Alaric Schuyler.He’s enigmatic, cocky, and my new brother-in-law.With eyes the color of cerulean blue and a smile so beautifully devious he could entice the devil to do his bidding, I should have known to stay far, far away from him.One night changed everything between us. Tying him and I together in a sordid twist of fateHe’s become the star of my nightmares, always lurking in the shadows.I’ve … my nightmares, always lurking in the shadows.
I’ve become his muse, a possession he won’t let go of.
One esoteric melody at a time, he awakens my demons’.
Lucid dreams and sick fantasies show him being the death of me.
And the more time I spend in a reality where sanity has ceased to exist, I find myself wanting nothing more.
more
Well I have to say this was well worth the wait from Natalie as she takes you on a twisted ride into madness between Catalina and her brother in law Alaric who is not what he seems oh no he’s more.
This book got my attention from the start and had me trying to figure out just what was going on (no spoilers) you just have to get the book. This is only book 1 and now I have to find out what’s going to happen next in book 2.
Oh my goodness!! Oh why oh why you have to end like that! I need more of Alaric and Catalina. This obsession, this madness they have going on it’s very dark and very intense read. I’m so looking forward to know how all this will end.
This book was deliciously dark and twisted just like all of Natalie’s books. I love Alaric. And poor Catalina just falls under his spell. This book had twists and turns and I can’t wait until book 2
Oh my gawd this book was amazing! This is my favorite book hands down by Natalie and she has some amazing books. This one just sits right with my dark little black heart. Alaric is dark, controlling, manipulative, insane, and I still love him. Cat is just as mad, she just needs to let it out. I think her and Alaric are perfect for each other despite what Alaric does in his basement, hehe. I love these dark twisted tales and I can NOT wait for Melodic Madness. Thank you Natalie for this story it was everything!!
Jesus Mary & Joseph!! As with all of Natalie Bennett’s books, I go into it already prepared to pay extra close attention to detail, as not to go back and re-read sections and every time I do not disappoint myself. No spoilers bc, where’s the fun in that! But, Opague Melodies had me going in one direction only to pull me down the rabbit hole (be still my heart) bc I love that sh!t. I am insanely waiting for the second book, as I have to know where the story ends up & where exactly she is taking Catalina & Alaric. Her novals are highly addictive and this one again did not disappoint.
Natalie Bennett is a dark romance marvel! Opaque Melodies is an amazing, twisted read. Catalina is a mentally imbalanced young woman and has become isolated. Never leaving her home that she shares with a pet hamster. Tragic news means that Catalina has to leave her home and stay with family that she hasn’t ever met. What follows will keep you on your toes and extremely intrigued.
Alaric is a very attractive, confident, successful man who has a very specific interest in Catalina. There are many secrets that he holds the answers to.
This is a first read by this author for me but will most definitely not be my last.
Highly recommended!
I love reading about the crazies. With Natalie Bennett’s first book of the series you will have a cliffhanger with so many questions left unanswered. This book was a quick fast paced read. It kept me entertained. A book about madness and insanity. I love how her first book always sets everything up for you. This one was the same.
Catalina is brought to her brother-in-law’s house after the death of her sister. Crazy things start to unfold. I can’t go into too much detail, with this one, because I don’t want to give anything away.
The plot is original and kept me reading because I needed to see how this was going to go. There are some events that are not justifiably explained but that is how Bennett keeps you engaged in her books, so the next book you know I preordered. Everytime I read her books I think of it as a game of chess, her plotting and only showing you the pieces that she wants. This author is not a regular warm your heart romance writer. With her books you will get dark content and a lot of madness.
ℎ ℎ.
/ : Opaque Melodies is book one in the Coveting Delirium duet by Natalie Bennett! I am a huge Bennett fan, I don’t even bother with blurbs much less titles these days, just sign me up! Told in dual POV, if you are looking for a light, feel-good read then you are LOST and you need to back away slowly and then turn and run! But if you’re looking for dark, depraved, and totally twisted… then you have come to the right place!
ℎ . ℎ ℎ . ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ. ℎ ℎ . , . ℎ ℎ . ℎ ’.
One phone call alters Catalina’s life in a way she could have never imagined…
After Alaric Schuyler calls to inform Catalina that his wife, Catalina’s estranged sister who she barely knew, is dead he offers to fly Cataline out to his home so that she can go through her sister’s belongings before he donates everything.
Catalina has no intention of accepting his offer but after some meddling from her overbearing mother and the guilt of not getting to know her sister before she passed, Catalina winds up getting on that plane.
ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ . ℎ .
But when Cataline starts seeing mysterious things in Alaric’s household and Alaric starts acting weird she wonders if she’s losing her mind… again.
EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED, NOTHING IS AS IT SEEMS!
ℎ ℎ. ℎ ℎ . ℎ . ’ . ’ ℎ . ℎ ℎ .
Opaque Melodies is pure mystery! You have no clue what is REALLY going on. You will think you are going just as crazy as the characters… Did that actually happen? No… couldn’t have… could it? You won’t know up from down or left from right but you’ll enjoy every minute of this crazy mind f***!
ℎ ℎ ℎ . ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ , ℎ . ℎ ℎℎ, ℎ ℎ’ .
There are a lot of sneaky hidden agendas going on but I don’t have a clue as to where this story is going next. As I said, I barely even know what’s going on. But even if I did, it probably wouldn’t be right anyway. There is no “figuring it out” in a Natalie Bennett novel until she’s ready to disclose all the secrets and twists. But trust me, Opaque Melodies will keep you flipping those pages!
If you like your romances dark, dirty, and filled with mystery, then trust me you are going to want to check out Opaque Melodies!
’ ℎ , , ***.
() : Alaric Schuyler is a gorgeous, mysterious, wealthy young surgeon. He’s charming, charismatic, and unnervingly enigmatic… but it’s all just a facade. He uses twisted tactics to trigger Catalina into spiraling into darkness. There is still a LOT that we aren’t understanding just yet but I have high hopes of the depravedness that is to come.
ℎ . ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ ****** ℎ .
() : Catalina… there’s something not quite right about her, she’s not nearly as “sane” as we believe. She lives in her own little anti-social world and she prefers life that way. So when she finds herself in her brother in law’s home and spiraling out… it’s a sight to behold. You want to feel bad for her, but then again you can’t wait to watch all that crazy come out to play. I know there are secrets still to unravel regarding Cat’s parents and her own demons, I am REALLY looking forward to finding out more in Melodic Madness.
ℎ . ℎ . ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ, ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎℎ ’ .
/ : I’m not really sure how to rate the steam in this one. Since most of it, we aren’t sure if it even happened or not. There are a couple of scenes that are STEAMY but the REAL steam is the sexual tension. I’m not sure which is more twisted, Catalina or Alaric. But I have a feeling once the two REALLY come together, things are going to be bloody (hehe) delicious!
ℎ ℎ ?” “.” “.
/ : Just when we start getting down to the nitty-gritty and we think we are about to FINALLY get some answers… BAM! Majorrrr cliffhanger! We won’t be getting any answers until the conclusion of the duet, Melodic Madness, releases.
, , ℎ’ . ℎ ℎ ℎ ℎ , ℎ . ℎ.
: This is a Natalie Bennett novel… do I really need to say more? Okay, okay I’ll say a little bit more. There are difficult subjects that could be considered triggers. E.g. graphic language, frequent graphic steamy scenes, explicit scenes of horror, and VERY dark themes. These are all mentioned in the warning in the blurb but if you would like to know more about what those are, feel free to DM me!
: This is a section I rarely add but I can’t NOT mention that cover! Hauntingly beautiful and one of my favorite covers to date!
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Catalina and Alaric are both interesting characters. Alaric is as dangerous as he is handsome. Cat is much stronger than she gives herself credit for. It has all the darkness I’ve come to love in a Natalie Bennett story. I need the next book ASAP!
Hmmm….something seems vaguely familiar about these characters…what could it be?
Natalie, girl, you went The Vampire Diaries on us with those names. I can’t fault her for that though. They are some pretty sexy names, except Rebecca. I didn’t like the bitch in the show and I am not liking her in this book either.
This book has nothing to do with the previously mentioned show or with vampires but it does have the red stuff that they crave. I expected nothing less from our author.
This is a story told through a dual perspective of Catalina and Alaric. Catalina has received a call from her estranged sister’s husband, Alaric, informing her of her sister’s death. He has invited her to his seaside mansion, to go through her sister’s belongings before they are taken away. Catalina being a recluse and having demons she’s fighting of her own, is reluctant to go. She never really knew her sister and she certainly doesn’t know her sister’s widowed husband. Oh, but she soon will. The fickle finger of fate.
This little story was truly a mindfuck from beginning to end and I loved every moment held in its pages. It’s been a while since I read something like this, and I was pleasantly surprised to find this written by one of my favorite dark authors. I don’t think I have read something like this from her before. I found it akin to the classic book Rebecca, (my favorite book ever by the way) with its subtle sinister and erotic atmosphere; from the haunting piano music to the perverse artwork on the walls.
“The piece was familiar. It needled the demons he was so determined to wake. It filled the hole in my head and the emptiness within the house. A melody that haunted my dreams. Beautiful, yet sinister. Like the man who asked me to play it.”
I felt Catalina’s tailspin into madness, questioning what was real while wondering about Alaric’s intentions.
The release of the next book cannot come soon enough.
“My reality melded with my nightmares. The nightmares bled into my reality. I could no longer tell the difference. I wasn’t sure it mattered. I’ve become addicted to his exclusive does of madness.”
If you’ve read any of Natalies books you will know to expect the unexpected.
Opaque Melodies is another amazing story from her. I love how she messes with my head, how when I was reading this story I didn’t know what to think or what to feel. All I knew was I couldn’t put my kindle down until I’d read it all.
Apologies for my vague review but I don’t want to spoil this story for anyone. I will say if you love dark and twisted stories then I highly recommend this story.
This book is so good, been well worth the wait, isn’t the cover stunning.
I do not want to give much away. However, this book had me from the first page, I love how the author draws me in leaving me wanting more, the writing is great, the characters, This book was a great start and I cannot wait for what is to come in the next book in the series.
I’ve read previous books by Natalie and I just love her writing if you like dark and messed up books you should give this her a try.
What the hell did I just read??
What the hell happend? Sweet baby Jesus I need the next book stat!
Alaric and Catalina are hot! That cliffhanger ending is a killer!!
My Rating: ***3/4
Type: 1st book in Series – 2 books
Genre: Psychological Thriller, Dark read
Narration: Dual POV
Primary Characters: Catalina & Alaric
Source: Courtesy of Author/ Publisher – ARC
I voluntarily read an ARC of this book in exchange for honest review.
Opaque Melodies is my first book from this Author. I thought for a long while how to rate this book. To be honest my rating is vague. I read the whole book and didn’t get any clarity on what exactly is happening. I know all the instances in the plot are connected, but somehow, I couldn’t get the depth of it that doesn’t mean book was boring or not interesting. I don’t know how to write review for this at all.
This is a story told through a dual perspective of Catalina and Alaric. Catalina has received a call from her estranged sister’s husband, Alaric, informing her of her sister’s death. She has never met him before. He has invited her to his mansion, to go through her sister’s belongings before they are taken away. Even though she tries to evade him, he is persistent. Her mom and best friend also suggest her to go. She reluctantly agrees thinking it’s her way to know her sister and goes to his house.
That’s the gist of it. Post that everything is Havoc. Catalina is anti-social and has her own issues and Alaric is twisted and puts on a face mask in front of society. I don’t know who is more twisted, Catalina or Alaric. As I said honestly, I didn’t get any clarity after reading the book. Waiting for book 2. I’m intrigued enough to want to find out all that has been left unsaid or teased about. Maybe I can write more after reading book 2. It’s a quick read and it felt like author suddenly stopped when the book started picking up speed.
My suggestion is wait for book 2 and once it’s released you can pick both together. Be warned as the triggers are listed in the Blurb as some scenes are downright scary as in horror movie.
How does Natalie Bennett create a man so dark, evil and sinister who you can’t help but fall in love with? I don’t know how she does it, but I want more Alaric. Catalina and Alaric’s romance comes from a deep and dark place. Yet it is so beautiful in the darkness. I fell for Catalina. Trying so hard to be “normal” and not let the madness inside of her out. She’s a simple yet complex woman. Alaric feeds on insanity. He feeds on darkness. He somehow stole my heart and I NEED more of him.
Opaque Melodies will take you on the dark side, as all of Natalie Bennett’s books do. Natalie Bennett weaves dark and beauty together to create a masterpiece!
Natalie Natalie what have you done to me? What have I just read?
This story is dark and mysterious that had me scratching my head wondering what was going on and with so many questions. Catalina and Alaric are dynamite together but they have so many secrets. The story is fast moving the characters are complex, compelling and addcitive. The writing is amazing, it drew me in and didn’t let go. I have no idea what will happen next but I can’t wait to find out.
Ughh! Natalie Bennett has done it again, she has created a dark dirty twisted and depraved world and just when it starts getting good she goes and gives us one helluva cliffy! Alaric and Catalina’s story immediately drew me in with all the twisted shit going on in Alaric’s house and he’s a doctor not just a doctor but a surgeon!! Gahh ! This is another couple that I will be obsessing over until I get the full story ! If you like twisted dark dirty sex and chemistry that will set your kindle on fire than you have to check out Opaque Melodies ! Oh ! And can we talk about that cover it’s gorgeous and that alone drew me in , but yeah I’m a cover whore , but trust me the book is just as good , but it’s very twisted and dark you’ve been warned!! Definite 5 stars from me for another amazing dark romance by the queen of dark !
*** I voluntarily reviewed an advanced complimentary copy of this book ***
4 wth just happened stars!!
This is book one of the “Coveting Delirium” series and can not be read as stand alone. This ends in a cliffhanger.
So this book started off strange but totally something that appealed to me. I quickly fell for these characters and was super excited to follow this strange and dark path. Then it was over. I feel as though this was a prequel or possibly could have been the first half of a book. But good nonetheless.
This is warped and a little crazy but after reading I looked through some of the authors stuff, I realize that is her. Love it!
**I received this book as an ARC and in return gave my honest review**
***4 ‘Insanity and Art Go Hand in Hand’ Stars***
And once again Ms. Bennett opens the door to a kind of crazyness that I can’t help but be fascinated by and dive deeper into, even though it is disturbing on every level.
As this is just the start of Alaric and Catalina’s journey, I’m gonna keep it simple. I find them both intriguing. Alaric is determined, calculating and has predilections that would make most people uncomfortable. Catalina is a wallflower and yet has a fire in her that even she has a hard time dealing with. Their journey…well…it’s been slow, but brutal in it’s own way, but there is definitely a connection between them and it’ll be interesting to see what the outcome will be.
This was a quick read and while this book falls in line with how many of the authors books tend to play out, I’m intrigued enough to want to find out all that has been left unsaid or teased about to want to get my hands on the next book.
Note: f you have read anything by the author, you’ll know that she goes BIG when it comes to the dark, deviant and debauched and nothing is sugar coated in anyway.
~ Copy provided by the author & voluntarily reviewed ~
Received ARC from Author for Honest Review.
I Give this Book a 4/5 Star Rating.
Contains No Major Spoilers!
Cliffhanger(?): Yes! 😀
Heat: This one is a struggle rare, cause the scenes while good are a bit vaguely described to some degree and are seemingly short, so it isn’t ‘impactful’ to me a reader.
Dark: 3-3.5/5, This most Definitely will be much darker to other readers who do not read dark as often, this is just my scale of darkness, to me this is a mid but low level dark read (again, to me).
Suspense: 3.5-4/5 That Cliffhanger has me reeling, I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Drama: 3.5?/5, I got a bit confused more that I’d like, so I’m hoping when I read the next part that it will become clearer, so when I read this book again, I’ll see it in a different light and I’ll update my review then. 😀
Romance: Uhhh…Let’s Not Rate this and say we did, shall we? XD
Im very much looking forward to reading the next book!