I absolutely love this cover so much! This starts off wild and pretty much does not stop! It was dark and creepy. It kept me on the edge of my seat needing to know what was going to happen. The son of a serial killer is sent to protect his father's last victim that survived somehow. Someone wants her dead and someone wants him to kill. They did not plan to fall for each other. Mercy and Cain had such hard lives. It so amazing they have grown up the way they did. I did not see all the twists coming. I enjoyed uncovering them. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is a dark romance with the unlikely pairing of Cain, the son of a serial killer, and Mercy, the girl that survived said serial killer. As the story progresses, the storyline becomes more complicated with plenty of twists and turns. Once you start reading, you won't want to put it down until all of the questions are answered.

A very well mixed book of emotions and actions that are truly "messed up". A mix of every trope from serial killer books, but strangely makes a compelling read, if somewhat confusing. The son of a serial killer and a survivor from one of his father's sprees must join together to solve some very disturbing murders. BUT, they will find romance mixed among the disturbing mental pictures that Abbie Roads paints through some pretty skillful writing. A different kind of thriller/ horror mix that somehow works.

Wow! This was a dark and disturbing story, yet it was highly addictive. Once I started on it, blood and all, I was captivated and engrossed fully, although I did have to watch cartoons after reading it. Cain Killian is the son of an infamous serial killer, Adam Killian. Cain's childhood was the stuff of nightmares, and he fights the nightmares daily. He is now a consultant with the FBI. He has a rather grisly way of working on a crime scene. He fights the beast within him daily, and to make matters even worse, he looks just like his father. His life is not an easy one.

Mercy Ledger is the only surviving victim of Adam Killian. Adam slaughtered her entire family many years ago, but she somehow survived, and has been hospitalized in a psych ward for quite some time. It is readily apparent that though this woman has suffered through a traumatic experience, she does not belong in a locked room. Mercy has been living in her personal nightmare for many years.

When an eerily similar crime is committed which looks like a copycat of his father, Cain knows he needs to talk to Mercy. When he goes to see Mercy, he gets a little more than he bargained for.

Abbie Roads will take you into the darkness and depravity of a sick mind, but she so skillfully writes this story, that you will feel compelled to keep reading because you will have to know what happens. It is definitely not for the faint of heart. The crime scenes are bloody and vile, but we are dealing with a serial killer, so that is what you have to expect. The mystery was complex and will pull you into the story from the beginning chapters. My favorite character is Mac. Mac is the FBI agent who basically saved Cain. This man has a heart of gold. You will learn more about his story when you read this book, and you need to read this book.

Thank you the author and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a deliciously dark suspenseful romance. I loved the dual pov and how gritty the story was. It was exactly what I want when reading a darker romance. Thank you to the amazing author and net galley for allowing me to read this!

A dark, intense thriller from new-to-me author Abbie Roads. Cain’s father is a serial killer locked away for his crimes. Cain’s childhood was abusive, but he’s fought hard to overcome his past. He’s now a profiler for the FBI with some rather unique skills.

Mercy’s family was murdered by Cain’s father, and she is the only survivor. She’s found herself in a bad situation where things are out of her control. Enter Cain, there to kidnap her and get her to a safe place.

But there are other similar murders taking place. Who could the copycat be and how could they know things only the real killer knows? Can Cain save Mercy? Can she help him in return or is he beyond help?

Twists, turns, surprises, and more!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Defying Evil, plunges readers into a dark and twisted world where the sins of the past cast a long, haunting shadow over the present. In this gripping thriller, Abbie Roads weaves a tale of obsession, survival, and a love that defies all odds.

The narrative is fast-paced and well-written, which captured my attention from the very beginning. The descriptions of the dark and gruesome scenes are vivid and unsettling, adding an extra layer of intensity to the story.

I know some readers didn’t like how Mercy and Cain developed a relationship so quickly and found it unconventional. But, it's worth noting that their connection is born out of a shared, nightmarish past. Both characters are burdened by unresolved issues and a sense of isolation, which naturally draws them towards each other as they find solace and support. In this context, their growing relationship feels authentic, considering the circumstances.

If you enjoy being on the edge of your seat and want to finish this at 2AM to be late going into work, then you should definitely start this book soon! Hopefully there is a second book as I would love to read how their journey continues with the FBI.

Sending a big thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an Advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts and review!

The beautiful cover design intrigued me about this book, its unique and if I were to buy a book for its cover this would be it, it is beautiful.

The characters are well written and it is interesting seeing things from their different perspectives. They each have their own demons but this connects them and helps them relate to eachother. Being a dark romance it is a pleasant surprise that the male character is a good guy and all he wants to do it protect. He struggles knowing who he is and what impact that has on the women he has fallen for, should he walk away or stay and deal with the murderers wrath. I did think the female character would put up more of a struggle considering who he is and this felt a bit too easy.

This author didn't bog you down with finer details and too many characters meaning it could be set anywhere and it would still make sense. There was room for the plot to be darker and have more focus on the murderer, it seems to focus on the love story more so. It was an enjoyable and easy read.

I really enjoyed this book very much, even though it's written in the third person which is not my preference, it was written in a dual POV which already helped. The story was so thrilling and completely gripping right from the start. I really liked both main characters, and the plot was well paced. It's also not often that a dark romance has a male main character who isn't also a bad guy in some way, which was interesting and refreshing. One thing lacking in the spice department is that both characters thought and verbally spoke about a desire for wild, rough intensity, but that never transpired between them. Would recommend, even though the spice was on a tamer scale, the story made up for it.

First of all, I have to say this cover is stunning! It immediately drew my attention and had me wanting to read this book! I love anatomy (I work in healthcare so it’s always fascinated me) so an anatomical heart is something that reels me in!

I found this book caught my attention early and kept it through out. If you like suspenseful books with some romance thrown in, you will enjoy reading this one! It kind of reminded me of both tv shows Dexter and The Following so if either of those are your vibe, you’ll enjoy this book!

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

Defying Evil is a book with thriller mixed in between a romance. It is about Cain and Mercy, both victims of Cain's father, Adam Killiam - a brutal serial killer who killed Mercy's parents in front of her and let her with scars for life, both physically and mentally. The book follows Cain, a FBI agent, who solves murders by bathing in the blood of the victims. When he does it, he can enter the perspective of the killer and find out how the crimes where commited and how to get the killer faster. Mercy is locked in an institution for 2 years and is at the mercy of a doctor who is obsessed with her and with Adam Killiam's murders.

I had some problems finding this book interesting, because at first I thought it was going to be more about the crimes and less about the romance, but it turns out the romance is kind of the main part and the murders weren't really that important.. another thing is that I don't understad how their romance is real, because supposedly, they didn't speak to each other before the book started, and they were both suddenly attracted to each other and obsessed with each other.. I didn't really bought that. Also, there were some situations that were life threatening and they were just in the mood to flurt and fuck? um, excuse me but what? How are you with the guy who almost killed you by your side unconscious and you are flirting with the son of the man who almost killed you and are attracted to him all of a sudden????

Also, the names of the characters were just poor and they seem like they were made for the author to create punch lines with them, like really? "doctor Payne-in-the-ass".. I mean... and "Mercy was at his mercy",.. that for me was just poorly written... and talk about Cain's twin sister that just appeared all of the sudden so there could be a second book, who's name was Daughter... like, Adam's daughter's name was Daughter???!?!?!?!?!!! oh and don't start on the Triple K thing, that's just... uughh I don't even know how to describe it.

Some sentences were just really bad, like when Cain was driving really fast on his Mustang and AR said "all its horses galloping".... I mean, I'm sorry but that isn't funny. And if it was supposed to be funny, it had bad timming because if you put a funny punch line in a serious situation, it lacks the adrenaline feel of it.
It kind of seemed like AR judges a person by it's car really, becase in that same scene when he was driving and he passed another car, she said "It was the kind of car a guy with a small dick and a large ego would drive", like... what's the problem with a person not being able to buy a cheaper car? And how did he know it was a guy driving and not a girl? But i'm rambling.. if this was the only thing wrong with the book I woulnd't point it out, but there was too much stuff I coulnd't ignore.

And when Cain and Mercy where making out, on the side of the road, because why not, and Dolan (also a great name by the way) called him and said "Are you sucking face with Mercy Ledger?" - I don't think this is really that funny. If it was written to be funny then this is just bad...
Oh and I just loved how AR said that "Any man who loved SpaghettiOs coulnd't be all bad" ahahahah oh my God, this book...!!!! because Mercy has this gift of feeling people's "intentions", and I guess if you like SpaguettiOs you are a nice person...

How could I almost forget that Mercy was taken from the institution and NOBODY seemed to care, like where was she? How did she get away? Why was she suddenly sucking face with the son of the man who tried to kill her and murdered all her family in front of her? People just accepted it was normal for an unstable FBI agent and a fugitive victim of almost murder to start dating. They also liked to asked them "are you two together?", like that is completely normal.... oh and I just loved how Cain judged Dolan for dating his twin sister like "You saying you were in a relationship with a family member of the victims?", like!!!! Are. You. Serious here!!

And of course that all the bad people died at the end and all the good ones survived, even with like 100 bullets in the face, and that love saves everything in the end... ("But the one thing his father hadn't anticipated was how love changed a person").....
Also loved the "It's her duty to populate the earth with our bloodline"....

As you can see, this book is not well written and I feel sorry for it, because I was really interested by it's synopsis, but as I got through with it I was juts really glad it wasn't a big book, and the percentage of my progress was raising really fast. At some point I thought stuff would get interesting and that Cain was the real murderer of the recent cases, but no... I don't think I will read the next book of the series or any book by this author.. It was really not for me...

Thanks to NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for the ARC copy of Defying Evil by Abbie Roads, set for publication on October 17, 2023.
Cain is the only son of Adam Killion, a brutal serial killer. Mercy is Killion’s only survivor. When their paths cross as adults as Cain helps the FBI investigate a new killer on the lam, does Mercy unknowingly hold the key to unlocking the mystery of the killer’s identity?
Personally, while I was excited by the idea of the story, I was disappointed by the instalove of the two main characters. It felt contrived and contradictory to the story I felt I was promised from the blurb.
The sexual wellness advocate in me would like to gently remind everyone that calling someone “clean” or “dirty” in regards to their sexual health history is a fallacy.
The supernatural aspects of the storyline were interesting and deserved more attention.
Overall, I found parts of the story to be worthwhile, but I did not find the plot compelling enough to hold my attention. I found my brain wandering to other books I was currently reading and not wanting to readily come back to this particular storyline. There was simultaneously too much going on with side characters being introduced too late in the story, but not enough meat happening with the main characters to keep me interested. There’s a good story happening, but I had a hard time focusing on it.

The concept was great, but the book was a slow read for me and I had a hard time finishing it. I did like that it was different from most books I have read. I will be reading the sequel in hopes this was just slow because there was back story needed.

This is a dark, thrilling and sorta messed up read. The story was intense and suspenseful yet still loving and heartbreaking. Cain and Mercy may have nothing in common and yet be the only ones that can understand each other. Such an interesting and thrillingly unexpected love story.

This read was a dark, thrilling read. Cain is living in the darkness and past of his serial killer father. Mercy is the only survivor. Can they find peace with each other.

This read was nonstop angst and twists. You will keep turning the pages to see what happens next.

I recommend this book because it is:
- Dark
- Angsty
- A troubled hero and heroine
- Great secondary characters
- Twist and turns you will not see coming
- Unique story

This was, sadly, disappointing. I found it interesting that the serial killer’s son was the love interest in this novel as opposed to the serial killer himself (like in most of these novels) but it didn’t live up to what I imagined. There was instalove between the two love interests (I despise insta love. Even a LITTLE tension goes a long way, but the more the merrier honestly). And I cannot stand the phrase “girlie parts” (Jesus Christ are we in middle school??) and the use of the word “male”. Both of these were repeated and both made me want to have a brain aneurysm every time I read them. He’s just a dude! A man! There’s no fae or different species sprinkled in here! And girlie parts??!? I can’t. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I really REALLY wanted to like this book. The synopsis had all the makings of a morally gray, enemies to lovers, forced proximity book. I thought I was about to DEVOUR it. But that synopsis was very misleading. Did those things happen? Sure. But it was more like what a reporter would spin to get interest in a story.

Everything seemed too easy in this story. The relationship between characters, even the trauma each of the characters had seemed severely down played. I was expecting more resistance from the plot, not perfect compliance. It has great bones for the story it promises. Just not the execution.

Also, if I had to read Mercy referring to her “girly parts” again I might’ve thrown up as much as Cain does.

Uhhh holy crap, everyone needs to read this book! It’s amazing, and terrifying, and the romance is so unbelievably good.

Now don’t get me wrong, the romance plot may be good, but this is still a very dark, suspenseful thriller, so check TWs - I got Silence of the Lambs vibes. This is the kind of book you might need to put in your freezer (IYKYK). Don’t do what I did, and read it at night when you’re home alone.

*Mild spoiler*
Abbie Roads if you see this, WTF?!


This book captured ALL of my attention, I finished it in less than 24 hours. It's got plot twists and some reeeeeal weird stuff goin on and I'm all for it. I love the main characters and the complexities of the way their brains work after all the trauma, even if I wanted to shake them and tell them to just love each other dang it! I NEVER saw Daught coming though what the hell is that about?!?!

3.5/5

The premise of this book was great: Son of a serial k!ller and his father's only survivor? Uh, yes please. The idea of them coming together over a new case is great and I felt like the story line was well developed. There were twists and turns, some I saw coming, others I didn't. The relationship felt slightly rushed and it was definitely insta-love, so if that's not your thing, this may not be the books for you.

I wanted to like this book more! This had such a great premise and is right up my alley with books I love and my love of criminology, but I found myself wanting more from the book. It was a good book, don't get me wrong, and I enjoyed it, but I felt myself wishing it was more. I can't exactly put my finger on it. I felt it was better than a three star book, so I rounded up rather than down, but it felt like it sat between 3 and 4 stars.