On the 25th of October, I attended Authors At The Armouries in Leeds. This was the biggest book event I have ever been to. To be fair, it was also my second ever one, haha. My first being Authors Behind Bars in Shrewsbury last November. Unless meeting Tulisa at a Waterstones signing counts, if so, it was my third, not second lol.
Mara by SK Pryntz
18+ Contains Adult Content
Mara is the last book in the Wellard Asylum series, although they can be read in any order. It will be released on the 31st of October.
Mara follows Mara, who is a nurse at Wellard Asylum. Mara has always been very career-driven and has never given her love life much thought. When she bumps into a tattooed biker in a frozen yoghurt shop, she can’t help but feel pulled to him. So she does what anyone would do, she drags him to the bathroom, where he shows her that his mouth has a much better use than talking. She doesn’t want his name, just a quick fumble. Except it turns out that the stranger whose face she just rode, is her sister’s boyfriend, Jinx. Jinx, who is obsessed with Mara, uses her sister to get close to Mara. Gianna Mara’s sister turns up dead, with all the evidence pointing to Jinx.
I kept Gianna sheltered as much as I could…I thrived in chaos. It freaked me out when things were too calm.
Can’t Stop by Lauren Biel
18+ Contains Adult Content
Can’t Stop is a sequel to Don’t Stop. It follows Rayna and Dalton, who find their way to a small town which is full of death and dead things. Which really Rayna should love, but even she thinks that something is not right and is creeped out. When they meet the crazy family who wishes to sacrifice Dalton and use Rayna to “wake” their son, things go from creepy to murderous fun for the Halloween Harvesters.
Almost as fabulous as the taxidermy-rat thong I hold against my pants.
Nightmare Acres by Dakota Wilde
18+ Contains Adult Content
Nightmare Acres follows Lydia, who is going on a “fun” girls’ trip away to what she believes is a fright camp with scare actors. However, they soon realise that the monsters at Nightmare Acres are not actors; they are real. Not everyone leaves Nightmare Acres. Will Lydia and her friends?
Nightmare Acres is a place for the broken, the depraved and the damned. And I fit into all three categories.
Pretty Broken Wings by Alina May
18+ Contains Adult Content
Pretty Broken Wings follows Raven, who has moved to live in Hollows Grove after leaving her ex in the middle of the night. She is trying to lay low and not be found by her ex, but she carries around this immense anger at the world. She bumps into Axel, who also carries around a tremendous amount of anger. Axel is used to girls throwing themself at him, but not Raven and that infuriates him. So he does what any sane man would do and starts to stalk her. She retaliates by breaking his glasses, except they are not his; they belong to his twin brother, Gage. Axel and Gage are identical twins and are both classed as legally blind, especially without their glasses. Gage is a lawyer who now needs someone to be his eyes while he preps for a case. Raven broke the glasses, so it’s only fair that she does it. If Gage so happens to fall for her during this time, then well, he and Axel will have to fight it out…or will they? They could share her. I mean, why should she choose?
Raven wants to play hard to get with the fucking slut. Okay, little bird. Let’s play.
The Taskmaster by Nikki J Summers
The Taskmaster is a dark romance book that follows The Taskmaster, the player of games and Abigail Walters. Abigail is next on the Taskmaster’s list, his list for revenge, but she becomes so much more than that to him. He isn’t the only predator watching from the shadows, either. His prey has another stalker, and that just won’t do! What neither of them knows is that all their paths are more intertwined than they realise.
I kept my thoughts and words inside. They were mine. Only mine. They were the one thing no one else could get at. Like a treasure, I kept them locked away.
Beautiful Nightmare by Kinsley Kincaid
Releases 17th October 2025
Beautiful Nightmare is a paranormal thriller which follows Royce, the FMC and Prince, the MMC. Both are brought to live at Agatha Manor after the death of their parents. They have no access to their powers and not many memories of them either. Prince likes to dominate Royce whenever he can, viewing her as a possession. She knows that fighting back only turns him on even more and decides she may as well get her pleasure too. She deals with him because she has to. Then one night, Prince’s powers return, and all hell breaks loose.
Ding-dong, can you hear me?
Can you feel me?
You’re going to die. Now, Mommy, die.
Tragically Yours by Jamie Applegate Hunter
“Tragically Yours is a dual POV standalone fantasy romance with a romance-heavy plot & simple world building. It is a fast-paced, easy read.”
Tragically Yours is book 3 in Jamie’s Fae Kings of Eden series; they are all standalones that can be read in any order, though. This book follows Dean, who is the fae Prince and then later on the King of the Garden Kingdom, and Fawn, who is half human, half fae. Dean is a full bloodied fae and a royal one at that. On the 13th birthday, the royal fae are whispered the name of their mate. There mate who will have been born on the same day as him, traditionally, royals find their mates at 13 and bring them straight to their kingdom to keep them safe. Dean, however, cannot find his mate; he can feel her through the bond until the bond goes silent. His father then delivers the news of her death.
I hope you’re a good man. Because if you’re not, I’ll have no problem burying you beneath a pile of shit where you belong.
Xantera by Mariah Montoya and Grace Pearce
Releases 13th October 2025
Xantera follows 23-year-old Saskia, who lives in a utopian society ruled by 12 guardians. Saskia has always been taught to never question the rules and to fear the monster who prowls outside the wall, which is there to protect them. She eats what she is told, she works where she is told, and she is even in a relationship with whom she is told. They control every aspect of the citizens’ lives. Saskia is a healer, and when one of her patients is acting shifty and then disappears, Saskia does what no one in Xantera should do: she starts thinking and asking questions. When she sees her patient again, he is being escorted by the sentries, but she notices as he throws a necklace to the side of the road. Saskia is curious and picks this up; she doesn’t know what it is and is utterly shocked when a voice speaks to her in her head. The voice is that of the monster outside the wall, the one she should fear, and he wants her to let him in.
What do I want from you, little nightmare?
I want you to let me in
Each month, I try and interview a new author. This month, I reached out to Nikki J Summer. Nikki is a lovely person, she is also a dark romance author, and her book, The Taskmaster, is being released this month! I will give you a little bit about The Taskmaster at the end.
Fun fact, Nikki’s book The Psycho was my first ever dark romance book, it was pretty much my first romance book too, I think. Well, I read Twilight in my teens, but other than that and fanfiction, it was my foot in the door of the romance genre, especially dark romance. Now here we are, a few years later, with 3 bookshelves full of romance books and a Kindle with plenty of unhinged spicy books on it. I have zero regrets, but just so you know, Nikki, I blame you for my obsession, since it started with you 😆
Without further ado, let’s jump into it ☺️
Continue reading “An Interview with Nikki J Summers: The Author Who Sparked My Love for Dark Romance”
