I made a bargain with a daemon when I was a child.
For the last twelve years, I never saw any reason to crave my freedom from Kingsley Manor and the dark, lost entities who inhabit the lonely estate. But then he came back for me—like he promised he would when we were children.
He doesn’t remember that I’ll die if I leave Kingsley Manor.
And they’ll kill him if he stays.
The Dreamer
I was told to burn Kingsley Manor to the ground.
They want me to get rid of the melancholy girl occupying the estate and hosting strange guests who scream in their sleep, but I can’t. Not when something inexplicably draws me to her—when I watch her and I can’t look away.
She thinks her ghosts and daemons will scare me, but she’s wrong.
Loren Little has been writing stories since before she learned how to spell. Her books are dark, sexy, and hopelessly romantic with themes of found family and love growing from the most dismal odds. Loren still believes faeries are real, and she enjoys scattering little pieces of her Australian upbringing into her books.
When she isn't working on her own stories, Loren enjoys watching crime shows and romcoms, and trying to finish her reading challenge as a mood reader with a towering TBR of books.
You can find out more at www.lorenlittle.com. Her most active social media platform is Instagram.
The Pythonist is a dark romance with a supernatural edge, and a dash of spice. I was completely immersed from the very first page.
Cathleen, Catty, carries a deep loneliness that feels almost tangible. The weight of her world, the bargains she has made, and the responsibilities tied to her life press in from every direction. You can feel how tired she is, caught between longing for something more and believing she is bound to a fate she chose long ago. That tension sits heavy and real.
Sam enters the story already morally grey, yet not in the way you might expect. As he becomes more involved, layer after layer unfolds. I loved how each revelation didn’t just answer questions, it created new ones. The pacing of those discoveries kept me leaning forward, wanting to understand more about both of them and the forces at play.
There are multiple themes woven together seamlessly, darkness, longing, secrecy, obligation, and desire. The atmosphere is rich and consuming, and the manor itself feels alive in the most haunting way.
The conclusion does not simply tie things up neatly. It builds, it unravels, and it lands with adrenaline and intensity. I loved every moment inside this world.
I received this book as an ARC, and this review reflects my honest thoughts and feelings, shared voluntarily.
I DNF'd this at 50% unfortunately. While I was intrigued by the concept I felt a little confused when starting this book and there was refrence to "doom scrolling" and other modern references, only to find out that it is set in modern day and the love interest is the son of a CEO trying to demolish her house.
I pushed past this as now that I knew it was modern day I wasn't too bothered, but the writing felt very stilted to me and I couldn't get myself to feel anything about the characters and I couldn't feel any chemistry between them.
from looking at other reviews it looks like it takes a while for the plot to pick up and a lot of readers feel that the last 20% is really good. I was hoping to push through to this but I was finding myself not engaging in the book and putting it down constantly to do other things.
There is a very interesting concept and the characters do have potential but perhaps this just wasn't for me.
Some tropes in this are some of my favourite (stalker, hitman, nightmares, haunted house, found family) and if these tropes interest you I do implore you to pick this one up as reviews do show that this book is well loved!
I don't believe that this book is bad at all, it does have potential to be a very good story. However, this is not something I enjoyed whole heartedly and will not be finishing as of now.
The book comes out in October 13th and if those tropes interest you and you are looking for a modern gothic dark romance set in a haunted house where hes a stalker/hitman and shes a psychic then definitely give this one a go!
This is a dark romance, with a paranormal twist and it was enjoyable! I’ll be honest it was a bit hard for me to get into at first but I’m glad I stuck it out.
This is a dual POV following Sam and Catty. I loved these two! The chemistry between them was great! It was a bit of a slow burn and most of the spice happened towards the end.
What really helped bump up the rating was the ending my goodness the last like 20% was an absolute roller coaster and I was holding on for dear life the entire time cause it was just hit after hit phew! I will say Loren did an absolutely great job at keeping that twist pretty under wraps!
I do wish all the crazy parts weren’t just left for the end, sure we got some action here and there but it felt like for the most part it was just coasting along, which isn’t necessarily bad but it did make some parts feel a bit draggy.
Over all it was a pretty good read and I definitely recommend checking it out!
Woah. this was such a good read. I loved Catty and Sam's story. I loved reading them coming together. The ending was INSANE!!! I highly recommend picking this one up.
Loren may have officially turned me into a dark romance reader. 🤭 I’ve always enjoyed it when I dabbled, but pair it with a gothic setting, an obsessed MMC, and a friends to lovers second chance romance… I AM SOLD. Not to mention the hauntings, the mystery, and the plot twists!
We get a dual POV in TP from The Damned and The Dreamer. Our Damned, Catty, has bargained her life to a daemon and her haunted house where she harbors other young women who experience the same psychic night terrors as she does. But when her enemy sends his son to claim the Estate she’s been trying to keep in her name, the past throttles to the present and darkness comes to the light. Our Dreamer, Sam, has spent his life trying to make his father proud in questionable ways, but when his latest mission brings him face to face with a ghost from the past, he finds himself seeking lost memories and nursing a new & seductive obsession.
I absolutely adored Sam. He was unhinged for Catty and gave me some Heathcliff vibes that I loved. His dedication and open mind was refreshing and made me smile and feel safe through the pages. Catty is a precious, tormented soul. My heart aches for all she went through! I am SO intrigued to know more about Marco! And I love loved the plot twists.
Tropes you may find are second chance, friends to lovers, haunted house, morally black characters, gothic paranormal setting, slow burn to medium spice (check TW), bargains, touch her and ☠️, age gap, and an ending that leaves you content but also excited.
Loren, thank you so much for this gifted arc. I CANNOT WAIT to read more from you and from this trilogy.
🖤 Second Chance Romance 🖤 Friends to Lovers 🖤 Black Cat x Golden Retriever 🖤 Touch Them & D!e 🖤 Slow Burn
~ “Call me whatever you want, Terror.” “I’m yours either way.” ~
I absolutely LOVE this book. There truly aren’t enough words to describe how obsessed I am with it. From the very first page, it pulled me in and wrapped its shadows around me. I couldn’t put it down, I had to know where every twist and turn would lead. And let me tell you… they had me gasping out loud.
This is an incredible, dark, and deliciously twisted love story drenched in heavy gothic vibes. The possessive, morally gray MMC, Obsessed. The feisty, fiercely protective MFC who would do anything for the people she loves, Even more obsessed. Their chemistry simmers in the most addictive slow burn, building tension that feels almost suffocating, but in the best way. Set inside a haunting manor brimming with hidden secrets, the atmosphere alone is enough to pull you under. Every hallway feels alive, every shadow holds something waiting to be uncovered. As the first book in the Weary Souls Trilogy, it sets the tone beautifully and leaves you desperate for more. I am already counting down the days until book two.
I have read this three times already & I still can’t stop thinking about it. The story grabs your attention & keeps you reading in hopes of seeing where it leads. And it leads you to a jaw dropping plot twist that had me gasping out loud!
Sam is morally grey and totally obsessed with Catty - I love a possessive MMC & his nickname for her is the best! “I’m already covered in blood Terror. Do your worst.”
Catty is delicate but also so strong! My heart hurts for her & all she has to endure. She is feisty and so protective of those she loves.
I love all of the side characters - especially James.
The chemistry between Sam & Catty is intense & the spice is absolutely delicious!
This story is emotional, funny, mind boggling, spicy, captivating and my top read this year!
Loren's writing style keeps you engaged from beginning to end. Catty and Sam's story is not at all what I expected it to be. I loved the little snippets of information that made you think you knew what was happening when, in fact, you really didn't.
The story is completely shrouded in mystery and intrigue. The character develop was top tier. I don't think there was anything about this book that I did not like. The descriptions of the manor and the land surrounding made me actually feel like I could see it in my mind. I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and the witty banter between the FMC and MMC.
I 100% recommend this to lovers of gothic and paranormal romance. Now, I shall patiently wait for book two.
Oh my Satan, how I wish I could turn back time and read the book for the first time again, and again, and again.
Needless to say I loved it. I loved the characters, Catty's strength, Sam's devotion and their love. My heart was broken and healed many times whilst I was reading.
The writing in itself was wonderful, the world building too. I wouldn't mind being the one making a deal with the deamon.
Marco? Yes, Marco. I adore him. I need more of him.
Thank you for taking the time to write this book and for allowing me to be part of their adventure before the rest of the world.
Loren Little’s writing skills are immersive. I could not put this book down. From start to finish it was perfectly paced, twisty and hauntingly delicious I devoured every page and detail. From the damned to the dreamer, from friends to lovers, from age gap to prophetic dreams & from second chance to touch her and die this book has everything a dark gothic romance reader could possibly want in a book. Kingsley manor is one place I’d love to visit. Thank you to Loren Little for allowing me to be an ARC reader for your newest book I can not wait to own it and re read it
i knew very minimal prior to starting this book and i think that’s the best way to go about it. the twist totally caught me by surprise, and i loved it! the dark elements were amazingly done. there was never a point where i felt bored. the pacing was everything it needed to be!! the imagery of kingsley manor was hauntingly beautiful and i felt like it was very easy to picture in my mind! if you like dark/ gothic romances- definitely add this to your tbr!!
Wow! I absolutely loved this dark twisted love story and could not put it down. It's darkness kept me entranced. Loren Little is a force to be reckoned with and you will find all her books on my book shelves as they're released ✨️
Dark, eerie, and completely addictive. The Pythonist pulls you into a haunting gothic world filled with mystery, secrets, and characters that feel beautifully complicated. It has that slightly unsettling atmosphere where you know something isn’t quite right — and you need to keep reading to figure out why.
Set in a dark, mysterious world, The Pythonist follows a story wrapped in grief, secrets, and strange forces lurking beneath the surface. As truths begin to unravel, the FMC(The Dammed), and MMC(The Dreamer), are forced to confront hidden pasts and dangerous realities that blur the line between life, death, and something far more unsettling.
The writing is super immersive and moody without feeling heavy, and the pacing keeps you curious the whole way through. I loved the gothic vibes and the emotional depth woven into the story — it’s dark but still very character-driven, which made me even more invested.
If you love atmospheric fantasy that feels a little creepy, a little emotional, and very binge-readable, this is definitely one to add to your list.
Tropes & Vibes: • Dark gothic fantasy 🏰 • Secrets & mystery🤔 • Morally grey characters 🖤 • Emotional tension👀 • Slow-burn intrigue 🔥 • Haunting atmosphere 👻
This book had me from the start and I thoroughly enjoyed every page. And the revelations at the end?! Wow, so much to unpack. I cannot NOT love whatever Loren is writing and how she writes. The emotions, the stories...the Easter egg at the end. I'm slowly getting more into gothic and spooky books and this book is a truly exciting reading experience.
Holy god damn. Loren does it again. It’s hard to believe that she just started doing this whole author thing.. because she kicks absolute ASS If you loved her House of Cloaks and Daggers, I truly believe you will fall in love with this one too. It’s dark. It’s moody. It’s mysterious. You’ve got to really think about the twist because WOW.
Absolutely obsessed with this gothic dark romance!! Loren has smashed it out of the park I was absolutely hooked from the first chapter. Also that ending twist was *chefs kiss*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This book will not leave my head, gothic, twisted and a little bit f*cked up for those of you out there with daddy issues 🤭 and buckle up because now after TWO read throughs, i continue to be amazed by Loren’s writing skill, and sneakiness. 🤭
I literally DEVOURED this book and had to physically slow myself down whilst reading. It’s haunting and poetic.
Petty entities that will make you laugh? Check!
Delicious descriptions of my (personally) favourite eye colour? Also check 👌
Banter and sarcasm galore; also check.
I’m going to need a prequel about Cathy’s mother pls and thanks! So many questions now !!!
Sam and Catty are two characters that are flawed, fully developed and easy to fall in love with. They do however keep you guessing at both motives throughout the book until you’re yelling at them yourself, before squealing like a teenage girl at a K-Pop concert when *those* moments happen. 🥰🥰🥰 Loren has shown once again her skills of weaving beautiful romances on the pages of her stories.
MARCO OH MARCO! Oh he was my absolute favourite he is so hilarious and dark. I really look forward to seeing more of him 🤭
Also the EASTER EGGS OMFG, I won’t say more, but just a note to pay close attention. If you’ve read Loren’s work before, you know she LOVES TO TORMENT US 🤣 And this is no exception.
I could honestly write about this book all day, but I’m going to tell you all to simply go and read it because this is going to be a MUST READ for 2026!
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ /5 Spice rating: 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️.5/5 (this does increase in the 2nd half of the book, please always check TW before reading)
Loren, my beautiful friend, thank you for letting me dive into another one of your beautiful stories. They all fill my heart with joy (mostly) 😘 and lots of heartbreak. Like I said; “You tore my heart out, stomped on it a little bit, and then wrapped it in a bow.” 😂