Depraved by A.J. Merlin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Living and working on a campground with her dogs is not where Sloane Walker saw herself at twenty-seven. But then again, not a lot has gone right for her since her step-father kidnapped her at twelve years old and scarred her both physically and mentally for life. Those actions should’ve left him rotting in prison for the rest of his life, not seeing him out on good behavior and giving him free rein to track Sloane down to make ‘amends.’
Depraved
But that’s not her only problem, as if she needs more than one. Her second problem comes in the form of the masked stalker that slides into her room at night and takes what he pleases, making sure Sloane enjoys every second of it. What starts as a fantasy soon becomes something inescapable for them both, and Sloane might have to face up to a very important fact about her new friend.
He’s unhinged, psychotic, and utterly obsessed with her. And while those should be very bad things, Sloane can’t help thinking that maybe they aren’t so bad at all, no matter what that might mean for her sanity or her safety in the end.
Author’s note: This is a complete standalone set in the Pleasure & Prey universe. It contains consensual kink, unhealthy relationships, and harmful situations. For a full list of content warnings, please look inside.
A stalker, a serial killer, and a great guy!
The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 🤎🖤💜💚❤️
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: ☺️😎😚🥰
The heroine: Sloane – she and her two German Shepherds, Argus and Vulcan, live and work in a campground. She suffers from anxiety and paranoia, stemming from her childhood and being kidnapped by her stepfather when she was a girl. Argus is a service dog that is able to help pull her out of massive panic attacks she sometimes has. Vulcan isn’t a service dog, but he is a good guard dog and helps her feel safe. Especially since her cabin, where she lives year-round, is the most remote cabin at the campgrounds.
The Hero: Virgil – he is a reporter that is on vacation. Her rents a cabin at the campground and puts his fancy speedboat in the lake for the ten days he plans on staying there. He seems to like Sloane and enjoys her company. Though his smiles don’t always show in his eyes. He also keeps showing up where Sloane is and spending time with her. He wants to know everything about her but always finds a way to not tell her much about himself.
The Story: Sloane’s anxiety levels are high since her stepfather Anthony is now out of jail and has been calling her. Her mom told her his new phone number, so she was able to block it, but he found out where she works and called her at the campground store while she was working. He called her again on her cell phone, from a different phone and claims he only wanted to apologize for getting high, kidnapping her and nearly killing her when she was twelve.
It is pretty safe to say that Virgil is most likely the masked stranger who comes into Sloane’s cabin at night. He tells her he had plans to kill her but saw her naked in front of her window and thought she was teasing him. Though her cabin is surrounded by nothing but forest, so she hadn’t known he was lurking in the dark. They end up having a consensual non-consent type of relationship where he tells her he will stop if she wants him to and gives her a safe word.
“He’s fucking with me.
It’s obvious that he is, and I look up at him with my lips pressed together to assess his expression.
Though what I find is only a polite, friendly smile and an almost-blank expression. Like he’s just some pleasant, empty-headed animatronic running through the motions.
If anything, it’s kind of creepy.”
“You’re lying on your bed, practically naked, with a serial killer tracing shapes on your body with his knife. Does that seem very rational to you?”
This wasn’t your standard dark romance. Even though Virgil is a serial killer, and the relationship begins with stalking and breaking into her place, I was surprised at how genuinely nice Virgil was. He also has some pretty cool serial killer friends as well. Though I suppose it helps that Virgil is kind of a Dexter in that he really only kills people that deserve it. I love that he falls for Sloane pretty fast, though they do spend time together doing different things, he knows from the start that it is forever for him. I think I will definitely be reading more of this series. I liked his group of friends and can’t wait to read their stories.
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