Monique: A Romantic Thriller

by E.J. Wood

Can love exist in the shadows?
Count to ten, little bird. Count to ten.

Monique knows someone is watching her. She feels it in the pauses, the silences, the way life is slowly tightening around her. Someone calls her little bird. Someone believes she needs protecting. Someone believes she belongs in a cage.

He tells himself it's love. He tells himself it's for her own safety. But obsession doesn't need permission.

When a struggling author moves into Shadow Brook manor, she believes she's found the perfect inspiration: a quiet place filled with secrets, shadows, and stories begging to be told. The deeper she digs, the more tangled the truth becomes - until she can no longer tell whether she's uncovering a dangerous obsession...or becoming part of it.

Because some love stories aren't romances. Some are psychological traps. And some stories are too dangerous to write until it's already too late.

A dark, twisty psychological thriller about obsession, control, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive.

Contains original art

Unknown Binding

About the author

Wood is just a storyteller!
E.J. Wood is a British writer of dark romance and thrillers with imperfect, morally grey characters. Stories that kiss you sweetly before they tear you apart, luring you in with tenderness and leaving you breathless in ruins.

Her often comical experiences of life in Spain encouraged her to write her *Get Spained* memoirs.

Her GET SPAINED series has been featured in The EuroWeekly, a leading English-language newspaper in Spain, and her historical thriller series, the Landon mysteries highlighted in Sussex World in the UK, drawing attention across international media.

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Reviews

[Rebecca Charlesworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bit of something different from the author and boy it works. The story is told through our three main characters Monique, Victoria and Damien.
Monique had a turbulent childhood which has led her in to a dark adulthood. Monique inherits her uncles mansion and with her friend Victoria move in. All starts out well but it’s not too long before the darkness ascends, can she really trust Victoria and who is Damian the masked man, where did he come from what does he want.

[Sweetpea4me · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shadow Brook Manor was a fun place to be. I liked all the different pov. The fact she was a serial k!ller and he a masked man added to the thrill factor and was so sultry. I think I found a new genre I like!

[Vicsta Dolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Monique is introduced in the prologue in court in front of a judge who has just convicted her of murder.

As Monique faces a 7 year stretch, she tells how she was recruited to work for The Firm at 14, of her mother’s dark character and how she was raised in a village of villains.

Monique has been left a Manor House by her Uncle Adrian and while travelling there she dreams of what awaits her. What are the dark secrets hidden within the manor?

Damian is a dark masked character. Who is he and what is his past and what is his motive?

The author uses really good descriptive writing especially around the Manor House, which has a creepy vibe. The story is written from 3 main protagonists points of view; Monique, Victoria and Damien who are all individually brilliant characters.

Monique is a story of dark sexual obsession, jealousy and dominance, danger and desire. There are some fantastic twists in the book and a great ending which made me gasp. The book is also accompanied by some great art work. Another fab book by this author and an easy 5 star from me.

[Vanessa Eline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first book I have read by E.J. Woods, it did not disappoint!
The story is told from 3 different POV’s & was easy to follow.
The story most definitely had some twists I didn’t see coming and kept me wanting to read the story to see how things finished

I did expect a little spice than it had but overall this book was absolutely worth the read.

I will be recommending it to my friends!

[Kristi Guthrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review time!

Monique by E.J. Wood

👀👀😊 A thriller that captures characters that had me going WTF many times. All three have some serious plans in their minds.

Meet jealousy and obsession, and minds of darkness twisted with LUST.
READERS The manipulation put into PLAY is strong here. Check out Monique who knows her game very well. Look at Victoria and the betrayal with lies that center her in the middle. 😮

Holy Crap the pages turn in deception and secrets that burn brightly. BUT it’s Damien that had my toes curling! The MASKED and dangerous YET protective guy who has you shivering throughout this book. ❤️

Wanton sex and mind-blowing games all within Shadow Brook Manor! They didn’t miss a beat with the Shadow part at all.

The Romance leads to twists and gives these pages a bit of it all.

The words that fill my mind and tempt the reader is “Being Owned” in such a wicked way

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for the scheming, and OH the detailed paragraphs! The plot that unravels leaving the reader stringing along AND the Ending that leaves you breathless.

Yes indeed! Dark romance thriller here. I don’t read much romance BUT this Bold Dominant Guy hit my buttons.

Highly recommended!

[The Book Ssirren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal! Another awesome book. I absolutely loved Monique. talk about twists all over the place. This one is so different from Taunting Tarran.
I loved how original this was. it was dark and wicked. Not like anything I've read before. I loved how each character had a very descriptive role. they were all very much a part of the book. no one stood in the shadows in this one. and that really made this book stand out.
I can't wait to read more from E. J. Wood. Every book so far has been amazing.

[Ambreezy83 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was different but in the best way. She turns the serial unaliver meets serial unaliver trope and makes it her own. I appreciated the fresh take in this dark thriller. The sexual tension between the MCs is palpable and keeps you turning those page. I haven’t read many dark thrillers but I really enjoyed this read.

[Zoe E · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely devoured this tonight.
Told from 3 different POV.
The Manor has a creepy vibe and the author does a great job at being descriptive.
There were some twists, which tbh the main one I did see coming. But it was still a good read.
This is my first book by this author but will be looking out for others.

[emma]

Monique is a tale of jealousy and sexual obsession. It’s told from the point of view of the three main characters.
Monique is an ex con who has now found herself living in a newly inherited mansion, she’s asked her friend Victoria to join her as she tries to find her way in a world greatly changed after seven years inside. Victoria is an author who on the surface is Monique’s friend but she has huge issues with jealousy towards her friend. Damien is a masked man whose obsession with Monique is a big part of the story.
As much as this book wasn’t to my taste I can appreciate the authors ability to weave a story well told and Wood had the ability to paint a good mental image.

[Jesika Nankiville · Rating 1 out of 5]

0.5 / 5 ⭐️
0.5 / 5 🌶️
Method: KU 👩🏼‍💻

I’m sorry but WTF was that?!

I liked the premise of it, but the writing was lacking. The story that was there, jumped around so much, that you had no idea what the hell was going on..

Now my first issue, was she released from prison as she served her 7 years, or did she escape? Cos it read like she escaped, but then no one came after her?!? Surely this shouldn’t have been so confusing within the first couple of pages!?

Then one scene - the FMC is “having a w@nk” by lifting her leg to the bedside table and “battering her baked bean” whilst she stared at her sleeping best friend…… like wtf?!

Oh ok.. now I love my dark romance, but for the MMC to not even touch this other woman that he finds repulsive, trying not to puke on her, to then forcing 4 fingers in her, then f*sting in ONE sentence and perhaps 10secs of real time….. yeah nope….. it’s not good.

And what topped it off for me, was when the FMC woke up in the middle of the night, look out the window and say “judging by the moons position, it’s about 3am”…….. you can’t tell the time from the moon!!! That’s the sun, ya muppet!

I really wanted to DNF this, but with a 4+ ⭐️ on Goodreads, I thought something miraculous was going to happen.. nope..

Sorry if you enjoyed it, but I just didn’t get it at all ☹️

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star Rating : 4.75 / 5 Stars

POV : 3 POV

Protagonist: Monique Morgan

Spice: 7/10

Triggers: Yes - read page summary at the beginning

Opinion:

Definitely in my top 10 reads for 2024. I absolutely loved feisty Monique, she's a force to be reckoned with. I love how she takes no prisoners but also has a vulnerable side. Totally understand where she is coming from. This book gave me all the creepy vibes I'd expect from a dark romance/thriller. Loved the secondary storyline seamlessly woven in. What a character.

[Mandy Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by E.J. Wood! I think this book wasn’t quite a 4 star read but was better than 3 stars for me personally.
The chapters were very short. I love short chapters but these felt almost too short. I would have enjoyed the chapters to have been a little bit more in depth but this is just my opinion!
There was also very minimal spice which isn’t something you would expect when diving into a dark romance book.
Overall I felt that the characters and story itself were both great! I think it’s worth the read!

[Carol Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monique is a tale of jealousy and obsession. An ex-con, she now finds herself living in a mansion inherited from her uncle and invites her friend Victoria to move in. She’s trying to navigate a world that has changed drastically after seven years in prison. Victoria, an author, appears to be Monique’s friend but secretly harbors deep jealousy toward her. Damien, a masked man, is consumed by his obsession with Monique, playing a major role in the story. Told from the perspectives of the three main characters, it’s dark, spicy, and something a little different.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monique

This was the first book I have read from this author, and I have to say she is an awesome writer. This story kept me on my toes the whole book. This book had so many twists that I couldn't put it down . It's a very good book.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as an ARC, and this review is my own.
Dark, funny rom-com that's deliciously mental. I loved the multiple POV. This is a story of obsession, betrayal and wicked.

[Siobhan Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Other than the fact it wasn’t that much of a dark romance book it was ok. I was expecting a lot more “spice” as it states dark romance..
but overall the story was ok..

[TrishAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monique inherits a house from her uncle. It was supposed to be her second chance at life. Little does she know life has other plans.
After moving her friend Victoria in things go sideways.
If your looking for something dark with great banter between the three main characters look no further.