it was so short yet I felt really underwhelmed reading it, I didn’t connect to both main characters at all, The plot was really badly executed In my opinion. And since the book had a spooky, and an outline mystery I thought maybe at least this part will serve but no, it didn’t

I read romance books purely for the mmcs, but I was deeply disappointed by the lackluster male lead. His character felt flat and unengaging, which made it difficult for me to invest in the romance. The insta-love and insta-attraction trope, which I generally dislike, didn't help to create a convincing connection between the MCs and me.

The romance itself felt rushed and lacked development, with the mmc's chapters nearly always devolving into sexual fantasies about the fmc from the early stages of the book. To the fmc’s constant inner battles of how ”not good enough" she is for everyone and everything.

I was super intrigued by this one and then it lost me a bit in the middle to then reel me back in super hard with the twist at the end. I ended up really enjoying this one. It gave dark romance vibes and had the age gap trope. Remi and Jude are two siblings just trying to get by in life after the loss of their parents. Moving to a place called Grimstone has to be some kind of omen. Dane, the older mysterious neighbor, and Remi kind of click from the jump and while it was an odd combo, I ended up really liking them as a couple. The found family in this town made me wish this wasn’t a standalone though. And the twist at the end really surprised me!

This was my first Sophie Lark book and it won’t be the last! Really enjoyed this book! I loved the banter and the spicy!! I can’t wait to see what Sophie writes next!

Grimstone was not what I was expecting! I went in expecting cutesy dark and I came out with a great dark thriller-esque romance. Solid 4 stars. I thought the pacing and excitement of the book was great. I didn't start suspecting what was up until about 60% into the book so I loved that it wasn't right off the bat THIS IS WHO DONE IT!

I had a few icks that took away from the enjoyment of reading this, so I took off half a star for that. "...I hear the distinct sound of her hot piss hitting the bowl. My cock hardens." What the what? No. I'm trying not to kink shame but I'm also not seeing what value this added to the story? The other one, "Her slippery wetness is outrageous; it's like a rainforest." Nah, we didn't need that either. I LOVE a good metaphor, I really really do. I love when an author uses them in a story, but they need to be good. This just threw me right out of the story and I struggled with it.

The last half star I took off was that I was expecting more of a spooky vibe from the MMC's late wife. It was brought up in the beginning that he was hallucinating about her, but then kind of glossed over and wrapped up without ever addressing it. I wanted the full commitment to that.

Overall, Sophie Lark did not disappoint with this one! Another hit.

This was a good book! I really enjoyed the banter and the setting was really great. It was a little bit too spicy for my taste and the spice started way to early in my opinion. But I think someone else would love it.

This wasn'y my first Sophie Lark book and it won't be my last. This is a stand alone tale with lots of spicy scenes and dark undertones. There's some small threads of mystery and intrigue to keep you going. I don't want to say much else because I don't want to spoil it but I will say this was like a modern gothic tale.

Thankyou to netgalley for sending me a copy of Grimstone in exchange for an honest review. First of all I love Sophie Lark's books and her writing and this was no exception. The twist in this book I didn't see coming, the atmosphere was amazing and got me in the fall feels. I highly recommend to anyone to read this spooky season.

If you like Sophie Lark - you’ll love this book! 👏🏼 It’s fun and eventful with cuter banter, which is Sophie Lark’s specialty! This one is a little spooky and had some fun twists! I highly recommend for spooky season.
The romance was a littleeeee too much for me personally. There is ZERO slow burn, but the spice starts asap! So if you aren’t wanting a build up, this is a great read!

When Remi decides to flip Blackleaf manor she never expects herself to fall for her dangerous hot doctor neighbor who is also believed to have murdered his wife and son... it doesn't help that something strange is going on in the town of Grimstone either. Remi Hayes has worked hard all her life, after her parents died she had to settle all their debts and raise her younger brother all by her self. After her fiance cheats on her she inherits her uncle's moldering mansion and this might be the break she's needed. She can renovate and sell the house and finally have enough to set her brother up for college and a life of her own. The only hitch is her very hot rich doctor neighbor who seems to have it out for her... and in exchange for letting her use his driveway and road she'll help repair his fence... but what starts off as one kiss soon spirals. Then there are the rumors that he killed his wife and son and the fact that he can't ever go out in sunlight... did he really do it? What secrets are he hiding? When people around Remi start getting hurt... who is behind it? She begins hearing things in her house and feeling as if she's being watched.... when the truth reveals itself, will she be able to survive it or trust herself? This was a fun spooky dark romance set in a small town and I had a ton of fun reading it for spooky season. Dane and Remi are a interesting couple and the small town mystery was really interesting. It's a fun read and yes it's a dark romance so definitely check out the TWs before reading just in case!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book. Once I started this book, I did not want to put it down. This is the first Sophie Lark book I have read and I will definitely be reading more. This story is set in Grimstone and is from Remy and Dane's point of view. I wanted more of the characters when I finished this book. This book is a spooky and very spicy read, definitely a dark romance with a thriller vibe. The story had a few twists and turns I didn't see coming but overall I enjoyed it. I look forward to reading the next book in this series and hope to see a reappearance of the main characters in this book.

4 STARS ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
I wanna start by thanking Sophie Lark and Net gallery for giving this book 📚. Thanks so much 😊

OMG, I did not expect to like this book so much! It was honestly so good! The plot twist had me shook—I seriously didn’t see it coming at all 😱. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, the story totally flipped and left me speechless 😲.

But let’s be real, the best part of this book was Dane Covett 😍. He is so hot, like next-level hot 🔥. He’s got that whole mysterious, brooding vibe going on, and every time he showed up, I was totally fangirling 😍. The way he’s described—his intense eyes, his whole powerful, rich guy energy—ugh, perfection 💯. And the tension between him and the main girl? It was off the charts! I couldn’t get enough of their scenes together ❤️.

Honestly, I didn’t want the book to end because I was so obsessed with Dane and the whole story. If you’re into hot, mysterious guys and crazy plot twists, you HAVE to read this book. You won’t regret it! 💕📚

This was spooky, spicy, atmospheric, dark, and, once again, spicy. Other than that it was just meh. The pacing was off, there were so many plot holes and idk overall I was disappointed.

Sophie's other work is definitely stronger, this one just left me feeling meh.

Thank you Netgallery for this ARC.

I am a massive fan of Sophie Lark and her first dark romance gothic style book. I had a really high hopes and it started really strong.

There is a lot of spooky vibes and kept you guessing the whole time. However, I felt the ending was really rushed.

This story follows Remi Hayes who inherits a decrepit mansion in Grimstone , with her younger brother Jude. She soon meets her next-door neighbour Dane Covett who is the hot small-town doctor.

Being a small town Remi soon finds out about Danes past , where he was accused of murdering his wife. The more time the spend together she finds it hard to believe and they both become obsessed with each other.

This is the between Halloween /Fall book.