This is genuinely THE PERFECT book for fall/spooky season. My mans is delectable and the tension is UNREAL.

Absolutely love anything and everything Sophie writes and this is no exception!

This book was so good! Remi is just trying to make ends meet. When her parents die she must take care of her brother on her own. When flipping the house she inherited in the small town of Grimstone some strange occurrences happen. What she first thinks could be supernatural phenomenon turns out much worse. Her neighbor is dark and dangerous, at least the whole town thinks so. However, he might be the only one who can save her when the people closest to her betray her in every way. This book is full of suspense, thrill, and leaves you on the edge of your seat.

Thank you Bloom Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

This books is about Remi and Dane. Remi has had a hard life, stuck raising her little brother from a young age. They are left an old manor house, Blackleaf, in the small town of Grimstone. This is an odd town, full of odd characters, one being the Doctor next door.

I really enjoyed this book! Sophie Lark has a way of blending romance and suspense like few other authors. I loved the relationship between Dane and Remi. I would recommend this book to fans of dark romance as well as romantic suspense!

That was nothing for me

I was really in the mood for a book with a spooky vibe and a darker atmosphere and Sophie Lark's "Grimstone" jumped straight into my head.

Grimstone has so many great tropes and the atmosphere was really dark, but unfortunately the story of Remi and Dane didn't convince me.

For me, there were just so many parts that really cringed or even turned me off a bit. For example, "When she closes the door, she doesn't bother to run the water it the fan, so I hear the distinct sound of her hot piss hitting the bowl. My cocktail hardens". That is something I really won‘t to read.

I really didn't like Dane at all. He was super creepy, a bastard and just a walking big red flag.

I didn't really like Remi either. She was just far too naive for raising her brother and taking on the responsibility.
For me, the plot was unfortunately very predictable and a lot of things weren't resolved properly or there were simply far too easy solutions. Unfortunately, there were no real conflicts.

That's why "Grinstone" unfortunately only gets 2 out of 5 stars from me.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Perfect autumn/halloween read!!
Definitely a spooky and spicy read! I had a fun time with these characters and unraveling the hero and his past. I was completely obsessed!! This is also the first book in a trilogy, I can't wait to get back to Grimstone!! I adored this book so much, I did not see any of that coming oh my gosh!!

Sophie Lark is an automatic buy or read!!

I don’t know. It was fun at times; there was a cool setting and some twists but overall, I was disappointed more than anything and if I were to recommend any of Lark’s books to a friend, this wouldn’t be the first one I reached for.

I am a chicken when it comes to anything intentionally dark, scary, a thriller or ghostly. I was definitely hesitant to read this book, kept reminding myself “it’s a romance, there’s love and stuff”. It was very low in the paranormal scale, nonetheless I did get to a point where I questioned myself if I should keep reading. The romance was good and the plot twist was unexpected but great overall.

3.5 ⭐️

First of all, thank you for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Not gonna lie, I’m instantly hooked the moment I read the synopsis and got a whiff of it’s tropes - spooky mansion, horror / paranormal vibes, mystery doctor with troubled / dark past, trauma, small town mystery, gothic / gothic manor, etc.

The story truly has all of its elements to make it delightfully spooky to read, yet unfortunately the execution didn’t really met my expectations. I might put high expectations and apologize for that, but indeed I really want to like this story to the max, yet overall it lacking some oomph.

I do enjoy reading the whole plot, but there’s this feeling of needed more into it, you know. The darkness was like yup almost there, reaching, but then being cut off. The here and there in the plot also feels kinda choppy too. There are several part that repeated that cut off process for me, mainly the dialogue in some spicy scene. It often turns out a bit weird / cringe and it kinda doesn’t align with the doctor’s cool-mysterious personality, like effortlessly elegant - old money people vibes, unless he’s originally need to be a weird, & kinda out of place creep? One I can’t shake out is the scene where Remi’s taking a piss and listening to that pissing sound alone making him hard, like, um, no, bestie, doctor death should be cool, not um that? Then several others that feels like out of place with the character. Maybe that’s just me but yeah, I mean, I can really fall in love with the author’s other mmc in her other books, but this one, he literally got so much potential though. The other characters are okay, I think all of the characters are portrayed lightly actually. Not that it’s bad, it’s just, doesn’t appear to stick out to you much.

Despite that, I do love the reveals towards the end. The plot growth is kinda fine, good pacing too for me. In addition, there’s such a good turn indeed and then everything blends nicely for the ending as well. Overall, my reading experience was okay with this one, just feels like it definitely got so much more potential indeed. Feel free to read it yourself as you might have different take from me and ends up truly enjoying it. ❤️

The best way I can describe reading a Sophie Lark book is like flipping a coin. You truly don’t know what you’re going to get. I have to admit “Grimstone” was a weird one. So basic plot Remi inherited her uncles house after he passed. She decides to renovate it with her brother and flip it for profit. However, she runs into some issues with the grouchy next door neighbor.

Now that was the basic plot, but in actuality there was a whole bunch of other storylines going on at the same time. Like first I thought this was a dark romance utilizing the enemies to lovers trope. Then we also had some splashes of paranormal, but wait there’s more! Let’s also throw in a murder mystery element to the story. I swear this book truly makes you feel some serious whiplash. I think my favorite thing in this book was the spice. Well with the exception of the hypnotism scene but otherwise the spice was on point.

Overall verdict even though this was one of the weird Sophie Lark books I’ve read. I still enjoyed it and plan on continuing on with the series. I’d also recommend it especially if you’re a fan of dark romance. Thanks again for Bloomsbury & NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of the republished version.

Sophie Lark writes the darkest romances and I gobble them up. This book has a creepy small town, a reclusive doctor and a cast of side characters that kept the story interesting. Neither of the main characters felt traditional and maybe that’s why I sink into Lark’s books so easily.

This was unhinged, but in a good way. This is my 5th Sophie Lark book, and although I keep thinking they're technically not my cup of tea, I keep coming back for exactly this. The excitement, the craziness, the fully unhinged plots and characters.

By comparison, this one is almost somewhat tame. Described as a romantic thriller, this book delivers exactly that (although technically more of a thrilling romance, but that name doesn't flow so well). The Gothic coastal small town and the at times eccentric characters made this book believable, even when it should be anything but.

I honestly enjoyed this one a lot more than I expected. There are twists I simply saw not coming and the conclusion was bittersweetly perfect for the story. 3,75/5

Thank you Bloom Books and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a wild adventure. It's not necessarily dark romance but it has dark themes. I think Sophie Lark does a unique kind of Spooky romance. That borders the line between horror ish and dark in this book really well. While I feel like the plot did take a minute to really gain steam it works out in the end pretty well! Cannot wait for Monarch.

Star rating: ★★★★☆
Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

This was the perfect spooky season read & I cannot wait for Sophie to write another story set in the eerie town of Grimstone🫶🏼

This is a great gothic vibes book to start off spooky season. The spice started crazyyy early, which I didn't mind but others might and it was SPICY. Be prepared for that and some weird feet kinks because that was not on my bingo card for this one. There were great threads of mystery as well as dark romance and age gap. It started off really well, kind of lost me a bit in the middle and then hooked me again towards the end. I figured out the twist kind of early which was fine but it was still a quick and easy read and a solid 3.5 star.

HUUUUGE Perks to this author for a cool picture for the cover, fan art in the beginning of the book, and then immediately starting the book. Absolutely loved that. Loved this story and the characters.

3.5 ⭐ 4 🌶

I wish so much more of this book was like the last 10% 😭 that twist had me glued to my screen and on the edge of my seat, but the first half of the book just didn't do it for me like Sophie usually does. This was way spicier than I expected, Remi and Dane were super hot and heavy.

I really enjoyed them both in and out of spicy scenes. I thought the mystery behind his wife and child was really intriguing, I had an idea of what was coming, but it still hurt my heart when he finally spilled.

I do hope we end up back in Grimstone. While this isn't my favorite Sophie book I absolutely loved the vibe and the idea and I'm excited for more.

This is a spooky romance that packs a mystery. I wanted to love this one a lot more than I did because it had so much potential. The twist was predictable if you're looking for it, but still a good one! If you're in the mood for a gothic romance with spice that starts early on this is for you.

is this fun to read? kind of.
will this be my first and maybe last sophie lark read? yes.

i saw the ratings and skimmed some reviews before reading grimstone, so my expectations were very low heading into this. i’d rather come to terms with preconceived thoughts and feelings (and surprise myself, in the end, with an enjoyable book), than to be greeted with extreme unhappiness due to my astronomically high expectations being unmet, resulting in an abysmal reading experience.

i actually believed grimstone could’ve delivered a fantastic halloween story, full of decent amounts of spookiness and spiciness. a perfect addition to anyone’s october reads.

we have a female main character who’s devoted a significant amount of time into raising her younger brother, following the death of their parents. who’s inherited, from a deceased great uncle, a rundown haunted mansion in dire need of renovations, sharing a long stretch of road with its next door neighbour owned by an older, potentially murderous handsome doctor.

i realised earlier on in my reading that this book isn’t for me. i wanted to know who/what was behind the mansion’s haunting; the truth about the doctor’s son and wife, hence my decision to not lie down in defeat.

the writing was tragic. i’m not mad. i’m just disappointed.

the overuse of similes almost ended me. you know there’s an overabundance when you can see and remember how much it’s been used. it was criminally insane!! it left me feeling overwhelmed and frustrated and painfully bored.

as an example—and fair warning, your eyes will bleed and you will be seeking compensation for your therapy bills.

...shows me the exact moment the cold water hits her face and her nipples harden like pencil points.

what i want to do is string her up in my basement and whip those tiny tits until they’re rosy as apples, and then i want to turn her around and do the same to her ample ass.

her slippery wetness is outrageous; it’s like a rainforest.

brother, you want to know what’s fucking outrageous?? THIS. i’m so fucking gobsmacked, i fear my remaining brain cells have perished: when she closes the door, she doesn’t bother to run the water or the fan, so i hear the distinct sound of her hot piss hitting the bowl.

the fact that dane refers to remi’s tits as “tiny tits” literally twice in one paragraph should be considered a crime against humanity. a few more core examples of simile overuse to hammer home my unfortunate experiences with reading this tragedy.

his cock springs out like a white cobra, thick with veins.

the heat and weight of his load splashes down like a bucket of lava poured right on my clit.

i’m like a sock with a foot in it, stretched to his shape.

i—

this is supposed to be the love interest, dane covett, by the way. who said romance died?

her smile changes everything about her looks. without it, she’s barely pretty, but her grin throws the switch at the amusement park and her whole face lights up, neon bright.

besides starting off thinking remi is ugly before switching opinions, dane would’ve been better if this book didn’t have smut (or insta-lust, my 13th reason) in it. he doesn’t bother learning remi’s sexual desires, or understanding what her soft and hard limits are. the lack of care or desire to know frustrated me.

the “haunted mansion” and spookiness was really inconvenient. it was obvious who was “haunting” blackleaf mansion; it was written like a budget horror film. imagine tommy wiseau’s the room but if it was horror themed. suffice to say, i was not spooked but rather bored and tired albeit somewhat entertained due to how terrible the execution was.

OK I was a bit worried at first that this book was too much smut but the mystery and twist Sophie threw at me were nothing short of amazing!!! Don't get me wrong, I love smut but I love a good plot even more!
This book was dark, alternative, a bit spooky and intense! I love the replay of the phone video too! IYKYK! Once I figured out something was amiss, I couldn't put the book down!


*** read trigger warnings
Enemies to friends to lovers
Mystery
Age Gap
Spicy

DNF’d at 26%

I had a rough time with this book…. It was just, odd. The FMC is okay, but the Male main character gave me the Ick. Not the broody recluse MMC I was expecting…. And the climbing a tree to watch her sleep was a bit much for me.
Writing was okay, but it was creepy, and not in the good way.