Deep into the Darkness

by Lucy Wild

I'm nothing but a wild animal.
The world is scared of me. That's why I'm in here, locked away in this cell.
All I do is fight, eat, and sleep.
But there's one thing I've never stopped wanting.
A woman.
Not just any woman either, I want the only one I can remember.
So when they give her to me, I have no hope of resisting.
Now she's locked in here with no way out.
She wants to escape.
I want her.
Time to make a deal.
Time to take her deep into the darkness.

Genres: Dark, Romance, Abuse, Novella, Dark Romance

Unknown Binding

First published November 3, 2017

About the author

Lucy Wild is a contemporary romance writer based in the UK.

Mailing list: http://eepurl.com/cLCk5L

facebook.com/lucywildromance/
amazon.com/author/lucywild
bookbub.com/authors/lucy-wild

Reviews

[Dri ✰ · Rating 4 out of 5]

★ 3,5 stars! ★

A história não é ruim, no entanto não consegui me conectar com ela...

[Jeannine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short dark and twisty story, there was a lot that got packed in there. Most of the story was about Rock and surviving his crazy pants father. Poor Sophia got thrown into the mix and she and Rock had to work together to survive said crazy pants father. I like the epilogue, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows and it showed that sometimes it takes time to heal from a horrific experience.

* I received and ARC in exchange for an honest review*

[Nicki - The Overflowing Bookcase · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a deep, dark and totally had me from the first page book. There was so much emotion, angst and hurt/pain that dripped from every page. The reader can not help but feel the terror that Sophia goes through, the hatred and raw emotion that Rock had had to endure and the father is just psychotic. I could not put this book down. Bravo Lucy Wild, bravo!!

[Shatia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this short book as an ARC for an honest review.
Rock starts out as a young boy who lives with his father, mother and sister in a very dark house. His father Charles very often locks him and his sister, Jessica in the attic for long periods of time. Charles is abusive, demented and angry. He makes Rock believe that he is being punished for wrongs that he hasn't committed. He and Jessica often stare longingly out the window at the little girl next door. Both wishing they could enjoy her company.
One day everything goes very wrong and Charles does something to Jessica that cannot be undone. Thwy disappear from the neighborhood never to be seen again, the dark house still owned by them but never lived in again.
Sophia, the little girl from next door, who is not so little anymore has been living in her parents old house. She has never once seen anyone in the house next door until that dreadful day when Jessica died. Well today she sees a strange man but goes about her day telling herself it is no big deal. Later that night as Sophia is awakened by a creaking floorboard. She gets up ro investigate, leaving her room. When she returns she feels a had grab her! She is kidnapped and by the man who used to live next door! Charles wants to reunite Rock and Sophia since he believes she can be the only one to make Rock attracted enough to procreate. Charles wants a grandchild. This sick and twisted man tortures them and im ashamed to say I so enjoyed it!! Lol but seriously these two begin ro bond and the sexual energy between them was off the charts!
Great short story!!! The darkness and mystery made this such an easy read!! Could definently be read in one sitting. I always love Lucy Wild books! ❤

[Linda Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deep Into The Darkness is definitely an interesting read.
Even though it's only a short book it definitely packs a powerful punch.
Rock and Sofia's story is dark and oh so emotional and kept me gripped throughout.
My heart truly broke for poor Rock and I'm so glad he got the ending he deserved.
I really enjoyed reading this novella and I couldn't put it down once I started reading it.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

[Lisa Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novella but I like twisted and demented characters and this was all that.This will keep you on the edge reading about Rocks childhood and then his adult life and the horrids he has to endure from his physco father trying to break him,and still dreaming about the neighbor next door Sophia which he might just get his wish.I voluntarily read a readers copy of this book

[Anne Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A boy made to live in a cell by his father and as he got older taught to fight.
A girl kidnapped and given to him for his use to get her with child.
This is a very dark book but has a happy ending.
Once I started reading this I couldn’t put it down.
Voluntarily reviewed this advance copy

[Lynn Thinking out loud · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always been a fan of Lucy Wild. I think this is her best written work to date. It's dark, there is tragedy, there is love and there is a HEA.
The only thing I found missing was she never made it clear what happened to Rocks mother.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book.

[KB Kind · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very dark story. Interesting concept. Short read with quick, steamy sex.

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Darkness vs Light

“Deep Into The Darkness” is more than simply a dark romance, it is also a tale of incomprehensible evil and the enduring quality of the human spirit. Professionally written, fast paced and completely engrossing “Deep Into The Darkness” is a journey into darkness, despair as well as the light that resides within every one of us. Unfathomable evil is all around us and does not exist within a vacuum or merely outside of our distinct existence. Evil lurks in our cities, our towns and may even be living right next door.

If you think you known your neighbor… think again, because true evil may wait right outside your door.

Children 18 and over only!

*** I voluntarily received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review but great authors are difficult to find so I purchased my own copy! ***

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was darkalicious- dark and delicious! Perfect reading for a cool, fall day. If your like your stories a little wrong (and sometimes I DO) you will enjoy this!

This story is sad and disturbing, twisted and messed up. For a shorter tale, it packs a punch. Even though it's a happy ending, I'm not sure how truely happy it is.

Also, I wonder about his name, like is it a nickname or did his parents really name him that? This was a little more formally written and less flowy with the speech than I'd normally prefer, but still well done and very enjoyable. I finished it in one sitting.

I received an arc of this.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very dark story about a young boy living in hell with a father who is a psycho. The book was exiting and it never was to much with the darkness. A great story if you want something different then the usual

[Lady Raven Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMGoddess this story is dark, hot and delicious. I really enjoyed it. The things that go on kept my interest the whole time. I love Rock and Sophia. This author has done it again with another great story. I highly recommend this story.

[Nanasbookreviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

i received an ARC in exchange for an honest review

my review: https://nanasbookreviews.blogspot.gr/...

video: https://youtu.be/RNe4OCw97OA

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this as an ARC. This is my honest opinion

This is so dark read, it has heart that makes it sweet. I loved this book

[Jos]

No rating for me:(

It just wasn't my cup of tea and it was NOT because it was dark but because I just couldn't fully invest in it if that makes sense. This was my first read by this author and I will definitely give her another chance in the future. This story just didn't resonate with me unfortunately!

[Tyi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of Rock and Sophia was nice... But I kept thinking of another story while reading this one. It was Caged by Clarissa Wild, which can be compared and contrasted with this one. With the other story in the back of mind, there was no surprise when certain situations occurred.

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

This is a VERY DARK book if you have any childhood trauma issues this is not the book for you. The author states it is a “Dark Book” it is very accurate.

This book has a “Flowers In The Attic” vibe running through part of it. To say that Rock the male lead of the story has the most horrific childhood would be mildly putting it. His world is filled with never ending abuse, degradation and neglect. His adult life is not much better as he is kept in a cage and made to fight different opponents against his will. His jailer Charles, who is also his father gives him “prizes/women” as his reward when he wins a fight but he does not take the bait and they are subsequently dispatched sometimes right in front of him.

As a child Rock would see Sophia outside playing by herself and he would wonder if her life was like his and his sisters. Sophia would sometimes see them watching her and wished they would come out and play with her. Her mother would bring her inside after a while and admonish her to not make so much noise to avoid the wrath of Rock’s father.

Sophia still lives in the house next to where Rock used to live, which made it easy for his father to track her down and kidnap her. She is the one bait that Rock will do everything in his limited power to protect.

Sophia’s first sight of Rock has her in hysterics as she sees more animal than man. While he is somewhat shaggy in appearance a pa¬rt of her is drawn to him. It takes her a little while before she realizes who he is. She now knows what happened to the little boy that used to live next door. Her flight mode is in high gear and she attempts to get away from Charles, which puts her life in jeopardy, as he would have no compunction against killing her if she continues to cause him trouble.

As you read the book you get to live through the nightmare childhood that Rock experienced and it is brutal and dark. There is a limited back-story on the family that lets you know that Charles victimized them all. There really isn’t an indebt explanation for his depravity just the effect that it has on the entire family.

Despite all of the pain and torture that Rock experienced all of his life he is decent and caring. He could have taken Sophia by force and he never did. He does his best to protect her from Charles. Their passion is borne out of terror and the need to survive. Sophia is given an ultimatum by Charles she can either become his plaything or allow Rock to impregnate her she chooses Rock.

The story is an interesting meld of the deepest darkest depravity a parent can unleash on their child and a budding romance filled with hot sexual need between two pawns in this intense pit of despair.

[Hazel Harkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW This is my first book by Lucy Wild and I have to say she has a dark imagination but one that can tell a story about darkness and still have an HEA.

Charles was evil and self serving, could not be called a man, human, husband or father. He never owned anything he did, it was always someone else that caused things to go wrong.
He was what I would refer to as a donor.

Parts of this book made me shudder, it was just that intense! But I could not put the book down once I started reading, it held my attention from page one all the way through the Epilogue.

Rock only wanted to protect his mother and sister but failed on both counts and now Sophia was depending on him to protect and save her but she was willing to give what he was unwilling to simply take from her although he had thought about nothing else since he was 10.

Sophia was kidnapped from her home which had also been her childhood home by the evil Charles but as always it was for his own self serving needs.

I found this book as fascinating as the quote by Edgar Allen Poe at the beginning of this book.
"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming."
and that quote fits into the mind of Rock from his young life to the one he has to find a way to escape, not just for him but for Sophia.

Charles either did not know how to play chess or simply knew the moves but was not advanced enough to plan 3 or 4 moves ahead. Therefore Rock and Sophia were able to quickly play a game and check mate it's over! All except the mental agony they would both struggle to come out from the darkness. But they had each other now and could overcome anything while listening to the sounds of the ocean washing up on shore where they both felt more peace with their little family than Rock had ever felt in his lifetime.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary ARC of this book and highly recommend it for the mystery factor.

[Mary Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the writer says in her disclaimer this is a dark romance and may not be to everyone’s taste, but for me it was a total eye opener; a chance to understand and read something out of my normal comfort zone. Regardless, it is a well-written, intriguing book and one that didn’t disappoint me, even though it dealt with sensitive issues.

Charles is a monster, there is no other way to describe him and what he puts his family through is diabolical. The punishment he inflicts on his wife, son and daughter are continual until he goes too far. Sent to the attic on numerous occasions Rock would often fantasize about Sophia, the girl next door; how happy and carefree she seemed in the garden, while he and Jessica, his sister, are confined indoors and cruelly treated. When Charles goes too far, it is time to move. Twenty years later and Rock is still a prisoner; now instead of the attic, he has a cell; what he doesn’t realise is that his mother has also been incarcerated, another pawn in Charles’ sick manifestations. Made to fight for his rewards, Rock has no interest in the women his father provides; there is only one woman for him, Sophia. Charles not only videos Rock’s fights, but also his own acts of lewdness. Charles makes no secret that he wants a grandchild, but there is only one person Rock wants and that is Sophia. When Rock’s next reward appears, can it really be her, the one he has waited for, for so long? Charles kidnaps Sophia and now she finds herself in an untenable situation; never to be the same person she was before. Charles has turned Rock into a beast, but he would never hurt Sophia, doing everything he can to protect her, but is it enough? Soon it would be time for the end game, but how will it play out? A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and my comments here are my honest opinion.

[Valeen Robertson (Live Thru Books Blog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deep Into the Darkness is twisted and dark, but not so OTT with the darkness that it was unbearable. Rock has lived his whole a life a prisoner of his evil psychotic father. He's been locked in a literal prison and only has one beautiful face to fixate his mind on to keep himself sane. When that beautiful face appears in his prison via his father's handiwork, Rock knows he has to have her.

Sophia used to live next door to a boy and girl but she only saw their faces once, peering out of the attic. But then they left and she never saw them again until she wakes up a prisoner in a madman's dungeon. When she sees the beast in the cage next to her, she's scared, but she sees a semblance of humanity in him when he protects her from her captor. And she ends up falling for her beastly, beautiful savior, and becomes his savior when she plays a game of strategy with their captor, and they ultimately win out over Rock's psychotic father.

I like the epilogue - it's positive, and I'm glad Rock and Sophia survived and stayed together. But, what I like most about it is that it also shows that they had to work for their HEA. They had to heal and they had to process what had happened to them. It's more realistic than most epilogues. It's a fitting end for a dark story.

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

[Misty Schott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Sophia is still living in her family home. The house next door still stands empty. Twenty years ago the little girl who lived next door was killed and the family moved away. No one goes in that house, except today she sees a man exiting the house, he looks creepy and dangerous, so she quickly looks away and goes inside her own house. Later that night she's sleeping and swears she hears a noise. She can't find her phone and she hears the noise again. She quickly jams a chair under the door handle to her bedroom and goes to sit back on her bed. When she reaches for the light on her night stand she brushes up against someone else's arm. When she goes to scream he puts his hand over her mouth and says if she wants to stay alive she won't scream. She realizes it's the creepy guy she saw exiting the house next door. She's thrown in a van and then gets knocked out, when she wakes up she is strapped to a chair that is bolted to the floor in front of a cell that contains a dark shadowy figure. Grab Deep into the Darkness to find out who kidnapped Sophia, who the man in the cell is and what happens when she finds out why she's been kidnapped. This is a quick, dark read. Loved it and couldn't put it down once I started.

[Space Cowgirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Violence to The Lambs🐑🐏🐑
🐏🐑🐏
ARC received for an honest voluntary review

It Was The Worst of Times......
Rock and his sister, Jessica, are unwanted children. Unwanted by their violent father. Their mother also unwanted by her husband. All three of them beaten regularly and locked up, the two kids in the attic and mom in the basement. The father is a sociopath, a psychopath, a perverted degenerate, and just plain mean and crazy.
Children are like sponges, they soak up what is done to them and how they are treated and they still have hope in their hearts💗.
Rock and his sister are sold into slavery, into the clutches of a man that is even worse than their father. He is completely crazy, demented , and a killer🔪, a torturer.🔪 Rock grows to be a big strong man, all the while Kept caged for fighting. He has never seen the 🌞sun, never been out side🌲🌸.
This is a sick, sad story, a testament of how cruel and depraved some humans can be. But it's also the story of hope, and 💘love, and kindness, AND the power of the human mind to conquer the worst of the worst.

[Kristen Lewendon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine if you will: an insanely talented, yet slightly twisted, author combined the movies Unleashed and Saw and then turned them into a romance. That wildly unlikely concept is the closest comparison I can come up with for this very dark little book. There's not a lot of genuine 'action' but the depth of the emotional and psychological drama that gets played out more than makes up for it. Rock and Sophia undergo so much in order to protect and save one another. It's not an easy book to read. The villain here could easily have been plucked from one of the author's thriller titles. That means that some of the worst cruelty known to man is highlighted within these pages. But we need darkness in order to understand the light. The love and care Rock and Sophia have for one another wouldn't have the same intensity if they weren't seen against the backdrop of that evil. Take this as my warning: reading this book won't be comfortable but it will be worth the understanding in the end.
I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book.

[SBee Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars

The layers start off dark and only get darker...

I received an Advance Reader Copy for Deep Into The Darkness written by Lucy Wild and voluntarily reviewed this novella. Rock Trent has known very little his young life but keeping his sister and mother safe from their father became his main daily goal. The only thing which made him wish for more was the little girl next door he would spy on from the attic window.

Twenty years later, Rock is still in the unmerciful hands of his controlling and psychotic father. But now that very same neighbor has been drawn into his world, while his father gleefully predicts and masterminds his future.

Such a dark and compelling tale that I was lured into the very same darkness, the story was so well told. Riveting details of cruel treatment of family members and a thorough governing of their lives. It’s a wonder that Rock didn’t fall into the very same madness. The most favorite of this author’s stories by far - loved it! ❤️

[Shirley Holt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. Wow, what a book and what a dark story. This is a new author for me but after reading this book I am going to read others by her. This was the story of a father (Charles) who terrorised his wife, his son and his daughter. Rock the son was frequently physically abused and starved by his father and locked in the attic where he would watch his next door neighbour Sophia as she played outside. This memory stayed with him during his isolated life and she was the only woman he desired as he grew up. Very dark things happen to him and eventually Sophia is brought to him. She immediately has empathy with him and through communication try to escape their captivity. This was a powerful story of love, loss and hope. A very compelling story, I loved the way Lucy made Sophia a strong character and gave Rock a softness which made them both gell. I thought this book was a very good read and the ending was deserved. I highly recommend this book.
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[Daisy French · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

We have Rock, a man treated badly by his father as a child and beyond, and Sophia the girl who used to live next door to him....

Rock used to get locked in the attic for punishment when he was a little boy and he used to see Sophia out of the attic window. Fast forward to them being in their twenties (approx.) and they meet again under the most bizarre and disturbing of circumstances and they have the fight of their lives on their hands to get out alive....

This is not a light hearted read for anyone and those who are disturbed easily will need to be aware before purchasing this book. However, having said that. It is an absorbing one and I found myself hooked, desperately wanting a happy ending..

This was a very well written story that had disturbing elements to it, and had it been fleshed out more than it was, could have turned into a horror romance, if the genre exists. Definitely one that stays with you - if only because of the ending

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucy does it again and shows the reader her darker side with this novella. The reader is taken into a home were abuse is the norm. While there isn't great detail of what is happening from the description you can imagine the horrors that Charlie's family is subject to at his hands.
Sophia is the sweet innocent girl who lives next store to the house of horrors.
Fast forward 20 years and you won't believe what has become of the father and son who lived in the house.
This story has just the right amount of darkness and threatening behavior to keep your attention. Rock is a character you want to help and you cringe when you think about his life.
Sophia is the sweet innocent to Rock's rough beast. But she sees more than what Rock is on the outside and understands him.
I loved this book and the was glad to see that once things worked out everything didn't just turn back to rosy.
I was given this book for an honest voluntary review.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
From the onset the reader is in for a dark tale. I warn those with certain triggers relating to trauma to read this with caution. It has striking similarities to “Flowers in the Attic” by V. C. Andrews. As a young boy Rock and his sister used to be placed in the attic as punishment and taken to task by their father. Sophia is the girl next door who brought some light into Rock’s dark world. Although unable to forget about the tragedy that took place and wondering if she could have done something, Sophia moves back into her old family home. She is hardly prepared for what will happen and it begs the question of how far will one go to survive? Ms. Wild has penned a gripping short story that brings a person to his knees. The storyline evokes strong emotions as each page is turned. This is one book that will keep you engrossed until the end.

[PointedlyBlunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rock’s family is ruled by a brutally violent patriarch, Charles. Often locked in the attic as punishment, Rock daydreams about and lives vicariously through the neighbor girl, Sophia, as a way of escape. Until one day his father goes too far and the family disappears, only to have Rock and Sophia meet again 20 years later.

Despite being a shorter read, there’s plenty of darkness in this story. The violence isn’t gratuitous, but it’s still disturbing on so many levels. The bond between Rock and Sophia was fast but powerful. There aren’t too many intimate scenes, but they’re sexy and surprisingly, loving.

My main complaint is that no contractions were used, contributing to a stilted and awkward flow of the story.

The book is dark and depressing, but it does end with as happy an ending as it could get.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.