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The Dark Him #1
Gaslight Her
An Amnesia Dark Romance
Her name is Hadley
I watch her move around my fellow Elites, a snake in the grass.
I always had an appreciation for snakes. They way they glide, slither, hiss with venom.
She is venom.
But she's not as discreet in her mission as she might think.
As Dash Eaton, the f*cking leader of this society, I have eyes and ears in every dark corner.
I know her plans. To destroy us.
Cute. It feeds my interest in her. My addiction.
Don't blame me for what I will do to her. Destroy her as she planned to destroy us.
Blame her poor choices, not me.
But pity her... for she is, and always will be, mine.
Hadley
Life in Stonewall isn't the same for everyone.
You'd think after the world ended, and we--the lucky ones--were saved by a dome that protects us from the toxic air, that maybe we would have learned... something, anything.
Of course not.
We live in three factions, ruled over by the Elites.
I'm not one of them. But I'm infiltrating. I'm in their midst...
And I'm going to bring them down, even if it means tearing down this entire dome with them.
Gaslight Her is a tale of all things dark and wrong.
Her name is Hadley
I watch her move around my fellow Elites, a snake in the grass.
I always had an appreciation for snakes. They way they glide, slither, hiss with venom.
She is venom.
But she's not as discreet in her mission as she might think.
As Dash Eaton, the f*cking leader of this society, I have eyes and ears in every dark corner.
I know her plans. To destroy us.
Cute. It feeds my interest in her. My addiction.
Don't blame me for what I will do to her. Destroy her as she planned to destroy us.
Blame her poor choices, not me.
But pity her... for she is, and always will be, mine.
Hadley
Life in Stonewall isn't the same for everyone.
You'd think after the world ended, and we--the lucky ones--were saved by a dome that protects us from the toxic air, that maybe we would have learned... something, anything.
Of course not.
We live in three factions, ruled over by the Elites.
I'm not one of them. But I'm infiltrating. I'm in their midst...
And I'm going to bring them down, even if it means tearing down this entire dome with them.
Gaslight Her is a tale of all things dark and wrong.
313 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 13, 2022
146 people are currently reading
1251 people want to read
About the author
Quinn Blackbird
34 books750 followersQUINN BLACKBIRD is a wanderer, a caffeine addict, a concern to her teachers & a bit of a dork.
You can find Quinn buying gym equipment she never uses or being dragged out of the writing cave by pesky friends.
Mention "margarita" and she'll come ah-runnin.
QB's goal is to live on a farm with rescue animals and write!
Now beware!! Blackbird writes about everything she loathes. This makes for books that are darker, grittier, anti-heroes, messed-up characters, and dark worlds. It's not a guarantee you'll find redemption in her pages. Because, as Gaslight Her warns, 'sometimes, the villains win.'
popular questions answered:
*there is no reading order to the dark fae universe books ~ and yes, another dark fae book is coming!*
CONTACT:
FB Quinn Blackbird
FB READER GROUP: Quinn Blackbird and Her Blackbirds
You can find Quinn buying gym equipment she never uses or being dragged out of the writing cave by pesky friends.
Mention "margarita" and she'll come ah-runnin.
QB's goal is to live on a farm with rescue animals and write!
Now beware!! Blackbird writes about everything she loathes. This makes for books that are darker, grittier, anti-heroes, messed-up characters, and dark worlds. It's not a guarantee you'll find redemption in her pages. Because, as Gaslight Her warns, 'sometimes, the villains win.'
popular questions answered:
*there is no reading order to the dark fae universe books ~ and yes, another dark fae book is coming!*
CONTACT:
FB Quinn Blackbird
FB READER GROUP: Quinn Blackbird and Her Blackbirds
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews
February 11, 2024
I just need more from this writer- she’s great at writing the plot & twist, but I need MORE. More scenes from the main couple, more connections of physical & intimacy. Relationship development is her biggest challenge I feel like…
December 15, 2022
I loved this book! This is the kind of anti hero’s I adore reading about because they truly are that! I have to admit in the beginning I had slight doubts about him, thinking maybe he would be too soft for me but then I realised as I read further along that all was not what it seemed to be. This really got me out of my reading slump and honestly I loved the fact it was a longer book and a stand-alone. I also admired Hadley for what she wanted to do but alas……
January 20, 2023
My most anticipated book of the year, and the wait was worth it. Like always Quinn Blackbird writes perfect Villains getting their girls. This one was simply evil, no redeeming quality about him, utterly obsessed with the heroine, and oh my God so cruel (I'm fanning myself). My only complain is that it was over too soon. I devored this book.
January 20, 2023
Once more your rec hit my spot, thank you so much, Vellini.
When the book is termed "dark romance" it means non-consensual to everything:
*the courtship/attachment between the H and h
*any activity related to the H and h
There is no hero here, Dash is the main character and the villain. The heroine, Hadley wants nothing to do with Dash and his world but instead she wants to expose all the misdeeds of the world she lives in to the extend she is willing to die.
This is not a romance but it is a "type" of romance where the villain hates the heroine but is enamoured by her so much that he takes a lot of trouble to keep her.
Triggers: beating, abuses mentally and physically, non-con
I was Gaslighted too for that this story is a full 5 stars from me.
When the book is termed "dark romance" it means non-consensual to everything:
*the courtship/attachment between the H and h
*any activity related to the H and h
There is no hero here, Dash is the main character and the villain. The heroine, Hadley wants nothing to do with Dash and his world but instead she wants to expose all the misdeeds of the world she lives in to the extend she is willing to die.
This is not a romance but it is a "type" of romance where the villain hates the heroine but is enamoured by her so much that he takes a lot of trouble to keep her.
Triggers: beating, abuses mentally and physically, non-con
I was Gaslighted too for that this story is a full 5 stars from me.
August 25, 2023
I reread this book but I fail to feel a strong connection between the two characters like before, maybe let him chase a bit first yeah, and then go with the amnesia trope.
Just because I am not an elephant and nor do I have a brain of one, I thought Theo would grow attached to haddy and then chase her when he grows old and that wouldn’t be so bad too but then dash came and it’s like I don’t know what he is thinking half a time and the other half he is just lost somewhere in the dark. Where is the chemistry the push and pull the angst? It felt flat
Again I wanted to cut the the one star off but I think I will give my old self the benefit of the doubt.
Sometimes, villains do get their way.
December 28, 2022
Not much to say about this one. Definitely not a romance, dark or otherwise. Hadley and Dash's "relationship" is more so based off the fact that Dash is obsessed with her up to the point he beats her so badly she gets amnesia, so she will agree to be his wife (yep this story in a nutshell). Once she remembers, he jabs her with an "amnesia serum" that he develops in his lab, so she forgets that he's a creep and will stay with him.
There is no romance and there are no sexy scenes. Lots of fade to black and one scene where Dash sticks it in and Hadley experiences the fastest orgasm known to woman kind. I guess if you want to read a quick science fiction/meh-horror story, with no sex, this one will be right up your alley.
Hadley has a plan to take down the wealthy Elites, like Dash, but has no plan to do anything to set-up a new system once the current system fails. Like girl, the world outside of the dome is a radioactive wasteland, and you have no plan to make anyone's life better within the dome besides complete anarchy, ok, that's a choice. She pretty much runs around like a chicken with her head cut off most of this book, even after she gets her memory back.
My other gripe with this book is that it clearly is supposed to be set in a post-apocalyptic California, but somehow everyone uses British slang. I get that the author is from the UK, but if you are talking about "red mountains" and "earth quakes", they are clearly referring to the Western US.
This is a standalone, so it looks like we will be getting no more of Hadley and Dash. However, there will be another book set in the dome-city of Stonewall. I might check that one out, but I hope the characters are better, at least the fmc....
I gave this story 3 stars, because it did have an interesting plot and it did keep my attention. The problem is that the characters are dumb and selfish. It's more of a 3 "it has a lot of potential stars".
There is no romance and there are no sexy scenes. Lots of fade to black and one scene where Dash sticks it in and Hadley experiences the fastest orgasm known to woman kind. I guess if you want to read a quick science fiction/meh-horror story, with no sex, this one will be right up your alley.
Hadley has a plan to take down the wealthy Elites, like Dash, but has no plan to do anything to set-up a new system once the current system fails. Like girl, the world outside of the dome is a radioactive wasteland, and you have no plan to make anyone's life better within the dome besides complete anarchy, ok, that's a choice. She pretty much runs around like a chicken with her head cut off most of this book, even after she gets her memory back.
My other gripe with this book is that it clearly is supposed to be set in a post-apocalyptic California, but somehow everyone uses British slang. I get that the author is from the UK, but if you are talking about "red mountains" and "earth quakes", they are clearly referring to the Western US.
This is a standalone, so it looks like we will be getting no more of Hadley and Dash. However, there will be another book set in the dome-city of Stonewall. I might check that one out, but I hope the characters are better, at least the fmc....
I gave this story 3 stars, because it did have an interesting plot and it did keep my attention. The problem is that the characters are dumb and selfish. It's more of a 3 "it has a lot of potential stars".
February 27, 2023
Oof. That was twisted and never something that I actually expected from this author (despite this being my first book of hers). Correct me if I'm wrong here but is this her first dark romance? Because I'm digging it. If this is the kind of twisted stuffs she has been writing, I am truly missing out.
So, what can I say about this one without spoiling it too much? It is set in a dystopian future world where the riches lord over the poors. Mainly, from what I understand, there are three sections. The Beggars, the Promised (a.k.a. the Climbers) and the Elites. Our FMC came from the Beggars side and her mother married into the Promised and at the start of the book, working for the Elites as the nanny. Aside from the main plot, I honestly wanted to know more about this world. I thought we'll get into the machinations or the politics more considering the initial setup but maybe that's for future books in the series? Hopefully.
Now, as for the plot. The glorious fucked-upness of everything. Didn't think it would turn out the way it was. Slightly aghast. Mildly furious. But mainly, satisfied with the outcome regardless how you perceived the situation. Because, for me, as much as I love sweet romance, these dark twisted stories are the ones that fuel my desire to read more.
So, what can I say about this one without spoiling it too much? It is set in a dystopian future world where the riches lord over the poors. Mainly, from what I understand, there are three sections. The Beggars, the Promised (a.k.a. the Climbers) and the Elites. Our FMC came from the Beggars side and her mother married into the Promised and at the start of the book, working for the Elites as the nanny. Aside from the main plot, I honestly wanted to know more about this world. I thought we'll get into the machinations or the politics more considering the initial setup but maybe that's for future books in the series? Hopefully.
Now, as for the plot. The glorious fucked-upness of everything. Didn't think it would turn out the way it was. Slightly aghast. Mildly furious. But mainly, satisfied with the outcome regardless how you perceived the situation. Because, for me, as much as I love sweet romance, these dark twisted stories are the ones that fuel my desire to read more.
May 28, 2024
Quick it's free today!! (May28,2024)! It's been a while since I read this but the longer I think about it the fonder my memories grow. I'll probably have to reread it because sometimes my hindsight is just rose-tinted glasses and not 20/20 vision lol
I changed my mind - this was actually miles better than the rest of the dark romances (I borrowed a whole pile of them on Kindle Unlimited and am now reading everything). I was mostly just mad about how bad the last few had been and I drew unfair comparisons while reading this one.
It's obviously not a timeless classic like The Silver Devil. It also lacks the hedonistic smut and violence of The King, or the kill-your-darlings vibes of Gaijin and Break Her - two novels that committed way more to their "theme" than this one did.
BUT! QB is a decent writer and she tried to make her main character (mostly the FMC) interesting.
To say the novel relies solely on the twist was a bad faith take due to my irritation with other, truly bad dark romances.
Since I'm still mulling over this one a day later there must be some substance to this. I am raising my rating to 3 stars.
-------
Earlier review
I expect more smut in my plotless smut!
Ok maybe that's unfair; the author did try to sell us her Under The Dome Post-Nuclear Apocalypse Billionaire harem world fantasy. BUT a) none of it made any sense and more importantly b) it just wasn't earnest enough to charm me despite the glaring bullshit.
Obviously, if the characters are engaging enough or the romance is vivid enough or even if the smut is doing what it should, no plot ever bothered me that much.
Since this apparent standalone novel relies on a twist (? dunno if you can call it that - it felt like one of those things the reader knows from the start and only the heroine is left to catch up with us), and not much else is going on.
That's a shame because this could have been more fun.
I changed my mind - this was actually miles better than the rest of the dark romances (I borrowed a whole pile of them on Kindle Unlimited and am now reading everything). I was mostly just mad about how bad the last few had been and I drew unfair comparisons while reading this one.
It's obviously not a timeless classic like The Silver Devil. It also lacks the hedonistic smut and violence of The King, or the kill-your-darlings vibes of Gaijin and Break Her - two novels that committed way more to their "theme" than this one did.
BUT! QB is a decent writer and she tried to make her main character (mostly the FMC) interesting.
To say the novel relies solely on the twist was a bad faith take due to my irritation with other, truly bad dark romances.
Since I'm still mulling over this one a day later there must be some substance to this. I am raising my rating to 3 stars.
-------
Earlier review
I expect more smut in my plotless smut!
Ok maybe that's unfair; the author did try to sell us her Under The Dome Post-Nuclear Apocalypse Billionaire harem world fantasy. BUT a) none of it made any sense and more importantly b) it just wasn't earnest enough to charm me despite the glaring bullshit.
Obviously, if the characters are engaging enough or the romance is vivid enough or even if the smut is doing what it should, no plot ever bothered me that much.
Since this apparent standalone novel relies on a twist (? dunno if you can call it that - it felt like one of those things the reader knows from the start and only the heroine is left to catch up with us), and not much else is going on.
That's a shame because this could have been more fun.
January 26, 2023
RTC! Reminiscent to Zoe Blake’s Ward. The Himi character was racially charged. Docked a star for that and also some other things. Will add thoughts.
Some more thoughts.
Quinn Blackbird is a dystopian romance author and while she doesn't have a lot of explicit scenes, the tension is great between the two characters. For some reason, I kept thinking the hero was a dark bully who was going to set up the heroine for some sort of Carrie humiliation scene. I had been reading a few dark bully romances, which is why I kept thinking this.
I really enjoyed this BUT the Himi character did not need to be East Asian. It was racially charged to have the hero's side piece be a vindictive East Asian woman who was constantly attacking the heroine. Why is her race/ethnicity singled out? Quinn Blackbird doesn't do anything about it, there is no commentary about the Oriental idea of East Asian women as dehumanized sex objects to cater to the white male gaze. It feels a bit irresponsible, as it just perpetuates the stereotype of Asian women as a dangerous threat to the white woman's man.
I'm sure most readers won't notice anything is wrong but that's the problem -- how her race is normalized in association with her role as the jealous OW. Would the author have said the OW was Black? Latina? Indigenous? Knowing that BI&WoC are fetishized but that it leads to higher rates of violence against us?
So. Yeah. Please don't do that.
Some more thoughts.
Quinn Blackbird is a dystopian romance author and while she doesn't have a lot of explicit scenes, the tension is great between the two characters. For some reason, I kept thinking the hero was a dark bully who was going to set up the heroine for some sort of Carrie humiliation scene. I had been reading a few dark bully romances, which is why I kept thinking this.
I really enjoyed this BUT the Himi character did not need to be East Asian. It was racially charged to have the hero's side piece be a vindictive East Asian woman who was constantly attacking the heroine. Why is her race/ethnicity singled out? Quinn Blackbird doesn't do anything about it, there is no commentary about the Oriental idea of East Asian women as dehumanized sex objects to cater to the white male gaze. It feels a bit irresponsible, as it just perpetuates the stereotype of Asian women as a dangerous threat to the white woman's man.
I'm sure most readers won't notice anything is wrong but that's the problem -- how her race is normalized in association with her role as the jealous OW. Would the author have said the OW was Black? Latina? Indigenous? Knowing that BI&WoC are fetishized but that it leads to higher rates of violence against us?
So. Yeah. Please don't do that.
January 20, 2023
Some SPOILERS...
Overall, I really enjoyed the writing, the leads' tension filled relationship, and the enigmatic/obsessive villain ML -the FL was also quite likeable and I loved how she doesn't easily fall for the ML just because he's hot.
I just wish the FL didn't spend the majority of the book dealing with her amnesia because I really loved her earlier/ending rapport with the ML. In addition, I wanted to see more vulnerability from the ML when it came to the FL: There really weren't any explosive emotional moments on his part and I just wanted to see him more out of control during his dealings with her. He was deliciously brutal and evil, but lacked a certain degree of softness during key moments with the FL that I also would have liked to see. Truly ruthless/cruel/villainous MLs who's only soft towards the FL (without being cheesy/sappy or acting out of character) are really rare.
Still, I loved how utterly obsessive and relentless he was and how he'd stop at nothing to make the FL his.
Overall, I really enjoyed the writing, the leads' tension filled relationship, and the enigmatic/obsessive villain ML -the FL was also quite likeable and I loved how she doesn't easily fall for the ML just because he's hot.
I just wish the FL didn't spend the majority of the book dealing with her amnesia because I really loved her earlier/ending rapport with the ML. In addition, I wanted to see more vulnerability from the ML when it came to the FL: There really weren't any explosive emotional moments on his part and I just wanted to see him more out of control during his dealings with her. He was deliciously brutal and evil, but lacked a certain degree of softness during key moments with the FL that I also would have liked to see. Truly ruthless/cruel/villainous MLs who's only soft towards the FL (without being cheesy/sappy or acting out of character) are really rare.
Still, I loved how utterly obsessive and relentless he was and how he'd stop at nothing to make the FL his.
January 29, 2024
2,75⭐
There's something about this author that bothers me; something about the way she writes her characters that makes them seem distant and cold, even to the reader.
I can accept this for the hero, especially when he's supposed to be a villain, but it's more difficult when the heroine isn't endearing or relatable.
The love scenes are also almost clinical? It's clearly not the author's strong point.
As usual, there are some good ideas and the dystopian society would be interesting to develop in other books.
The romance, if you can call it that, is twisted (which isn't really a problem for me, it's the kind of dynamic I find interesting when reading dark romances).
But it's also not very successful because of the lack of development and chemistry between the characters.
And to top it all off, I didn't like the ending 🤷, it's a bit of an open ending or cliffhanger, even though there is no sequel planned for this story.
In short, it was a very mixed read.
Safety/ Spoilers
- No sharing or cheating.
- minor OW drama:
One of the hero's ex-girlfriends tries to attack the heroine out of jealousy
- OM drama:
h exchanges a kiss with an OM.
There's also another man (OM2) who tries to help the heroine and who, we learn at the end, had a potential romantic interest in the heroine.
- Twisted HEA/No HEA ?
TW
- Dubcon/non con
- Physical /Mental violence / Drugging
There's something about this author that bothers me; something about the way she writes her characters that makes them seem distant and cold, even to the reader.
I can accept this for the hero, especially when he's supposed to be a villain, but it's more difficult when the heroine isn't endearing or relatable.
The love scenes are also almost clinical? It's clearly not the author's strong point.
As usual, there are some good ideas and the dystopian society would be interesting to develop in other books.
The romance, if you can call it that, is twisted (which isn't really a problem for me, it's the kind of dynamic I find interesting when reading dark romances).
But it's also not very successful because of the lack of development and chemistry between the characters.
And to top it all off, I didn't like the ending 🤷, it's a bit of an open ending or cliffhanger, even though there is no sequel planned for this story.
In short, it was a very mixed read.
Safety/ Spoilers
- No sharing or cheating.
- minor OW drama:
One of the hero's ex-girlfriends tries to attack the heroine out of jealousy
- OM drama:
h exchanges a kiss with an OM.
There's also another man (OM2) who tries to help the heroine and who, we learn at the end, had a potential romantic interest in the heroine.
- Twisted HEA/No HEA ?
TW
- Dubcon/non con
- Physical /Mental violence / Drugging
December 15, 2022
I thought this was good and that it would continue to be good until the end. This book proved me wrong and the first crack came from the lack of sex. Am I reading a book for the young or something? If you see a note somewhere about that then please tell me..🧐
Anyway, back to the sex part. They had sex, that's not the problem. But the sex part was three sentences and you don't even get the part where they take off their clothes? He just puts it in and then they were on sky nine + and then nothing, not even their feelings or thoughts about it 🤨
Crack number two was his eye color. After reading 16 chapters, half of the book I can tell you that I started hating my favorite color 🔵 because the author never mentioned Dash without the description of his eye color over and over again 😵💫. It was as if Dash was only eyes. No body. No brain. No power. No charisma. No nothing! 😫
Then we have the actual story. The one I didn't finish and I'm not about to either because I think this author needs to redo many things here. The story is not horrible. It had something going on. The part before the heroine (forgot her name already 😓) lost her memories was soo good.
The downfall of this book is the repeating of boredom nobody wants to waste time on 😮💨 and I really don't recommend this book for adults.
Anyway, back to the sex part. They had sex, that's not the problem. But the sex part was three sentences and you don't even get the part where they take off their clothes? He just puts it in and then they were on sky nine + and then nothing, not even their feelings or thoughts about it 🤨
Crack number two was his eye color. After reading 16 chapters, half of the book I can tell you that I started hating my favorite color 🔵 because the author never mentioned Dash without the description of his eye color over and over again 😵💫. It was as if Dash was only eyes. No body. No brain. No power. No charisma. No nothing! 😫
Then we have the actual story. The one I didn't finish and I'm not about to either because I think this author needs to redo many things here. The story is not horrible. It had something going on. The part before the heroine (forgot her name already 😓) lost her memories was soo good.
The downfall of this book is the repeating of boredom nobody wants to waste time on 😮💨 and I really don't recommend this book for adults.
April 1, 2024
4⭐️
So … I ❤️ Quinn Blackbird’s dark fae books. I also love dystopian and secret society books so this was sure to be right up my alley.
It was nothing I expected, and better in every way 😈.
So … I ❤️ Quinn Blackbird’s dark fae books. I also love dystopian and secret society books so this was sure to be right up my alley.
It was nothing I expected, and better in every way 😈.
May 18, 2023
What the heeeeeeck? Look. I appreciate the daringness of this book, but it just… was not for me. I wanted so badly to love this villain, but I’m sorry - I hated him. I just… feel ripped off. The sex scenes weren’t even good. Like. She got so ripped off. Everything we know about her was stripped away. I just… I like having the boundaries around romance crossed and happy endings found in weird places. But I guess this didn’t convince me. Needed more romance. And (spoilers) less unforgivable shit like domestic violence and rape (and not the no that turns into a yes, but outright violent rape). I’ve read dark romances with non-con, or dub-con and they have made it work. This was not that. Also… he’s not even with her at the end. What is even the point?
There were also just a million plot holes. Like - she’s gonna take down the elites? But… how…? Also you live in a dome. Just… you gotta be prepared for change and know how to handle it. ‘Cause you live in a dooooome. Surrounded by a toxic world. But she - just one person - is gonna bring down the elites. Suuuuure. Then, she just leaves all of her evidence in the house of the most elite elite? I dunno man. I would not be following this girl into a revolution is all I’m saying.
Finally. Why is the blurb mostly more Dash’s POV, and yet none of the book is?
There were also just a million plot holes. Like - she’s gonna take down the elites? But… how…? Also you live in a dome. Just… you gotta be prepared for change and know how to handle it. ‘Cause you live in a dooooome. Surrounded by a toxic world. But she - just one person - is gonna bring down the elites. Suuuuure. Then, she just leaves all of her evidence in the house of the most elite elite? I dunno man. I would not be following this girl into a revolution is all I’m saying.
Finally. Why is the blurb mostly more Dash’s POV, and yet none of the book is?
March 5, 2023
this book wasn’t bad but it did struggle
1) The world was intriguing but undeveloped, and also SO unhinged that I felt like it really NEEDED that extra bit explanation to ground it in realism.
You’re telling me the whole world in enveloped in a dangerous gas and now everyone has to live in a bubble owned by rich people? How is everyone breathing? The rich rule?? But how? Wouldn’t the currency be meaningless here? How do trapped gases escape? Was the dangerous gas outsids the bubble man-made, or from climate change? Is this sci-fi? Post-apolcalyptic? Fantasy?
2) The politics are SO rough. If you are gunna have class conflicts, the bourgeoisie class ruling, at least create some intensity to it. You can’t tel me these 20-something year olds are the bosses on this new world— especially when they are high or drunk all the time. Like money has power but I can’t imagine money having the current level of power in that little bubble where people can’t escape ( side note: I feel like money should have logically been meaningless in that post-apocalyptic world— people would have been about trading goods rather than paper bills)
Next, the political names are SO WEAK. The main character, who is poorer than the hero, lives in ‘Beggar’s End’ in case we already don’t know how broke she was. BEGGAR’s END?
Then we have the rich people who are…surprise surprise called the ELITES.
You got the beggars, the social climbers and the elites. Those are their actual names. Absolutely nooo subtlety.
LIKE HOW ARE YOU GUNNA CALL A WHOLE ASS GROUP OF PEOPLE BEGGARS AND NOT EXPECT MUTINY?
We vaguely hear about a Rebellion but not enough to even know fully what they’re rebelling against or if they are successful.
3) This is a villain-gets-the-girl book (which I am all for). The hero is supposedly supposed to be the seductive villain with a dark edge, gaslighting the heroine.
He’s soooo boring. The author tries soo hard to make him seem edgy, like he’s got a dark side, or more depth, but honestly he gives textbook ‘rich-prep school guy with a trust fund’ vibes.
I WAS STUNNED when I read he was 28, and not 17, like how I imagined him.
He felt whiny and jaded, and 100% as entitled as the heroine assumed he to be. And more importantly, he is stupidly violent.
I like when my villain’s are calculated, and this man felt a lil dumb to me.
Overall, he was a very boring, slightly dumb, entitled, whiny man with a cardboard-personality , who mostly just clenched his jaw for added ✨intensity✨.
****spoiler*****
4)The ending was dumb. Maybe because the villain was was weak, and none of the politics made sense, that when the villain got the girl, I feel like the author didn’t know what to do so she had the girl get knocked out with amnesia, and then left on a weak cliffhanger (probably cause the villain was too dumb and wouldn’t know WHAT to do when he got the girl lol).
My redeeming point is that I really liked how the heroine was written. Her goals seem real, she seems realistically cautious and reacts very rationally. She was ambitious, careful, smart. Everything our villain was not.
1) The world was intriguing but undeveloped, and also SO unhinged that I felt like it really NEEDED that extra bit explanation to ground it in realism.
You’re telling me the whole world in enveloped in a dangerous gas and now everyone has to live in a bubble owned by rich people? How is everyone breathing? The rich rule?? But how? Wouldn’t the currency be meaningless here? How do trapped gases escape? Was the dangerous gas outsids the bubble man-made, or from climate change? Is this sci-fi? Post-apolcalyptic? Fantasy?
2) The politics are SO rough. If you are gunna have class conflicts, the bourgeoisie class ruling, at least create some intensity to it. You can’t tel me these 20-something year olds are the bosses on this new world— especially when they are high or drunk all the time. Like money has power but I can’t imagine money having the current level of power in that little bubble where people can’t escape ( side note: I feel like money should have logically been meaningless in that post-apocalyptic world— people would have been about trading goods rather than paper bills)
Next, the political names are SO WEAK. The main character, who is poorer than the hero, lives in ‘Beggar’s End’ in case we already don’t know how broke she was. BEGGAR’s END?
Then we have the rich people who are…surprise surprise called the ELITES.
You got the beggars, the social climbers and the elites. Those are their actual names. Absolutely nooo subtlety.
LIKE HOW ARE YOU GUNNA CALL A WHOLE ASS GROUP OF PEOPLE BEGGARS AND NOT EXPECT MUTINY?
We vaguely hear about a Rebellion but not enough to even know fully what they’re rebelling against or if they are successful.
3) This is a villain-gets-the-girl book (which I am all for). The hero is supposedly supposed to be the seductive villain with a dark edge, gaslighting the heroine.
He’s soooo boring. The author tries soo hard to make him seem edgy, like he’s got a dark side, or more depth, but honestly he gives textbook ‘rich-prep school guy with a trust fund’ vibes.
I WAS STUNNED when I read he was 28, and not 17, like how I imagined him.
He felt whiny and jaded, and 100% as entitled as the heroine assumed he to be. And more importantly, he is stupidly violent.
I like when my villain’s are calculated, and this man felt a lil dumb to me.
Overall, he was a very boring, slightly dumb, entitled, whiny man with a cardboard-personality , who mostly just clenched his jaw for added ✨intensity✨.
****spoiler*****
4)The ending was dumb. Maybe because the villain was was weak, and none of the politics made sense, that when the villain got the girl, I feel like the author didn’t know what to do so she had the girl get knocked out with amnesia, and then left on a weak cliffhanger (probably cause the villain was too dumb and wouldn’t know WHAT to do when he got the girl lol).
My redeeming point is that I really liked how the heroine was written. Her goals seem real, she seems realistically cautious and reacts very rationally. She was ambitious, careful, smart. Everything our villain was not.
December 27, 2025
Too stunned to speak🫨🫨
"Sometimes, villains do get their way."
"“You’re forgetting something, Dash.”
“What would that be?”
“History.” My breaths ribbon out of me, long and shaky, my chest heaving still from the impact of my lungs on the table. “I… I think I know history—I’m interested in it, at least.”
Dash brushes his mouth down my cheek to my quivering jawline. “And?”
“So I know things. I know that those in power… always lose it. Every single time, every empire, every dictator, every single one will fall—every single time. History always repeats itself.”
“For your sake,” he draws back, strands of sawdust hair loose over his forehead, ocean eyes alive with adrenaline, his pink lips glistening with my own tears, “I would hope that will never be the case.”
"“Think of this—how far you have gone to be rid of me,” he growls, his words drawing a warm breath over my parted lips as I try gasping for air I cannot get. “Consider just how far I will go to prevent losing you.”"
"Sometimes, villains do get their way."
"“You’re forgetting something, Dash.”
“What would that be?”
“History.” My breaths ribbon out of me, long and shaky, my chest heaving still from the impact of my lungs on the table. “I… I think I know history—I’m interested in it, at least.”
Dash brushes his mouth down my cheek to my quivering jawline. “And?”
“So I know things. I know that those in power… always lose it. Every single time, every empire, every dictator, every single one will fall—every single time. History always repeats itself.”
“For your sake,” he draws back, strands of sawdust hair loose over his forehead, ocean eyes alive with adrenaline, his pink lips glistening with my own tears, “I would hope that will never be the case.”
"“Think of this—how far you have gone to be rid of me,” he growls, his words drawing a warm breath over my parted lips as I try gasping for air I cannot get. “Consider just how far I will go to prevent losing you.”"
December 21, 2022
2.5⭐️
This book was seriously lacking any kind of depth. So many holes in the plot.
Very, “Wham, bam, thank you, ma’am.”
Not a fan.
This book was seriously lacking any kind of depth. So many holes in the plot.
Very, “Wham, bam, thank you, ma’am.”
Not a fan.
Read
December 22, 2024DNF at 18%. Something about this writing style bothers me, but it’s hard to put my finger on it. It feels choppy and has a lot of telling when I’d prefer it to be showing.
May 1, 2025
This was awful, there is no romance what so ever - this could not be classified as a dark romance - also the plot was fucked boring.
I spent the second half of the book praying that the character would return to herself and get answers, but she just ends up in a DV relationship with a boring and lacklustre MMC as a hubby. They have no points of connection or relation or even tension. Even the abuse seems unconsidered.
The world building is shit, characters are shit, no one has any depth to them including FMC. Also incredibly short and incredibly dissatisfying to read.
The only thing that was remotely enticing about this book was the mystery, however, there are so many plot holes in the end that aren't answered, and it all comes together so rushed, it feels like the author just got sick of the plot and decided to finish it halfway through the plot. The whole story leads to this climax of the FMC realising what's going on only for absolutely nothing to come of it.
I would only recommend this book to people whom I loathe.
I spent the second half of the book praying that the character would return to herself and get answers, but she just ends up in a DV relationship with a boring and lacklustre MMC as a hubby. They have no points of connection or relation or even tension. Even the abuse seems unconsidered.
The world building is shit, characters are shit, no one has any depth to them including FMC. Also incredibly short and incredibly dissatisfying to read.
The only thing that was remotely enticing about this book was the mystery, however, there are so many plot holes in the end that aren't answered, and it all comes together so rushed, it feels like the author just got sick of the plot and decided to finish it halfway through the plot. The whole story leads to this climax of the FMC realising what's going on only for absolutely nothing to come of it.
I would only recommend this book to people whom I loathe.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2024
I heard amnesia trope and signed myself the fuck up to read this book because it’s my favorite trope ever.
The writing is simple, and fast paced. The relationship between characters wasn’t exactly built up nor was the plot. As I was reading, I was begging for more in depth reasoning for something or background information which you’ll never get. The plot and base of the story is fantastic but I wish it was detailed ALOT more.
It’s from one POV which is the victim.
It’s an open ending. I wouldn’t say HEA.. I wouldn’t call this a romance.
It’s a mind fuckery though and it had me reading this entire book in one sitting.
It’s the “ If I can’t have you, then no-one can.” trope.
Narcissist, psychopathic forced amnesia, non/con, gaslighting, manipulation, etc
It’s a good book that I enjoyed enough to read till 6am… when I have four kids.
Would I read something else from this author? Maybe one day but not exactly running to download anything.
The writing is simple, and fast paced. The relationship between characters wasn’t exactly built up nor was the plot. As I was reading, I was begging for more in depth reasoning for something or background information which you’ll never get. The plot and base of the story is fantastic but I wish it was detailed ALOT more.
It’s from one POV which is the victim.
It’s an open ending. I wouldn’t say HEA.. I wouldn’t call this a romance.
It’s a mind fuckery though and it had me reading this entire book in one sitting.
It’s the “ If I can’t have you, then no-one can.” trope.
Narcissist, psychopathic forced amnesia, non/con, gaslighting, manipulation, etc
It’s a good book that I enjoyed enough to read till 6am… when I have four kids.
Would I read something else from this author? Maybe one day but not exactly running to download anything.
March 9, 2023
I’ve never read this author before. I came across this book on a request thread in a reader group on Facebook. I’m glad I did. I’m not sure how this stacks up against Quinn Blackbird’s other books but I really enjoyed this one.
We begin in a post apocalyptic world that has built a new society. The Elite, Promises (middle class) and Beggars (super poor). The h was born in beggars end but her mother married up to a middle class fella. This is apparently very unusual. The mom died and she lost touch with the stepdad but he did give her a leg up with a scholarship. She is a nanny for an elite family. She’s not fond of the Elite, her bratty charge or his older brother.
She ends up with amnesia after going o a social event and wakes engaged to Dash, the H and older brother from the elite family she despised. She doesn’t remember anything about disliking him. Dash is a true villain here. This isn’t pitch black dark romance but it is undeniably dark.
This isn’t particularly spicy at all. The two spicy scenes are very vague on details - one of them is straight noncon. There is a bit like a dark thriller romance. I absolutely loved it.
I definitely plan to check out some other work by this author.
Push away from h
Mild OW/OM drama
No cheating
No separation
HEA-ish
Safety - there a very bitter OW who’s an addict and hates h. She attacks her at one point. The h apparently had a guy who had some affection for her before her amnesia but she didn’t realize it. He tries to help her escape.
Big spoilers below this, proceed at your own risk.
I’d recommend you read this blind BUT I often NEED spoilers so I get it.
H has been not so secretly obsessed with h. He knows she hates him. We discover he’d planned on essentially forcing her to marry him before this opportunity for amnesia arose.
Then she has a couple drinks at this social thing and kisses another dude. She had zero interest in him but was hoping to use him to dig for dirt on the elite. Dash sees this and is an angry bunny. Dash had a friend drug h’s drink. He whisks her away the next thing we know h wakes up with amnesia. During her blackout we later discover not only does he hit her but he has noncon relations with her. She remembers nothing.
As far as she knows she’s happily engaged to him. Something feels off but he’s very handsome and she goes along with things mostly. Then she overhears him arguing with someone and her suspicions start. Things start to fall apart a bit and she’s gets a note that everyone is lying to her and to meet at this salon. Things are very tense between her and H so she’s ready to get answers.
She ends learning enough truth to be ready to flee. The guy who liked her and his brother is a servant help her flee.
H shows up though. We get to hear a lot about his motivations and plans for h. After he gives her a dose of memory wiping drug she remembers the noncon and assault before she wakes. H is going to try and get this right a second time. The drug he gave her can’t be dosed again. It’s clear though that even if his second amnesia ploy doesn’t work he’s not ever letting her go. She’s his period.
She wakes up and is clueless again…except we see cracks have started to form already. She’s got suspicions and another appointment at the salon.
It ends there but we know H isn’t letting her go. It doesn’t exactly feel unfinished but clearly more could be told. I don’t think there will be a follow up though. This series are apparently unrelated standalones and the description of the next book sound like it doesn’t even take place in the sane book universe.
I’d still recommend this even with the unsettling ending. Fantastic read overall.
We begin in a post apocalyptic world that has built a new society. The Elite, Promises (middle class) and Beggars (super poor). The h was born in beggars end but her mother married up to a middle class fella. This is apparently very unusual. The mom died and she lost touch with the stepdad but he did give her a leg up with a scholarship. She is a nanny for an elite family. She’s not fond of the Elite, her bratty charge or his older brother.
She ends up with amnesia after going o a social event and wakes engaged to Dash, the H and older brother from the elite family she despised. She doesn’t remember anything about disliking him. Dash is a true villain here. This isn’t pitch black dark romance but it is undeniably dark.
This isn’t particularly spicy at all. The two spicy scenes are very vague on details - one of them is straight noncon. There is a bit like a dark thriller romance. I absolutely loved it.
I definitely plan to check out some other work by this author.
Push away from h
Mild OW/OM drama
No cheating
No separation
HEA-ish
Safety - there a very bitter OW who’s an addict and hates h. She attacks her at one point. The h apparently had a guy who had some affection for her before her amnesia but she didn’t realize it. He tries to help her escape.
Big spoilers below this, proceed at your own risk.
I’d recommend you read this blind BUT I often NEED spoilers so I get it.
H has been not so secretly obsessed with h. He knows she hates him. We discover he’d planned on essentially forcing her to marry him before this opportunity for amnesia arose.
Then she has a couple drinks at this social thing and kisses another dude. She had zero interest in him but was hoping to use him to dig for dirt on the elite. Dash sees this and is an angry bunny. Dash had a friend drug h’s drink. He whisks her away the next thing we know h wakes up with amnesia. During her blackout we later discover not only does he hit her but he has noncon relations with her. She remembers nothing.
As far as she knows she’s happily engaged to him. Something feels off but he’s very handsome and she goes along with things mostly. Then she overhears him arguing with someone and her suspicions start. Things start to fall apart a bit and she’s gets a note that everyone is lying to her and to meet at this salon. Things are very tense between her and H so she’s ready to get answers.
She ends learning enough truth to be ready to flee. The guy who liked her and his brother is a servant help her flee.
H shows up though. We get to hear a lot about his motivations and plans for h. After he gives her a dose of memory wiping drug she remembers the noncon and assault before she wakes. H is going to try and get this right a second time. The drug he gave her can’t be dosed again. It’s clear though that even if his second amnesia ploy doesn’t work he’s not ever letting her go. She’s his period.
She wakes up and is clueless again…except we see cracks have started to form already. She’s got suspicions and another appointment at the salon.
It ends there but we know H isn’t letting her go. It doesn’t exactly feel unfinished but clearly more could be told. I don’t think there will be a follow up though. This series are apparently unrelated standalones and the description of the next book sound like it doesn’t even take place in the sane book universe.
I’d still recommend this even with the unsettling ending. Fantastic read overall.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 21, 2024
Oh, this was so good!! It's like someone heard how much FMC journalists annoyed me and so they gave me a gift! This has so many things I like in a book, the gas lighting, a bit of a mystery and suspense, a dominant, cold and calculating morally...black MMC. The author struck a good balance of not making you like or sympathize with the FMC too much, she seemed angry and negative, didn't like children, almost a rebel with a misguided cause. Not saying their system was perfect, it was clearly far from it, but she had a pretty myopic view of anything beyond "Bringing the Elite down"...they live in a domed, finite resource society, with a very carefully constructed symbiotic relationship. If she toppled the elite...then what? They are the ones keeping everyone alive and getting rid of their structure would end up causing complete chaos. So while it seemed like an altruistic cause, she didn't really have any plans in place for how she was going to make anything better, she was just angry and wanted to take everyone down. Dash was such a great villainous main character. A true black flag who should inspire nothing but hate, I found myself rooting for him and even at times feeling a bit sympathetic towards him, in love with someone who he has no chance of winning over in the traditional fashion. There's something so morbidly romantic about his obsession with her and his need to win her and keep her by any means necessary. A couple things that would have bumped this up to a 5 star; For one thing, I wish the book started out with her waking up and recalling nothing and we would have to find out along with her what happened. That would have made the whole thing more exciting. Next, there wasn't nearly enough time with her and Dash actually interacting. We get a lot of her thoughts and monologues, but not a lot of the two of them building much of a relationship. I think that may have been the author's intent though, this was more about the dystopian psychological horror of what happened to her more than a romance. Finally, I just wish it was longer! That there was more, more details more time building, longer epilogue, just more. That's usually a Hallmark of a good book, when you finish and wish you had more left! Overall, I really enjoyed this and look forward to trying more books by this author.
August 7, 2024
Come for Romance? Stay for Dash
This is a hard one. Dash is the perfect villain, but the true villain of this story is the writing. It lacked smoothness and flow. The bones of the story idea was fantastic, but honestly, the layers needed to come from shifting genre expectations, so a character like Had, aka Hadley, aka Haddie, benefited from the dreadful amnesia trope. The added layer elevates the story and helps with Had's hard edges in her amnesia state. I typically hate the amnesia trope in romances, but this isn't a romance. It's a dark suspense. And it feels really good.
#VillainsRuntheShow
Just when we are getting tired of Haddie, thank goodness Dash's pov busts in like the Kool-Aid man. He is a sight to behold. Irredeemable villain who just wants to catch the girl and as a true psychopath narcissist, he likes playing god and setting the game.
#NotYoutMothersRomance
Because it's not. This doesn't rely on an HEA because it's not a romance. This doesn't strongly establish a MMC because it's not a romance. This doesn't really have smut, spice or explicit sex to build the narrative because it's not a smutty romance (disclaimer: sex is here but it lacks the heat and passion because its used as a characterization tool). This isn't about working characters falling in love because it's not a romance. No it's an intriguing suspense story.
#GetYourHitchcockOn
The biggest drawback is that the writing lacks some finesse and smooth lines. Transitions between scenes, emotions, and even dialogue seem to be lacking. The concept is so intriguing, and the mystery pulls you in. Sucking you in to see how deep does this deep fake goes? How many layers do we have? It's a true cat and mouse, and I really want a part 2. Each page was gobbled up because I had to know how the mystery was going to be solved. I had to know how deep certain emotions went. The best addition to the story was the author adding thos thematic choice: who are we in our core and stripped away will we remain US. That tome is worth the price of admission alone.
This is a hard one. Dash is the perfect villain, but the true villain of this story is the writing. It lacked smoothness and flow. The bones of the story idea was fantastic, but honestly, the layers needed to come from shifting genre expectations, so a character like Had, aka Hadley, aka Haddie, benefited from the dreadful amnesia trope. The added layer elevates the story and helps with Had's hard edges in her amnesia state. I typically hate the amnesia trope in romances, but this isn't a romance. It's a dark suspense. And it feels really good.
#VillainsRuntheShow
Just when we are getting tired of Haddie, thank goodness Dash's pov busts in like the Kool-Aid man. He is a sight to behold. Irredeemable villain who just wants to catch the girl and as a true psychopath narcissist, he likes playing god and setting the game.
#NotYoutMothersRomance
Because it's not. This doesn't rely on an HEA because it's not a romance. This doesn't strongly establish a MMC because it's not a romance. This doesn't really have smut, spice or explicit sex to build the narrative because it's not a smutty romance (disclaimer: sex is here but it lacks the heat and passion because its used as a characterization tool). This isn't about working characters falling in love because it's not a romance. No it's an intriguing suspense story.
#GetYourHitchcockOn
The biggest drawback is that the writing lacks some finesse and smooth lines. Transitions between scenes, emotions, and even dialogue seem to be lacking. The concept is so intriguing, and the mystery pulls you in. Sucking you in to see how deep does this deep fake goes? How many layers do we have? It's a true cat and mouse, and I really want a part 2. Each page was gobbled up because I had to know how the mystery was going to be solved. I had to know how deep certain emotions went. The best addition to the story was the author adding thos thematic choice: who are we in our core and stripped away will we remain US. That tome is worth the price of admission alone.
January 28, 2025
3.5 ⭐️ I really don’t know how I feel about this.
The writing was simply amazing and compelling enough for me to read on.
Wish there was romance between them. The MMC is frightening !!!!!! But also I’m not into blonde guys 🤦🏼♀️😩so that was a fail.
Felt kinda sad for the Fmc throughout the entire book
The writing was simply amazing and compelling enough for me to read on.
Wish there was romance between them. The MMC is frightening !!!!!! But also I’m not into blonde guys 🤦🏼♀️😩so that was a fail.
Felt kinda sad for the Fmc throughout the entire book
December 5, 2024
The kind of book you’re slightly embarrassed to say you liked so much. When you secretly want the obsessive and possessive villain to win the whole time while reading.
December 22, 2022
"Sometimes, villains do get their way."
This quote sums up this book well.
I liked.
This quote sums up this book well.
I liked.
Read
December 31, 2025I really don’t know how to rate this book, I couldn’t put it down until I finished it but was it good? no
Hadley🤎Dash
Hadley🤎Dash
Read
January 20, 2023Didn't get past the first pages...
July 21, 2024
I DID NOT WANT TO LIKE THIS BOOK iykyk. But I did 😭 it’s so messed up but WOW! While I hate it at the same time I love it. DASH WAS 🔥
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