Dark desires…Deadly secrets…Devious deceptions… Stewart. Formalities seem unnecessary.”
Stewart Harrington is rich, gorgeous, and one of the most powerful men in Miami. He always gets what he wants. Anything is available to him for the right price.
Even me.
Being the wife of a mogul comes with all the perks, but being Mrs. Stewart Harrington comes with a few special requirements. I’ve learned to keep a part of myself locked away as my husband watches me submit to his needs. But the more he demands of me, the more beguiled he becomes and that’s to my advantage. So I keep fulfilling his fantasies and following his rules because he doesn’t know that what he’s playing is really my game. And winning is everything, right?
INSIDIOUS is a stand-alone novel and the first Tales from the Dark Side title by ALEATHA ROMIG.
Due to the dark and explicit nature of this book, it is recommended for mature audiences only.
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By one of my fave authors. The ending on this one is really good!
Waiting for second book in series.
Loved it!
No one, and I do mean no one, weaves a twisted tale quite like Aleatha. Victoria’s world was… just WOW. There are no words to what I’ve read over three times now and each time, I come out on the other side barely functioning but still craving for more. Loved every minute of this twisted journey. Reader discretion is advised with this one!
This was my introduction to Ms. Romig’s work and I’m gobsmacked. Strap in because this book is a wild ride, in many ways, but all of them fabulous. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that was equally erotic & suspenseful simultaneously. I finished it in 2 days, would have been less if I didn’t have to work. Very well written characters, a plot that increased the pressure with every turn but made total sense. Kind of like edging. And that continues, even after the last sentence. I am a new and avid fan.
This story exceeded my expectations. Love this author’s writing, her voice is strong and her imagation is Dope. The way she spins a freakin story is genius
I’m not sure what I expected with this book. Having read other books by this author, I expected twists and turns, but this was really, really twisted! I enjoyed reading this book. The book wasn’t tagged as “Tales From The Dark Side” for nothing! It was definitely dark, gritty and somewhat slimy at times, all in keeping with a very complex and sinister storyline. The characters are well-developed and interesting. The storyline seemed a bit improbable at times to me, but I found it more than captured my interest and kept me reading page after page. I read a lot of rom-coms, so this book was a definite change of pace for me—completely different, captivating and suspenseful with an ending that made my heart pound and my mouth gape! Once again, this author does not disappoint. She grabs you and takes you, sometimes kicking and screaming, on a rollicking roller-coaster of a ride, chilling and thrilling you along the way. If you like complex, dark, twisty stories, then this book’s for you!
This review was written 4yrs ago and it’s still my favorite dark romance book ever. I’ve never forgotten it and I still want more like this.
Review:
So I’m going to be completely honest here. I don’t normally read the “super dark” books even though I love dark romance. I was asked if I wanted an ARC of this one and I am surprised how much I enjoyed it. I am so glad that I did agree to read it. This was fantastic. I read it over the weekend, so I had to put it down here and there because of things going on. It left me wanting to get back to it to see what was going on. I am still trying to process all of it so I can write this. So how do you explain or review a book you are still trying to figure out yourself? I don’t know but I am going to try.
“I play the role well. The grieving widow is new, but I can do it: shaking hands, sad smiles, even a tear or two when necessary. The acting isn’t new. I’ve been doing it my whole life.”
Victoria gets a call to meet with Stewart Harrington, mogul and owner of Harrington Spa and Suites. What she finds out makes her sign a contract and she ends up married to him. She agrees to his terms and in return she has access to everything he owns and she can help her family. If she can make it the 10 yrs he has her sign for she can walk away. If she walks away before then she will get nothing and owes everything.
“I wouldn’t be offering you this opportunity if I hadn’t had you thoroughly investigated. I know everything there is to know about you. I can’t have a wife with skeletons in her closet.”
There are so many things going on in this book. You truly have to be paying attention when you are reading. There were a few details in one scene where I was like “Ok I don’t get why I am being told this.” But then come the end of the book I was like “OMG THAT IS WHY!” This story is one that kept me guessing the whole time. I usually have a book figured out by 50% but not this one. It literally took me the entire book to comprehend it all. The layers in this book are something you don’t expect till it slaps you in the face. You are just sitting there going “Oh no she did not.”
This is really a review about everything but really it says nothing. I can’t really do it any other way. You just have to read it and find out. This is a stand alone. There will be other books in this series but this book completes Stewart and Victoria’s story. I am so glad I gave this book a chance even though I don’t really read books of this nature. This books is a thrill ride you will be thinking about for days after you finish it. I highly recommend you get on board.
“A promise? A contract? A life sentence?”
This read certainly lived up to its billing as a “smart, sexy thriller”. This read is an enjoyable sexy thrill ride with surprises around every corner. It was published in 2014, and now in 2018, I have just become familiar with Ms. Romig. From the few books I read, I naturally assumed, although dark, there would be an element of romance. Ha! Silly me!! One thing this is not…and that is… a romance!!! It’s intoxicating, titillating and I enjoyed sex- oops, I mean – I enjoyed reading about the sex with the three important men in the life of the dark anti-heroine, Victoria (Vikki) Harrington née Conway. Yet…I am left with an “insidious” nagging set of questions at the end of the story. I haven’t quite made up my mind if this is actually brilliant or an intentional and aggravating literary device to spur discussion and buzz around the book?
We hear this entire story through the 1rst person POV of Victoria. She was raised to believe she was “venom” … death itself to anyone who came near to her. She is supposedly bartered away by her parents to cover the debts from their vices incurred by unsavory elements of society. To insure her parent’s financial heath and thereby securing the futures of her younger siblings she signs a marriage contract agreeing to the dark terms of an incredibly sexy, fabulously wealthy older man, Stewart Harrington in exchange for wealth and social standing. She enjoys the sensual attention of this sexual tempter, this predator for about a year. Oh…and is he a deliciously dirty talker! And because he bought her, groomed her and trained her for a specific purpose, after this enjoyable year, Vikki had to honor her contract and submit to Stewart’s desire to watch her have blindfolded and hearing controlled sex with Stewart’s “friends”.
The story jumps back and forth in the timeline of events and I found this to be entertaining. The book actually opens with her husband in the last stages of terminal illness. The author weaves an entirely plausible scenario on how our damaged, used and abused heroine has managed to put her husband on his deathbed.
If there is any relationship that possibly goes beyond obsessive desire then perhaps it is Vikki’s relationship with the junior partner at the law firm that handles her affairs, Brody Phillips. With his “strawberry blond” hair and “aquamarine” eyes, he smells like sunshine to Vikki. Their sexual encounters, while no less hot and intense, are written with an element of sweetness. Vikki expresses her feelings of being unworthy of such healthy loving emotion.
“‘What I want more than anything is to make love to you, to hold you, to watch you sleep, and be there when you wake. I want to love you so hard that when those beautiful eyes are closed, I have no doubt that you’re dreaming about me. And when you wake, I want to be the one to make every one of your dreams come true.’”
Then again…in this story…nothing is as it seems. After reading the entirety of this book, I am left wondering if Brody is in fact the tragic hero after all? Is he an example of being a victim of his own baser desires? Vikki’s deadly trap could only work if he and anyone else for that matter actually “went there”. Did he even go there?
“Besides, sex was nothing more than a tool, a weapon. It had been used against me, but I’d learned to use it in my favor. If sex helped me obtain my goal, there was no [effing] reason not to use it.”
Lastly, there is Travis Daniels, who was the personal assistant (and perhaps more) to Stewart Harrington. He has watched Vikki even before she became Stewart Harrington’s wife. He becomes her “mountain”. It is this man that Vikki chooses to believe or does she entirely? The sex with him is wild and untamed. He claimed to have been there for every anonymous encounter she had while married to Stewart. He despised Brody Phillips. He was impressed with her handling of underworld business connections. Was Travis her HEA?
“My mountain was right there, both literally and figuratively. I had never realized that Travis was my mountain, my high.”
We only know what our dark heroine knows and for that matter what she shares with us. Has she become “death” to all her men? What did Travis do to deserve the vial with the red solution? What trap did he befall? Does it have anything to do with Brody? Is it even his hair? Could it be hers?
I have never used so many question marks in a review before. While I did share with you these lingering questions, you really need to read the book to find out their genesis. All these “insidious” questions…it’s enough to keep a girl up at night…that and all the glorious sex! Brilliant?
I always love dark and devious reads! I am always hungry for something that will bury itself deep into my soul… This book is nothing short of what I love about a book!
However, I can’t even begin to wrap my head around this book enough to know where to begin or even how to write this review! I don’t know if I can,
1. do the book justice,
2. give what I feel is a spoiler-free review,
3. do this book justice.
This book, just like and unlike Aleatha’s other books, is full of lies, deceit, good and evil, twists, turns, lies, and more deceit.
Let’s just start with Vik since she is the central character in this story. She is doomed to pay for her family’s mistakes. She is backed into a corner, aka a marriage, to save all of them from impending doom. She is lied to. She is forced to be a ruthless fighter. A life she never wanted or asked for. Everything in her life is controlled by her bastard of a husband, Stewart.
Stewart. He is a sick and sadistic human being. He is ruthless and cunning. He, by far, is one of the most manipulative and selfish characters we have seen yet. Nothing short of castration and death would be best for a character like him. Now, at first you will kind of not like him. Then you maaaay sway to kind of liking him. But trust me, you will have no qualms in despising him very quickly! And you will pray for him to get what is coming to him!
Wes… I never really cared for him. While he seems like he truly does care for Vik and wants what is best for her, I was suspicious of him in many parts of the book. Maybe I was supposed to be suspicious of him… I mean, this is one of Aleatha’s books after all. Shouldn’t you be suspicious of all of her characters? With every turn in this story, I kept trying to figure out his true angle in everything.
Then we have Travis. I think he is one of those characters that Aleatha wanted everyone to not like from the get-go. He and Vik do not get along. He is quite a jerk to her from the beginning. However, he is one of the characters I kept in the back of my mind when he wasn’t forefront. I couldn’t help it. I knew that there was more than met the eye, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it. His character is so rough around the edges, and it was apparent he played a bigger role in everything that we just couldn’t quite get a grasp on.
All of these characters play an important role in the story. They aren’t all of the characters, but they are the stand-outs. The ones who weave the web. They are the ones who continually put a new ball in motion and give you whiplash. There are many parts where you will sit there, seething with anger, begging for death to come quickly, yet slowly.
This story is told in such a way, that here I am, over a week later, and STILL trying to put all of the pieces together over and over again. I keep wondering what I missed. What didn’t I pick up on? But that is Aleatha for you. She has a genius way of making you think, making you see things that may or may not be there. Her writing is so put together and genius, you can’t help but to get wrapped up in anything she writes. You will be pissed. You will curse out loud. You will be on the edge of your seat for more the majority of the book!
I loved this book! It’s intriguing and shocking and so exciting! The storyline is a brilliantly woven tale of secrets, deceit, and revenge.
OMG! The last line!
I could not put this book down. The author keeps surprising you with all the twists in the story. Throughly enjoyed this book.
I could not put it down. Loved the twists and turns.
I don’t even know what to say about this book! This is only the second book ever that I have closed and thrown across the room because I was so angry at and frustrated by the characters. Oddly enough (or not), both books were by Aleatha. I didn’t think main characters could make me feel like this, not more than I did with Tony/Claire in Consequences, but I stand corrected. There were so many twist in this story that I almost couldn’t keep up. But I did, be it with quite a bit of whiplash. Ms Romig is easily one of my top authors, one I have no hesitation to one-click. And this book was no different than her others as being an amazing read. The only thing is that I don’t think I’d consider it a romance. Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of sex if that’s what you’re looking for, this was just more towards psychological twisty than romantic for me.
One last thing, I’m really glad that Victoria was able to be strong enough to walk away from that last little mysterious twist, but I AM NOT! I need to know the answer! I hate cliffhangers so much (this book does not end on one, if you need to know that) and those two little last minute twists were just slightly over that line of ‘this needs to be resolved’ to keep playing with my brain now that the book is done. How were they…? Whose…? I NEED TO KNOW!
* A review copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review *
WOW!!! I don’t even know how to express my feelings about what I just read. As an avid reader I am trying to read new types of books and stories than my normal. Kind of taking myself out of my comfort zone every now and again. Well INSIDIOUS truly took me out of my comfort zone.
If you are looking for a dark and disturbing read this is the book for you. This book was filled with so many twists and turns I couldn’t keep up some times…LOL. I seriously can’t talk about the plot at all because everything would be a spoiler to this story. Just know that this book will keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat all the way through. The author even leaves you somewhat guessing in the end 😉
INSIDIOUS is a standalone dark erotic thriller, but with the way the author ended this story….she leaves some unanswered questions in your head. I was a little surprised with how this book ended and what became of Victoria. I think that is truly why I didn’t give this book 5 stars. I just felt that I was left hanging a little bit and there were some things from the story that I felt were left unfinished. This in no way stopped me from enjoying this read.
This story is told completely from Victoria’s POV. I thought the writing style was fantastic. Aleatha did a fabulous job creating an interesting and captivating story and characters that are going to stick with you well after you have finished this book. She gave us characters that you will love and ones that you will hate!!! With all the lies, betrayals, and twists this story has, you won’t know who to trust and believe as you read this book. Even in the end I couldn’t completely know who was lying and who was telling the truth.
So if you are looking for that book that will take you out of your comfort zone, then this is the book for you. I don’t think I could really classify this as a romance or love story, even though a love story is kind of in there. It definitely isn’t the focus of this book. I truly believe that you need to go into this book blind and with a completely open mind. I would recommend this book to lovers of a dark erotic storyline. I know I am looking forward to the other books in this series.
“Insidious: proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with harmful effects”
WOW! What a story!!!! I was captivated from the beginning! This review is spoiler free. If you choose to read this book DO NOT READ ANY REVIEWS! Go in blind! I was tempted to read a review but I didn’t want to ruin my first experience with this story. And it was well worth it! I could not put it down!
The story is steamy hot! At times my heart was pounding. I was at the edge of my seat. It is also dark and suspenseful. And, there were times that I cringed.
Victoria Conway has a choice to make. At 18 years old she has a decision to make. Stewart Harrington wants to marry her. This arrangement will settle her parent’s debt. Stewart Harrington is rich, gorgeous, and one of the most powerful men in Miami. Could she do it?
First, she must sign a contract which states that the personal and sexual activity of Mr. Harrington and Ms. Conway may not be disclosed by either party outside the experience. What does this mean? My heart drops when a year later she learns about her ‘special requirements’.
“The fairytale I’d been sold, the one that made the reality of my sale bearable, gave way to the true nature of my situation a little over a year after I became Mrs. Stewart Harrington.”
And so it begins….As I said above, I was captured by the story. I didn’t want to put my kindle down. It was dark, erotic, suspenseful, and just H.O.T.
Then things change….Twists, turns and a few gasps later I was spent. My heart was racing! And the ending, wow! Come and experience the insanely hot and suspenseful story of Victoria Conaway Harrington!
“Nod if you understand….”
5 “nodding” stars
I love dark and twisted, and this book delivers
Read this awhile ago but remember loving it as I do with all your books.