Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

Omg!! This book!!! It was fun sexy and all of the above!!! I found it out this down!!

Gothic sexy fun and wild also gave me emotions I didn't expect to feel and not in a fully bad way. Will reconmend for the romantic livers

“I haven't even been hungry, and all of a sudden, I'm craving a ten-course feast...craving it from her...”

“Love is a drug, especially love that blind.
I thought I wanted to make her scream, but now I want to make her smile, too. It doesn't matter what order.
I want Remi to look at me like that.
In fact, I just might make her.”

"You already know me because you answered the question right, while everyone in town answers it wrong.”

This book was … unexpected to day the least. Dark, gothic, complicated and painful. But also spicy as heck. I mean I don’t think there was one chapter where I wasn’t feeling the tension or the frustration or the sexy aura coming off of the main characters. Remi is such a freaking good characters. One that always sees the good in people, one that has been hurt repeatedly by so many and one who is attracted by a man many believe is a beast. Very beauty and the beast of them. Or Hades and Persephone. Maybe the latter one. He is so much like Hades. Tormented past. Tormented an hunted present. A future that is not written anywhere. Until he meets her. Dane was … a handful that’s for sure. He is the dark romance antihero we fall for in these kind of stories. The brooding, beautiful man who is absolutely obsessed with her and would do anything to make her his without hurting her (unless she wants to and in this book … she does !!). He is even honest (sometimes) but at least when it comes to what people are accusing him of … there’s nothing he can do about it but tell her the truth. But can she trust him? This author makes you question your very sanity getting to read about their story. You’ll be constantly asking yourself who’s telling the truth and who’s all lies. Who’s done what and why. It feels addicting and thrilling and it makes it impossible for you to want to put the book down. Love this effect !! And the romance … I was sweating half the time !!!! Be ready to be “hypnotised” by it … iykyk!!!!

“I'm jealous that he gets to come to your house, and I'm jealous that he's fixing your lights. I'm jealous that he talks to you, and I'm fucking enraged that he dared try to kiss you the moment I left the party. I want you all to myself, and I don't care if I have to fight every person in this whole damn town."

"Emotion can't be banished. It can only be stuffed down inside to fester."
"And what happens when it festers?" Dane asks.
"It rots you from the inside out."

“He still hasn't. And neither have I. Which is pretty good for Doctor Death and the Black Widow.”

Holy cow this book was good! Dark, delicious, head twisting, spicy and oh so yummy. Way to go Sophie. I total five star read for sure. Absolutely feel in love with the characters and interactions.

happy release day!! this, decidedly, wasn’t my favorite sophie lark novel but it was still fun. dane and remi ..collided? a lot sooner than i anticipated. not exactly when they first meet, but following that it was pretty insta-lust. albeit a little surface level, the chemistry was very much chemistry-ing. overall, an entertaining read especially with the upcoming fall season.

read if you like:
dark romance
hot mysterious neighbor
age gap
hypnosis
spooky beach town

I absolutely adored Grimstone. It was the perfect gothic, spooky, thrilling read to set the mood for Fall. I devoured it, and I cannot wait for more books set in this spooky small beach town.

Sophie Lark has done it again! The setting was perfect, the characters were perfect, and the writing...PERFECT. this is perfect fall and halloween with the dark, creepy, and mysterious vibes. And don't get me started on the FMC...I loved her! A tough, bad a**, spite fire of a thing! I beyond loved this book! I can't wait for what's next!

3.5 Doctor Death Stars ⭐️
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

I’ve been debating how I feel about this for a while and was flipping between a 3 and 4-star rating for the longest time. While I devoured this (which means it has some addicting qualities) and enjoyed the aspects it was missing that extra oomph that would have made it perfect.

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
Remy, eager for a new start, moves into her uncle's dilapidated mansion with her 20-year-old brother. They have inherited the house, intending to repair it and flip it for a profit after Remy left her fiancé, who was cheating on her. The house is located in a creepy little seaside town called Grimstone, with vibes that are a little eerie, and townsfolk that are a little too nosy. Very soon after moving in, she encounters her grumpy neighbour Dane Covet, AKA Dr. Death, according to the town, since it's rumoured he murdered his wife and son. Dane, who is incredibly hot but also an incredible arsehole, blocks her from using the only road to her new house and then blackmails her into fixing his fence so she can use it. One afternoon, when she is hacking away at the wood, she unfortunately hacks her leg open, and good thing she has a doctor so close by... Dane stitches her up, kisses her, and nearly rips her nipple off. Soon, Remy and Dane find they can't keep their hands off each other, even though Remy believes Dr Death might be breaking into her house and playing tricks on her at night... because there's no way it's haunted, right?

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
This book was a little unhinged in the best way, and I loved that it had elements of an "unreliable narrator." As the reader, you are not really sure what is real or not. The town is spooky, the mansion just as eerie, and you're not really sure if Remy is being haunted, if she's being pranked, or if she is actually crazy and it's all in her mind. You are almost put into the role of detective.

Remy is determined and stubborn to make things work, and she feels very alone and like a failure. She has been devoted to raising her brother since the fatal boat accident that killed both her parents years ago. She is plagued by discombobulated, repeated nightmares of her parents' accident and very often puts herself down, belittles herself, or condescends to herself and her intelligence. She feels that, because she never really had the chance to go to college, she never really had the chance to be an adult, because she's always been looking after her brother, and the only thing she knows is construction. However, she is resourceful, and she doesn't let the opinions of other people sway her beliefs and her gut feelings toward people and situations.

Dane is troubled and a little disturbed, though I still feel like, even after reading the whole book, I don't know him as a character. Dane is cold, calculating, and aloof. He does not like people and is a little messed up in the head... I did like that he was slightly older, though. I am so over reading about an MMC who is 19.

One of my issues with Dane is we are given his POV a couple of times, but his internal mind is never really elaborated on, so you have to make your own deductions on whether he is haunted or just hallucinating. His chapters don't go too much into his emotional trauma in dealing with his wife's death, and you never see him grieving; you just see short snippets of his anger. I think it would have made the revelation of what happened to his wife and son a little more impactful to see how he processed it, as it just felt like, as a reader, you're told about it and not shown. Mostly, his POV is just his lustful and obsessive thoughts about Remy and how he can't wait to take her clothing off. Every comment is just about her looks, her nipples, her clothing, her hair... everything based on her physical appearance. It just felt very insta-lovey.

Even though he talks about Remy having the same brokenness as him and being just as troubled and disturbed, I still feel like I have no idea who Dane is or what his personality is like outside of the surface-level aspects I have mentioned.

The writing was okay. It kept me hooked, but there were aspects of it that just didn't work for me, and I can't explain why. It might have been that I needed more development in the relationship between Remy and Dane. The more I kept thinking about this, the more I felt like it was lacking something. It wasn't spooky enough, it wasn't eerie enough, it wasn't mysterious enough, it wasn't mind-fuckery enough. It is very much centred on two very damaged people who have their problems, trauma, and demons. But I felt absolutely no relationship development between the two of them because their entire relationship was founded on lust. Every interaction between the two of them was explosive, domineering, and forceful, and I never actually saw them have any heart-to-hearts.

Then there is the aspect that THIS IS A STANDALONE... but there are SO MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS! And because of that, I will never get the answers I need...

**SPOILER**
1. Did Dane really see his wife, or was it just his mind playing tricks on him?
2. WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED WHEN HE HYPNOTIZED HER THE FIRST TIME...? There is the video of that "second" encounter. But the mystery of "I gave you a suggestion"... Now, are we to believe that he sexually assaulted her while she was hypnotized and used the excuse of, "Well, you're not gonna do a thing you don't wanna do when you're hypnotized," so whatever you're doing is completely allowed and consensual because your mind is allowing it whether you know about it or not? Or was he trying to help her as a doctor in that situation, and only the second time was sexual because we only ever see the second video? Like, what happened???
There were some unexpected plot twists I didn't see coming, but then there were also really blatant ones that had me rolling my eyes that Remy didn't see them right in front of her eyes.

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Dual POV
▶ Rich Guy X Poor Girl
▶ Small Town Romance
▶ Mystery, Spooky, and Gothic
▶ Rivals to Lovers
▶ Doctor x Patient
▶ Neighbors (Forced Proximity)
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ Touch Her You Die
▶ Fast Burn

Kinks: BDSM elements, Bondage, Mirror/Reflection Sex, Begging, Degradation and Praise, Hypnotism Sex, Medical Spicy Scene

𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▷ Good Girl
▷ Chin Lift
▷ He Takes Care of Her
▷ He Gives Her Lovvies (Combo of forehead, eye, cheek, or nose kisses)
▷ Tattoos

Overall, this is a perfect read for the upcoming spooky season. While it wasn't perfect, it was still enjoyable, spicy, and fucks around with your mind a bit...

Thank you to Netgalley, SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books and Sophie Lark for the gifted copy.
All thoughts and opinions are my own

Thank you to NetGalley and Sophie Lark for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Sophie Lark NEVER disappoints!! She always has me HOOKED! This was the perfect vibe for fall/spooky vibes and I am HERE FOR IT. Also lovedddd the spice!

The gothic tones of this book were done very well and immediately made it love it even more. I love dark romance, but this had some scenes that were a little cringey, if you can get past those this was a very entertaining book that completely held my interest.

I love the creepy gothic tone of this book. I really want an audiobook to go along with this as I think the right narrator could make this even better!

There are other issues that I had though. Dark romance can be good but can also easily creep me out. Adding in the fact that this is new adult, there are some parts that were too much.

Overall, I enjoyed the vibe and the story.

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books and Net Galley for the eARC!

A dark romance with the right level of creep, darkness, and spicy.
Well plotted and entertaining, I had a lot of fun.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I was really torn with my rating on this one because while some of the dialogue made me cringe, and some of the open door scenes were uncomfortable (and a little strange IMO) I really enjoyed the underlying mystery and the overall vibe of the town of Grimstone.

As someone who isn't the biggest fan of instalust or obsession, I think this book was just not for me, but I know others will enjoy it. And I do have to give credit where it is due, I could not put this book down because I NEEDED to know what or who was causing all of the "mischief" at Blackleaf Manor.

This was such an interesting read, the gothic elements were executed well, from the setting, the characters and the plot! The murder mystery kept me hooked and I really enjoyed the way Remi and Dane’s relationship developed. Their push and pull added to their enemies to lovers dynamic (my absolute favourite trope), and whilst it quickly turns into insta lust, the underlying suspense from the murder mysteries, as well as the small town with ‘interesting’ residents had me obsessed and guessing the entire time.

The eerie atmosphere and addictive romance is the perfect read as we head into autumn and found myself finishing this book in two days. It’s a different approach from Sophie’s usual books but still has the spark that you see from her other books.

Thanks so much to Sourcebooks/bloombooks, NetGalley and Sophie Lark for the eARC, all opinions expressed are my own!

Sophie Lark did it again. Grimstone is the perfect book for spooky season and fall book recommendation. The spice?? Also perfect.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebook for the eARC.

Unfortunately I DNF this book at about 40 %. This book just was not for me, I tried hard to relate some of characters but I just couldn't it does sadden me as this is first

2⭐️
3🌶

The premise Grimstone had me intrigued at the beginning, and I loved the general setting and vibe of the story. It's perfect for getting into the autumn mood! It's also a fast read, so I found myself halfway through before I knew it.

That said, this story was not for me.

The dual-POV had me excited at first, but the perspectives weren't very differentiated.
The topics of consent, physical/intimate boundaries, and intimate saftey/health, aren't discussed between the MCs and while I understand this is fiction, this story and these characters seemed set up to have these conversations and then just... didn't.
There are copious phrases, analogies, and similes that made me cringe.
Everything felt rushed.

I'm bummed that Grimstone fell flat for me, but I'm certainly willing to and planning on trying a different book by Sophie Lark in the future!

*Thank you to Bloom and NetGalley for an ARC of Grimstone! All thoughts and opinions are my own and are being left voluntarily.*

Rating: 3.6
Spice: 4.0

Read if you like:

🥀 Dark spicy romance
👻 Eerie haunted house
🖤 Mystery’s to be uncovered
☕️ Hot doctor-next-door
🍂 Spooky fall vibes

My review:

This was my first Sophie lark novel and I am quite interested in picking up her others, as I have heard really good things about the brutal birthright series!

It starts off eerie and odd as you’re trying to navigate what is haunting the house Remi inherited from her late uncle, in the gothic and peculiar town of Grimstone. Plus there is a hot-doctor-next door that just can’t seem to get off her mind.👀

Personally I wish the romance was more slow burn instead of quick with the plot, with a few spicy scenes here and there that arn’t specifically for me, but may be for you! Overall I enjoyed this novel and it was a quick spicy read perfect for fall spooky vibes!

Many thanks to Sophie Lark, NetGalley and Bloom publishing for a free ARC!

First of all, thank you Netgalley, SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books and the author for the opportunity.

What so say about this book? I could say I’m traumatised but I have read worse.

Over all I liked it, it’s a dark romance, but not THAT much you know? Either way it has all the necessary things: charismatic characters, romance (for some people could not be for their liking), a good storyline (the main characters’ stories) and a plot beyond the romance with mystery and plot twists.

Well, I already felt something strange toward that person BUT I NEVER THOUGHT THAT IT COULD THAT BAD. It was worst than I imagined.

The writing is very addictive and I wanted to read more and more because of this and the way the author ended the chapters.

I also lover the draws in some chapters and the playlist who had music in some of the scenes to look more cinematic.

Overall it’s a very good book for those who like dark romance or want to begin reading the genre.

Grimstone by Sophie Lark is the perfect mix of spine chilling mystery and steamy dark romance, set against the eerie backdrop of a crumbling mansion and a town full of secrets. If you love your romance with a side of ghostly thrills and sizzling chemistry, you’ll want to dive into this standalone story.

Remi Hayes is having the worst luck, her fiancé cheated on her, her brother is a constant headache, and now she’s stuck flipping a decaying, possibly haunted mansion she inherited from her uncle. Enter Dane Covett, the town’s dangerously attractive doctor with a dark past, a murder accusation, and enough heat to make Remi’s troubles a little more… interesting.

Dane is the ultimate brooding bad boy. The town gossips claim he murdered his wife, and his mysterious aura only adds to his allure. But when Remi gets injured and he stitches her up, sparks fly……literally. Their chemistry is undeniable, and the way he demands a kiss as "payment" will have your heart racing. Let’s just say, the heat between them is enough to raise the dead (if Blackleaf Manor’s ghosts don’t do that first).

But Grimstone isn’t just about scorching romance. As Remi renovates the mansion, strange and dangerous things start happening, making her question if it’s truly haunted, or if Dane is hiding something much darker. The plot twists keep you on edge, blending mystery, ghostly encounters, and sizzling tension in a way that feels deliciously addictive. The gothic atmosphere of the beachside town, mixed with Halloween vibes, creates the perfect setting for this hauntingly hot romance.

Sophie Lark weaves together the eerie and the erotic. Both Remi and Dane are damaged, each with skeletons in their closets, sometimes literally, and their journey to healing and connection feels raw and real, even in the midst of all the supernatural suspense. You can’t help but root for them to find peace and redemption, even as you wonder if you should be trusting Dane along with Remi.

And the spice? Be warned, this book brings the heat, with some scenes that will definitely get your pulse pounding. But it’s also not for the faint of heart, with triggering content that makes Grimstone dark, edgy, and a little dangerous.

If you’re in the mood for a sexy, spooky read where the romance burns hot and the atmosphere gives you all the gothic chills, Grimstone will deliver. It’s the perfect Halloween-season escape, full of mystery, passion, and a haunted love story you won’t soon forget.