Axe to Grind

Gnarly Pines Duet #1

by M.T. Addams

They’re axe wielding, flannel-wearing psychopaths… and I can’t get enough of them.

As the daughter of an infamous hitman—living in the shadows meant survival.

But when trouble finds and chases me up into the mountains of Pennsylvania, into the arms of my dad’s best friend and his three roommates, I quickly learn what darkness truly is.

These four men are meant to protect me, instead I’m drowning in their sins.

Between playing Rhett and Santiago’s murderous games to accepting Wes’s possessive stake over my body, I know I’m in trouble. Yet, it’s the undeniable, insidious whisper of a forbidden desire constantly taunting me and Leader that confirms I’m willing to sink into an unholy level of depravity to sate the hunger simmering in my veins.

Falling into sin is easy. Staying alive to enjoy it is another.

With the trouble that brought me here not far behind, I have to make an impossible

Return to the shadows to protect the men I’m falling for or stay and fight—knowing that if I fail, I lose everything.


This is a dark why choose lumberjack romance. Axe to Grind is book one of the Gnarly Pines duet and must be read first in order to understand what happens in book two. As always, please check for TWs (found author's website) before diving into any of MT Addams's stories. TROPES

Sexy Psycho Lumberjacks

Dad’s Best Friend

Psycho Golden Retriever

Grumpy/Sunshine

Soft Dom

Genres: Dark Romance, Why Choose, Dark, M M Romance, Romance, BDSM, Spicy

418 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 8, 2026

Reviews

[Kursed Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raised in an unorthodox manner, Blair Shelmore, in the shadow of the world’s greatest hitman, has crafted a normal life, by all appearances. When her father is compromised, so is she.

The rendezvous point for the Shelmores is the Gnarly Pines property deep in the mountains of Pennsylvania. But it’s not just her godfather, Ledger Porter, who lives on the land.

A haven for misfits, Blair quickly has Wesley and Santi smitten. Rhett, however, resents her presence and the danger she presents.

What the actual… I did not see any this coming. Okay, that’s not entirely true. I picked up on the twist. But these characters, all of their emotions and baggage, the relationship building, and the spice? That was all so much more than I expected and in the best possible way. It started out just a little bit slow. That’s not exactly true either. There was action and suspense, and even yearning. I wasn’t fully invested until about the halfway mark though, and then the story became addictive. I couldn’t get enough, I couldn’t read fast enough, and I threw a toddler style temper tantrum when I hit the “To be continued…”

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Format: 📱

🗄️ Genre: Contemporary Romance
🗂️ Subgenre(s): Action, Dark, Mystery/Suspense, New Adult

Ending: 🧗🏻‍♀️ {Cliffy}
POV: 👫🏻🧍🏻‍♂️👨🏼‍🤝‍👨🏽 {Multiple | Present}
Emotions: 😩😊🤬🥵🤯
Darkness: 🖤🖤🖤
Burn: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

✨ Tropes: Age Gap (19), Enemies-to-Lovers, Forbidden, Forced Proximity, Found Family, Heroine in Danger, Hurt/Comfort, Insta-Obsession, Love After Loss, One Bed, Roommates, Stalker, Why Choose (Slow Build, MMFMM)
 
💫 Microtropes: Boy Obsessed, Caretaker/Protective MMC, Golden Retriever MMC, Hand Necklace, Lap Sitting, Pierced 🐓, Pierced MMC, POC/Interracial, Secrets & Lies, Size Difference, Tragic Past, Trauma Bonding

🔆 Character: Blue Collar, Nurse, Vigilante

💋 Kinks: 🍑, Angel Wings, Degradation, Dirty Talk, Discipline/Punishment, Domination, Hidden Jizz, Power Exchange, Praise, Primal Play, Spanking, STFUATTDLAGB, ⚔️

🤰🏻 Pregnancy: n/a

🚩 Red Flags: Alphahole, Bulldozer MMC, Dominant MMC, Jealous/Possessive/Obsessive, OTT Hero, Touch-Her-and-💀, Tracking/Spying, Unhinged MMC

⛔️ Safety Squad: Suicidal Ideations/Attempt (by MMC), Torture (Not of FMC • Not by MMC), Unaliving, Violence, and other potentially triggering elements. Triggers may appear both on- and off-page and in the past and/or present. If you have any hesitation, check the warnings before diving in. Otherwise, blind is best!!

📍 Setting: Remote - Appalachian Mountains > Caddawalk, Pennsylvania 🇺🇸

📣 Type: Ace to Grind is the first book in the Gnarly Pines duet and ends on a cliffhanger.

⚠️ Warning: This one-handed read may cause blushing, squirming, combusting panties, and/or self-care. It may also leave you questioning your morals.

🛑 Be Advised: My Goodreads shelves are … explicit in both senses. As such, they could be considered spoiler-y.

[SAV · Rating 5 out of 5]

I swear to god, MT Addams can do no wrong, she always writes the best why choose books with the best kind of spice and decided to bless us with a lumberjack why choose romance that I could not put down while I was reading it! I can’t wait for the next book 😍

[Sentranced Jem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank God for StuffYourKindle days cause I never would have picked this if I hadn’t seen this there. This was fun 😉🔥

[Fiverrr]

40% DNF

Mi problema con este libro es que Blair nuestra protagonista es perfecta, no hay algo en lo que ella no falle . No tiene tanto crecimiento este libro. Si fuera un libro de 100 páginas estaría perfecto, este tiene más de 400. Me aburrió

[Lemon Loser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot: 4.5/5 • Spice: 3/5 ➡️➡️➡️ MT Addams once again giving me a run for my money. This has been sitting on my TBR since its release. I’ve been waiting till the second part was closer to release to crack the spine and here we are. 😳

Blair is a trained hitman, hitwoman? Her dad, the best of the best, has been training her since she was a child. The things she endured are things no child should have went through. She’s living under an alias when her dad sends her a communication that their identities have been compromised and to turn. Run to Gnarly Pines, run to Ledger. Her dad’s best friend. The only other person in the entire world who knows who she is.

Ledger has been alerted and is awaiting Blair’s arrival. He tells Wes, Rhett and Santiago a little of what they need to know, but not everything. TWO WEEKS later Blair finally arrives.

Blair’s been head over heels for Ledger since she was younger. Ledger wants to eat Blair alive, but withholds all his feelings. Torturing himself. Rhett, an emotionally stunted serial killer, and Santi, a warm soul, are somewhat together. Santi is all in. Rhett won’t commit to anything. Wes, once Blair arrives falls for her. She makes him feel alive. I think Santi and Rhett are more Blair’s age. Wes and Ledger are older.

Ledger’s compound is set up as one would think - cameras,
sensors, control rooms, torture rooms, ammo rooms. All of it. Located on 200 acres. Blair is still dodging hits. Just because she made it to Gnarly Pines doesn’t mean she’s safe.

Ledger asks Santi for some help with decoding some of the hidden messages on the dark web. Why? I’m not exactly sure. Because when Santi does figure it all out it’s a little too late. He confesses what he knows to Rhett and Rhett’s to Blair. Devastated to say the least Blair knows “Sparrow” is Ledger. Ledger is behind all this????? Rhett and Blair run after an attack. Santi and Wes are on damage control.

AND THEN IT ENDS. We don’t get any confrontation with Ledger. It leaves us completely hanging.

Part of me doesn’t believe Ledger is 100% behind this. He’s been infatuated with Blair for forever. Almost to the point of stalker-ish vibes. So, if he’s really behind it i’m very disappointed.


T minus 3 days until book two. Very much looking forward
to seeing what happens never.

Age gap • Hitmen • former military • bisexuals • group scenes • hidden identity • found family • mental health struggles MC • RH/WC • stolen childhoods • touch her and die • Golden retriever MC • To be continued.

[Destiny · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOLY SHIT THAT ENDING

This book immediately got my attention with the title and cover art. I loved every second of this book.

Like it was delicious. Blair was such a badass the way she protected herself. The way we seen her throughout the story was incredible.

Now let’s get into the guys. Santi was such a giant teddy bear but also kinda a koala who clinged to Blair and Rhett. I loved how we seen Rhett in his darkest moments and the way we seen Blair help him through it. It broke my heart knowing he was going to end his life but I’m extremely grateful that it was prevented.

Wes was also such a teddy bear when it came to Blair. He loved taking care of people and that was such a strong point in the book that pieces every thing together.

Ledger was a shocking man for me. The way he claimed he cared so deeply about her but that ending has me thinking otherwise!!! I can’t wait to dive into book 2 to see if I should hate Ledger some more.

[Rowena Robinson · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

😳😳😳😳😳

wtf!!!! Those last couple chapters were intense, and I knew I didn’t like Ledger, the bloody weird ass, psychopath bloody twat!!!!!

Omgggg I need to read book 2 like now, cause I did not see that coming

[mina · Rating 4 out of 5]

that ending???

[Becki G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy wow! MT, what have you done to me?! I absolutely devoured this book and now I have to wait months for the conclusion! This book was so good. I don’t know what else to say…drama, trauma, emotion, mayhem, deceit, and obsession all rolled into one unputdownable story! I’m impatiently waiting to see how this one ends. Read it, folks…that’s all!

[Di]

Couldn't finish due to personal icks. Nothing wrong with the writing and plot.

[Gabriela · Rating 2.75 out of 5]

It’s a good start, but I don’t know if I’m gonna be the second cause was kinda hard to read

[GoldenEyeOfHorus · Rating 5 out of 5]

So well written. This was thrilling and sexy, great fun to read.

I loved the FMC. She's funny, deadly, vulnerable, and she does what she wants.

[Alba · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew from page 1 that Rhett would be my favourite. Wes is a close second, though! Can't wait to read book 2!

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay but WHAT did I just read?? I absolutely devoured Axe to Grind (literally read it in one day) and I’m not even exaggerating when I say I need the next book immediately because THAT ENDING? I did NOT see that plot twist coming and now I’m just sitting here like… excuse me???

First of all, these men? Unhinged. Axe-wielding, flannel-wearing, possessive, obsessive, a little (or a lot) psychotic, so basically everything I want in a dark romance MMC 👀

Santi and Rhett pulling Blair into their games? I was eating that UP. The Hunts were such a wild concept and I loved how twisted and addictive it all felt. I loved Santi to pieces, my psychotic golden retriever 🥺🩷 Rhett though… I’m still side-eyeing you. I don’t know whether I love you or want to fight you, but after that ending I’m fully expecting a redemption arc and I am READY.

Wes? Fully giving Daddy vibes and I am so here for it 😩🤌🏻

And then there’s Ledger—dad’s best friend AND her godfather, that tension and the taboo aspect of their relationship… the slow, insidious pull between them, I'M OBSESSED. And he might just be the most unhinged and OBSESSED of them all 👀

Blair has been THROUGH IT. Her backstory is dark, brutal, and honestly heartbreaking, growing up with an assassin father who trained her in the harshest ways imaginable, but she’s still so strong and resilient. I loved that she wasn’t weak or naive. She can hold her own even surrounded by chaos and people actively trying to take her down.

Overall this book is dark, addictive, a little unhinged, and ridiculously easy to binge. If you like morally questionable men, danger, A LOT of obsession, and that “this is a bad idea but I’m here for it” energy… you need this. And again, with that ending? Yeah, I will be counting down the days until the next release because I NEED answers 😭

TROPES:
🪓Dad’s Best Friend
🪓Psycho Golden Retriever
🪓Grumpy/Sunshine
🪓Murder Games
🪓Primal Play
🪓FMC switch
🪓Snowballing
🪓MMFMM
🪓Degradation
🪓Good boy
🪓Touch her and die
🪓Axe crossing

[Nikita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Axe to Grind had an intriguing premise and an entertaining group dynamic, but it never became as dark or suspenseful as I had expected.

Blair is the daughter of a notorious contract killer and has never known a normal or particularly safe life. When their secret identities are exposed, she is forced to seek protection in Gnarly Pines with Ledger her father’s best friend and her godfather and the three men he lives with: Wesley, Santi, and Rhett.

One thing I appreciated was that Blair is far from a helpless heroine waiting to be rescued. Her father has trained her to defend herself, making her every bit as dangerous as the people hunting her. That immediately gave the story potential, especially combined with the isolated lumberjack setting and four morally questionable men.

Unfortunately, the suspense never fully delivered for me. There are several intense and action-filled moments, particularly near the beginning and end, but the threat remains mostly in the background throughout the middle. I knew Blair was in danger, yet I rarely felt any real urgency or tension. Instead, much of the story focuses on her developing relationships with the men, their individual struggles, and the growing sexual dynamic within the group.

The different personalities made the book entertaining enough to keep me reading. Each man has his own history and connection with Blair, so the why-choose romance receives plenty of room to develop. However, I wanted a stronger balance between the relationships and the external danger. With such a dark and promising setup, I expected more action, unexpected developments, and moments that would genuinely keep me on edge.

The plot finally gains momentum toward the end, and the revelations and cliffhanger made me curious about the sequel. Unfortunately, they arrived too late to significantly change my overall reading experience.

Axe to Grind was not a bad book, but it was not a particularly memorable one for me either. It was a reasonably entertaining dark why-choose romance with an interesting foundation and enjoyable character dynamics, but the story remained in the same place for too long. I simply needed more tension, stronger plot progression, and a greater sense of danger for this to become more than a three-star read.

[Jennifer Amaral · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely feral in the best possible way 👀🪓🔥

Sexy psycho lumberjacks??
Murderous games??
Dad’s best friend tension??

Yeah… this book knew EXACTLY what it was doing and I was obsessed from page one.

The atmosphere alone had me hooked. Isolated mountains, dark cabins, violence simmering under every interaction—it all creates this chaotic, dangerous energy where you know absolutely nothing good is about to happen… and you can’t stop reading anyway.

And the men??
Completely unhinged.

Rhett and Santiago bring that chaotic psycho energy that somehow makes every scene feel unpredictable, Wes is possessive in that intense dark romance way, and then there’s Leader…

Honestly??
The tension with him was INSANE.

That forbidden pull between them builds slowly underneath all the chaos, and every interaction feels heavier because both of them know crossing that line changes everything.

What I really loved is that this book fully commits to the darkness of its world. These characters are messy, violent, morally twisted, and absolutely not pretending otherwise.

But underneath all the chaos and depravity, there’s still emotional vulnerability woven through the story that keeps you invested in all of them.

And the chemistry??
Completely addictive.

Every interaction feels dangerous, possessive, and just a little bit toxic in the exact way dark romance readers will eat up 👀🔥

✨ If you love: • dark why choose romance
• possessive psycho MMCs
• isolated mountain settings
• morally black characters
• forbidden tension and chaotic energy

This one is wild, addictive, completely unhinged, and impossible to put down

[Raghini · Rating 5 out of 5]

🪓 Axe to Grind — M.T. Addams
★★★★★ 5/5 stars
Okay… I’m OBSESSED. 🖤🪓
I went into Axe to Grind not knowing exactly what to expect, and somehow these men had me completely hooked. Every single one of them. 😭🔥 They each have such a different personality and energy, but somehow they all worked for me. I genuinely couldn’t pick a favorite because every time I thought, “Okay, THIS one is my man,” another one would do something that made me fall for him all over again.
The dynamic between the FMC and the men was probably one of my favorite parts. There’s so much tension, darkness, possessiveness, danger, and that delicious feeling of “this is probably a terrible idea… but I absolutely need to see where this goes.” 😂🖤
And the ending???
EXCUSE ME, MT ADDAMS??? 😭
That last scene left me with SO many questions. I already had a little doubt about one of the men before reaching the end, but that final scene made my suspicion even stronger. Now I have my own theories about what might actually be happening.
And honestly, if my assumption turns out to be true… I already know I’m going to have VERY complicated feelings about him. 😂
I might either love him even more… or completely lose my mind and hate him. There is apparently no middle ground. 🫠
That is exactly what I love about dark romance—when an ending doesn't just close the book, but leaves you staring at the pages thinking:
“WAIT. WHAT DID I JUST READ?”
The secrets, the tension, the men, the chemistry, the darker moments, and that ending kept me invested. I was completely entertained from beginning to end, and now I NEED the next book because I need answers.
5 stars from me. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
And yes… I love all the men.
For now. 👀🖤

[Espy Waters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Axe to Grind by MT Addams follows Blair, a girl raised by a hitman and trained to become one herself but she’s determined to carve out a different path. When her father’s cover is blown and they’re suddenly being hunted, the plan is simple go to Ledger, the man her father trusts like a brother. Except when Blair gets there… her dad is gone. Ledger convinces her to stay with him and his handpicked found family Santi, Rhett, and Wes—who are all morally gray, chaotic, and just the right amount of unhinged. While hiding out, Blair slowly starts to feel like herself again, and the relationships she builds with these men (especially her long-time crush on Ledger) really pull you in but this isn’t a safe story and it doesn’t pretend to be. As things unfold, it becomes clear that Ledger’s feelings for Blair might be more obsession than love… and the possibility that he’s behind the hit on her and her father adds a whole new level of tension. The betrayal hits hard, especially when Blair is attacked and everything starts to unravel. The ending?? Absolute chaos in the best way. Blair fleeing with Rhett after everything goes down had me immediately needing the next book.

I loved the dark, gritty vibe and the morally gray characters you never fully know who to trust, and that keeps the story addictive. If you’re into dangerous love interests, found family with issues, and plot twists that actually hurt, this is 100% worth the read.

[Angely Marrero · Rating 5 out of 5]

💫 No Judgement Just Opinions 💫

I dont think I've allowed myself time to process what I just read before writing this. My reaction to the cliffhanger is to laugh because what did I just read! M.T Addams continues to drag me right back.

Blair was taken and raised by her father who's a contracted hit man. With the way she was brought up and the things she had witnessed, Blair wanted to move away from death and instead save people by becoming a nurse. Hiding under an alias, she lives a somewhat secret, but a relatively normal life. Until her father's identity is discovered. Now Blair has a price on her head. She runs to the ONE person she trusted most, her godfather, Ledger.

Living with him and three other men—Santi, Wes, and Rhett—Blair begins to discover there's more to life when she allows herself to lean onto others while hiding from those after her.

Ledger is a sick individual and I am afraid of how well he was written. He is obsessed with his god daughter and the things described from his mind should not be repeated! Just one question; what was the reason?!?!?!

I loved Santi's character. He helped lightnen the mood between the depravity found in the pages.

Rhett is the representation of enemies to lover. It just made it even better that he was an asshole all the way to the end.

And we cant leave out Wes. I love me an older and wise man who can give amazing great advice with that filthy mouth. I want more 🤭 I eat it up every time!

Next book here I come 🫡

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

REVIEW OF ADVANCED READER COPY FROM THE AUTHOR

I want to start off by saying this is a Dark Romance and to please check the Trigger Warning list for any possible triggers that may affect your mental health 🖤

Imagine sharing a cabin with four sexy lumberjacks with a troubled past, one of whom is your dad's best friend, and they all seem to be attracted to..you? What could go wrong?

Well, that's exactly the case for Blair. With nowhere else to go she finds herself at Gnarly Pines with her God-Father and his housemates, who just so happen to be the hottest men in all of Caddawalk! Things get complicated fast, will they share her desires? If so, what will that mean for everyone involved?? ..Guess you will have to read it to find out.

Now, for my thoughts on the book overall.

I loved this book! I'm normally a slow reader but this book pulled me in and I was finished in a week which is impressive for me. It has some of my favorite tropes including Dad's Best Friend, Forced Proximity, Unaliving games, and "Axe Crossing." I fell in love with the characters and their stories. I really liked the pacing of this book also. It wasn't too fast or too slow. There was a few shocking surprises and a big cliffhanger at the end that I didn't see coming! I can't wait to see where this story goes next!

[Baby Eagle · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐ from me.

Nice, easy read. Decent writing and editing.

🟢 Bulky MMC. Finally, yes! It's about damn time.

🔴 Mandatory tiny FMC. HARD NO.

Why? Just why?

Most women are average height. Why are romance heroines always tinier than the tiniest puppy? The MMCs are never under 6'4" anyway. You'll get your height difference, don't you worry. Jeez.

I have nothing against short queens, but every. Single. Romance. Stop.

🟢 That cliffhanger is so good! Please don't turn this into a basic-ass romance and please don't make it a fake-out. Pretty please!

🔴 I don't think we need Wes as part of the reverse harem. It was hot when it happened, but let's leave the senior citizen to his cooking and stuff. Let him be the father figure. I'm a sucker for age gaps, but their scenes together were kinda weird. I wasn't sold.

🟢 Santi is the cutest. Ledger is a dark romance hero done right. His particular brand of deranged is sooooo good. I need more.

🔴 Even though the story seemingly unfolds over several weeks, it still feels a little too insta-love-ish because everything happens with the fast-forward button pressed. It's not too heavy-handed, but it's definitely there. At times it felt like romance for the sake of romance. You know?

[TheheartofBrigid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Axe To Grind is the first book in the Gnarly Pines duet written by M. T. Addams.

💜 unusual childhood
💜 use of axes
💜 forced proximity
💜 childhood crush
💜 🌶🌶🌶🌶 spice

Blair sometimes gets caught up thinking about how she grew up. There were times where she was left alone with minimal items to keep her occupied and fed. But, it wasn’t always bad. Now she’s grown up and working as a nurse. Right now, she’s on night shift at a hospice facility listening to her co-worker talking about her life. How long will she stay at this facility as a travel nurse? Will she see her dad anytime soon? Does she love what she’s doing?

This was a good start to a new duet. There are lots of ups and downs with emotions as I read this book. I think the character building and world building was done well. All of the characters are complex with extensive histories that are told well without feeling like they are monoling within the book. With it being a duet, you can guess that this book ended on a cliffhanger. I liked this story and I can’t wait until the next book is available so I can see what happens next.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the best time reading this book! 🧡
Blair's dad is a famous assassin & he's always taught his daughter how to defend herself if trouble comes for them. When trouble does come... Blair is sent to dad's best friends to lay low.

Enter Ledger... powerful, dominant and determined to protect Blair. He enlists his friend Wesley to help him along with the 2 other lumberjack residents Santi & Rhett.

Santi's energy give me life and I loves him so much. Rhett is the polar opposite moody and mean... but I loved his filthy mouth 🤤.

But what are Rhett & Santi getting up to in the woods? What's The Hunt? Who is still coming after Blair and how is her dynamic going to shake them all up?

MT Addams always hits for me! The why choose is all setting up perfectly for the second book in the duet... the spice is off the scale and I need to know what's next after that bombshell was dropped at the end of book 1.

Why Choose
MMFMM
Hot psycho lumberjacks
Age Gap
Dad's Best Friend
Vigilante Killers
Hitmen
Deception
Obsession

[Carissa Riggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may have been my first M.T. Addams book, but it certainly won't be my last. And not only because I HAVE to know what happens next. This story will grip you from the very beginning. Then the story will keep you locked in. Blair has lived through some of the toughest things a kid can live through. And she does it with fire and determination. I loved her spark and her no nonsense attitude. Then enter these Gnarly Pines men. Strong, hard working, and yeah maybe a little bit psycho, but it's endearing. Santi is so hard not to fall in love with. He's like a dark, golden retriever. I just wanted to hug Rhett through the entire thing, because while yes he was gruff and a bit mean, it comes from a place of hurt. Wes was exactly what I hoped he'd be and more. Not exactly a hero, but always looking to take care of those he loves. And then of course there's Ledger. Obsessed doesn't even begin to cover it, I don't think. Something about Blair turns him completely feral and I'm both anxious and excited to see where that takes us in book 2.

[Spicy BookNook Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh. My. Gosh. This book...the ending. Excuse me miss ma'am, how in the world do you end a book like this?! I feel like my heart is going to thump right out of my chest. I need answers, ASAP! I'm not sure how I am going to hold off waiting for book 2, this is brutal. You are a cruel, cruel, woman! Haha.

Okay. Now that I have gotten that off my chest. Wow. This book takes you on a whirlwind of a ride. The ups and downs are insane and so many jaw dropping moments that are going to stick with me forever!

These guys...they're each so different and incredible...well except...nevermind. Santi is a ball of joy that I want in my life. Wes, oh my goodness, that man's sweet heart melts me everytime. And Rhett? Ugh, I love his unruly self. After his situation with Blair, I fell for him so fast and ugh I just want to wrap my arms around the 4 of them so bad right now.

MT never ceases to amaze me with her books and this one was absolutely incredible and if I hadn't made that clear, I need book 2 NOW! Haha

[Shelby O'Kane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first book by MT Addams, but it absolutely will not be my last. The second I finished, my brain was already planning a full‑blown binge of her entire backlog. She’s officially one of those authors who deserves to be talked about way more often — the kind you stumble into once and immediately wonder how you ever lived without.

Then there’s the PLOT! The BREADCRUMBS! The “wait, what the hell is going on but also don’t stop” energy! I was taking mental notes like I was solving a crime scene. I have theories. I have QUESTIONS, oh so many questions. I have a whole conspiracy board forming in my head.

And that cliffhanger? Not devastating, but absolutely disrespectful in the best possible way. The kind where you close the book, stare at the wall, and whisper “are you for real” while needing book two right now, not in six months, not in three months, hell not even in three days — RIGHT NOW PLEASE!

MT Addams, you have ruined me in the best way. I will be inhaling everything you’ve ever written like oxygen.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was absolutely wild in the best way and I could not put it down. The dark tone is established right away, and it fully commits to the chaos, tension, and morally gray characters without holding back.
Each of the men brings a different energy, which keeps the dynamics interesting and layered. The push and pull between them and the FMC is intense, messy, and completely addictive. The forced proximity and high stakes add to that constant sense of tension, and it never really lets up.
What stood out most is how immersive it feels. The setting, the danger, and the relationships all blend together in a way that keeps you hooked from start to finish. It is dark, it is gritty, and it definitely leans into the more unhinged side of the genre.
Overall, this is a must read if you enjoy dark why choose romance with high tension, strong character dynamics, and a story that is not afraid to go all in.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not a huge dark romance girly but that's because I'm super picky about it. I don't like bullies or being outright mean between love interests. I do like dark material and psycho lovers. I am hooked and drooling for the second book. Blair, oh do I love her, she is amazing. Besides strong and smart, she had an... interesting childhood and because of such she can take care of herself very well. She is the child of a hitman an when that life catches up to her she needs to head to the ultimate safe house. Where her dad's best friend & his friends live. Ledger won't touch her despite the fact that she wants him to. Wes is the soft dom and caretaker of the group, he comes with some baggage that is heartbreakingly sad. Rhett's backstory is beyond devastating, I cried for him. He's also got the biggest growth in this book, so proud of him. Santi might be my favorite, I love his psycho energy, he does have a little problem when he gets excited ;-) And that cliffhanger, wow! Read this.

[Chelé-----4 The Love of Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why choose is my thing but this missed the mark for me when it comes to the cohesiveness, taking into to account there's a book 2 I'm hoping that will get better and yes I do plan on continuing so I AM hopeful and liked the characters enough to care what happens.

Things I loved was the mystery behind her dad, his past, how he raised her, and also the guy's flawed pasts.

Things that didn't work for me was Rhett and
Santiago sharing their...*extra curricular* activities in the woods, I know she followed them but then they just let her join in, and Santiago definitely was insta love with Blair. There was just a ton going on and I wished the relationship could have been fleshed out more.

I actually love Wes.

Ummmmm I was really on the Ledger train UNTIL the secret room and the missing poster...how he feels about his goddaughter might be a bit more unhealthy than I'm realizing 🤣 im scared for Blair.

[Theresa Rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Axe-wielding, flannel-wearing psychopaths? SAY LESS. 🪓🥵

This one had me hooked from the beginning. Blair gets dropped into the middle of four completely different flavors of morally questionable men, and obviously I was here for EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. 😏

The murderous games, possessiveness, banter, secrets, danger and SPICE 🔥🔥🔥 made this exactly my kind of unhinged why-choose chaos. I loved that each MMC brought something completely different to the group, and the dynamics between them and Blair just kept getting better.

🪓 Dark Why Choose
🪓 Psycho Lumberjacks
🪓 Dad’s Best Friend
🪓 Forced Proximity
🪓 Possessive MMCs
🪓 Psycho Golden Retriever
🪓 Grumpy x Sunshine
🪓 Murder & Mayhem
🪓 Deliciously Morally Grey

And THAT ENDING?! Absolutely disrespectful. 😭😂 MT Addams really just dropped that cliffhanger and expected me to carry on with my life?!

Dark, filthy, chaotic and completely addictive. I need book two immediately.