“A total rollercoaster of conflicting emotions. This isn’t a story that toes the line of dark…it jumps all in, head first. Read it and I promise you won’t be disappointed.” – K. Webster, author of the War and Peace Series. “This is not just a book, it’s an experience.” – The Book Sirens“Take Me With You is dark, twisty, and depraved. I really questioned my own moral compass while reading.” – … while reading.” – The Dirty Book Girls
I watch.
I study.
I prowl.
I hunt.
I always go in with a plan. A set of rules for myself. I don’t take unnecessary risks. That’s how I’ve been able to evade capture all these years.
But there’s something about this girl that is different than the others. When I finally meet her, the rules become a blur. And I break the most important one of all—I take her with me.
——-
It’s just my imagination—that feeling of being watched. That those icy eyes— a vivid turquoise with a distinct golden fleck—aren’t watching me.
It’s just stress. I am the person everyone relies on. Maybe that’s why I haven’t been feeling so content with my life lately. Why I dream those eyes belong to someone who can tear me away from all of my responsibilities.
But these are just shameful fantasies, never meant to breach reality.
Then one night, the dream comes true, only it’s a horrific nightmare.
Now, I only have one task: survival.
Standalone novel. 124k words.
Trigger warning: If you need one, this is not the book for you.
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This is a dark romance novel. It is no Disneyland and fairy tales. This books takes you on several rides of emotional roller coasters. Every time you think it may turn one way, it goes another. It is a great read; however, be prepared. If you are not into dark romances that have the main female character taken as hostage and subjected to all sorts of unpleasantness, to put it mildly, please do not read. I happen to find them interesting and quite different from my normal reads. Nina G. Jones is an amazing author when it comes this. I am going to read several other books by her.
Woah this book I’m so conflicted the hero is a bad bad man but somehow the author managed to redeem him just enough for me to actually be rooting for him despite all the awful stuff he has done and is still doing even worse this is not even a story of redemption Sam is still Sam by the end of this he just has a tether in Vesper. Without her presence, it’s obvious Sam would just revert back to his old ways.
This type of story is tough to pull off managing to humanise a monster even if it’s just by a sliver and even knowing I should hate Sam I also couldn’t help feel for him as well.
Sam is the Night-stalker the police have been after him for years he’s totally screwed up his inner mindset chaotic he’s filled with a deep rage that has escalated since the death of his mother.
I mean this man is bad like so so bad Vesper is his latest obsession and when Sam acts off-plan with her it ends with him abducting her and things for poor Vesper are only going to get worse before they get better.
This is not some pretty love story I can’t emphasise that enough Sam does some pretty fucked up things to Vesper treats her terribly to condition her to her current situation.
He’s unpredictable and violent and he doesn’t seem to have any boundaries. conscience and empathy is something he doesn’t seem to experience like normal people. This is definitely a Stockholm tale as the longer Vesper stays with Sam the more she starts to rely on him until eventually he’s her complete world and she eventually wants to stay by choice.
Sam is a strange mix of monster and something else we learn through a series of flashbacks just how he has arrived where he is and it’s equal part nature part nurture.
His background is no excuse for his actions but it helped you get a sense of his world. I also noted the breadcrumb dropped with the flashback with the little girl that was definitely a young Vesper.
Be aware this is dark and has so many triggers. It’s a very intense read and there are no real heroes in this story I wouldn’t even class Sam as an anti-hero he’s more the evil villain of the piece staying a monster right till the end.
This was fabulously written enthralling and totally messed up but I just couldn’t stop reading, totally recommend it if you like dark messed up stories but Please do take the trigger warning seriously.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
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4.5 stars
Take Me with You was a perfect example of what I expect when I want to read a Stockholm romance. It was a little bit darker than what I was thought it would be, but on par for what I usually read, and having read this author before, I really should have been expecting that darkness. If you have triggers, be aware that there are quite a few here.
I appreciated the dual points of view, and that we got to see the flashbacks of Sam growing up and what he went through to get where he was. There were not a lot, but still quite a few errors throughout, little things like ‘that’ instead of ‘than’ or and extra ‘the’ where it shouldn’t have been, but I’ve come to expect that and for a book of this length it wasn’t in your face. At first I was not excited to see that it was set a few years before I was born, but it worked well for this story and most of the time, I almost forgot about it. The occasional thought about DNA and fingerprints and cameras crept in, but then the year would flash in my mind and it was all good. I thought the characters were all well developed and that the story was well paced and easy to read. The book was long, but that was needed to tell the whole story and I didn’t think that there were pointless scenes or babbling about inconsequential things just to fill pages. If you’re ever in the mood for a great dark read, look no further, this one is highly recommended.
A thrilling, thought-provoking, dark ride. My head is still spinning.
“You don’t stare the devil in the eyes and come out without some of his sin. You can’t beat the devil without becoming like him.”
I could say I’ve read this before, or something similar. But, that would be a lie. I’ve read so many dark books, it seemed I was jaded. However, this book left me searching for the answer, yet it left no stone unturned. I feel happy in all my twisted glee. This book was original in all its originality. A sadistic trip of dead ends and twisted paths. Begs the question, what lurks in the darkness of your soul. Look in the mirror, what do you seek.
This story takes me back to the dark classics that made a dark lover of books. Nina G. Jones delivers a psychological thriller with depth, a need to devour every word. A realistic, dark romance that makes you feel dirty with arousal, makes you question your morals and sickness deep down. This will make you question all your neat perspectives.
Let me tell you… I love the bad guys, the villains, the strangers you walk around. Sam was developed in a way. Such a way, you will be begging for a different path for him. His character, all the characters in this book are brought together in a sense of wrong, you don’t want them to be right. Devastating, darkness that will leave you wanting a happy end. I was enthralled. Slowly. Very slowly, the past is unraveled. The damage is done, the wheels have turned for miles. Can there ever be peace? Every piece of this story is a wave in a vast ocean. If you can breathe long enough, you’ll reach the end.
I’m vague in my review for a reason. You need to read this will fresh eyes and a twisted soul. If you love dark romance, with a huge take on psychological. This is a must read.
I watch.
I study.
I prowl.
I hunt.
OMG Just closed the kindle on this one and my stomach is in knots. I have officially met the man who will infiltrate my dreams with bad thoughts. Peeping through my window fulfilling my darkest dreams.
Sam “Night” Hunter-Ridgefield is the man you were warned about from a very young age. The man who causes the little hairs on your arm or the back of your neck to stand up straight with just his presence. Moving around so stealthy you would never hear him. But once he marks his next mark, he moves with precision and a well thought out plan.
That is until he meets Vesper….
Vesper is going to school to become a nurse, working a job when not in classes and of course taking care of her brother Johnny. She is the poster child for a young woman who cares about everyone. Always willing to help out those in need.
She is perfect. She ticks off more boxes than anyone ever has. Its mind blowing to Sam how this is all going perfectly.
Until he has her. One taste was all it took. Now she is with him and the plan has shifted.
WHOA!!!! What a story this one was. Nina Jones never disappoints in her books…but this one, took the #1 spot!!! Heck, I was ready to drive to CA and help Vesper out my darn self! The ending was the perfect conclusion if ever there was one. The journey these two took…. Mind Blowing!!!
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I could not put the book down it is that good.
This is a dark story about obsession that ends happily. These two can survive and be happy and live a good life together, after basically going through hell.
Dark, but very well written
This is a dark read. Full on, if you aren’t into Stockholms stuff and EVERYTHING that comes with it than this book isn’t for you.BUT BAY-BAY IF YOU DO, this is the book for you. Loved the way the author weaved everything together. There were some scenes when I had to read between my fingers. This book is a rollercoaster and I enjoyed the ride.
I was on the edge of my seat the entire time with this book! I was so anxious at the end of the book , I liked to have a heart attack! The writer came close to crossing my line of what I consider a NO in my reading, but up until then , IT WAS SOOOO GOOD!!!!!
We teach our kids about Boogeyman , who hides under our beds , so we dont dangle our legs while sleeping.
We dont go out in the dark at night , because they snatch you away to eat you later.
And as we grow older , logic overrides gut instincts and fables and we believe we can overcome these demons and lurking dangers.
How wrong we are!
Because there’s Monsters like Sam “Night ” Hunter-Ridgefield, who are walking talking Boogeymen , infiltrating our neighbourhoods cloaked in the skin of harmless carpenters, handymen, painters, uncles to some, brothers of some.
I am a monster. Monsters don’t live under the fucking bed or the closet. They don’t appear in a puff of smoke. No, monsters are like me: the quiet guy who walks a drunk woman home, a protective uncle, that unassuming guy with the friendly smile who fixes your porch. We do our work in the dark, we lurk in the shadows, but we roam during the day, scouting our next prey.
He has a handicap , which made him a target of bullying in childhood. He develops complexes and his personality , which couldnt develop to full potential is further stunted when he meets a horrible accident. Now his outside is equally torn and tattered as his inner self. His own parents create more conflict because they dont know how to handle this mute scarred child. They project their own paranoia and discipline on him which really confuses his developing mind.
Now what would be the natural progression of such a child –> he becomes a Monster !
What he missed and craved and most as a child , he searches and hunts for as an adult.
He stalks peoples’ homes, peeping from their windows, entering and watching them from shadows , secretly yearning that maybe he could have what they have.
It’d heartbreaking really , if it wasnt so creepy.
inserting myself into the Sears catalogue snapshots of their lives.I realize that there are things—no matter how much I watch, no matter how many times I scour these people’s homes, no matter how invasively I insert myself into their lives—that I will never know.
But all this is momentary and still leaves him unsated and as his cravings get stronger, his incursions move a step further .
He picks up his ultiate goal, his most coveted prize – Vesper Rivers. She’s a whispered Evening Prayer to his Night Demons.
He plucks her from her home , cruelly seperating her from her dependant & disabled brother , her cushioned , safe fiancée and her unstable home.
Make no mistake, he’s a meticulous planner, so though her kidnapping is an impulse decision, , he manages to hold her captive hiding her away from prying eyes and neighbours and he savours her and feasts on her voraciously and wordlessly .
I need to point out here that the progression of Sam and Vesp from captor/captive to subserviant/protector is gradual but precisely logged
Nina makes us silent observers to this unbelievable story.
She fulfills his need of belonging, of hope , of some semblance of normalcy
He fulfills her need to feel loved, wanted as a first choice.
I thought being loved was the most gratifying feeling. No, it’s being obsessed over. It’s having someone so infatuated with you that they would risk everything to have you. That is a high that love can’t touch. Love is a slow burn, a stockpot simmering to soften the heart. But this—this is a flash flood, it’s the smoke billowing when a steak hits a hot pan. It’s threatening, but its fierceness is the very thing love dilutes.It’s the most thrilling thing to be told you are precious. That you are so valuable it puts you in danger. Nothing of such high regard can exist in this world without causing a storm. When a man covets something so strongly, he is its greatest threat.
This symbiosis of Predator/Prey is counterproductive and enabling of his animalistic tendencies
TBH I had a tough time justifying her acquiesce . It took me awhile but Nina analyzes it logically .
You may judge me for accepting it, but I don’t live in the world of options you do. I need to reinforce his gentleness. I need comfort.logic has no place in my life any longer.
She’s an angel desecrated by a predator, a blood sucking parasite . BUT he doesnt know any better !
His material is such that taking what he wants is devoid of any guilt.
A pure predator—as if he was pulled away from society and its norms. As if he had evolved only enough to look like us, but inside, he doesn’t understand what it is to be human.He’s killed me a thousand different ways. Stolen countless breaths and hopes. Slaughtered the girl who had plans to marry a nice doctor. Killed the dream of helping people for a living. Snuffed a piece of her soul by pulling her out of her little brother’s life. Pillaged her pride. And out of those tiny little deaths, someone else has been born.
Which brings me to the end .
Its BEFITTING !
It HAD to end this way. Nina has successfully brought this story to culmination. As she brilliantly concieved it. We are just mute spectators to this chaotic love/obsession . These tiny diversions from the “Accepted Norms” make it stand apart .Nina has taken a road less travelled. Her creation Sam , is a purist/Sadist. Never ONCE does he take his eyes off Vesper. Carefully planning & playing his game like a Handsome Hansel to force his Gretel to follow .
He has no qualms about exploring or rather i should say, resorting to dyeing his hands in blood if need be !!
I didn’t have her at the ranch. I didn’t have her until I let her go. Until I bloomed into the monster that she felt only she could save.Carter was a breeze. Soft and comforting. Safe. But it doesn’t move things, it doesn’t shake things. I am the storm. Strong and violent. Dangerous. I will tear down anything in my path to have her. When I roll through, you see evidence of me all around. You will see branches broken, windows shattered. I will move obstacles that seem insurmountable.
“No one loves you like I do.”
How many stars ?!!!!
Stories like these are not reliant on stars.
In fact stars are not worthy enough of such unusual stories.
Its pointless !
Her acute understanding of human emotions left me feeling inadequate. Her charting of depth of twisted psyche made me question my own
What am I capable of ?
Do I posess such traits?
How do I see myself , if in similar situation ?
There’s apparently a monster hiding within each and everyone of us because any one of these traits are present deep down inside of us at any given time !
Forgive my rambling review but I’m a passionate reader . I felt so deeply about this book , that I cant stop myself from talking about it .
I couldnt help but fall in love with Sam’s character. Though not Pitch Black , this is Definitely a dark grey read. I didnt love Sam per se, because his obsessive love was too debilitating and mutilating BUT his chess player planning of 12 moves ahead was what made me fall in love with him …….obsessively . His confidence and self belief are commendable !
Thank you for Vesper Nina , she keeps lion caged and I feel a smidge safer!