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Where Are You?

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562 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 22, 2026

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About the author

Dusti Smith

1 book4 followers
After marrying my husband, I found myself healing from the traumas of my past through creating a loving family of my own. Together, we have one dog, two cats, and a bearded dragon. I’ve always been a huge animal lover; seniors especially have a special place in my heart.

Writing has proven to be like therapy for me and it has helped in so many ways. Diving deeper into my thoughts and how I felt growing up has been a difficult, yet liberating experience. Another reason why I’m so appreciative to my readers for contributing so much into making this dream a reality for me.

When I’m not pouring my soul into a story, I’m usually in my kitchen cooking something from scratch or taking a bubble bath that’s two hours too long with a dark romance novel in my hand.

I encourage my readers to always check the trigger warnings before diving into my stories, as I tend to not stray away from dark/taboo subjects, morally grey men, and emotional roller coasters. If I had you at "trigger warnings" then you are in the right place, my friend.

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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
Profile Image for Aubrey.
24 reviews3 followers
September 24, 2026
THIS BOOK WAS DAMN GOOD .soo damn beautiful .YALL THIS AUTHOR DESERVES A DAMN OSCAR or whatever they give out for books .MY GOD , your taken on Jane's journey with healing from all the trauma she had to endure .She learns to love herself with the help of haven and Luther. This has a twist i loved the whole ghost themed in this book , i donr wanna spoil anything but man .*Sigh*.I haven't read a book this good in such a long time .PICK THIS BOOK UP LIKE YESTERDAY .
Profile Image for H.R. Delano.
Author 5 books7 followers
September 24, 2026

Respectfully WHAT the fuck was that? And I mean in the absolute best way possible. 🫣 Hello dark romance… hello symbolism… hello deranged stalkers who are absolutely going to live in my head for a long long time. This is dark. Like emotional trauma dark. For the love of everything check the full list of triggers. I did not. I went in blind. 🥴

But let’s get to the good stuff. I woke my husband up at two in the morning because I’ll just say “spinning”. That is all. I’m trying to get through this without giving away spoilers. 🤣

I love this. I love this so much. I’ve read a lot of stalker romance books because let’s be honest, I have a dark romance problem. It is what it is. This is the first one that really has been set apart from others.

The plot I was not expecting. Also Appalachian Mountains? YES PLEASE. Anyone who’s been or lives there knows those mountains hold their own history of generations. Horror vibes and psychological mind fucks? I’ll take it. Give me ten more. 👏 Please I’m begging. 👀

Relatable trauma, yes unfortunately especially if you grew up in a house with more secrets than you know what to do with and a parent or parents that didn’t protect you.
Profile Image for spicy_book_nook.
571 reviews38 followers
October 8, 2026
👻🖤 What happens when the demons you’ve spent your entire life running from aren’t the only things waiting for you in the darkness?

For seventeen years, Jane has been fighting a battle that no one else can truly understand.

Since the age of ten, her life has been consumed by trauma, emotional pain, and memories that refuse to leave her alone. Self-harm has become her way of coping with a world that has given her far more suffering than happiness. Now, at twenty-seven, Jane is exhausted. Broken down by years of fighting her own mind, she has reached a point where simply surviving no longer feels like enough.

Desperate to escape the nightmares that have haunted her since childhood, Jane returns to the mountains near the place she once called home.

But this isn’t a peaceful getaway or an attempt to start over.

With only a small backpack and a destination already chosen, Jane ventures deep into the wilderness with no intention of coming back.

What she doesn’t realize is that she isn’t alone.

The mountains hold secrets of their own, and the forest is home to more than wildlife and forgotten memories. Strange, unsettling forces seem to linger among the trees, blurring the lines between the supernatural and the very real horrors Jane has spent years trying to escape.

And then there are Haven and Luther.

Two brothers who have both fallen hopelessly in love with the same woman.

Haven is painfully aware of his own flaws and believes he could never be worthy of someone like Jane. His feelings for her are complicated by his insecurities, his past, and the belief that someone so precious deserves far better than he could ever offer.

Luther, however, sees things differently.

Where Haven doubts himself, Luther believes that together they can give Jane the love, protection, and happiness she’s never truly known.

Neither brother is perfect. Both carry their own darkness, and their feelings for Jane are anything but simple. But despite their differences, they share one unwavering determination.

Jane is not going to die. Not if they have anything to say about it.

As Jane makes her way deeper into the mountains, Haven and Luther follow, desperate to stop her from making a decision that cannot be undone.

But the journey becomes far more complicated than either brother anticipates.

Between the haunting presence of the mountain’s spirits, the psychological demons tormenting Jane, and the very real dangers lurking in the forest, all three find themselves confronting forces that threaten to destroy them.

The brothers’ strength, determination, and willingness to sacrifice are pushed to their limits as they fight to reach a woman who has already given up on herself.

And at the heart of it all is one devastating question:

Can love reach someone who no longer believes she’s worth saving?

Where Are You? is a dark, emotionally intense paranormal romance that blends psychological trauma, supernatural mystery, obsessive devotion, and the desperate fight to find hope when everything feels lost.

This isn’t a lighthearted ghost story or a traditional romance. It’s a journey through darkness, where the line between the horrors of the mind and the mysteries of the supernatural becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish.

🖤 My Review

Okay, first of all… HOT DAYUM, HAVEN AND LUTHER!! 🥵🔥🖤

Because apparently one complicated, devoted man wasn’t enough. Dusti Smith decided to give us TWO, and I’m certainly not complaining! 😂

Now, let me start by saying that this book was not what I expected, but in a really interesting way!

I went into Where Are You? knowing it was a dark paranormal romance, but what I really enjoyed was how the supernatural elements were woven into a story that still felt surprisingly grounded in reality.

It was paranormal, but also… kind of believable?!

And listen, I BELIEVE IN GHOSTS! 👻

So when a story starts playing with spirits, unexplained occurrences, and the possibility that there’s something out there we can’t quite explain, I’m immediately intrigued.

What I appreciated about this book was that the paranormal elements didn’t make the entire story feel like some completely unbelievable fantasy. There was something unsettling about the idea that these events could happen in a world much like our own.

That combination of supernatural mystery and very human suffering gave the story an eerie atmosphere that I really enjoyed.

But poor, poor Jane. 💔

My heart genuinely hurt for this woman.

The amount of trauma she carries, the emotional pain she’s endured, and the sheer exhaustion of trying to survive her own thoughts made her story incredibly heartbreaking.

This is not a heroine who is simply having a bad day or dealing with a little emotional baggage. Jane is someone who has spent nearly her entire life fighting battles that have left her struggling to see any value in her own existence.

And that is HEAVY.

Her story really highlights how deeply trauma can affect someone, even years after the events themselves. The past doesn’t always stay in the past, and sometimes the things we carry internally are far more frightening than anything waiting in the shadows.

I appreciated that this book wasn’t afraid to explore those darker, more uncomfortable emotions.

And then we have Haven and Luther. 🥵🖤

These two!

I absolutely love a romance where the men are fiercely devoted to their woman, and the fact that both brothers are willing to fight so hard for Jane definitely caught my attention.

What makes their dynamic interesting is that they don’t approach their feelings in exactly the same way.

Haven struggles with believing he’s worthy of Jane, while Luther seems much more certain that they can give her the love and happiness she deserves.

That contrast adds another emotional layer to an already complicated situation.

And let’s be serious for a second…

Two men completely devoted to one woman, determined to protect her, and willing to face whatever darkness stands between them and her happiness?

YES, PLEASE! 🙋🏻‍♀️🔥

I love a protective MMC. Give me a man who is completely gone for his woman, and I’m sold. Give me TWO men with that level of devotion, and you’ve definitely got my attention!

But what makes this story more than just a romance is the emotional weight behind everything happening.

Jane isn’t simply looking for love. She’s struggling to find a reason to keep going.

And Haven and Luther aren’t just dealing with romantic feelings. They’re confronting the terrifying possibility of losing someone they love while also being forced to face their own demons.

The combination of psychological darkness, paranormal elements, and complicated relationships makes this a very different kind of love story.

And honestly, I love when a book gives me something a little different!

I also appreciated the atmosphere of the mountain setting. There’s something inherently creepy about an isolated forest, especially when you add unexplained spirits and the feeling that something might be watching from just beyond the trees.

For someone like me, who already believes there are things in this world we can’t fully explain, that setting makes the paranormal side of the story even more intriguing.

👻 Final Thoughts

Where Are You? is definitely not your typical sweet romance, and it isn’t a light paranormal read either.

It’s dark, emotional, unsettling, and built around characters carrying some incredibly painful experiences.

Jane’s story is heartbreaking, and the themes surrounding her mental health and trauma are not easy ones. But the combination of those very real struggles with the supernatural mystery creates a story that feels different from the usual paranormal romance.

And, of course, Haven and Luther deserve their own special mention because… HOT. DAYUM. 🥵🔥

If you enjoy dark romance, complicated relationships, protective men, psychological suspense, and paranormal stories that make you wonder whether ghosts might actually be walking among us, this one is worth checking out.

Just be sure to read the trigger warnings beforehand. This story explores some very serious and potentially distressing subjects.

My biggest takeaway? Sometimes the most frightening things aren’t the ghosts hiding in the darkness, but the demons people have been carrying inside themselves for years.

And sometimes, the greatest battle is finding a reason to keep fighting. 🖤
Profile Image for Enchanted Escape.
2 reviews
October 5, 2026
My first thought going into this was, “I can't wait to see how the darkness will heal the darkness.” 🖤 Specifically when it came to Jane and the trauma she'd endured—which progressively got worse as the story unfolded.

My oh my, the darkness did NOT disappoint. 😮‍💨

This did NOT go how I expected it to at all.

In the beginning, I was actually pissed because Jane's friends were NOT what I needed them to be for her. Thankfully, they came through and didn't disappoint. 🙌🏻

Then we have:

👀 Weird shit happening to Jane
👯 Twins
🖤 Haven & Luther
🔪 Stalking to protect their girl (well...they wanted her to be their girl 😂)
🩸 And two morally black men who have absolutely no problem doing what needs to be done

And protecting her is exactly what they did—in SO many ways. The more the story unfolds, the more you realize just how much is actually going on.

Then there's one subplot where Jane is in a forest and there are literal GHOSTS FOLLOWING HER. 👻

The boys show up and do their thing (coughs)...while the ghosts are ACTIVELY trying to get them, and somehow the ghosts basically get put on the back burner.

Excuse me???

MY CHICKEN ASS DID NOT FORGET ABOUT THE GHOSTS. 😭😂

I was stressed.

There are several other subplots happening throughout the book, but explaining them would require spoilers, and this is definitely one you need to experience without knowing exactly where it's going.

📚 Tropes/Themes:

🖤 Why choose
🖤 Morally black MMCs
🖤 Possessive MMCs
🖤 Found family
🖤 Age gap (small, in my opinion)
🖤 Bikers
🖤 Murder(s)
🖤 Stalking
🖤 Self-harm
🖤 Suicide attempts/ideation

⚠️ This is NOT a complete list of the tropes or trigger warnings. Definitely check those before reading.

I'd absolutely classify this as Dark Romance, but you're also getting Mystery/Thriller/Horror vibes throughout it.

🎭 Emotions I experienced while reading:

😭 Sadness
😡 Anger
🤢 Disgust
🥹 Happiness
😳 Fear
😰 Worry
🤯 Excitement
🥵 Hot...because apparently that's an emotion now. 😂

And Jane?

She's a fucking badass. 🖤

It just took her a second to realize it.
Profile Image for Tracie Weems.
46 reviews
September 30, 2026
Where do I even start explaining what this book meant to me while reading it. The childhood abuse parts, the feelings that come with that, the extreme thoughts of self doubt and not wanting to live. It was as if I wrote it myself, from my life, from all of the feelings I had.

I had to stop so many times because I couldnt read through the tears, because it hurt so much, because it brought up everything I lived and survived. This book perfectly portrayed what it is to survive and see the other size. To live. To chose you. To chose who gets to love you. To realize everyone who should protect you failed, and all it takes is one person to come alone and open your eyes (or in this case 2 people).

"Crazy what you’ll come up with in your mind when you’re a kid, just trying to survive. Trying to believe that the people who should love you the most, who should protect you, would do so if it were truly necessary. Making you question yourself every day, why they don’t."❤️❤️❤️❤️

Aside from all if that this book is wild!!! Absolutely not what I expected at all and absolutely amazing twist along the way to keep you reading and pull you in. I can not wait to continue reading anything Dusti Smith puts out there! Forever fan!
Profile Image for Sandra Braden.
23 reviews
October 3, 2026
Well… this book was a fucking ride!
I went in not really knowing what to expect, and somehow ended up completely obsessed. The tension, the darkness, the twists-I was hooked. I kept telling myself “just one more chapter” and we all know how that went. I wish I could wipe my brain and read this for the first time again. Damn fine job Dusti!
Profile Image for Allissa.
3 reviews
October 3, 2026
Perfect why choose for spooky season!!!

This story was so different from most of my reads and I loved it! I went in blind and was so invested in the plot that I couldn't put the book down. The mystery and paranormal aspects kept me hooked, but the light it shines on the real monsters of this world was even better.
Profile Image for Shawna Shay.
36 reviews2 followers
October 10, 2026
INTENSE FROM START TO FINISH

Appalachian Mountain creepiness
An FMC who sees herself as unlovable, undesirable, hiding herself.
Twin MMCs who would burn the world for her, show her that she’s truly beautiful.
Shadow figures
Detached voices
Traumatic pasts
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
ABSOLUTELY WORTH THE READ!
7 reviews
October 11, 2026
Check your trigger warnings before reading. No spoilers here.

“Where are you” is a book that will hook you from the beginning! The suspense top tier. The characters fantastic! The smut ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. The mental health and childhood trauma heart breaking. The ending was a fantastic finish to this story.
Profile Image for Aubrey Smith.
1 review
September 27, 2026
Found this on TikTok! It had been released two days before. Went in blind. 👏👏👏 IT. WAS. SO. GOOD!!!! From hiding under the blankets freaking out to absolutely heart wrenching. This author makes you FEEL the feels. 10/10 Haven, Luther, and Jane. 🤌🏼😮‍💨
Profile Image for v.
285 reviews1 follower
Did Not Finish
October 10, 2026
Unfortunately, I’m DNFing at 36%. For me personally, there was too much smut too early on for a 500+ page book. Which is unbelievably disappointing because the plot was extremely intriguing. However, I want more plot than smut in a book of this size and unfortunately it was not giving that.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews