Dead Love

by Audrey Rush

She embodied perfection.
Innocent. Sheltered. Untouched.
Even as she stared out from her protective cage, my little flower secretly begged to be conquered.

But the only way to truly conquer an object that sacred, is to ruin every part of it.

So I ripped her from her stem. Plucked off every petal.
Destroyed her home and plunged her deep into mine.

And when her mother begged for her daughter back,
I took her daughter’s innocence instead.

Author’s Note: This book was previously titled The Art of Ruin Duet and contains both books; Cruelty & Fire and Innocence & Ashes. Furthermore, this book follows the romance between a grave-digging stalker and an innocent heroine. It contains disturbing content. Reader discretion is advised.

Genres: Dark Romance, Dark, Horror, Romance, Contemporary, Thriller, Mystery

316 pages, ebook

Published September 22, 2022

About the author

Audrey Rush writes kinky dark romance and erotic horror. She celebrates spooky season every day, and she is obsessed with Disney. You can find her in the South, drowning in coffee.


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Email: audreyrushbooks@gmail.com


Reviews

[Shay · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨4.5/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️ 4/5

This is probably one of the darkest stories I’ve read plot wise. It follows Vincent who is a grave digging stalker, who kidnaps Kora with intentions to RUIN HER then KILL HER! As the story goes on and their connection grows, those initial intentions are long forgotten.

Kora’s mother is overbearing and obsessed with “protecting her”. So much so that Kora lived a very sheltered life. Growing up she was homeschooled, never allowed to see or talk to any man unless it was her father(the sheriff) or officer Andrew. She didn’t have any friends, not until Nyla. Who would end up being murdered by the Echo killer.

It wasn’t until Vincent kidnapped Kora that she started to Bloom… his flower.

This book was so good, if you’re looking for something dark. This one is for you.

[Monica Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

One million percent 5/5 stars and 5/5 spice from me.

Dead Love obsessed me with Audrey and her writing. This book is everything I ever hope for in a dark romance novel. And I do mean everything.

Poetic passion, heartache, sexual tension and desire, the overwhelming need to possess and protect one another; the push and pull between our flower, Kora and our shadow, Vincent. It was all so beautifully executed.

The only complaint you'll hear from me is that I simply do not have more of Kora and Vincent.

[Kayla’s Book Binge · Rating 1 out of 5]

WHOLE REVIEW IS SPOILERS****

I’m sorry what in the hell did I just read? I hate to be this person but I have to rant. First off her mom? Crazy. I understand being sheltered but you’re telling me kora only spoke to two men her entire life? She doesn’t let her out of her sight ever. It’s just not believable to me. She’s an adult. Can’t go hangout with her ONE friend, has to wear matching clothes with her mom, not allowed to go to college she got a full scholarship to, had to be home schooled, doesn’t know how to use the computer, her mom picks what she watches, the list goes on. Her mom also tried to say that she shouldn’t go to her best friends funeral. “I don’t know if we can go honestly. We’ve been so busy“ it’s her best friends funeral what???? Her mom is like actually a psycho robot. I’m surprised Kora can shit in peace tbh. When she comes back after being kidnapped and has short hair her mom even goes and cuts HER hair to be short too. Terrifying. Kora even loses her “phone privileges” AT 21 YEARS OLD. Her dad is just as bad since he turns out to be a psycho power hungry corrupt sheriff murderer.

Vincent is also fucked in the head too. His motivations for all the shit he does is just “???” His brothers trying to overdose and this mf decided well since he’s already trying to off himself I might as well just…. PEW PEW him in the head and cut up his arms. HUH???? And the shit he did to Kora? Weird. Wrapping her in plastic wrap like a mummy? Such a romantic guy I tell ya. Pretending she’s dead and fucking her in a casket? What a charmer. Making paintings using peoples cremated ashes? What an artist.

There is literally zero redeeming characters in the story. I hate them all. I barely even like Kora. I had to keep telling myself it’s not her fault that she was brainwashed by her mom but like damn girl GROW A SPINE. They’re also pretty stupid too and all just piss me off. The fact that Vincent literally called her and said “the person who almost killed me last night was Andrew and you’re in danger” and miss girl just ignored it and went on a date with him anyway?????? I HATE THIS. Then her mom and Andrew concoct a plan to get Kora married to Andrew WITHOUT HER CONSENT?! He just signs the marriage license without her even knowing???? “All we need is her signature but I can sign it for her” NOT HOW THAT WORKS I HATE THIS SO MUCH.

Vincent saying “My blood boiled. Adrenaline surged through me, making my fingertips tingle. Visions filled my head: Sheas blood smeared on a white tiled floor. Sheriff Mike with a gunshot wound in his chest, the blood pulling out beneath him. Andrews head on a stick, his limbs chopped from his body. All of their flesh incinerating in the retorts until they were nothing but a pile of bones.” SAME BITCH SAME!!!!!!! PERFECTLY SAID. The one thing I’ve agreed with in this entire book.

I am glad that the piece of shit murderers got what they deserved in the end but why the hell are they burning the bodies in a plain old fire when he’s literally the owner of a funeral home and has a crematory 5 feet away??? Nothing makes sense in this book. Everything that happened 98% of the book just enraged me to a point that I think I should’ve checked my blood pressure.

[Leo · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far I have loved every book I've read by Audrey Rush and to no surprise I loved it too.
I don't know how to describe but this book is definitely on the darker side of dark romance but somehow a little bit sweeter. Like a ton of darkness but a sprinkle of lightness. Perhaps because the heroine was so innocent and sheltered. I'm confused on what the sweetness was but I loved it. Need to get more of her books. I gotnone left of her stalker ones I think but there's is quite a lot of other dark romance books in other series. I've said this before but as I rarely get an favorite author so I'll say it again. I never tought I would have the same author in romance as I have in horror. But she writes both and they are so good. Very dark romance and absolutely terrifying horror.

[Kat · Rating 1 out of 5]

Complete Sexual Depravity

Picture this: you get kidnapped, physically abused, bruises scattered from your neck to toes from the man that took you — but somehow that's a turn on...

How about this?

The guy who kidnapped you, picks you up by your throat, crushing your airway and slamming you down onto a conveyer belt to be cremated alive. The fire is so hot it blisters your skin and melts your hair together — so sexy, you just can't stop the 💦 he gives you 😍 it must be love, right? No?

Okay okay, now this HAS to be romantic.

The kidnapper, aka Vincent, ties you up and has you dangling from your wrists as he wraps your body in plastic from feet to throat. You're claustrophobic, but it's okay, soooo hot of him. Just wait, Vincent then proceeds to beat you with a metal ruler and random utensils he found upstairs laughing as you squirm away from the lashes until you fall off the couch and onto the floor. He makes it even BETTER when he wraps your face in plastic, you can't breathe but it's the funniest thing to Vincent and yet somehow despite DYING you're so lust drunk that you don't mind. It makes you even happier when Vincent rips off the plastic, covering your mouth to shove in his🍆. You can't breath but yet you arch into him for more pain, and less air because you can't help but want to please him.

All kidding aside, what is wrong with people. Are you kidding me? How is any of this on the female gender empowering in any way. This is the most degrading, hopeless, and sick theology on what is seggual. This is beyond kink shaming and it was even more insulting constantly referring to the abuse as "a game". The throngs of us who watch Crime television have seen real life cases just like this, and I can assure you that the abusee was never into it. You can't even argue that this is consensual because it's not. Vincent just takes and uses. He does what he wants to. It doesn't matter that he calls her "flower" and it matters less that his guilt has him feeding her or letting her shower. It doesn't take away the filth of this character and of this story. How anyone could find any of this seggy baffles me. It's everything feminist are afraid of and more.

This is just the tip of what happens in this book. It goes beyond Stockholm Syndrome and perversions. There is no hope or logic in any of these scenarios. I find it unimaginable that any person would willingly fall in love with a monster like Vincent. He imprisoned this girl in the basement of his home while he basically lives out his fetish for pain, death, torture, and *seggual* perversions. He degrades her, SAs her, and treats her worse than the dirt he digs out of the graves he adores making. Top everything off with him being wealthy, owning the only mortuary business in the area and you get the perfect combination of WTF.

But hey... at least the scenes are broken up with the occasional cremated ashes painting sessions that delve into the really screwed up mind that is Vincent. His paintings, btw, are eerily described just like Marina Abramovic (the spirit cooking woman).

There is no redeeming quality here. There is no romance. This is a horror story through and through, and it's tragedy that a messed up situation like this is being framed as a love story even on a minute scale.

[Hanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could I tell her I had been hypnotized by her mix of innocence and darkness since the first time I saw her? That she drove me insane, thinking of the ways I wanted to torture her, to use her, to make her into my art, to literally paint her body on my walls? That she was an obsession that had led me down a path of mistakes and ruin and lack of thought, and now I was here, seeing the woman who was underneath all of that? The woman who relished in life, even when she was swallowed underneath all of those walls and barriers. Even when she was locked in a cage, by me.

No because why do I really want to cry after finishing this book. I swear. The emotions that were uprooted from me, just indescribable.

It was So. Damn. Beautiful.

The chaos. The darkness. The brokenness. All wrapped into a tragically ravishing bundle, to make this amazingly heart touching story. I was enraptured.

It was very different to all the dark romance that I’ve been reading lately. Which made it even better. This book directly spoke to my soul. Although it may sound crazy and maybe I am crazy but I found myself relating to this man a lot. The way he views this world is so similar to my views, it’s sublime. His very existence is a work of art I must say.

This book is not simply just a work of fiction, it’s not just a story. It runs far deeper than that. The rawness, the things that are said about death and even life, it makes your heart bleed. It gives you an insight into the darkness of this world. How, even when someone dies, life goes on. The world does not stop moving.

Vincent is just a bewitchingly damaged man, but he never once hid the dark jagged pieces of his soul from Kora. His onyx eyes sucked me in, drowning me, and though I knew I was supposed to see a killer inside of him, I didn’t. I saw a man who was tortured by a past I didn’t understand, possessed with an obsession to see things weaken before him, someone who was struck by the world. He allowed for her to want things for herself and see that the life she was living was definitely not good neither was it her own. He helped her break the leash from her mother. Ultimately he opened her cage and set her free.

There’s another major message in this book, speaking specifically to parents. And as someone who still lives with their parents and understood what it meant to have an overprotective mother, it hit me hard when the fmc said, What if they were causing more damage by not letting me grow into my own person? . Because those words are so freaking true. I understand to an extent that wanting your child to be protected was not a bad thing. But constantly controlling and sheltering her from the world can ultimately do more harm than good in the long run. It can only save you from so much. “But you don’t help a flower grow by blocking out the sunlight.”

This book was a revelation. A breath of fresh air, dare I say. Although it was surrounded by so much death and pain, it made my heart clench at its twisted, chaotic beauty.

You can’t just read this book, you need to caress it and slowly take it in as if it’s your last breath.

Before I close, let me just say, two things 1. Kora’s mother in the end, it was a very hard thing for her to do and I was so happy and proud of her made me get all teary😭.

And 2. Also, what Kora did in the end for Vincent and most importantly herself, absolutely amazing and a tad crazy. Just a tad though🙃. Loved how her character accepted that the world is not all sunshine and rainbows, a little darkness is needed as well. Coming from how sheltered she was to being who she is now, she’s definitely bloomed like, as Vincent loves saying, a flower. His little flower.

Also, a huge and hearty THANK YOU to the amazing author, Audrey Rush, for allowing me to get an ARC of this book and let me just say the cover, absolutely hypnotizing. Thanks so much 🥹💯.

And finally, for the closing ✨ “One day, you’ll wake up and you’ll realize none of this matters. Your dreams. Your failures. These tears.” I wiped the wet trails from her cheeks and her green eyes traced mine. “None of this will matter. I promise.”
Because one day, we’d all be dead too. ✨

My addictive darkness and freedom 🖤

[Mel B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just a strange “dark romance”

Vincent owns a funeral home AND is a mortician. He loses his last family member (his brother) and feels very disengaged from the world. He’s always been a little “strange,” and not emotional. On the day he buries his brother he catches a glimpse of Kora, the daughter of the sheriff and local florist. His world changed forever…

**SPOILERS**

Vincent becomes obsessed with Kora, and for YEARS he watches (stalks) her. He can’t decide if he’s “interested” in her, or if he loathes her. There is something about her absolute innocence that repels and yet appeals to him. He decides in order to “purge” his obsession he needs to abduct, kill, cremate, and then draw a painting with Kora’s ashes…uhmmm yup…I just said that.

Kora’s parents are waaaay overprotective, especially her mother. She’s not allowed to go anywhere alone, and not even allowed to go to college or leave home. Her parents have set up an engagement between one of her father’s deputies, Andrew, and herself, and she pretty much has no choice. Even when she speaks up (which she almost never does) no one listens to her. They all say she has a “delicate nature.” Too delicate for the “real world.”

Vincent finally enacts his plan (and yes, it’s crazy). He abducts Kora, drugging her and keeping her captive. He’s even dug a grave out back for her body when he’s “finished” with her. But somewhere between wanting to paint with her ashes, bury her in the ground or murder her horribly…he falls in love with her?!

Their strange “love” story may have made more sense if this book had been a duet. It just felt VERY VERY VERY RUSHED. Vincent spends too much of the book being disengaged from Kora, and Kora…well, her character is actually really boring. She seems to have almost no personality of her own…spewing her mother’s nonsense at Vincent for over half the book, no wonder he wants to get rid of her, lol. When they finally get together it’s so anticlimactic! The ending is hurried, the loose ends tied up, and the strange mortician and once sheltered girl go off to have a HEA. Oh, don’t forget, this is after figuring out a serial murder case that’s been pinned on Vincent…you BARELY LEARN ANYTHING about the serial killer and he/she is hardly mentioned in the book, so once again, when you get the big reveal it’s totally NOT a surprise!

Honestly, I enjoy strange, unhinged, Alpha male characters, even ones with particularly “odd” or illegal jobs (lol) in my books - but Vincent’s character had so much unrealized potential. And Kora’s character was absolutely not matched well to him.

[Julie ❤️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW

This was my first ever read by Audrey Rush and I was so hooked!
Before diving into a review, I want to warn everyone that this book is DARK.
There are warnings at the beginning of the book, so please use caution when treading into this wonderful piece of art.

Okay, now the review.

Dead Love takes us along the whirlwind of a journey with Vicent and Kora. When they both meet, Kora is just barely touching the aspect of "freedom" or whatever that meant for her parents. Vincent is drawn to Kora in an unexplainable way and JUST knows he has to make her his.

At first, Vincent has the plan to ultimately end Kora... hence why he actually went ahead a dug up her grave. Vincent seems to have a fascination with grave digging, death, and the embalmment of bodies. It comes as no surprise that he is the owner of the only funeral home in their small town.

Kora is the daughter of the county sheriff and a florist who seemingly have the perfect family and are happy with each other. This is entirely further from the truth.

Remember when Vincent said he'd make Kora his? Yeah well, this mans kidnapped her. And this is where things taken a darker tone.

I'm literally so obsessed with Vincent and the way his mind works. He's fucked. SO FUCKED. I've read a hell of a lot of dark romances, and I think this tops the cake. The last dark stalker romance I read was Haunting Adeline, and I thought Zade was fucked, but in a hot way. Vincent is too, but he has other kinks that had me thinking: What the fuck am I reading?

I mean, just think about this... being wrapped in plastic wrap while doing something down and dirty. Imagine being unable to move because you want to experience what death feels like. This book is fucked, BUT literally in a way I've never thought I'd enjoy. AM I OKAY???

Ultimately, I found myself thinking that I was kind of in the Vampire Diaries world, I don't know why. I just these types of small town vibes. There's murders going on in the town, and there's this mystery that needs to be solved.

I really enjoyed the character development of Vincent, and sometimes I felt like Kora experienced Stockholm syndrome but then didn't?? She was essentially trapped in a cage just to move to another one, and she knew it.

I think this book will haunt me. I will think about it often. Like mentioned, it's dark and although there's definitely some form of romance, I was completely sucked into it because of how dark Vincent's mind was. I shouldn't be in love, but I am.

Phenomenal writing. I cannot wait to binge the rest of Rush's books!

[BrooklynBookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is dark but I LOVE IT!!!

Dead Love follows Vincent, owns a funeral home, digs graves, paints with ashes and OBSESSED with ruining his love, Kora. Kora is the extremely sheltered daughter of a florist and the towns sheriff. As the story continues, Vincent’s initial intentions with Kora become warped as he finds himself realizing he loves her, while they try to uncover where the new drug, Echo, is coming from and how all these people in their town are dying.

I gotta say, I absolutely LOVE the way Audrey Rush writes her characters. This story was a bit different from her other books. This is more of a slow burn but in all the best ways. I love the intense plot development and the love story between Kora and Vincent as well as the spice. I practically tabbed the whole book! Beautifully raw writing. Finished out this month with a bang!!! 5 stars for Audrey & Dead Love!

[j a y • d e p r a v e d - .dammnitjay. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this destructive, obsessive, stalker story.
Meeting both main characters and everything that swirls and surrounds them was written so beautifully and split into to very defined parts.
You get to see the start of his obsession
You get to see the start of her figuring out she needs more

The mother … i wanted to smack her
The dad and captain … well i cheered for what happened to them

And our main characters?
They got exactly what they needed and found/forged their own version of love.

Another great read from Audrey
And def recommendation from me

[Bookswitheni · Rating 4 out of 5]

*ARC for a honest review*

4/5⭐️ 2.5/5🌶

-Stalker
-Age gap
-Dark romance
-Slow burn
-Overprotective parents (heroines)
-Mummification
-Exhibitionism
-Necro play
-Murder
-Drugs
-Virgin heroine
-Knife play

This is Vincet and Koras story that takes us on a quiet a journey full of drama suspense and dark but with an HEA.
The characters are engaging and well developed with plenty of chemistry throughout the pages. I highly recommend you won’t be disappointed.

[book fay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was barely able to get to the end of this book. I admit skimming through some chapters, the whole set-up was weird (not in a good way), the characters were too bizarre and strange, Kora's family is dysfunctional to say the least, but her acceptance of it was the brow-raising part for me, the male character was just as weird, i think the author was aiming to pull a hot psycho/alpha/stalker kind of guy, but obviously it didn't work out, at least for me.

[Randinicole_reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is more of a murder mystery(ish) as far as the main plot goes.. so I wasn’t as invested as I have been with other stalker romances.

The mmc & FMC both had interesting stories and their connection was good. The spice was good. Although there wasn’t as much spice in this one as there had been in other Audrey rush books.


3.5 ⭐️ 2 🌶

[Meloony]

Shit that was stupid. DNF at 50%

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
I enjoyed the ending of this book tremendously. The issue I had is just that parts felt repetitive and at times Kora started to grate on me. But the steamy parts were good.

[Ana Lives For Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. WOW!!!

I'm speechless. I-...I loved it.

Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (It could've been Spicer but the scenes we got, hotdamn 🥵🥵🥵)

Darkness: 🖤🖤🖤 It's not as dark as I thought it would be but it fit the plot perfectly.

Kinks: Knife Play. Mummification. Virginity. Dubious Consent. Exhibitionism. Necro Play.

Trigger Warnings: Includes stalking, destruction of property, murder, drugs, virginity, smothering parents, manipulation, disease (mother, brother), suicide (brother), graphic violence, car crash.

Recommend: YESSS 💯


Plot:
I had a feeling who the Echo Killer was and it just made me hate the person even more.

When I was warned about suffocating parents I was not ready. Shea. I really hate her. She got me so damn angry. She reminded me of my own restrictions and freedom. I hated how she sheltered Kora so much that Kora didn't think and connect the dots for herself at certain parts of the story. But Vincent helped her bloom after a while. It just took a long time. Miss Rush, You weren't kidding when you said it was slow.
Towards the end, I really wanted to bitch slap Shea.

Despite everything, I love how Kora got a backbone for herself. She stood up for herself, even towards Vincent. (Also the 🌶️ scene where she punched him...me likey).

That mummification play...I did not know it existed nor did I know I'd like it so much. And the necro play? Something is seriously wrong with me 🥵.

Some of my favourite quotes:

Part I
This was why no one could dwell on the future; anything could be ripped away from you in an instant. That’s why the present moment mattered, more than anything.

“That’s it, flower,” I said, my voice harsh and hoarse. “Show me what a fucking slut you are for me. Always ready for me. My little worm. My good girl. My flower.”

Part II
We both knew we should stop, but neither of us wanted to.

“If I’m obsessed,” she said, her voice quivering, “then you are consumed by me."

“Since the first moment I saw you, everything has been for you, Kora. It may not be what you deserve, but it’s all I have. And it’s yours.”

He just wanted the world to burn. And I didn’t blame him for that. ~ This reminded me of the quote with the hero and the villain.
"A hero would sacrifice her for the world but a villain would watch the world burn for her."

Happily Ever After guaranteed

[Inthemindofasmut · Rating 5 out of 5]

⚠️please always check the trigger warnings⚠️

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶/5

🚨spoiler alert🚨

This freaking book!! INSANE!!! Originally published as a duet, Dead Love is the story of Vincent and Kora. Vincent the older, stalker, miserable funeral home owner (that should tell you enough 🤣) and Kora the innocent, controlled, abused 18 year old of a mother who can't bear to let her have an actual life and a father who's Sheriff of the town and cares more about the election of his position then his family.

Vincent meets Kora on Halloween one year and an obsession forms, 3 years later he burns her home to the ground and abducts her - to set her free. In another cage. Most people would find this horrifying but Kora sees Vincent. Despite all of the terrible things he does. She experiences lots of firsts with Vincent and then she's found - by Andrew, the man her parents try to force her to marry, only to find out that all of the mysterious deaths in town are closer to home than she could ever imagine.

'Kora was the light of this world, and I was trapped in the darkness, where dim flames lit the night and left ash on our skin. And that’s where I would always stay. But for that small moment , with her lips against mine , she sucked in my shadows, and I breathed out her glow.'

'She wasn’t dead, not yet. But she was helpless, and I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do more: kill her and get it over with, fuck her face into oblivion, or make her come so hard that she passed out.'

This book has dark tropes. So please don't read without making sure it's something you would like to read. It's a story mainly set in a crematory, with a cemetery and a funeral home. Thankyou so much for the ARC Audrey!

#darkromancelover #darkromancereads
#bookblogger #bookinstagrammer #bookrecommendation #bookreview

[Willie Mercedes · Rating 5 out of 5]

TW
murder, arson, funeral aspects, death, suicide, and manipulation, drugs, mental trickery, mummification, coffins, and knives

This book follows the romance of a grave-digging stalker with a broken past, and a sheltered heroine. The stalker is obsessed with the heroine and will do anything to have her. Was originally published as The Art of Ruin Duet, and includes both books: Cruelty & Fire and Innocence & Ashes. The story starts with Kora being in a very weird family dynamic. Something clearly isn't quite right there. Being “caged”, having limited freedom. Vincent sees it and actually questions it. She is then offered freedom by a guy, only to have it lead to her destruction. This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I know that Vincent and Kora's relationship was unorthodox, but I was rooting for them all along.

[momaddictedtobooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, this is one of the weirdest stalker romance books I’ve read. I didn’t like it a whole lot, but it kept my interest enough to finish it. Which is why I’m giving it 3 stars. I’m not sure what to think about it completely. There were just some parts that were super obvious. I knew who the Echo killer was early on. This is a slow burn. There’s not a whole lot of spice. When it does get to the spicy scenes, they are crazy. Those parts definitely kept my interest. I did enjoy the writing and I do want to try her other books. This book just wasn’t for me. But you read and decide if you like it. We all have different tastes. You never know, you might love it.

[Secretary · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is one of those books I enjoyed, but not enough to admit with your average person that it was a good read 😂😂

[Nessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like a murder mystery romance, then this would be great for you. Personally, I found the story to be just fine. It wasn't what I expected, but if I had to watch it on film, everything would have been better amplified - the visuals especially.

This is a case of 'It's not you, It's me'. The writing was flawless, the characters were vibrant and alive, and the story was indeed dark and gloomy. It dealt with a lot of negativity and depressing struggles of the human emotion.

VINCENT wasn't normal (and catatonic towards life), to say the least, yet ironically, he was the one who made the most sense in this story. At least, he was honest to himself, no matter how brutal or unorthodox his methods were. I enjoyed reading about his morbid job as a mortician, and there were many layers beneath the man himself. In a nutshell, Vincent came from a broken family, and was traumatized over his parent's gruesome death. I believe he was emotionally dependent on his brother - they only had each other after all - until Justin decided to commit suicide. Angry at his brother's decision, Vincent's the type who would rather watch the world burn, then to see others happy. That's why, when he first spotted Kora and her 'happy family', he made it his mission to destroy them. He stalked and planned for 3 years, before he decided to kidnap Kora. His love was borderline obsessive, and let's be honest, this isn't your traditional romance. Vincent's actions are downright morally questionable.

I won't lie, I usually pick my captor-captive dark romances that are heavy on the smut. Sure, there was some hot and heavy sex scenes here, but it wasn't so much about the sex, than the 'emotional bonding' that happened between Vincent and Kora that played an important role.

How do I explain this? Vincent's very tight-lipped about expressing emotions, so he's the kind who basically tells you he loves you by his actions, and as the recipient, you'll have to either crack your head or read between the lines. THAT'S the meat of his relationship with Kora.

KORA wasn't a badass heroine at all, in fact, she was a pain in the ass to read. Sheltered and so naive, I didn't mind when she showed that part of herself to Vincent (because he usually cuts her to ribbons and gives her one hell of a wakeup call), but in times of crisis, she was so...useless. Okay, I'll cut the girl some slack, she does grow a backbone and a pair of lady balls towards the end. Kora started off as a goodie, proper virgin until Vincent corrupted her. She loves her mother, but the woman was suffocating her dreams and personality with an obsessive controlling behavior. Even I felt suffocated reading about it. How could the girl NOT REBEL against that?! Kora's family was...not only messed up, but a typical case of small town affluent, influential family steeped in corruption.

The antagonists were smack dab obvious to me, especially with how they interacted with Vincent. Maybe that's why I found the story lackluster, because I already figured out whose who. Adding on the JUST MILDLY INTENSE chemistry between Vincent and Kora, well, I found myself skimming a little. It was more plot driven than essentially romantic. If this was a movie, I would have just parked it under the action-romance genre.

OVERALL this was okay. Once again, I reiterate that I might have found this less than promising because of my own reading tastes. While everything was beautifully written with a good plot and characters, I couldn't find the usual thrill of what I'm look for in a captor-captive romance. Nonetheless, it has elements that were interesting.

[Susana Sousa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dead Love compounds the two books in The Art of Ruin Duet, Cruelty & Fire #1 and Innocense & Ashes #2, respectively.

Book 1 ~ 4.5 stars! I liked it....a lot!

Cruelty & Fire is part one of The Art of Ruin Duet and I was gripped from the beginning. It is very enticing and refreshing tale: a simple scenario - small town where nothing seems to happen, unless we're talking about the tragic events that everybody associates with Echo, a fact I'm not completely sure myself - with a very intriguing, complex and ingeniously executed plot.
Vincent and Kora are peculiar characters and I find them to be very similar for the simple fact that both feel bound by some reason: Kora by duty mostly due to her sheltered upbringing and Vincent, after so much loss, by that obsessive need to destroy what he considers perfect, in this case Kora's family, by destroying Kora herself. And what better way to ruin, than to give a sliver of freedom to take it all in the end? And both want to be free: for Kora, the necessity to experience and explore life for/by herself; for Vince, the peace of soul he thinks will achieve as soon as he ruins the depiction of perfection in the small town of Punica. But Kora's world isn't anything near perfect and being aware of that reality, will Vincent's plans be forfeited?
Audrey inventively creates an original stalker, age-gap dark and mysterious romance, a slow burn with some very🔥🔥🔥 quality time, an eerie feeling and somber atmosphere, inserting valuable elements such as the unknown drug, the deaths, the investigation at the same time as the elections and the will to find a scapegoat in an attempt to divert attention.
A great, great read!

Book 2 ~ 4 stars!

Innocence and Ashes is the second installment in The Art of Ruin Duet and must be read after book #1.
This is a simple story with simple protagonists, a beautifully created narrative about captivity and freedom in a more nature sense than physical itself, although there it is as well. The significance of the connection between Kora and Vincent was huge: two captive people in their own way that found a sliver of freedom when they were together. I loved some of the intricacies of this account: from their professional activities (very refreshing and original) to the strictness of the parents and that conspicuous servitude to the Sheriff and his position of power. At times, it made me feel like I was reading something from 60 or 70 years ago.
I really enjoyed the first book in the Duet and it was clear that things were not how they seemed
as well as the direction of the plot, but I was expecting some shock event from this final account: a twist of circumstances or a surprise or, at least, something more wrapped up concerning the motive. In what regards Vincent and Kora's relationsnship, I liked it a lot: it was strange, improbable, but a beautiful, pure and undiluted love. It was suposed to ruin.........it blossomed and healed, instead.

All in all a very good read!

[Jenni · Rating 5 out of 5]

part 1 Cruelty and Fire-Kora is kept sheltered by her controlling mother and a sheriff father whose duty comes before her. Vincent is a grave digger but his passion is his art. One chance meet was the start of Vincent obsession, he had watched Kora for 3 years, drawn in by her innocence, a perfect family to the outside world a perfection he craved to ruin. But Vincent sees past the happy family appearance to the soul wanting freedom inside of Kora, he offers her an escape a safety with him, but he takes her instead.
A cage for a cage but does Vincent's cage offer more freedom or will it be her end? Will Vincent's need to destroy turn to something more? But not all is as it seems in their little town as it is being plagued by mysterious deaths. Is the person responsible closer to home?
Audrey Rush takes us on a journey with hints of a dark and twisting Hades and Persephone romance. Drawing the reader in and captivating the imagination with vivid detailed scenes that has you hanging off every page with wanting to know more. Filled, with desires, suspense, mystery, and more!

part 2- innocence and Ashes-Kora and Vincent's story concluding part. To start we learn more about the past events that put them on each others path. With Kora back in the arms of her family that had suffocated her life she finally sees the freedom in which Vincent had given her. Now Vincent's is suspect number 1 in the mysterious murders around town but only a deal can save him, a deal that comes at a price. With the killer still active, Vincent sets out to discover whose behind it, and he'll do anything to keep Kora safe. But with Kora torn over her loyality to her family and her growing feelings for Vincent will they get their HEA?
This story just got better and better, the suspense and mystery kept me glued to the pages guessing till the very end. Vincent and Koras characters are so well presented that you cant help but fall in love with Koras need for freedom and Vincent's twisted mind. Well written with a great story line, filled with suspense, violence, desires, and more!

[Dia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audrey Rush has created a masterpiece of the macabre and gothic twined together into a dart romance. What is a girl to do when her parents stifle her hopes and dreams? When the man they want you to date isn’t who you want? When there is a serial killer in the loose, and the man who intrigues her is a stalker with very bad intentions?

What is there left to do when you kidnap the princess from her mother’s shadow, but can’t exactly follow your deepest desires? Why can’t you corrupt her and return her ashes to her too perfect parents? What would free her from their diabolical hold, and allow her to breathe the freedom she doesn’t even know she deserves?

I loved the book’s potential before I picked it up and thumbed the pages. Who wouldn’t like a quasi retelling of Hades and Persephone? It’s dark and filled with gothic and macabre references. This isn’t a tame romantic relationship, either, but a slow burning inferno that consumes the both of them and reduces their lives to ashes. What rises from the smoldering ruins is a steel clad love that rivals the obsessive and compulsive desire of the beginning.

This is not a tame world to live in, and this particular story embodies the form of Dark Romance in its purest sense. It’s not for every one, and contains themes and actions that will definitely offend people who are not used to encountering them, so pay attention to the trigger warnings. That doesn’t mean that this is a terrible book. It’s not. It’s a wonderful book that wraps the reader into the relationships and the drama, and results in that book hangover/ book-lash when the reader closes the book cover at the end of the last chapter.

I wish it had been a longer read…

I received an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

[Confidentlyinthe.clouds Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dead love is The Art of Ruin Duet with both books now in one. I haven’t read them previous so I’m unaware of any changes if any.

First off this book does have some warnings that you should look into before reading as your mental health matters. Not every book is for everybody.

With that being said I seriously enjoyed this read much like the others I’ve read by Audrey. She’s definitely becoming a fast fav for me, the way she writes and attention to detail will continue to entice me.

Kora is the daughter of a small town sheriff, the essence of the picture perfect family with the innocent daughter and picket white fence.

The thing is, perfect families aren’t always what they seem and while the town may think all is well in the Nova household one man in particular is set on their ruin.

-

Vincent cannot help himself when it comes to the perfect princess, his need to destroy her often overcomes his senses in more than one way. But what happens when the line starts to blur between her destruction and their mutual damnation.

With a string of murders happening under the towns nose, fingers pointing to the wrong man and a re election swarming in, will Kora be able to break free from her cage ? Or will she burn with the rest of the town always wondering what could happen if only she broke away.

“You don’t help a flower grow by blocking out the sunlight.”
•
This is a dark romance with dark aspects,
While their is spice this is a slow burn so if you’re not into dark romance plots this may not be for you.

[Elise Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a different type of dark romance....

I think this was a very well written book. It takes a lot of creativity to create a story like this one. Many just are written to quickly and focus on the gore and horror of the story. This has a deep psychological component to it and the focus isn't so much about the obvious but more about how one deals with unrealistic expectations of life and fails to realize how life itself is not what we want or perceive it to be. Without facing this we allow our life to control us instead of taking control of our life. Vincent smacks us in the face with his cruelty, lack of empathy and his actions. However I was never sure of what he would do with his obsession ( The innocent young woman). Was she innocent as she appeared or was she just to afraid to face her own desperation? The writer made me feel so much love for Vincent and even though his tactics were based on his obsession he was filled with his own very deep darkness. I felt his resentment of her and those like her but she also was freed with Vincent as her captor. Forced to face her reality in the most painful ways. Together they are whole and each of them bring out their darkness and their light and share the HEA in a dark twisted way, that fits them perfectly! Really a book I highly recommend but if you're sensitive to very dark books then don't read it. I find it very healing and the darker the better! Loved this book and will read it again because I'm sure I missed some points the first read!

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dead Love
Audrey Rush
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

She was total perfection. Everything I'm not. She's innocent, sheltered, and untouched. Even as she stared out from her invisible cage, my little flower just begged to be taken.
But there's only one way to dominate such a precious object, and that is to ruin every part of her.
So I did what needed to be done, I plucked her from her stem. I plucked off every petal, one by one, until there was no going back.
I destroyed the only home she has ever known, and dragged her deep into mine.
And when her mother begged for her daughter back, I took that same daughters innocence instead.

Oh my goodness, once again Audrey Rush blows me a way with her devious mind. This book is absolutely fantastic. I read this within two days and found it so hard to out down. It had me from the get go. These two characters were fabulous together. Ms. Rush it looks like you have another winner here.

Note: This book was previously titled The Art of Ruin Duet and contains both books; Cruelty & Fire and Innocence & Ashes. Furthermore, this book follows the romance between a gravedigging stalker and an innocent heroine, and thus, contains disturbing content. Reader discretion is advised. kora was such a sheltered woman who wasn't allowed to properly grow up and Vincent was incredibly devious. Put these two together and you have the perfect storm. If you like dark stalker books then you definitely have to read this one. All in all this book was well worth the read

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of "DEAD LOVE" This The Art of Rain Duet its a nail biting dark twisted page turner so full of emotional turmoil, secrets, lies, intrigue, suspense, angst, intense explicit scenes, mind manipulation, kidnapping, you'll be on the edge of your seat reading this book.
Vincent Erickson is a mortician that owns Quiet Meadows Funeral Home he been very bust lately due to all the deaths of young people taking a drug called ECHO but there's also so thing else going on with the body's that the coroner isn't reporting but Vincent caught it.
"CRUELTY & FIRE"
Kora Nova has been under wraps away from everyone because her overprotective mother Shea who owns Poppies & Wheat Flower Shop her father is Sheriff Mike Nova running for re-election that's all he's worried about & Officer Andrew is a little off especially how he treats Vincent there's something going on there.
"INNOCENCE & ASHES"
Vincent & Kora's journey was a little dark & twisted but he was really trying to bring her out from being controlled by everyone to show her she deserves to be happy, have a life of her own away from her mother Shea who was a real piece of work her father Sheriff Mike was just as corrupt as Officer Andrew they were truly evil the things they did for Sheriff Mike to win election was absolutely horrific.
I definitely recommend to get this Dark twisted story with fantastic characters that pull you right into all the chaos will Vincent & Kora get HEA this is one book you don't want to miss getting.
PHENOMINAL DARK TWISTED DUET 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

[Regina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A twisted relationship, mixing the story of Hades (Vincent), Persephone (Kora), and her mother, Demeter (Shea), and taking a case of Stockholm Syndrome farther with a twisted kink of consensual abuse. Mix in Kora's father, Sheriff Mike, more concerned with the upcoming election, and his groomed protege, Andrew, who view Kora as a mere prop in how the community views the local law enforcement. And then there is the "Echo Killer" going around murdering rebellious youth with the drug, Echo, and car crashes and a mysterious puncture in their chest. Over the top in a way.

I truly enjoyed Vincent pushing Kora, to free herself of her controlling mother, and not to trust her father or Andrew. I loved his darkness and his sociopathic tendencies towards practically everyone. His need to destroy. His obsessiveness of Kora. His sadistic nature. And not only is he the owner of a funeral parlor, he's a mortician! AND he's an actual shovel-welding, gravedigger!

Kora herself, though, was a bit more of a wimp than I liked. I found it annoying that she'd find her strength, but then kowtow to her mother. C'mon, girl! You're 21yo and your mum is with you practically 24-7 and she forbids you to see people AND grounds you?! Ugh.

Overall I enjoyed this book but I wish it had been edited a bit more and cut down maybe 50-100 pages. Still, definitely glad I came across this black little gem. A GoodRead for sure.

[_reading_miles_ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Characters were dark but the story was not.. 😬

𝕋𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕤 :
📌Stalking
📌Funeral home setting
📌Small town drama
📌Mortician Mmc with fascination for destruction
📌Damsel in distress FMC

Let's do this then😮‍💨
Vincent, a funeral home owner and director is pissed at everything that is perfect (in his sense). He finds Kora, the daughter of the perfect sheriff family and embarks on the journey of stalking her and destroying their PeRfeCt LifE. Kora being annoyed for being extremely caged, thinks of Vincent as her saviour. In the midst of this drama, the side plot is about some gruesome serial killer murders. Anyways, Vincent finally kidnaps Kora, where she realizes this is the most freedom she ever got 🫠They start to connect and disconnect when she gets to know about his previous intentions then later on get together again😮‍💨😮‍💨

It was more sort of family drama for me. It was honestly annoying that the entire world revolved around Kora's family and stuff (maybe that's the point of small town). It just kept going back and forth between Kora's need to be with Vincent and her family trying to marry her off with their stupid acquittance 😵‍💫😵‍💫

Honestly, atleast Vincent's character had potential for a better story. Keeping aside everyone's unnecessary dark personalities this was a family drama.

Darkness : 🖤🖤
(Only because it has mentions of drug abuse, murder & Mmc's fascination with death)