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.
“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 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 😆
Bonepetal is an erotic horror that follows Salem, who grew up in a cult. In the prologue, she is to be sacrificed by the cult members to the Devil. Finn was not going to let this happen; he massacred the cult and sacrificed himself so that Salem could live. Salem made a vow to Finn that she would never love again. She broke that vow, now Finn has clawed his way out of hell to claim her.
The Devil needs a soul, but it won’t be yours.
You run Salem. You run and don’t you ever fucking look back. Not tonight. Not ever.
I swear. I’ll never look back and I’ll never love again. I swear it Finn.
Stream and Scream is a slasher-like book; it follows Olivia, who is one of 15 influencer contestants. They signed up for a game of survival, and promised followers, fortune and viral glory if they win. They must survive the weekend and reach the safe zone while being hunted. The catch? The show is real, the hunter is real, and the screams they hear are real. Jaxen is the hunter, a military-trained one at that, and he likes hearing the screams. When he sees Liv, he instantly becomes obsessed and possessive; she is his. He will hunt her, and enjoy it, but he won’t kill her. The producers want her dead, but nothing comes between Jaxen and what he has laid claim to.
For the prey who loves the thrill of the hunt, because we both know you only run to get fucked harder.
Goldrage is book 3 in the Chrysophilist series by Aveline Knight. I have been so super fortunate to ARC read each one in the series. You know a book is good if I sign up for the ARCs for the other books in the series every time they are released!
This is a trilogy, so you must start with book one, which is Goldsin, then book two, which is Goldflame and then this one. They each follow on from one another.
At the end of book 2, Julian had become just like his father. He shoots Adrian and Aurelia, leaving Aurelia with his mother while he takes Adrian away. Obviously, Lady Harrow, being the evil bitch she is, wants to torture Aurelia, who is weak from blood loss. Thankfully, she gets saved by someone I did not expect! Aurelia doesn’t know if Adrian is alive, and Adrian believes Aurelia to be dead. They need to get through to Julian that Lady Harrow is the monster here. Maybe Julian is too far gone to listen to reason? How can Aurelia get into the Harrow home without being shot on sight? By telling them she is pregnant with the next Harrow heir, but whose is it? Julians or Adrians?
This is book 2 in the Esholian Institute series. I’m not sure yet how many books will be in this series, but by the end of this book, there is at least one more to come.
By the Moonbeam and the Mist follows on where book one, By the Orchid and the Owl, ended. Coen and the other faeries have fled; they have wiped Rayna’s mind, and she wakes up on the beach with Jagaros, thinking she partied the night before and is drunk/hungover. This book is set in Rayna’s second year at the institute, and because her mind was wiped, she doesn’t remember Coen, she doesn’t remember the truth about who she is. She ends up finding all of this out again. In this book, she is tasked with finding and catching Coen. Coen has changed, though; he is faster than he should be, and he moves with impeccable speed. Rayna plans to capture him, until she realises that a force is destroying the villages and residents in them. A force that is not Coen, if she is to protect her dads and her friends, she must team up with Coen.
I do hope you find him. True love is such a rare thing to observe from these depths
Little Author is a dark romance novella that follows Elodie, who is an author. Elodie becomes obsessed with Roux Pattel, who has been locked away for life. Roux, also known as the Maestro, is a serial killer. Elodie took Roux’s story and twisted it into a dark, seductive work of fiction. She never imagined her muse would be free, but he is, and he is coming to end her story.
It had been years. Years since I’d touched a throat properly. Years since I’d felt that moment where life shuddered once, then finally gave in to my demand.
