The Narcissist

by Sylvie Danielle Matias

First book in “The Dark Triad” Serie, The Narcissist is an introduction into the mind of powerful players, dark seductive personalities that use attraction, sex, and emotions to control and get what they want.
The story starts in a remote place in Alaska where Kevin, a mysteriously sensual man, brings home a young, terrified, and sexually abused Amy to take care of his children. The problem is that there are no children to care for when she arrives, but soon there will be.
Amy is not the only girl Kevin brings to his glasshouse in Mud Bay, Alaska. There are Lily and Katie, his young, beautiful, and innocent partners that do not seem to be equipped to resist his charm and plans.
What happens is a mixture of indomitable emotions unleashed through the wild sex and violent endings.
By the end of this book, you will have to pick a side and name the Narcissist.
Genre: Psychological Thriller with an Erotic twist (+18 recommended)

284 pages, Paperback

Published July 22, 2021

About the author

Sylvie, was born in Romania, but raised by the world. She loves to travel as much as she loves to eat good food, read great books, and find her way through the inspiration hype. Her books are inspired by her travels, life, and coming from her higher self (inspiration, aka the Muse). Her stories are full of emotions and are unique in structure. She started to write in high school, but her first published work is the YA Romance trilogy "Gods' Immortality" (in Romanian: Imortalitatea Zeilor). Sylvie has published 3 books in English (as a second language), and 6 books in Romanian (mother tongue). She is experiencing different genres, too. Her books are all under the fiction genre so far, and they could be classified as psychological, high fantasy, romance, and even erotic (not as the primary genre).

Published books:
1. Gods' Immortality (Imortalitatea Zeilor) vol 1 (Available in Romanian)
2. Chess Mate (Imortalitatea Zeilor: Sah Mat) vol 2 (Available in Romanian)
3. Regressus (Imortalitatea Zeilor: Regressus) vol 3 (Available in Romanian)
4. The Hour of the Dragon - Kingdom of Masks (in original "Ora Dragonului - Regatul Mastilor) vol 1 at Editura UP (Available in Romanian)
5. The Hour of the Dragon - Kingdom of Dreams (in original "Ora Dragonului - Regatul Viselor) vol 2 at Editura UP (Available in Romanian)
6. The Hour of the Dragon - Kingdom of Scarmen (in original "Ora Dragonului - Regatul Cicatrizatilor) vol 3 at Editura UP (Available in Romanian)
7. The Shadows of Auldham (Available in English)
8. The Dark Triad - The Narcissist Book 1 (Available in English)
9. The girl in 1311 (Suspance, Mystery) (Available in English)

Reviews

[Jung · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so glad to be among the 1st people that posts a comment about this book. What an honoured to be an early reader of this new gem in Sylvie's portfolio.
I'm no stranger to Sylvie's writing, and every time her originality takes me by surprise. She turned me in one of her fan's after readying The Shadows of Auldham. Not an easy read, but so worth it.
When you read the title (The Narcissist) and the warning that this is a psychological thriller, you don't know what to expect and trust me, you will not guess it either. This is what I love about her writing style. She wows you, takes you in a direction, wraps you into an illusion, and when you are sure of your destination and the development of the story… boom… she hits you. It's like you are on a roller coaster: you start slow (Sylvie loves to pamper you, and she smooths you into the story), everything is nice, enjoyable while questions pop into your brain. Is this all? Who is this guy, Kevin? What does he want? And you know that something is wrong, your instinct screams at you that this looks too good to be true. Then, we are in the second part of the rollercoaster when the action, the questions, tension builds up. Luckily, she gives you a break, and here she fools you that you are getting close to the end, and you have an idea about what each character is like and what they want.
The third phase is the one that I love the most. Everything turns in its head with so much mastery, and you start to see all the hints she gave you along the way, but you missed it. Boom, again you were wrong! Things take shape, the fog dissipates, and you are ready to face the end. Once you put the book down, I always need a moment to think about the process, my feelings and everything that I just read. The conclusion is always: Wow; She did it again! Such a cute story turned into a mastermind piece of psychological game.
So, what is this about:
We have 3 characters that play their own game.
Amy, a young, abused girl that runs away from her painful past and finds refuge somewhere in a remote town in Alaska. It becomes obvious as you go through the book that she has some dark secrets buried deep into her soul and some "demons" that resurface from time to time, making her react in unexpected ways. If at the beginning she looks frightened and weak, little by little you discover that there is more to Amy than she lets to be seen.
Kevin is a mature, sexy and charming man who employs Amy to take care of his remote house in Alaska and the children. But guess what? There are no children and Kevin, in his geniality, has a hidden agenda that keeps you reading to the end. Note that this book is part of a trilogy (The Dark Triad), so Sylvie leaves some aspects of his personality and points on his agenda to be revealed in the next books. Don't worry, you will find so many about this Kevin guy that you would either love him or hate him.
Mike, the cowboy from North Dakota, another character to balance Kevin's weight in the story. To this point you will ask yourself, "Who is the Narcissist? I thought I had it clear." Then, there is another important question that you need to ask yourself "Is Amy a victim or she is the abuser? " There you go, 2 characters that play by their own rules. Who is going to win the final game? You will have some disclosure at the end of the book and get your most important questions answered. And I guaranty you that you will want to read the next one, too.
One of the things that I love so much in Sylvie's style is that her characters are not clearly good or bad. Like all of us, we are both good and bad, and nobody is perfect.
You can see them grow and develop as the story advances, as Sylvie is talented in constructing believable, interesting characters that change with the story.
Now, let me address the other aspect of the book. Sylvie warns us that it has "an erotic twist" and she recommends you to be over 18 before reading the book. This is due to the explicit language she uses when she describes the sex scenes in her book (enough as to offer release for some of the tension built-up). I must confess that I find her sex scenes quite sexy and enjoyable, and I appreciate that she stays away from any vulgarities as she plays with the images and sensations she creates within the reader.
Conclusion: You must read it and write about those aspects that conquered you most. There is so much to this book. I see why she considered that it needs to be a Triad. Now, I'll return to this book in a month or so to see whether I've missed anything. It seems to be a thing with Sylvie's rich style that you get extra elements and understanding when you read it a second time.

[Stefan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book in 3 days. Not because it was short (350 pages), but because it was that interesting. I've read all Sylvie's other books, and I was curious to read this book from the moment she announces it. I knew she was confident and talented in developing the psychological side of the characters, and Psychological Thriller sounds like the kind of story she would deliver well. What had me hooked was the Erotic twist she adds as icing to the cake. I'm still intrigued with her ability (and imagination) to write fiction in a different genre (Fantasy, YA Romance and now a Psychological Thriller with Erotic aspects as well!!!). I'm not much of a romance, erotic literature kind of guy. You can imagine that I cannot sustain a lot of cheesiness, and a dumb young girl finds a mature man to teach her kind of scenarios. Good, because Sylvie is not the author for that kind of writing either. Her characters, even the simplest ones, have a depth to them, something that makes them unique and differentiates them from the rest of the characters, across all her books. I have not met a character to be the same as another from a different book. She is defiantly the kind of an Author that understands human psychology, desires, and emotions and she uses it a lot in her writing.

Let's dive into this 1st book of the Dark Triad (Sylvie promises 2 other books in the series).

Amy had a rough start in life. Abandoned by her father as a baby, and her mother dies of cancer, she is placed into her uncle’s care. He turns out to be a drunk and rapist. After years of abuse, Amy fights back and runs away, bearing an ugly scar on her face, a constant reminder of the life she left behind. She finds a job in a remote place in Alaska, with a man (Kevin) who is both a genius and a mystery.

I loved the way Sylvie builds tension when the two main characters meet:

<<“You must be Amy!”

Of course, I’m the only stranger here! Amy wanted to answer but swallowed her words.

Kevin was nothing like she imagined. He didn’t look like a widower with children. In fact, he was young, in his 30s.

“Mr. Kevin Benoit?” asked Amy to stop staring.

He took the seat opposite her. He removed his animal skin coat. He wore a sweater close to his body. Broad shoulders, big chest, strong arms. His eyes were piercing. Amy felt the heat in her cheeks and the scar throbbing.

“You are younger than I expected!” admitted Kevin, keeping his voice low and polite.

Amy’s stomach dropped.

“You don’t look much as I imagined either, but here we are!” She would not show fear. This job was hers.

“You said you have experience with taking care of children and the house?”

“I do!” She lied.
[…]
“You look very young.”

“I’m experienced for my age,” and here she was telling the truth. She felt old after everything she had had to live through.

He had sky-blue eyes. His hair had been shaved and now was growing back. He had a firm jaw and beautiful full lips. His hands were big. He took a mug of coffee and covered it with his palms.

“How old are you?” he asked.

“Enough to know what’s good for me, mind my own business, do a respectable job, earn my living, and ask no questions”. Somehow it felt natural to admit as much. Her years had been bad enough while her mother lived after her father left them when she was 5. After her mother’s death, it just got worse. She did not believe in Heaven and good people, just in decent enough people. And Kevin looked like a decent enough guy.

“Family?”

“All dead!”

“Boyfriend?”

“Not with this face.” She wasn’t sure why she said it. She could have said “no”, and it would have been enough.>>

I enjoy reading about the setting and the surroundings which make every novel tick and you get to visualize the whole thing, and before you know it, you are part of the story. Sylvie likes to describe (just enough) what the main characters see, feel and think. She swiftly introduces us to the character's mind. Some people dislike description and story setting, but I encourage you to stick to it and read it to the end. Sylvie has a way of placing "Easter eggs" along the way, and all adds up at the end when you realize that she had been sharing with you vital information that turns her endings into a catharsis. The fun part is that Sylvie is a trickster, and there are at least 2-3 turning points in her books that change the course of the story.
Sex scenes are explicit, and you get to be in the front seat. Though her language is explicit and you know clearly what is going on in that scene, she is not vulgar. On the contrary, the scenes are quite hot and put you in the mood for action, if you get my meaning. :)
Here's a teaser extract:
<>
Suspense is at middle to high levels, as Kevin is more than that beautiful man with an agenda and a past. Sylvie hints at Kevin being a genius and his manipulative nature, but you cannot be sure of his intentions throughout the book. We get enough on him, but she left some of those puzzle pieces for the following books, too.

Amy is NOT what you might think. To me, Amy is playing a very dangerous game. She has psychotic episodes, which are understandable considering her abusive past, yet there is something else that you can barely touch while the story develops. I love those sensations when you are getting closer to a forbidden area, and you are about to discover something but you don't know yet what; you almost got it, yet you cannot touch it! Ahhh, it makes my hairs stand up with pleasure and frustration (the good kind). I know it in my guts that Amy hides something. She is not a weak, abused little girl - she even admits it herself a couple of times - she thinks in a way, she acts in a different way, pushed by something inside of her that Sylvie does not reveal in this book (leaves it for the next books). If you understand psychology as well as Sylvie, you might be able to even create a personality analysis for Amy. I, on the other hand, I'll have to wait for the next books and see why Sylvie chose to keep it in the dark for now. Maybe Amy's hidden nature will come out in the next book and we will be blown away by her actions, or we will have an epiphany. :)

Until then, I highly recommend it! Sylvie is extremely talented, her inquisitive nature creates beautifully crafted characters, powerful emotions, and prolific stories.

[Tudor Eugenia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so curious about this book. I wanted to read it from the moment the Author announced it. I'm happy that I did. My hours and days were filled with excitement, questions, contradictory thoughts, unexplained emotions, savory intimate moments, and 2 of the most mysterious characters that reveal a little bit of themselves throughout the story. When I finished it, it left me with a thirst for more. The author mentioned that there will be more books in the series. I look forward to that. Now, I'm going to re-read it as I've devoured it the first time, and I'm afraid that I've missed important details. I'm sure I'll discover hidden "gems", as Sylvie is famous for hiding important information among details. She is very knowledgeable about human psychology and so talented in building and developing the character's psyche and inner world. I've enjoyed it so much!

[Madalina Tudosie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unexpected story. Mistery is running throw the phrases from the first page, and when ever you think that you know what will happen next... Surprise, is something different. A fresh new view of a well known story which will make it hard to let the book down. I loved reading it and enjoyed the twists.

[Sylvie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear reader,
Please be warned that this story is not all about erotism and strong explicit language (though it contains plenty of it!), as you might be led to believe or hope it will be the case. Through this book, I’m introducing you to a new genre (for me), the Psychological Thriller with an Erotic twist.
The characters and the events in this book, though I would consider them fictitious, could very well be somebody’s real-life story. Life is beautiful and scary in its diversity and mysteries.
You will encounter some beautiful, almost romantic passages, charming and seductive characters, some brutal and almost violent scenes with explicit and strong language, as well as descriptions of sex encounters, twists, and thrills to make the story digestible. Just like in life!
Sit back. Relax. And enjoy the experience.
In my creation process, I tried to keep a balance between elements. Some, I could control. Others were dictated by higher forces and requested by the characters themselves.
This is book 1 of The Dark Triad Trilogy!

[Sylvie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the kindle version, available free with Kindle unlimited. Paperback version to be released sometime in 2021.