Sweetly Unhinged: A Dark Rom-Com

by Kira Cole, Zoe Black (Narrator), James Cassidy (Narrator)

Violet
I sent an anonymous email to The Ghost—a hacker who destroys scumbags for fun—detailing my darkest fantasy.
He replied.
With a phone number.
Now he's texting me, saying he can make it real. That he's watching me. That he knows exactly what I need.
I should run.
Instead, I'm saying yes.
The question driving me Who is he?
The question that's going to ruin Do I really want to find out?

CADE
Violet Carter is my brother's ex-girlfriend.
She's also the girl who just sent me the filthiest email of my life.
She thinks she's texting a dangerous stranger. I'm the guy who brings her coffee and fixes her laptop—and the man planning to fulfill every twisted fantasy she's ever had.
The closer we get, the deeper I fall.
But when she discovers who's been pulling her strings?
She's either going to kill me or kiss me.
Honestly, I'm hoping for both.

Sweetly Unhinged is Book 1 of the Devoted in the Darkness duet one, featuring a golden-retriever hacker, forbidden tension, and dangerously sweet obsession. Their story continues and concludes in Beautifully Ruined.

Genres: Audiobook

Audible Audio

Published April 21, 2026

Reviews

[Cloudstanloves2read · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 Stars

🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3.5/5 Spice

🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧 5/5 Narration

I cannot remember the last time I didn’t even make it to the halfway point of a book before downloading the next one, but Sweetly Unhinged by Kira Cole had me doing exactly that. I stumbled onto this one while working my way through her audiobooks, and the second I saw James Cassidy was narrating, I hit download without hesitation. And honestly? Best decision.

I listened to most of this on audio and jumped into the e-book whenever I had the chance, and I loved every chaotic, wild moment of Violet and Cade’s story. It was exactly the kind of unhinged, addictive ride I needed. The spice is spicy, the chemistry is unrelenting, and the way their relationship builds, without giving too much away, is just so fun to watch unfold.

My only tiny struggle was Violet’s work situation with her boss; that thread dragged a bit longer than I personally needed. But everything else? Phenomenal. I’m obsessed.

The narrators absolutely crushed it. James Cassidy and Zoe Black brought these characters to life with so much energy and emotion, their back and forth was perfection. I’m genuinely sad Book 2 isn’t on audio yet because I’m ready to preorder it the second it drops.

If you haven’t picked this one up yet, run to Amazon or Audible. Read it, listen to it, devour it. I have a feeling you’ll be just like me halfway through and already downloading Book 2.

[Eleanor Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

🍬When obsession is sweet like Candy and it’s Deliciously addictive. 💗
This the one to have in your ears.

🎧𝔸𝕌𝔻𝕀𝕆𝔹𝕆𝕆𝕂 ℝ𝔼𝕍𝕀𝔼𝕎 𝔸𝕃ℂ 🎧
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sweetly Unhinged by Kira Cole
Book one in the Devoted in Darkness series.
Performed in duet by Zoe Black & James Cassidy.


𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕚𝕤 ℂ𝕒𝕕𝕖 & 𝕍𝕚𝕠𝕝𝕖𝕥 𝕊𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕪

💗🍬💗
CADE
Violet Carter sent him the Filthiest email.

His brother's ex-girlfriend.

Now he’s texting her

But she thinks she's texting a dangerous stranger.

He’s the guy who would brings her coffee and fixes her laptop—be there whenever she calls and the man planning to fulfill every twisted fantasy she's ever had.
The guy who’s always been invisible to her.
When would she realize that he has always been there and that he’s the one who’s been giving her what she needs?

💗🍬💗

✨”I’m in love with her. I don’t want her thinking I’m a psychopath.”✨


💗🍬💗

Violet
—sent an anonymous email to The Ghost hacker, detailing her darkest fantasy.

He replied.

With a phone number.

Now he's texting….saying he can make her fantasy real.

That he knows exactly what she needs

That he's already watching

And She said Yes!???

But. The question driving her insane?

Who is he?….

And does she really want to find out?



𝕃𝕖𝕥𝕤 𝕥𝕒𝕝𝕜 𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕥 ℕ𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕤 🎙️

The audiobook features dual narration which enhances the push-and-pull dynamic between the characters Cade and Violet.

    •    The narrator Zoe Black captures Violet sexual awakening and quiet struggles at her job, especially during emotional confrontations.

    •    While James Cassidy addictive voice brings depth to Cade the Ghost Hacker strong protective but dominant side, and his quite powerful conviction laced with sincerity and determined intensity.

The emotional scenes—especially the confrontations and the sexual moments —hit harder in audio because of the vocal nuance and pacing.
James Cassidy and Zoe Black proves why they are among the most successful Performers. They were absolutely outstanding in this audiobook and I loved it.

💗🍬💗

𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤
Sweetly Unhinged by Kira Cole is dark romance that does not tiptoe. It struts in, locks the door, and dares you to look away. This is morally gray meets dangerously devoted with a hero who is definitely not here to be redeemed, only to be understood… perhaps….
But listen…The chemistry. It’s volatile and unpredictably addictive from the moment the FMC started interacting with the Ghost.

The male lead?.. is pure calculated chaos and unhinged when it comes to the leading FMC
Cade knows exactly what he wants and is unapologetic.
While Violet struggles with a realistic situation at her job, and also her feelings towards the Ghost Hacker and Cade her ex’s brother which only makes the tension crackle even harder, and every interaction feeling intensely charged,
Making the quiet moment feels dangerous.
All that coupled With Cade action getting bolder by the day, and danger threatening, this story becomes more interesting and sweetly quietly unhinged.


💗🍬💗

Sweetly Unhinged is Book 1 of the Devoted in the Darkness duet.


Sweetly Unhinged
💗featuring a golden-retriever hacker
🖤forbidden tension
💗dangerously sweet obsession
🖤Sweetly Spicy
💗Deliciously Dark
🖤Chaotically Kinky
🖤Dual POV
💗Unhinged Cliffy


𝔽𝕚𝕟𝕒𝕝 𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 💭
Their story continues and concludes in Beautifully Ruined.
Be sure to add this to your playlist.



𝚂𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚂𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝙱𝚕𝚞𝚎 𝙽𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝙰𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚘 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚃𝚎𝚊𝚖 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚞𝚗𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚘𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔!
𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚢 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜, 𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚝 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎
𝙾𝚗𝚎𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎💕 𝙾𝚗𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚊𝚝 𝚊 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎
🦋𝒢ℯℴ𝓇ℊ𝒾ℴ𝓊𝓈🦋✍︎☕︎

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐-> ♾️🌟
🌶️🌶️🌶🌶


☠️ Hacker Romance
😈 Emails To Hacker
☠️ Brother's Ex Girlfriend
😈 Stalking (protective, but still stalking) 
☠️ Golden Retriever Hacker
😈 Forbidden Tension
☠️ Dangerously Sweet Obsession
😈 Obsessive Behavior 

⚠️ CHECK YOUR CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS! Protect your mental peace ☮️⚠️

✨️ 🎧 ALC 🎧 REVIEW ✨️

🎙Narrated By: Zoe Black & James Cassidy 🎙

This is the first I have listened to Zoe Black and I absolutely loved her voice in this storyline! James truly gave this book sooo much grit with his voice! And made some lady parts quiver all the way through! I am so excited to see what they voice next!

✨️📖 On To The Book Review 📖✨️

This book was something so much more than I was expecting! In the most delicious way, Cade and Violet truly ran the gambit to be my favorite couple! 

I loved their banter, the secrecy between them and how attentive he was to her. He may have had an obsession with her but for good reason! This girl somehow outside of her control always found herself in the scenarios that no one would want to be in with their boss. The perverted guy was more than disgusting and he refused to back away from her until Cade came in for the rescue!

Cade truly had an obsession with Violet but this is when a girl is thrilled she has a stalker! Violet and Cade couldn't deny the attraction to each other after seeing each other whenever it aligned. Fortunately, Cade was there to save the day on several occasions!

I truly felt for Violet because she was put in impossible situations that were unfortunate. I could just feel her pain through the pages and the voices that told her story. Cade may have been obsessive but I was sooo glad that he was! 

       🔥 Let's Talk About Sex Baby 🥵 & Triggers:
                   🌶️🌶🌶🌶️ /5

😈 Surveillance Kink 
⚫️ Voyeurism 
☠️ Consensual Non- Consent (CNC) 
🥵 Forced Sex Fantasy, 
🌶 Power Play 
🔥 Primal Play 
🐈‍⬛️ Dark Sexual Fantasies


Thank you 🫶🏻 to ✨️ Kira Cole & Blue Nose Audio ✨️ for the complimentary 🎧 ALC 🎧. ✨️ All opinions are my own, honest, and voluntary✨️.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first book by Kira Cole and when I read the blurb it sounded like it was right up my street. A stalker with a hidden identity, that just happens to be the ex boyfriends big brother, sign me up!

Cade is a hot, protective, utterly kinky computer hacker, that trust me you will be getting all hot and bothered from pretty much from the start. When his younger brother Jack splits with his girlfriend Violet, Cade starts to realise he may just have a bit of a thing for her. Violet on the other hand once free of her ex decides she wants to explore the more kniky side of her that she has pretty much kept hidden for her whole relationship. So how lucky is it that when an annoymous hacker called 'Ghost' uploads some no so great stuff about the boss that has been harassing her, she thinks that maybe he is talking her and she wants to take full advantage of the situation.

I love the dual role that Cade plays as ex's brother and Ghost and how he seems to switch personalities for violet, knowing full well as these two people she is really getting all of him, something no one else does. The scenarios they play out do get a bit extreme, but it is very clear to point out that these are controlled consensual fantasties and role plays and consent is a huge part of this story.

Oh that cliffhanger ending!!! Just as well the next audio indentation so I can find out what happens.

I loved the banter between the two of these characters and the journey they went on together in finding what Violet liked and how they could explore them all together.

Zoe Black and James Cassidy were new narrators to me, but loved them so much! Really brought these characters to life, you could really imagine them as these two in your head while listening. Also James has just one of those voices I could listen to him all day, especially with Cades dirty dialogue!! Now I can't wait to hear them again in the next book!

[Lady _Soulmate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Narrative Transformation 🎧✨

The duet performance by Zoe Black and James Cassidy transforms Sweetly Unhinged from a standard dark romance into a deeply visceral, multi-dimensional experience. Zoe Black’s portrayal of Violet is particularly transformative; she captures the character’s internal evolution from a place of hesitant vulnerability to one of empowered desire. Hearing the subtle shift in her voice as she moves from fear to a bold, hunger-filled confidence makes Violet’s journey feel earned and authentic. James Cassidy, meanwhile, uses his performance to ground Cade’s "Ghost" persona, giving his dark humor and brooding intensity a textured weight that might have felt flatter on the page. His delivery of Cade’s inner monologues provides a window into a man grappling with a logic-defying obsession, making his extreme actions feel like a natural extension of his intense internal world.

This immersive duet style heightens the tension in a way that truly changes how the story lands. Instead of just reading about the chemistry, the listener is placed directly between the two characters, feeling the heavy silences and the electric "push and pull" of their interactions. The narrators’ ability to handle the story’s more unhinged moments with such conviction prevents the chaos from feeling caricature-like, instead giving it a grounded, cinematic quality. While the story itself is high-stakes and dramatic, the narration adds a layer of emotional intimacy that makes the blurred moral lines feel significantly more personal and impactful. I walked away not just intrigued by the plot, but completely sold on the chemistry because of how much personality Zoe and James breathed into these roles.

[Paige Moulton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweetly Unhinged is exactly what its title promises, chaotic, addictive, and impossible to look away from. Kira Cole leans fully into the tension between danger and desire, creating a story that feels as unsettling as it is entertaining.
Violet’s reckless curiosity and Cade’s hidden identity create a push-pull dynamic that drives the narrative forward with intensity. There’s a constant sense that everything could spiral at any moment, and that unpredictability is what makes the story so gripping.
What makes this stand out is the tone. It’s dark, yes, but threaded with humor and personality that keeps it from becoming heavy. Instead, it becomes something sharper, a twisted, character-driven romance that knows exactly what it’s doing.
A bold and compelling start to a duet that promises even more chaos ahead.

[Kala Frick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an awesome audiobook! The narrators were spot on perfect. I mean James Cassidy needs no introduction. I hadn’t heard an audiobook by Zoe Black but I thought she was wonderful! I’m looking to hear more books by her!

If you love a dark rom com then this is a must read/listen. The relationship between The Ghost and Violet and everything that consisted of was such a fun storyline. Violet’s character at times you may think she may make a silly choice or may seem timid, but then she surprises you with her choice. Her bff was a great side character and I liked that constant secondary character for Violet.

I don’t want to feel like I’m giving the story away so I don’t want to say anything else other than I just really enjoyed this listen!

[Sheena Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

🎧ALC Review🎧

Holy hell….this was freakin’ hot🔥I ate up every bit of Cade and his dark, unhinged, alter ego! Yes sir! The Ghost could hunt me down in an empty park and I wouldn’t at all be mad.

Cade wasn’t expecting to fall for his brother’s ex-girlfriend, but when Violet messages his alter ego, The Ghost, not realizing it’s Cade, he gets a glimpse of the side of Violet he has never seen. And it is one he is dying to explore!

I loved Cade and Vi’s dynamic. So much chemistry with just the right about of banter and sarcasm! It was so fun to hear. James Cassidy and Zoe Black were phenomenal! They did such a great job bringing us into Cade and Violet’s story.

And the cliffhanger!!!!! Kira Cole out here trying to stress us all out! I cannot wait to dive into the next one!!

[James Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is marketed as a dark romcom, but I failed to see the humor. That doesn’t mean I think it’s a bad book; I just didn’t know it was supposed to be funny. I found it to be dark and the subject matter to be pretty heavy. The story follows Violet who is an intern for an overly handsy politician and her ex-boyfriend’s brother, Cade, who becomes her stalker.

Over all I liked the premise and the characters. The third act is where it fell apart for me. It seemed like Cole struggled to write an ending, so she went to an early scene and tried to incorporate it. That, inturn, made the last act feel kind of rushed. The book ended with a cliffhanger, so we’ll see how the next one goes.

On a positive note, the audiobook was fantastic. This was the first time I’ve heard Zoe Black and I love her voice and her acting. We also have James Cassidy of whom I’m a big fan; I’m sure many are. Together the brought the story to life in a way that kept me listening. They chemistry was great and I think they worked really well together.

[Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sucked me in on this Unhinged Audio

The audio delivered by Zoe Black is enjoyable and brings the story of the Violet to the listener in a solid performance. James Cassidy is hot and brings you into the world of Cade. Prepare to be enthralled with this couple.

I loved the twists and turns in this book. Kira ensured reading the next book in the series is not and if but a MUST for me. Can’t wait to listen to Beautifully Ruined.

I received a copy of this audiobook from Kira Cole and am choosing to leave a review. All opinions are my own.

[Lisa C22 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard a snippet of the Audiobook which tempted me to listen and the narration was 5 ⭐'s the story more around the 3.9/4.0 ⭐'s for me, I really enjoyed it, I loved Violet and Cade, I'm a geek so the hacker and the analyst bits really appeal, the overall story, age gap, stalker, alter ego, off limits and spice all great, but there was just something missing to take it from an enjoyable story to one I just couldn't stop listening to and unconstructively I'm not sure what that was - hopefully as the series goes on that happens as I will listen to the next one when it comes out.

[Nicole Sapriken · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was insane. The level of unhinged is definitely up near the top. There is such a deep, intricate, deceptive way about how things go throughout the book that it keeps you on the edge of your seat. This book showed a good shot of the underbelly of the evil in politics as well.

The love between Violet and Cade it’s just so deep, and I loved watching them connect and coalesce into a couple.

This book is not for the weak of heart.

I listened to this as an audio, and the duet of Zoe Black and James Cassidy is *chef’s kiss* perfection.

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

[Jessica Nassiff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy Kira Cole’s writing style. I absolutely loved the theme of reality vs fantasy and the importance of knowing and understanding the difference. Never yuck someone’s yum and embrace the kinks you enjoy as long as they are safe and don’t harm anyone. This book portrays that message perfectly and Zoe and James perform this story to perfection also. I love their narration!

[Tiffanie Holton · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate giving 1⭐️, but damn this book was a mess!

Repetitive, unedited, drivel.

DNF 65% because I just can't lose anymore braincells on this book. There are far too many good ones out there to waste my time on this one.

[Chelse Lorman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yeah, I'm definitely not into the sexual situations in this book (consensual non-consent).

[Bella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweetly Unhinged by Kira Cole had me hooked fast.

I loved this book, and by the end I could not wait for the continuation of Cade and Violet’s story. Their chemistry, the tension, and the unhinged energy made this one so hard to put down.

I was fully invested and immediately needed more. 🖤