It includes:
Monica James—Bad Saint; bonus content is the first chapter of the upcoming release The Devil’s Crown—All the Pretty Things Trilogy spin-off.
Aleatha Romig—Unconventional; bonus content is the prologue, an outside prospective on this stalker romance.
Amo Jones—In Fury Lies Mischief; bonus content: Eli’s Transition.
Callie Hart—Deviant; bonus content is a brand-new short story featuring Zeth and some of the original Blood and Roses crew.
Cora Reilly—Luca Vitiello; bonus content is the prologue and first chapter of the upcoming standalone Fragile Longing—an age-gap arranged marriage romance.
Giana Darling––Enthralled; bonus content is a new chapter from hero Alexander Davenport’s POV.
K Webster—This is War, Baby; bonus content is a new thrilling “training” chapter in the villainous Gabe’s POV with Baylee.
Lili St. Germain—Vicious Prince; bonus content is the first chapters of the upcoming release Vengeful Queen—Book two in the Violent Kingdom Trilogy.
S.M. Soto—Deception and Chaos; bonus content is a never-before-seen chapter written from Creed’s POV.
Parker S. Huntington—Devious Lies; bonus content is a never-before-seen email from Nash to Emery.
Willow Winters—A Kiss to Tell; bonus content is a never-before-seen chapter.
So come, sit, and enjoy a taste of the darkness…you just may like it.
This anthology was hatched because dark romances and their creators have a stigma associated with them. Yes, we like coloring outside of the lines, and no, we don’t write your run-of-the-mill stories, but that shouldn’t devalue our art. Nor should it be grounds for it to be censored.
Add it to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54304454-kiss-me-in-the-dark-anthology
-- My Thoughts --
★★★★✩
The Kiss Me in the Dark Anthology was exactly what I expect from anthologies - teases from authors I know and love and an intro to authors I haven't really met yet. I LOVED it!
1. Bad Saint by Monica James - I've never read from this author, but from this sample, I can see why she's a huge hit with readers. It's about a young woman who was on her honeymoon when she is suddenly and brutally abducted. She both hates and is drawn to her temporary captor, Saint. Obviously these two are going to fall in love with each other at some point. I have no idea how the author will make that happen... yet. My only issue was that the heroine was really, really annoying. However, the story sounds dark enough for this issue not to matter too much. The tease the author gave for her spin-off, The Devil's Crown, sounds amazing! I'm not liking that the anti-hero seems to be in love with the heroine of the last series, but his intense desire for a nun sounds like something I want to learn more about.
2. Unconventional by Aleatha Romig - I haven't read much from this author, but what I have read, I enjoyed. This is a stalker romance and from the little bit I got, I think I've figured out the twist. Doesn't mean I won't still read it because I will be one-clicking this story asap. I love stalker romances! I'm not a fan of the heroine in this one either, but it's a novella so it shouldn't be a big deal.
3. In Fury Lies Mischief by Amo Jones - I love Amo. She's that chick that I could so see myself being down with. I've been reading her books from the beginning and she's only grown stronger and more confident with her writing. Girl impresses me regular! However, this tease of a story made me feel like I was dumped in the middle of a saga. There were so many names of characters and nuances I felt like I was supposed to understand (but didn't) and notes to events that had happened that made no sense to me (because I haven't read the previous book?). I couldn't connect, with this or the bonus chapter, so I'm guessing I'll have to go back and read In Peace Lies Havoc.
4. Deviant by Callie Hart - The Blood & Roses series is still one of my most favorite dark reads ever! Why? Zeth Mayfair! He was one of the first anti-heroes I'd ever met and he's freaking delicious. So yeah, getting that bonus chapter where he crosses paths with Pasha from the Roma Duet was awesome! Now all I want to do is re-read this series!!
5. Luca Vitiello by Cora Reilly - I absolutely love mafia romance when it's done well. And from what I can tell with Luca's story, it's done well. His childhood (or whatever you want to call his younger years) was an absolute horror show of blood, pain and death. The amount of times he and his brother, Matteo, had to fend off assassins was ridiculous. This is an arranged marriage trope and it sounds HOT! I'm definitely going to be looking into this book and this still pretty new-to-me author further.
6. Enthralled by Giana Darling - Cosima is a girl who is literally on the cusp of womanhood. She's beautiful and alluring and has made a little name for herself in the modelling world of Italy. She and her family are living in poverty, constantly at the whims of the mafia. Her father is a gambler and a drunk, not helping the family lift themselves up at all. When her father's debts become too much, Cosima is sold to pay them off. And while she's not happy about it, she sees her sacrifice as a way to finally help her family escape from under the mafia's thumb. She's a spitfire for sure and when she meets the man who bought her, a man who isn't exactly a stranger, it was like fireworks! I'm definitely intrigued and Enthralled by this introduction.
7. This is War, Baby by K. Webster - The entire series is horrificly twisted and delicious! This introduction to Gabe is a great glimpse for readers who haven't read him before. It also leaves those who truly appreciate the dark to continue through the series because it only gets darker. Webster is an incredibly talented creator of taboo reads that I can't get enough of.
8. Vicious Prince by Lili St. Germain - It's all about a blood feud. I think? I've actually already this book too and I'm anxiously waiting for the next one. So Avery Capulet loves one man is destined to marry another. She's arrogant and entitled and nothing shakes her until she believes she has been abducted by the XO serial killer. Rome Montague is struggling. His family used to be as affluent as Avery's and now he lives in a decrepit house next door, watching what he should have. And then he becomes a victim along with Avery. It's a really twisted page turner. And that quick glimpse into book two? Yeah, I really can't wait!
9. Devious Lies by Parker S. Huntington - I didn't get a dark vibe from this preview. It was more of a look at some teenage angst and an overall contempt for the elite. Nash was the helps eldest son and Emery was their employer's daughter and Nash's brother's best friend. I'm sure this story gets more complicated the further it goes, but all I got was a lot of flowery words and not much else besides a sense of ennui. However, the bonus the author gave of an email between Nash and Emery sometime in their future... LOVED IT!! So if the book captures their connection like this message does, then I'm in.
10. Deception and Chaos by S.M. Soto - after reading this incredibly dark preview, I knew I had to read this book. Then I realized that I already have this series on my kindle. WTF?! Well, I guess I've got something to read this week! Honestly, this preview was just a ton of time during which the heroine was getting the ish beaten out of her. Like she was seriously constantly getting beat down. It was really exciting! And then the bonus was a bit from the hero's perspective. I hope I get to see his side of things again.
11. A Kiss to Tell by Willow Winters - I'm not really sure why this one was included, but then again, I've never read this book before. There wasn't anything dark in this unless you count the fact that the heroine lives in a crime-riddled neighborhood and the hero seems to be a criminal. I'm guessing it gets darker the further you read.
Overall, this was an incredibly solid read! I enjoyed getting to read from some new-to-me authors, whose books I will be checking out, and catching up with some old favorites.
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