Category: Dark Romance

Dark Romance, Erotica, Fantasy, New Adult, New Adult Romance

My Review: Kiss Of The Basilisk (Split Or Swallow #1): by Lindsay Straube

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Publish Date: February 25th, 2025
Number of pages: 528 Pages
Publisher: Bloom Books
Genre(s): Fantasy, Erotica, Romance

Total Star Rating: 4.25 Stars

What It’s About:

The official synopsis:

THIS BOOK IS NOT SAFE TO READ AT WORK. YOU’VE BEEN WARNED.

Twenty year old Temperance Verus has never been kissed. But that’s what the basilisk is for.

Along with thirteen other contestants, Tem must train with a basilisk to learn the power of seduction and win the prince’s hand in marriage. When Tem is matched with Caspen, the Serpent King, she realizes she might actually stand a chance. But with tensions rising between the basilisks and the humans, Tem is suddenly torn in two directions.

As her bond with Caspen deepens, so does her connection with the prince, Leo. And when she uncovers a terrible secret about the royal family, Tem finds herself caught between two neither of which she can survive without.

Guaranteed to make you blush (and then some), Split or Swallow is like if fanfic Draco Malfoy went on the Bachelor and had to compete with a snake. Sounds fun, doesn’t it? That’s because it is!!

~~~

…I don’t know if I’d necessarily call this book “unhinged” like so many are, unless thats a play words on how snakes can unhinge their jaws to eat large prey, then go off….ANYWAYS, I can say this book that I’ve been coining as the “snake porn” book was an entertaining journey no matter what any buzzword you want to also use!

This is like an oversexualized, Slytherin-esque with lots of snake shifters, adult version of the YA romance series, The Selection or the tv show The Bachelor, where there’s all these girls in the kingdom who are literally selected and made to compete for the hand (and heart?) of the prince, who is in his height of glory over all these girls fawning over him like he’s Justin-freakin-Beiber in his prime…but the twist? All the girls are being “trained” by the basilisk shifters, who are not exactly slaves but their kind lost some war long ago and so now they serve the royal family…Hey, I didn’t write it!

But yes, the basilisk shifters are to “train” these young women and help them learn the ways of seduction and how to please a man…so yes you can guess there is HELLA sex in this book. Temperance Verus, or Tem for short, is our FMC and she’s selected to be amongst this latest harem, and she’s paired with Caspen, a smoking hot (sometimes literally) basilisk shifter. From lots of spicy lessons, they develop feelings for each other, but Tem also finds herself drawn to the royal prince whom she’s trying to marry, so how’s a girl supposed to choose????

While this twisty love triangle is forming, there is also definitely some tension rising amongst the basilisks and the humans and war could definitely be on the horizon!

So despite this book not being as unhinged as the hype made it out to be, I did find myself really enjoying this one! It was fun, it was WEIRD, it was hella spicy, and most importantly it really kept my attention all throughout. Sure there were some major clichés with the cast like the beautiful mean girl rival, the slutty gay best friend, and the arrogant prince and the evil king who’s just evil for the sake of being evil, BUT it’s still actually an enjoyable story!

It’s one of those things where I feel like you can really like this one if you go in knowing not to take it seriously and if you’re into the dark and spicy romantasy books and slight monster erotica-ness to it too!

~~~

What I Liked:

  1. The Love Triangle! I don’t care what anyone else says to this, I’m a fan of a love triangle arc when it’s done right! There are plenty of books where it isn’t, but this one was fun because at the end of it, part of me truly questions who Tem will end up with! I mean, obviously I’d ideally love it to become poly or just why choose/reverse harem
  2. The Spice Lessons! I actually enjoyed the aspect of this story of Caspen and Tem’s relationship building off the “lessons” Caspen bestows upon her throughout the first chunk of the book. It of course led to A LOT of smutty goodness in the story, and I’m now questioning if this book is going to be my gateway drug into monster romance…

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. The Cliché Cast of Characters…The one thing I was really mehhhhh about was that the cast of characters for this felt very cliché….we had the slutty gay best friend, the mean girl rival fighting for the hand of the prince, the “not like most girls” FMC makes for a pretty unoriginal cast of characters. Luckily the book is still fun to read, but most of these characters defs just felt like copy and pasted character archetypes we’ve seen so many other times.
  2. The Ending…The ending wasn’t necessarily bad, but I’m also definitely questioning where it’s going to take the story into the next book for sure. Like it’s definitely a choice to say the least.

Conclusion:

Overall, It was a fun and entertaining, but also sexually WILD story. Obviously don’t expect the next literary masterpiece with this, but spicy/smutty book lovers who enjoy some romantasy shenanigans with a sprinkle of monster romance too will find this book to be pretty fun! Just don’t go in taking it too seriously and just have fun with it is all I can suggest!

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Dark Romance, Fantasy, New Adult, New Adult Romance, Paranormal, Romance, sci-fi

My Review: Tragic Bonds (Bonds That Tie #5): by J. Bree

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Publish Date: June 28th, 2022
Number of Pages: 470 Pages
Publisher: Independently Published
Genre(s): Fantasy, Reverse Harem, Paranormal Romance, New Adult Romance

**Warning!! This review contains spoilers for this review and previous books in the series, so continue reading on at your own risk! You’ve officially been warned!!**

To see my review of book 1 – Broken Bonds – Click HERE

To see my review of book 2 – Savage Bonds – Click HERE

To see my review of book 3 – Blood Bonds – Click HERE

To see my review of book 4 – Forced Bonds – Click HERE

Total Star Rating: 3.75 Stars

Recovery isn’t about wiping the board clean. Recovery is learning how to function around all of the scars and open wounds inside of us.”

— J.Bree, “Tragic Bonds”

What It’s About:

The official synopsis:

Nothing will ever be the same again. Our Bonded Group has been torn apart, and the monsters are now the prey. But we’re not going to just wait around for our enemy to strike; the blood on his hands is unforgivable, and the god living inside of me wants her revenge paid in blood.

And a thousand souls.

We have been pushed to the limit, tested in ways that have devastating outcomes, and paid the ultimate price. Can we recover from such losses? Is the promise of a world without our enemy worth the sacrifices we’ve made? Can we prove to everyone, and ourselves, that together our bonds are unbroken?

**Tragic Bonds is a full-length reverse harem PNR novel with material that may be difficult for some readers. This book will end on a cliffhanger. It’s recommended for 18+ due to language and sexual situations. Book 5 in the 6 book series.**

~~~

My GAWD with these cliffhanger endings! That last one was WILD! But we FINALLY get to see what the freakin’ deal with Nox is all about and why he was such a moody, broody A-hole throughout the series…and woah, that’s a lot of trauma to unload!

That was for sure the main….highlight? Not sure if it’s a highlight because it gets pretty dark and intense with learning about Nox’s dark past, but it’s definitely a huge noteworthy moment not only for this book but for the whole dang series.

I’m loving the idea of exploring the bonded sides of each them as separate beings/deities and how they have their own personalities…like the bonded side of Oli is still a stone-cold vicious bitch and I love her for her bloodthirst! It’s been a slow journey to learn more about these “upside-down” versions of the characters, but it’s also been very fun!

There’s not much to add at this point that isn’t spoilery, so Imma keep it brief and say the usual remarks I’ve made still stick with this one too: there are high exciting moments throughout but at the same time it feels very repetitive in other areas. The romance is great and I still love how the author manages to make each relationship feel unique and different from the rest of them amongst North, Gabe, Atlas, Gryphon, and Nox all with Oli. She makes it feel very organic and natural and realistic with the weariness and tension and doubt that rises up amongst them, but there’s still a mutual respect and understanding too because they know as a bonded group they have to learn to coexist either way.

And just like all the other books, holy CRAP THAT ending!! Jbree is a master at those juicy cliffhangers!

~~~

Not even death can keep us apart. Every part of you belongs to me, and I will tear any man apart who dares to get in my way. Bond or not.”

— J.Bree, “Tragic Bonds”

~~~

What I Liked:

  1. All the Main Characters! I love the main six characters so much by now, of course some more than others….despite everything, Gryphon is still my number one guy with that dirty mouth of his!
  2. Learning Nox’s Dark History! Whats crazy is you go into this disturbing part right as you start the book too! Like you are dragged into the dark and see it firsthand so this book will instantly grab you and keep you locked in its talons if you’ve made it this far.
  3. Learning More History On the Bonded! As we’ve become aware of the bonded beings being literally a whole other presence inside the main six characters, it was good to get more answers on the history of this part of the worldbuilding/lore/magic system!
  4. That Cliffhanger Ending! Another crazy one that’ll make you want to start the next book instantly just like the others!

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. Too Many Side Characters…The minor characters/side cast feels very overcrowded by this point in my opinion, there’s just so many? I get overwhelmed when there’s too many faces/names to remember.
  2. Too Repetitive…It’s become apparent the overarching plot feels very repetitive by this point and that does make part of the story drag in parts for me, its more the characters that keep me attached to it by this point. I feel like this series could’ve been condensed down to like 5 books? I know why it’s 6 so each main character can get the cover attention and for aesthetics, but part of me wonders if that’s why it feels like it drags on more and more at this point in the series?

~~~

Conclusion:

Overall, like all the other books in this series, there are some major high points this one brings to the whole series, but there is also the nagging repetitiveness I know I bring up almost every review now…. I’m even getting annoyed at myself for how often I bring it up.

The plot to me is so-so by now, but the characters are really what do it for me! I love this cast of characters and their dynamics amongst each other and how they develop over the course of this series.

As we now move onto the final book, here’s hoping it all ends on a good note!

Thanks for reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Dark Romance, Erotica, New Adult, New Adult Romance, Romance

My Review: God Of Malice (Legacy of Gods #1): by Rina Kent

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Publish Date: July 14th, 2022
Number of Pages: 576 Pages
Publisher: Bloom Books
Genre(s): Dark Romance, New Adult Romance

Total Star Rating: 4.25 Stars

Not all girls like the hero. I was fated to fall in love with the villain. Because I know, I just know that he’ll put me ahead of everyone. Himself included.”

— Rina Kent, “God Of Malice”

What It’s About:

The Official Synopsis:

I caught the attention of a monster.
I didn’t ask for it.
Didn’t even see it coming.
But the moment I do, it’s too late.
Killian Carson is a predator wrapped in sophisticated charm.
He’s cold-blooded, manipulative, and savage.
The worst part is that no one sees his devil side.
I do.
And that will cost me everything.
I run, but the thing about monsters?
They always chase.

This book is not a conventional romance and contains themes that aren’t to everyone’s liking. Please check the author’s note before reading.

~~~

Now here’s a book that, in my humble opinion, lived up to the MASSIVE hype it’s received…

Being a part of the book community, and a growing fan of the Dark Romance sub-genre specifically, it’s probably hard to traverse this particular corner of the community without having coming across the Legacy of Gods series by Rina Kent. It feels like it’s just about everywhere, and there are multiple different sets and editions that go for astronomical resale prices on the BST market too.

I’ll admit seeing that stay pretty consistent also made me super curious about these books and the hype around them…

Okay, so this book definitely starts off with a bang…and then it just devolves into more beautiful chaos from there. This book revolves around Glyndon King and Killian Carson, two college-age students of the ultra british elite. Glyndon is on a cliff looking over the ocean where she’d witnessed a friend drive over towards his unexpected but brutal death. Haunted with those past images stuck in her brain, that’s where a grieving Glyndon meets the enigmatic and chaotic Killian, and like I said…it just gets more and more out of control from there!

Killian was a really fun anti-hero, dark knight sort of character because the dude was a legit psychopath/sociopath, but he still had a ton of charm to him! He gave me Joe Goldberg from YOU vibes sort of in that sense, but he makes Joe look pretty mild in comparison if that says anything. His snark and banter were top tier throughout; I even found myself falling for the villain here.

My only critiques of this book were it felt like it didn’t need to be as long as it was, like it could’ve been condensed somewhat, because I did find myself getting a little impatient towards the 75% mark in this book. My only other critique was all the many other characters introduced, especially right away in like the 3rd or 4th chapter, but I also know most if not all of them are the main stars of the next books in this series. I maybe just wish we were introduced to them more smoothly throughout the book instead of all clumped together…it’s like when you’re introduced to a whole lunch table of new people and their names are listed off back to back; how many of those people’s names do you actually remember after 5 minutes?

I will admit, I was hesitant to start this sooner because of the MASSIVE universe these books are a part of with a lot of Rina Kent books/series. I know the parents of the characters are stars in other series that take place way before these, but luckily I found myself able to get through this book no problem without having read any of the previous books beforehand. Sure, you’d probably get more out of this book if you HAD read them before and learned the stories of the parents, but here’s me saying it’s not entirely necessary. Thank god for that too, because it’s a HUGE commitment to read all the books that take place before the Legacy of Gods series, which then ironically has become the most popular of them.

~~~

Understand this, Glyndon, there’s nothing noble or tender about what I feel for you. It’s violent volcano of obsession, possession, and deranged lust. If you want love, then I do love you, but it’s the unorthodox version of love. I love you enough to let you within my walls. I love you enough to let you talk to my demons. I love you enough to allow you to have a hold over me when I’ve never allowed anyone to have the power to destroy me from inside out.”

— Rina Kent, “God Of Malice”

What I Liked:

  1. The Banter! The back and forths between Killian and Glyndon were just so so good. It felt like it was like a third of the book, and I don’t have any complaints about that at all! I am always a sucker for good snarky banter.
  2. Killian Carson! He is a dark, sexy, psychotic MOFO who actually had quite a bit of depth to him too. That was surprising to me, like he wasn’t a dark character just for the sake of it or for cheap shock value, it felt natural and explored wonderfully in this story with some explanations brought forward to make him feel like a truly well thought out and fleshed out character.
  3. Amazing Cast of Characters! While a lot of them get thrown at you right away, once you start to distinguish them from each other, I did really enjoy each character and the different dynamics that were presented. A lot of easter eggs were definitely planted for the next books too, it was fun to try and catch them with what limited knowledge I had.
  4. The Start of the Book! This book starts off in a really exciting and attention grabbing way, and as someone who gives a book 100 pages to grab my attention before I decide to DNF it and move onto the next, I thought with how this book started was a great way to instantly hook readers!

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. Too Many Introductions At Once…Way too many characters were introduced to me all at the same time and all right away in the very beginning of the book…It felt like a dark college romance version of like Game of Thrones or something…I eventually got them all figured out and distinguished, but man was it overwhelming at first!
  2. Part of Multi-Series Universe…This could be a good or bad thing depending on the kind of reader you are, but the fact that this series is the very latest in a LONG line of other books/series that are all connected was a major yellow light/yield sign that made me hesitate for like a year before finally deciding to dive in. Luckily it’s not required to have read all of them before starting LOG series, but it enhances your overall experience reading this too, and part of me does feel the FOMO of not having read from the very chronological beginning

Conclusion:

Overall, this was one hell of a way to start a series, and I can say I am HOOKED and I will definitely be reading on to see how the other books are! Killian was a perfect addictive psychopath and Glyndon was the perfect angel who could make him see the light as well as explore her dark side too…

This book is perfect for fans of opposites attract, dubcon/noncon, mafia/secret societies, dark college romance type stories with lots of banter and spice to boot.

Like I mentioned above, this is one of those massively hyped/popular books that actually lived up to all the hype! I definitely recommend it if this sounds like your kind of book to dive into.

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Dark Romance, LGBT, New Adult, New Adult Romance

My Review: The Raven King (All For the Game #2): by Nora Sakavic

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Publish Date: March 31st, 2016

Number of Pages: 328 Pages

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing

Genre(s): New Adult

***Warning!! This review contains spoilers from the previous book in the trilogy! Continue reading at your own risk, you’ve officially been warned!!***

To see my review of book #1 – The Foxhole Court – Click HERE!

To see my Fancast/Dreamcast for the trilogy – click HERE!

Total Star Rating: 2.5 Stars

He was their family. They were his. They were worth every cut and bruise and scream.”

— Nora Sakavic, “The Raven King”

I wish so much that I loved this sequel like so many other fans do, and maybe this is just another case of the (self diagnosed) ADD I’ve formed during the stay at home with COVID since mid-March that’s made even enjoying a book a major chore because my anxiety and depression have made motivation almost nonexistent for mostly everything but mindlessly binge-watching Netflix and/or Hulu, but I couldn’t get into this book I’m afraid to say!

It wasn’t a completely negative experience at least; I can say I did notice quite a bit in this book that many others can appreciate: The author’s writing has improved quite a bit, and leaves you feeling much more emotionally involved with the characters because let me tell you… the characters are the saviors of these books! The plot moves slow, excessively slow in my opinion, but what really drives the story and gives it so much life are the characters and witnessing them slowly but surely becoming closer to each other, Neil Josten being a catalyst to make it happen. I’m a total sucker for those “found family” stories, especially the ones with a group of outcasts that all come from tragic backgrounds, believe they’ll never have anyone else care one bit about them, but then they form a family with others just like them and show vulnerability because they finally feel safe enough to reveal that side of them!

Literally, give me any works of fiction like that and I am HERE for it!

I can also appreciate the heavier, trigger heavy material that these books have to offer because lately it just feels like a lot of the mainstream literature is what I deem too “safe,” and the fact that these books have material like assault, rape, drugs and alcohol, violence, torture, etc. makes it feel surprisingly achingly real, but also mixed with some over-the-top vibes that remind me somewhat of the ridiculousness that the CW’s Riverdale tv show has become lately. With recent events in my home state of Minnesota and even all over the United States, I do have to point out that this may be my privilege talking because I haven’t experienced any of these traumatic situations in my life, so I know I need to watch how I scoff at people who take the trigger warnings in books more seriously. If anything, it’s shown me the importance of compassion and trying to look through the eyes of someone else and make sure they’re validated too.

I just have to say that the first large chunk of the book was just so BORING for me! I actually almost DNF’d this book because it was so hard to get through and I felt such little interest. I admit I kind of had similar feelings to the first book, but it felt like everything was even more elevated, but unfortunately that also was apparent with my lack of interest in the slower moments. The main highlight was learning more about the past of a lot of the characters, and it makes you really start to understand their methods, actions, and just the way they are in general. Andrew certainly has a traumatic past, to put it mildly!

What It’s About:

The Official Blurb:

The Foxes are a fractured mess, but their latest disaster might be the miracle they’ve always needed to come together as a team. The one person standing in their way is Andrew, and the only one who can break through his personal barriers is Neil.

Except Andrew doesn’t give up anything for free and Neil is terrible at trusting anyone but himself. The two don’t have much time to come to terms with their situation before outside forces start tearing them apart. Riko is intent on destroying Neil’s fragile new life, and the Foxes have just become collateral damage.

Neil’s days are numbered, but he’s learning the hard way to go down fighting for what he believes in, and Neil believes in Andrew even if Andrew won’t believe in himself.

They never pried, but it took him weeks to realize they didn’t have to. They didn’t ask for secrets; they settled for the breadcrumb truths of day to day life. They knew he hated vegetables but loved fruit, that his favorite color was gray, and that he didn’t like movies or loud music. They were things Neil understood only in terms of survival, but his teammates hoarded these insights like gold. They were piecing Neil together and building a real person around all of his lies. They found the parts of him no disguise could change.”

— Nora Sakavic, “The Raven King”

What I Liked:

  1. The Found Family Aesthetic! Like I said it before, I’m a huge slut for these kinds of stories! About to go all psychologist right now, but part of me feels like I’m really drawn to these stories because growing up, I never felt like I fit in anywhere, and that I was a huge outcast. I wasn’t necessarily bullied or a social pariah, but I wasn’t homecoming court material either… I was just there, you know? Having that experience, I really empathize with characters that have so much inner self doubt and have convinced themselves that no one will appreciate them, no one will care, and then barely hold it together when they do eventually find that family they’ve always secretly wanted! When Neil froze in pure shock at Nicky calling him a friend…. Man, did I feel that right in my heart!
  2. The “Raw” and “Heavy” Subject Matter! Maybe it’s not all handled the right way, and I did say this in the previous review too, but I still say I appreciate the darker themes and actions these books have shown. Imagine if shows like Riverdale and Elite were rated R, and that’s pretty much the same vibes as the All for the Game trilogy!
  3. More Character Development! The Foxhole Court was all about simply meeting the characters, so it was nice to see some major character development and motive reveals in The Raven King. I think some of it could’ve been revealed in a more interesting way, but it sure makes for you to maybe understand the characters a little more. You may still not like them a whole lot, but at least understand them a little better. Andrew was a great example of this. You really learn a lot about his tragic past, and you could even say to yourself: “You know, I’d probably go psychotic too if all that happened to me!”

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. The First 60% is BORING…I just couldn’t get into it! I mean, sure it was nice that more background info was revealed about the characters, but it was mostly by having someone other than the actual characters themselves talk about it and sit down with Neil to do so. For me, it felt repetitive at a certain point, and I couldn’t help but feel like this book really dragged.
  2. Andrew & His Drugs…I still don’t entirely follow this whole aspect of the story, and am pretty sure there’s nothing logical behind it other than maybe some plot convenience. Also, I kind of got the impression that Andrew’s “condition” was being manipulated, and that he was being used by Coach Wymack and the rest of the team purely for them to win games by taking advantage of his situation… Maybe I’m wrong, but it felt a little slimy to me, like they weren’t really allowing him to fully recover properly.
  3. Still No Romance…Where is the romance that everyone says is so amazing in these books? Besides so very incredibly small little interactions with Andrew and Neil that could go honestly be interpreted either way, there’s still no romance to get my heart racing, or even hardly enough to still consider it a slow burn… It seems like any of it is all going to be crammed into the next book because I don’t have any proof to make me believe there’s any attraction on Neils end. Andrew does touch him every now and then, but it feels more predatory than romantic. I’m really curious to see how this plays out in the next book.

Conclusion:

Overall, the ending really once again saved the book for me, much like the first book, and while I was disappointed—I was feeling some major sophomore book slump with this one—I am curious enough to see what happens in the next and final book of this whole story, but I’m not exactly racing to grab it right away.

The writing was a lot better, you learn so much more about the characters, and the emotional investment will become a huge factor in whether you love or hate this title (or trilogy as a whole), but I just wish it didn’t take until the last chunk to get there like it did for me. Like I said, maybe it’s the fact that with the pandemic and staying home, but I can’t ignore that I was really bored, and considered adding it to my DNF pile.

I’m also still irked that there’s still hardly any romance by this point because that was a major factor to make me want to explore these books in the first place, but knowing it’s there and how I know I’ll get it in The King’s Men can make me want to continue.

Trigger warning: Sexual assault, drugs and alcohol, violence, torture, stabbing, death, bloodshed

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell