Graciously His

by A.M. Duskwolf

Compliance nearly killed her. His obsession might save her.
Grace has been sick all her life, and she’s always complied with her mother’s care.
Even when it hurt.
Especially then.
She marries Nick, hoping for distance from both her illness and her mother. Instead, her new husband moves them into the house next door, and shows her the same type of suffocating care.
When Nick is killed in a hit-and-run, his twin brother arrives within hours. Nate is not there to care for Grace in her grief, but to steal her away before her mother can close in.
Nate forces Grace into marriage, then flies her to the North Island, where he has built the house she designed during her abandoned degree in architecture.
His rescue becomes her prison, while his care becomes her temptation. All she has to do is find a way out, or give in completely.

Graciously His is a full-length, pitch-black romance set in New Zealand, featuring taboo subject matter, psychological horror, catastrophic love scenes, and an absolutely feral literary style. Read at your own risk.

Note: This novel is part of a loosely-connected series, and features a fully-realised ending.

325 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication August 20, 2026

About the author

A. M. Duskwolf is the pen name of fanfiction writer DuskyWolfDaemon.

She draws on her MA in English Literature, her Honours BA in Creative Writing, and years of editorial obsession to craft romances that would make your mother scream and your grandmother smile.

Originally from Canada, she's now held captive by the beauty of New Zealand.

Ignore her content warnings and weep.

Reviews

[Niki Ricci · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Graciously His is a dark, obsessive romance packed with manipulation, deception, psychological trauma, and murder. From the very beginning, you’re left questioning who can be trusted as Grace slowly uncovers the horrifying truth about the people she’s depended on her entire life. The twists surrounding her illness kept me hooked, and every revelation made the story darker than the last.

Nate is the definition of a possessive, demanding antihero. He’s wanted Grace since they were children, and once fate finally puts her within reach, he has no intention of ever letting her go. His obsession drives every page, creating an intense push-and-pull between protection, control, and devotion that dark romance readers will devour.

The Munchausen storyline added a disturbing psychological element that made this book stand out from the typical dark romance. Combined with betrayal, death, and layers of deceit, the suspense kept me turning pages long into the night.

If you enjoy obsessive heroes, morally gray characters, psychological twists, and romances that explore the darkest corners of love and obsession, Graciously His is definitely worth adding to your TBR. Be sure to check the trigger warnings before diving in.

[Crystal | BoundInBlush · Rating 5 out of 5]

There have only been a few times where I have mourned a story being over before I believe it to truly have begun - this is one of those stories.

“Graciously His” by A.M Duskwolf takes the genre of Psychological Dark Romance and twists it all around into what is a beautiful story of escaping medical and family abuse, and accepting the love and care you deserve from others.

As the reader, we go through the story of our FMC Grace as she comes to terms with losing her husband and being facing with the reality that the family (her mother) that has always been the “caring and loving” parental figure in her life while battling illness after illness is not as caring and loving as she first thought.

Then we have our MMC, Nate who has been watching and waiting since they were kids to take the perfect opportunity to help Grace escape the abuse and mysterious illnesses she has faced her whole life. That day comes sooner than expected with the sudden death of her husband - said husband who just so happens to be Nate’s twin brother.

A.M Duskwolf captures perfectly the emotional and mental toll of chronic illness and not knowing what is exactly wrong brings. The story is written in such a way that you as the reader are both sad and angry for the FMC and feel as protective over her as the MMC does.

“Graciously His” will have you chomping through each page and chapter to find out how the story ends - will both leads get their HEA?! You will have to read to find out.

(I have received an advance review copy from Book Sirens. I have left this review voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own)

[Jamie Steglich · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Review of Advanced Copy received from the Author. This is an honest review.*

This was such a fun book to read I finished it in one day! This is a dark romance that is filled with obsession, trauma, and manipulation

I really enjoyed the authors writing throughout the book. The banter between Nate and Grace is so funny sometimes it had me giggling. The book had me so hooked from the beginning that I spent literally all day reading it! New things kept being added to the list of things she went through and it really kept me invested. There were points where I thought I knew what was going on, but then the author just threw something in and shocked me. There were quite a few twists in turn in the book, but I also found it to be predictable at times, especially the stuff with her mom.

Nate is a very manipulative person, but I think deep down he meant well and just did not go about it the traditional way (obviously). Grace was also a very strong character, but was not ready to trust Nate right away, and then I felt like she never really trusted him even at the end of the book which kinda threw me.

Overall, this was not my favorite book I have ever read, but I did reallt enjoy reading it, though it was predictable at times. 3.75, but rounded up to 4.

[Hollie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Aotearoa dark romance book and I need this on my bookshelf ASAP! I absolutely loved this book and devoured it in 2 days. My poor girl Grace not only wanted to be seen and heard but she also wanted to be loved the way she deserved to be! Nate comes in and swoops her away even though it could be considered a very questionable way to do so 🤭

I loved over the time Grace spent with Nate she managed to find her own voice and stand up to her mother (don't get me started on her 🤬).

The side characters were the best! Mihi seemed so genuine and I absolutely adored how she took Grace under her wing. The way Dare and nate talk to each other gives me such best friend vibes and I love that for Nate who comes off very guarded around others.

Also Shep needs his own moment! That was one loyal boy and I want to give him the biggest cuddle!

It was such a well written book and touching on subjects I haven't read before like chronic illness. They spice scenes were just 🥵🥵 and in a very questionable way you can tell just how much Nate cares for Grace right from the beginning

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow this novel was not what I expected, in a good way! I really thought it was going to be another run of the mill dark romance where he stalks her and forces her to love him.

The illness part makes it a lot more unique and really shows how celiacs disease can be harmful to the body. Also talks about munchausens was really interesting to learn. This is definitely one of the better dark romances out there even though I felt it could have been better built upon for past connection between Nate and Grace.

Overall would recommend and I finished this in one day!

[Shelbi Holt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this arc read for free, and I couldn’t wait to leave my personal thoughts about it! I absolutely loved this book. The trauma and pain were so well written. I unabashedly was team Nick and the spice was perfect! I am so happy with how the story went and turned out in the end. Would love to read more from this author!

[Lila · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the beginning, I wanted to hit Nate for what he said. But then later on, it started to piece together. As I was reading, I genuinely felt like this was the start of a true crime case. I love how Grace can still defend herself. Thinking about it, Nate seems morally black, although he does try to protect Grace in his own way. The characters were well-developed, along with the pacing.

[Christa Strange · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the different edge to this dark romance ~ I’ll stay pretty tight lipped to avoid spoilers BUT I liked the aspect of a chronically ill FMC and the dominant MMC that had to wait in the shadows for her. I liked the push-pull of the dom/sub relationship and how perfectly it wrapped up by the end.

[Kirsten Nel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good book and I couldn't put it down. I really felt like the author took time to learn about the medical issues in this book which is so great and it really made this feel genuine and raw. I would 100% recommend this as your next read.

[Ava Ahern-Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was incredible, the dark caretaking was done beautifully, I havent read a book like it. The spice was top tier. AMAZING JOB and thank you so much for the ARC