Quick read. Lots of triggers which I didn’t have a problem with. Age of consent is 16 in Australia. And things happen once that age is reached. Bad, sick, perverted men. Young impressionable girl. It was a 4 star read…..but went up to 4.5 after reading the bonus epilogue. I’d recommend this book.

Title: Deceivious by Darcy Daniel

Release Date: March, 31st, 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Stars

Deceivious is a dark, taboo, romantic/suspense - please read Trigger Warnings.

When Carl Lockhart reconnects with Jessica, his high-school crush, he develops a friendly rapport with her 15 year old daughter, Rianna. However, their relationship takes an unexpected turn when Rianna kisses him, complicating their dynamic.
Despite initially rejecting Rianna's advances, Carl is forced to confront his true feelings when she suggests that his emotions for her extend beyond mere friendship.
Carl's boss, Stephen, holds a grudge against Carl and sees Rianna as a vulnerable target. He takes advantage of her craving for affection by systematically seducing her, using her to torment Carl and create division between them.

As Carl's fear of losing Rianna grows, he becomes more possessive. When Rianna sees Carl's aggression towards Stephen, she decides to make him jealous by spending time with Stephen. This decision sets off a dangerous chain of events that forces Carl and Stephen to confront their deepest secrets.

Rianna's dangerous game pushes Carl and Stephen to their limits, leading them to reveal their darkest secrets.

"Deceivious" by Darcy Daniel is a gripping tale that ventures into dark, taboo themes of age gap romance and predatory behavior. The narrative is compelling, keeping readers on edge, I most certainly could not put this down.

While the ending left me uncertain, the book undeniably captivated me with its page-turning plot, rife with obsession and deceit from various characters. From its twisted inception to its spiraling conclusion, this book delivered an intense and enthralling experience.

I wholeheartedly recommend it to fans of dark, taboo and suspenseful storytelling.


Thank you to The Publisher Naomi Lamont, The Author Darcy Daniel & NetGalley for an advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review.

Deceivious by Darcy Daniel
Rating: 4/5
Release Date: 31 March 2024

This book is a thrilling blend of dark romance, obsession, and deceit, interwoven with suspense and taboo themes—a recipe for an exhilarating read.

I was completely hooked! With its narrative told from three different points of view, it keeps you on the edge of your seat, constantly questioning every twist and turn. It's undeniably a page-turner.

This Australian-set taboo romance truly caught me off guard. It unfolded like a gripping romantic suspense, keeping me engaged from start to finish. As the story delved into forbidden territory, things heated up down under, with Carl rekindling a relationship with his high school sweetheart, pushing boundaries along the way. But when her daughter makes a bold move, the plot takes a turn towards the not okay. Add in Carl's unhinged employer, hell-bent on possessing the daughter, and you've got yourself one wild rollercoaster of a ride.

Please ensure you're mindful of trigger warnings before starting this book, as it delves deeply into taboo and dark themes.

Thank you so much to Naomi Lamont, and the author, Darcy Daniel, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review. Oh my goodness, what did I just read!! This book is absolutely full of triggers so be advised before reading it. I found it utterly disturbing but completely compelling at the same time. I literally could not put this book down and I read it in one sitting. So many plot twists that were brilliant! A truly dark story that will leave you lost for words. Highly recommended. 5 stars from me.

𝙰𝚁𝙲 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠
𝙳𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜
𝙳𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚢 𝙳𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚎𝚕
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

•𝙳𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚘 𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎
•𝙵𝚘𝚛𝚋𝚒𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚗 / 𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚐𝚊𝚙
•𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚌 𝚜𝚞𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎
•𝙼𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚒𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝙿𝙾𝚅

🛑 READ TRIGGER WARNINGS FIRST 🛑
🛑 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙨 🛑

Whoa. What did I just read?! Talk about intense, dark, and totally taboo. Did I love most of it? Yes, I did. Have I started questioning my sanity? Too late for that 😬 Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC and to for writing this absolutely insane, couldn’t put down novel. I was consumed.

Most definitely surprised throughout this taboo, age gap romance set in Australia. It read like a romantic suspense and I was here for most of it. Things down under got hot, heavy, and borderline *not okay* when Carl reignites a relationship with his high school sweetheart. But what happens when her daughter kisses him? Throw in his bat shit crazy employer willing to do anything to have the daughter and you have one hell of a ride.

It's my understanding that this book wss not for me. Maybe others like it, but I didn’t feel connected to any character or the storyline. Multiple points of view gave an insight to Twisted and depraved minds. Not for me. Thanks a lot to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

I enjoyed this book and at times found it difficult to put down. For me as someone who loves a good trigger warning i found it took a bit too long to give me the thrill of the listed triggers and although many triggers are listed they arent all strongly represented in the book.

I wouldnt put this in the the romance catergory for me it is more suited to stalker/possession, however with the grooming of a child (16) it absolutely might be too much for some and I highly recommend checking the trigger warnings prior to reading. Also, remember the story is set in Australia, where the age of consent is 16.

Trigger warnings - predatory behaviour, possessive behaviour, explicit sex scenes, sexual assault, voyeurism, degradation, humiliation, violence, and graphic language.

A delicious and addictive read - almost an obsession, just like what the two MMC's have.

The story was well written, and the author has a great way of allowing you to know the characters involved.

There were no twists or turns in the book, just a straightforward read. I read it in one sitting.

The only downside to it is that I would have liked Jess (the mum) to have something good happen to her at the end of the story, yet you're left wondering what happened to her.

Dark romance, obsession, and deceit mixed with suspense and taboo subject matter....all that makes up this book. Holy smokes was this good!! This story is told from 3 POVs and it definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat. I questioned everything! It was for sure a page turner that pissed me off at points. It was legit mad but in the best way possible. Are there cringey moments? Absolutely. Yet this story is so well-written and comes together perfectly in the end! The ending and that bonus epilogue...OMG!!!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐+⭐ !!!!!
OH MY... Holy Smoke... Seriously, I am lost for words! Blimey... Holy Moley - this was LOADED! This was jacked up! No, this was another lever of jacked up!
I want to scream! I don't know how to express what is happening in my head!
And the worst part is that I don't know if it's ok to even like this book, not talking about the fact that I loved this book!
This book is messed up! This is the top pedestal of messed up! I would go even so far as - it was sick! But I still loved it!
The book is so well written! Characters... you literally hate them, all of them! They just are wrong! But I could not stop reading! I just could not put this book down for some reason! It was so conflicting!
I don't think that I ever read anything like this! And I am reading a lot... but this...

Probably this is the first time in my life that I would say I can't recommend this book at the same time it was so good! I don't know!
You must take your own risk, take your own decision!

The book is gorgeous! The cover is stunning! The inside design is stunning! This book is just made to love it!

This book is presented from 3 points of view: Rianna, Carl, and Stephen. Each of them has a hidden agenda. Each of them is twisted and selfish! They don't care, they act without thinking! And there is a point that everything is too much! Completely too much! And everything explodes!
I will not summarise this book because I don't know how much I can express myself... I don't want to give away any details... So read the blurb!

The end twists just swept me off my feet! I seriously gasped out loud, my eyes were oversized and I believe that I was breathing just in, probably stopped breathing by some point!

And if I thought it was too much the epilogue... sweet potato fries... that epilogue!

I want to scream - go and get this book and read it! And I want to scream - stay away from this book!

If you decide to read it, please read trigger warnings before you dive in, they are listed at the beginning of this book!

A glimpse into the minds of a predator. It also shows the mind of the young girl who's being preyed upon and her attempts. It delves into relationships, trauma and taboos.

Thank you Naomi Lamont and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange of my unbiased review.

I did not read the full description before committing to this book and wish I had. The trigger warnings are not strong enough as it contains CSA scenarios and themes throughout the book. That alone is a danger. Outside of that, the writing was very juvenile. The chapters switch from character to character, but each chapter stays in somewhat of a pre-teen tone - even for the adult characters. The character of the teen goes from child-like to femme fatale with a new pair of glasses so character development was lacking. The end is thrown together with a touch of potential incest.

Such an amazing book !
Absolutely loved it.
Watch your triggers though. I could not put this book down. Had me gripped in the best possible way. Cannot wait to read more from this author.

Apart from the jarring images of a cherry on nearly every page and the extremely odd formatting, this was an incredibly interesting but rather dark book.
This is one of those books where it feels kind of "icky" to read at times because its told in multiple POVs, and some of the time, as the reader, we get the internal thoughts of a predator. In media and throughout our lives into "adulthood", emphasis on what makes a person an "adult" usually revolves around the "legal age" or "age of consent". Is there something magical that happens when someone reaches "that certain age" that makes them more *mature* then the were the day or year before? Of course not, but the law is there to *supposedly* create a more emotionally and physically safe bumper for those who are on the precipice of actual adulthood.
This was actually really well-written because the reader gets the glimpse into the "predator's" head--as well as into the head of "the prey" and her would-be "protector. We see that it isn't that cut and dry and that the deception runs deep. I really enjoyed this book.
I think the most disturbing part is actually the "bonus epilogue" linked at the end, which just....changes things.