Some confessions come with a body count. Some best friends were never meant to stay innocent. And some love stories start with a knife.
Jack has always loved Luna. Not in the sweet, clean way the world finds acceptable. But in the kind of way that watches, waits, and plans. The kind of love that keeps count of every man who ever hurt her.
So when Luna breaks up with her boyfriend, Brent, Jack doesn’t push. He doesn’t need the details. He just knows Brent is going to pay for something.
Then one night, drunk and trembling, Luna finally tells him everything. About the assault. The screaming. The thumbs on her eyes. How Brent tried to blind her, to erase her. And Jack? He listens. He tucks her in. And then he goes out.
Brent goes missing. His precisely clean.
Now the police are asking questions. There’s a girl who swears she saw Jack. And Luna doesn’t remember what she told him that night… or what he might’ve done about it.
But Jack remembers everything. And he’s not sorry. Not for the blood. Not for the silence. Not even for the missing mixer blade.
Because when you’ve loved someone this long, and this dark, you don’t stop at one body.
And Jack? He’s just getting started.
Perfect for fans of obsessive heroes, morally gray MCs, knife play, trauma bonding, and couples who clean up after themselves… once they're done celebrating in bed. 🔥 Murder. Trauma. Spice. This isn’t just dark romance. It’s pitch black.
friends to loverscodependent relationshipmorally grey MMC and FMChe falls first and hardertouch her and diekiller coupleBonnie & Clyde energyonly one bed (except it's covered in plastic)protective obsessed herorevengesecret keepinghidden traumaviolence as intimacyknife play and blood playsex after murdermutually unhinged MCs
This book contains explicit sex scenes, some very triggering scenes, and is not recommended for those under the age of 18 years old. Please check the content warning page at the beginning of the book. Some scenes may be highly triggering, I cannot stress this enough.
A. R. Carlson is a work-from-home mom of some fantastic sons (though she's biased in that) and has loved writing fiction since she was just learning to read. On a good day, she'll be found scribbling down some random story idea, with her nose in a book, or cleaning up after her kids (that happens a lot).
Some confessions come with a body count. Some best friends were never meant to stay innocent. And some love stories begin with a knife.
This story hooks you immediately with what happens to the FMC as a child. That opening pulls you in fast and sets up something dark and layered. When it jumps to adulthood, I was expecting more depth about how she became the woman she is. We get a brief explanation about her ex-boyfriend and her past, but it felt rushed and skimmed over. I wanted those emotional scars explored more instead of just referenced.
I understand it’s a shorter story and the focus is on the two main characters, but it moves very quickly into them killing the people who’ve wronged her. The revenge arc is there, it just needed a little more emotional build-up for it to fully hit.
That said, the dynamic between the two leads was the highlight for me. Their bond feels intense and codependent in a way that makes sense for them. He definitely falls first and harder, and the “touch her and die” energy is strong throughout. They both sit comfortably in morally grey territory, which adds to that chaotic Bonnie and Clyde vibe.
If you love: • friends to lovers • codependent relationships • morally grey MMC & FMC • he falls first and harder • touch her and die • killer couple energy • Bonnie & Clyde vibes
Then this will likely work for you.
For me, it had a strong concept and addictive start, but I just wanted more emotional depth behind the darkness.