April. One week. It's all I have left before we end up on the street. I carefully fold the eviction letter with trembling hands and place it back inside the envelope. My mom is passed out on the couch, a bottle vodka slipping from her fingers. I have one week to come up with the money, or it's game over for us. That's when I make a bargain with the devil. "Do we have an arrangement?" he asks, smirking across the desk. I know I shouldn't, but the clock is ticking down. I grab the money. "We have an arrangement."
Rick. I can't help but notice her with her pink hair and purple Dr Martens. She's a wild card. Intrigued by her dark desires and the bruises on her skin, I enter a new world as dangerous as it is alluring.
*Not intended for readers under 18. This is a dark high school romance. It contains explicit sexual content and sexual violence throughout that some readers might find upsetting/offensive. Please don’t read this if any of that bothers you.
Wow! What a ride this was! I am really into dark romance but even I consider Devil’s Bargain by Harleigh Beck a deep deep dark romance. There were many moments where I felt the abuse was way too much and too descriptive but after when it’s all said and done, Beck really did justice to April and Rick’s story by laying all the gritty and ugly details out for us to really capture the inner workings of such tragedy. I went into the book blind and I definitely advice you to do the same because it will surprise you, shock you to your core when you don’t know what to expect and from whom. It may not be an easy story to digest but I think that’s what separates it from the generic stuff. If you are serious about being a dark romance reader, take a chance in Devil’s Bargain. I don’t think you’ll regret it.
3.5. Not for everyone. I like dark painful stuff in stories but I agree that the third act sort of just takes it up a notch that deadens any eroticism and turns into a sort of numbing. There’s a surreal quality where the smut goes to sheer fantastic levels. It reminds me in some ways of some books I DNF-ed, not sure if I had marked it on GoodReads but Acts of Contrition by S.L. Sinclair.
Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy the depravity but at some point, the fantasy stops. Like a switch being flipped. I skimmed the last 30%.
I also find Rick a secondary character in his own story. I thought Scott was actually the hero for a while, in a strange way.
May need a cleanse after this and read a lighter romance that gives me hope in humanity or something.
Well…this was an emotional rollercoaster taking me through all sorts of anger management loops and dark holes. I gave this 5 stars completely down to the writing and the way it had me gripped, I in no way condone what happened to this beautiful human, and I take my hat off to HB for producing such a harrowing but stunning story.
We’re following the same gang from Counter Bet in this story but just from Aprils perspective and life…and boy does she have it rough!! April is definitely someone who has potential to go far in life but given the shit hand she was dealt will never realise that. What starts as a way to get cash to prevent her and her alcoholic/junkie mother getting evicted turns into something much more sinister and as the story goes on your heart breaks over and over for this poor girl who feels she has no way out and no one who can help. I will warn you, it is extremely dark and the list of TW at the end may seem overkill but I tried to cover all bases. You will also need severe anger management therapy after reading some parts as well (which HB can attest to as I kept messaging her!
Please, if you loved Counter Bet know this is a much darker storyline than that and go in open minded. This is the third book by HB I’ve read and I’ve fallen in love with her writing, I cannot wait for the next few books she has planned!
TW
Dubcon/non con Blood play Knife play Gun threats Trafficking Alcohol drug abuse Extreme dominance Physical and mental abuse Authoritative abuse over a student Bribery Blackmail Manipulation Bdsm Thoughts of suicide Parental neglect Imprisonment Knife torture for information Girl sharing Murder Motor accident
I want to preface this by saying that Dark Romance Is. Not. For. Everyone. If you don’t like it, don’t read it. Period.
With that being said this book is DARK! Probably one of the darkest books I’ve read. Please read and heed all the content and trigger warnings for this. They are there for a reason.
This book was so emotional and sad and I found myself wanting to yell at April so many times! Like GIRL what are you doing?! The trauma and abuse April goes through was very hard to read at times I just wanted someone to come in and rescue her and take her away from everything. But I feel like everything happened the way it was supposed to get to ending it was supposed to have. I almost thought there wasn’t going to be a HEA and not gonna lie I would have been so upset if April didn’t get one after everything she went through. 🥹
Also there were multiple twists that had my jaw on the ground and me in Harleigh’s DM‘s asking WTH just happened?! Hahaha I was absolutely shocked! It was so good!!
Ok, what a ride! I don't I've ever read something that dark, but I have to say it sucked me in. I couldn't let go of this book until I finished it and I have no regrets.
This book is about April, a high school weirdo who lives a hard life with her addict mom. She takes upon herself the responsability of being the adult in the household when a stack of unpaid bills starts to pile up on the kitchen table. The Eviction note is the one that led her to the abyss. Not wanting to live on the streets, she makes a deal with the Devil... Sex in exchange for money. Rough Sex. Humiliating Sex.
Until what point a person is willing to go in order to have food on the table and a roof on top of their heads?
Rick has no idea how to answer that question because he never needed to even think about it. He's on the top of his game and ready to go to college with his Football Scholarship, he's handsome, rich and all the girls want him on their beds, but he has eyes to only one. The cute pink haired weirdo who seems to be carrying the world on her shoulders.
This book isn't for the faint of heart. It'll break you just like people broke poor April. When she decided to make a deal, she thought she was playing the game, however the Devil showed her she was nothing but a pawn. And when April couldn't find a way out, only getting more and more entangled on the situation, the only path she could go was down.
Sometimes I wanted to strangle Rick. I know, I know! He's a 18yo (and every 18yo is stupid) and I'm seeing the situation from the outside, but daaaaaamn... Pay attention, dude. She was giving you all the signs. I also wanted to ask a standing ovation for April's friends. If it wasn't for them, God knows what would have happened to poor April. They're the best and I hope they remain friends forever!
Also the writing was really nice. I felt like it was better on the beginning than on the end of the book, but I guess it was because I was really invested on knowing what was going to happen... Harleigh, girl... You tricked me there for a second. I thought it wouldn't be a HEA at some point, but thank God you gave it to me. Poor April didn't deserve a non-HEA.
Well, all in all.... It was amazing. If you like a high school dark romance with sprinkles of kink, this is your book. However, you must heed to the warnings. This book isn't for everyone.
Hands down the darkest book I've ever read in my life. It has every trigger warning possible and it made me feel uncomfortable throughout. Uncomfortable in the best way though, I must be totally twisted because this book turned me on like nothing and nobody had before 🥵🥵🥵
Poor April doesn't have the easiest of lives but she is such a strong character and she grows so much during the book, I love her! And the chemistry with Rick...why is he so adorable!!??? He's my top book boyfriend, I want him in my life. Adorable and sexy Rick 😍 Aaaand the emos are back!!! The emos are the best gang of friends in literature, Harleigh did an amazing job creating their friendship.
And let's not forget the WHAAAAAT effect at the end. I was like.......what? Wait a minute, have I read what I have read? Wow. The ending. I'll just leave it there for you to discover.
Anyways, if you're one of those people that get excited when the list of trigger warnings is longer than the blurb, this is your book! Join April's twisted journey and don't forget to have some toys at hand 😉
Damn. I was so captivated, I just couldn’t put this down. I felt so disjointed with my feelings reading this.. when something is wrong but you question yourself and your body.
Oh my lord! Another absolute banger from Harleigh Beck. I don’t know where you pulled this one from Harleigh but my god, what a ride!
First things first, this book is full of trigger warnings and definitely not for the faint hearted. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever read before and (it feels bizarre to say this considering the subject matter) I absolutely loved it. It was completely heart wrenching and made me question wether I should have been enjoying it so many times but it’s my favourite from Beck so far, she has seriously raised the bar with this one.
This book is dark, like seriously DARK, sick and twisted but I was 100% there for it. I can’t wait for more from HB.
This book blowed my mind it was definitely one of the craziest books I have read in a while. This book had me mad,sad , disappointed,scared every emotion possible. I wished we got more happy times between the two because they deserved it
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Well first of all I wanna say that this book was way more disgusting than I thought. I dnf at 50% the first few chapters were good but as the story goes on it was just started becoming more and more disturbing. This was dark but it's not a romance i didn't see a single romantic thing between the MCs there was too much abuse and torture on fmc and if she didn't want to have this then why did she agreed in the first place I under stand that she was broke her mom was ignorant but she had such great freinds who care for her and they would do anything to help her but no she has to push them away telling everyone that I am fine and I am pretty sure that her freinds would have helped her if she told them. And the MMC character was super annoying. He knew that some guy is hitting her and he was like okay if you don't wanna tell me it's okay take your time. She was bruised badly and nobody is doing anything even after seeing her and another most disgusting thing was mmc having sex with another girl while texting the fmc how she would like it and then implementing on the girl he is with that's gross. I didn't see any romance in this book it was straight up abuse and torture in every chapter.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Originally I thought this was going to be a 3 star book at least for sure. Writing was engaging, pace was fast and smut was good - lots of body betrayal with a sprinkles of forbidden teacher/student dynamics. The female lead is a student blackmailed into a sexual arrangement with her teacher to pass her maths class and afford her rent. There is dark poly/sharing/human trafficking in this book and the female lead had chemistry and smut with multiple male characters in this, so I was hooked working out what's going to happen and who the female lead would end up with.
From 30-50% the degradation/slapping/knife play gradually got a bit too much for me, especially since the female lead was hating what was happening to her.
It also annoyed me once I realized who the male lead was, it took until 57% for her romance with him to start. Yes, there were some cute and sweet moments between them sprinkled in before that point where they were both overly friendly but the 'more than friends' moments didn't start until over the half the book in.
The book continued to go downhill with more appearances of the female lead's friends. I really disliked all of them in this book and they actually made me want to DNF 70% where we started getting their perspective as well.
The plot became really illogical as well.
If Scott is not genuinely a teacher but someone pretending to be a teacher purely to lure the female lead, why would he remain as a teacher after successfully kidnapping the female lead? It made no sense he would stick around, allowing the female lead's friends to punch/kick/torture him and loudly proclaim his crimes at his place of employment, where any of the students or teachers could overhear and report him to police. Logically he would have disappeared like Jared as soon as his kidnapping job was done. Instead, he remains as a teacher for no reason at all other than allowing the friends to murder him and obtain the female lead's whereabouts.
I also struggle to believe these ordinary high school students, with no experience doing any of this at all and no lawyer/police parents to back them up, would be able to or have the courage to so easily obtain surveillance footage, stalk Scott and ultimately murder him.
I also felt like my impression of Rick, the male lead, went downhill when he continued to have sex with Madeleine, a cheerleader, despite claiming to love April, the female lead. Initially I was quite digging the star-crossed lovers dynamics between the leads where they both had feelings with each other but couldn't be with each other and the male lead was persistent despite this. But Rick eventually became a coward.
Things in the book did improve for me with the plot twist reveal that the main villain is actually male lead's father. But I hated that the ultimate ending was male lead running away for 4 years after his father kills himself in a car crash that leaves the female lead permanently disabled. Definitely ruined the book for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Ok… I’m gonna do something I never do and start this review with a warning and list possible trigger warnings…
This book is NOT to be taken lightly!! It made me so uncomfortable for 90% of it. That’s not to say I didn’t love it, because I absolutely f*cking did!! I couldn’t put it down, even as I was squirming and my skin was crawling.
Possible triggers: Noncon/dubcon, knife play, human trafficking, sexual assault, violence, murder, suicidal thoughts, hardcore BDSM…
Let’s just say that if you’ve ever shied away from a dark romance this probably won’t be for you.
April is a high school student who grew up in the poor part of town. She’s facing eviction and makes a deal with her math teacher… a deal that turns out to be a Devil’s bargain.
“I’m not doing it from the goodness of my heart. I’m after something in return, and you look like the kind of girl to help me out.”
Her math teacher (Scott) is the worst type of human being!!! He made me sick to my stomach from the start and it just kept getting worse!
April discovers things about herself through this bargain… some of it brings her shame. I want to reiterate here that under the right circumstances and in the right environment that what she enjoys sexually is not wrong. The way she was forced to discover it is. Her journey tore my heart apart. There is so much to unpack in it.
Meanwhile the quarterback Mr. Popular (Rick) starts to pay attention to her… he either has the best or worst timing ever.
“Why are you fighting it?”
It hurts them both, but still gives them a comfort they didn’t know they needed. There are definitely times I wanna shake Rick and yell at him to look deeper… but he’s a high school boy caught up in his own shit.
“I know you felt it too.”
“Was it consensual?”
Gah! This book took my heart for a mother f*cking joy ride through hell and back!!! I felt every emotion that it’s possible to feel! I ugly cried for all the injustice April had to face. The friendships in this book are bloody f*cking brilliant!!! This group of friends is what dreams are made of! Talk about ride or die…
Read at your own risk, but this is by far the best book I’ve read this year!!!
Review of Devil's Bargain by Harleigh Beck * * * * * This is one hell of a dark romance that slaps you in the face with all the nasty twisted things you are looking for. Another thumbs up to this author for giving you something to get crazy on.
April's in a bit of trouble. Thanks to her useless mother and other troubles, she is now on the verge of being homeless. On top of it, she's not doing so well in school. Her teacher is more than willing to help her out...for a price. April has no idea what she has signed up for...and that she's going to get more than she is bargained for. Piece by piece she will lose herself. She will be lost. Alone. Scared. Her mind twisted. It will take someone unexpected to help her escape the madness and chaos that has taken over her life in the worst way possible, but will it be too late when her mind breaks?
Like...oh my gosh. Dark DaRk DARK! I know there are tons of reviews saying this however this read fits that title too well. Some readers might slam that book shut and say it is too much...but some of you might just get sucked right back in to see how deep into the shadows this goes. April's kink is something that protects her - in my opinon - to what happens to her. She's being used so much and broken in many ways. Her desires in what she wants s**ually is something that should be used in a healthy agreement and with someone you trust, but in her situation, I think it is something that has her holding on for so long. Rick, my dude, you are a knight in shining awesomeness! April, honey, your mother sucks! I am not sorry. Scumbags and creeps who hurt April, I would have enjoyed hurting you sooooo much!
Devil’s Bargain is a dark romance. Probably one of the darkest I have ever read. Please read the trigger warnings before diving into this book. They’re there for a reason.
Still here? Excellent. This was an incredible book. Was it an enjoyable read? Yes … and no. There were moments of light and happiness, but there were an equal number of sad, harsh, difficult scenes, that make you uncomfortable in your own skin. In spite of that, or because of it, is this book worth reading? Absolutely.
Harleigh has crafted an amazing book, that takes you on a dark, emotional journey that scrapes your feelings raw before the characters get their HEA. I can’t count the number of times my jaw dropped from the plot twists.
I really felt for April. She’s young and makes a deal with a devil and suffers so much for that one decision. There were times I wanted someone to rush in and rescue her, take her away from all the madness. There were also times when I wanted to shout at her for the choices she makes. The same with her friends and Rick, her love interest. You want to yell at them for not noticing April’s suffering when all the signs are there. I had to keep reminding myself that they’re all 18 years old and self-absorption come with that. I’m the end her friends come through for her. Everyone should be lucky enough to have friends like her.
If you like dark romance, this book is definitely for you.
Thank you Harleigh for sharing a copy of your book with me.
April’s mom is a mess. She’s lost another job, and to make matters worse, they’ve received an eviction notice. The clock is ticking down to pay or face homelessness.
April’s best friend, Nina, has no idea about the current chaos in April’s home life or the struggle of losing her home. No one in her inner circle has the faintest clue about the burdens she’s carrying.
April strikes a deal with the Devil to save her mom and her home. Someone in a position of power desires her, and nothing can stop the inevitable descent into madness.
Rick, the star quarterback, has eyes for April. Their attraction is immediate, and their longing for one another is palpable. But April knows if she gives in to the temptation with Rick, she will lose everything.
April embarks on a deeply twisted journey. Unbeknownst to her, there’s a sinister plot behind the scenes, and the depravity sucks her in with no escape. The darkness goes deeper than imagined, and there are a few sharp turns that I didn’t anticipate!
This story is dark, and the trigger warnings are on point. There is a ton of degradation and humiliation, pain, and non-con/dub-con throughout the book. The sex is gratuitous, but consensual with heaps of steam! There are a few scenes I found myself wincing at, and the intensity ratchets up as you progress.
This is not for the faint of heart. There are a lot of sexual situations that are hard to read, so please heed Haleigh’s warnings.
Book Title: Devil's Bargain Author: Harleigh Beck Series: Counter Bet Duet(#2) Genre: Romance, Drama Tropes: BDSM, blackmail, high school, dominant/submissive, FMC Rating: 5/5 Spice: 5/5 Angst: 5/5
Plot: After receiving an eviction letter, April has a week to make things right, the unlikely answer comes from someone she least expected. An arrangement is made with the devil and the arrangement is not like anything April expected, quickly spiraling out of control that she doesn't know if she can come back from… Rick has notices April from afar, intrigued by her, he enters a world he totally unexpected, but will he like it?
Thoughts: Whoa, this was dark, like super dark, the trigger warnings were a mile long, and I went in blind, not expecting to read what I did. Beck took us into a dark world, angsty, dark and damn right gritty as well as emotional. I cried for April and her hopeless journey. The stuff she went through, I was floored. April and Ricks journey was shocking, dark, and heartbreaking. April was a strong FMC and I admire her so much for what she went through and still kept fighting… The friend group was a great part of the group, they're for each other no matter what. They were extremely protective and would do anything for each other… Take note of all the trigger warnings because this is dark, is it the darkest I've read, no, but it's up there with them.
I’m not sure I’ve wrapped my mind around this book yet. Wow. What a freaking dark and wild ride. This was way darker than I had thought it was going to be after having read Counter Bet. This book may not be for everyone, so make sure you take the trigger warnings seriously. (For the record, always take TW seriously but you know what I mean.)
I devoured this book in one sitting. I couldn’t look away as April’s whole world shattered bit by bit until you were sure there was no way she was going to get out of it.
I also have to brag about how insanely proud I am of myself for guessing the plot twist. Just call me Sherlock Holmes, y’all. I wish the ending were longer after all that April went through, even though we do get closure and a HEA. (THANK CHEESUS).
If you love a really dark romance – jump into this book. I truly love all of the side characters and the unique friendship that they all have, so I would recommend reading Counter Bet even though I don’t personally think that you have to in order to enjoy this book.
I want to start off by saying that this book was DARK DARK and before you start reading this one, read the TW.
I usually have a hard time with dark romance books set in a high school setting and that include age gap. I mean I've read my fair share of dark romances, and I like them, they are not sunshine and rainbows. However, I haven't dived in to these dark tropes and taboos yet. But I did pick this one up cause I've been wanting to read a Harleigh Beck book. This book was very well-written and I was engulfed in the story, BUT it freaked me the F up. This book was so f:ed up and I was fearing for April's life, I just wanted to reach the end so I could see if she had a HEA and then I wanted to give her a BIG hug. If I'm being honest, I skimmed and skipped the parts that were a little bit to much for me, but I still needed to finish the book. This book was scary, twisted and had some disturbing shit that kept me on my toes, but it also had hope. April's friend group was amazing and Rick, oh "sweet" Rick!
It might take a little while until I read a book as dark as this one again, and when I'm ready I might pick up another Harleigh book.
Once again this is a very dark romance and if you are aware that these tropes and dark romances aren't for you, the simply don't read this book and if you enjoy dark romances and taboos then enjoy the heck out of this one. Let's not judge each other for what books we like and read.
Trigger warnings include: Grooming dub/non-con Trafficking Gun violence Sexual violence and more...
I give this book a 3.5 stars. This book was nothing that I expected. I went into the story without reading the trigger warnings and it was definitely darker than I thought it would be. That being said it's not the reason for the lower rating.
I thought the storyline was great. I may have something wrong with me as I found many of the scenes 🔥. This story includes degradation, knife play which are instant pluses in my mind. I loved April and her friends. The story showed how much April struggled with what was happening to her. Her friends are truly ride or die, non judge mental and do anything for each other. I honestly hope Steph gets her own story because she seems like a great character.
What I disliked was Rick and their connection. I felt like there wasn't much of one and then the basic insta love they had was off putting. The ending is what got me. It went too quickly and I wish there was more development to their happily ever after.
No way i tried to read the whole story but its too dark and disgusting,,, The whole book is TW, where’s the love story between MCs? i dont see it, i dont see the connection, i only see the h is having humiliating, rough, intense and disgusting s3x with OPSsssss not one OM but OPssssss and she liked it, she liked to be treated like a b…h and get off on it. Its about 90% no 95% s3x with OPs and i didnt know if she really loved the H 🤣
Lets not talk about the stupid H, if he really love her as he claimed he would feel her not leave her be and the worst thing that they’re only 18 ( I want to cry ). WTF is this.
And lets add also the H father fu..d the h like more than the H and even we had one like two three seen with the H while The Father have 5 🤣 WHERE’s the love story…
Anws I added two Stars ⭐️ for h friends ⭐️ for killing the fu..ing Teacher.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Well crikey! That was a dark and twisted journey I've just been on. I can't say that the kink featured in this book is my cup of tea, but I know it will be other peoples and it is seriously well written. This book is violent and emotional and had me putting it down and begging the author to tell me there was a HEA. I just wanted to climb inside the book and bubblewrap April to protect her. It's certainly the type of read that will stay with you for a while after you finish. As for Rick, I loved him in Counter Bet, but I absolutely adored him in this. His confusion and emotions shone through. I'm probably rambling by now, but my thoughts are all over the place after reading this one. Such a rollercoaster ride to that HEA, which I can confirm is worth the wait. Be aware that this is dark, very dark, but so worth reading. I can't wait for the next book in this world.
Holy fuuuuuuu... wow, I'm at loss for words. The last time I felt like I seriously need therapy and somebody to hug me after the book was when I'd finished Sinner. And now it happened again. Believe me when I say that this book is pitch black dark. And I'm a dark romance reader through and through, Cat and Mouse duet is one of my fav books in the genre. I already mentioned Sinner. But hell it's a captivating story. It had many annoying moments in terms of how April or Rick handled certain situations, bit I guess it's just how their brain worked at the moment. Anyway, I enjoyed the book (stopped asking what it's telling about me a long time ago). But please check TW, they are there for a reason.
Just finished Devil's Bargain by Harleigh Beck and I am speechless. This dark high school romance had me completely captivated from start to finish. The story follows April, a girl on the brink of losing everything, who makes a dangerous bargain with a mysterious stranger named Rick. The chemistry between April and Rick is electric, and their journey together is filled with twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. Harleigh Beck's writing is raw and intense, and she doesn't hold back in exploring the darker aspects of love and desire. If you're looking for a gripping and intense read, then Devil's Bargain is the book for you. Highly recommend! #DevilsBargain #HarleighBeck #BookReview
I read the first novel from this duet and I absolutely LOVED the side characters, so when I knew April was going to be the MFC in this book, I was excited. However… Rick???? Meh!
He was a cutesy puppy dog side character in the first book and we didn’t get a POV character from him till much later in this book… so I was finding him quite bland and forgettable. The relationship between April and Rick was also really underwhelming… his insta love was hard to buy into. I just wasn’t feeling it, there was more of a spark between April and Matt, than April and Rick.
Ben shined again in this novel even though he was only a side character this time. And the twist at the end was GREAT… didn’t see it coming!!
This book was a miss 😭 I feel like it had potential but it was under edited so many dam explanation points where it was unnecessary it had me grinding my teeth. If you were to make a drinking game out of how many exclamation marks there were you’d end up with alcohol poisoning. Also I didn’t overly love this couple together. I wasn’t completely sold on the romance. Another gripe of mine is there was some information that was fed but never fully answered. I think harleigh beck is wonderful at painting a picture and scene you can see but this one just lacked with my prior points that I made. Still love her though and I’m still wanting to check out her other books as not all were misses