Heathens by Alta Hensley is a feral, unhinged fever dream wrapped in dark romance and primal obsession. This isn’t your grandma’s love story—unless your grandma is into The Hunt, bone masks, and morally gray men who toe the line between protector and predator.

The heroine? She’s running. The hero? He’s not letting her get away. It’s a game of cat and mouse, except the mouse might be just as into it as the cat. The writing is deliciously dark, the tension is electric, and the vibes? Absolutely feral.

Final verdict: If you like your romance with a side of should I be concerned?, buckle up—because this one drags you straight into the abyss (and you will thank it for the ride).

This book caught my attention quickly. Spicy and sexy read. Kind of wish it was longer though so hopefully there will be more.

Thank you Netgalley and dreamscape media for the free ALC. My opinions are being left voluntarily. I was hooked and enjoyed the narration which was done perfectly. There were some parts of the book the way it wad worded fave a bit of ick but great overall.love a dark romance where the MMC is dad's best friend. I need book 2 asap.

4.5/5☆

1 star ⭐️

Where do I even start😭? When I expected age gap, I didn't think it would be written that bad, but the MMC felt like the MMF's father because he was literally friends with her father. The FMC was just not thinking with her brain. The plot felt nonexistent, just an amalgamation of tropes.

So I want to start off by thanking #DreamscapeMedia for allowing me to get my hands on this audiobook. I loved the narration and it was a fun read!

So here’s my review. Let’s start off by saying this book is spicy AF. 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ for sure. It’s a dark romance about an orphaned daughter and her dad’s best friend who live in a town with a pretty dark, hot ritual.

The story line was decent and overall I enjoyed the quick listen. However, there was a spanking incident (not sexual) that seemed pretty unbelievable. I mean, it stuck in my mind the whole time and had me cringing.

Second, I wish there was more character development. I wanted to feel more connected to Story. She was pretty awesome, but I just didn’t get that emotional connection I was looking for. Overall, this book is a solid 3.5. Enjoyable for some quick spiciness.

The premise had so much potential, and since I loved He Sees You When You're Sleeping, I was really hoping this would hit just as hard. Unfortunately… not even close.

First of all—Storee?? What kind of name is that? Every time I read it, my brain short-circuited. And then we have Locke, which immediately made me picture the bald guy from Lost, so immersion was already a struggle.

But beyond the names, the FMC was just painfully dumb. Indecisive, irrational, and her actions made zero sense half the time. And don’t even get me started on the repetitions. If I had a dollar for every time I read tongue, ass, and load, I could buy a better book. Who edited this?? Is avoiding redundancy not a thing anymore?

Bottom line—this book was a hard no for me. Kink alone isn’t enough to make a story work, and this one just didn’t.

This is a dark spicy romance. Please be sure to check your triggers before starting. This book is a fairly fast paced romance. It has elements of primal play, and other darker mediums. This follows the tale of story and lock. It is an age gap dad‘s best friend romance.

I listen to the audio version of this book and the narrators did a wonderful job keeping you engaged in the story. Their voice is brought the book to life and was a listen all at one time type of story.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

It was a good read, forbidden age gap dark romance. Mutual pining/crush between the MCs. The spice is wild between the MCs, there is a bit of tension and angst between Gabriel and Locke. Not as dark as I thought it would be. For a moment I did think that it would end in a cliffhanger because there was no way they could resolve their fight so quickly. But they did and it was perfect. The second book I’ve read regarding The Hunt, I guess it’s a common book trope.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

This was an ALC.

My ratings for this book was all over the place while reading but I landed 2.75-3 and just rounded to a 3.

There were good parts that were a 4 but small bits. I like the whole red light chase through the woods aspect of the book. What I didn’t really care for is how many times it is mentioned that the male main character is her father’s best friend. It’s mentioned so frequently that you cannot forget it. Also didn’t like the third act breakup part of the book. The concept of this book was very good. I really like the whole receiving gifts after a night of being hunted.

I did listen to the audiobook. I thought that they a good job. I have nothing negative to say about the narrators. I’m very neutral on their performance.

This book has almost everything one looks for in a dark romance done down to such an excellent level of detail. The world building and how the primal play is encorporated into this island town feel so unique, with brilliantly placed suspense, and the age gap and dad's bests friend tropes both bring the right level of taboo and darkness to make this a binge worthy listen!

Both narrators voices were so well suited to a novel of this genre. The way in which both managed to bring the right levels of emotions and intensity as and where was needed was perfectly executed, they had me hooked from the first chapter!

There were a few overall plot points that let the overall story down for me, but only a little bit! I would have loved for The Hunt itself to be played out further, rather than feeling rushed from the moment Storee turns on the red light, to the beginning of the smutty scenes; I think a bit more suspense could have made fore a more thrilling read. The small plot twist we discover near the end of the book also felt a little out of place for me if I'm being honest - from what we learned about Storee's character throughout the rest of the novel, it just came across a bit too out of the blue from what I thought and felt about her character.

This gets a solid 5/5 for smut and narrations, however the plot brings it down just a smidge to an overall 4/5 for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, and Dreamscape Media for the chance to listen to this advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Heathens by Alta Hensley is a dark, gripping read with intense emotions and a captivating plot. The characters are complex, and the tension kept me hooked. I especially loved the surprising twist at the end! Some parts felt a bit drawn out, but overall, it was a thrilling and satisfying read.

5 Stars – Dark, Primal, and Absolutely Addictive!

Heathens is everything I crave in a dark romance, raw, intense, and deliciously forbidden. If Praise and Devil’s Night had a book baby, this would be it! The age gap and dad’s best friend tropes added the perfect amount of forbidden tension, and the primal chase? Perfection.

The writing was immersive, the atmosphere dark and eerie, and the chemistry between the characters? Off the charts. I loved every second of the hunt—it was dangerous, twisted, and exactly the kind of sinful story that keeps me hooked.

Alta Hensley absolutely delivered with this one, and I cannot wait for more in the Heathens Hallow series! If you love your romance dark and your heroes unrelenting, this is a must-read. 🔥

This book deals with grief of a daughter and town. As well as some dark sexual primal play aspects that are depicted with care throughout.

This book deals with grief of a daughter and town. As well as some dark sexual primal play aspects that are depicted with care throughout.

I enjoyed this audiobook. It's just what I have been craving, and now I want to read more from Alta Hensley. I would gladly listen to the narrators again.

I received a gifted audiobook. This review is honest and voluntary.

If you’re looking for a quick read with a lot of dark smut, here you go. If you’re looking for a deep plot, this isn’t it.

Heathens is an easy read. An age gap “romance” (though there wasn't much swooning), Storee lives in a small town that’s known for high kinks amongst its rich population. And what better way to exploit that, than The Hunt.
Locke owns the towns kink club, and is also Storee’s dad’s bestfriend (aka uncle). And he swore to always protect Storee after her dad’s death.

Then Storee decides to participate in The Hunt, and they both are forced to face whatever feeling they may have for each other.

This definitely was intense during some scenes - though I have to question the sanity of some decisions, but there really wasn’t much to the plot.
However, the small shock at the end was totally unexpected. I wish the author would have built onto the base story more.

Narrators were amazing. 🤤

👺touch her and die
👺taboo
👺kink club owner
👺dads best friend
👺age gap
👺primal
👺masked stalker

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape audio for this ARC in return for my honest review.

Pub date: 05 March 2025

Boy did that miss the mark. Reading the description, I was expecting a hot dark romance, but I just got a hallmark dark romance. It was as if Vanilla wanted to try one night with jalapeno. This might be a good book for someone who had never read dark before. and why does Heathen Hallow/Hallow Heathen have to be in every "dark" book somewhere lol

Love the storyline until 85% the author just wrote the dumbest argument like seriously it wasn't necessary it could have been another issue. Ugh but it was so good and the spiced of the charts.
Locke is a billionaire and his best friend died and now he wants to take care of his daughter who is grown and has feeling for. So he stalk her and spy on her. When he find out she enter the hunt. He the man who gonna teach her a lesson a warning what he didn't expect that she will love being chase and being taken like an animal.
Storee is independent, caring and a painter but she work as a caterer and she clean fish gut. Her friend Fiona ask her to participate in the hunt. Where the man hunt you and have sex with you and they leave you a goody basket and money. But she nervous because of Locke her father best friend. Told her to stay away but she ignored him so the first night she turn on the red light announcing she going to participate so a masked man start chasing her and the excitement and thrill of the run get her off and she does this a couple of night until she has an accident on the third night.

The Hunt Ends Too Soon...

This book had so much potential, and I wanted to love it. It had all the right ingredients—forbidden romance, age gap, best friend’s daughter, and a possessive alpha—but it rushed through the most intriguing aspect: The Hunt.

Audiobook Performance:
The narrators were fantastic. They brought out the intensity of the story, making the audiobook an engaging listen. Their performances carried the tension well, even in moments where the pacing faltered.

Locke (Male MC):
Possessive, conflicted, and undeniably alpha. His internal struggle added depth, but his role in The Hunt could have been even more impactful.

The Female Main Character:
I wanted to like her, but her stubbornness made her frustrating at times. The emotional payoff of her journey felt a little forced—not because the premise wasn’t good, but because the build-up to her big moment wasn’t fully fleshed out.

Where The Book Could Have Been Stronger—The Hunt
-This is where the story had so much untapped potential. The chase aspect was intriguing, but it felt rushed instead of being drawn out in a way that would have made the final reveal hit harder.
-If The Hunt had played out just a little longer, the tension, mystery, and emotional impact would have been even stronger. As it stands, it was still good—but it could have been exceptional with just a bit more time to breathe.
-Because of that, some of the final emotional reactions felt predictable instead of deeply earned. The pieces were there, but the pacing didn’t quite allow them to settle in a way that would have made the betrayal, tension, and fallout feel organic rather than expected.

Final Thoughts:
This book delivers on dark, forbidden romance with a strong possessive hero, but it skims over what could have been its most compelling aspect. The audiobook performance is top-tier, making it an engaging listen, but if you’re looking for a slow-burn primal chase with deep tension, this one might feel a bit too fast-paced. Still, a solid recommendation for fans of age-gap, possessive heroes, and high-stakes romance.

3.5/5 Stars

I received this copy of the Audiobook in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley. All comments are my own and only held as suggestions for future works.