Yours to Take is a dark romance novel by Vera Kane. I knew I was going to enjoy reading this book when the dedication said “For every girl who watched scream and fantasized about Billy Loomis this one is for you”. As a horror fan I loved the incorporation of one of my horror movies, Scream in it. Yours to Take follows the story of Quentin and Anora.. After the tragic death of his sister, Quentin takes revenge on the scumbags of Portland by acting as the Portland Slasher at night, Anora, on the other hand is a fashion designer who is tired of bad date after date. While on another bad date, at a coffee shop, Quentin lays eyes on Anora the rest is history. Since this a dark romance novel, I would recommend checking the trigger warnings before reading. This though would be a good read for readers who wanted an introduction to the dark romance genre. For me this was a quick read, that Im going to want to reread around Halloween.time. My one wish for this book is that since it a shorter book (around 200 pages), I wish some of the plot was more developed. Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the story and the characters in this book but I wished there was more detail describing the characters up bringing/ scene where Anora gets taken. Other than that the book was fast paced and a fun read! I liked that Quentin gave up his life style for Anora and the epilogue was adorable!

This will be posted to goodreads 4/26 and TikTok 4/27
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7521573865

I enjoyed reading this book, however I felt the timeline went very quick and that some of the plot was missing. I enjoyed the concept but just felt it was missing some character development. The spicy scenes were great but unfortunately weren’t enough to make up for the other lacking aspects.

Woah! Guys! The way I devoured this book! Just wow!

Please check trigger warnings before diving in!

These two were made for each other they are both dark and twisty and we are here for it

*Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!*

2.5⭐
I felt like the book was very rushed and was missing several essential plot lines. It had such potential to be a 5 star read it but in the end fell very flat. The spice scenes were great but even those were rushed as well.

I was able to get this as an ARC through NetGalley.

Please pay attention to the triggers if you have any.

This was such an amazing book! For anyone that has the love of masked morally grey men that are obsessed with their women; this is for you!! From the very beginning of the book with the song Playlist until the last page I couldn’t wait to see what happened.

Starting out like the horror movie “Scream” and then getting the introduction to Quentin and who he was and his backstory was a great way to start. Followed by the meeting of Anora and the instant obsession had me hooked.

Anora seems like your normal down on her luck girl just wanting to find her happiness. With her best friend and roommate, Rory living together in Portland they have to watch their backs as the Portland Slasher is killing men with histories of violence against women. After Anora’s blind date is discovered murdered and she keeps running into a stranger from the coffee shop.. is it all just some sort of joke or is Quentin as good of a man as he seems??

The love the blooms between the two has you rooting for their happy ending. With all the bumps they encounter along the way, I can’t recommend this book enough. I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Thanks to NetGalley, Vera Kane, and Azala Romance for the ARC. This one had the potential to be a 4 or 5 star book but it was too short. The story was too short to have enough development. I felt like information and details were missing. The ending was too HEA for a dark romance book. This book was a little on the softer side. The book seemed to me to be a watered down version of of Haunting Adeline. The book seemed a little rushed. It was an Ok book all in all. The cover is beautiful and the story line was good, but too short. The two female main characters had too similar of names Aurora (Rory) and Anora, got a little confused once or twice.

Nora feels like someone is following her, but when she meets Quinton she's not sure whether she loves it or hates it. He's obsessed with protecting and taking care of her, but she's no damsel.

Fast paced, spicy, and emotional, this was a great quick read!

First off, thank you to NetGalley and Publishers for access to this ARC.

I loved the book! I think my only complaints would be that while I love an insta love trope (like any sane person) I do wish the build up within their relationship was a bit more drawn out. I would’ve liked more angst and tension and more will they or won’t they. I think a lot of the plot was lost in that insta love in this one. But beyond that this book was great. I haven’t been a dark romance girly in a while and this really made me want to dive back in!

Yours to Take by Vera Kane is a gripping romance that stands out for its slow-burning tension and emotionally grounded characters. What drew me in most was the suspense that steadily builds between the two leads. Rather than rushing into love, the story takes its time, letting the characters develop a believable and satisfying connection.

I especially appreciated the strength of the female lead. She doesn’t fall head over heels at the first sign of attraction—instead, she holds her ground, making the eventual romance feel earned and authentic. Watching the relationship evolve, with both characters growing and meeting each other halfway, was both refreshing and rewarding.

If you’re a fan of romance with a good dose of tension and character development, Yours to Take is definitely worth a read.

Thank you Netgalley and Vera Kane for the ARC

Quentin lives his life during the day as a tech guy and lives his night seeking vengeance for his sister. Anora works at a boutique and is frustrated after a series of failed dates. Quentin sees Anora at a coffee shop and was immediately obsessed with her. He seeks a relationship with her but is struggling with how to disclose his pastime killing abusers. Anora struggles with what her heart wants vs. what her head says.

While this is definitely an entertaining story, it just was not long enough and as developed as I would have hoped. This story had much potential but in the end fell flat for me. At parts it was a stalker book, but then that just ended, then it was immediately love within the two characters completely forgoing the stalking element. After the 3rd act conflict, Anora goes from being traumatized to forgiving him after a couple of days which did not work for me.

For a quick, easy, entertaining read then read this book!

Good book. I do wish it felt a bit more developed but loved the storyline, characters and the steamy burn this book gives. Spice is 4.5.

This book was so unbelievably beautiful. The build up to their relationship, their love story, then the perfect little bow at the end in the epilogue had me immediately searching for more from Vera Kane.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Author for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Stars

This book had a lot of potential. It would have had a significantly better rating if the author had fleshed and developed the plot and the characters further. I liked the push and pull between the characters but I still find myself wishing for the story to have been deeper.

Anora, Our FMC, is a clothing designer. She encounters our MMC, Quentin, while on a date that was set up through her boss. Quentin is immediately drawn to her and dislikes the way that her date treated her. He absolutely "has" to fix this issue, and this forms the beginning of their stalker serial killer and obsession dance. Quentin is very inconspicuous by day, and absolutely unhinged at night/when the situation calls for it.

As I said, this book could have been fleshed out a lot more, and this is shown very early on when Quentin.. our serial killer of several years decides to unsafely kill the dude that treated Anora wrong. I have to admit.. if he has been doing this without getting caught for years.. he'd know how to make this look like anything but what it is.. a crime of impulsivity. I would have thought that Quentin would have taken the time to draw things out. I would have also thought that Quentin would have built up the darkness in Anora before revealing that he was the serial killer that everyone is looking for.

Spice wise, it was a lowish spice dark romance.

Look.. the book had a decent premise, and I love dark romance.. but it definitely could have been significantly more fleshed out. I would even rereview this if it were fleshed out further.

Light stalking, serial killer romance? Sign me up! This book was a fun and quick read. I feel like it was missing a lot and it could have been great if it had been more in depth. I feel like everything was rushed and you didn’t get the chance to really connect with the characters. The premise of the book was great and I just wish that it was longer. It lacked detail in so many places that could have make my rating higher. Despite this, I feel like this is a great book to help get someone introduced into the dark romance world. It was still a good read. Thank you for the ARC!

If you liked Haunting Adeline and Lights Out then this is the book for you!
Thank you Netgalley and publisher for giving me access to this eARC.

Anora, a girl who just wants to find love but has a really bad streak of failed dates living with her roommate and best friend Aurora.

Quentin, a guy on a path of Vengeance for the death of his sister he takes it upon himself to hunt down the scum of the city.
They cross paths at a coffee shop where Anora is on another failure of a date. Quentin first sets his eyes on her and he knows he will never let her go.

My opinion and thoughts:

I liked the concept but it was too short for what it wanted to be. You miss a big chunk of their relationship development so it just seems like Anora fell for him in such a short time even though it's said it's been months. Those months weren't shown. 😞
I feel the two girl friends had annoyingly similar names that was unnecessary. Anora and Aurora. If the shortened form of the names weren't used, I would have been confused.
Anora has Silver hair but it's unclear whether it was bleached or if it was natural.
Things happened way to quickly for my liking and when the 'conflict' happened.. it was just anticlimactic.
I wanted to like this so much, but it just was missing alot of plot and character development. There wasn't alot of tension either.

2.75 ⭐

The beginning started out strong but the farther into the book I got, the more it didn't make sense. There were a lot of unanswered questions. If the beginning hasn't hooked me in, this would have been a 2 star read for me.

The FMC wasn't relatable and annoyed me. She kept saying she needed to talk to her therapist but there was never any contact with said therapist. She would think one thing then contradict it a moment later. I never really knew how she felt.

There's mention that the MMC was stalking the FMC but the only time that is shown is when they first saw each other. He watched her go to work and then home but nothing after that

I love the side characters and would have liked to hear more about their story.

As for the ending, I didn't understand how the bag guy figured out who our MMC is, it was never mentioned.

I think that this story has a great start but could have used more plot/story and character development throughout it.

🌶️!! Yours to Take by Vera Kane is a dark, spicy romance that dives into the complexities of love and vengeance. Quentin is a brooding vigilante, haunted by his past and driven by a thirst for revenge. Anora, a fashion designer tired of the dating scene, unexpectedly finds herself drawn to Quentin’s enigmatic allure. Their connection is intense, filled with steamy moments and emotional turmoil. While the story offers a thrilling ride, some readers have noted that certain plot elements, like the pacing and character development, could have been more refined. Nonetheless, if you’re into morally grey heroes and passionate, high-stakes romance, this book might just be your next read. 

3/5 stars.
I have mixed feelings about this book. I do like it, but I don’t love it. I love the characters. The FMC is so relatable. Same girl, I prefer fictional men over real one 😔. The MMC was just my type. I cried what happened to his sister. The writing is so good. The storyline pace is also great. The reason why I didn’t give it 5/5 is because I feel they fell in love so fast. I needed more heart-warming and lovely moments between them to believe that they’re in love. Their chemistry felt like insta one.

Anyways, this book is fine. Great to read in one evening or on Halloween 👀

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fast-paced and fun read! The storyline was easy to follow, and the characters were awesome. While I did feel the FMC lacked some depth, she was still relatable at times, and that didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the story.

I especially loved the Ghostface-inspired dark romance vibe—perfect for a Halloween read! The book itself is on the shorter side, and I flew through it in one sitting. That said, it has a solid foundation and could easily be expanded into a longer, even more intense dark romance.

I’m definitely excited to see what else this author has written or will write in the future. I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys dark romance, fast-paced stories, and masked men.