I loved every filthy, crazy word of this book. A Gothic contemporary with a murder mystery to solve. Just inject that straight into my brain, thank you. Genuinely surprising moments had me on the edge my seat!

Overall the characters and the story were okay but I just feel like our two main characters didn't mesh well. The book had spooky elements but it seemed like a very cheesy 90s horror movie and not in a good way.

Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC

2.5⭐️

This one was a mixed bag for me. I liked Remi and Dane as individual characters. I was enjoying the setting and the plot. The illustrations were done well. However, some of the smutty scenes just made me cringe. The big reveal is really what brought down my rating. It felt like a bad ending from the Scream franchise.

Grimstone by Sophie Lark is a darkly enchanting tale that masterfully blends romance and suspense. Lark's vivid writing and complex characters draw readers into a world of intrigue and passion, where secrets threaten to unravel everything. The tension builds beautifully, making it a captivating read from start to finish. Perfect for fans of gothic romance!

Review of “Grimstone” by Sophie Lark

2 ⭐️

I was so excited when I got a copy of Grimstone to review, because the Brutal Birthright series might actually be my favourite series ever. Grimstone sounded exactly like what I needed in this Fall season: spooky thriller vibes, but make it Sophie Lark. However, I must admit, this book didn’t work for me.

We follow Remi who starts renovating her late uncle’s house in Grimstone with her brother, Jude. She quickly meets Dane, who lives next door. He’s your regular grumpy next door neighbour, but he has a dark side. The whole town suspects him of murdering his wife. When Remi starts helping Dane to fix his fence, things start heating up.

Weird things happen during the nights and Remi feels like she’s being watched. I must say though, I kind of zoned out during the middle of the book, so I’m not even entirely sure anymore what went down.

The finale lifted the story up a bit, and the twist is quite nice, but since I wasn’t invested in the story, I wasn’t really invested in the ending as well. And that’s sas, because it’s honestly something I hadn’t seen coming.

I’ll not stop reading Sophie Lark books (ever), but this one just wasn’t for me sadly.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own ♥️

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

I had NO clue what I was getting into before reading this. Truly thought it was going to be a fantasy novel (don't judge a book by it's cover kids) but boy was I surprised when this was a spice ladden romance WITH MYSTERY!!! What a win!!!!

Honestly this was fab. Atmospheric for fall, perfect amount of spice, interesting characters and some gore/mystery to boot. All over, I loved it.

This was the first Sophie Lark book I've read and it didn't really work for me. The atmosphere was sort of spooky, but I felt it could have been scarier and I didn't think the two main characters matched well.

Remi and her brother come to Grimstone for a chance at a new life. Their uncle left behind a rotting home that is a renovation opportunity for someone as skilled in the field as Remi. She has been taking care of her brother for most of his life and sacrifices in order to set him up for a successful future. The two of them work together to fix up the home and blend in with the neighbors. When the past follows them to Grimstone, who can they trust?

Dane is a doctor with a condition that makes him reactive to the sun. He also is the subject of rumors around town that he murdered his late wife and son. When his new neighbors attract attention to his late friend’s house, Dane isn’t the only one who comes out at night. Ghosts, villains, and unfriendly neighbors all come out to play when the sun goes away.

This is my first Sophie Lark book and it was a fast-paced and thrilling experience! I was back-and-forth with this book with not being able to put it down and with needing a break due to some of the disturbing scenes. I would recommend this book for adult readers who can tolerate dark and disturbing themes. As a warning for some, there are very graphic scenes involving violence, murder, and SA.

Thanks to NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

A gothic spooky mansion mystery vibes with high slice? Sounds like a winner. This was a very entertaining read and will definitely give another one of her books a shot!

I was not expecting the level of spice in this book when I first picked it up. It is definitely too graphic for our library unless specifically asked for from a student. That being said, if you like fast-paced, spicy, romance/fantasy/haunting/mystery novels, this could be the one for you. There was a lot of smut and while that's not necessarily a bad thing, I wasn't expecting it to be as graphic as it is. Again, nothing wrong with that but a little too much for the library I work in.

A few years ago, I had no idea who Sophie Lark is. Now, I read everything I can get my hands on by her! She became one of my favorites very quickly and I am so glad that NetGalley provided me with an ARC (e-book) for this masterpiece.

You won't want to miss this one. You'll be sucked in and lose track of time very easily and won't be able to put it down until the book is finished.

I normally do not write reviews like this on books but this book has been a 1 star, MAYBE 1.5 star read if I could have roughed it out….

This is my second Sophie Lark read and it thoroughly let me down. I could tell from the beginning that it may not be my cup of tea and unfortunately at the 61% mark I have to dnf. This book is definitely more in the realm of erotica than romance - which is totally fine when I know that is what I’m getting into. I highlighted so many times throughout my reading because the characters just said and thought the more literally outrageous things. Like so juvenile for such explicit content.

The actual writing was easy to read and went by so quickly for me but around the 30% mark there was some questionable sex scenes that really turned me off to this story as those tw were not listed at the beginning. The next 30% was more of a skim read for me and then I just had to give up.

I generally like the art that is included in these new releases of Sophie Lark but the art of Remi does not ring true to how she has been described, especially her “tiny tits” (mentioned 4 times in this book and that’s just a bit excessive truly. Overall, I really really disliked this, I will not be continuing the series, which is unfortunate because I have the next one as an arc as well.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourebooks Bloom Books for this arc.

This book was balanced on the knife's edge between creepy and (dark) romance, it was a gripping read with the right amount of horror.

++ the TWs at the start were immensely helpful, so I definitely recommend people check that out before reading the book

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

Wow this is such an incredible book and such a thrilling read.
I loved the charakters and the storyline and definitky want to know how the author is building this new setting for the comming storys ( hopefully a lot cause i see the potential)

And one more thing ....boy oh boy the " scenes" when it is getting hot hotter sexy as hell.
What a fantastic read.

Thank you NetGalley and Sophie Lark for the ARC of Grimstone! I’ve been wanting this book for forever it feels like and I finally got to read it the first day of October and I DEVOURED it! I loveeee a good dark romance, characters were strong and the storyline kept me fully engaged the whole time!

Book Name: Grimstone
Author: Sophie Lark

ARC
Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books and Netgalley for an ARC

Stars: DNF
Spice: DNF

Thoughts
- This was just too dark for my taste.
- MMC was not Romantically intriguing at all
- Felt VERY aggressive
- Felt Very Non Consent based
- Gave me the ICK

Due to the Negative Nature of this review, I will not be posting it to Goodreads or retail sites with respect to the publisher and author.

Dare I say: Dr. Death is pretty darn delectable.

This book was the perfect mix of suspenseful, spooky and sexy!

This book had the perfect vibes for the spooky season, and for that alone, it definitely served its purpose! There were some seriously creepy moments and just enough mystery to keep me hooked and wanting to see how it all played out. The romance, though? Eh, it was a bit too insta-lusty for my taste. I love a good slow burn, and this one just didn’t quite do it for me on that front.

But let’s talk about that twist—wow! It honestly surprised me more than some thrillers I’ve read recently, so kudos for that! However, as a standalone, it left me with a few unanswered questions, which was a bit frustrating. I guess some things were more for the spooky vibe and meant to be left to interpretation.

All in all, it was fun, and I’m super excited to dive into the next book in the series, which releases tomorrow! Stay tuned for that review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for letting me enjoy this eARC!

Remi and her younger brother move to Blackleaf Manor, a dilapidated mansion left to her by her deceased uncle. Remi is hard up for money to support her brother and pay for his college, once he decides to go. Upon their arrival to Blackleaf Manor, Remi finds that the access to the mansion is a driveway that is owned by their neighbor, Dane Covett. Dane is a grump, antisocial, eligible hot bachelor, and the towns night doctor. After promising to do miscellaneous renovations at Dane’s mansion in order to utilize the drive to Blackleaf Manor, she finds that that grump doctor is intriguing. Remi is starting to believe that things couldn’t get worse, her fiancé cheated on her, her brother doesn’t help and continues to mooch, and her jerk of a neighbor who may have killed his wife is causing some conflicting emotions/feelings.
This story had haunted house and mystery/thriller vibes, along with enemies-to-lovers romance. Remi is not the typical romance FMC that I have encountered in other books, and I am here for it! I really enjoyed this gloomy romance that had small coastal town vibes. The chemistry between Remi and Dane captures the reader from the very beginning. The mystery of this story kept me guessing throughout the story and made my jaw drop when the twist hit. Between the piano randomly playing at night, sinks clogging with things that shouldn’t be in a drain, and someone lurking in the windows, this was a great read as we enter the Halloween season.
Thank you NetGalley, SOURCE Blook Books, and Sophie Lark for allowing me the opportunity to read this advance readers copy and providing my honest feedback!

To be honest with you, I’m not quite sure what I just read. I don’t hate the book but I didn’t come away loving it like I thought I would. I got this book just in time for spooky season, thinking it would hit the mark, and it did in some ways, but in others it was a let down.

I saw the plot twist coming from a mile away. It was pretty obvious what was happening at around the 30% mark of the story, but the book does do a decent job of trying to keep it under wraps. I did enjoy how the twist was revealed though, it kept up alot of suspense throughout the story.

The romance between our MCs was just a bit clunky and weird. There was a bit of dubious consent happening right at first which caused me to have a bitter taste in my mouth, especially considering the hypnotism..... However, that’s just my own opinion and I urge you to make your own judgement. I have seen Hundreds of reviews/ratings of people in love with this story and characters.

The book does have a HEA and there are some moments that really do hit the spot, but I won’t be reading this one again and I won’t be continuing the series either, even though it does focus on different couples going forward

I think my biggest issue with the book is just that i was expecting more. I wanted MORE of the horror/Thriller aspects. I wanted more of the romance between the couple instead of just sex. I wanted more of the spooky/haunted vibes. I simply wanted more.