This was my first book from Morgan Bridges and all I can say is that I loved it , it’s a mild Stalker story and it was done right.
I have to say it does end in a cliffhanger so you definitely need to buy the next book right after your doe with this one. One of my top five stars this year!.

This stalker romance is told in alternating POV - the stalked and the stalker. While I liked it, I am not invested to continue reading this series.

Thank you, Forever (Grand Central Publishing) | Forever

3.5
Rating 3

If you're a fan of dark romance then you'll find this is a good read. If you like smut then you'll want to pick this one up. While I found this book to be enjoyable it was only just okay. The plot was lacking and seemed to be forgotten at times. When the book only became about the stalker elements and smut is when I started to think about dnfing. While I'm a fan of both, there still has to be a reason and it can't feel so forced. The writing was a little basic but I didn't expect very much. The pacing was all over the place. I'm disappointed because the story started out strong but when you get to 40% there are too many issues that take away from the overall enjoyment.

Unfortunately I was kind of disappointed with this book. It's not bad, don't get me wrong. It was a good read, but it just reminded me of every other, dominant male book. I was hoping for it to be more of a thriller than what it turned out to be. Still a good read.

I love me a good posessive, obsessive, unhinged, walking red flag of a man and Hayden did not let me down. I also tend to love a man who has no emotions, hates everyone and is just suviving on autopilot until he meets *her* and then he starts feeling, he starts falling head over heels and he becomes soft only for her.

Our man is a lawyer by day and by night he likes to unalive people who get away with terrible crimes. Unfortunately, that leads him to unaliving our fmc, Callie's father and then he becomes obsessed with her. There are plenty of secrets and other things going on: it seems like maybe Hayden messed up and her father was innocent? So he's juggling trying to keep that truth from her, while falling for her, and trying to find out the truth if her father was innocent or not.

I love watching him spiral further into insanity because he's starting to develop feelings and he's been emotionless for so long that it's hard for him to handle it. He's also very much "touch her - or even LOOK at her - and 🔪". The few times he brought down his guard for Callie and showed her his raw vulnerabilities or was soft for her just melted me.

I adored Callie and his banter but, I adored Callie and her bestie Harper's banter even more. Harper is an absolute riot and everyone needs a Harper in their life! I love love their friendship and sisterhood so much. 🩷

Callie isn't my favorite fmc, I typically like my heroines tougher, fierce and badass. But, I do have a soft spot for Callie. She's empathetic and looks to help everyone around her. She grew up wealthy (her father was a senator) and yet she didn't follow the typical "snobby" vibe or think she was better than anyone else. She went to shelters and volenteered, she fed the homeless, she befriended the staff of her father's estate. She was very niave and has a sort innocence and shyness to her but, she can snao back and be sassy when she wants. I hope in book two we see more of that growth in her.

As for their relationship: I loved the slow burn of it and how she wasn't so easy to give into Hayden despite being attracted to him. She made him work for it and told him no on many occasions and I loved that he respected her physical boundaries (cause he def. didn't like being told no when she wouldn't listen to him 😅). I'm curious to see how their relationship grows next book and to see them admit they've def. grown feelings feelings. Hayden doesn't quite understand what he's feeling is love and I can't wait for that realization to hit him.

I enjoyed the story telling, the pacing, the mysteries and secrets we're trying to uncover and the relationships/friendships between the characters.

ᴀʀᴄ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ
ᴏɴᴄᴇ ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ᴍɪɴᴇ
ᴍᴏʀɢᴀɴ ʙʀɪᴅɢᴇs
⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

•sᴛᴀʟᴋᴇʀ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ
•ᴏʙsᴇssᴇᴅ ᴍᴍᴄ
•ᴍᴏʀᴀʟʟʏ ɢʀᴇʏ
•ᴍᴜʀᴅᴇʀ ᴍʏsᴛᴇʀʏ

Will I read book 2 in this duet? I don’t know yet. Although entertaining, the plot was as messy as the FMC was an idiot. Drove me bonkers! Debating on my investment 😂

MMC Hayden? Controlling, possessive stalker? Jury is still out on him, but his dirty talk and actions could possibly sway me 😏 I am a sucker for a stalker romance, after all.

📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖

I am a sucker for a dark romance. Throw in a mystery and I'm in love! This book hooked you from the beginning and never lets go. I had to jump straight into the next book because that cliffhanger....wow! Make sure when you pick this book up, you have time to read it and the second one. You won't stop thinking about it otherwise!

Once Your Mine is well written and with good spice 🌶️ There's a cliffy at the end that leaves you wanting to read the next book right away! There was, however, something missing for me. I had a hard time feeling anything for the characters and wish the unhinged parts were on page. I'm debating reading the next one.

I know it's not going to be for everyone but I really enjoyed Once You're Mine by Morgan Bridges. This is a slow burn, stalker romance and the first book in the Possessing Her duology. I liked getting the multiples POVs. It really added so much depth to the darker emotions of certain characters. The romance was definitely slow burn but it was absolutely worth it. I recommend this one for dark romance fans but make sure to check the content warnings first.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5⭐️!

if you’ve never read dark romance & want to dip your toes into the sub genre, then this book is 100% the way to go!! i’d say it’s definitely on the lighter side of dark romance where the mmc is an obsessed & possessive vigilante/stalker. he definitely falls harder!

i feel like this book was such a great set up for book two & now i need it in my hands right now! i loved hayden & calista a lot, but i truly think book two is going to be so much better! the tension was great & i loved seeing both of their povs. i did sort of expect more of a conflict to happen in this book because of the details we find out towards the beginning; however, i am now assuming book two will have all of that. it has to, right??

overall, this was such a good & veryyyyy quick read!

not for me


2 stars

has to DNF at 20%

Thank you netgalley for the arc and I wish this book was for me but it was not. I had a problem with the pacing and characters

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! If you're into dark romance and dig a slow burn, this book is definitely your jam. If you enjoyed Haunting Adeline, this one's right up your alley too. Was this book my cup of tea? Not really. After giving it a go out of curiosity, I'm pretty sure dark romance isn't my thing. Plus the storyline moved very slow for me. Like every romance with the FMC falling for the morally grey MMC, there's the obligatory funny best friend. Harper is that hilarious bestie, and I totally loved her.

I gotta admit, the text exchange between Hayden and Calista at the club had me cracking up!

Calista: *orders another motherfucking drink.

Hayden: That better be a glass of motherfucking water.

Like, with "Haunting Adeline", I wasn't really into the whole stalker plot, but I get that some readers would totally dig it. What I absolutely love is the guy who claimed he never kisses because it's way too intimate for him. And then he finally kissed our girl Callie. That's when I knew things were about to get real.

Nonetheless, I feel like the dark romance book girlies on Booktok would eat this book right on up.

I am a huge dark romance reader and I was excited to be able to read an ARC of this. I have heard a lot of buzz about it, and it was on my TBR. I am wildly disappointed. The chemistry is not there. Hayden is not OTT in the usual dark romance way; he's OTT like some Dick Tracy, crime noir but 50's big acting, ridiculous type. It's too much. It isn't believable and he genuinely reads more as neurodivergent with no coping skills than morally gray.

Hayden is a vigilante lawyer who thinks that punishing those who are guilty but somehow do not get behind bars is a good outcome.

However, soon after a Senator was declared not guilty, he was found dead. That death brought Hayden’s attention to Calista Green, the Senator’s daughter and he becomes obsessed with her.

His whole goal is now to protect her from anyone and anything.

Will she accept his help? Will she discover his dark secrets?

This is a morally grey dark romance book and it is fast paced!

Tropes: instant obsession, being alpha, manipulation, possessive, rich and drop dead gorgeous, toucher her and ☠️

TW: manipulations, death, stalker

🌶️🌶️
Dual POV
Ends on a cliff hanger

I cannot wait to read book 2, Now You’re Mine to know the sequel!

Thank you to Morgan Bridges and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

🥵 there’s just something about a man 𝘶𝘯𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥.
And let me say- Hayden is definitely unhinged when it comes to Calista.
What starts with a murder leads to stalking, obsessing, and possessiveness 🫠
If you love touch her and dîe vibes, this one is for you. Hayden stops at nothing to protect her.

“𝘐‘𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦.”

This was an interesting one. I love a good stalker romance and I really wasn't expecting this to progress how it did.

I really liked that Hayden is a lawyer despite his unhinged personality. I always find it entertaining when someone like a serial killer literally works within the law, so that was a fun surprise. He was just crazy enough that I could easily excuse all of his antics and was honestly rooting for him despite the fact that he killed Calista's dad. He's the kind of character that really draws me in, and I loved reading his points of views.

Calista is exactly what I expected her to be once I got a grasp of the plot. I wouldn't call her naive even though she does occasionally come off that way. I interpret her more as someone that's scared and uncertain, and I could easily relate to a lot of her decisions just based on that alone. I will say she did drive me a little crazy with her instigating in certain situations, but not to a point where I started disliking her as a character.

This was a fun read. I definitely want to give the second book a try, especially after the cliffhanger.

I ate this book up and absolutely loved it. Dark, morally gray MMC, red flags, and spice. Oh my goodness what a CLIFFHANGER, I could scream!!! This book had me hooked. I have to know what happens next! Once You're Mine follows Calista and Hayden, Calista's father was murdered after he was acquitted for a horrendous crime that was committed. Hayden is the prosecutor for Calista's father's trial. Hayden saw Calista in the courtroom, and an obsession began. Hayden will make Calista his. If you like dark stalker romance, I would highly recommend Once You're Mine!

What a wild ride! This book is intense, sexy, and perfect for dark romance fans. A vigilante lawyer who delivers justice in and out of the courtroom falls for the daughter of one of his victims. The tension is off the charts, with a cat-and-mouse dynamic that reminded me of Haunting Adeline. I devoured it in one day!

Hayden’s dual life as a lawyer adds depth, and Callie’s resilience after losing everything makes her a standout character. While it’s more of a “baby” stalker romance, it’s a great entry point for the genre. The chemistry is insane, and the cliffhanger left me desperate for the next book. If dark romance is your thing, this one’s a must-read.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book but unfortunately it fell a little flat for me. I had a hard time connecting with the main characters. I feel like the obsession came across very surface level, with no real explanation as to WHY Hayden first felt such a draw to Calista. I also found Calista a bit hard to relate to. She's a smart girl yet continued to overlook very obvious things. Calistas best friend Harper was a breath of fresh air and by far my favourite character, she has a lot of personality and her one-liners were amazing ! There seemed to be a lot going on with the plot while also seeming to be slow paced. Even with the cliffhanger, I'm not sure if I'll read the second book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Morgan Bridges, and publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book proved to be a pleasurable read overall. The writing was skillful, the majority of characters were compelling and authentic, and the enigmatic plot kept me eagerly turning pages, making it difficult to set down my Kindle as I craved more.

Despite these strengths, a few aspects of the book led me to assign it a four-star rating. Specifically, I found Callie's character to be lacking in perceptiveness, as she failed to recognize the signs pointing to Bennett as her stalker, which proved frustrating. Additionally, certain characters felt superfluous, such as Callie's ex-fiancé who made a brief and seemingly pointless appearance at her coffee shop. This inclusion perplexed me, as it served no apparent purpose.

Nevertheless, the book was an enjoyable read overall, and I look forward to delving into the sequel.