So I wanted to really love Grimstone, I really did. But unfortunately I found this lacking. There were aspects that were redeemable and you can definitely feel the writing style of this author. But quite frankly, when she drifts to other sub genres she isn't used to writing, the stories just feel like there is something missing and doesn't quite have her pizazz. There were some superb factors to this book. The plot was very well mastered, the world building was perfect, it capitalized on the spooky factor and is really the perfect setting for this time of year and it had some unique dynamics of the small town that is displayed. What I struggled with, the romance. The romance really suffered. Sometimes when authors switch sub genres and try something new, this is what suffers. It had a really cool set up for our pair but it just didn't quite measure up to what I was hoping for. There just wasn't quite the connection that I wanted to feel but it didn't get there. It really lacked emotional depth in their relationship aspects that could have used a bit more work.

I gave this novel 3.5 stars. I wasn't emotionally invested in any of the characters in this book. Every character in this book seemed shallow and self serving and gossiping with the possible exception of Remi's uncle who we don't learn much about, yet he seemed like a very kind, eccentric person who spent time with her, teaching her how to use power tools. It was tough getting through to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books publishing for the advanced reader copy of this dark romance.

This was such an amazing read I really enjoyed and was hooked from the first page which I seem to be from every one of her books it’s definitely a most read

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

This was my second Sophie Lark book. So I’m still getting to know her as an author, but I feel like anything she writes now I will pick up.

I didn’t really get horror vibes from this book. I actually didn’t find it scary at all. I found it more mysterious and I kept reading because I was very intrigued. I wanted to know what happened and who was causing certain things to happen. But I didn’t find it scary. Maybe a touch gothic though.

The insta love/insta lust bothers me a little bit but that’s just a personal preference in books I read. I know a lot of people love that trope.

All in all, I’d give it a four out of five stars. And I will be buying a physical copy for myself because have you seen how gorgeous that book is.

3.5⭐️

I have mixed feelings about this book. I thought the MCs lacked a bit of chemistry, and I thought for sure that the friend was the culprit, BUT I was nicely surprised who the person responsible was - did not see that coming!

I did enjoy the idea of the book...it's perfect for the October season. However, I was looking for a title to use for our upcoming podcast, but it's a little too titillating to use for that. I loved the opportunity of the ARC and look forward to reading more.

🏚️Romantic suspense/thriller vibes
🏚️Gothic themes
🏚️Close proximity
🏚️Small town
🏚️Neighbours
🏚️Age gap
🏚️Hate to love

⚠️ Check triggers ⚠️ previous child + spouse death, on page SA attempt and more

Wow! What a story! This was such a wild ride and I rarely knew where things were going. Remi buys a new house with her brother in a new town to renovate. But it comes with the grumpiest neighbor who has many bad rumors about him throughout town. Dane is a recluse who doesn't do much but work the night shift since losing his wife and son.

Dane and Remi start out on a bad foot absolutely hating each other. But their chemistry quickly sparks. Dane falls head over heels and there is no denying their pull. The spice.... It's SPICIN!!!

There's mystery, suspense, ghosts?!, body parts, murder, swoony moments and more!

This is absolutely my new favorite Sophie book and I can't wait to read more from this world.

Thank you for this ARC

Grimstone
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 (3.5/5)

I picked up Grimstone by Sophie Lark, thinking it would be the perfect way to kick off the spooky season, and I was absolutely right. If you’re easily spooked like I am, you’ll definitely want to read this one with the lights on—I found it nearly impossible to read after dark! But then again, I’m a bit of a scaredy-cat, so take that as you will.

Dane was an intriguing and mysterious character throughout the story, keeping me guessing and wondering if there was a deeper meaning to his persona. In the end, he turned out to be just the dark, brooding type I adore, and I loved that about him. However, I struggled to feel the chemistry between Dane and Remi, which left me wanting more from their dynamic.

This book had me on the edge of my seat, but the ending truly caught me off guard. I didn’t see it coming at all, and it prompted me to reevaluate everything I had read up to that point, including the characters' actions and motivations. Without giving away any spoilers, I can say that Grimstone was an interesting read and definitely not what I expected.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Neighbours
.Age gap (14 years)
.Hurt/comfort
.Forced proximity
.Spooky as hell
.Dual POV

Was this my favorite story? No. But I have to give it to Sophie Lark and her incredible writing for turning a story I wouldn't typically enjoy into a book that actually hooked me and kept me engaged. That twist at the end caught me completely by surprise, which is no small feat. What could have easily been a 3-star read turned into a solid 4-plus. She’s such a versatile writer, and it’s amazing how she can switch between different romance subgenres while still maintaining her unique voice.

This is probably the spookiest romance I’ve ever read. I’m not new to dark romance, but I usually avoid it because the characters often feel one dimensional. That’s not the case here. Dane is anything but. He’s morally grey, tortured, and possessive, like most male leads in dark romance, but he’s also kind, surprisingly funny, and attentive. He listens and empathises, which sets him apart from the typical dark romance psychopath. Remi is also not your typical princess or damsel in distress. She’s strong-willed, physically capable, and feels like a real woman.

Their relationship is explosive, and the depth of their trust in each other was incredible to read. As expected, Sophie knows how to write some seriously good spicy scenes. She always manages to introduce something unique, maybe a little kink that isn’t usually explored in romance, and I love that.

As a visual reader, the stunning artwork of key scenes really added to the experience. I read Minx by this author, where she also included art from the same artist, and I loved it. It makes the book even more immersive.

This book is definitely worth your time, especially for the spooky season. I wasn’t planning to continue the series, but now I definitely will!

HUUUUGE Perks to this author for a cool picture for the cover, fan art in the beginning of the book, and then immediately starting the book. Absolutely loved that. Loved this story and the characters. This was absolutely amazing! I hate myself for waiting so long to read this.

A woman and her brother move into their uncle's fixer upper years after his death. As she starts to fix things through the house weird things start happening. All the while things start heating up with the neighbor. The MC starts finding weird things around the house including damaged property, piano playing by itself, and a dog leg in the backyard barn. She must figure out who is the root cause of all this while protecting her brother and getting into a relationship with her next store neighbor who is rumored to be the town murderer. Was not expecting the romance scenes in this book but it was a great surprise. The ending is FANTASTIC!

Triggers: Mental Health, Animal death, Violence, Graphic Attempted Sexual Assault, and graphic scenes

Spice: 5/5

🏚️🩸🔨🩺🎹

Thank you Sourcebooks, Bloom Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this book! It was like mindf*ck series but less dark. I really enjoyed remi and dane's story. I enjoyed seeing them grow and accept their past and move forward together. Learning about their backstories was also very interesting. I liked how their stories differed from what others perceived them to be like, cause the rumours in the town were wild. I especially enjoyed the bad boy, mysterious vibes dane was given by the town. He definitely still has mysterious vibes but once you learn his back story, you also can't help but feel bad for him 🥺 Also the ending?!? I did see it coming but definitely not like that!! It was amazing. This book was the perfect amount of spice and plot. The story kept me on my toes and I never knew what to expect next!

This book is perfect for the upcoming spooky season! Everyone should add it to their tbr for their fall season reads!! I think it's one of my fave sophie lark books I've read! I can't wait for the next book in the series!!

Grimstone: ★★★★★ (5)

Pub date: Available now in store and on KU!

What did I just read? I wasn't expecting anything from this plot.
I had never read anything by the author, but now I will definitely read it. The only one that improved were the sex scenes I thought too much.

I absolutely loved this book, I've read others by this author and enjoyed them but I wasn't blown away. This book made me read it in one sitting because it was so good and I couldn't get enough of it. The main characters both had their issues but worked through them and made things work, I enjoyed the idea of this book because so far I hadn't seen anything like it.
I would recommend to everyone possible.

An atmospheric tale from Sophie Lark just in time for the spooky season as Remy Hayes inherits a creepy, gothic mansion from her uncle that she intends to flip with her brother but before that can happen, things begin to go bump in the night. Is the house haunted or are the issues a little more explainable and someone still breathing is trying to scare the new owners? Throw in a love interest in the shape of Grimstone’s town doctor, Dane Covett who may or may not be a homicidal maniac who has murdered his family and I’m beginning to think Remy wished her uncle had left his house to somebody else!

This was a bit of an instalove romance and perhaps a little too insta for this reader as I didn’t get any sense of chemistry or connection between the hero and heroine and there really wasn’t any time for anything to develop. The overall story itself showed a lot of promise and I wanted to love this book but unfortunately, I found some of the lines just a little too cringeworthy for that to happen so I’m only giving this book 3.5 stars.

While I think many people will enjoy this book it was just not for me. A bit too sexual which took precedence over plot and not something I will be recommending. I can see where this would have a place on many people’s bookshelves who like the more dark smutty reads. Really like the playlist throughout the book!

Dark and eerie, Grimstone transports you to a delapidated mansion in the woods amidst a town filled with secrets, lies and bad reputations.

Remi and her brother Jude arrive at their uncles old home, Blackleaf, in the bizarre town of Grimstone to flip it. The home is it total disrepair but Remi’s hoping to fix it up and then make a profit selling it to help her brother pay for college. If only this house didn’t feel like an impossible task.

Enter in Dane Covett, the mysteriously handsome night doctor next door who everyone says killed his wife. Dane just so happens to own the road leading to Blackleaf and forces Remi to agree to help around his house in exchange for using the road. When Remi get injured working at his house, Dane is quick to stitch her up but also quick to steal a kiss that leaves her head spinning.

As Remi’s nights are haunted with dreams and odd noises that wake her in the night, Dane is also plagued by his past. As the two get to know one another, can they help each other heal and also figure out what or who is out to get Remi?

I kind of went into this story blind. I had it in my head that it was more thriller or even maybe paranormal but we pleasantly surprised to find myself in a VERY dark romance!! It does have some thriller aspects as well which I really enjoyed!

Honestly, this feels like a great fall read for all you uncanny lovers!

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley.

Amazing book! Loved every word and I highly recommend it.

When I read the synopsis of this book, I KNEW I needed to read it. I thought it was a fast and easy read. I kept thinking this book would be more of a haunting/paranormal romance than contemporary based on what was happening in the book at the beginning and the vibes it was giving off.

I enjoyed the pace of the book, though I found the third-act breakup to not make ANY sense. It seemed like the author didn't know how to drive the wedge between the FMC and MMC so she just chose something random to undo all the work. Of course, there were trust issues, but this catalyst didn't make sense. The spice level and romance (outside of the breakup) were wonderful! I loved Dane and Remi from the beginning. I would say that's what pushed the rating from a 3 to a 3.5.

The tension between Dane and Emma didn't make sense either. The author kept hinting that Emma was into the FMC, but there weren't any signs that she was interested or trying to make a move. It's like the author forgot about that plotline towards the end and never touched on it again.

The end of the book made sense, but I think the author could have done a better job of building up to the climax. The killer wasn't fleshed out enough, and how tf did Dane randomly know who the killer was or the huge shift in Remi that made her have a sudden realization that wasn't shared with any of the readers?

Overall this book is a pretty average romance novel. I would give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars. I'll likely read the next book in this series because it was entertaining enough.

This book was sent to me for an honest review from Sophie Lark and Bloom Books (love them!)

I love Sophie Larks books and this one was no exception! This was a great gothic thriller, just in time for Fall! The plot was well paced, and the romance added in was *chefs kiss*. Overall this was a great book that I had a hard time putting down.

Thank you NetGalley and Bloom Books for the ARC!

I was very excited to read this one .. sadly It wasn’t a book for me.. I had to dnf at 27%.. the eerie, haunted, gothic atomosphere were VERY promising but the insta-lust was too cringe,

This book is intense and filled with twists and turns! The characters are so well written, A great thriller and perfect for this spooky season. The plot was on point, and the added romance made this book unputdownable!