Grimstone is gives the BEST spooky season vibes and is the perfect blend of spooky and spicy mixed with mysterious and creepy. I don't know about anyone elsse, but I absolutely LIVE for the gothic vibes of the "might be a haunted mansion" trope--and Sophie Lark absolutely KILLS this one! Our main characters remi and Dane are delicious and have great chemistry and I love, love, love their energy. GIve my the plot twists, the atmospheric setting, the small (and creepy) town vibes and make it a slow burn that builds into something impossible to stand the heat of in the end!.WELL DONE!

Spooky with a side of spice? 🌶️👻 First time reading Sophie Lark and I went in completely blind—didn’t even peek at the synopsis! Let me tell you, I did not see that twist coming.

Grimstone is the perfect eerie small town for the season, with just the right mix of romance, mystery, and a dash of steam to keep things interesting. 😏 Remi just inherited her eccentric uncle’s mansion, and it’s a total wreck. She’s tackling the reno herself (with a little help from her brother). But… who’s playing the piano in the dead of night? Who’s killing off the neighbors’ dogs? And who sawed through the rafters?! 👀 You’ll have to read to find out!

Sophie Lark absolutely nails it with Grimstone! This book is the perfect mix of creepy, mysterious, and steamy, set in a gothic small town that feels straight out of a Halloween dream. Remi is a total badass heroine who’s trying to flip a haunted mansion (no big deal, right?), but things get really interesting when she crosses paths with Dane—the dark, brooding doctor next door who the whole town thinks might’ve killed his wife.

Lark does an amazing job building up the tension between Remi and Dane, keeping you guessing about his true intentions the entire time. Their chemistry is off the charts, and the gothic vibes are spot on. The plot twists kept me on the edge of my seat, and the spooky atmosphere just made it all the more fun to read. If you’re into dark, moody romance with a dash of mystery and a whole lot of spice, this one’s a must-read! Perfect for anyone who loves a good slow-burn romance wrapped in a haunted, gothic setting. I seriously couldn’t put it down!

Give me all the spooky vibes! This book had me on the edge of my seat with each page. All of the twists and turns had my head spinning. I did not see the reveal at the end coming which I think is what makes this book and Sophie Lark's writing so great.

Dane and Remi were such complex characters. They each had their flaws but they had each other to overcome and work through them. Dane was not who I was expecting him to be. I was expecting him to be more of a villain or a morally grey character. Instead, he is a deeply misunderstood person with a tragic past. You can see how much his past haunts him and how he blames himself for what happens. He is not the bad guy, but feel like he deserves to be seen as one. It is not until Remi shows up that he believes that maybe he does deserve some happiness.

Remi is the type of person that takes on way more than she can chew and feels responsible for everyone around her. You can tell how much she loved her brother and literally put her own life aside for him. She would have done whatever it took to give him a life that he deserved. Her story is tragic as well as she had all of this responsibility thrust upon her. The worst part was that it could have been easily avoided if certain things did not happen...

I was able to find a fun connection in this book. I live in New Orleans, so whenever Remi and Jude talked about it I could easily picture what they were describing. I started smiling when they said Jude went to Newman because that is a real private school in New Orleans that I happen to live near. It is really cool to think about a fictional character attending there even if they suck.

When I was 85% done with the book I was so curious how Lark would wrap up the story. I feel like so many things were discussed and I had no clue how it would all come together. Luckily it did along with the biggest twist of the book that had be gasping out of shock.

Overall, this was a great spooky season read. The character development throughout was great along with the plot and of course the spice that Lark is known for. Prepare to find your newest dark romance obsession.

Thank you to Bloom and Sophie Lark for the digital eARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Quick read with some spice. Not a lot of character development and falls into a lot of familiar tropes, but an enjoyable read.

This book was unhinged in the best way. We could tell off the bat that Remy was an unreliable narrator, we never really knew what was real and what wasn't. We definitely felt like something was missing though...it wasn't quite spooky, or creep, or eerie enough, and we were left with SO MANY QUESTIONS at the end for it being a standalone.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-arc!

The atmosphere was everything for me….the seclusion of the woods, the small town whispers and secrets, the decrepit old mansion… *chef’s kiss*

I loved the characters and their instant chemistry. The one character I couldn’t stand was justified in my distaste by the reveal at the end.

It tried to have a spooky vibe, but that didn’t quite catch for me. The smut was good as well as the prose…I highlighted so many sections because the wiring was so beautifully done.

While I highly enjoyed reading this, I can’t say it’ll be one I’ll remember 6 months from now.

I really wanted to love this book, I did. I received this arc right at the beginning of spooky season and I was sure it would hit the mark. And while I did like some of what I read, it didn’t do it for me in the long run. I needed a little more of everything it was offering.

Now, don’t get me wrong, if you scroll through review sites you would see that there are people who are absolutely feral for this book, so search around a little before you settle on if you want to read it.

All in all. It wasn’t too bad and has a HEA. It hit certain marks. But I probably won’t read it again.

Tropes/About
Dual POV
Rich Guy X Poor Girl
Rivals to Lovers
Forced Proximity
Fast Burn

3.5
Thank you to NetGalley, Bloom Books and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
The book was a bit of a wild ride. The concept was 10/10. Execution, not so much. There were some weird phrasings that l've seen plenty of other reviewers point out so l'll leave those out at the risk of this feeling like a copy/paste review.
There were a few slow moments as well, but just when I would start to get impatient, something would happen that drew me back in.
The ending, phenomenal. I did figure it out fairly early on but the way it came together was really good.
Overall, closed the "book" (kindle?) feeling happy about what I read, and I'm curious about the next book in the series!

This book was soooo good!! I was excited to get approved for netgalley and I came in with low expectations because I've never read from this author before. Lordy I was blown away. I'm still thinking about the characters and can't wait to read the other one with the same style cover. Monarch maybe? The covers are absolutely gorgeous ! I loved the spooky vibes this book gave. It's got everything really. Love, mystery, suspense, violence, funny moments, twisted villain, dark romance and super spicy!!!! Also a sentimental too!!!! Definitely got me a bit teary eyed with certain scenes of the ex wife, but I freaking loved every second of being in this world. I have a mini book hangover from this beautiful tale and I want more. I can't wait to read the other book !!!! 10 stars!!!

This was a spooky(ish) read and it was spicy … very spicy but I like my books spicy so that was perfect .

It was such a good read and it was one that I just couldn’t put down

I do recommend.

OOOohhhweeeee let me ust say Sophie is the queen of sexy dark novels. I loved this from the "haunted" mansion vibes to the sexy doctor neighbor who kind of sucks at first its a recipe for a page turner. 5/5

As always with these new Bloom releases of hers, I LOVE the character art included throughout the book. And while I didn't listen to the music while I was reading, I loved the idea of songs interspersed throughout the book for ~ambiance~ as well. I DO think the character art was....a choice though, because Remi is described as small chested half a dozen times, but in the art she is.....decidedly not.

Overall this is a pretty solid romantic suspense novel with some darer themes. I don't know if I would go so far as to call it a true dark romance, but it's not exactly light and fluffy rom com material either. The mix between the spice and plot was pretty good, but I DO wish there was maybe 50 more pages at the end because we go from 0 to 100 in the last 30ish pages, and I would have liked to see a little more action between the "twist" and the resolution/epilogue.

Is the twist predictable? Yeah, a bit, depending on how you vibe with certain characters. Is it still a wild reveal? Sure is. Is the story still a fun ride and gave me the urge to move to a small gothic town and flip a house at 3 am? Also yes.

This is probably my favorite of Sophie's books so far, and I'm definitely going to pick up Monarch! I recommend going into this one as blind as you can for the most fun!

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Such a big fan of Sophie Lark and totally loved this dark gothic romance! Dark academia is becoming increasingly popular and I’m excited to see Sophie explore more of this world in the next installment!

ARC Review of Grimstone by Sophie Lark
* * * * *
A dark romance taking you on a mystery and a thrilling ride between erotic nights and a deadly threat looming over our purple haired badass woman.

This was not in Remi's plan, but it was all she had.
After leaving her cheating fiance, she ends up on a little town filled with gossip and secrets as she tries to restore her uncle's manor. With her genius brother at her side, even though she would prefer he were in college, she believes she can get this all sorted.
Until Doctor Death decides to give her some road troubles.
Dane is a grumpy older man carrying the death of his wife and son on his shoulders, stuck in the shadows, haunted by ghosts, and now being irritated by the tattooed, pierced, purple haired beauty that gain his attention.
As things start going bump in the night and bloody presents are left for Remi, she doesn't know who she can trust.
Her brother.
Her dead uncle.
Her new friends.
The rude sheriff.
Or the doctor.

Fantastic read!
What a spin! The massive reveal! With what Remi is also haunted by, and the troubles that follow her, of course it all comes unravelling when Dane comes into her life and starts pushing buttons. Not to mentioned Dane's burden and what he carries with him as well!
Really eager to read Monarch now!
Also, love the drawings as usual.

So I wanted to really love Grimstone, I really did. But unfortunately I found this lacking. There were aspects that were redeemable and you can definitely feel the writing style of this author. But quite frankly, when she drifts to other sub genres she isn't used to writing, the stories just feel like there is something missing and doesn't quite have her pizazz. There were some superb factors to this book. The plot was very well mastered, the world building was perfect, it capitalized on the spooky factor and is really the perfect setting for this time of year and it had some unique dynamics of the small town that is displayed. What I struggled with, the romance. The romance really suffered. Sometimes when authors switch sub genres and try something new, this is what suffers. It had a really cool set up for our pair but it just didn't quite measure up to what I was hoping for. There just wasn't quite the connection that I wanted to feel but it didn't get there. It really lacked emotional depth in their relationship aspects that could have used a bit more work.

I gave this novel 3.5 stars. I wasn't emotionally invested in any of the characters in this book. Every character in this book seemed shallow and self serving and gossiping with the possible exception of Remi's uncle who we don't learn much about, yet he seemed like a very kind, eccentric person who spent time with her, teaching her how to use power tools. It was tough getting through to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books publishing for the advanced reader copy of this dark romance.

This was such an amazing read I really enjoyed and was hooked from the first page which I seem to be from every one of her books it’s definitely a most read

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

This was my second Sophie Lark book. So I’m still getting to know her as an author, but I feel like anything she writes now I will pick up.

I didn’t really get horror vibes from this book. I actually didn’t find it scary at all. I found it more mysterious and I kept reading because I was very intrigued. I wanted to know what happened and who was causing certain things to happen. But I didn’t find it scary. Maybe a touch gothic though.

The insta love/insta lust bothers me a little bit but that’s just a personal preference in books I read. I know a lot of people love that trope.

All in all, I’d give it a four out of five stars. And I will be buying a physical copy for myself because have you seen how gorgeous that book is.

3.5⭐️

I have mixed feelings about this book. I thought the MCs lacked a bit of chemistry, and I thought for sure that the friend was the culprit, BUT I was nicely surprised who the person responsible was - did not see that coming!