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A Pale Shadow
Anything could happen in darkness like this. And no one would ever know.
After twelve-year-old Annice Rainart’s irresponsible mom abandons her, she reluctantly resigns herself to life in the small town of Rakewell Falls, where her mom grew up. Her aloof grandma is prepared to raise her, she develops a steadfast crush on a kind older boy, and her new best friend is unfailingly cheerful.
But something sinister lurks beneath the town’s quaint surface, and Annice begins to realize that nothing in Rakewell Falls is what it seems. After witnessing something horrifying, she forms a dangerous alliance with the town golden boy—though his help comes at a terrible price.
A PALE SHADOW is a dark coming-of-age story about secrets, sorrow, and the kind of vicious love a quiet girl like Annice knows she doesn’t want.
She needs it.
And she’s never going to escape it.
***A PALE SHADOW is a coming-of-age dark romance***
TWs: neglect, mentions of alcoholism, mentions of abuse, abuse of minors, suicide, rape, death, mature sexual situations
After twelve-year-old Annice Rainart’s irresponsible mom abandons her, she reluctantly resigns herself to life in the small town of Rakewell Falls, where her mom grew up. Her aloof grandma is prepared to raise her, she develops a steadfast crush on a kind older boy, and her new best friend is unfailingly cheerful.
But something sinister lurks beneath the town’s quaint surface, and Annice begins to realize that nothing in Rakewell Falls is what it seems. After witnessing something horrifying, she forms a dangerous alliance with the town golden boy—though his help comes at a terrible price.
A PALE SHADOW is a dark coming-of-age story about secrets, sorrow, and the kind of vicious love a quiet girl like Annice knows she doesn’t want.
She needs it.
And she’s never going to escape it.
***A PALE SHADOW is a coming-of-age dark romance***
TWs: neglect, mentions of alcoholism, mentions of abuse, abuse of minors, suicide, rape, death, mature sexual situations
377 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 10, 2021
19 people are currently reading
258 people want to read
About the author
Heather Crews
20 books565 followersArt, dreams, spray paint. Love, death, villains. Awkward but nice. Can't keep plants alive.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Heather-Crews/...
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i-wrote
July 16, 2021It occurred to me that I did nothing with this space after publishing this book, so I finally decided to make a book aesthetic!
Also: When I first came up with this idea eons ago, I intended to write it as a straightforward coming-of-age story. Eventually, I realized coming-of-age stories left me perpetually unsatisfied, and I knew I wasn't going to pull that off anyway. Obviously the only solution was to make it dark and add tons of smut. AND I DID. It's hard to say this may be one of the darkest things I've written to date, but maybe???
Also: When I first came up with this idea eons ago, I intended to write it as a straightforward coming-of-age story. Eventually, I realized coming-of-age stories left me perpetually unsatisfied, and I knew I wasn't going to pull that off anyway. Obviously the only solution was to make it dark and add tons of smut. AND I DID. It's hard to say this may be one of the darkest things I've written to date, but maybe???
April 26, 2025
"It wasn’t like they’d had a sweet teenage romance that filled them with nostalgia when they thought of it now. There’d been no romance at all. Everything between them had been fraught with tension and hate, anything good ruined before it had ever existed."
Truer words were never spoken...
By no stretch of the imagination could this story ever be considered a romance. It's just not.
Sooo, it's incredibly difficult for me to rate this book. The author is clearly very talented, with a very distinct voice that draws you into her storytelling. But. She made some very odd choices. Choices, for the life of me I don't understand. First of all, the heroine in this, Annice, starts her sexual journey of sexual exploitation with the hero, Adrian, at the ripe ole age of 14. And we get a front row seat of this from the age of 14-16. Odd choice. (Especially when I don't think the story would have lost anything if she had slightly aged the characters up a bit.) When she's 16 and the hero is respectively 18, he leaves to travel Europe for TWO years. Mind you, their whole agreement was based on him protecting her as long as she agreed to give him sex however and whenever he wanted it. You get the impression that he WANTS to keep her safe too-- yet he's comfortable to leave her for two years at the mercy of the town? Odd choice.
I want to acknowledge that there certainly is an audience for dark, psycho, unhinged romance. I can right off the rip think of a handful of my friends on here that LOVE those kinds of romances. However, I'm also fairly certain that this author will lose that audience as soon as she mentions that Adrian is fucking everyone, including Annice. And it is mentioned. A lot. There may not be on page graphic accounts of him sleeping with "OW" (more accurately Other Girls since most of this book revolves around children...) but it's brought up so frequently who else he's sleeping with, there's no hope of it casually slinking to the back of your mind to be forgotten. See. Odd choice.
When Annice finally escapes this town, the hero waits TEN FRICKIN YEARS to come after her and express his true feelings and intentions. It's never explained why this much time goes by before he finds her. But no worries, he's sure to make sure she knows (and we know) he's been fucking other people during that time. But Annice slept with two other people during that time too so I guess, it's cool? Especially since she didn't feel anything while doing it... ALL of that... Odd choice.
So yeah. I was deep in this book and couldn't put it down, but I wasn't necessarily happy while reading it. I was greatly perplexed
- Told in 3rd person
- Alternates being told in the past and the present (Starts in 1997 & ends in 2013 which is their present)
- Does have MC's having sex with other people (and what I would interpret as cheating because the hero was actively sleeping with other people while maintaining a sexual relationship with the heroine)
- Graphic sex of minors
- References sexual assault of both female children and women
- Grooming
- Murder
- Death of a parent
- Abandonment
- Forced miscarriage
- Suicide
- Cult culture
I think that about covers it. Anyway. I suppose I'll rate this 3 stars. I finished it and I would read something from this author again because, as I said, she's a very talented writer. I just don't necessarily agree with some of the choices she made for the direction of her story.
May 24, 2022
I don't typically write reviews, but let me just start off by saying I read this book in 24 hours.
I stumbled across a recommendation for this book on Goodreads while looking for a villain romance (one of my favorite types of romances set-ups). That being said the male lead is definitely not what one would consider a "good" guy, and if you like hearts and flowers romances this book is not for you.
Be forewarned as much as I enjoyed this book it definitely has some triggers (non-con, dub-con, violence, and more). However, if you are looking for a suspense filled, action packed, unputdownable story, this is the book for you.
I won't say much in regards to the plot, because it is best to go in blind, but just know this is one of the better suspense romances I have read in a while.
The only reason I am giving the book 4 stars and not 5 is because I wish it had a dual POV. Sometimes I think dual POV between the main male lead and female lead can give more depth to the story. It didn't hurt the story though by not having it (just a personal preference).
Highly recommend reading this book if you like anit-hero/ villain romances.
I stumbled across a recommendation for this book on Goodreads while looking for a villain romance (one of my favorite types of romances set-ups). That being said the male lead is definitely not what one would consider a "good" guy, and if you like hearts and flowers romances this book is not for you.
Be forewarned as much as I enjoyed this book it definitely has some triggers (non-con, dub-con, violence, and more). However, if you are looking for a suspense filled, action packed, unputdownable story, this is the book for you.
I won't say much in regards to the plot, because it is best to go in blind, but just know this is one of the better suspense romances I have read in a while.
The only reason I am giving the book 4 stars and not 5 is because I wish it had a dual POV. Sometimes I think dual POV between the main male lead and female lead can give more depth to the story. It didn't hurt the story though by not having it (just a personal preference).
Highly recommend reading this book if you like anit-hero/ villain romances.
March 8, 2021
Ooh, come to mama. Just keep ‘em coming, Heather.
Me, devouring this book on Friday when I should have been working:
I think this may be my favorite book by this author thus far, followed closely by Lament. There's a fine line writing the villain as love interest--it's one of my favorite tropes, but it's tough do well. And I'm not talking about your run-of-the-mill mafia bosses or BDSM playboys. I'm talking real baddies who you (and the heroine) can't help but love. They have to be bad, but not TOO bad. They have do horrible things, but still be redeemable. Or not. Again, it all depends on how well they're written.
And Heather Crews fucking does sexy, bad boy villains better than almost anyone.
I would know, since I have pretty much scoured GRs and the internet for any book where the villain gets the girl. Here's my list, for better or for worse: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list....
Yes, thank you, hot Loki. Unfortunately, you're one of the contributors to my problem.
Me, devouring this book on Friday when I should have been working:
I think this may be my favorite book by this author thus far, followed closely by Lament. There's a fine line writing the villain as love interest--it's one of my favorite tropes, but it's tough do well. And I'm not talking about your run-of-the-mill mafia bosses or BDSM playboys. I'm talking real baddies who you (and the heroine) can't help but love. They have to be bad, but not TOO bad. They have do horrible things, but still be redeemable. Or not. Again, it all depends on how well they're written.
And Heather Crews fucking does sexy, bad boy villains better than almost anyone.
I would know, since I have pretty much scoured GRs and the internet for any book where the villain gets the girl. Here's my list, for better or for worse: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list....
Yes, thank you, hot Loki. Unfortunately, you're one of the contributors to my problem.
April 26, 2025
Infinetly perplexed what rating to give this book🤷🏼♀️👀
First of all, I'm glad I've read it. So there's that. 😅🤞 I think if you love books with dark, unfeeling, almost sociopathic heroes, at least check this book out.
Secondly, the atmosphere and the setting were immaculate! Small town, full of darkness and secrets; strange behaviour of its inhabitants; late 90s - early 2000s with no phones and social media add to the secluded and "forgotten" aura of the town.
Plus, I actually loved the hero👀🙈 He was consistent in his character throughout the book, and even though I wanted a bit more from him in terms of understanding his character and when exactly that shift in his plans towards the heroine happened, the hero was enjoyable to read about.
What was overdone, though, were the time jumps. I have no problem with that back and forth, although I can imagine some people might dislike the constant jumping from 90s to 2013 repeatedly. What I find unfortunate is the 10-year-long separation of the characters. The heroine is unchanged in all that time, almost like no time has passed between her as an 18-year-old and her as a 28-year-old 🤡😬 Plus, the hero claims to have wanted to find and bring back the heroine from the start, so why didn't he? Did it take him THAT LONG to find her? What was HE doing in all that time?
The main shortcoming of the book, though, is the heroine. 🙈😅 BEFORE meeting the hero, DURING their time together, and AFTER she escaped that small town, she was equally passive, unfeeling to the point of almost being catatonic She had no dreams, no plans for the future, nothing brought her joy, she was reactive in everything she did. The fact that it took her 6 years to figure out the secrets of the town is sending me. I understand she was a child at first, but children are CURIOUS! 🤯 The heroine is told to hide from the deputies. She says the deputies are pigs, but has zero clue why, AND DOESN'T TRY TO FIND ANY ANSWERS. She doesn't try to discover any info on her mother's past in that town, ignores EVERY CLUE about the founding families, IGNORES countless advice about not trusting Lake, and is generally really clueless. 🤡 She's unhappy with the hero, unhappy without him, unhappy all the time. They would have a sex scene during which the heroine would be completely indifferent towards him, sometimes she'd think about some specific scene and remember how she couldn't care less about him, and YET in general she'd have thoughts about how much chemistry they always had WTF??? 👀🤷🏼♀️😂 And then out of the blue, in the last couple of pages, she has a REVELATION that she always loved the hero and wants to have him and would be happy only with him. Okay, girl, sure...
First of all, I'm glad I've read it. So there's that. 😅🤞 I think if you love books with dark, unfeeling, almost sociopathic heroes, at least check this book out.
Secondly, the atmosphere and the setting were immaculate! Small town, full of darkness and secrets; strange behaviour of its inhabitants; late 90s - early 2000s with no phones and social media add to the secluded and "forgotten" aura of the town.
Plus, I actually loved the hero👀🙈 He was consistent in his character throughout the book, and even though I wanted a bit more from him in terms of understanding his character and when exactly that shift in his plans towards the heroine happened, the hero was enjoyable to read about.
What was overdone, though, were the time jumps. I have no problem with that back and forth, although I can imagine some people might dislike the constant jumping from 90s to 2013 repeatedly. What I find unfortunate is the 10-year-long separation of the characters. The heroine is unchanged in all that time, almost like no time has passed between her as an 18-year-old and her as a 28-year-old 🤡😬 Plus, the hero claims to have wanted to find and bring back the heroine from the start, so why didn't he? Did it take him THAT LONG to find her? What was HE doing in all that time?
The main shortcoming of the book, though, is the heroine. 🙈😅 BEFORE meeting the hero, DURING their time together, and AFTER she escaped that small town, she was equally passive, unfeeling to the point of almost being catatonic She had no dreams, no plans for the future, nothing brought her joy, she was reactive in everything she did. The fact that it took her 6 years to figure out the secrets of the town is sending me. I understand she was a child at first, but children are CURIOUS! 🤯 The heroine is told to hide from the deputies. She says the deputies are pigs, but has zero clue why, AND DOESN'T TRY TO FIND ANY ANSWERS. She doesn't try to discover any info on her mother's past in that town, ignores EVERY CLUE about the founding families, IGNORES countless advice about not trusting Lake, and is generally really clueless. 🤡 She's unhappy with the hero, unhappy without him, unhappy all the time. They would have a sex scene during which the heroine would be completely indifferent towards him, sometimes she'd think about some specific scene and remember how she couldn't care less about him, and YET in general she'd have thoughts about how much chemistry they always had WTF??? 👀🤷🏼♀️😂 And then out of the blue, in the last couple of pages, she has a REVELATION that she always loved the hero and wants to have him and would be happy only with him. Okay, girl, sure...
July 30, 2021
Heads-up, the title and cover are kinda misleading: it looks like a coming of age book or New Adult, when really it's a small town horror paired with dark romance in terms of genre.
Think, Twin Peaks meets Midsommar and Valley of the Dolls. The title should've been "Rakewell Falls" and the cover should have shown a bleak landscape with a dried-up waterfall and a fountain spouting bloodred water and a cheerful/horrifying carnival kinda arranged around it.
It really is a small-town book, which means Annice gets to know pretty much everyone in town, and they know her too. Because Rakewell Falls is a nice town, but the people are fucking creepy, it's like reading in a dark alley and a weird creep is breathing down your neck while you do, so you feel a constant sense of dread (well done!)
Once I was actually immersed in the story (about 20% into the book), I used every free second to keep reading, because it was so good. Both the horror and the smut.
This would easily have been a five star read, except I found the ending rather too neat and it made me wish for some space to breathe. Maybe an epilogue would've been nice.
If you like the small-town creepy people trope, there is one more movie that comes to mind besides Midsommar (which I wasn't too keen on, despite the feminist theme) is the 2014 German western-style mountain movie, Thd Dark Valley. It also has a creepy family of founders and a bunch of villagers who just stand by placidly, whatever happens. The atmosphere is bleak and threatening and the book was great too (although it has never been translated into English).
Think, Twin Peaks meets Midsommar and Valley of the Dolls. The title should've been "Rakewell Falls" and the cover should have shown a bleak landscape with a dried-up waterfall and a fountain spouting bloodred water and a cheerful/horrifying carnival kinda arranged around it.
It really is a small-town book, which means Annice gets to know pretty much everyone in town, and they know her too. Because Rakewell Falls is a nice town, but the people are fucking creepy, it's like reading in a dark alley and a weird creep is breathing down your neck while you do, so you feel a constant sense of dread (well done!)
Once I was actually immersed in the story (about 20% into the book), I used every free second to keep reading, because it was so good. Both the horror and the smut.
This would easily have been a five star read, except I found the ending rather too neat and it made me wish for some space to breathe. Maybe an epilogue would've been nice.
If you like the small-town creepy people trope, there is one more movie that comes to mind besides Midsommar (which I wasn't too keen on, despite the feminist theme) is the 2014 German western-style mountain movie, Thd Dark Valley. It also has a creepy family of founders and a bunch of villagers who just stand by placidly, whatever happens. The atmosphere is bleak and threatening and the book was great too (although it has never been translated into English).
March 26, 2022
A small town with a fucked up cult which makes people disappear if the do not comply with the rules. Just the right amount of bloody craziness I needed in my life.
Also, that Scream like scene at the end did my day. Adrian fucking Carey you are a sick bastard but we’ve already established I have a weakness for psychotic heroes.
dnf
April 24, 2025DNF @ 33% - this gal is just as cringy as her mom - super depressing 🫤 If she doesn’t care about sex and who she’s doing it with, why should I?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2024
I had endless problems with this book but the top of the list is the awful amount of sex scenes with a 14 yr old.
December 11, 2023
I wasn't expecting this one to be as good as (and maybe even better than) The Curse of White Oak Grove. If you want depraved, toxic, and bloody (I DO), this book delivers on all cylinders. It's really fantastic!
I loved Adrian & Annice. They are going to haunt me, and Adrian was so so so perfectly done. I loved how each page made your skin crawl wondering what was wrong with Rakewell Falls.
But the best thing is that it's so well-written that you can feel QUITE REFINED reading toxic, messed-up smutty gothic suspense.
I loved Adrian & Annice. They are going to haunt me, and Adrian was so so so perfectly done. I loved how each page made your skin crawl wondering what was wrong with Rakewell Falls.
But the best thing is that it's so well-written that you can feel QUITE REFINED reading toxic, messed-up smutty gothic suspense.
May 8, 2025
My god, is this a good book. If not for academic responsabilities, I'm sure I would've inhaled it a lot faster. In the end, though, it was a good thing that I got time to savour it while it lasted 🗿🍷
Although it does take a bit of time to get sucked into the story, it was a good solid choice to take the time to acclimate the reader to Annice’s life before and after making it to Rakewell Falls. And before she met Adrian, the town's golden boy and her tormentor.
My only issue with it was the last chapter, which felt pretty rushed, with a underwhelming culmination to the otherwise perfectly built up tension. I loved both Annice and Adrian anyway and they made up for it.
It would've definitely been a five star read, but I missed an epilogue.
Although it does take a bit of time to get sucked into the story, it was a good solid choice to take the time to acclimate the reader to Annice’s life before and after making it to Rakewell Falls. And before she met Adrian, the town's golden boy and her tormentor.
My only issue with it was the last chapter, which felt pretty rushed, with a underwhelming culmination to the otherwise perfectly built up tension. I loved both Annice and Adrian anyway and they made up for it.
It would've definitely been a five star read, but I missed an epilogue.
April 27, 2025
A little theatrical in the end there but I’m into it.
February 17, 2021
First off, a thank you to Nenia CampbellNenia Campbell. I saw that she reviewed this on my timeline and I have read Heather Crews other novel "Prince of Misery" thanks to Campbell as well.
The title and synopsis seemed intriguing enough, so I dived right in.
A Pale Shadow starts with Annice Rainart who is a twelve-year old girl living in Nevada with her alcoholic mother. One day, out of nowhere, her mother decides to move them to her childhood home with her mother in Washington. Once they make it there, her mother abandons Annice to her grandmother that she's never met.
This is where our story starts. Rakewell Falls, is such a small town that everyone already knows that she's new and an outsider. She soon meets Laken, who then becomes her best friend. She ends up meeting Laken's older brother Max and his best friend-Adrian.
Annice, very shy only hangs out with Lake when she needs to. Other than that, she keeps to herself and soon finds out that the people and its town are keeping something big a secret.
There was nothing that I did not enjoy about this story. The storytelling was amazing and I loved that the fact that Crews set this novel in the 90s. I was born in the late 90s so there wasn't much for me to experience, but it's so nostalgic and a nice way to have the story be told.
Also, I think it was smart of Crews to have the story go from Annice at twelve to then about 10 years later when she's an adult. I just think for this story paired with Crews' writing was the best thing to do.
I don't necessarily want to talk about the plot itself because there are triggers and I don't want to mention too much. I think if you dive into it, is the best way.
As the story was leading to the end though, I had no idea what I wanted or expected the ending to go. It went in a way where I think it was perfect for the characters and the story line, but it was also a little of, I cannot believe that happen.
I hope I've intrigued you enough to buy it on kindle and take a deep dive into Rakewell Falls.
The title and synopsis seemed intriguing enough, so I dived right in.
A Pale Shadow starts with Annice Rainart who is a twelve-year old girl living in Nevada with her alcoholic mother. One day, out of nowhere, her mother decides to move them to her childhood home with her mother in Washington. Once they make it there, her mother abandons Annice to her grandmother that she's never met.
This is where our story starts. Rakewell Falls, is such a small town that everyone already knows that she's new and an outsider. She soon meets Laken, who then becomes her best friend. She ends up meeting Laken's older brother Max and his best friend-Adrian.
Annice, very shy only hangs out with Lake when she needs to. Other than that, she keeps to herself and soon finds out that the people and its town are keeping something big a secret.
There was nothing that I did not enjoy about this story. The storytelling was amazing and I loved that the fact that Crews set this novel in the 90s. I was born in the late 90s so there wasn't much for me to experience, but it's so nostalgic and a nice way to have the story be told.
Also, I think it was smart of Crews to have the story go from Annice at twelve to then about 10 years later when she's an adult. I just think for this story paired with Crews' writing was the best thing to do.
I don't necessarily want to talk about the plot itself because there are triggers and I don't want to mention too much. I think if you dive into it, is the best way.
As the story was leading to the end though, I had no idea what I wanted or expected the ending to go. It went in a way where I think it was perfect for the characters and the story line, but it was also a little of, I cannot believe that happen.
I hope I've intrigued you enough to buy it on kindle and take a deep dive into Rakewell Falls.
April 27, 2025
I don’t know what is is about time jumping that keeps me in a choke hold. Rakewell Falls was legit scary. I could not figure out what was going on. The way this book made me feel like an outsider the entire time was crazy. It was like walking through mud at times. The layers. The whole feeling of not a lot has happened to everything happening constantly. This book stressed me out, made me question what year it was. Annice was very relatable. Not quite fitting in but not a total stand out almost her peers. Everyone undermining her. Her journey back and the total payoff was worth all the waiting and Adrian damnit really must have went on a spiritual journey on his European trip bc he came back with intentions and revenge. Bless up. I need a support group. And Lake? Girl please be well
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 5, 2023
Umm a slow beginning and a fast ending.
P.S. to the person who recommended this book to me “Your Mom is a Hoe” 😘
Might come back for an explanation but right now …. I Need Time Dammit 🙃🤣🙃
P.S. to the person who recommended this book to me “Your Mom is a Hoe” 😘
Might come back for an explanation but right now …. I Need Time Dammit 🙃🤣🙃
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 2, 2024
I loved this book so much. I went into it with low expectations just because I hadn’t been reading anything I loved lately but literally a page in I could tell this book was well written and within a chapter, i knew i was going to love it.
Annice is my baby and I just want the world for her 😭.
Following her from 12 years old makes you feel so attached to her character and I wished I could just give her the biggest hug.
Our MMC is a jerk and so terrible through most of this book, but I love him almost as much as our FMC.
We follow them from 12 and 15 and we see how their environment ruined and failed them and even though they don’t always make the best decisions (really just Adrian lmao), it is so hard to be mad at them because the adults made them the way that they are. Adrian is the perfect unredeemable (but kinda redeemable??) bad boy character.
This book is so dark, it is one of those reads that requires you to read a light and happy book afterward to help you recover. But the entire time I was reading, I could not think of literally anything else. If I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it and if I was sleeping, I was dreaming about it (I am literally not joking 😭). This world consumed me and I am so sad that it’s over. I just know I will be thinking about Adrian and Annice even as I move on to others books.
Is their relationship toxic (maybe that’s not even a strong enough word lmao)? HELL YES. But will I ship them together until the end of time? VERY MUCH SO. I would literally read a book dedicated to their boring, mundane every day lives if given the chance… I just want more of them 😭.
I wish I could get a physical copy of this book. I just know I will keep coming back to reread this story whenever I feel I can handle it emotionally lol.
This book is truly a hidden gem. And for anyone thinking about reading it, please do!
P. S. MY MAN ADRIAN SAID: “The way you look right now I’m ready to burn down the world if you ask me. You don’t even need to ask.”
AND HE MEANT THAT SHIT. PERIODT. 💅
P. S. S “I love you” has felt like such a typical and uneventful part of the books I’ve been reading these days. Like it is just a necessary part that needs to be written on the pages. This was the first book I’ve read in a long time that made me BAWL when the words were finally said.
Heather Crews… what’s 4+4?
Annice is my baby and I just want the world for her 😭.
Following her from 12 years old makes you feel so attached to her character and I wished I could just give her the biggest hug.
Our MMC is a jerk and so terrible through most of this book, but I love him almost as much as our FMC.
We follow them from 12 and 15 and we see how their environment ruined and failed them and even though they don’t always make the best decisions (really just Adrian lmao), it is so hard to be mad at them because the adults made them the way that they are. Adrian is the perfect unredeemable (but kinda redeemable??) bad boy character.
This book is so dark, it is one of those reads that requires you to read a light and happy book afterward to help you recover. But the entire time I was reading, I could not think of literally anything else. If I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it and if I was sleeping, I was dreaming about it (I am literally not joking 😭). This world consumed me and I am so sad that it’s over. I just know I will be thinking about Adrian and Annice even as I move on to others books.
Is their relationship toxic (maybe that’s not even a strong enough word lmao)? HELL YES. But will I ship them together until the end of time? VERY MUCH SO. I would literally read a book dedicated to their boring, mundane every day lives if given the chance… I just want more of them 😭.
I wish I could get a physical copy of this book. I just know I will keep coming back to reread this story whenever I feel I can handle it emotionally lol.
This book is truly a hidden gem. And for anyone thinking about reading it, please do!
P. S. MY MAN ADRIAN SAID: “The way you look right now I’m ready to burn down the world if you ask me. You don’t even need to ask.”
AND HE MEANT THAT SHIT. PERIODT. 💅
P. S. S “I love you” has felt like such a typical and uneventful part of the books I’ve been reading these days. Like it is just a necessary part that needs to be written on the pages. This was the first book I’ve read in a long time that made me BAWL when the words were finally said.
Heather Crews… what’s 4+4?
January 18, 2022
ok this is seriously so annoying. why can't I just stop being so nitpicky over everything and just enjoy a book. This is like the third or 4th dnf in a row and im goin mad lol, I just want a good slow burn romance! What I hated was that 10 years ago she was living in fear because of him and he made a deal (basically gaslighted her into doing head) but I was ok with it for now cuz this is a dark SLOW BURN romance... or so I thought. Then fast word 10 years later she never saw him and then all of a sudden he shows up at her door and is like "we are going to have sex rn" and she was like "ok"
where was the slow burn lmao, I hate fast sex still around the beginning of the book. I prefer sexual tension through the book then bam sex. And the the way it was handled I didn't like it. Like where tf u were u lmao. It was just too fast for me.
34% dnf
where was the slow burn lmao, I hate fast sex still around the beginning of the book. I prefer sexual tension through the book then bam sex. And the the way it was handled I didn't like it. Like where tf u were u lmao. It was just too fast for me.
34% dnf
May 30, 2023
Insanely good
I loved this book! The writing was spectacular, the storytelling was gripping and the suspense was well executed. The ending wasn't my favorite (felt rushed and unrealistic compared to the well thought out storytelling leading up to it) but I enjoyed the ride.
Very kinky sex that may not be to everyone's taste but less explicit than in most romance novels. More story than sex scenes.
Tags Blackmail, noncom/dubcon, degradation
Genre Thriller romance
I loved this book! The writing was spectacular, the storytelling was gripping and the suspense was well executed. The ending wasn't my favorite (felt rushed and unrealistic compared to the well thought out storytelling leading up to it) but I enjoyed the ride.
Very kinky sex that may not be to everyone's taste but less explicit than in most romance novels. More story than sex scenes.
Tags Blackmail, noncom/dubcon, degradation
Genre Thriller romance
August 10, 2022
Very disturbing and sexy read about an unhealthy and toxic relationship.
May 19, 2023
toxic toxic and i liked it
March 21, 2024
This book was everything I needed to get out of my book slump. Can't wait to read more from this author, all the stars.
January 26, 2025
{Contemporary Romance, M/F, 🌶️🌶️🌶️}
This is a romance based in a small town of brainwashed residents. The writing is atmospheric and possibly too wordy because the romance develops very slowly at first, but I was captivated by all the details. Anisse was abandoned by her mother shortly after coming home to bills sloughing off the coffee table onto the ash tray and empty beer bottles. Upon being dumped at her grandmother’s house, both she and her grandmother move around each other in shallow grooves, and it gets worse.
The town is stuck in a 1950’s horror TV world, with set class levels and obituaries filled with young women. I think it turned on my fear about returning to a patriarchal society where the men in small towns abuse women and murder any who become pregnant out of wedlock. It turned on my fear that women could lose the right to vote, the right to choose.
But the story also was a character portrait through time centered around the two protagonists. I was caught a couple of times by not paying attention to dates, and I decided I don’t like stories that move back into memories and then forward again.
The romantic duo:
Adrian: rich guy. He never seemed to smile, just like Anisse.
“I’ve been doing whatever I want for years and I’m not about to stop now” reminds me of our president, but he reacted the way dark romance readers want: extorting sex for protection, clamps onto his love for her like an encrusted barnacle, killing anyone who abused her.
Anisse: Poor girl. She acted the way she expected to be treated: ignored, abandoned, numb.
“I’m useless, she thought as she and Lake turned to go home. I shouldn’t even exist. “ I cannot tell you how many times I have felt those same feelings.
⁃ Small town romance
⁃ Secret society
⁃ Brainwashing
⁃ Abuse of power
The Romance:
Can I just admit how satisfying it was? I adored how cold Adrian turned into someone who would defy his entire town to marry the outsider? Smutty after the buildup, but there are jumps back and forth in time.
“Tell me what you want!” he shouted. “Anything, baby girl. Name your fucking price.”
“Get away from me!”
“Anything but that.”
This is a romance based in a small town of brainwashed residents. The writing is atmospheric and possibly too wordy because the romance develops very slowly at first, but I was captivated by all the details. Anisse was abandoned by her mother shortly after coming home to bills sloughing off the coffee table onto the ash tray and empty beer bottles. Upon being dumped at her grandmother’s house, both she and her grandmother move around each other in shallow grooves, and it gets worse.
The town is stuck in a 1950’s horror TV world, with set class levels and obituaries filled with young women. I think it turned on my fear about returning to a patriarchal society where the men in small towns abuse women and murder any who become pregnant out of wedlock. It turned on my fear that women could lose the right to vote, the right to choose.
But the story also was a character portrait through time centered around the two protagonists. I was caught a couple of times by not paying attention to dates, and I decided I don’t like stories that move back into memories and then forward again.
The romantic duo:
Adrian: rich guy. He never seemed to smile, just like Anisse.
“I’ve been doing whatever I want for years and I’m not about to stop now” reminds me of our president, but he reacted the way dark romance readers want: extorting sex for protection, clamps onto his love for her like an encrusted barnacle, killing anyone who abused her.
Anisse: Poor girl. She acted the way she expected to be treated: ignored, abandoned, numb.
“I’m useless, she thought as she and Lake turned to go home. I shouldn’t even exist. “ I cannot tell you how many times I have felt those same feelings.
⁃ Small town romance
⁃ Secret society
⁃ Brainwashing
⁃ Abuse of power
The Romance:
Can I just admit how satisfying it was? I adored how cold Adrian turned into someone who would defy his entire town to marry the outsider? Smutty after the buildup, but there are jumps back and forth in time.
“Tell me what you want!” he shouted. “Anything, baby girl. Name your fucking price.”
“Get away from me!”
“Anything but that.”
August 22, 2024
This book is basically batter my heart book plot by nenia Campbell but if it was done in Wattpad fashion and Graysons characterization was done not as well.
I actually loved the book and the cult plot overall, I only really had a problem with Adrian's characterization, it didn't make sense to me. Whereas Graysons bipolar issues made sense, Adrian just came off as a rich spoilt brat with no real depth to his character- the whole reason he liked the female lead was because she didn't worship him- so really the whole book was him throwing a tantrum to get the one girls attention he couldn't have.Adrian still had a moral or somewhat ethics code, we were made to believe, when he saved the heroine twice in his house(which I never understood why he kept hosting parties there knowing his dad was a pedophile but whatever), then he turned into this semi rapist person by forcing his junior to be his sex slave. The heroine had zero personality which makes sense due to her trauma and the weird ass cult she was dropped into but both of them just needed extensive therapy.
This wouldn't been 4 stars if not for that scream like scene at the end. I can't see Adrian as anything other than a nepotism bratty kid even at 30.
I actually loved the book and the cult plot overall, I only really had a problem with Adrian's characterization, it didn't make sense to me. Whereas Graysons bipolar issues made sense, Adrian just came off as a rich spoilt brat with no real depth to his character- the whole reason he liked the female lead was because she didn't worship him- so really the whole book was him throwing a tantrum to get the one girls attention he couldn't have.Adrian still had a moral or somewhat ethics code, we were made to believe, when he saved the heroine twice in his house(which I never understood why he kept hosting parties there knowing his dad was a pedophile but whatever), then he turned into this semi rapist person by forcing his junior to be his sex slave. The heroine had zero personality which makes sense due to her trauma and the weird ass cult she was dropped into but both of them just needed extensive therapy.
This wouldn't been 4 stars if not for that scream like scene at the end. I can't see Adrian as anything other than a nepotism bratty kid even at 30.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 29, 2021
well, it was free on KU.
You can read the synopsis, but it's about sex.
Controlling sex, dependent sex, sex with minors, dirty old men, sexual coming of age of several young women.
However, if you wish graphic descriptions of sex you will be disappointed. Although it occurs repetitively throughout the book, you know what's going on, but everything is at such a 'high level' it's not much more than titillation.
It is the story of our heroine, off to a bad start in her early teens and left in a town where money and it's power rule, and her hopes to escape to a good life. The choices she makes, sometimes the correct ones, also include her sexual dependency on a guy who normally wouldn't give her the time of day.
Enough of a story to hold my attention to see how it all worked out, perhaps falling into my wheelhouse of 'slightly out there' to keep me going.
Ms Crews has my attention with interesting stories, focused more on the latter in my 'murder, mayhem, sex' mantra. This one was just a bit too far out there to be believable
You can read the synopsis, but it's about sex.
Controlling sex, dependent sex, sex with minors, dirty old men, sexual coming of age of several young women.
However, if you wish graphic descriptions of sex you will be disappointed. Although it occurs repetitively throughout the book, you know what's going on, but everything is at such a 'high level' it's not much more than titillation.
It is the story of our heroine, off to a bad start in her early teens and left in a town where money and it's power rule, and her hopes to escape to a good life. The choices she makes, sometimes the correct ones, also include her sexual dependency on a guy who normally wouldn't give her the time of day.
Enough of a story to hold my attention to see how it all worked out, perhaps falling into my wheelhouse of 'slightly out there' to keep me going.
Ms Crews has my attention with interesting stories, focused more on the latter in my 'murder, mayhem, sex' mantra. This one was just a bit too far out there to be believable
April 30, 2025
It has been a loooooooong while since a book had me pull an almost all-nighter. This book ticked so many of my guilty pleasures: toxic love, anti-hero, slow burn, etc.
Adrian was such an unapologetic anti-hero. He is a honey badger. He just doesn't care. Love that. He was not the water-down version that we are presented in so many of the current books under the dark romance umbrella. He was cruel, psychotic, cold, selfish and unapologetic beginning to end...yet, I found him likable. I loved how obsessed he was with his baby girl because I don't know if that can be called love. LOL
I so enjoyed the fate that the elders received. I also enjoyed all the 90's music references. I'll be rereading this book again and again....
Adrian was such an unapologetic anti-hero. He is a honey badger. He just doesn't care. Love that. He was not the water-down version that we are presented in so many of the current books under the dark romance umbrella. He was cruel, psychotic, cold, selfish and unapologetic beginning to end...yet, I found him likable. I loved how obsessed he was with his baby girl because I don't know if that can be called love. LOL
I so enjoyed the fate that the elders received. I also enjoyed all the 90's music references. I'll be rereading this book again and again....
July 19, 2022
This book was amazing! I went into this book blind and I’m so glad I did.
I had never read anything by this author before so was basing this read on the blurb. I was instantly drawn in from the beginning by her writing style. I just knew it was going to be good! I was NOT disappointed. Just wow.
Because I went in blind, I didn’t realize who the hero of this book was until the 30 percent mark. I won’t say now for those of you going in blind like me. But after that point I was hooked.
This was one of those books I couldn’t put down but also didn’t want to end. The story was so unexpected at every turn and I loved all of it.
I will definitely be reading more of this author’s work!
I had never read anything by this author before so was basing this read on the blurb. I was instantly drawn in from the beginning by her writing style. I just knew it was going to be good! I was NOT disappointed. Just wow.
Because I went in blind, I didn’t realize who the hero of this book was until the 30 percent mark. I won’t say now for those of you going in blind like me. But after that point I was hooked.
This was one of those books I couldn’t put down but also didn’t want to end. The story was so unexpected at every turn and I loved all of it.
I will definitely be reading more of this author’s work!
July 27, 2025
If you can read about humiliation, non consent, child rape then this book has it all. The heroine is raped by the violent and sadistic hero at 16 in a bogus deal of protection against the town's evil men for sex with her. She then escapes the clutches of the hero and try to carve out a life for her for 10 years and voila he shows up... as a changed man. He then drags her back to the town she fled and offers marriage and love. Thrown into the mix is the heroine's mothers murder who she thought abandoned her.
PS: He was sleeping around the whole time he forced Annice into sexual slavery.
PS: He was sleeping around the whole time he forced Annice into sexual slavery.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 14, 2021
Creepy and weird and sexy and disturbing. So obviously I loved the shit out of it.
Want to read
February 24, 2022got stuck
May 8, 2023
DNF at 40 %
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