𝗪𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮 𝘁𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲?
Sugar & Spice is the latest app craze taking the world by storm, but for Abby and Brendan Hollander, downloading it leads to a dangerous game of life and death. When the app assigns them a series of increasingly taboo tasks, they soon find themselves caught up in a twisted web of seduction and violence in this sexually charged dark thriller

♥︎ J.D. Barker is one of my auto buy authors since reading his Fourth Monkey series. I was obsessed with it! He is a master storyteller who has the knack of pulling his readers into his world with a host of lies, deception, and meticulously crafted twists that keep you turning the pages.His characters are so well crafted, each with their distinctive personalities, backstories and motivations.

This is not Barker's typicial style. He's gone in a slightly different direction, but it surpassed all my expectations. Each chapter ends on a cliffhanger, keeping the reader gripped in the story.

And for those who are not fans of a little spice mixed with your thrillers- this book is worth pushing past your comfort zone. The spicyness settles down, and the thriller aspect begins. The concept of this book is brilliant, so please don't miss out.

𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗹, 𝗮 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲.
𝗜𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗶𝘁?

Thank you to netgally and the publisher for the advanced copy. My review is voluntary.

Have you ever clicked on ‘Accept’ for the terms of purchase when downloading an App without reading them? Of course you have - we all have! But you might want to think again after reading this.

When Abby and Brendan Hollander consult a marriage therapist to help them rescue their troubled relationship, she suggests they download an App called ‘Sugar and Spice’. Brendan’s job investigating financial fraud keeps him working long hours and travelling away from home, while Abby has given up her job to write full time after the success of her first novel but has writer’s block so their income is fragile. They decide to download the app to put some zing back in their relationship.

At first the app just seems like a harmless truth and dare game, daring them to carry out various acts to sweeten or spice up their marriage and it actually seems to be working. But then the dares become more risqué before moving into taboo territory and eventually taking a dark turn into seriously dangerous waters. Before they know it Abby and Brendan are in a lot of trouble.

This is one very twisty puzzle, with a lot of pieces to bring together to fill out the final picture. The plotting is well done and the suspense builds inexorably to the explosive ending. The app and what it can do seems totally over the top to me <spoiler>especially the all seeing, all knowing aspects and ability to manipulate people en masse</spoiler>, but I did find myself asking how far people would go to do what it demanded. It certainly makes for one wild and thrilling rollercoaster of a novel!

J.D. Barker admits that he writes popcorn books. That is what he does. And he does it good. As with any popcorn movie you just have to sit back and enjoy the show. And don’t overthink it.



Abby and Brendan are consulting a marriage therapist because they are not doing good anymore. She suggested an app (honestly??) to spice up their sex life. They follow her advice and load up the app “Sugar&Spice”. And off they go with their sex life. At that point you may consider if you choose the right book. But stay with me. This is J.D. Barker. Master of popcorn stories. If you are here for pure entertainment than you are in the right place. Because that app soon takes over their lives and will change them (and the world) forever.



J.D. Barker always takes you on a wild ride. And that is what I am looking for when I read his books. This one starts spicey (I don’t like that usually) but soon it goes into unpredictable territory. I will not say much about the plot, it will ruin it for you. The story is way over the top, but it is also fun. Don’t get spooked with the sex app stuff, just enjoy the wild ride.

Big thank you to Hampton Creek Press and Independent Book Publishers Association for approving me for this e-arc.

Hmm. Where do I begin with this book? The premise is extremely enticing. The writing and plot were enough to reel me in, but I find that it fell flat for me because of how bizarre this book is. There was a lot of things that were just plain disturbing in this book, and putting aside fiction isn't possible when reading it. While the author has a wonderful ability to write a scene and draw you in, it just left me feeling wrong by the end of it.

This is my personal opinion, so if anyone goes into this and isn't quite as disturbed by the things that I was, the book could be considered enjoyable.

Overall, this novel was not for me, but it was well written and the plot was very interesting.

Wow, this one hooked me from page 1, and I couldn’t put it down. It exceeded my expectations on every level. This book is non-stop entertainment and suspense. If nothing else, it’ll make you even wearier of technology than you already probably are. I definitely had to suspend my disbelief at times, but it was legitimately unputdownable. 4.5 stars rounded up!

I always enjoy J.D. Barker's thrillers so when he offered me an arc of his latest book via NetGalley, I jumped at the chance. I have to say though that as I began reading, I wasn't too thrilled with the subject matter, which seemed to be venturing into erotica. But I took my Kindle along on a recent trip and allowed the plot to unwind slowly as I found time to read. As usual, Barker has more in store for his readers than just a steamy novel.

The story is about a financial crimes detective named Brendan and his wife Abby. They are seeing a marriage counselor who recommends an app called Sugar & Spice to enliven their sex life. It's sort of a 'truth or dare' game for adults with assignments that win the players points and those points can be traded in for money. But the game quickly becomes intrusive and even a little sadistic. What are they willing to do for money, sex and power? Would they even commit murder?

So hang in: this is an interesting look at how much our daily lives are being observed and in some ways manipulated by the devices we use every day. Very scary actually, maybe even scarier than fiction.

Being a fan of this authors previous titles I was excited to jump into another one.
Behind A Closed Door by J.D. Barker was a lot different than his other books.
I did enjoyed it. The wrong was good. And characters were great.

Thank You NetGalley and Publisher for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I really loved this book. It had me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book. It was awesome. Very interesting story. Its been awhile since I read JD Markers books but it was sure amazing ride.!

Love it. Now I want to read all your books. Incidentally I really love the cover that's what drew me in to want to read this book

Great job on this boom

First off, I love all the author’s previous thrillers. I also love a good genre mashup. Behind a Closed Door is marketed as a romantic thriller. But is it really? I would say it’s closer to a male erotica thriller. It reminds me of the uncomfortable sexism of a Mickey Spillane/Mike Hammer book from the 1960s combined with some truly dark male fantasies. I understand that the pandemic was a challenging time for everyone, particularly for authors, but perhaps this book should have just stayed in the author’s desk drawer.

Beyond the disturbing erotica, the characters within this book have the shallowness of a typical superhero movie. They are almost caricatures rather than real human beings. The plot has a good premise but then goes down some formulaic roads of derring-do and impossible escapes. The ending has a twist to supposedly explain that issue. However, by then, it was too little, too late for me.

Do yourself a favor and skip Behind a Closed Door. Read any of the author’s other books and I guarantee you will be happier. This one was bad on so many levels. It earns a disappointed 2 stars.

Thanks to Hampton Creek Press and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

J.D. Barker is quickly becoming a "Must Read" author for me! I have not read a book by him that I didn't like! The idea of technology taking control doesn't seem that far out of reach, and this book brings that fear to life, in a dark and spicy way. Really enjoyed! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

The amazing mind that brought us the 4MK series has done it again! There were several times when I was thinking, “What the heck am I reading?” I might have been halfway through when I knew I was going to be giving this book 5 stars.

Parts of it were too realistic and terrifying. Make your choices carefully.

3⭐️

I went for this book purely after loving the 4MK series without reading the blurb, which proved to be my undoing. I loved his dark psychological thrillers.

A couple with the help of a therapist turn to an app to spice up their sex life which has become stale. So you might think it’s going to be a dark romance, but no, it’s a sex/ action thriller fusion.

The actual concept of getting drawn into a dark and dangerous app that can harvest so much information about the user is a scary reality and a dangerous prospect. The scenarios quickly spiral out of control becoming very dark.

I didn’t gel with the characters, they seemed too shallow. I hated Romeo and Juliet, they were very irritating.

The second half of the book is much faster paced and action orientated.

Not sure about one aspect of the ending, the book certainly triggered my natural paranoia.

It’s certainly very different, I applaud the authors imagination. If you want something very different give it a try, but it’s no 4MK so don’t expect that. It didn’t really manage to grab me. I think it’s very much a marmite book, which in themselves cause intrigue, add in a bit of controversy and you’ve probably got a best seller.

Would you allow an app to spice up your love life with your partner? Oh my! May I say Behind a closed doors will take you on a wild ride of deception, mystery, spice and some things not so nice.
Abby and Brendan fall into a rut and find a therapist to help them with their marriage. When said therapist suggests they download an app Sugar and Spice their lives take a spicy turn. They forget to read the fine print and begin to realize this app is slowly invading their lives.
This book was really good and kept me on my toes! I highly recommend this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Abby and Brendan Hollander are having problems in their marriage, so they go see a therapist, Dr. Donetti, who turns them on to an app, “Sugar and Spice,” telling them that it will help resolve their issues and reestablish a loving marriage. They are intrigued. They download it, and it tells them that there are several levels of proficiency they have to move through, and along the way they will receive points. As they proceed to go from the bottom to the top level, the tasks get more and more daring, and the promised rewards get more valuable, not at least in financial terms. Some of the instructions are labelled “Sugar” and these are benign, while others, those that come through as “Spice” tend to be way out there, and even though their inclined to question these, they feel compelled to follow them.. Why? Abby is shocked when one of the “Spice” questions she is asked is “Would you kill a total stranger to save someone you love?” Will they feel compelled to do it?

The author has written a novel that is mesmerizing and full of surprises. It shows a world where apps—much as is feared of Artificial Intelligence—can take on a life of their own and present a devastating danger to civilized life, even as the initial intent is a beneficial one. So I’m not sure what to think about this book. I enjoyed parts of it but it did make me wonder if apps can become as dangerous as Artificial Intelligence may become.

This book was not what I was expecting from J D Barker with graphic sexual content that seemed totally different from his usual graphic murder content. However, once I got past that and the context became more apparent I understood the reasoning behind this. Brendan and Abby’s marriage has gone stale with Brendan’s all encompassing work taking up all his time. Abby is rightly resentful and when there is a hint he may have been unfaithful with a colleague, it is time to get help. They visit a counsellor who suggests an app called Sugar and Spice. It offers them challenges or dares to spice up their relationship. Points are earned based on how daring they are and as things literally heat up, they could well be getting out of their comfort zone. As things quickly progress extreme danger rears its ugly head and then the J D Barker we expect comes to the fore with ramped up tension that makes this somewhat uncomfortable book became a real page turner.

utterly, genuinely, honestly, the most unhinged thing I've read (since I was expecting dark romance and ended up with the most nonsensical thriller)

I don't know where to start so let's just go through my updates throughout reading the whole thing (I almost didn't, but it was too funny and horrifying to stop)


3% possible homophobic slur + homophobic comment after her friend mentions going to McDonald's ("should I be concerned?")🤨 + cringe couple nicknames (Schmoopy? Papi Chulo??)🤕


5% a new couple's POV while they're holding an older couple at gunpoint to force them to have sex in front of them🤠


9% "They were standing outside Victoria's Secret, looking in like patrons at a zoo exhibit." + "They put all these frilly unmentionables out on full display, get you all worked up, feeling like a pedophile at Disney."🤯


13% realization this is not dark romance 🤡


31% her BFF is the worst friend ever?? the first time girl 2 accepted a dare from the app girl 1 uses, a dare about grape fantasy, which led to miss girl being graped 🚔🚨 and now she accepted one about killing someone ☠️🤨‼️ sorrows, prayers and therapy seriously get better friends 🙏


72% my epiphanic 'Written by a man' moment : "She had tiny feet, size seven on a good day." Of course I, too, have tiny feet on good days and longer feet on bad days. women are such mythical creatures✨️💖🌷🪷💖🎀🩷💫


75% if my potential murdered nicknamed me Skinny Bitch I'd be elated actually


90% so many skipped chapters I ain't reading all that "I'm here and I escape" "we're here and people try to kill us but we survive" "we're going there"


99% had 1 smart "didn't expect that" moment, the rest was only suffering (2 stars because the writing was not that bad)


BOOK JAIL ⛓️🚔🚨‼️


[review posted on goodreads]

This one was definitely not my cup of tea. One dimensional characters making bad decisions made me feel like I was watching one of those B-movie horror films where you want to yell, "No! Don't do that!" A ton of sexual references without really any real explicit sex scenes, and pulp fiction style violence, were woven throughout a convoluted technology based thriller. This one just left me flat. Not recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Hampton Creek Press for an advanced reader copy.

I don’t know what I was expecting going into this book but I definitely did NOT expect this.

I think loving or hating this book would come down to personal taste and I have to admit, this just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Well what to say…..I have to admit that had this not been written by JD Barker I doubt I would have requested it but I have read all his books and loved them all so I overcame my doubts as to some of the subject matter and was lucky enough to be approved. I’m not a prude but I just don’t go for books that are sexually explicit it’s just not my thing but hey this JD Barker I have to give it a go and I’m so glad I did as it’s so much more than I was expecting, it’s actually quite scary and got me thinking about apps that I have downloaded!!
It’s a clever story and quite a long one, perhaps just a little bit too long and very different to what I had been expecting and frankly quite a bit different to previous books by the author. The story deals with some very interesting and topical issues to do with technology and how I guess we all download things without really knowing what the consequences may be and hell yes it certainly made me think.
So overall a good read and, not my favourite by JD but still had a gripping plot line and great characters enough to keep me glued to my kindle.
My thanks to NetGalley and Hampton Creek Press for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I am a huge J.D. Barker fan! I was so excited to see a new release from him. However, this novel was hard for me to digest. It hit a chord with me, that I struggled to stomach. I imagine this book is going to be a hit for others, but I struggled through it.