X Marks the Stalker

The Hemlock Society #1

by K.N. Wilder

She hunts killers. He is one. Opposites attract has never been so literal.Crime journalist Oakley Novak has built her career exposing Boston’s darkest secrets, but she never expected a serial killer to turn the tables and stalk her.

Xander Rhodes spent weeks watching her through hidden cameras, captivated by her sharp mind and relentless drive, until she catches him red-handed and, instead of running, challenges him with a glare that could melt steel.
Xander’s either found his soulmate or lost his damn mind. Probably both.

When Oakley recruits him for her revenge plan against the man who murdered her parents, their partnership shatters every rule of Xander's secret murder society.
Now they're being hunted by both sides—the law and the shadows—while racing against time to take down the untouchable enemy who took everything from her.

If you’re obsessed with dark romance laced with wicked humor, serial killers with a knack for banter, and heroines who wield wit as sharply as weapons, this sinful story will carve its way into your soul.

Genres: Dark Romance, Romance, Stalker, Dark, Audiobook, Contemporary, Serial Killer

470 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 4, 2025

About the author

K.N. Wilder believes that love stories are even better with a high body count and a healthy dose of questionable life choices. From her cozy home, often with her dog as a furry co-conspirator, she crafts dark romantic comedies fueled by a passion for reading, a wanderlust for travel, and a delightfully twisted sense of humor. She loves to make readers laugh in the face of danger.

Reviews

[Smutty Little Books]

Think Butcher and Blackbird meets Lights Out!

This was a fun little read. I loved quirky Xander and candy obsessed Oakley. There is banter, wit, and a whole lot of Oakley sass in this book. Definitely enjoyed and will be adding to my shelf.

[Julia]

4.5 ⭐️ Now THIS is how you nail a dark rom-com about vigilante serial killers.

[BookishKB]

❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

"What in the Bob Ross happy little accident is this standoff?" he whispers.

“You’re mine, Oakley,” I whisper against her lips. “To love and to cherish. And I’m yours. You can have everything. My life, my heart. Everything.”


🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[BookishKB]

🔪❤️‍🔥 X Marks the Stalker 👀🖤

I am fully in my stalker romance era, and I am loving it!🖤

This one had a great plot to go along with the romance, which made it even better. There was plenty happening outside of the relationship to keep me completely invested! 🔪🩸

I loved Xander and Oakley together! Their personalities and completely unhinged dynamic made me very happy! 😂❤️‍🔥

⭐️ 5 stars!

💬 Fave Quotes

"What in the Bob Ross happy little accident is this standoff?" he whispers.😂

“You’re mine, Oakley,” I whisper against her lips. “To love and to cherish. And I’m yours. You can have everything. My life, my heart. Everything.”❤️‍🔥

What to Expect
📹 Stalker Romance
🔪 Serial Killer MMC
📰 Crime Journalist FMC
🎯 Revenge Plot
😂 Dark Humor
🩸 Secret Murder Society
🔥 Morally Gray Romance

🔪 ❤️‍🔥 🩸 🖤 🔪 ❤️‍🔥 🩸🖤🔪 ❤️‍🔥 🩸

📅 Pub Date: September 22, 2026
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

[Annmarie]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)
🌶️🌶️🌶️ (3 spice)

Reading the content warning of this book felt like reading the ingredients of a fine wine while I “umm” and “ahh” deciding if it was for me. 😆 Honestly, I just love a well-done warning page—it really warms my heart (which might say something about me, but let’s not look too closely at that 🤭).

From the very first page, I was completely hooked—pulled into the story at breakneck speed, ready to inhale the book like my life depended on it. What got me first? Xander. His hilarious banter and inner thoughts had me laughing so hard I cried. He was so damn funny, witty, and just an absolute riot.

If this book is a parade of red flags, then call me color blind because all I saw were green ones. 💚 How do you take a walking, talking killer and give me cinnamon bun vibes?! It's unfair. I probably need medical help for how hard I fell for him.

What genuinely shocked me was how rich the story was. This wasn’t just “spice, spice, baby.” Nope—this book had structure, depth, and detail. It didn’t feel bloated or confusing, either. The female lead had layers, her actions made sense, and everything tied together beautifully. Major A+ for that. 👏

The supporting characters were also well developed, likable (or hateable), and vivid. Though the book wasn’t long, it felt so full—like it was bigger than it really was. It packed in action, darkness, humor, and heat, blending everything I love into one story. The humor really balanced out the dark themes and made the whole ride even more enjoyable.

And THE ENDING. My heart was in my mouth. I was freaking out. It was absolutely spectacular! 🖤

As for the spice... oh my gods. One particular scene involving a certain sweet treat will haunt me forever—I’ll never look at those the same again. 🍬😳 The scenes were open-door, descriptive, and definitely not for vanilla readers. But the spice never overshadowed the story. And that’s something I really appreciated. I love spice, but I need a full meal—not just sugary snacks. This book delivered both. 🔥

Would you recommend this book?
OH YES. If you enjoyed The Ruinous Love Trilogy or Lights Out, this book is 100% your vibe.

Would you reread this book?
Also yes. Without a doubt.

How would you sum it up?
Dark, sexy, and laugh-out-loud funny—with a rich story and spice that doesn’t quit.

https://bestbooks89.blogspot.com/2025...

[Jocie]

5⭐️
4🌶️

Okay, this one gave major Josh vibes from Lights out and I was here for it! This book was beyond perfect. I loved every. Single. Character. All the side characters were also perfect so I hope they all get their own stories. They were all the perfect mix of funny, dramatic, and a little deranged.

I don’t have a single negative thing to say. I was in love from the first sentence and then Xander dragged me along for the ride, kicking and screaming. But in the best way! 🤭

Also I am obsessed with her candy obsession. It makes me feel seen and I love that is coded base on what’s happening or the crisis level. It’s fantastic. Made me want to have my own stash 😂.

This book just made me think if Butcher and Blackbird and Lights Out had a baby, this would be it. I will recommending this book to every person I come across. Also give yourself a little treat and get the audio as well. For me please. 🙏🏻

[Darci]

This was either written by an author who never bothered to read or remember what they had already written and had no editor to tell them just how inconsistent and full of holes their work was, or it's AI. Made it to 44%. Interesting premise, terrible execution.

[Jay]

This book had great potential. I liked the sound of the story and absolutely love a good stalker romance.
But unfortunately this book needed an editor badly. There were too many inconsistencies.
So many important scenes were totally glossed over and then we were barely told about it after.
Eg. The scene where he broke in and filled her fridge with cooked food, bought clothes for her ect... I wanted her reactions. I needed to read it from her POV when she returns and sees what has happened. Instead we get nothing. A little titbit saying that he cooked for her. That's all.
Unfortunately this author is more about telling then showing but even then she doesn't really know how to tell.

I am so intrigued by the Hemlock Society and would have love to know more about them but besides the men having meetings we were not told anything.
Who are they? What exactly do they do besides killing? Why do they kill?

[Melissa ⏾˙⭒]

3.75

Definitely recommend the audiobook on this one.. big fan of Anthony Palmini. Grab something to munch on if you have a sweet tooth, because the candy obsession is real 🍭

I absolutely 5 star loved this book at first. I really enjoyed the narration, the banter was top notch, and the side characters were very entertaining. I was laughing out loud and excited to keep going. This kind of gave me Tourist Season and Ruinous Love Trilogy vibes.

Then… it just dragged on a bit too long for me. I lost interest, and by 80% it started to feel like a chore to finish (I might have considered dnfing) 😬

All of this being said, it was still a fun read overall, and the author made the side characters interesting enough that I am sure I will check out the audio for book two.

[ReneeReads]

Great serial killer x stalker x dark comedy. Fans of Brynne Weaver will like this one.

[Katie Beasley]

This was a fun read! I liked the suspense of it all. I liked the *darkness* if you will - the idea of a stalker falling for the person he is stalking. What I really liked though was the twist that the stalkee also started stalking the original stalker! Oakley and Xander were perfect for each other. Oakley was a journalist on the hunt for the people responsible for killing her parents and disgracing her dad's name. Xander was sent to stalk her and find out what she knows about a crime scene that she was working. Oakley was hilarious when she realized he was stalking her, and I loved how bold she was when she turned around and then started messing with him. These two had instant chemistry, and I liked the restrained Xander who planned everything out as much as he could colliding with this woman who was hell bent on finding answers and didn't care who got caught in the crossfire. The ramp up of the scenes from watching on tv, to texting to in person to more was done so so well. I liked when they both realized they were catching feelings for each other. I also really enjoyed the found family aspect in this one. Oakley had been a loner since her parents passed, and she ended up blending with Xander's secret society so well. These two were just great together!!

Oakley is determined to find evidence that the crime boss of the city is behind everything that happened to her parents. Their death and then her father's reputation being blemished. Which is why she is at this crime scene. She notices a lot about this crime scene and a pattern of other scenes that have stemmed recently involving art people. She knows she is going to shake the tree a little and attract some attention but she doesn't expect a legit stalker. She knows someone has been in her place. She realizes she is most likely being watched. And then she puts it together - the stranger from the gentlemen's club where she was working for leads. Well two can play at that game. She will just find his information. The weird part about all of this though is that she finds she doesn't mind being watched. She rather likes the idea of being watched especially now that she knows who it is. So she decides to mess with Xander a little. She crosses lines. She establishes a connection and when they finally meet in person, she finds herself more thrilled about this than she has been about anything in a long time. When she finds him committing a crime on a person who was mean to her, she finds herself more itnrigued. She wants to know this man. What makes him tick. Can he help her find out more info about her dad? Could they be more together? Their chemistry is unreal, and she realizes when their grand plan comes together at the end- that she would do anything to make sure he is safe. Even get caught. Even drop this chase of hers because Xander has come to mean quite a lot to her.

Xander leads what may be a boring life to people on the outside. He cleans up crimes his fellow society members commit. He checks boxes of tasks he is given. What he doesn't do is get intrigued by people he is supposed to harm/stalk. He doesn't break protocol to setup cameras and watch his unsuspecting target or even meet he in person to see if she is as beautiful in person as he thinks. But that is in fact what he is doing with Oakley, the woman who seems to be on to the fact that one of colleagues is killing people. When he meets her in person, he surprises himself by asking her out. Of course she says no but that makes him all the more determined. Color him shocked when she finds him even though he has told her nothing about him. He can't stop thinking about this woman. Not about her smile. Her getting undressed in her apartment for him. Just her in all capacities. But she doesn't know how far he would go for people that hurt who he cares about. When she finds him in a bit of a compromising situation instead of freaking out, she wants to get to know him more. This connection is beyond anything he has felt before. It is everything to him now. So of course he will help break into the safe of her enemy and find information on her dad. He would give her the moon if he could. He realizes how much he would sacrifice for her and hopes she knows that sacrifice would be because he loves her through his soul.

I also tandem read this one with the audio and recommend both. The narrators did such a good job! Again this was a fun read- lots of spice and great chemistry with suspense and hilarious side characters. I enjoyed watching Xander lower his walls for Oakley and vice versa. Watching them earn each other's trust given the stalker circumstances was done very well! I am excited to get to watch the other characters find their people and all the shenanigans that will entail.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

[Stacee]

3.5 stars

I saw this as an ad on IG and was intrigued due to my absolute obsession with Butcher and Blackbird.

It took me a bit to get invested and I did think about DNFing, but eventually I was captivated, even if these two were more dramatic than I expected.

Not sure I will read more if the series continues.

[Adri]

⭐️ Tropes
Serial Killer Romance
Secret Society
Dark Humour & Sharp Banter
💖 What I Loved
It had you from the very first paragraph — instant engagement, no slow build, just straight into the good stuff.
The banter and dark humour hit perfectly — that balance of tension and wit you love.
The vibes — a perfect blend of Butcher & Blackbird, Scythe & Sparrow, and Lights Out had a baby.
The secret society of serial killers — intriguing, chaotic, and begging for more books.
🙃 What I Didn’t Love
Nothing - it worked for me!

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

[Emms-hiatus(ish)]

2.5

This book desperately needed another pass through an editor. There were many instances of repetitiveness. The premise is fun, the execution is not.

This just didn't hit for me. I couldn't suspend disbelief enough to think this insanely powerful and rich man would go on the run because some random thugs were found dead. It just gets more ridiculous from there.

[Maria]

Not my cup of tea but could be someone else's.
I only read up to page 226 and did not want to continue.
I liked the club but the romance felt too insta.

[Marija Unkind]

Very fun dark romcom book! I really enjoyed the story and flew through it very fast. It’s the perfect book if you want to dip your toes into dark romance without it feeling too heavy or overwhelming.

The main characters were so fun and had such distinct personalities that balanced each other perfectly. I especially loved the MMC’s golden retriever energy mixed with obsessive undertones - it made him both charming and slightly unhinged 👌

The chemistry, banter and chaotic moments kept me entertained the whole time. I listened to the audiobook and narrators did such a great job bringing the characters to life!

[Bri]

Get it here:
Amazon US * Amazon UK

[Tay_is_reading_again]

Super entertaining! If you liked butcher & blackbird then you’ll enjoy this one!

[Melissa]

4.5/5 ⭐️
2/5 🌶️

Love a dark romance with a side of humor. 🥰

[⋆.˚࿔ Mackayla]

Pre-read:
Saw it on my kindle fyp, got interested bc of the book's title, read the blurb, and found out it's a stalker x stalker romance. GIRL I'm SO in.

[Kimberley]

X Marks the Stalker by K.N. Wilder
📚 Book: X Marks the Stalker
✍️ Author: K.N. Wilder
📔 Platform: Kindle

💭 Pre‑Read Energy
I went into this one buzzing - everyone talks about this series like it’s the dark‑romance obsession starter pack, so my expectations were already high.
I’m a sucker for a stalking‑obsession arc done well, and this promised exactly that: intensity, fixation, and a little moral rot.
Based on the hype alone, I was ready to fall in love with it.

✨ Ratings
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Emotional Impact: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Atmosphere: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Plot Twists: ⭐⭐⭐

Spice / Tension: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

📝 Post‑Read Notes
Aesthetic summary: obsessive, shadowy, addictive, character‑driven

What worked:

The characters absolutely carried this story — the obsession, the tension, the way their dynamic spiralled felt so satisfying.

The atmosphere stayed deliciously dark without feeling forced; it had that perfect “I shouldn’t enjoy this, but I do” energy.

The emotional beats landed, especially in the quieter, more intimate moments.

What didn’t:

Some twists felt a little predictable, like I could see the setup from a mile away.

A couple of pacing dips where I wanted the tension to stay razor‑sharp.

Favourite element:
The character chemistry — it’s the kind of dark, magnetic pull that makes you read “just one more chapter” until suddenly it’s 3 AM.

💐 Final Verdict
Shelf: contemporary, crime, read, dark, dark‑romance, spicy

Re‑read potential: medium
Continue Series: Yes

[Cee]

There are funny parts, but a lot of the book felt like scenes stuck together, lacking transition.
I liked the main characters, but the side characters felt like caricatures so overdone.
Love how smart the main characters are (although that did seem selective?) and their banter, but I skipped pretty much every sex scene. Is she a flexible gymnast??

And weirdly, I was just bored?

[Teressa Oliverio]

This book is a masterclass in how to balance blood, banter, and a serious candy addiction.

Oakley Novak isn’t just a crime journalist—she’s a hurricane in red lipstick with a sweet tooth and a death wish. Her obsession with candy is only rivaled by her obsession with justice… and a darkly magnetic serial killer she catches spying on her. Xander Rhodes is dangerous, deadly, and inconveniently hot. What starts as a hunt becomes a twisted alliance that had me gasping, laughing, and occasionally craving sour gummy worms.

The chemistry between Oakley and Xander crackles off the page in a firestorm of enemies-to-lovers, murder-fueled tension. Their dialogue is razor-sharp, the banter wickedly clever, and the slow-burn, chaotic romance is everything fans of morally gray characters could want. Think Dexter meets Dead to Me with a sprinkle of Mr. and Mrs. Smith—and an arsenal of candy for any crime related crisis you could imagine, even some special chocolates (wink)!

This isn’t just a love story. It’s a revenge thriller dipped in dark comedy and wrapped in emotional carnage. The pacing is tight, the plot twists are brutal in the best way, and the morally messy choices had my heart racing —right up until the final, jaw-dropping page.

If you like your romance bloody, your heroines savage, and your killers swoony all with a side of spice, this book will absolutely ruin you—in the best possible way.

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

[🫶🏻 neish 🫶🏻]

A massive thank you to this amazing author for providing me an early addition eARC in exchange for an honest review .
HOLY MOLY GUACAMOLE
Okay, stop it!
This book had me reeeeeeling. And this was every single thing I needed without knowing I needed it.
The characters, the heat and every other word in between all those delicious individual pages.
This is my FIRST 5 star book this year, I didn’t know I needed dark romantic comedy till I read this.

Oakley is a complete girl after my own heart, I resonated so much with her, her consistent panic snacking reminded me so much of myself.
Xander 😅 I mean, ladies you will get it…
Honestly chefs kiss 💋

I reckon I have told every person who will listen about this book.
I can’t wait for book two, I want to know so much more about Calloway and what has happened to transform him into the artistic heartthrob he is today.

A massive well done to the author, I couldn’t rave about it more if I tried!
Side note*** you won’t look at lollipops or think of them the same 🫣

[Rainbow Goth]

This book was an absolute riot. It struck a really good balance between smut and comedy. Yes, it was a little cliché, but it was written well enough that it never tipped into being completely vomit-inducing.
I think the humour really helped here. The story never took itself too seriously and that made the whole thing far more enjoyable.

I was also pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the characters. Usually I end up having serious issues with one, if not both, of the MCs, but I actually enjoyed them both. The whole sweet-eating thing did grate on me a bit, but not enough to spoil the experience.

I also found myself feeling oddly connected to the serial killers, very Dexter-esque. You know you shouldn’t be rooting for them… and yet here we are.
Overall, this was a great read and I’ll definitely be checking out more from this author.

[Hailey Goshert]

3.5⭐️ 3🌶️ OBVIOUSLY if Anthony Palmini narrates it... i'm gonna listen to it !!

let's get a few things out of the way: the lollipop scene? no. just no. sorry, but food play will just probably never be *my* cup of tea. and the other slightly negative thing i will say is that i think this dragged on a bit towards the last third. now i lurveeee a long book, don't get me wrong. but the pages need to feel necessary. i don't like pointless scenes that don't drive the plot or love story forward at least a little bit. so bearing that in mind, i definitely think some things could have been cut from this without sacrificing plot and maybe i would've enjoyed it just a tad more.

other than that, this was fun! i love a dark rom com and this had the right balance between quirkiness, humor, and murder. the spice was good, the love story was believable for the situation that the main characters found themselves in, and overall i thought all the characters were well thought out and likeable!

[Sarah Wester]

This definitely gave me if Lights Out and Butcher and Blackbird had a baby. The story was great and kept me hooked, and the banter between the two MCs was great, and I loved every bit of it. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who liked either book!

[Camilla]

4.5⭐️

[Mandy Sickle]

I loved it! One of my favorites of 2025

[Myriam]

3.5 ⭐️