Grimstone by Sophie Lark on September 17, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, Fiction / Romance / Suspense
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
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“Love is action. Love is trust.”
Remi Hayes is beginning to think she’s cursed, her fiancé cheated on her, her brother Jude is a major pain in her ass, and the moldering mansion she inherited from her uncle might just be haunted. Flipping Blackleaf Manor already feels impossible, even before Remi is blackmailed by Dane Covett, the dangerously hot doctor-next-door, and Grimstone’s most eligible bachelor, if you can ignore the fact that everyone in town thinks he murdered his wife. Remi doesn’t want to believe it, especially after Dane sews up a gash in her thigh and steals a kiss in payment, a kiss that makes it hard to walk for reasons that have nothing to do with an injured leg. But as the renovation takes a strange and violent turn, Remi must decide if Dane is the one haunting her nights, or if he’s trying to protect her from something much worse…
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.