Grimstone by Sophie Lark
Spoiler Warning: I spill the twist. I had to. It was medically necessary for my emotional stability. Enter at your own risk.
Five stars because this book grabbed me by the ankle, dragged me into a haunted mansion full of family trauma, and whispered “be normal about this” while absolutely refusing to be normal itself.
BUY IT HERE
Remi Hayes is down on her luck but feral enough to survive on spite alone. She inherits a massive crumbling mansion from a great uncle who probably died out of sheer irritation with the architecture. She lives with her twenty year old brother Jude who she still treats like a fragile Victorian child because trauma is a hell of a parenting style. Their parents died. She raised him. She has the emotional exhaustion of a twelve year old golden retriever service animal.
She also recently dumped her fiancé because he “cheated” which yes is in quotes because nothing in Grimstone is what it seems and Sophie Lark loves to plant clues like she’s being paid by the breadcrumb.
Enter Dane Covett
aka Doctor Death
aka the world’s hottest medical cryptid
aka a man who is basically a vampire if vampires wore clinical strength sunscreen and had a diagnosed allergy to sunlight.
He is grim. He is gorgeous. He is unhinged in a doctorly way. The entire town thinks he murdered his wife and baby. Naturally, this makes him the ultimate book boyfriend. Remi falls for him instantly because how could she not when he literally sews up a gash in her thigh and then kisses her as payment like a man raised by Gothic architecture and bad decisions. He’s kinky. He’s strange. He’s “interesting” which is the books favorite euphemism for I should not want this but I do.
Meanwhile, Blackleaf Manor is doing its best impression of a haunted escape room.
Footsteps. Flooding. Piano Keys.
Someone breaking in - Someone watching her.
Remi finally sets up cameras. Detective era activated.
She follows the muddy boot prints.
She discovers Jude’s hideaway.
Jude is not a misunderstood Victorian child. Jude is a full psychopath whose hobbies include
1. murdering their parents
2. murdering the fiancé
3. framing Dane and
4. preparing to murder Remi for the real estate payout.
The reveal is both shocking and obvious in that delightful mystery way where you feel brilliant and stupid at the same time. Sophie Lark left enough clues that I knew something was wrong but not enough to prepare me for “oh cool the brother is a legit horror movie.”
Dane swoops in, but not as a savior but as a partner. They save each other.
Remi confronts the truth she’s been denying - Dane finally steps out of the grave of his past.
Two haunted people choosing to not be haunted anymore. Peak romance.
The vibes?
creepy
intriguing
sensual in a “your house may be haunted but so is your love life” way
and consistently interesting, which in this book means hot, unsettling, and deeply compelling
I finished Grimstone feeling like I had survived emotional waterboarding delivered by a man with a medical license. Dane and Remi can flip my haunted mansion anytime.
xoxo
