Her Soul to Take: A Paranormal Dark Academia Romance (Souls Trilogy) Paperback – February 20, 2024

I won’t lie, after the first chapter I was a little unsure. But by chapter four? I was all in. This was my first adventure into the world of supernatural dark romance, and now I’m wondering why I didn’t get possessed by this genre sooner. It’s eerie, hilarious, absolutely unhinged, and deliciously spicy 🌶️.I did an immersive read with the audiobook—and trust me, that’s the way to go. The narration pulled me right into the shadows of the story, and I felt every twist, gasp, and growl like I was living it. Highly recommend!The dual POVs between Raelynn and Leon? Chef’s kiss. Raelynn had me screaming at my book like I was watching a horror movie. Her reckless decisions? Pure chaos. But I couldn’t look away. And Leon… oh Leon. This demon is tall, terrifying, protective, possessive, and somehow manages to be both soul-stealing and heart-melting. Also? Filthy rich. 💸🤣This enemies-to-lovers rollercoaster hit every mark—intense chemistry, haunting atmosphere, and characters you can’t stop thinking about.Final verdict? Leon can 100% have my soul. Just tell me where to sign.

I almost never write reviews, but I felt this trilogy deserved one. I thoroughly enjoyed this trilogy- each subsequent book more than the last. The first book in the trilogy had the weakest writing. I might not have continued with the trilogy except there was some hook in the first book that persuaded me to read the second. Harley Laroux's writing matured with each book. Not only did the plot develop, but her character development deepened. Each couple's feelings and motivations were drawn clearer and showed how their relationships grew. There was a lot of spice in each book but not at the expense of the plot. While I enjoyed each book, I was especially pleased with the third. Callum and Everly make a wonderful couple and the story wraps up with a very satisfying ending.

I’m giving it five m stars because it’s well written and if you’re a horror girly it’s probably your jam. The kinky sex scenes are really well written and enjoyable and it’s obvious the author has had good sex, and good kinky sex, so that was a big plus.That said I’m not going to read the rest in the series because while I’d like to know how the story continues (it’s VERY well written and too many fantasy romance novels skimp on the plot) it’s just not my thing. So take this review as “This is some of the best dark chocolate I ever had and I enjoyed part of it, but this confirmed dark chocolate isn’t for me, personally”.If you like Lovecraftian anything? Possessive male leads? “Bad Boys”? Yeah, read this book. Personally it didn’t work because monogamy gives me hives and possessive men give me the herbie jeebies, protective leads don’t do it for me, the entire Lovecraftian thing does nothing for me, and I mostly find bad boys annoying.It’s still good enough I finished the book instead of bailing and adding it to my DNF pile. So if any of those tropes are things you like give it a solid shot. It’s VERY well written.

Highly recommended on social, high review ratings, over 14k reviews on Amazon and over 45k on Goodreads. This book just wasn't up to par for that kind of praise. It was written okay, pacing was fine, super spicy smut scenes. However, the FMC fell super flat for me. She was a paranormal vlogger. Cool. Had hair like Velma, wears glasses. Alright. And then... that's about it. And... SPOILER AHEAD... he somehow fell for her almost immediately!? How?? It's not even a fated mates ordeal. Hot sex... Great, but what else?! She called her dad once. There could have been a lot of development there. Her BFF also fell flat. I didn't feel like they would bury bodies for each other... or they would, but why?? I didn't get that bestie vibe. That's 3 relationships that just didn't cut it. Also, what does Rae bring to the table besides looks and sex? Did they laugh with each other? Connect over their pasts? He kept saving her over and over and then when she finally saved herself it was because of her tie to Leon. Just not much growth throughout. Disappointed with all of the missed opportunities, but it was an okay read... still reading the next books though...

Another "tik tok made me read it" and my oh my... everyone needs a demon named Leon in their life! M mm mmm 🤤😏Her Soul To Take is definitely a dark, twisty, question yourself romantasy. And I would check your triggers, there is some graphic content and we step into horror movie feels while reading this. Ooo, my heart rate definitely stepped it up a notch with some scenes, the scary kind AND the spicey kind.Leon is red flags all over but you absolutely want give this demon from Hell your mind, body and soul. I want to know what the symbol for his name is so I can have it tattooed on my thigh too 😏 (don't you judge me).Rae is absolutely gorgeous and was a nice breath of fresh air considering most of what I've read this year are about strong heroine type FMCs. No, Rae is a lot more relatable, but is she brave, I'll give her that. And man, does she have some kinks going on. Good for her.This was very well written, great storyline and the spice 🌶🌶🌶.5/5, maybe even a 4 and damn... avoid reading during your lunch hour at work 🥵 because you may want to rush home to your bedside draw.There's another book, that looks to be following Zane and Juniper's story, but at least for this storyline and these MCs, it does feel finished. There is no cliffhanger, it can be read as a standalone.Totally worth your time if you're into monsters and demons and "question your life choices" spice.