I was always searching for something - something I couldn't name. I didn't fit the mold I was born into. There is a secret place I harbor that is restless and hungry. I thought I had found someone to feed the darkness lurking inside of me.
But I was wrong.
While I was searching for a potential mate, he was searching for potential prey. Bound and naked, I am now in the clutches of a man with hungers that extend beyond what I could have fathomed, yet true fear eludes me.
Why am I not afraid?
Maybe because for the first time my own demon can be free. Maybe because I haven't been searching for someone to feed my darkness, but for someone I can feed theirs.
Sadly, this book made me wanna rethink my love of the dark side…
I’m starting to wonder if the designation of dark for a romance book really means all this will make as much sense as reading a non-Braille book in the dark does.
The good stuff first, since this won’t take long… --The cover is fab. --This can be read as a standalone, although there are some spoilers then for book 1 in this series.
Now to the crapfest… This is one giant spoiler so don’t click if you don’t wanna know.
The main dude in this one is Blake from book 1, but Loki and others make a few appearances too. So far, I’m thinking I really like this guy…
Then we meet the FMC, Julia, who owns a bookstore and lives with her gay BFF, Kyle. Blake really likes books
Up until this point, which is pretty early into this rodeo show, I’m thinking this is an okay read. The editing could be better, but it’s not that bad. Blake’s character is a wee bit wonky *shrugs* That could work for me.
Alas…This is where the lights go off. The rest is a strange game of who’s going to blink first…as in, who’s really more messed up here and do I really give a crap about any of them? Nothing makes sense!
Maybe because Blake’s cock is so confused on what it wants, he thought all pervs could be equally confused? I dunno.
It would seem this is the Bermuda triangle of books where all raped/rapist/rapey killers come together to live happily ever after....Don’t read if you don’t want to know the ending…
I shit you not. bahahaha ["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>
I'm going to start by saying this is a very dark romance. TW (Trigger Warnings) for Rape, Kidnapping, Murder, Torture. If these things bother you, don't read this book.
Blake has a tortured past that left him emotionally broken. He finds people that run child sex trafficking rings and he tortures and kills them. I could have understood that but then we find out he has a cabin outfitted for kidnapping women and raping them. He's not a good guy.
Julia owns a book store with her friend Kyle. But she finds herself drawn to Blake when he walks into her store over and over again. Kyle tells her that this guy is dangerous but she doesn't listen and ends up being kidnapped and chained to a floor in Blake's cabin along with Kyle. But Kyle has some dark secrets that Blake uncovers as well and that was an interesting twist to say the least.
But Julia has some secrets of her own that most of her family and friends don't know about them. She also has a tortured past that has made her broken just like Blake.
This was a hard read and I really didn't want to feel sorry for Blake or Julia after we find out what kind of person she really is but I did and I found myself rooting for a happy ending for the both of them.
Blake and some others used to work for a mob boss who let all of his sociopathic people go, Blake being one of them. He has a friend named Loki and Loki is in a relationship with Beth who is the mob boss's daughter. Loki is one scary dude and even more deranged than Blake. So when Blake asks Loki for a favor, we get to see just how crazy this guy is. But at the same time Blake and Loki only go as far as they need to in order to get Kyle to do what they need in order to bring down a child sex trafficking ring. So you can see my dilemma here.
When Blake and Loki go to stop the sex trafficking ring, they get more than they bargained for and there's a huge twist as to who is actually running the ring. Things go from bad to worst in a short amount of time but Blake and Loki do what they have to in order to bring the ring to a halt.
There was a lot wrong with this story. The depravity, as well as the horrors that Kyle and Julia went through. But I couldn't put this book down. I found myself being pulled into the story to see what would happen next because I wanted to find out about everyone's past, a past that made them who they are now. There were so many twists and turns, so many secrets come to light and a dark romance of two broken people finding comfort in each other, that this ended up being a really good read. It's definitely not for the faint of heart though, so keep that in mind if you decide to read this.
THIS. BOOK. WAS. FREAKING. AMAZING! S.H. Timmins has quickly become one of my favourite dark authors. After reading her first book in this series, Sins in the Night, I couldn't wait to read this one. I was not disappointed. S.H. Timmins has this outstanding talent which transports you into her books.
Fears in the Dark is a dark erotic twisted story, about love, friendship and keeping secrets. It's best to first read Sins in the Night, book 1 in this series, since there are returning characters in this one. If you are a dark lover, then this book is definitely for you!
I truly have no words for what I just read! This book will have you questioning your own rules, boundaries and labels. This is how you do dark and gritty without it feeling like a checklist.
I love dark romance but the sub genre has been flooded lately with grey or off white instead of black it should be. Now you see descriptions like dark romance (morally grey) and I find that perplexing and annoying. It's becoming more difficult to find good dark romance. I broke a lot of personal rules when reading this book and I'm glad I did:
Rule #1 no dark romance read without a Trigger Warning page. If now TW page I usually don't read the book, and I look at Amazon reviews for the triggers. None of them were properly listed besides the generic lists you typically see with dark romance. I'll provide a list: 🫣 dub¢0n/nonc0n 🫣 ®@pe 🫣 🧒 abuse 🫣 🧒 SA 🫣🩸play 🫣 st@l£ing 🫣 abdu¢tioπ
Even without the list I knew from the first sentence that it was going to be a deliciously dark ride and I prepares to face it all.
"I'm no prince in shining armor to rescue the princess and the sooner she knows that the better. I am.diety, filthy. She deserves someone clean"
Rule #2 not into MMF, just not my bag. I won't seek it out and usually don't read books that have it. I still won't read books that have it but if I was to read that type of pairing I liked how it was presented in this book.
"She is blood on petals. She is the thorn on the rose"
The MMC was quite dominant and he was so independently explicit in what he wanted and why. This is a dark romance, his story isn't pretty and be doesn't do pretty things but hands down I loved watching him evolve. Not only that I love how this book was a mystery and each person had a layer to peel. It kept me hooked and the surprises kept coming
Rule #3 sassy FMC. I'm going to not say anything more because woah Julia is full of awesome surprises and I thoroughly enjoyed watching her. Even though I have started steering away from the sassy FMC, I enjoyed seeing how Julia impacted Blake and how she searched within herself to heal. I was ecstatic to see a full figured FMC. She was described as a plain Jane cutey with thick curves. She behaved like a grown woman. I still wish for the day authors start writing late 20s early 30s FMCs but I aged Julia up in my head.
Upon reading the first sentence on the first page, I took notice. By the end of the third paragraph I was hooked. It felt like this book was made for me. I consumed it in one day. It was brilliant in its gore, grit, dark themes, & sm∆tthood. It was everything you could ever ask for. The scenes were molten lava got and the characters were not tropes or caricatures; they felt like dark flawed beings.
I will say this the only thing I can agree with the reviewers is that the author can be a tad bit predictable. I knew from the moment the man that had taken Julia and Kyle captive that he was Mr.B their old boss, just by the way he spoke it was obvious it was him. So anyways other then that it was a really great read. Blake and the rest of the monsters had been let loose supposedly Mr.B had given everything up in hopes of getting closer to his daughter. So Blake needed to find a new purpose for his life, he found that in the form of a child pornography ring that he plans to shut down and take out every sick SOB that was apart of it. So yeah these guys are killers and they're sick but they only kill those that need killing. Reading the part about Blake's past when he was a little boy, finding out what it was that made the man who he is today. That broke me god I know there are really sick individuals out there that really do prey on innocent children and that makes me sick. If all those sick people met the same ending as these did the world would be a better place. So for those of you that are more sensitive to certain subjects I'll make a trigger list for you.
• Male on Male action • Cannibalism • Rape • Torture • Violence • Blood and Gore • Self mutilation • Flash backs to where the main characters tell stories of how they were abused when they were children. The author wrote it best she could kept details out of it but if you have a trigger for these sort of situations, this book is not for you. I think that pretty much covers everything I hope...anyways I know the trigger list seems pretty intimidating but trust me it was a really good read. If you're a KU subscriber check it out for yourself and form your own opinion.
First off, just a bit about the book in general.......Author tried to write what she thought was graphic. There isn't even any BDSM. What was graphic was the numerous inconsistencies. Too many to list. I can get past that. What I can't get past is the disgusting stereotype that is, imo, homophobic. SPOILER ALERT There's a scene in which the H is sort of confronting the best friend. He knows the bf isn't gay and was just pretending. The way the author goes about this is just disgusting. H exposes his very large erect penis to the bf. His inner monologue on how he knows Kyle isn't gay is because Kyle didn't respond to seeing the H's genitals. Keep in mind that Kyle has been kidnapped, held hostage, stripped, and is now about to be orally raped (author tried to make it seem like it's dubious consent). H thinks to himself that any gay man would be salivating and dropping to his knees at the sight of his large, erect penis. So, this author thinks all gay men just cannot control themselves and drop to their knees upon seeing a big dick. 🙄 Doesn't matter if they know the guy or are strangers, if they are even attracted to the guy, or if it's even consensual or not. Nope. Nothing matters to a gay man when they see a big dick they just salivate and drop to their knees. Author should be ashamed. I was disgusted.
OK first I gave it three stars because of some seriously shitty editing, made parts if this book hard to follow. Leaving it "to be continued", with no idea of what the next book would be called is also a load of crap. We cannot follow if you do not guide. Julia has deep secrets, demons and darkness inside her innocent, shiney act she put on. Kyle is gorgeous, gay, and the bestfriend but, he also has some massive dark secrets. Then enters Blake, a hulk of a man, scarred but, Julia sees more than scars. Blake isn't who or what she thinks and the first date he shows her. The secrets are forced out, the shininess turns cloudy and then it gets brutal. It is a good read, I hate some parts of it. I hate Kyle was taken from being Julia's hero to what he was. I hate Blake went from monster to hero. I very much like that Julia does NOT need a hero, she is her own hero. The brutalities both Blake and Julia suffered in their childhoods is very hard to read. If you have triggers stay away from this book.
I believe that Kyle was made to look like a bigger asshole than Blake. Julia was just confusing, she knows Kyle longer and he confesses that he had loved her for awhile but doesn't act on it because he was giving her time, he didn't want to push anything to mess up their friendship so he tells her that he is gay to be able to live with her and not scare her or whatever, he explained all of this to her.
Blake makes Kyle rape Julia by threatening to harm her if Kyle doesn't do it so Kyle does but she it mad at Kyle and not at Blake, at that point I was like fuck all of this nonsense. Blake kidnaps both of them and bites Julia on her breast until she bleeds and makes Kyle suck his dick to keep from harming her but somehow Kyle was wrong for what he did; her reason being that he was eager to fuck her, mind you, Blake tells them that he has put a drug in Kyle's food to make his dick stay hard so he could be able to rape her.
She chooses Blake because he gets her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Dark and Twisted! So glad I read book one. It is recommended, as the storyline starts in book one, with Loki and his associate Blake. Blake and Loki trust no one, not even each other. They know the others darkest secrets. They know what each other are capable of, and respect that darkness. Book two Fears in the Dark. Blake has demons no one can imagine. In Julia he finds a kindred darkness. Can she help calm his demons? Will her relationship with her friend and roommate, Kyle, cause Blake to go too far?
Be warned this is not for the faint of heart. This is dark. This is twisted. This is a must read.
Gahhhh!!!!! It's hard to find the words to describe this without spoilers but I'll give it a go. Blake and Julia have had a horrific life. Filled with rape, abuse and murder. Blake's obsession leads him to kidnap Julia and her best friend Kyle. They all learn that secrets never really stay buried and you never know someone as much as you think you do. I absolutely FLOVED this book! It has it all, blood, gore, savagery, Alpha-males, boy/boy(good and bad), Alpha-female, murder and let's not forget the burning smexy chemistry. I couldn't put it down once I started and I'm jumping up and down waiting for more!
Despite having some interference in finishing this book I had no problem getting right back into it and just falling in love with Blake and Julia’s story even more!
It is not for the faint of heart as it will rip you open and expect that you will heal yourself with how the story plays out! Our characters are strong when they may think they are weak and are capable of things they may not have realized till it was called upon them!
So much heart goes into writing a story and I think sometimes even more when you explore the darkness of your characters with no apologies for who they are or what they do!
I highly suggest you read the first book in this series before diving in to this one. A character from the first book makes an important appearance and reading this one first will spoil your reading experience of book one. This book is just as dark as the first, if not more so. It's bloody, violent, and everything is written explicitly. It is a DARK book with DARK themes. There is an incredible arc and love story that takes place with Julia and Blake throughout. I loved this book, the characters, and the evolution of their relationship. Great book! Can't wait for the third one!!
Do everyone a favor and skip this read if you have any triggers! Consent is nonexistent in the book. The R word appears frequently. This book definitely isn’t for everyone. -Follows mainly 2 guys and 1 woman -with or without consent -bisexual awakening -vigilante -murd3r -cannibalism or near close to it in graphic detail -abu$e including of children a main plot point throughout -and tons more.
If you have triggers then move along. This book is not for the soft hearted. There are not rainbows and unicorns in this story. While there are dark horrors going on there is still an underlying message going on that is important. Whether you condone it or not is entirely up to you. For myself, having lived a tumultuous childhood, I understood and appreciated it.
This is a first time author for me but it will not be the last.
This Author gets better with every book this one not only keeps you flipping the pages but blows you out of the water with how Blake,Julia, Loki do things, Julia will make your jaw drop on how strong she is and how she handles information she learns what a roller coaster you will take with this book. Just amazing.
I enjoyed this book so much, when I was done with the series, I contacted Timmins on FB to let her know how great I thought it was. It's vibrant, engaging, and disturbing. The characters are interesting and their peculiarities are deeply entertaining. I hope there's more to come from this Timmins.
I wanted to know why if Blake was so obsessed with Julia, why he’d want to destroy her? I don’t buy that Kyle loved Julia. And I I don’t think Kyle deserves his own book. Unless Loki, Blake, Beth and Julia hunt him. Other than that...meh..
I sort of didn’t care in this installment. Probably why it took me a week to finish it.
Oh my goodness another page turner! So much action, suspense, hotness, and darkness! This is an awesome series for those of us who like some darkness with our light! Please be aware of the trigger warnings for this book! It is not for the faint of heart! I can't wait to start the next one and see where it takes me!
FANTASTIC DARK READ!!! S.H.Timmins is fast becoming a favorite author of mine. She is definitely the queen of dark. Blake and Julia's story is dark. It's twisted and not for the faint of heart. S.H. Timmins tells their tale beautifully. With characters you won't soon forget and a storyline that will hold you in its grip and quickly turning the pages, you don't want to miss this one.
Holy heck, If you love Dark reads like I do, this is the book you want! This book has everything, blood, sex, kidnapping, and stuff I will not giveaway. I sure do hope that there are many more books like this one to come. I couldn't stop reading it!
While this was no masterpiece, it was an entertaining read. Copy editing could have been better. The climax arrived late, but the story concluded nicely so that I could imagine reading the next one.
I enjoyed every word in this book. Took you from the bottom to leave you at the top. Love the characters capturing something spectacular in each and every one of them keeps you coming back!
I really enjoyed reading about this couple. Blake is one of those guys who thinks he will be alone forever.... Until Julia. Trials and tribulations try to keep them apart but HEA do exist.
Dark & Sinister Just as dark as the first.. Some scenes might be unpleasant to read but if you like dark books, (like I do) this is another good one to read.