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As Dark As Sin: An Urban Paranormal Romance
SHADOWS CANNOT EXIST WITHOUT THE LIGHT!I put a terrible past behind me when I fled Wilder Heights.
But when my twin sister, Claire, dies, I must return. I’m hated there. It’s easy to understand why. My father is a serial killer who buried women in the woods. I have no intention of staying, until I begin questioning if my sister’s death was actually a suicide.
I reconnect with Andrew, my childhood sweetheart, and he helps me search for answers. He is my stability in a tumultuous life. So it’s no surprise when I feel the old spark between us grow. But I can’t let myself fall for him. Not if I ever want to leave the past behind.
Then I meet Lucien, the charismatic, mysterious club owner. He’s powerful and a little dangerous and exactly the type of guy I should stay away from.
As I continue to search, I uncover secrets, revealing dark and twisted tales of demons, vampires, and werewolves.
The deeper I plunge into this surreal world, the more I don’t know who I can trust, and I risk losing both my heart and my life.
AS DARK AS SIN is a standalone paranormal romance. This dark world is filled with mystery, romance, supernatural creatures, and twists that will keep you guessing until the end.
But when my twin sister, Claire, dies, I must return. I’m hated there. It’s easy to understand why. My father is a serial killer who buried women in the woods. I have no intention of staying, until I begin questioning if my sister’s death was actually a suicide.
I reconnect with Andrew, my childhood sweetheart, and he helps me search for answers. He is my stability in a tumultuous life. So it’s no surprise when I feel the old spark between us grow. But I can’t let myself fall for him. Not if I ever want to leave the past behind.
Then I meet Lucien, the charismatic, mysterious club owner. He’s powerful and a little dangerous and exactly the type of guy I should stay away from.
As I continue to search, I uncover secrets, revealing dark and twisted tales of demons, vampires, and werewolves.
The deeper I plunge into this surreal world, the more I don’t know who I can trust, and I risk losing both my heart and my life.
AS DARK AS SIN is a standalone paranormal romance. This dark world is filled with mystery, romance, supernatural creatures, and twists that will keep you guessing until the end.
- GenresFantasy
415 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 21, 2023
172 people are currently reading
530 people want to read
About the author
Andy Lee Barnes
9 books98 followersAndy Barnes lives Tasmania with her husband, Nick, and their two girls, Pirri and Inika. When she isn't glued to the keyboard, a steaming cup of coffee and a choc chip cookie by her side, then you can usually find her running her children around, from one thing to another, or outside enjoying nature with the families labradors, Tilly, Caddie and Pepper.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
December 16, 2022
Thank you to the author for an advance copy of As Dark as Sin! I really enjoyed this novel and blew through it. All the twists got me, and there was never a dull moment. These characters had my heart and the character growth was so great. I really didn’t see the hidden depths of some of these characters and was her for all of the shocks. I definitely recommend checking out this fantasy!
March 10, 2025
I enjoyed this book a lot. Was it a masterpiece, no, was it a fun read? Absolutely! I am a sucker for a murder mystery with a paranormal flair. I enjoyed the plot immensely. I will say the characters were not immersive but it was enough to get behind them while reading. I truly felt for the FMC and the trauma she went through. I can see how others may be upset that the characters seemed to be more surface-level, I thought it was fine. I'd give it about a 🌶🌶 in the spice rating.
May 15, 2024
What the fuck kind of ending was that? Lord 🤦🏻♀️😔
January 8, 2023
This is a dark paranormal romance by one of my favourite authors Andy Lee Barnes. Also it’s my first read of the year, and wow it started with a bang. Like New Year firework celebrations, it was exciting, explosive, sparkled and just lit up the pages.
Penn’s twin sister Claire sadly committed suicide, forcing Penn to go back to the one place she swore, she would never go again, her home town. She has too many dark childhood memories or lack thereof. One in particular, a traumatic event that resulted in the grizzly death of her best friend while they were teenagers. Penn has no memory of the night, yet was found covered in blood. The entire town blamed her and quite honestly, given who her father is, she too thinks she is somehow to blame.
On returning home she meets up with Andrew, her childhood sweetheart who she still holds a torch for, and a new dark stranger, nightclub owner Lucien. Both have her head in a spin. But not only that, they could help her to discover what really happened to her sister! Nothing adds up and it looks like this apparent suicide, was in fact murder.
Lots of twists and turns in this page turner, with never a dull moment. The characters are fantastic but especially Penn, who hasn’t had an easy life, yet her strength of character and sassy personality makes you love her.
The writing was spot on, both unpredictable and unputdownable. Clever world building and storytelling, that left me wanting more from this universe.
I highly recommend, especially if you like thrillers and PNR as much as I do. Oh not to mention the spice levels are off the charts.
Without a shadow of a doubt a 5/5 from me.
Penn’s twin sister Claire sadly committed suicide, forcing Penn to go back to the one place she swore, she would never go again, her home town. She has too many dark childhood memories or lack thereof. One in particular, a traumatic event that resulted in the grizzly death of her best friend while they were teenagers. Penn has no memory of the night, yet was found covered in blood. The entire town blamed her and quite honestly, given who her father is, she too thinks she is somehow to blame.
On returning home she meets up with Andrew, her childhood sweetheart who she still holds a torch for, and a new dark stranger, nightclub owner Lucien. Both have her head in a spin. But not only that, they could help her to discover what really happened to her sister! Nothing adds up and it looks like this apparent suicide, was in fact murder.
Lots of twists and turns in this page turner, with never a dull moment. The characters are fantastic but especially Penn, who hasn’t had an easy life, yet her strength of character and sassy personality makes you love her.
The writing was spot on, both unpredictable and unputdownable. Clever world building and storytelling, that left me wanting more from this universe.
I highly recommend, especially if you like thrillers and PNR as much as I do. Oh not to mention the spice levels are off the charts.
Without a shadow of a doubt a 5/5 from me.
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November 12, 2025So this book popped in my TikTok feed and I was like 🤔...ok let me check this out. The Twilight references had me cackling. But this story follows Penn and her treck back to the town that hates her after the death of her twin sister. The way she is trying to deal with her death after their father murdered their mother 10 years prior is just damn. Like i would've been ina padded room at this point. Then we meet up with Andrew her childhood best friend and first crush, definitely got some chemistry going on with small town hottie. Then she also meets Mr Mysterious... Lucien at a club. And not just any club....his club. Andrew says he's bad news but something about him keeps pulling her in. Could out be.. oh idk maybe that he's a freaking vampire. She begins to learn maybe she didn't know much about her sister after all.... between a lock and keys that open a portal to hell. The hell hounds that guard the space. And let's not forget werewolves.. this are a little crazy in her home town and nothing has ever been as it seemed.
December 20, 2023
I was luck enough to Beta read this book and I loved it. It’s not often I review books I beta read but this one definitely deserves it. It isn’t your typical PNR. It is full of mystery and twists and I found it hard to put down. The characters are complex and interesting. Basically, it’s a great read.
April 17, 2024
Andy lee just keeps hitting it out the park for me, this is my 4th book of hers I’ve read and as with all the other books i bloody enjoyed it.
The plots are always great and the chemistry with all her characters Is just amazing
This book was hard y me because I couldn’t choose who i loved more for Penn, Lucien or Andrew i just wanted her to have them both
The plots are always great and the chemistry with all her characters Is just amazing
This book was hard y me because I couldn’t choose who i loved more for Penn, Lucien or Andrew i just wanted her to have them both
June 19, 2024
This book had so much potential until the last 150 pages. I wasn't a fan of not only the way in which it ended, but it seemed rushed to wrap everything up by the end of the book. I'm usually not one to give bad reviews, and I'm not sure if this is a stand-alone or a start to a series, but I'm hopeful everything is not as it seems if there is a second book and she redeems herself.
June 23, 2025
The first half of the book? Pretty good—solid pacing and a promising setup. But the second half… chaos. Everything happens at once, and yet somehow nothing feels deep. It’s rushed, messy, and the ending? Just no.
BookTok definitely got me with this one—it sounded like so much more than it actually was.
BookTok definitely got me with this one—it sounded like so much more than it actually was.
December 22, 2025
Ok
I don’t care for the writing and took a minute to get into. And if I am honest I got bored every so often and skipped useless fluff.
All in all I think the world needed better description. I’d have liked more finding out who she is and learning her gifts not just magically stumbling into surviving.
I’d have liked better connection between mmc and fmc but it’s whatever.
I don’t care for the writing and took a minute to get into. And if I am honest I got bored every so often and skipped useless fluff.
All in all I think the world needed better description. I’d have liked more finding out who she is and learning her gifts not just magically stumbling into surviving.
I’d have liked better connection between mmc and fmc but it’s whatever.
May 1, 2024
Cannot get enough
Saw a little review blurb and decided to check out an unfinished series by this author & here I am now trying to get my hands on anything else she writes. Really enjoying her books & this one was no exception. On to the next one… highly recommend.
Saw a little review blurb and decided to check out an unfinished series by this author & here I am now trying to get my hands on anything else she writes. Really enjoying her books & this one was no exception. On to the next one… highly recommend.
July 17, 2024
3.5⭐️
This was an interesting world to slip into. Penelope has had her fair share of trauma in her life. After losing the last of her family, she comes home for the funeral. She starts to pack up their house and belongings when strange things begin to happen. Just like before.
This was an interesting world to slip into. Penelope has had her fair share of trauma in her life. After losing the last of her family, she comes home for the funeral. She starts to pack up their house and belongings when strange things begin to happen. Just like before.
February 22, 2025
Meh
I felt like the author didn’t put enough over depth within the character for me to be able to feel something for the good and bad characters.
Just surface level. Like reading a summary at book length
I felt like the author didn’t put enough over depth within the character for me to be able to feel something for the good and bad characters.
Just surface level. Like reading a summary at book length
June 13, 2025
3
Took wayyyy too long for the fmc to get with the guy and that happened in the epilogue, also spent too long with the OM, like who’s the main guy?
The urban paranormal part was interesting enough,
Took wayyyy too long for the fmc to get with the guy and that happened in the epilogue, also spent too long with the OM, like who’s the main guy?
The urban paranormal part was interesting enough,
February 12, 2025
Good plot not great writing, got lost every now and then
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April 16, 2025DNF: Not feeling it..
August 9, 2025
3.5
This was a quick, captivating read. Well, it was quick at all
This was a quick, captivating read. Well, it was quick at all
January 28, 2023
Paranormal Romantic Suspense
I loved every darkest corner in this book!
"27 bones in human hand" leads into a great scene of riveting dialogue and observation between two characters Penn & Lucian !!
Andy has written a riveting, suspenseful, and heart-pounding Story. It combines supernatural suspense, paranormal romance, and action-adventure in a thrilling novel.
It was the perfect blend of paranormal and believability. There is a serious undertone and dark backstory in this book, but Andy has ability make her books approachable by softening with a humorous edge.
Anyone who enjoys urban fantasy/paranormal romance will enjoy this! There is no doubt thst Lucian is one sexy beast!!
I will update this review on rereading.
Jasmin E Reads
I loved every darkest corner in this book!
"27 bones in human hand" leads into a great scene of riveting dialogue and observation between two characters Penn & Lucian !!
Andy has written a riveting, suspenseful, and heart-pounding Story. It combines supernatural suspense, paranormal romance, and action-adventure in a thrilling novel.
It was the perfect blend of paranormal and believability. There is a serious undertone and dark backstory in this book, but Andy has ability make her books approachable by softening with a humorous edge.
Anyone who enjoys urban fantasy/paranormal romance will enjoy this! There is no doubt thst Lucian is one sexy beast!!
I will update this review on rereading.
Jasmin E Reads
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews