Tasting Clementine

by Holly Bloom

She is my secret addiction…

Clementine is the girl I want but can’t have, which makes her impossible to resist.

I have to protect her from my father and his depraved desires, but his twisted hold on her runs deep. The connection we share might be the only thing that can break it.

Our love may be forbidden, but it’s inevitable.

The Vanta Collection is a series of dirty, dark, and forbidden standalone tales for adults. This book explores mature themes and includes content that some readers may find disturbing. Please proceed with caution.

Genres: Dark Romance, Dark, Romance, Smut, Contemporary, Spicy, Erotica

142 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 16, 2022

About the author

Holly Bloom has a degree in English Literature, but don't let that fool you... she would pick a steamy romance over a Shakespeare play any day!

Holly writes contemporary romance - the dark, gritty and twisty kind. She loves creating badass babe characters, who aren't afraid to speak their minds, and writing about the men who can handle them - often, there is more than one! Why choose, right?

When she isn't working on her next project, Holly spends an unhealthy amount of time watching true crime and roaming around the woods near her home in the UK. As well as gooey chocolate brownies, Holly’s favourite thing in the world is hearing from her readers.

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Find out more at www.hollybloomauthor.com

If you wanna hang out with me and an amazing bunch of bookish babes, join my reader group on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bloom...

Reviews

[Kursed Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel so conflicted. And tingly.

When Holly said TC is dark, she wasn’t lying. It’s far more dark and twisted than I was expecting despite the warning. Let’s just call it 17 shades of f.c.u.k.e.d up.

August and Clementine Jackson are step-siblings who’ve only recently met. With no one else to turn to, they are both under Jack’s roof. The problem is that they share feelings for one another. When August learns of the depraved nature of Clemmie and Daddy’s relationship, he becomes very protective, vowing to take her away when they turn 18. Since it’s all she’s ever known, Clemmie is baffled by his concern and is conflicted about leaving.

When things take a turn, Clemmie has time to really contemplate whether she wants to spend the rest of her life behind the mansion’s gates.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Burn: 🔥🔥🔥🔥1/2
Darkness: 🖤🖤🖤🖤
Heat: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Range of Emotions: 😩🤬🥵🤯🫣
Ending: 💕 {HFN}
POV: 👫🏻 {Dual}

🗂 Genre: Dark Romance

✨ Tropes: Forbidden, Manipulation

💋 Kinks: LOTS

⚠️ Warning: It’s definitely NSFW or with a kiddo by your side. In fact, I would highly recommend you read this one after dark to avoid side eye or awkward conversations.

🚩 Safety Squad: TC is one giant red flag. If you have any hesitation, check the warnings before diving in. Otherwise, blind is best!!

📣 Type: Tasting Clementine is part of The Vanta Collection series/world, but can be read as a standalone.

🛑 Be Advised: My Goodreads shelves are … explicit in both senses. As such, they could be considered spoiler-y.

[Mysti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I attempted this book a few years ago - but I was new to erotic horror at the time - so I decided to try it again and see if my feelings would change. I'm giving it 5 STARS because I applaud authors who really push the boundaries of normalcy. This is along the lines of Lauren Biel, with the romance portion missing. It's authors like these who make me say, "Child, you ain't right in the head!"

"What if I'm not good at being normal?"
"I'll teach you... I'll teach you everything you need to know. I don't know a lot, but I know how to take care of myself, and so do you. I'd do anything for you."

August (17) goes to live with his bio father after his mother overdoses. He's had zero contact with his father until now. After arriving to the house, he discovers that his "Dad" has a stepdaughter, Clementine (17), and he's immediately drawn to her. Clemmie has been raised solely by "Dad" since the age of 3, after her mother died. August wants Clemmie to run away with him, because the way Dad treats Clem is not normal, but she doesn't want to because she believes there's nothing wrong with the world she's living in. Since Clemmie has been isolated from the world and trained to be used as a sex toy for Dad and his friends, she thinks everything is just fine. As their 18th birthday approaches, August doubles his efforts to rinse Clemmie of the brainwash she believes in. Then he learns something...... disturbing.

Give me some birthday cake!!! They get an HFN, if you want to call it that. I'm not sure if there's another book to follow up on their story, so you'll have to use your imagination on that side of things. There are a lot of questions I have, and would have loved a follow-up, but I guess you get what you get....

So..... how the fuck do I explain this?!?!

SEX: There's one sweet time with Clemmie and August - I think it's at 44%-ish, plus one more time near the end. There's a lot of other sex in it - but none of it is good. Trust me on that.

TRIGGERS: there are just so many. Sexual abuse, torture, taxidermy, severing of parts, um... stabbing. Um... lots of murdering and shit.

CLEMMIE: Ok - first - the only blood relation is between August and his Dad. Clemmie isn't blood related to August or his Dad, but Dad has raised her since the age of 3. It's implied that he started training Clem as a sex doll at the age of 12, tho we never hear any of those details. Now.... Clemmie is so fucking hard to understand, so let me spell things out to you. At present, Dad has trained Clemmie to believe her body is to be used for pleasure - and he's conditioned her body to crave orgasms and she can climax very easily. He develops sex toys and tries them all out on her. She also has never attended school, has no formal or proper education. The only socialization she's had is thru the men Dad brings to the house. She's learned from watching movies and she was taught how to read. She's never had any friends or playmates. So, when August is trying to convince her to leave, she thinks he's the crazy one. She doesn't see anything wrong with what's happening to her. She acts and behaves just like a child. So just be sympathetic to poor, insane Clemmie.

So, did I change my mind?? Sort of. I have an appreciation of books like this now. It's not as gruesome as some LB books, but it's along those lines. I think on the book itself, I'd give it a 3 - but again, it's 5 stars for supporting the dark arts.

[❁ lilyreadsromance ❁ · Rating 2 out of 5]

It has been a while since my last truly dark gory romance (it's not even a proper romance if you ask me. We need a better term to call these fucked up books).

First of all, mind the trigger warnings. It dumps you right into the story, which revolves around a pair of siblings (it's vague to know whether they're blood-related or not due to the 'stuff' that happened in the book). These two main characters would be what you call morally grey characters. Each has their own dark desires and secrets. And some lead to uncomfortable and disturbing gory scenes. So yeah, keep that in mind.

All I can say is that it's definitely the sort of book you want to read when you're in need of something graphic and bleak. Some other authors that come to mind that excel in this particularly small niche of torture porn/gory romance sort of books would be Charity B., Natalie Bennett, and maybe Jaimie Roberts? Oh and of course Yolanda Olson. Check them out if you want to lose your insanity more.

So yeah, leave your hopes and dreams outside the door.

Trigger warnings: tepfather/daughter, stepsister/brother, grooming, childhood sexual abuse, daddy kink, main characters are 17/18, dub and noncon, implied necrophilia, mental and physical torture, violence, murder and death on page, graphic torture, BDSM, coercion, child poronography, paedophilia

[devita h · Rating 1 out of 5]

i have read a lot of dark romances and i think i have found my limit in dark romance genre

[Josmely · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't even know what to say rn....

First of all please PLEASE read the trigger warnings before reading cause this IS DARK

This book surprised the crap out of me. The author did an amazing job writing this one. Nothing that happened was expected. I could not it have guessed what would happen next. I read this so fast I could not stop reading.
The emotional roller coaster Holly put me through should be illegal fr. Half the time I wanted to cry over poor Clemmie, I was angry every time the dad was mentioned and I was swooning the entire book for August.

From the minute both characters were introduced you can tell how much August cares and loves Clemmie. All he wants to do is protect her and take her away from the darkness. The problem was that Clemmie has been in the dark for so long she basically become a part of it. The entire book i was rooting for them both. They are 2 people that have been through hell and back.

Im not gonna get into details cause I don't want to spoil and this is just a book that u have to go in kinda blind into (after reading TWs ofc).

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


This is definitely going into the books for one of the most bat shit crazy books Ive ever read. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any crazier, Holly said “hold my beer.”

This book isn’t for the faint of heart and I suggest protecting your inner peace if you remotely have a single trigger. This book is so far pitch black, I don’t know how else to describe it.

If I had to give you a depiction of Clementine, it’s like mixing Sibby from Haunting Adeline and Dolly from Sick Fux, but like a willing participant in all of her trauma. Which is an ungodly amount. Done at the hands of her father. Well, father figure.

This is a taboo stepbrother book.

[Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOLYFUCKINGSHIT!!! This book was the darkest I have read in a while and I FUCKING LOVED IT!!! Lots of trigger warnings here guys and when I say lots I mean a huge fucking lot. This book is definitely not for the faint hearted trust me. But if you are like me and can read any dark mindfuck messed up shit, then go ahead and pick this one.

[Book Life With Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy hotness! Holly Bloom has definitely turned up the heat a thousand notches with Tasting Clementine, the first book in the Vanta Collection. If you like them dark, twisted, forbidden and slightly psychotic then this is the one for you. And if not, then be sure to check the trigger warnings first before proceeding because this is definitely a dark ride.

This is the story of August and Clementine Jackson, step siblings who have a twisted and dark need for each other—and who hide so much more in the house in which they live under the twisted and demented rule of Jack, Augusts father and Clemmie’s step father.
A man who essentially raises Clemmie in his depraved way and taught her well. But luckily for her she has her step brother August who wants nothing more than to save Clemmie from his father and is willing to do anything to save her.

The relationship between August and Clemmie isn’t necessarily the most twisted part, it’s the manipulation and depravity of Jack and all that he’s more or less brain washes Clemmie into loving, thinking it was normal. And while it may be twisted, it was still an amazing read! So overall, if you love extra dark and depraved stories then buckle up because Tasting Clementine and Holly Black will definitely take you on a twisted dark ride!

[Tyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tasting Clementine is the first novella in a dark and taboo series called The Vanta Collection by Holly Bloom.

Wow. This was DARK. And so unexpected, I got whiplash because it took a turn I was NOT expecting. Clementine has been brought up alongside her stepdad after her mother passed away. All her life all she has ever known is the inside of the mansion and her fathers explicit parties. The parties where she services the men that attend and what more is she loves it, the orgasms and sex are what she craves. August is her step brother who wants her but doesn’t want to use her despite her constant efforts to seduce him. August wants to save her whilst battling his own demons and the man he shares blood with.

I can’t even begin to explain just how dark this book is, the story whilst only a novella packs an incredible punch. The darkness of being turned into a monster through a constant life of abuse is just something else.
Definitely check TW before reading!!

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

No comment 🫣, I was just curious about this book

[jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnf @ 50% - "check the trigger warnings" okay. where are they? i can't find them. "disturbing" is not a trigger warning. ---

half of this book is literally underage rape (not between the "hero" and "heroine" but it's graphic and unnecessary). the plot summary does not prepare you for what you're reading. it doesn't talk about how they're both 17 years old. it doesn't even MENTION that the step-dad is raping her and has been grooming her for years.

when i read the plot summary i thought that this was going to be a story about how a step-brother was going get to his step-sister out of an abusive situation and maybe kill some people while doing it and also they're gonna fuck. instead, we get 50% of graphic rape scenes. i don't even care that he murdered one of the guys. the girl is seriously damaged and it's depressing. why are people acting like this is just a fun and sexy dark taboo romance.

this could have been compelling, but instead i just feel disgusting for reading underage rape. why was that detailed so graphically. august was disgusted by it, but did we need graphic scenes about it happening? no. i feel gross and not in a way that is interesting or compelling. what the fuck

[Jewels · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m giving this 2/5 because I expected a dark romance but I got a romantic horror instead. I do appreciate most sub-genres of horror I just feel as though this was a set up haha. All that aside it is a very short read but I do appreciate the underlying themes and just wished we had more time for fully fleshed out characters.

[Sydni Donahue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tasting clementine ⭐️⭐️.5
Guess who just made her reading goal AYOOO. Slump did not stop me. This started really strong for me. A great idea and premise. Very dark content and can be very sensitive topics. I was intrigued and there were a lot of little crazy additions that were fun to follow. I did not care for their romance. It started off compelling but fell really short for me. I do not think he tried hard enough to get her out when their dad locked her up. I think the kills at the end were way too easy and when they actually got together it could’ve been better for the build up. I didn’t feel this connection that they were claiming and I felt for both of them and their circumstances but I didn’t have a connection to the characters. Fuckin crazy and a fun ride at times but also rushed and bleh at others. I wish more happened with the dad and his storyline. When he started callin her Flora I almost threw up. I’m so intrigued by the background and backstory of both of these characters and I actually think this could be a really great full novel or like duet with all the details on their mothers, their dad, what led to his actions and the extreme trauma they both faced but mainly Clem. This has potential and I really liked parts but also fell short for me in other ways. There were some interesting smut scenes and concepts that I haven’t read before and I liked the shock elements of it. I am very intrigued by this author tho and I enjoy their dark mind 🥳

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMFG!! This is definitely a pitch-black and utterly delicious little morsal of twisted darkness that shocked the crap out of me! I was not expecting Clementine’s story to be as warped, as depraved or as black as it was. But I was ready to be thrown down the dark rabbit hole that Clementine took me into to feast on all the unimaginable debauched delights that she was a part of. I was glued to the pages, biting my nails with anticipation, and holding my breath until that explosive and jaw dropping ending.

Clementine and August live in a world of corruption, wickedness, and nefariousness like you wouldn’t believe. There are things going on that will shock you, titillate you, gross you out and then make you squirm.

There are things in Clementine and August’s story that will make you extremely uncomfortable and question your own morals, but if you’re like me and you love all of the disturbing debauchery, you will devour this delicious story and beg for more.

The writing is phenomenal, the story is unique and intriguing, and there is no way you will be able to put this one down without needing to ease the ache it will create at times in your lady parts!!

This is NOT a story for the faint of heart – please read the trigger warnings.

[Valerie M · Rating 1 out of 5]

Listen, I love a good dark taboo/forbidden step-siblings romance as much as the next gal. T0rture, mûrdêr, r@pe, st@lking, viølence/g0re, you name it, I LOVE it... But, woah, this was... something. The book grossed me out more than anything because the FMC is 17, but mentally she's probably 11. Icky. And the "dad" is just disgusting. And the FMC switches up her mentality in the blink of an eye it seems. It's gross, it's too fast/rushed and I had a really hard time reading mainly because of the childlike mentality of the FMC. When I say child like, I mean it. Taunting, nursery rhymes, "But daddy loves me"... Maybe if it was 2 or 3 times the length and she had actual opportunity for character growth I would've felt different and it wouldn't have felt like i was reading about a 11-13 year old girl.

Tasting Clementine (Holly Bloom): 142 page novella, forbidden step-siblings dark romance, FMC is a naïve/sheltered/psycho 17 yo who is being mentally/s€xuallyabûs€d by her father/many of his friends, MMC is 17 yo fighting his desire for her over the need to protect her, mûrdêr, multiple scenes of said abûs€ towards FMC, extreme degr@dation, pun¡shments, pra¡se, toys, mutual m@sturb@tion, filthy mouths (FMC and MMC), some spice, r€venge, "HEA".

[Crystal]

Dnf. I only made it to 3% and realized this wasn’t the book for me. As stated on another review, I’m trying not to waste my time finishing books that I know within the first 10% are not for me. This book did not seem like the same book as the description. Clementine reads like a 10 year old kid, by her behavior. Reading other reviews I’m glad I dnf, I would’ve been angry to have wasting brain cells reading this. I’m not a fan of the psycho heroine. Some love this, but very few authors can pull it off to where it’s an intriguing story without being so over the top ridiculous. I can only think of the daughter in the this is war series by k Webster. She was purely psychotic and insane, but the story made sense and I came to both feel bad for her and her victims.

This has plenty of 4 and 5 star reads so this is just my personal opinion that I did not like the book or characters. . She seemed so juvenile and I can’t believe she was supposedly 17. Anyways not rating since I didn’t finish but wanted to write a review so that when I see the numerous proclamations of this being the best book ever, I can remember why I didn’t finish it

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Be warned there is a lot of dark content in this book that might upset some folks.

For me generally a dark read doesnt bother me that much but for me i did kind of struggle slightly with why Clemmie was letting her stepfather use her for the majority of this book? It only started to make much more sense to me when we discovered the other side of Clemmie. To be honest that darker side of her was way more interesting to me. I wanted more of that which we only got towards the end of the book.

To me though the heart of this book was the dynamic between August & Clemmie. Who are step-siblings (no blood relations). They found comfort, support and then feelings within their relationship with each other with all of the depraved things going on around them. That is a lot with Clemmie's despicable step-father who had absolutely no redeeming qualities or at least i didnt think so.

For me this was a book of two halves and when the 2nd half of the book kicked in that was a more gripping read to me

[Ashley Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to start by first saying trigger warnings should definitely be ready first before reading this book. It was dark, but did I read it all in one sitting. Yes, yes I did. August has a deep love and obsession for his stepsister clementine, that he wants to save her from the vile things her father has conditioned her to do.
Clementine is a girl who has dark secrets. Who also loves August and wants to go with him but fears if she'll be able to keep her secret a secret, or will eventually be exposed.
Some parts of this story were a little hard to read but overall a great story. I would've liked just a little more story at the end. August keeps talking about better things out in the world that clementine should experience. I would've liked an epilogue of where they ended up or a glimpse of what they do after leaving the house.

[Emma Leffingwell · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried

I'm sorry but I hated this book. If it was any longer I would not have powered through it. It was just gross. Its not that it triggered me, but I don't buy that Clementine didn't know what was happening and what she was doing was wrong. That's why she knew she wouldn't make it in the outside world. Not to mention that she was 17 but the way her language was written it felt like she was 12. It also seems very unbelievable that August came from the outside world and just blindly accepted Clementine for what she is. If you're looking for something dark, this is it, but if you're looking for something smutty I would go elsewhere. These are minors and it is not well written.

[Kyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! Holly went dark on us, and I am so here for it! I really enjoyed Tasting Clementine. This is really dark y’all, PLEASE read the trigger warnings before starting it. Clementine has been raised in her dad’s house and that’s where she stays. She’s been raised that participating in her dad’s “parties” is normal and doesn’t know anything different because she never leaves the house she was raised in. Her stepbrother comes to live with them when his mom passes and when he realizes what is going on he tries to get Clemmie to run with him. She won’t, however, because she doesn’t understand that how she’s been raised is wrong. It’s a story of dark and depraved love, abuse, and owning one’s sexuality. While it’s not long, it has a TON packed into the story and it feels like it should be so much longer. I really enjoyed this, but I love dark romance. If you aren’t a fan, this isn’t the book for you; it’s not for the faint of heart. Holly did an amazing job of bringing these characters to life and making you feel the depravity. I loved it and absolutely recommend it if this sounds like your kind of book! 🖤

[Dominique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tasting Clementine might be the darkest book I've read to date so please make sure to check the trigger warnings! Despite the darkness of the content, I still found myself interested in the relationship between August and Clemmie. In all honesty it really made me want to take a deep dive into how childhood trauma affects an individual. It had some surprisingly hot moments, some rather demented mindsets, and a storyline that will drag you in and keep you captive. Tasting Clementine left me pleasantly surprised and maybe a little worried about myself with how much I enjoyed it. Definitely worth the read if you enjoy extra dark romance!

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew this was going to be a dark taboo read, and I had no idea really what I was getting into. But, boy am I glad I picked this up.

Clementine and August are definitely a book couple you won't be forgetting about anytime soon. Clementine is put through some horrific things that she deems normal by her father - but all is not as it seems as Clementine isn't like normal girls either. August wants to help Clementine and when these two get together, it's definitely hot.

This book has very dark themes, so definitely check the TW's before reading. My first read from Holly Bloom, and it definitely won't be my last.

[Marisa Niemann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is dark and has quite a few racier themes, but it is very well written and captivating, I would however suggest taking a look at the trigger warnings before diving in. Clementine and August have chemistry and desire for each other... the only issue is that they are step-siblings, well that, and August's father has set his wicked sights on her. He has essentially raised Clementine to do anything and everything he says, and the worst part is that she does not know that it is wrong because it is all she knows. I really do love August in this book and how he does as best as he can to protect Clementine and to make sure she does not feel more used than she already does.

[Ria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark taboo is a difficult genre to write in but it's also exciting. The entire existence of the genre is because it talks about the unspeakable. Alot of authors try to write it but don't quite get there.

I love this book. It is well written and despite what other reviewers say, it does have trigger warnings, it does warn that the content is explicit and deals with taboo subjects. The reason why alot of people take issue with books like this is because they think they've read taboo and liked it but really it was just meandering on the edge of taboo.

Tasting Clemantine is a book about love, obsession, torture and mental illness.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t seek out dark books normally but this one caught my attention. For the first half I didn’t think it was too dark. Around 50% through it took a turn. I was seriously surprised at how much I enjoyed this story even with how dark it got. The only reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is because the ending left me frustrated. I felt like it just stopped. There was no resolution and no hint as to how things would go in the future.

If you enjoy dark stories I would definitely give this one a try

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please, please read the trigger warnings for this one if there is something that might bother you. I think this book touches on at least 5 touchy topics, many of which are taboo. The story is good but it's hard to connect to any of the characters in the story. Circumstances often change who people are or want to be and that certainly seems to be in play here, but it's still hard to read. Honestly, I would come to terms with one thing and then read the next chapter and be shocked again. That said, it's a good story, with very flawed characters.

[Maelynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty good. Loved the dark aspect and the twists! Could’ve been more spice but it was laid out really well.

Definitely some amazing moments that you 100% don’t expect!!! Loved the character traits that slowly came out the more you read.

Would definitely recommend for those that are looking for something VERY dark and spicy!

While the ending was HEA, I wish we got more of clementine and august. How their relationship develops, the spice between them, how they got somewhere safe. Etc.

[Els † ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say about this novella?!?! It was DARK! We’re introduced to August and Clementine, August is Clementine’s step brother and has feeling for Clementine that he says he shouldn’t have. Clementine feels the same way about August but she has been conditioned to service men at their father’s parties that he hosts, what is worse is that Clementine enjoys the attention and the feelings these men and her father gives her. August is disgusted when he learns of what is happening to Clementine and at these parties and wants to get her out , only problem is Clementine doesn’t want to leave.
Clementine harbours an even darker secret and when everything is revealed these two damaged souls will fight to save each other.

There were points in the book that was extremely uncomfortable to read , did I devour it in a couple of hours? Yes , yes I did but please do heed the warnings before starting this novella as it isn’t for the faint hearted.

The writing and the story is intriguing, drawing you in and making you want to read from start to finish, the descriptive writing paints a vivid picture (even if it is an dark horrid one , you’ll understand when you’re reading it! ). A very dark novella that will quip your morbid curiosity.

[Camilla Bratt · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Why don’t you come and sit with me?”
“Of course, Daddy.”
Hello, darkness, my old friend..... This book is daaaark. If you have a sensitive bone in your body - check the warnings. If not - welcome to the fun house! Slightly uncomfortable at times, this book really takes you down the rabbit hole of the darker side of humans. Clemmy reeeeally isn't like other girls, but does she need saving?
Welcome into the murky waters of her life - enjoy your stay! 🫦

[Kay Haus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dazed and awed!!!

As mentioned in other reviews please read the warnings!! This is a dark, disturbed, dirty, and delicious book. For being a Novella this packed with an intricate story, character development, shock, spice, and a twist I don't think anyone saw coming. I devoured. If you're looking for something outside your comfort zone that will keep you enthralled this is the book for you!
POV first person (both main characters)