Ten years ago, they took from me. Now I’m taking from them. One name at a time. They never see me coming, until I paint their walls red.

Romance books bring to mind an image of a pastel cover with two people’s soft silhouettes and slight hints at the plot of that particular love story. The cover of a dark romance book, however, tends to be much more mysterious — often in line with its plot. When I finally got her, it felt like I was on top of the world. I was going to help the team win another championship, going into the draft, and had Lyla by my side.Soon, Luisa is looking for an escape, a way out of the carefully controlled life she’s leading. She finally gets her wish in the worst way possible.

We’re getting right into it when it comes to irredeemable characters in this dark romance book that will push your limits. Ten years ago, she barged into my life unannounced and turned everything upside down. She paid the price.But I noticed him. I saw him. I heard him. The things that he did, and the deeds that he hid…For years, I bit my nails, unable to look away. It doesn’t feel like a game anymore because now my heart’s on the line. And when the web I’ve spun begins to unravel, it could destroy us both. He might even pull you into a forest and hold a hand over your mouth so you can’t call for the cops. He might make you come so hard you can’t think. Soon as I turned sixteen, I left that bump in the road I called home and took my chances on the street. Best decision I ever made. My brother’s girlfriend grew up hanging around my house and is always at our dinner table. She looks down when I enter a room and stills when I am close. I can always feel the fear rolling off of her, and while I haven’t had her body, I know that I have her mind. That’s all I really want anyway.

Mara Eldritch is a nobody. Broke and damaged, she works three jobs while creating paintings no one will ever see. The first letter arrived the day my husband was buried. It was postmarked from the state penitentiary, and contained a single sentence:He’s all about revenge and though Erika’s a strong heroine, she takes what Michael gives and you might not like it. Then again, maybe you will. But then there’s him. I feel his eyes on me. I see him hiding in plain sight. He watches me. He makes me feel.