The Complete Dark Duet: Lark and Nightingale

by Emma Cole

Lark and Nightingale are now together in this one convenient volume, The Complete Dark Duet. This compilation contains deleted scenes, an extended epilogue, and more! Dark. Gritty. Taboo. ~ Lark: Book One of the Dark Duet ~ Broken-hearted and mortified after being dumped when she expected a proposal, Lark calls her best friend and roommate for a rescue. While waiting to be picked up, she ducks around the corner into the alley to gain her composure, unaware it will be the action that leads her into a trafficking syndicate. Kidnapped, along with her best friend, Lark wakes up to find herself in a cell with her friend, her ex, and her ex's partner. Forced to submit or become casualties of circumstance, they stick together and comply— making the best they can out of a terrible situation. Stripped of all dignity and choice, will Lark make it out alive? If she does, what will be left of her? ~ Nightingale: Book Two of the Dark Duet ~ Lark survived her ordeal— scarred but alive. Now she's in hiding from the trafficking syndicate that wants her back. There's more than just Robert Vitti that's an issue though, and it's turned her world upside down yet again. Find out what happens in the conclusion of the Dark Duet. 18+ Readers discretion advised for content ** A list of warnings is available inside the front matter. (You can download a sample or click on the preview feature to view it)

Genres: Dark, Dark Romance, Why Choose, Romance

594 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 7, 2021

About the author

Emma Cole is a multi-genre romance author covering everything from dark and light contemporary to paranormal and sci-fi. Almost all of her stories are, or will be, from the reverse harem subcategory, and none of them skimp on the heat.

Reviews

[Kelly Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a deliciously dark read!!
If like me your a fan of dark romance than this is a must read! The plot is quite an emotional roller coaster at times. I genuinely loved the connection between Lark and her guys and how her affection and relationship with each one developed especially in the second part of the book.

This story contains a lot of unusual and highly intense sexual situations with multiple partners, with Lark being the only female. There were scenes that really had me gripped with equal horror and excitement! I am still shocked and reeling from some of the things that take place!

This is a book you do not want to miss! Highly recommend!

[Liikah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delicious Duet !!

Dark, RH and very well written.

This is the first book I've read from Emma Cole and went in blind. Be prepared for a fast paced 1st book and a somewhat calm second. All in all it was a great read.

Bought this free in Kindle and am leaving my review to thank Emma for this perfect duet, characters and story.

[Toad · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF for me. it was very juvenile and wasn't put together well

I tried to re read this a year after I DNF and omg it's so bad ... I felt like a teenager who just learned what sex was wrote this.. it was extremely immature and I can't get past the third chapter 😬

[Gina Burkart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intense

This is a very dark read that has triggered throughout this story. But four men fall in love with a witty wild lady that stands her ground.

[Christine Kingston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some like it hot... some like it SCORCHING! WOW I honestly don't even know where to begin with this one. I was really worried that this would be all smexy time and no substance. Boy, was I wrong. I love how well the characters were fleshed out and the dynamics that developed. This book isn't for the feint of heart, it dealt with a rather dark theme of sex trafficking. The author did a great job of being respectful to the subject matter while still keeping the story on point. The scenes were light your pants on fire steamy. I'm glad I can keep a straight face while reading this in the run with my family! Ha! If you get hot and bothering by a book and your poker face is bad... save this read for alone time. Enjoy!

[Cheryl addie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome loved it,great collection

[Jaime Mott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first time reading about Lark, and I was so glad to find it in the box set! I could just continue the story and not have to wait on the rest. Plus, the bonus scene and extra content! I couldn’t be happier with this set. This story is dark and has a strong trigger warning. Please be aware of that before continuing with the story. If you are like me, and don’t have any triggers, then you need to read this story! It is dark, gritty, and packed full of action! The situation Lark finds herself in seems hopeless. But, is it really? This story takes you down a long and twisted road with so many different twists and turns. Some I never saw coming! You feel for Lark and everything she goes through, then are cheering her on! There is a strength in Lark that comes shinning through no matter the situation she is in and the things that are happening to her. Her love of not just her best friend, but the others she finds herself with is apparent as she shows how much she will sacrifice for them. While the situation is harrowing and devastating, Lark also learns things about herself and the others along the way that she might have never known. The steam level is high in this box set and does not disappoint! This will definitely be a story I come back and visit again and again.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 🖤

Trigger ⚠️: Non/dub con, m/m, f/f, group sex, medical settings, double/triple penetration, branding, violence, kidnapping, torture, and a myriad of other activities that may be inappropriate for some readers.

🔥 Spice Level 🌶️ : 7/5 🥵🥵🥵

This duo of books was like no others that I have read. It will be very hard to top these in the future. I have been a fan of 🖤 dark romance 🖤 for a while but this definitely took 💀dark💀 to a whole new level. It broached subjects that do many won't touch, much less explore.

Lark is the first book in the series, definitely broached the darkest of the subjects and explored them in ways that I never thought possible. I never even dreamt things like this happened in real life, maybe they don't. But I don't leave things like trafficking happening to chance. I know there have been auctions for people before but the things to prepare people for those auctions were extreme. I'm not saying some of those things didn't tax those people but it is a different type of darkness.

I couldn't help but squirm a little while reading this because it was such an alarming difference to what I have read before. There definitely times that it became titillating to the senses because it was something that is rarely spoken of much less explored in books. But it brought so much to the forefront of what can be happening that we don't see every day in the real world.

Reverse Harem is also something that is explored in romance but I haven't read many with 5 men and 1 woman. It was interesting to see the dynamic between all of them and how they were able to work everything out between them all. Outside and inside the bedroom.

Nightingale, the second book is definitely the redemption book. Redeeming their lives after what was taken from them once they were able to get out from under the worst of everything.

Being able to see each member of this group come to terms of their feelings for Lark was such a sweet moment. I loved being able to see how they each shared that moment with her. They were each so different that each other so you were able to see their personality with each declaration.

[Madelyn Renfroe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This will test some limits

Smut: 10/5 (off the charts)
Triggers: Sexual torture was the biggest and hardest for me to handle - the author is very detailed in her scenes - be warned and well prepared going in
Reverse harem: one of the better ones I’ve read - the group flows well together and doesn’t seem overly awkward considering there’s 6-7 of them at a time
FMC: funny, witty, can handle her own, a little bit of damsel with a lot of badass

Lark (the book) started off heavy hitting. At about a quarter of the way through, I was about ready to tap out. The explicit details of the erotic torture were almost too much. I didn’t think I had any triggers but it got real for a bit. Some of the plot seems outlandish and unbelievable but works overall. After about half way, I felt the heaviness start to lessen and some comedy lightened the dark overall scene. By the end of book 1, I was really enjoying the characters and the group dynamic.

Book 2 was less “exciting” on the drag you to the edges of your limits type of way. After how dark and explicit book 1 was, I can understand why the author went that way and was sort of glad for it as I read both books together. Robert’s ending was anticlimactic but I was ok with that. The ending to the overall story was beautiful and sweet considering how the story started out.

I don’t suggest this duet if you have any type of sexual triggers, torture triggers, or consent triggers. The author holds nothing back which delivers the gut punch of the story.

[Sunniva · Rating 2 out of 5]

I WOULD have given it an extra half star, if I could, I think.

Look, the concept was interesting, a lot of the scenes were dark and delicious in ways I can't say I've read other places.
I really wanted to enjoy it a lot more, and I DID enjoy it as a whole, BUT it had a lot of quirks that made it hard for me to rate it higher:

- I felt like the pacing was too sporadic throughout the story. Things happen too fast, then not at all, and often not in a logical (to me) way.
- The sudden jump from present to past and back to present narration that really DID not make sense, in the middle of a chapter, while simply narrating what happens from day to day.. Or using present tense in a flashback.
- All the characters felt.. unfinished. Having completely different personalities, thought patterns, reactions and reasonings throughout the story, and not in a way I felt made sense with the things happening around and TO them.
- The conversations felt... untested. And often repetitive. Time for a truth-talk? We'll make it "harder" by getting angry for absolutely no apparent reason, then get angry at getting angry. Someone trying to apologise or share their feelings? LET'S GET ANGRY!
-The plot felt rushed when it shouldn't have, which lead to several rushed explanations or poorly executed scenes or actions.
- The pregnancy plot as a whole was just.. messy..

All in all, it felt like the story as a hole was a fanfic that never got the chance and polish it deserved, before being published.

[Kylie Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8 Stars. Expected more from the ending. Not too dark. Lots of Group Scenes especially in Lark.

I usually don't like books with more sm*t than plot, but the scenes here, especially the group scenes were just too creative and dark. I love that this duet also discussed the effects of doing such things on the health of the person, whether they were good or bad. It was informative. I'm glad that the author put in an effort to research about those stuff. I was supposed to give this book a four star rating, but I had to change it to 3.8 because I expected more from the ending and from the second book after they got out. I kind of wished that there was more plot than hot scenes on the second book. I guess that since this book started out the way it was, then this would also end the same way with a bang. There were also parts in the book which did not make sense, but again expected as this was fiction. I won't reveal too much about the duet to avoid spoiling things. I know that this duet won't be for everyone, especially with all the triggers involved, but for those looking for something new to read in the world of sm*t with creative spicy scenes that were not too dark and not too vanilla, you can try reading this book. If you're looking for a plot-driven book with minimal to zero spicy scenes and not comfortable with reading MM, then this book might not be for you.

[Lili K · Rating 2 out of 5]

The FMC is called Lark and she is at dinner with her boyfriend Rex when he suddenly breaks up with her. Shes upset and calls her gay bestie Brade to come get her. When Brade arrives, she notices that there is a struggle going on in an alley way and Rex is in trouble. She finds Rex knocked out next to his best friend Emmett. Lark and Brade soon are knocked out as well. they wake up in a cell where they find out that Rex and Emmett are actually FBI and currently doing an undercover investigation into a sex trafficking ring. They have people on the inside. Marcus and Appollo are assigned to train them and get them ready to be sold at auction. Marcus and Apollo are the inside people. They put them into some weird sexual situations and training. From the very first training session, it is clear that Apollo and Marcus have something between each other. while only one of the guys Lark came with is gay, all of them do mm with each other. its kinda fucked up but like also oddly good. I love that while one would expect on the the three guys lark was kidnapped with to end up in her harem, its actually more than that. I wont lie, the plot wasn't that great or dense but it was still good. First book was definetly better than the last but i enjoyed both.

[Amy and Rae Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, if you are looking for a dark, gritty romance to follow something link Haunting Adeline, pick up the Dark Duet by Emma Cole.

FMC Lark, is minding her own business, getting dumped by her boyfriend when she kidnapped and thrust into the dark world of sex trafficking. She’s not alone though, her (now) ex boyfriend, his partner and her best friend are there with her, and because of this, the story reads more like a dark mafia romance. This story is a reverse harem, with lots of suspense and grit to keep the story moving.

In the second story, the story is less about where the characters find themselves, and more about their relationships to each other. Especially sup-rounding who they can trust. The largest critique of this story is that the ending is a bit soft, and while I agree, I found it didn’t bother me so much because the second books reads different than the first one anyway.

As with any dark romance, be advised of the triggers, but if you don’t, then I recommend going in blind. I listened to the audiobook, performed by Bridget Bordeaux and Jake Bordeaux, and I enjoyed the duet performance.

[Tabatha Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised at how good this duet was. This is my first book from this author and I went in completely blind. I figured it was a pretty safe bet because I love dark romance.

I was so not ready for the first half the duet. Lark, her best friend, he now ex- boyfriend and his partner are swept up in a human trafficking operation. Lark’s ex and his partner are apparently undercover agents working to take down the operation and Lark and Braedan just end up in the wrong place at the wrong time. They have to undergo training as a unit of sex slaves while they are waiting to be extracted from the mission.

There is a ton of dub- con group sex in the first book.it’s crazy and filthy.

In the second half the duet they are free from the trafficking syndicate and are trying to make sense of their lives and growing a very complicated romantic relationship. While the first book was a lot of smutty fun the second half was definitely more satisfying.

I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Feral Words · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredible duet!

I don't usually like the both-books-in-one combo because I like to review them as separate titles, but this one promised bonus content and I'm a sucker for that so in I went.

I'm a dark romance reader so I skip over trigger warnings and didn't have an issue. At first I was put off by how quickly it jumps right in, but it really works for the story.

It lost a star because of the way narration and scenes played out (it was often enough to lose the star). It's hard to explain, but something would happen, and the reader would be lost, and the explanation comes afterward. It gets a bit confusing. For example, someone says something, you don't understand why, and then there's a description of what's taken place. It sort of took me out of it a little. But I read the whole duet so it wasn't SO bad as not to finish it.

⭐ 4
🌶️ 5 - starts at 12%
🐔 30 (author uses the other word instead 😏)

See rating details on my TT page

[Maria (Ri) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

I'm not even sure how to rate this. If I based it on the premise of the story I wouldn't rank it very high because it was choppy as all get out. However, if I based it off the smexy times then this gets my vote. It was debauchery at its finest. Every kink I could imagine (bar a few) was in this book. It left me feeling uncomfortable and A little hot. I think this story would have been great in a kink club type of setting rather than the premise it was written under. It would have been more believable. I'm still trying to figure out why this was so hot and whether I need to up my therapy.

The first book is more intense in regards to smexy times. The second is pretty tame until the end. I like that this author just writes what she wants and doesn't cater to what might offend someone, because trust me, someone will find something offensive in this book.

[Linda Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lark was hardcore, human trafficking, pets and no holes barred that had me cringing at times. With Lark as the leading female and five males make up her harem, who enjoy each other as much as they do her. Nightingale is once they are released from captivity and learning to live with the reality of what they’ve gone through. When Robert rears his ugly head and comes after them they reconnect and go into hiding. During this time they become each other’s strength as they get to know each other. The men are treading on eggshells not wanting to push Lark after her ordeal. However, trust is earned and their love shines through as she slowly accepts that she needs them too.

[Sauieh Noushin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn!! I have no idea what I was expecting when I started reading this duet but HOLY FUCK!!! I fell in love with all the characters, Rex always pisses me off lol, it was hilarious where I was laughing out loud reading it, intense and emotional and down right DIRTY AS FUCK!!!! This is a must read for all those that like it dark, dirty, RH, MM, pushing boundaries with double pen and triple pen!!!! Marcus was my fav, oooh that man is just nasty, dominant and manipulative but is caring and suffered trauma too. Apollo, Braeden and Emmett are all their own amazing characters!!!

[Marie Meow Meow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into this blind, and I'm glad I did. It was a very well written, dark dark romance. And if you have a trigger, I'm sure it's in here. Almost every sexual act I could think of is in this book. But, it also has a plot.
The plot is far fetched, but it's fine. The dialogue is good, the characters are likable, the bad guys are bad, and the sexy times are sexy. I recommended it in a dark and dirty Facebook group because this is the kind of book we are always looking for.
I will be rereading this one for sure. Instafavorite.

[Mill · Rating 4 out of 5]

honeslty have no fucking clue.

had such a good storyline.

but it just didn’t really get into their relationships. like there was sex but the only relationship development is between Lark with Rex and Braydon. Also, there were parts that i got really confused. like in book 1, Brent isn’t bad and then all of a sudden in book 2 he’s evil and has to die. Like, usually i can see these things coming but not in this book.


🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶/5
Lots of spice in book1 even if it’s triggering and wrong but then book 2 feels like it’s lacking.

[Tabbatha · Rating 5 out of 5]

better together

I gave nightingale 4 stars when I read it separate really because it seemed like they were in separate relationships not together as a group and the epilogue left me wanting. The bonus scenes and extended epilogue in the duet shot it right up to 5 stars for me. Definitely left me satisfied with the ending. Recommend this duet to all dark readers! Awesome job Emma I love your writing.

[Maria Barra · Rating 5 out of 5]

LARK :
Well let me tell you, this book was really good. Even though there is a bad situation their sex sense are freaking hot as heck. I can't wait to start the next book. If you guys love dark romance book you're going to love this book.

NIGHTINGALE:
Well shoot this book was good, but to be honest I want more. This book had everything, and I couldn't get enough. And I have to admit that ending was hot as hell.

[Chelsea Okamoto · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this duet!! It is absolutely dark and delicious! And you can devour it all in one sitting! It is a rollercoaster of emotions that drags you into its depths and then spits you out to suffer the end of an amazing duet! A definite plus is the extra bonus scenes you get with this set. Bravo Emma Cole!! I cannot get enough of this one and will surely return! Highly recommended!! 💜🖤

[Rachel Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful, tragically raw and emotional duet. I devoured these two books one right after the other as I was addicted to the concept, characters and the darkness. It was breath of fresh air in the dark romance department, and such a beautiful story as a whole. The emotions this story gives you will have you captivated and have your heart in pieces. Such a brilliant duet!

[Stacey Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm glad Emma bundled them, it made it easier to read them. I recommend this to all dark romance lovers. It has everything you'll ever need. There should be a list on Amazon that readers can make of the top reads. This one would be at the very top. If you're looking for something intense and a little crazy then this is for you too.

[bookedbysmut Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

My comfort level was tested. So tested.

This book had me squirming for all the right reasons and some uncomfortable ones. But I did love the overall story, the character growth, and those smexy times were, while slightly uncomfortable, really hot to read.
I enjoyed this and can’t get enough of this author.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure smut, then a plot

No spoilers here... And no slow burn. We jump right into it!

The first book, Lark, is pure sex. A very weak plot but plenty of spank bank material. Not for the faint of heart!

Nightingale has more plot, less forced sex, more emotional connection. Still steamy but consensual

[Ivana Colwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oof. This book has some dark spots, but if you're a dark romance reader, you're gonna love it. It's hot, has group activities, action packed, and will have you on the edge of your seat. The witty banter and FMC had me laughing throughout the book. It hits almost all the k!nks. Deliciously spicy and really hits all the fun spots.

[Slaughterhouse Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

I enjoyed this duet. I wish more of the full plot arch was on page nd not background but its still an amazing story. I loved the harem and them working through everything. Would recommend to sometime who loves dark romance

[K. Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whats better than one dark angsty perfectly written novel? Well two of course, aaaannnd with bonus scenes and all the extra goods you never knew you needed... so good, well done!