Minimal Spoilers
To be fair I was in a slight reader’s slump and had finals due, so it took a while to read this, through no fault of the author of the book Kate Posey. I requested this book via NetGalley and they promptly allowed me to read this gem of a book. The title of the book (Serial Killer Games)and description pulled me in while the witty chapter titles made me stay. It follows two coworkers who have a fascination with serial killers. Though for different reasons. The book is dual POV of the characters Dolores and Jack. It’s a low spice romance book. The pacing and descriptions were great. The realistic comedy of joking about murder made the story feel realistic, at least to those of us who binge watch/listen to true crime.

The two coworkers are Dolores Dela Cruz and Jack Ripper. Dolores is a mysterious businesswoman who grabs the attention of Jack Ripper. Dolores is a fascinating woman who appears sharp around the edges, but a softy at heart. While Jack Ripper is a loner who is actually quite strong-willed. They slowly get to know each other and fall in love. It’s sort of a quirky office romance that is way more than meets the eye.

The book was really good. I enjoyed reading it. The pacing and descriptions were good. The story was realistic. I recommend getting this book. It is out now, so be sure to get it.

Debut novel!? Are you kidding me, Kate Posey!?

I am in love with this novel. It felt completely unique, heartfelt and macabre, all at the same time, and happened to be a sensational fit for my tastes. I went through every emotion over the course of this story, predicting I would cry, and I certainly did. I mean, just a little, but still, that's a big deal for me.

This story follows Dolores dela Cruz and Jake Ripper, who meet in a fairly common place, the office. Jake is there as a temp, but makes an impression on Dolores, in that she thinks he's sus as heck. With his odd behavior and distrustful good looks, she's pretty sure he's a serial killer. In a way, she has a right to be suspicious, because Jake has definitely taken a special interest in her. Her F-all-the-way off, combative attitude is incredibly intriguing for Jake.

When their mutual interest in one another blossoms into a dark flirtation, both parties are left with a lot of questions. Is this love, or something much more sinister?

For the first 40% of this novel, I had no clue where it was going. I wasn't sure how much was going to be Romance, how much Mystery, or Thriller. I know now, and there's no way I'm spoiling it for you. I feel like this is so smartly-constructed. It snuck up on me, completely capturing my heart and attention. For me, Posey took this in an unexpected direction, and I appreciated all the different levels she delivered with this narrative.

I know this won't be for every oen. Marketed as Romance, I feel like there's an expectation recently for A LOT of steam and this doesn't have it. There's a little, but not to the level many might desire. I think that lack may make certain Readers walk away feeling unfulfilled. For my personal tastes, and maybe you're the same, that actually works in its favor. There's so much more time for character development. I much prefer pining, 'will they won't they', and slow burn vibes of characters actually living life, and getting to know each other in a real way.

Unpopular opinion, I know.

I also feel this was the perfect fit for me in regards to the macabre nature of these MCs. I got them. The way their minds work. It's no secret, Horror is my favorite genre. I could see my own inner dialogue displayed in both MC's perspectives. It was so fun and refreshing to see. I wouldn't call this a Dark Romance though, because it's really not. It's not psychopaths pushing limits, it's two people struggling to be seen and understood in a world that doesn't necessarily make it easy for them to fit.

I would highly recommend this to Readers like me; who prefer Dark Fiction, but like to add in a Romance, or Contemporary story, every once in while, maybe to feel something different, or to switch things up. Overall, I really enjoyed how the author developed this story with such care. You think you are getting one thing, and then as it evolves, it's just so compelling.

It's also much, much deeper than I anticipated, but not in an irritating, ooey-gooey way that generally annoys the piss out of me. It was just so enjoyable. I felt like I was actually in it with these characters. I felt everything they were feeling, for better or worse, and the plot was just enthralling to me.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I cannot wait to read more from Kate Posey. I feel like we're gonna have a long and beautiful friendship.

“Are you a coffin sleeper of do you hang by your toes from the rod in the closet”

“I usually just spin a web in the corner”

This book was a different twist on a workplace romance. Jake’s the new office temp and Delores isn’t your typical office robot. It was weird, quirky and definitely not what you’re expecting!

There were multiple times I was laughing aloud!

**Disclaimer**
I will say that if you’re looking for a serial killer/thriller vibe this book definitely puts more emphasis on the games/quirky aspect. This is definitely lighter and fluffier, not a dark book.

Thank you Berkley for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Book: Serial Killer Games
Author: Kate Posey
Rating: 4/5 stars

Have you ever looked around your workplace and realized that you know very little about those you work with? Or what they do during their free time? Have you ever wondered if one of them could be a serial killer?
Dolores dela Cruz wonders the latter about the new temp employee at her job. Her curiosity is further piqued when she finds out that his name is Jake Ripper. It also doesn’t help that innocent victims have been “falling” off of rooftops in the downtown core around where Dolores and Jake work.
Is Jake responsible?

Serial Killer Games was definitely not the story that I thought it would be, but it was much deeper than I had anticipated. I enjoyed it more than I thought it would and was pleasantly surprised. It was morbidly funny, had an interesting cast of characters, and was mysterious enough that the plot twists were genuine surprises to me.
Further background info was revealed about both main characters halfway through the book, and once I was able to connect the dots and piece together what they had gone through previously, I just had to find out what would happen between Dolores and Jake.

Found family, second chances, and dark humour were all prominent themes throughout the story. The banter was enjoyable to read, and I ended up with tears in my eyes at one point at how unexpectedly deep it was. It touches profoundly on the fact that time itself is a limited and unknown resource. It is eye-opening in the sense that making the most of the time we have is more important to do than some people may realize.
The story did touch on some other heavy topics that are not mentioned in the synopsis, but they are somewhat outlined in the author’s note at the back of the novel. Be sure to check those before reading, as the book took some deeper turns that I was not expecting.

Serial Killer Games was Kate Posey’s debut novel, and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for and reading her future work!
I would say that it is the perfect book for readers who may be looking for a dark-humoured book with elements that are touching and make you vouch for the characters in more ways than one.
Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an eARC of Serial Killer Games.

3.75⭐️

Dark, hilarious, and totally unhinged — Serial Killer Games is workplace romance for people who laugh during true crime docs!

This book is chaotic, morbid, and weirdly romantic and I loved every second of it?..

Dolores is convinced her new coworker is a serial killer (spoiler: he might be??), but instead of running, she flirts!! PLSS - What follows is a dark, hilarious, and borderline deranged workplace romance complete with body disposal, razor-sharp banter, and unsettling chemistry.

It’s like The Office if HR gave up and everyone had secrets in their crawl space?! Unhinged in the best way and you should read!!

Thanks NetGalley for the arc!

🎵you’re so vain by Carly Simon
🎶 look what you made me do by Taylor swift

🍿 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴: I had no idea what to expect going into Serial Killer Games and it was everything I could have hoped for plus more. The romance has more layers than you can shake a stick at, and this had a level of depth outside of the romance that I wasn’t expecting.

🤩 𝚃͏𝚑͏𝚎͏ 𝙱͏𝚎͏𝚜͏𝚝͏ 𝙱͏𝚒͏𝚝͏𝚜͏: The constant back and forth between Jake and Dolores was pure perfection and I loved the way Kate Posey described her characters. There is more to these two than meets the eye, and I couldn’t get enough. It was also very emotional, which was a huge standout and between that and the humor, made it a huge hit for me.

🎧 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝒩𝒶𝓇𝓇𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃: Christian Leatherman & Dominique Salvacion slayed their voicing of Jake and Dolores, and their voices fit the characters perfectly. Dolores has a very deadpan delivery sometimes and I was impressed with how well Salvacion was able to nail that.

💭 𝘊𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴: It blows my mind that this is a debut novel, and Posey is clearly an author to watch. She delivered on uniqueness for sure and this is a book that definitely straddles more than one genre. The storyline was full of surprises and if you enjoy dark humor, this is the book for you.

T͏h͏i͏s͏ B͏o͏o͏k͏ i͏n͏ 5͏ E͏m͏o͏j͏i͏’s͏ o͏r͏ L͏e͏s͏s͏: 🖱️🪆🫷🏼🤔

𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
𝙰𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚘𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I loved this book. I think it’s going to be one of my favorites of the year. I wasn’t sure what to expect, so I went in both open-minded and without any expectations because it’s not a genre that I usually read. And that was perfect.

It’s hard to categorize it into a genre- it’s a little bit of everything. Mystery, thriller, and romance and more. Any more details beyond the synopsis would be a spoiler. I did not expect to fall in love with the two main characters and be rooting for them as much as I was. I loved everyone else that we met as well. I don’t want to spoil it, because I think it’s best going in with as little knowledge as possible. There’s so much of the book that I loved – the characters, the snarky dialogue, all the different ways to kill someone (!!), not knowing what was going on and being really curious about better understanding all the dynamics. I read it on my travel day yesterday- basically in one sitting and it was so good! Please consider picking it up!

Thanks to the publisher for sharing a copy with me. All opinions are my own.

This was a fun read. What would you do if you found out that temp working for you is a serial killer? A fun read and a romance that I didn't expect made this book so enjoyable! Highly recommend!

A dark, funny romance mystery! It’s not often that books combine such unique genres, but this book does it well. I can’t want to see what Kate Posey comes up with next.

What did I just read? That was twisted meet cute situation haha. What crazy couple. I enjoyed reading this story with all of its twists and turns, it kept me engaged for the most part. I would highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC for exchange for my honest opinion.

4.5 This was a fun over the top wild ride of a romantic thriller. This book follows Dolores true crime enthusiast who happens to catch feelings for her creepy officemate Jack Ripper we follow the two in their over the top drama filled life with dark humor and sarcasm galore. I think this is one of those books you will either love or hate and I absolutely loved every page of this book! This book has a very dark sense of humor that felt like was written just for me, I loved the characters especially Cat and the plot was fun but a little over the top at times. This was a great debut novel and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

Serial Killer Games by Kate Posey is a fantastic thriller romcom. This book is a must read for thriller lovers and romcom lovers alike.

I absolutely love a thriller romcom. This book delivers, too. It is full of suspense, can’t put down momentum, and twists! So many twists! And when you think it can’t offer any more twists, another will be delivered that will crush your soul, leaving you sobbing from the overflow of mixed emotions.

It’s nearly impossible to offer a summary of this story without giving things away, so here’s my pitch to anyone on the fence about reading:

Told in a dual POV, this is an enemies to lovers romcom with a workplace setting, but with the fun twist of the two playing serial killer games with one another. As they continue this cat and mouse game, their eccentricities become their commonalities—their bond—and slowly, they reveal their vulnerabilities and secrets.

This is such a great read! It’s funny, fun, heart wrenching, and thrillery.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this advanced readers copy.

This book wasn't for me. I was up for trying something new and fun, but Serial Killer Games is like a mix of Butcher and Blackbird and Love Letters to a Serial Killer and I hated both of those books. I ended up DNF'ing and realized dark romance just isn't for me. I'm still rating 3 stars because there was nothing wrong with the writing, and my issue with the plot is purely based on personal taste.

Thank you NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and Kate Posey for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! I unfortunately did DNF this book at 43% after realizing I was not the target audience for it.

Based on the description and cover, I thought this book would be similar to Butcher & Blackbird vibes, and I anticipated the story being a fun rom-com about serial killers. However, Serial Killer Games was much more morbid than I originally thought. The plot tried to weave humor and grief, which left me emotionally confused and not very invested in the story.

While this book was not for me, I would recommend to readers who like:
Morbid scenes
Heavy grief elements
Morally grey characters
Dual POV
Workplace romance

This book was completely unexpected! I went into it blind and it was so unique, deep, and creative. I highly recommend this book and was always excited to see where it would go next.

Serial Killer Games by Kate Posey follows two people, Dolores and Jake. Dolores is a crime podcast junkie who meets Jake in an elevator at work. The banter immediately set the mood of intense but funny. The banter got even better throughout the story and the layers that were peeled back from each of their lives was amazing. If you don’t enjoy something being morbid this might not be the book for you. I can’t express how much I loved this book and it’s story.

Serial Killer Games was a interesting read with dark humor and complex characters.

I liked Kate Posey's writing style. She did a nice job building her characters and making me curious about who they are and what would happen next. The story moves at a good pace and it was descriptive without being bogged down in too many details.

I think this story while interesting, just wasn't one I could connect with and there were times I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep with it. While it wasn't a favorite, I did enjoy Kate's writing and I do want to read whatever she writes next.

𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝.

You have to go into this with zero expectations to really appreciate this book for the absolute insanity that is the ENTIRE first half. There is no other description for it.

The second half has so many twists and turns; I was entertained until the very end. It’s hilarious at times and shockingly emotional at others. It’s a perfectly blended found family and murder vibes cocktail.

Do not get this misconstrued as another Butcher & Blackbird novel - this is not a graphic horror romance novel. The gore is minimal - which is my personal preference.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲:
❤️ Sarcasm and murder jokes as banter
🔪 Chaos walking FMC
❤️ Doll dismemberment as foreplay
🔪 Knife jokes
❤️ True crime podcasts

Huge thank you to NetGalley & Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I expected this to be a dark and twisted romance, but Serial Killer Games ended up being so incredibly sweet! This was wholly original and I’m glad the story didn’t go in the way I was expecting it to.

Dolores de la Cruz may dress in all black and keep to herself, but she’s immediately on Jake Ripper’s radar and at the top of his list. Dolores listens to enough true crime podcasts to know that something isn’t quite right about Jake. He fits the profile to a T and she’s almost certain he’s a serial killer. When she asks for his help disposing of a body she isn’t surprised when he agrees.

This was such a fun book and I absolutely loved these two weirdos. I’m truly so happy they found each other. The back and forth banter was top notch. Dolores and Jake both have more to their stories than they originally let on, and I thought the author did a wonderful job of still keeping things light while also tackling some more difficult topics. At different points in the book you’ll be convinced that at least one, possibly both, of the main characters are serial killers. I think the dual POV really worked well here and helped add to the ambiguity.

If you like your romances a little silly & a little killery PLEASE check out Serial Killer Games.

It’s definitely is a very different book. It’s a darkly comedic book with interesting characters and a fascinating premise. In one corner, we have Dolores who’s into true crime and suspect that her new colleague Jake is a serial killer. Jake finds Dolores to be an interesting person And of course the plot really starts moving when Dolores wants to help her with the body.

The characters are intriguing and the banter is sharp, and the premise is definitely entertaining while slightly dark as well. I found myself intrigued from start to finish.