A review by edgybutfemme
Beautiful Prey by Lora Darc

dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

🌶️🌶️🌶️3 / 5 -The smut in this novel uses explicit language and a decent amount of detail. We have a good balance of plot and romance. There are several spicy scenes throughout the book, at least two or three, but potentially even more.
The Troupes / Kinks include:
Masked MMC, Therapist x Inmate relationship, Enemies to Lovers, Revenge, Primal Play, Knife Play, Serial Killer

TLDR
This book had me captivated from start to finish. It is dark, it is compelling, and it is a wild ride from start to finish. I honestly wasn't sure if this book would be too dark for me based on the pitch, but I've been trying to push my dark romance reading further and further to test the boundaries of what I like and I am so glad I read this book! It may genuinely end up being one of my favorite books of the year. There are so many parts of this that verge on psychological thriller and I was surprised at just how much I enjoyed every step of the journey. Lora Darc has an incredible handle on pacing and relationship development.

The Romance
Eve and Emery's dynamic is incredibly compelling. The build of tension and anticipation as Eve slowly untangles the mystery of why Emery killed her family had me absolutely unable to put the book down.  Emery has so much trauma and does so many awful things, but I found myself liking him and enjoying his banter with Eve before we even get the full context into why he is the way that he is. Also, though the smut doesn't kick off until fairly far into the plot, it is excellent and quite spicy. I have so much to say about these two, but I want to avoid spoiling anything so!!! Just go read it!

Final Thoughts
As always with dark romance, definitely mind the trigger warnings! Also, this book does end on a bit of a cliffhanger. I sometimes struggle with those, but this one didn't bother me and it so clearly perfectly sets up the second book in this duology. Thankfully, the second book comes out in just a few months and I am absolutely dying to get my hands on it. I can't wait to discover where the rest of Eve and Emery's journey leads, because I absolutely want them to have to have a happy ending no matter how unlikely it may seem.

I was given an ARC of this book in order to provide an honest review!
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