Her Soul to Take

If you are new to the realm of dark fantasy romance reading, then this is the book for you. I found myself not being able to put this book down after the first chapter. This is part of the Souls Triology by Harley Laroux but can be read as a standalone. In this book, we follow a college girl named Rae. She's a spitfire who loves to make supernatural blogging content and investigating haunted places. She moves back to her hometown and stumbles upon meeting a college security guard named Leon, who is really a demon. Tangled in some deep historical family lore, Leon is entrapped by a family who are set on obtaining souls for the elder God that has awakened. Rae finds herself in the middle of it all while accidentally summoning Leon herself. The chemistry between these two characters is magnetic. It starts almost like a love-hate relationship. Rae wants to hate Leon but can't seem to shake him. He's alluring and hypnotizing. Even in his true form, she falls for him. Leon is used to a lifetime of pain and suffering on Earth and wants nothing more than to get back to Hell, but his want for Rae's soul keeps him tethered. The character development for Leon became instantly my favorite in any book I've ever read. The inner turmoil and confusion he goes through as a demon is so enthalling that I almost wished we could've been inside his head more. Also, the spice between these two had me kicking my feet and giggling. The animalistic hunger vibe that Leon has is just… *chef's kiss*. My favorite scene is in the library, so much tension. And the way he can manipulate sensations that Rae feels without even touching her. Just... when you get there, you'll understand. Lastly, the lore of this universe is very interesting. I loved reading the world that Harley Laroux created for these characters. Her ability to seamlessly integrate it into the story without being too vague or too overwhelming is amazing. 10/10 recommend this book as it was immediately in my top five favorites.

"Her Soul to Take" was my first real dive into dark romance, and I have to say—I was not prepared! Harley Laroux delivers a gripping, eerie, and intense story that kept me hooked from start to finish. I really enjoyed the main characters; they were compelling and had great chemistry. However, I felt like the love story developed a bit quickly, which made it a little harder to fully connect with their relationship. That said, the atmosphere, supernatural elements, and dark themes were all really well done. If you’re looking for a truly dark and steamy read, this one definitely delivers.

Another "tik tok made me read it" and my oh my... everyone needs a demon named Leon in their life! M mm mmm 🤤😏Her Soul To Take is definitely a dark, twisty, question yourself romantasy. And I would check your triggers, there is some graphic content and we step into horror movie feels while reading this. Ooo, my heart rate definitely stepped it up a notch with some scenes, the scary kind AND the spicey kind.Leon is red flags all over but you absolutely want give this demon from Hell your mind, body and soul. I want to know what the symbol for his name is so I can have it tattooed on my thigh too 😏 (don't you judge me).Rae is absolutely gorgeous and was a nice breath of fresh air considering most of what I've read this year are about strong heroine type FMCs. No, Rae is a lot more relatable, but is she brave, I'll give her that. And man, does she have some kinks going on. Good for her.This was very well written, great storyline and the spice 🌶🌶🌶.5/5, maybe even a 4 and damn... avoid reading during your lunch hour at work 🥵 because you may want to rush home to your bedside draw.There's another book, that looks to be following Zane and Juniper's story, but at least for this storyline and these MCs, it does feel finished. There is no cliffhanger, it can be read as a standalone.Totally worth your time if you're into monsters and demons and "question your life choices" spice.

Highly recommended on social, high review ratings, over 14k reviews on Amazon and over 45k on Goodreads. This book just wasn't up to par for that kind of praise. It was written okay, pacing was fine, super spicy smut scenes. However, the FMC fell super flat for me. She was a paranormal vlogger. Cool. Had hair like Velma, wears glasses. Alright. And then... that's about it. And... SPOILER AHEAD... he somehow fell for her almost immediately!? How?? It's not even a fated mates ordeal. Hot sex... Great, but what else?! She called her dad once. There could have been a lot of development there. Her BFF also fell flat. I didn't feel like they would bury bodies for each other... or they would, but why?? I didn't get that bestie vibe. That's 3 relationships that just didn't cut it. Also, what does Rae bring to the table besides looks and sex? Did they laugh with each other? Connect over their pasts? He kept saving her over and over and then when she finally saved herself it was because of her tie to Leon. Just not much growth throughout. Disappointed with all of the missed opportunities, but it was an okay read... still reading the next books though...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌶🌶🌶.5I absolutely couldn't put this book down every time I picked it up. The characters were written so well. I loved how we get to see glimpses of the other characters from other books tied in. I definitely can't wait to read about the other two couples.I highly recommend getting the hard copy deluxe edition because the epilogue and short story at the end really ties everything up in such a good way! Would definitely reread this for sure! I highly recommend it. The spice, the story just ugh! Pure perfection!👏🏾👏🏾 I bow to you, Harley Laroux!