that if Sterling tries to stop her she will tell everyone about the cases he buried esp the 17 year old girl Jake assaulted. He told the girl she would ruin her life if she went through the complaint, that Jake made a mistake but had a promising future. Fucker🖕🏾! JuJu shows up and tells them that she came back the night Cain killed their adopted parents and thanks him since she never has before. She also tells us how she met Jake last year at a Christmas party where he corners her and said she looked like a more “attainable Celeste”. Said he should try Juliet on since Celeste was “to proud to fuck a real man”. With that she set all this up for Cain and Celeste to meet so they wouldn’t be lonely, but also kill Jake.

Now they have a new problem, that’s why Juliet is here. A state police office Det. Morrison is on the case and gunning for Cane. He got sloppy on one of his other kills so now they have reasonable doubt. She found out when one of her authors recognized Morrison on the news about Jake’s murder. He’s been known to “sample” the girls before they were sold so he’s gotta go ASAP. Cain asks Celeste to marry him She says yes, planning for JuJu to officiate at the abandoned house on Christmas Eve (the date Cain and Juliet were adopted).

Sheriff Sterling shows up and JuJu threatens him with the recording that the 17-yr old he made withdraw her complaint made of their conversation. She’s had it in her back pocket for 2 years and is prepared to use it to protect her brother. JuJu says she has a tell all exposé coming out tomorrow afternoon so they either need to disappear or kill Morrison. She gives them poison to use so it looks like a heart failure and his schedule to a T (go Juliet!). She leaves and C&C have surprisingly terrible sex in the woods (I can’t believe that made even THIS terrible). They decide to catch him on his morning run. Everything goes as planned but they find out something’s before he dies:

😦Celeste’s father founded the human trafficking ring 30 years ago taking Richard Lockwood on as a partner 10 years later. Their home was the first touch point for the kids before they were sold off. There is evidence on the property in a shed that was used as an office that it turns out Sterling has been maintaining well over the years.
😧The evidence was the info on Cain and Juliet’s parents, pictures of children in the Lockwood house as “catalog photos” to show clients. Theres a contract with Sterling’s signature to provide safe passage for 10k a month with addendums to protect players and buyers. There are photos of Sterling with young unconscious girls as young as 10 and a ledger of clients.
😮 There’s a new shipment coming this Christmas Eve with girls and Sterling made an order to purchase a 16/17 year old with the specifications that she had to be a virgin and look exactly like his daughter! When Cain confronts him, she learns the truth. He swears he never touched HER. She sees town articles with photos of her with Sterling (she’s 5-11) at what were called “hunting parties” where she sees men leering at her, giving her gifts and praising her-grooming her. When her mom left he stopped putting her on display.

Celeste tells him to walk her down the aisle at her wedding then disappear. Juliet brings the survivor writer with her back to town to help stop the shipment coming in and kill the buyers/traffickers as well as an arsenal of weapons. She gives Celeste Patricia’s dress to go with her ring for the wedding along with smaller weapons that look like jewelry (im in love with her).

Wedding Night: Sterling shows up drunk threatening to kill Cain and make it look like an accident. Pathetic. He asks Cain to take care of her before all the weird murdery vows are exchanged along with pitch black wedding rings. They bail to meet the shipment showing up early and finding that he had a room set up to recreate her childhood room for the girl he brought. He even saved clothes she thought she donated as a teenager to give to the “new her”. She almost shoots him right there.

The girls arrive, some unconscious. They murder the guys and hide the girls before waiting inside for the buyers. Judge from family court. Town pediatrician. Youth Group Priest (shocker). High school couch. The most shocking was Celeste’s 3rd grade teacher who admitted without any remorse that she taught the girls how to behave and trained them how to please. When she says it didn’t matter because they were already damaged when they arrived, Celeste unloads an entire clip into her. She and Cain fuck then go home to spend their first night as a married couple. Juliet comes by to show them more people that need killing and they make a plan to take this show on the road. She plans to use all of it for content for her books hiding in plain sight. Her latest book about killing her father blows up and she’s back on top of her writing game again.

What Survives the Jump: 👩🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏻
👏🏾How Cane murders Roy, the stalker rapist slowly and painfully.
🤜The story of how he beat the bricks off a senior who was bullying a freshmen in HS until he almost needed to be hospitalized. Took 3 teachers to pull him off. Now THATS some sexy shit.
🍾Cane throwing shade at Celeste’s writing saying trying to make it palatable to the masses is turning his sister into a drunk.
🔑Celeste keeping the key to Cane’s place and her giving him one to hers.
🙌🏾Finally! A strong heroine. Capping your 3rd grade teacher and slitting throats. Love her. JuJu came in strong too.

Here’s What Doesn’t Make It: i.e Shit I Never Want to See/Hear Again💩
😶Phrase/Words (emphasis on the most annoying): COST MORE THAN, brilliant, perhaps, BLOOD, I SHOULD be/tell/call my father, but instead, gothic, SALVATION, MY WHOLE LIFE, intense, PRIMAL, one thrust, FILL ME, MARK ME, There’s a difference, MOTH TO A FLAME, KILLER, CLAIM, WORSHIP, DARK/DARKNESS, reverence, MARKED, pre-cum, HARDER, equals, BEG, CONSUME, case closed town safe, vengeance, the scar through his/her eyebrow
🥴Why is Juliet still referring to Richard and Patricia as their parents?
🙄 The sex is absolutely TERRIBLE! Not only is it carbon copy in each differing location, it’s also too rushed and overly rough. Just unsatisfying as hell.
😖Both this book and the one Celeste is writing is heavy handed and cringe.
🤦🏻‍♀️Celeste asking Juliet about her parents like a nosey bitch knowing that she has literally never mentioned them in all the time she’s known her.
🫢Celeste knew her father was deep seated trash otherwise she would have told him about what happened with Jake either back then or recently.
😩The way the female narrator says “pussy” made me shudder. PINEAPPLES
🍆Hitting her cervix? Too rough PINEAPPLES
🧽Joe Arden saying the word “spongey” describing sex PINEAPPLES!

NEW SEGMENT: What I Would Have Done Differently 🤔
💭 There should’ve been better editing to avoid the repetition as well as continuity problem between when and at what ages Cane and Juliet were at various crucial points in the story.
💭How is it that they all lived in the same small town, Jake remembers Cane from HS (with Jake being 2 years ahead of Celeste in school) but Celeste didn’t know him or Juliet?
💭 It would’ve been nice to know how Celeste’s mom found out about the trafficking ring.
💭They could have let us hear how Celeste killed her father in the end. It was a less satisfying ending without it.
💭 Celeste’s and Cane‘s thought processes are entirely too similar. It makes entirely unrealistic and repetitive.
💭What about the mayor’s wife that the Sheriff had an affair with 10 years prior to the story starting who conveniently died in a car accident? Did he have her murdered?
💭The preserved girls room in their house while Celeste slept in her “teenage angst” room is more suspicious now at the end. Was that because he had already purchased another Celeste copy before and kept her there? Or was it just prep?
💭There’s a common theme of 17 year old girls in this book. Celeste was 17 when Jake tried her, the girl he eventually did assault and her father swept under the rug was the same age, and the girl her father “purchased” to replace her is the same age. It is a bit of a common age for this kind of trauma-i should know.
💭Another throw away line. When Sheriff Sterling and Jake go to see Cane the first time and mention another killing but Cane thinks to himself it’s not one of his. Who killed that person?!
💭 They should have connected the fact that Jake had to leave community college with these allegations as it would make sense. He seems like a typical frat boy.

[Ebony · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was … not good.

Spoilers ahead!!!

I gave it a second star only because the concept was strong. The execution, however, left something to be desired.

This book was somehow both too long and too short at the same time if that makes sense.

The fun part (for me personally) about a dark romance is the build up of tension between the MCs. The scary “who is watching me” part, to the discovery of who the MMC is and loving them anyway. But this book fast tracks that part, so they are in love at lightning speed. That’s the part of the book that should take up space, however it’s over by the midpoint and we are left with a hundred plus pages of them fighting corruption in their town.

Also, and this is not something I ever thought I’d be able to say about a book featuring a serial killer fighting a trafficking ring, but this was painfully boring. It came across as weirdly repetitive and cheesy at times. And it just seemed to drag on and on. Like I get it, you’re going to be traveling killers forever, your father’s a bad person, this is who you were always meant to be … great.

Lastly, this book had some continuity issues that were hard to ignore.

In all, I did not enjoy this book and had to force myself to finish it. I’ve noticed that a lot of others seem to love it though, so maybe it’s just me!

[Jamie Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had great potential. I absolutely LOVE the concept of a dark romance author going to her hometown to find inspiration for a new book only to get her own vigilante serial ☠️ stalker. Love it!
However, it was extremely fast paced with no give of time line... it seems like they were head over heels in love within a day. There were a lot of repetitiveness (I swear everything was "pale", eyes, hair, skin, on both MCs). And there were several inconsistencies along with the fact that the FMC seemed to know things about the MMC before it was even shared with her.

[Andrea Nicholson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Genuinely shocked this book has so many 4 & 5 star reviews as this was a pile of hot garbage. At times the warmth was nice, at other times it was simply garbage.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

He Sees You is the first book in the Dark Holiday Series. A full-length standalone novel with no cheating or cliffhanger and complete with a happily-ever-after. A dark thriller writer returns home to find herself hunted by an obsessive serial killer who knows her work intimately. The hunter has become obsessed.The author is about to become his. And Daddy dearest? He's about to become family with a serial killer. 'Tis the season for a dark romance that will ruin you for safe men and happy endings. Warning: Contains a morally black hero who believes consent is negotiable and murder is foreplay. This is Cain and Celeste story which is told from a dual point of view. A well done story with two flawed and damage individuals and a twisty and complex storyline that grabs audience attention from the start and keeps you riveted and turning the pages. An unputdownable and absorbing read.
A psychological thriller story, serial killer story, contemporary romance, touch-her-and-die romance, protective alpha hero romance, morally-grey dark antio-hero story, holiday romance, dark romance, mountain man story, romantic suspense story, forced proximity romance, polar opposite attracts story, insta-love romance, insta-everything, lust-at-first-sight romance, stalker romance, obsessive/possessive alpha hero story, return home story, small town romance with violence, fear, possessiveness, obsession, danger, power play, bloodshed, attacks, threats, dominance, submission, angst, push and pull, survival, dirty talking, power and control, revelations, lies, resilience, deep dark hidden secrets, mystery, suspense, passion, family, action, return to hometown, drama, manipulation, darkness, madness, surprising twists and turns, losses, understanding, shocking truths, friendship, grief, loyalty, deception, spice, love and so much more.
Celeste Sterling is a best selling serial killer author, she writes about killers. Her last book didn't go well with her readers. Her editor wants her work to be same as her earlier work if not more darker. She's having writer's block for her next novel and her editor and best friend, Juliette suggested that she should go back to her hometown of Adirondack and maybe she would get some inspiration. Juliette as brother name Cain who has moved back home in the mountains of Adirondack at their decease parents home. Cain is a weird, damaged, broken, and dangerous recluse who is an obsessive fan turn killer of Celeste. He has manipulated everything in order to bring back Celeste home. His sister Juliette has given every copy of Celeste books and he as turned all her fictions into reality. She went home for writer's block but when she leaves her hometown again she'll leave with blood on her hands and a monster's ring on her finger. Her dad is the sheriff of their little town and when the murders started happening he believes that it was Cain, the mountain man who plays his violin.
When Celeste dad learn that she was coming home he had some reservations because of the numerous murders that had occurred and he couldn't solve. Celeste thought that she understood darkness, after all she's made millions writing it. But there's a difference between typing he's dangerous and having danger learn your daily routine. Between writing touch-her-and-die and watching him make that promise literal. There's a monster in town stalking Celeste and killing people and Cain does everything in his power to protect her and his town. Cain see Celeste as his soul mate and a kindred spirit. Cain is working from the shadows dealing with the town's monster. And he was also leaving her small gifts daily that also boost her confidence. At the end they would learn a lot and the killer would shock and surprise them. A great start to the series.

I received an advanced copy of this book via Booksprout and I am voluntarily leaving a review.