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Dark Romance

The Darkest Love: Shattered Hearts by Renee Parker
Book Reviews · Dark Romance

The Darkest Love: Shattered Hearts by Renee Parker

May 28, 2025May 24, 2025

There’s something about a mafia romance book that hits differently. The kind of romance that’s…

Read More The Darkest Love: Shattered Hearts by Renee ParkerContinue

Heartless Heathens by Santana Knox: A Dark Romance Obsession
Book Reviews · Dark Romance

Heartless Heathens by Santana Knox: A Dark Romance Obsession

May 7, 2025May 21, 2025

They warned me. Said Heartless Heathens would swallow me whole—and they were right. If you’ve…

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Book Reviews · Dark Romance · Favorites · Thriller

Book Review: Under the Paint – When Perfect Starts to Rot

April 16, 2025April 14, 2025

On paper, Under the Paint should have wrecked me—addiction, secrets, a marriage on the verge….

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Book Reviews · Dark Romance · DNF

DNF Diaries: My Failed Attempt to Love Emperor of Rage

October 28, 2024October 27, 2024

So, let’s chat about Emperor of Rage by Jagger Cole—a 2024 mafia romance entry that…

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DIARY OF A READER

Welcome to my blog!

I'm Dominique. As an avid reader and book lover, my job is to inspire you to read my favorite books. So, grab your favorite drink, and stay a while. We hope you find a new love.

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shattered hearts the diary of a reader

The Darkest Love: Shattered Hearts by Renee Parker

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diaryofthereader

Book Reviewer | Fantasy, Romance, & Thriller Reviews
Probably Reading
Helping You Find Your Next Obsession
[email protected]
BOOK REVIEW: Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham Th BOOK REVIEW: Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham There’s something chilling about a story that doesn’t just haunt you—it knows you. Claire’s sister disappeared twenty-two years ago. A closed case. A sealed past. Until a return home... and a diary hidden in the walls pulls her into a web of secrets no one wants unraveled. Stacy Willingham has a way of writing psychological thrillers that sinks its claws deep into your marrow, refusing to release you. It beckons like a siren song, unraveling memory, obsession, and the stories we bury. Marcia’s diary? The missing women? Mitchell Galloway? It’s all connected—but not in the way you think. I devoured this with the same obsession as A Flicker in the Dark and The Golden Couple. Claire’s recklessness made me want to scream scratch that I was screaming at her. YOU DONT HAVE TIME, LEAVE NOW!!!—but isn’t that what a great thriller does? It pulls you into the danger and dares you to keep going. If you love a thriller that simmers with dread and spirals with purpose, add this to your TBR immediately. And if you haven't read Willinghams other books especially All the Dangerous Things what are you doing?! Full review on my blog 🔗 bio. Save this and tag a friend who NEEDS to read this. Let’s talk theories. Did YOU see the twist coming? Thank you to @minotaur_books for sending me an eARC to review. Forget Me Not releases August 26th. #thrillerbookreview | #psychologicalthriller | #mysterythriller | #currentlyreading #thrillerbookreview #bookreview #psychologicalthriller #stacywillingham #bookblogger #mysterythriller #currentlyreading #booktokbooks #bookrecommendations
Stack Saturday is here—what unread book has been Stack Saturday is here—what unread book has been collecting dust like a ticket to a sold-out rock show? Tell me I’m not the only one who collects entire series just to look at them like band merch I never wear. My biggest offenders? Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard and The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. I own every book—every piece—like I’ve been front row at every event, but I’ve never cracked one open. This year, I’m finally hitting the stage. These books are calling like a live show I’ve waited years to see. Magic. Queens. Dragons. Chaos. Everything I live for in a book—just waiting for me to show up. What’s the one book or series that’s still in your stack, haunting you like a night you almost went out? Drop it below. Let’s confess our backlist sins together. #StackSaturday #UnreadBooks #FantasyBooks #BacklistChallenge #BookStack #ReadingLife #BookstagramChallenge #RedQueen #PrioryOfTheOrangeTree #BookScene #LiveYourStory #TBRGoals #BookBand
📬✨ A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Ca 📬✨ A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall has officially claimed a spot on my special editions shelf, and the FairyLoot version? Otherworldly. 💜🌊 Told in epistolary format, this story is built from the fragmented letters between renowned scholar Henerey Clel, his vibrant sister Sophy, and the mysterious Vyerin. A year after their disappearance into the sunken archive, an underwater world unfolds—filled with deep house ruins, forgotten civilizations, and a romance that bubbles up like oxygen in the dark. 🐚💌 There’s a beautiful discovery outside the usual tropes here, and as a reader, piecing together each letter felt like being invited to a secret world through a new window. It's Emily Wilde meets the sea, but with its own luminous magic. ✍🏽🫧 This special edition glows—literally and metaphorically. With sprayed edges, intricate foiling, and that underwater shimmer, it’s a must-have for collectors of fantasy and those who devour character-driven, letter-based love stories. 💖 ⏳ Don’t wait, and make space on your shelf. This box? Worth every unit. 📚 Have you read it yet? Or what's the most beautiful special edition you own? #ALetterToTheLuminousDeep #FairyLoot #SpecialEditions #EpistolaryNovel #HenereyClel #SisterSophy #SylvieCathrall #BookHighlight #FantasyRomance #UnderwaterWorld #SunkenArchive #BookReview #LilyCafe #ManageSubscriptions #DeepHouse #LettersFromTheDeep #RomanticFantasy
RIDE WITH ME by @simonesoltani REVIEW I devoured RIDE WITH ME by @simonesoltani REVIEW I devoured 448 pages of Simone Soltani’s Ride with Me in one caffeine‑fueled swoop and still wanted bonus laps. Imagine: a hilariously hazy Vegas “I do,” F1 glitter, and chemistry so electric my Kindle nearly overheated.   Okay, real talk: Ride with Me isn’t just cute‑meet chaos on the Strip—it’s a masterclass in tension, trust, and tender second chances. Thomas? He’s proof that a man can own his screw‑ups, apologize publicly, and still beam pure sunshine. Stella? She’s the patron saint of picking up your shattered pride, gluing it back together with glitter, and strutting anyway. Together = banter that had me cackling, a slow burn that TORTURED me (in the best way), and a finale that left me ugly‑cry‑grinning. I highlighted half the book, kicked my feet like a tween, and text‑screamed “I’M OBSESSED” to every romance buddy I know. Yes, the tension idles forever (Stella’s rules, Thomas’s respect), but the payoff scene? Fireworks over the finish line. The emotional growth, self‑reclamation, and “messy starts → dazzling endings” theme hit me right in the feels. 🏁 Verdict: 4.5/5 squealing pit‑stop squeaks. If you crave heart, humor, and high‑octane drama, add #RideWithMe to your TBR now.  Did the slow burn sometimes feel like waiting three pit stops for fresh tires? Absolutely. I wanted at least one extra “OMG finally!” scene because the lap‑dance tease in hour four set my expectations sky‑high. And the hinted‑at cheating subplot? Left dangling like a loose rear wing—grr. But the emotional pay‑off still slapped. Hard. Favorite moment? Stella was standing trackside in killer heels, ready to gush about how well Thomas drove. I legit teared up. Least favorite? Every time, miscommunication kept these two idiots apart. But hey—frustration is half the fun in romance‑land, right? Drop a 🏎️ if you’re racing to read, or tell me your fave accidental‑marriage romance below! Thank you so much to @berkleyromance for including me on this blog tour. My full review is up on my blog! #BookReview #ContemporaryRomance #F1Romance #SlowBurn #AccidentalMarriage #Bookstagram #RomanceRead
Brooding. Brilliant. Bloody. Happy #StackSatu Brooding. Brilliant. Bloody. Happy #StackSaturday My Dark Academia stack for the souls who underline in candlelight and chase knowledge past the point of no return. 🕯️📜 I’ve always dreamed of hiding in the campus library after closing, racing the dust-thin margins of forbidden texts while the storm rattled stained-glass windows. Every thunderclap felt like a heartbeat inside these pages. I’m no longer in school, but this stack brings it back. ✒️ House of Marionne – secret societies & simmering power 🎭 If We Were Villains – Shakespeare, obsession, guilt 🌊 Curious Tides – moon-touched magic & whispered plots 🖼️ Portrait of a Thief – art heists as cultural reclamation 🩸 An Education in Malice – sapphic menace at an elite college 🕯️ A Discovery of Witches – alchemy, archives, forbidden love 🏛️ The Will of the Many – empire-driven academy politics 🔮 Ink Blood Sister Scribe – ink-bound inheritance & deadly lore ♟️ Ace of Spades – sabotage in the ivory tower 🐍 Ninth House – Ivy League ritual gone dark This isn’t just a stack—it’s a dark syllabus for the beautifully unhinged. Which one’s calling your name tonight? 👇 Drop your favorite dark academia book in the comments. Let’s build a library worthy of candlelit obsession. #DarkAcademia #StackSaturday #BookStack #GothicReads #MoodyBooks #BookstagramStack #CampusMystery #MorallyGrayMCs #ReadingAesthetic #BookishDarkness #DarkAcademiaVibes #BookInfluencer
✨ You know that feeling when a fantasy world sin ✨ You know that feeling when a fantasy world sinks its claws into you and won’t let go? Yeah… these completed fantasy trilogies do not play. They’re intense, addictive, and best of all — they’re DONE. No waiting. No pain. Just pure binge bliss. I’ve read a lot of fantasy. These? They stuck. We’re talking: 👑 morally gray royalty, I’d die for 🗡️ heroines who don’t beg, they burn 🔥 magic systems that make you believe 💔 and plot twists that whisper “just one more chapter” until it's 3 am If your TBR list needs a little drama, a little danger, and a lot of “HOW did I not read this sooner?” — this is your sign. Trust me — you’ll finish one and immediately need a support group. (Or at least a comment section of fellow wrecked readers 👀) 👇 Tell me which one you’ve read. Which one you’re adding? Let’s cry, scream, and obsess together. #FantasyTrilogies #BookstagramTBR #FantasyBookRecs #CompletedFantasySeries #BookObsessed #FantasyReads #EnemiesToLoversBooks #BingeWorthyReads #FantasyAddict #BookInfluencerApproved #BookRecsThatHit #MustReadFantasy #NoMoreCliffhangers
✨ Dark. Vicious. Addictive. A Debt of Shattered ✨ Dark. Vicious. Addictive. A Debt of Shattered Hope by N. Caceres isn’t just a book—it’s a descent into a Fae realm built on blood oaths, betrayal, and the kind of rage that could burn kingdoms to ash. “I will not tame fate. I will force it to its knees.” And that’s Sóna Mac Raith in one breathless sentence. Shackled, bitter, and hellbent on tearing the Fae world apart—one brutal truth at a time. Enter: the Raven of the Dawn. A disgraced prince drowning in sins, vengeance, and a pull toward Sóna that might kill them both. 🔥 Enemies-to-lovers 🖤 Grumpy x grumpier ⚔️ Morally gray leads ✨ Dark fantasy magic + cutthroat Fae court This is for the readers who crave romantasy with teeth. Who don’t just want tension—they want chaos. If you’ve been waiting for a story that feels like holding a blade to your own heart just to see who’ll flinch first… this one is already calling your name. 📖 Gifted by the incredible @haus.of.fables_pr #ADebtofShatteredHope #NCaceres #FaeRomance #DarkFantasyRomance #FantasyBookstagram #EnemiesToLoversBooks #MorallyGrayHeroes #FaeBooks #GrumpyXGrumpy #HausofFables #BookishObsessed #FantasyRomanceDuet #GiftedBooks #RomantasyReads #BookTokMadeMeReadIt
Happy #StackSaturday Is it a TBR or a cry for hel Happy #StackSaturday Is it a TBR or a cry for help? Because honestly… I might be in my “just one more stack” era. ⠀ Paperbacks teetering. Hardcovers hiding. A sequel with no sign of book one. These stacks aren’t curated — they’re confessions. ⠀ Unread books I forgot I bought. Books I swore I’d read “next.” And a few that just stare back at me like, really? Still nothing? ⠀ Some titles peek through, and others stay buried — but that’s the best part of being a reader. Sometimes, the story finds you when you’re finally ready to meet it. ⠀ 📚 I’ll go first: One book in this stack has been haunting me since 2021. I’ve started it. Abandoned it. Moved it to three different shelves. Your turn. What book have you been skipping… but can’t let go of? 👇 ⠀ #UnreadBooks #TBRStack #BookStacksOnBookStacks #ReadingConfessions #BookishChaos #BookLoversUnite #BooksEverywhere #ReadersLife #StackSaturday #BookishVibes #WeekendReads #BookAesthetic #InstaBooks #BookObsessed #ReadersOfInstagram #BookFlatlay #BooksBooksBooks --
Let’s talk about Ascension by St. Gibson — a 2 Let’s talk about Ascension by St. Gibson — a 2025 release I couldn’t stop thinking about the second I turned the last page of Evocation. If you’re into character-driven fantasy romance with just the right amount of chaos, longing, and emotional devastation... this one belongs on your TBR immediately. Rhys is now High Priest of a secret society in Boston — powerful, complicated, and haunted by both demons and desire. Moira is his witch wife, the grounding force he doesn't always deserve. And David? David is temptation incarnate. Their dynamic is electric — a triangle that twists, burns, and bleeds with feeling. What I love most about Gibson’s writing is how it mirrors her characters. The prose spirals, seduces, and cracks at the edges — just like Rhys. This isn’t just fantasy. It’s a feeling. It’s obsession. It’s what happens when power and love pull you in opposite directions. If you’re craving something messy, magical, and emotionally immersive — Ascension is the one. 🖤 Queer dark fantasy 🖤 Found family meets secret society 🖤 Emotional slow burn 🖤 Witchcraft, demons, love triangles 🖤 St. Gibson is one of my auto-buy authors ⚡️Full review up on my blog! Thank you so much to @angryrobotbooks for sending me this stunning ARC to review. #Ascension #StGibson #FantasyRomance #BookReview #DarkFantasy #SecretSociety #BookstagramRecs #QueerBooks #WitchWife #2025Reads #BookTokMadeMeReadIt #BooksWithMagic #CharacterDrivenStories #TheDiaryOfAReader #BookReview #Ascension BookReview
APRL READING WRAP UP Here’s everything I read i APRL READING WRAP UP Here’s everything I read in April, told in feelings, not just stars—because that’s how we really remember books, right? 🧛‍♀️ Bound in Blood by Sadie Kincaid 5 stars — Vampire. Why-choose. Brutal and blood-soaked with a kiss that ruins you for mortal love. I didn’t read this—I devoured it. 💠 Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham 4.5 stars — A thriller that crawled under my skin and whispered, "What if you’re in danger?" Still haven’t caught my breath. 🪄 Ascension by S.T. Gibson 4.5 stars — Gothic. Sensual. A high priest, a witch, and a love that bleeds guilt and grace. This one tasted like sin and silk. 🌙 Give Up the Night & Draw Down the Moon by P.C. & Kristin Cast 2.5 stars — Potential whispered on every page, but too many threads unraveled before they could become tapestry. 🐺 Crescent Kingdom by Tessa Hale 5 stars — Fate doesn’t ask—it claims. Soulmate romance with energy that scorched me in the best way. 🚢 Harbinger by T.D. Chase 3.5 stars — Not perfect, but a smutty good time. Demons and chaos that made me smile more than I expected. 🚢 Grandstand by T.D. Chase 3 stars — A fast, high-stakes game with secrets, strategy, and shifting alliances. Like chess with heartbeats. 👻 Odd Spirits by S.T. Gibson 3 stars — A love story haunted by more than ghosts. I wanted it to go deeper, but it still lingers like a soft ache. 🌟 A Court Bright and Broken by Amy Patrick 3 stars — Beautifully built, but I never quite belonged. Like watching a fairytale unfold behind frosted glass. 🎨 Under the Paint by James Michaels 3 stars — Marketed as dark romance, but felt more like it whispered dark. I missed the obsession I came for. The Book of M by Peng Shepherd 3 stars — Haunting and philosophical. A dystopian question mark about memory and identity, but my heart stayed just outside the story. Question: What book let you down—but still won’t let you go? PS: Save this for the next time your TBR feels like it’s missing teeth, twists, or truth. Hashtags: #AprilReadingWrapUp #BookstagramRecap #MonthlyReads #BooksThatHauntYou #VampireRomance #ThrillerBooktok #RomantasyReads #BookishFeels #DarkRomanceReads #TBROverflow
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