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43/5

Remi Hayes is beginning to think she’s cursed —her fiancé cheated on her, her brother Jude is a major pain in her ass, and the moldering mansion she inherited from her uncle might just be haunted.

Flipping Blackleaf Manor already feels impossible, even before Remi is blackmailed by Dane Covett, the dangerously hot doctor-next-door, and Grimstone’s most eligible bachelor—if you can ignore the fact that everyone in town thinks he murdered his wife.

Remi doesn’t want to believe it, especially after Dane sews up a gash in her thigh and steals a kiss in payment—a kiss that makes it hard to walk for reasons that have nothing to do with an injured leg.

But as the renovation takes a strange and violent turn, Remi must decide if Dane is the one haunting her nights, or if he’s trying to protect her from something much worse…

"Grimstone" is a deeply dark contemporary romance and a complete standalone. Reader it has extremely spicy scenes and triggering content not suitable for all.

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I went into this book blind. I had no idea what it was about, but since chapter 3, I realized that this was going to be a WILD ride, and gosh, did it deliver!

This is definitely a spicy book; the chemistry the characters have is chaotic and messy but incredible.

I feel like the FMC was real, and her appearance was relatable, nothing like the usual ethereal-looking characters. That was a nice touch.

I saw parts of myself represented that aren’t usually in books like this one.

This is definitely a Halloween read; the eerie vibes are impeccable. The town is like it came out of a ghost story, but better! It's so gothic but not over the top; it kept a modern aspect to it.

I recommend this book to anyone who is into dark romance and hot steamy reads because this one is 3/5 level of spice!

Dane

I love Dane; he is the hot vampire doctor. I have to admit that his experience and knowledge made him hotter, despite his age gap. He is so gloomy, but it's giving Carlisle Cullen, but darker.

I like how part of who he is and his condition is always a mystery; even though we are able to dig into his dark side and trauma, it only feels like the surface of what this man truly is.

I wonder what his condition truly was…

His pain and vulnerability make him hotter; him being hunted by his wife's spirit, a poor tormented man hidden away in pain, he needed someone to come and save him from the depths of his gothic mansion that is every fantasy reader's dream…

I wish I had a story that was just about him, maybe seeing him in the past before he got married, idk.

I loved that he got his happily ever after even with everything that had happened to him.

Jude:

At first I loved this character; I felt somewhat attached to him. It was like being able to see myself in his introverted state.

I thought it was cool to read about a character that was smart and kind but not serial killer level of smart… I liked him too much to suspect his true self; It kind of hurt to see what his true intentions were. But I guess this is what is closest to the truth of evil people: it's never the ones you expect, it's never the ones that act too strange, it's always the person next door…Scary, right?!

The fact that he is a narcissistic manipulator and a murderer was not in my bingo card.

Unfortunately, I'm glad he is dead, but I would have loved to see him suffer a lot more because the crimes he committed were awful, and he deserved a bit more of the pain he inflicted on others.

It's worrying to think how he could've framed all of this on his sister, how he would've destroyed her life a little more…

Remi

I loved Remi; she was a special character that felt real. The one thing I complained about was that she got a bit annoying with her low self-esteem. I feel like the writer focused a lot on it, and even though it did give more depth to her character at some points, it felt unnecessary.

I'm glad that she got her happily ever after; she will have a companion that truly loves her and pleases her forever!

A few things that made me connect more with her were the facts that she is petite, boyish, and independent.

Conclusion

This story was the perfect balance of smutty and scary; at some points it just felt like a horror book, and then it would get the nice twists of sexy to make it all better. I felt this read smooth and quick, and it was quite enjoyable.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

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