Thank you Bloom and Netgalley for this free arc in return for an honest review.

This dark, gritty book follows Cole and Mara. Both artists. Both with a tragic backstory. This book covers some very heavy topics, so if you’re planning on reading it please ensure to check trigger and content warnings.

I feel like it could have been longer. I understand this is a diet however I would have liked more buildup to Cole and Maras relationship. It did feel quite rushed. However I did finish this in one day! So if you’re after a short dark romance book this is perfect for you!

I jumped in blindly to this one after seeing almost all of my Instagram friends recommending it. All the time.
However, I must be broken because I just don't see the appeal. Around mid way I genuinely considered DNF'ing the read. Since it was for and advanced review, I pushed through and it redeemed itself with a single extra star - bringing us to a grand total of a super generous three.

A serial killer romance sounds so far up my alley, yet it fell flat. I wanted so much more from that promise. The only redeeming quality for the read was the spice.
I'm pretty sure the scene in the workroom while Cole watched on will live rent free in my head forever. It's just such a shame that the rest of it fell flat.

Thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Bloom Books and Sophie Lark for an advanced copy for review. The new traditionally published copies release October 3rd, 2023.

this was incredibly unsettling. this being my first sophie lark book, i had no idea what i was getting myself into but it certainly wasn’t this.
two artists who aren’t only competing in the art realm (surprise- they’re murderers!) are both enthralled by the same woman but for completely different reasons and it was a real whirlwind
i gotta say i do love mara even though she has some pretty questionable morals, this being a dark romance and whatnot but cole is flat out INSANE. wonderfully
overall this is a weird one but if dark romance is your vibe, give it a try? maybe?

Dark romance with psychological intrigue. I loved the artistry in the book. Sophie Lark’s writing with the coinciding playlists hit the mark every time and I can’t wait to pick up the second book!

There Are No Saints is not for the faint of heart, as it contains graphic scenes of violence, torture, and murder. The author does a good job of creating a suspenseful and captivating plot, with some unexpected twists and turns. The writing style is engaging and descriptive, and the characters are well-developed and complex.

However, I also had some issues with the book that prevented me from giving it a higher rating. First of all, the romance between Cole and Mara felt rushed and unrealistic, especially considering their backgrounds and personalities. They seemed to fall for each other too quickly and easily, without much conflict or struggle. I would have liked to see more tension and development in their relationship, as well as more exploration of their motivations and emotions. Secondly, I found some parts of the book to be repetitive and predictable. I felt like the book could have been longer yet tighter, without losing its impact. Lastly, I was not satisfied with the ending of the book, which left me with more questions than answers. I understand that this is the first book in a duet, but I still expected some closure and resolution for the main characters. Instead, I was left with a cliffhanger that felt forced and frustrating.

Overall, There Are No Saints is a dark and daring book that will appeal to fans of serial killer thrillers and dark romances. It is not a book for everyone, but if you are looking for something different and disturbing, you might enjoy it. I give it 3 stars out of 5.

I have officially gone down the dark romance rabbit hole. I devoured this book! I absolutely love the playlist for this book as well!

I was left completely speechless at the end of this book! I wasn’t sure what to expect. I went in completely blind and I was so caught up in my emotions I read book 2 immediately after and now that I have finished both I’m finally doing my review!!

I am at a complete advantage because both books are done and I didn’t have to wait (thank god because I was bursting at the end and needed the conclusion immediately). I love the titles and what the represent when it comes to the books.

The start of this book did not go as planned and I loved that. I loved that we had a complete psycho giving us the story because in the end he wasn’t good nor was he bad. He was a man who lived in a world of his making. And though Shaw is the villain so is Cole!

Mara is a complete bada$$ and she is the standard when it comes to heroines in dark romance. This woman fought and she didn’t cower! I loved getting to also watch her through Coles eyes and get to know each one a level you don’t normally get to know characters! The ending though had me on edge and so be prepared for a shock!

I first want to thank Sophie Lark and NetGalley for this ARC ebook edition.

This book instantly reeled me in. It was stunning. It reminded me of YOU but with a better ending. The two main characters have such an intense chemistry from the beginning. I love every word of this book. This was such a amazing story and I still can't stop thinking about it. If you like Dark Romances please check it out!!!! If I could rate this higher than 5 stars I would in a heartbeat. Never before have I read a dark romance where I'm just as attracted to the FMC as the MMC

Thank you Bloom Books for blessing me with my favorite ARC this year. Cole Blackwell can ruin my life any day. Dark and twisty serial unalivers just get me. This book had me completely engrossed. The story just kept progressing, and I couldn’t put it down. Wonderfully paced and captivating. Adding to my favorite duets list ✔️

“I do not love men: I love what devours them."

Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Antihero/Serial unaliver/stalker
Art
Unhinged

"I do what I want. I get what I want. If there's a God of this world, it's me."

This was my first Sophie Lark book, though I have several on my shelf. They are now on my priority TBR, starting with There Is No Devil.

I was not a fan of the Mafia trope. So I might not be doing justice with this review.
Regardless of that the writing was great and it was fairly quick read for me.
The characters and their chemistry jumped out of the page and I wouldn't be opposed to reading more from this author with slightly different tropes

First off: this duet deals with some dark subjects and you may wish to proceed with caution as far as triggers are concerned — yours truly has none.

Lark sets the stage immediately. She masterfully wastes no time as we meet Mara — a starving artist with baggage miles long. She attracts the attention of two rival artists, who also happen to be serial unalivers. After Alistor notices Cole’s attention lingering a little too long at one of their shows, he decides to leave him a gift. He kidnaps Mara and leaves her to suffer her fate. Albeit Cole doesn’t take the bait and simply continues on with his night, she survives the interaction. Though, for Cole it’s too late, the obsession has already taken hold.

These characters are utterly fascinating. Mara is all on her own with her inner demons and trauma, and even in the development as she goes from being used as a pawn and begins to play the game like a truly emotionally and mental scarred individual would. Cole, though, is absolutely captivating as you reveal layer by layer as each chapter passes. Being inside his head as things progress was incredibly interesting, hearing his thoughts and reasonings. Lark has done an amazing job of laying groundwork that benefits and truly allows the unorthodox relationship between Cole and Mara to bloom.

This cat-and-mouse tension is great and will keep you hooked and does not get lost as you finished the first half of the duet and begin the second. This book is a great stalker, serial unaliver, dark romance that’s hard to put down.

I love a serial killer romance and this one was fantastic. The chemistry between Mara and Cole kept me reading all night.

This made me feel evil. But in a good way. I safely read evil shit and felt so devious and it was fun. I’m a very kind quiet person. And I love books that make me feel this way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for providing me with an eARC of There Are No Saints in return for my honest opinion.

I'm not always the biggest fan of dark romances but There Are No Saints had me hooked from the first page. I hadn't read anything like this before... A struggling artist (Mara) gets kidnapped and left as a present from one serial killer (artist Alastor) his rival (Cole, also an artist and a serial killer). Mara survives this interaction (Cole literally steps over her body and doesn't seem interested at all), and then suddenly Cole becomes obsessed with her and starts stalking her! It's such an interesting concept for a story that not only ended up being entertaining but hard to put down!

There isn't a love triangle between Cole, Mara and Alastor, but as the reader I appreciated it because Cole and Mara's relations was already weird and crazy enough, it does not need a love-triangle. I would highly recommend readers read the trigger warnings prior to reading this book as is does get quite dark (especially the spice)!

I do feel like the pace slows down a little bit in the middle of the book but it ramps up again with a dramatic ending.

Overall an entertaining read!

Mara Eldritch is a talented artist struggling for her big break. But after she attracts the attention of two rivals, she finds herself caught in a dark and twisted web. And she can't decide if Cole Blackwell is her devil or guardian angel.

There Are No Saints is a little darker than I typically read. However, I liked this book more than I thought I would. There was a moment, somewhere around 25-30% or so when I thought this wasn't for me, but then the story started to improve.

Mara was what got me invested in this book. She started the book as a pawn, but ended it as a player. She's beautifully damaged but also strong; a true survivor. I can't wait to read what will happen to her in the conclusion to this duet.

Sometimes you stumble across a book (or, in this case, a duet) that just hits all of the right notes in ways you never could have anticipated. The Sinners Duet by Sophie Lark are those kind of books.

There Are No Saints masterfully sets the stage for this dark romance story where the male protagonist is quite literally a serial unaliver. Lark’s unraveling of his character is utterly fascinating, and she crafts a story in which you can’t help but be captivated by him and with his burgeoning connection to Mara, the female protagonist. Mara is captivating in her own right, and Lark does a fantastic job laying the groundwork for an unorthodox relationship between the two.

There Is No Devil then takes this tenuous connection and tests it, as the antagonist from book one ramps up the conflict. The cat-and-mouse tension is great, and readers are able to witness the ways in which Mara and Cole complement each other; you can’t help but root for them.

In all, this is one of the best dark duets I’ve ever read. Add in the illustrations, and it tips these books over that edge.

Thanks to Bloom Books and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

ARC Review: 4.5/5 ⭐️ 3.5/5 🌶️

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This was well written and the tension between two of the main characters was enjoyable. I am excited to read the next book in the series to see how Cole and Mara’s story plays out. I hope to see both of these characters develop more in the next book.

Thank you to the author, Sophie Lark, and NetGalley for allowing me to review this book.

It feels different compared to any other dark romance i’ve ever read, it’s dark, gritty, twisted but emotional and surprisingly kinda sweet too (a bit).

I love the artsy world and art that the author describes in this book, i don’t particularly understand the art itself but the author able to explain it perfectly and gives a direction to vivid imagination of the art and the visual also helps a lot!

Mara and Cole is super HOT! Like they’re super intense and stuff but everything that they did with their art is so freaking hot, i like it. There’s a part were i don’t particularly comfortable tho at first, like why would you did *that* Cole😭😭😭 It almost put me off, but i’m pushing through this book and its not disappointing at all!!! Bring it on!!

mara is a struggling artist. she works multiple jobs and can barely keep her head above water. one night, after a party, she is kidnapped and left for dead. however, the man she thought was going to hurt her didn’t. cole is a successful artists and uses his victims in his pieces. he’s the one who found mara after his rival left her for him. cole can’t kill her though, at least not at first, he feels the need to protect his property, especially her.

i didn’t hate this, didn’t love it either. the premise to me was interesting, it was well written, it was short (all good things) but I feel like I just wanted more. I will be reading the second book and hopefully that’ll fill some of the void.

This story absolutely consumed my every moment until I finished it. I’ve read quite a few dark romance, and this book felt so authentic. Sometimes I feel in dark romances, the stories I can kind of really go wild. But the way Sophie wrote Mara and Cole, they felt so real and believable. I loved Cole, that man is a walking green flag for me. The way that art is both used and integrated into the story was really unique. How Mara handles what has happened to her, it’s no wonder why Cole becomes obsessed. The tension, both with the plot and amongst the characters in this story is everythinggggg.