Unmasked

by A. A. Dark

Genres: Dark Romance

510 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 20, 2026

Reviews

[Gracie]

This book was absolutely heart wrenching! I loved Penelope and Vaughn’s story. A.A manages to pack so much character growth within her pages. I am excited to see how she expands this new world. I would definitely look into triggers she has listed on her website. This book falls under her Mad Love:Pitch Black tier.

[Cami Rush]

Alaska always brings it!! Soo good!! 6 stars ⭐️
I hope the next book is about Theo! I love him!!

[Lily Foster]

2.25⭐️ - 3🌶
☆ Secret society
☆ Touch her and die
☆ Trials
☆ Pitch black
☆ Badass FMC

In this second installment, we finish the story of Penelope and Vaughn. She goes ahead with the queen trials and has to face a lot more tribulations along the way. He wants his throne back and will stop at nothing to get it.

I have a lot of thoughts about this book, but I'm gonna start with what I liked. A.A. Dark never shies from the darker subject matter and she still doesn't in this book. It was tame compared to some of her other series, but still very satisfying.

Now for my rating... I wanted to love everything about this book. I was excited about this story. It just fell short, unfortunately. Everything felt predictable and I couldn't emotionally connect to the characters. They held no depth for me. Even though they were being put through hell, it all felt very detached.

I also had a lot of trouble getting past the grammatical errors and typos present in the ebook. I don't mind a few typos here and there, but the sheer amount in this book was too much. I think it needs more editing.

Overall, this is the first A.A. Dark book that I can confidently say was not for me. I think that's a shame, but it happens. I am sure this duet will find its audience and if you choose to read this, check your triggers.

Other ratings from this series:

(1) Uncrowned: 3.75⭐️

[Purple Dragon Reader]

Unmasked: Bleed, Cry, and Lose Yourself in A.A. Dark's Best Work Yet

This book is not for the faint of heart. Fortunately, I am not one to shy away from intense, dark reads, and this one is a beautiful, sad, glorious masterpiece.

It weaves together elements of Whitlock (yes, you get Brahm and Everleigh!), Garden of the Gods with Elec shining like he never has, and even a touch of Luke from Red Island. Out of all these worlds emerges a new hero, Vaughn, alongside his queen, Penelope, who is truly the real hero of this story.

I laughed, I cried, and I loved every single minute of it. Read at your own risk.

5,000 stars

[Karen - Kazza's Books Blog]

We are welcomed back to the second instalment of this Pitch Black duet.

I was excited to see Penelope grow as a future queen and she definitely held her own when it came to being the person that she was expected to be. King Lawrence played his part well and I really enjoyed watching the two of them grow together despite all of the road blocks thrown at them.

I loved the new world that A.A. Dark has created and all of the cameo roles that helped tie this book into the world of the dark, deprived and delicious main masters.

[IdRatherBeReading]

I feel like book 2 was way better than book 1, bc their stories unraveled more, their characters were pushed to their end, and there was just a lot more happening. There was also a lot more of King Lawrence *exaggerated eye roll*. Talk about a spoiled brat who threw the worst tantrums . He was so delusional I feel like I need therapy! I admired Penelope’s fire, drive, and strength, but GOSH was she annoying at times. 🤦🏼‍♀️ Call me depraved, but I liked the darkness in the story. Rated 3.5 bc the story gave unrequited love, shock value & entertainment…

[Linda]

Unique, Powerful, and Exceptionally Dark 🔥

A.A. Dark takes you deep into a violent, thrilling underworld beneath London where the stakes couldn’t be higher. Unique, powerful, and beyond anything I could have imagined. If you love high-stakes dark romance and fierce battles for power… must read. 🤓
5/5 ⭐️
Tier 3 darkness▪️▪️▪️Check the author’s website for triggers. Some scenes were intense to say the least.

[Amanda Anderson]

Unmasked

I was so excited to read both of the books in this duet. While it wasn’t quite as dark as other corners of the AA Dark universe, it was still satisfying and spicy in all the right places. It was a welcome addition to the world I’ve come to love so much. Can’t wait for more!

[A.M.]

She did it again! I could not put down this book we continue where we left off in the first book. We see Penny flourish and become one strong as hell FMC. By far my favourite couple (after Bram and Everleigh) in this AA Dark Universe

[Heather]

I DEVOURED this series. I loved having the darker, back to horror back in this 2nd book. Lawrence got EXACTLY what he deserved. I hope we see more of Penelope and Vaughn in further crossovers in the universe A.A. Dark has so masterfully created.

[c_g.77]

all star cast!!

What just happened??!! What an incredible book. I need more immediately. And Vaughan. Amazing book. And then Elec? Bram? Everly? Plus Luke from Red Island??? The Sultan???? Dude.