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Sick Bargain
Am I running from death� or racing towards it?
Remiel Sauder has reached his breaking point. With no other choice, he leads his lifelong tormentor to Vile House, hoping to scare him off and increase his chances of survival. Vile House is well known, but he’s about to learn how deep their secrets and mysteries are rooted in the town’s history. No one enters Vile House without making a bargain, and Remiel is about to hand his life over to the devil he’s forced upon.
The Vile Boy in the purple mask.
Kyrpt never intended to take the bargain. He’s never taken one before. But when Remiel steps foot in the hall, he claims it immediately. Drawn to Remiel’s fear, Krypt agrees to the terms of the bargain and takes the local boy as his own, liking the way the tainted man brings his deepest monsters to life, rattling their chains. Little does he know that the curse haunting Remiel is about to haunt him, too, tying their lives together in a way neither of them bargained for.
Remiel thrives in fear. Krypt relishes in creating it.
They’re a match made in Moros and their downfall is their uprising. Because in sickness, these two find their health.
Sick Bargain is book 1 of the Vile House series, which must be read in order. It is a dark romance with a long list of content guidelines that can be found in the back of the book.
Remiel Sauder has reached his breaking point. With no other choice, he leads his lifelong tormentor to Vile House, hoping to scare him off and increase his chances of survival. Vile House is well known, but he’s about to learn how deep their secrets and mysteries are rooted in the town’s history. No one enters Vile House without making a bargain, and Remiel is about to hand his life over to the devil he’s forced upon.
The Vile Boy in the purple mask.
Kyrpt never intended to take the bargain. He’s never taken one before. But when Remiel steps foot in the hall, he claims it immediately. Drawn to Remiel’s fear, Krypt agrees to the terms of the bargain and takes the local boy as his own, liking the way the tainted man brings his deepest monsters to life, rattling their chains. Little does he know that the curse haunting Remiel is about to haunt him, too, tying their lives together in a way neither of them bargained for.
Remiel thrives in fear. Krypt relishes in creating it.
They’re a match made in Moros and their downfall is their uprising. Because in sickness, these two find their health.
Sick Bargain is book 1 of the Vile House series, which must be read in order. It is a dark romance with a long list of content guidelines that can be found in the back of the book.
385 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 19, 2024
649 people are currently reading
2,752 people want to read
About the author
Nordika Night
19books1,409followersOpenness. Acceptance. Tolerance. Respect.
Nordika is a coffee-addicted Canadian with a love of the outdoors and the fictional worlds inside books.
Reading is a joy, writing is an adventure, and together, they are an addiction.
Writing mostly MM romance with all the banter, bullish!t and boys!
Working in multiple genres and tropes, Nordika has lots more to come.
Follow on IG: nordikanightauthor
Nordika is a coffee-addicted Canadian with a love of the outdoors and the fictional worlds inside books.
Reading is a joy, writing is an adventure, and together, they are an addiction.
Writing mostly MM romance with all the banter, bullish!t and boys!
Working in multiple genres and tropes, Nordika has lots more to come.
Follow on IG: nordikanightauthor
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 500 reviews
January 21, 2025
"With that, the bargain is etched into my future. My life belongs to the Vile Boy in the purple mask."
Moros.
The town of myth and legend.
A dark town with a dark past and even a darker present.
Remiel Sauder.
He has a curse that runs in his family. One he can't escape from.
But he will do everything to protect his brother from it.
Even make a deal with Vile House.
And a specific purple masked depraved soul.
He might have bought himself some time but Remi belongs to someone else.
And Krypt isn't planning on letting go.
"Our worlds are so woven together that Remiel has no idea what kind of bargain he's struck with me. Everything he knows is about to change, and I'll be the conductor of his new life."
I received an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review 💜💜
"You made a deal with a devil, hero, and now you live in my hell."
Okay I will tell you right now that this is darker than anything I have read by Nordika Night but IT IS SO WORTH IT OMGG!! I was hooked line and sinker. Nordika Night has a way of just letting you get devoured by her story and her characters and this book definitely was all the vibes. The mystery, the gothicness, the darkness, the depravity - everything was working overtime and was serving imo. I was in love with this book from the first chapter and in love with Krypt and Remi from their first interaction (IYKYK) 💜
"Your life is in my hands now, Remiel. You aren't the hero."
Vile House introduces us with this book and it is the best introduction (imo). The connection you have between Krypt and Remi is just so intriguing to read - their relationship takes its turns and keeps you hooked throughout the whole book and that I can only thank Nordika Night and say full round of applause people.
"He is a monster. But I'm one, too."
This playlist is one of my favorites to make - dark, gothic, and just overall eerie honestly - love it!! 💜
(Link - )
🎶 "The Summoning" - Sleep Token
🎶 "Sick Thoughts" - Lou Bliss
🎶 "A Grave Mistake" - Ice Nine Kills
🎶 "The American Nightmare" - Ice Nine Kills
🎶 "Head Like A Hole" - Nine Inch Nails
🎶 "Nightmare" - UNDREAM, Neoni
🎶 "You've Created a Monster" - Bohnes
🎶 "KNIVES" - Neoni, Savage Ga$p
🎶 "Like A Villain" - Bad Omens
🎶 "Asylum" - Disturbed
🎶 "Can You Feel My Heart" - Bring Me The Horizon
🎶 "CASUALTY" - MOTHICA
🎶 "Chokehold" - Sleep Token
🎶 "Control" - Halsey
🎶 "Killing Butterflies" - Lou Bliss
🎶 "Deal With The Devil" - Rory Webley
🎶 "Devil Devil" - MILCK
🎶 "Bleed" - Connor Kauffman
🎶 "Blood" - In This Moment
🎶 "masquerade ii (dante's inferno)" - siouxxie sixxsta
🎶 "obsessed" - zandros, Limi
🎶 "A Work of Art" - Ice Nine Kills, SHAVO
🎶 "Sleepwalker" - akiaura, LONOWN, STM
🎶 "Shivers" - No Resolve
🎶 "Scream" - Besomorph, RIELL
🎶 "Wicked Games" - The Weeknd
🎶 "A Little Wicked" - Valerie Broussard
🎶 "Flames" - R3HAB, ZAYN, Jungleboi
🎶 "Ghost Town - Remix" - Layto, Neoni, Arcando
🎶 "BLURRY" - Neoni
🎶 "Numb" - Tommee Profitt, Skylar Grey
🎶 "RUNRUNRUN - Sped Up Version" - Dutch Melrose
🎶 "Royalty - Royalty Remix" - BAD CHILD, No Love For The Middle Child
🎶 "Enter Sandman" - Alessia Cara, The Warning
🎶 "No Return" - Alanis Morissette
🎶 "Win Win" - Set It Off, Scene Queen
🎶 "Monster" - Lady Gaga
🎶 "Teeth" - Lady Gaga
🎶 "Twisted" - MISSIO
🎶 "HEARTBEAT" - Isabel LaRosa
🎶 "Smoke - Remix" - BOBI ANDONOV, Son Lux
🎶 "I Feel You" - Depeche Mode
🎶 "Beg" - Aryia
🎶 "GASOLINE" - Maneskin
🎶 "Madness" - Ruelle
🎶 "Burn" - Tom Walker
🎶 "Skin and Bones" - David Kushner
🎶 "Take me to Church" - YABOII
🎶 "Chills - Dark Version" - Mickey Valen, Joey Myron
🎶 "Kill Everyone" - Hollywood Undead
🎶 "Pain" - Jake Daniels
🎶 "engravings" - Ethan Bortnick
🎶 "Feel Me Now" - If Not For Me
🎶 "HAUNTED" - Isabel LaRosa
🎶 "Worship" - Ari Abdul
🎶 "Cravin'" - Stileto, Kendyle Paige
🎶 "Riot" - Hollywood Undead
🎶 "Collide" - Normandie
🎶 "Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene" - Hozier
🎶 "lovely liar" - Stevie Howie
🎶 "LET THE WORLD BURN" - Chris Grey
🎶 "stalker" - Stevie Howie
🎶 "madhouse" - Nessa Barrett
🎶 "Monsters" - Ruelle
🎶 "Toxic" - 2WEI
🎶 "Overnight x Le monde" - surround, (((())))
🎶 "Like You Mean It" - Steven Rodriguez
🎶 "Gravedigger" - Livingston
🎶 "Echoes" - Connor Kauffman
🎶 "Shackles" - Steven Rodriguez
🎶 "MANIAC" - Stray Kids
🎶 "Bring Me To Life" - Our Last Night
🎶 "Feel Like GOD" - NIKKO, Kiraw
🎶 "Suffocate City" - The Funeral Portrait, Ice Nine Kills
🎶 "The Haunting" - Set It Off
🎶 "Drag Me Down" - Loveless
🎶 "THE DRAIN" - Bad Omens, HEALTH, SWARM
🎶 "THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND" - Bad Omens
🎶 "Poison - Remix" - Rita Ora, Krept & Konan, Zdot
🎶 "Lose Control" - Teddy Swims
🎶 "LOSER" - Neoni
🎶 "War Pigs" - Eva Under Fire
🎶 "Alive" - Sia
🎶 "Way down We Go" - KALEO
🎶 "Run Boy Run" - Woodkid
🎶 "Stabbing In The Dark" - Ice Nine Kills
🎶 "I Don't Smoke - Audiotree Live Version" - Mitski, Audiotree
🎶 "Playground" - Bea Miller
🎶 "Consume" - Chase Atlantic, GOON DES GARCONS
🎶 "Call Out My Name" - Seraphim
🎶 "I Want It All" - Cameron Grey
🎶 "Shatter Me" - Lindsey Stirling, Lzzy Hale
🎶 "Killer" - Valerie Broussard
🎶 "Curse" - Dxvn.
🎶 "God" - Jake Daniels
🎶 "HELP" - Isabel LaRosa
🎶 "MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT" - Loveless
🎶 "Nothing Else Matters" - Miley Cyrus, Watt, Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Trujillo, Chad Smith
🎶 "Mine" - Sleep Token
🎶 "I'm yours" - Isabel LaRosa
🎶 "Circus Psycho" - Diggy Graves
🎶 "Would You Still Be There" - Of Mice & Men
🎶 "Voodoo Doll" - 5 Seconds of Summer
🎶 "Killer - Remix" - Eminem, Jack Harlow, Cordae
🎶 "I Fell In Love With The Devil" - Avril Lavigne
🎶 "Devil I Know" - Allie X
🎶 "Bones" - MOD SUN
🎶 "Love Bites (So Do I)" - Halestorm
🎶 "Raging on a Sunday" - Bohnes
🎶 "Unbreakable" - New Years Day
And the spice was just something (in the best possibly depraved way) 💋🔥🌶�
"Take me. Fucking own me. Fuck me hard and match your sickness to mine."
"Where’s your control now, hero? You just lay there like a helpless little doll."
"We’re sick. Now get on your knees and open your mouth."
🔪 Tropes 🔪
💜 Masked Men
💜 Forced Proximity
💜 Possessive + Obsessive
💜 Deranged Love
💜 Fear K!nk
💜 Primal Play
💜 Touch Him & Die
💜 Surprise Identity
Book Edit -
Moros.
The town of myth and legend.
A dark town with a dark past and even a darker present.
Remiel Sauder.
He has a curse that runs in his family. One he can't escape from.
But he will do everything to protect his brother from it.
Even make a deal with Vile House.
And a specific purple masked depraved soul.
He might have bought himself some time but Remi belongs to someone else.
And Krypt isn't planning on letting go.
"Our worlds are so woven together that Remiel has no idea what kind of bargain he's struck with me. Everything he knows is about to change, and I'll be the conductor of his new life."
I received an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review 💜💜
"You made a deal with a devil, hero, and now you live in my hell."
Okay I will tell you right now that this is darker than anything I have read by Nordika Night but IT IS SO WORTH IT OMGG!! I was hooked line and sinker. Nordika Night has a way of just letting you get devoured by her story and her characters and this book definitely was all the vibes. The mystery, the gothicness, the darkness, the depravity - everything was working overtime and was serving imo. I was in love with this book from the first chapter and in love with Krypt and Remi from their first interaction (IYKYK) 💜
"Your life is in my hands now, Remiel. You aren't the hero."
Vile House introduces us with this book and it is the best introduction (imo). The connection you have between Krypt and Remi is just so intriguing to read - their relationship takes its turns and keeps you hooked throughout the whole book and that I can only thank Nordika Night and say full round of applause people.
"He is a monster. But I'm one, too."
This playlist is one of my favorites to make - dark, gothic, and just overall eerie honestly - love it!! 💜
(Link - )
🎶 "The Summoning" - Sleep Token
🎶 "Sick Thoughts" - Lou Bliss
🎶 "A Grave Mistake" - Ice Nine Kills
🎶 "The American Nightmare" - Ice Nine Kills
🎶 "Head Like A Hole" - Nine Inch Nails
🎶 "Nightmare" - UNDREAM, Neoni
🎶 "You've Created a Monster" - Bohnes
🎶 "KNIVES" - Neoni, Savage Ga$p
🎶 "Like A Villain" - Bad Omens
🎶 "Asylum" - Disturbed
🎶 "Can You Feel My Heart" - Bring Me The Horizon
🎶 "CASUALTY" - MOTHICA
🎶 "Chokehold" - Sleep Token
🎶 "Control" - Halsey
🎶 "Killing Butterflies" - Lou Bliss
🎶 "Deal With The Devil" - Rory Webley
🎶 "Devil Devil" - MILCK
🎶 "Bleed" - Connor Kauffman
🎶 "Blood" - In This Moment
🎶 "masquerade ii (dante's inferno)" - siouxxie sixxsta
🎶 "obsessed" - zandros, Limi
🎶 "A Work of Art" - Ice Nine Kills, SHAVO
🎶 "Sleepwalker" - akiaura, LONOWN, STM
🎶 "Shivers" - No Resolve
🎶 "Scream" - Besomorph, RIELL
🎶 "Wicked Games" - The Weeknd
🎶 "A Little Wicked" - Valerie Broussard
🎶 "Flames" - R3HAB, ZAYN, Jungleboi
🎶 "Ghost Town - Remix" - Layto, Neoni, Arcando
🎶 "BLURRY" - Neoni
🎶 "Numb" - Tommee Profitt, Skylar Grey
🎶 "RUNRUNRUN - Sped Up Version" - Dutch Melrose
🎶 "Royalty - Royalty Remix" - BAD CHILD, No Love For The Middle Child
🎶 "Enter Sandman" - Alessia Cara, The Warning
🎶 "No Return" - Alanis Morissette
🎶 "Win Win" - Set It Off, Scene Queen
🎶 "Monster" - Lady Gaga
🎶 "Teeth" - Lady Gaga
🎶 "Twisted" - MISSIO
🎶 "HEARTBEAT" - Isabel LaRosa
🎶 "Smoke - Remix" - BOBI ANDONOV, Son Lux
🎶 "I Feel You" - Depeche Mode
🎶 "Beg" - Aryia
🎶 "GASOLINE" - Maneskin
🎶 "Madness" - Ruelle
🎶 "Burn" - Tom Walker
🎶 "Skin and Bones" - David Kushner
🎶 "Take me to Church" - YABOII
🎶 "Chills - Dark Version" - Mickey Valen, Joey Myron
🎶 "Kill Everyone" - Hollywood Undead
🎶 "Pain" - Jake Daniels
🎶 "engravings" - Ethan Bortnick
🎶 "Feel Me Now" - If Not For Me
🎶 "HAUNTED" - Isabel LaRosa
🎶 "Worship" - Ari Abdul
🎶 "Cravin'" - Stileto, Kendyle Paige
🎶 "Riot" - Hollywood Undead
🎶 "Collide" - Normandie
🎶 "Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene" - Hozier
🎶 "lovely liar" - Stevie Howie
🎶 "LET THE WORLD BURN" - Chris Grey
🎶 "stalker" - Stevie Howie
🎶 "madhouse" - Nessa Barrett
🎶 "Monsters" - Ruelle
🎶 "Toxic" - 2WEI
🎶 "Overnight x Le monde" - surround, (((())))
🎶 "Like You Mean It" - Steven Rodriguez
🎶 "Gravedigger" - Livingston
🎶 "Echoes" - Connor Kauffman
🎶 "Shackles" - Steven Rodriguez
🎶 "MANIAC" - Stray Kids
🎶 "Bring Me To Life" - Our Last Night
🎶 "Feel Like GOD" - NIKKO, Kiraw
🎶 "Suffocate City" - The Funeral Portrait, Ice Nine Kills
🎶 "The Haunting" - Set It Off
🎶 "Drag Me Down" - Loveless
🎶 "THE DRAIN" - Bad Omens, HEALTH, SWARM
🎶 "THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND" - Bad Omens
🎶 "Poison - Remix" - Rita Ora, Krept & Konan, Zdot
🎶 "Lose Control" - Teddy Swims
🎶 "LOSER" - Neoni
🎶 "War Pigs" - Eva Under Fire
🎶 "Alive" - Sia
🎶 "Way down We Go" - KALEO
🎶 "Run Boy Run" - Woodkid
🎶 "Stabbing In The Dark" - Ice Nine Kills
🎶 "I Don't Smoke - Audiotree Live Version" - Mitski, Audiotree
🎶 "Playground" - Bea Miller
🎶 "Consume" - Chase Atlantic, GOON DES GARCONS
🎶 "Call Out My Name" - Seraphim
🎶 "I Want It All" - Cameron Grey
🎶 "Shatter Me" - Lindsey Stirling, Lzzy Hale
🎶 "Killer" - Valerie Broussard
🎶 "Curse" - Dxvn.
🎶 "God" - Jake Daniels
🎶 "HELP" - Isabel LaRosa
🎶 "MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT" - Loveless
🎶 "Nothing Else Matters" - Miley Cyrus, Watt, Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Trujillo, Chad Smith
🎶 "Mine" - Sleep Token
🎶 "I'm yours" - Isabel LaRosa
🎶 "Circus Psycho" - Diggy Graves
🎶 "Would You Still Be There" - Of Mice & Men
🎶 "Voodoo Doll" - 5 Seconds of Summer
🎶 "Killer - Remix" - Eminem, Jack Harlow, Cordae
🎶 "I Fell In Love With The Devil" - Avril Lavigne
🎶 "Devil I Know" - Allie X
🎶 "Bones" - MOD SUN
🎶 "Love Bites (So Do I)" - Halestorm
🎶 "Raging on a Sunday" - Bohnes
🎶 "Unbreakable" - New Years Day
And the spice was just something (in the best possibly depraved way) 💋🔥🌶�
"Take me. Fucking own me. Fuck me hard and match your sickness to mine."
"Where’s your control now, hero? You just lay there like a helpless little doll."
"We’re sick. Now get on your knees and open your mouth."
🔪 Tropes 🔪
💜 Masked Men
💜 Forced Proximity
💜 Possessive + Obsessive
💜 Deranged Love
💜 Fear K!nk
💜 Primal Play
💜 Touch Him & Die
💜 Surprise Identity
Book Edit -
![Profile Image for Megan [Semi-Hiatus].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1634561405i%2F25103878._UY200_CR50%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
December 10, 2024
MM Obsession
2 Stars ⭐️
DNF @ 79%
I tried. I really, really tried but I’m just not interested in this at all. I actually think the world itself has potential and there are some characters I am interested in reading about but unfortunately I don’t give two fucks about this couple. I get it. They are so sick OMG 😱 tell me again just how fucking sick they are because the 142 times this book told me wasn’t nearly enough. Tell me again. And the name Krypt? Ugh terrible plus the reason Krypt doesn’t like C’s and spells his name the way he does & when he declares that they are a Kouple? 💀💀💀💀💀💀💀🔪 🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄 Speechless. (SEE is not C but whatever 🤣🙄)
But I also felt like their names were being said wayyy too often and when I looked it up?
-Krypt: 496 times
-Remiel: 547 times
💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀
Thanks for spoiling me Erika because I needed out of this. 😘🫶🏻
”I inhale weed and exhale evil.�
-I should have DNF’d here at 39% when this was said because it made me cackle and roll my eyes so hard I feared they get lodged in my head BUT because I liked the world itself I found this kind of hard to put down until the branding scene and then I decided this wasn’t for me. I mean that’s not even how he chose to give into his “curse� 🙄🙄🙄 2 stars because I’d read more in this series due to liking some of the other vile boys but this Kouple? Hard pass.
Oh and I think it’s absolute bullshit I can’t post my highlights but thank you discord server for reading this train wreck with me or at least attempting to. Only one of us finished it and liked it. 🤭😘
2 Stars ⭐️
DNF @ 79%
I tried. I really, really tried but I’m just not interested in this at all. I actually think the world itself has potential and there are some characters I am interested in reading about but unfortunately I don’t give two fucks about this couple. I get it. They are so sick OMG 😱 tell me again just how fucking sick they are because the 142 times this book told me wasn’t nearly enough. Tell me again. And the name Krypt? Ugh terrible plus the reason Krypt doesn’t like C’s and spells his name the way he does & when he declares that they are a Kouple? 💀💀💀💀💀💀💀🔪 🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄 Speechless. (SEE is not C but whatever 🤣🙄)
But I also felt like their names were being said wayyy too often and when I looked it up?
-Krypt: 496 times
-Remiel: 547 times
💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀
Thanks for spoiling me Erika because I needed out of this. 😘🫶🏻
”I inhale weed and exhale evil.�
-I should have DNF’d here at 39% when this was said because it made me cackle and roll my eyes so hard I feared they get lodged in my head BUT because I liked the world itself I found this kind of hard to put down until the branding scene and then I decided this wasn’t for me. I mean that’s not even how he chose to give into his “curse� 🙄🙄🙄 2 stars because I’d read more in this series due to liking some of the other vile boys but this Kouple? Hard pass.
Oh and I think it’s absolute bullshit I can’t post my highlights but thank you discord server for reading this train wreck with me or at least attempting to. Only one of us finished it and liked it. 🤭😘
![Profile Image for moonlight☾ [semi-hiatus].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1645500038i%2F37448930._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
November 26, 2024
(first of all, please check the trigger warnings listed in the book!! this book is NOT for everyone, it’s dark af)
See my sickness and let it match yours, and when we’re combined as one, love me as an obsession.
OMG??? I’M OBSESSED.
listen, i’ve been craving a good dark romance lately and when an author goes all IN and doesn’t hold back, i live for that shit bc it’s what makes a dark romance dark and this satisfied all my cravings in the best ways. 😭😭 Remi and Krypt had me invested in their dynamic from the very beginning, they were such a perfect balance for the other and i loved how they both had their moments throughout the book of being unhinged. 😩 i loved how fucked up and twisted everything was, i literally couldn’t put it down (except when i had to leave for work lmao). the side characters, as well as potential side pairings, definitely had me intrigued too. I’M SO EXCITED FOR GHOST AND RIOT’S STORY. i already loved the small glimpses we’ve seen of their interactions and i tend to gravitate towards their type of characters/romance so i’m very curious to see how it will develop (but i also have my eye on Cain/Mason and possibly Ransom/Monster??). 👀
“Mine,� he says, barely audible.
“Even though you freed me, I’ll always be yours.�
See my sickness and let it match yours, and when we’re combined as one, love me as an obsession.
OMG??? I’M OBSESSED.
listen, i’ve been craving a good dark romance lately and when an author goes all IN and doesn’t hold back, i live for that shit bc it’s what makes a dark romance dark and this satisfied all my cravings in the best ways. 😭😭 Remi and Krypt had me invested in their dynamic from the very beginning, they were such a perfect balance for the other and i loved how they both had their moments throughout the book of being unhinged. 😩 i loved how fucked up and twisted everything was, i literally couldn’t put it down (except when i had to leave for work lmao). the side characters, as well as potential side pairings, definitely had me intrigued too. I’M SO EXCITED FOR GHOST AND RIOT’S STORY. i already loved the small glimpses we’ve seen of their interactions and i tend to gravitate towards their type of characters/romance so i’m very curious to see how it will develop (but i also have my eye on Cain/Mason and possibly Ransom/Monster??). 👀
“Mine,� he says, barely audible.
“Even though you freed me, I’ll always be yours.�
November 19, 2024
Definitely check the trigger warnings on this one because it is DARK and twisted!
I LOVE LOVE LOVED Remi and Krypt. Codependency and unhealthy relationships are like catnip to me and I could not get enough of them! I love the way they are together, the power dynamic and the way they ask for what they want, or just take it!
Krypt's embarrasment and anger at his inexperience made me want to give him a hug and a pep talk - but that is 100% not something I would come out of alive! Being inside his mind was fascinating and the way he operates was genuinely enjoyable to see. I loved how he marks Remi up and the reasoning behind it. I love how he reacts whenever Remi gets real about his emotions with him too - I would love to see artwork of an angry, blushing Krypt 😂
Remi was so interesting too - the curse and how his moods swing from one extreme to the other had me anxiously anticipating what he was going to do or say next. I've also never read anything with a fear kink before and I have to say I really enjoyed it!
The Vile boys have me so intrigued too and I can't wait to find out more about them. I'm literally bouncing with excitement to read the next book with Ghost and his tormentor because I predict there will be fireworks and I can't wait to see it!!
Overall, this book has pulled me into it's grasp and I'm happy to be along for the ride these Vile boys are going to take us on as they continue to protect the creepiest town ever.
I received an ARC of this book from Nordika Night, and this is my honest review
I LOVE LOVE LOVED Remi and Krypt. Codependency and unhealthy relationships are like catnip to me and I could not get enough of them! I love the way they are together, the power dynamic and the way they ask for what they want, or just take it!
Krypt's embarrasment and anger at his inexperience made me want to give him a hug and a pep talk - but that is 100% not something I would come out of alive! Being inside his mind was fascinating and the way he operates was genuinely enjoyable to see. I loved how he marks Remi up and the reasoning behind it. I love how he reacts whenever Remi gets real about his emotions with him too - I would love to see artwork of an angry, blushing Krypt 😂
Remi was so interesting too - the curse and how his moods swing from one extreme to the other had me anxiously anticipating what he was going to do or say next. I've also never read anything with a fear kink before and I have to say I really enjoyed it!
The Vile boys have me so intrigued too and I can't wait to find out more about them. I'm literally bouncing with excitement to read the next book with Ghost and his tormentor because I predict there will be fireworks and I can't wait to see it!!
Overall, this book has pulled me into it's grasp and I'm happy to be along for the ride these Vile boys are going to take us on as they continue to protect the creepiest town ever.
I received an ARC of this book from Nordika Night, and this is my honest review
December 1, 2024
i love dark romance but this was�..hmmm�..certainly an attempt💀💀💀 i just couldn’t take it seriously like it’s clearly trying to be soooo dark, but it was just goofy, confusing, annoying, and stupid instead. the mad house/trigger mountain shit at the end was my last straw�.bc literally what the fuck was that😭💀 like there’s bad books, but bad dark romance books are seriously another level of bad lmfao i just can’t🤦♀️🤦♀�
my fatal flaw is that i’m curious enough about riot and ghost that i still might read book 2🙄
my fatal flaw is that i’m curious enough about riot and ghost that i still might read book 2🙄
February 14, 2025
5 ⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶�/5
Format: ebook
“I want your sickness to meet mine, and whenever we get too tainted and Moros can’t handle us anymore, I want to die sick with you.�
Let me start off by saying that I am not a dark romance girly at all. I’ve tried and tried and while I do love some darker books and series, I tend to steer clear of the really triggering stuff. Not even because I have any triggers, but because there’s never enough groveling and restitution for everything that happened for me to enjoy the relationship.
But when Queen Nordika releases a dark romance, I am absolutely reading it.
As usual, Nordika Night’s storytelling and characters completely won me over and stole my heart.
Firstly, the world-building in this book was amazing. I was so fully immersed in Moros, I feel like I’m a born and bred citizen of it. All the dynamics of Vile House and the Vile Boys were so beautifully presented and easy to follow. And while I love and adore our main characters, the side characters also added so much to the plot and just made the story even better.
Remiel and Krypt were fantastic MMC’s. I was absolutely obsessed with their dynamic, even at the very beginning. I love me a broken boy and NO ONE does broken boys better than Nordika Night. They both had me wrapped around their finger from the very beginning. And these are very multi-dimensional characters. Their backgrounds, their families, their fears and insecurities� all were staples of their complex personalities. And I just adored them as a kouple (with a K, for my baby Krypt). Their push and pull game kept me on my toes, and they were just so hot and fun together.
Then, the plot. The curse? The bargain? The setup of Vile House? The cults and the crimes and the experimental testing, and all the craziness and darkness that make up Moros? I don’t want to spoil anything, but there was just so much going on aside from the relationship that there was never a dull moment of reading.
I want to reiterate that this book is DARK. Pitch black dark. If you have any triggers at all, they are probably present in this book. Please read trigger warnings. I have no triggers and sometimes had to put the book down and read something lighter to balance things out. But then it got to the point I couldn’t put this book down anymore and was absolutely obsessed.
The way I need the next book, and literally the rest of the series right now. Ghost and Riot is going to be such a good book, I am so excited. I am already mapping out all the relationships I think we’re going to get, and I’m crossing my fingers for a possible MMM one! I am so sat for this entire series.
*I received a free advanced copy of this book from the author and this is my voluntary, honest review.
|
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶�/5
Format: ebook
“I want your sickness to meet mine, and whenever we get too tainted and Moros can’t handle us anymore, I want to die sick with you.�
Let me start off by saying that I am not a dark romance girly at all. I’ve tried and tried and while I do love some darker books and series, I tend to steer clear of the really triggering stuff. Not even because I have any triggers, but because there’s never enough groveling and restitution for everything that happened for me to enjoy the relationship.
But when Queen Nordika releases a dark romance, I am absolutely reading it.
As usual, Nordika Night’s storytelling and characters completely won me over and stole my heart.
Firstly, the world-building in this book was amazing. I was so fully immersed in Moros, I feel like I’m a born and bred citizen of it. All the dynamics of Vile House and the Vile Boys were so beautifully presented and easy to follow. And while I love and adore our main characters, the side characters also added so much to the plot and just made the story even better.
Remiel and Krypt were fantastic MMC’s. I was absolutely obsessed with their dynamic, even at the very beginning. I love me a broken boy and NO ONE does broken boys better than Nordika Night. They both had me wrapped around their finger from the very beginning. And these are very multi-dimensional characters. Their backgrounds, their families, their fears and insecurities� all were staples of their complex personalities. And I just adored them as a kouple (with a K, for my baby Krypt). Their push and pull game kept me on my toes, and they were just so hot and fun together.
Then, the plot. The curse? The bargain? The setup of Vile House? The cults and the crimes and the experimental testing, and all the craziness and darkness that make up Moros? I don’t want to spoil anything, but there was just so much going on aside from the relationship that there was never a dull moment of reading.
I want to reiterate that this book is DARK. Pitch black dark. If you have any triggers at all, they are probably present in this book. Please read trigger warnings. I have no triggers and sometimes had to put the book down and read something lighter to balance things out. But then it got to the point I couldn’t put this book down anymore and was absolutely obsessed.
The way I need the next book, and literally the rest of the series right now. Ghost and Riot is going to be such a good book, I am so excited. I am already mapping out all the relationships I think we’re going to get, and I’m crossing my fingers for a possible MMM one! I am so sat for this entire series.
*I received a free advanced copy of this book from the author and this is my voluntary, honest review.
|
December 3, 2024
4.75 stars
This book is so dark (pitch-black you could say) and it comes with whole lot of heavy trigger warnings. —And I loved every fucking second of it.
I don’t even have words for what you’re in for when you decide to pick this up but I think this series is going to be epic.
Remiel & Krypt.
Krypt with a K not a C. Because Krypt hates the letter, we even learn why later in the book. Which led them to becoming a kouple rather than a couple in the end. I found that rather cute, even though it really wasn’t.
I’m so damn intrigued. By all of it. Even if what Krypt and Remiel have you can hardly call a romance. But what they have is theirs. And they love it. And so do I.
God, I’m left with so many questions! THAT NEXT BOOK CAN’T COME FAST ENOUGH!! Next up: the brothers. That’s going to be interesting.
side note: is it weird that whenever I read the word asylum in this book a certain Taylor Swift song started playing in my mind? *lol
**
Vile House
Book 1 - Sick Bargain - 4.75 stars
� this is supposed to become an eight-books series for all of the ten Vile Boys and they will probably have to be read in order.
He’s either mine or he’s dead.
There is no in-between.
This book is so dark (pitch-black you could say) and it comes with whole lot of heavy trigger warnings. —And I loved every fucking second of it.
I don’t even have words for what you’re in for when you decide to pick this up but I think this series is going to be epic.
Remiel & Krypt.
Krypt with a K not a C. Because Krypt hates the letter, we even learn why later in the book. Which led them to becoming a kouple rather than a couple in the end. I found that rather cute, even though it really wasn’t.
I’m so damn intrigued. By all of it. Even if what Krypt and Remiel have you can hardly call a romance. But what they have is theirs. And they love it. And so do I.
“So, you’re scared of me, but hold on to me for safety? Which is it? Am I your danger or your safety net?�
“Both.� My abs and the mostly healed slice on my stomach burn when I pull myself up by them, sitting right on the tipping point with my back to the blackness. “You’re my sanity and my insanity.�
God, I’m left with so many questions! THAT NEXT BOOK CAN’T COME FAST ENOUGH!! Next up: the brothers. That’s going to be interesting.
side note: is it weird that whenever I read the word asylum in this book a certain Taylor Swift song started playing in my mind? *lol
**
Vile House
Book 1 - Sick Bargain - 4.75 stars
� this is supposed to become an eight-books series for all of the ten Vile Boys and they will probably have to be read in order.
December 16, 2024
DNF at 25%. I liked Garron Park despite some over-the-top edginess, but it seems like it was subtle and understated compared to newer works.
Listen. I laughed so loud I woke my dog when I read this line, the whole book is like this:
•”I know he was one of the shadows following me because I sensed him—nostalgia and betrayal—�
>Imagine running through the town square (to an abandoned tuberculosis sanitarium which is also a gothic mansion which is also an insane asylum which is also a murder secret society home) and hearing footsteps behind you and being like “One of those two sets of footsteps is giving me big nostalgia and betrayal vibes�
—�
•MC claims to have a family curse (which he explains isn’t supernatural) where all the men commit suicide. But also said his mom killed his dad for not committing suicide.
>Congrats my man you have a family history of depression go to the doctor.
•Also weird that your mom, a known murderer, is making you pancakes and not in jail. And that you keep saying she lost a husband to suicide when she murdered him.
>BRB going to go write “Others believe we’re cursed, pledged to repeat the past because our inferior genes have continuously created ticking time bombs� on my medical forms for preexisting conditions.
•I’ve been told this is later failed to be treated by DaRk EdGy RoMaNcE like branding words all over his body with a hot iron and sexual assault.
•And it’s finally treated with medication. You know, like normal non-cursed depression?
>But at least he’s presumably socially shunned and unemployable for the forced disfiguration now which will definitely improve his mental health.
—�
“There’s a curse on the Sauder family, specifically the men, and despite being morbid, it’s the topic of several studies and dissertations.�
> JFC. Imagine going to a creepy abandoned tuberculosis hospital and being like “My family sucks so bad there are peer-reviewed studies on it. Multiple PhDs defended dissertations in front of their peers and experts in their field about how much my family blows. We’re literally famous in a specialty field of science for being the worst.�
—�
World building is nonsense and filled me with baffled rage and amusement in turn, and most of it seems completely irrelevant.
•MC runs a music store and says that it’s very busy despite it being a small town because it breeds talented people who create darkness with musical instruments
>Are they breaking them in half every time they play them? Do they obsessively buy another oboe every time they walk by due to Musical Darkness Reasons?
•Small town that includes all of the following that all get along but also has regular bloodbaths and murders: gangs, crews, cults, clubs, societies, brotherhoods. They are united against tourists who visit because the town is so gross and shitty. And the town is so gross and shitty that no government or law enforcement will do anything.
•Vile House is a former tuberculosis sanitarium that looks like a gothic mansion that all the Vile Boys live at and is connected by an underground tunnel to an insane asylum that all the Vile Boys work at
•Insane asylum with board members with names that include “Ransom� and “Facts.�
•The missing person numbers for this “small town� are equal to that of the whole country
>so 100% of missing person’s cases in Canada (I assume, that’s where the author is from at least) occur in this one small town? 60,000 cases a year, mostly custody disputes?
—�
10% in and the story is almost exclusively info dumps, often that make no sense. Repetitive to the point of losing meaning. A few examples:
Know: 530 times; Think: 182 times
(you are doing way too much Telling and not enough Showing with counts like that)
Fuck: 523; Vile: 241; Sick: 142
After 10% its rape and murder mixed with info dumps to spice it up.
—�
Honestly I could go on, but you get the picture. Posting notes and highlights as well to share the over-the-top dialogue.
Listen. I laughed so loud I woke my dog when I read this line, the whole book is like this:
•”I know he was one of the shadows following me because I sensed him—nostalgia and betrayal—�
>Imagine running through the town square (to an abandoned tuberculosis sanitarium which is also a gothic mansion which is also an insane asylum which is also a murder secret society home) and hearing footsteps behind you and being like “One of those two sets of footsteps is giving me big nostalgia and betrayal vibes�
—�
•MC claims to have a family curse (which he explains isn’t supernatural) where all the men commit suicide. But also said his mom killed his dad for not committing suicide.
>Congrats my man you have a family history of depression go to the doctor.
•Also weird that your mom, a known murderer, is making you pancakes and not in jail. And that you keep saying she lost a husband to suicide when she murdered him.
>BRB going to go write “Others believe we’re cursed, pledged to repeat the past because our inferior genes have continuously created ticking time bombs� on my medical forms for preexisting conditions.
•I’ve been told this is later failed to be treated by DaRk EdGy RoMaNcE like branding words all over his body with a hot iron and sexual assault.
•And it’s finally treated with medication. You know, like normal non-cursed depression?
>But at least he’s presumably socially shunned and unemployable for the forced disfiguration now which will definitely improve his mental health.
—�
“There’s a curse on the Sauder family, specifically the men, and despite being morbid, it’s the topic of several studies and dissertations.�
> JFC. Imagine going to a creepy abandoned tuberculosis hospital and being like “My family sucks so bad there are peer-reviewed studies on it. Multiple PhDs defended dissertations in front of their peers and experts in their field about how much my family blows. We’re literally famous in a specialty field of science for being the worst.�
—�
World building is nonsense and filled me with baffled rage and amusement in turn, and most of it seems completely irrelevant.
•MC runs a music store and says that it’s very busy despite it being a small town because it breeds talented people who create darkness with musical instruments
>Are they breaking them in half every time they play them? Do they obsessively buy another oboe every time they walk by due to Musical Darkness Reasons?
•Small town that includes all of the following that all get along but also has regular bloodbaths and murders: gangs, crews, cults, clubs, societies, brotherhoods. They are united against tourists who visit because the town is so gross and shitty. And the town is so gross and shitty that no government or law enforcement will do anything.
•Vile House is a former tuberculosis sanitarium that looks like a gothic mansion that all the Vile Boys live at and is connected by an underground tunnel to an insane asylum that all the Vile Boys work at
•Insane asylum with board members with names that include “Ransom� and “Facts.�
•The missing person numbers for this “small town� are equal to that of the whole country
>so 100% of missing person’s cases in Canada (I assume, that’s where the author is from at least) occur in this one small town? 60,000 cases a year, mostly custody disputes?
—�
10% in and the story is almost exclusively info dumps, often that make no sense. Repetitive to the point of losing meaning. A few examples:
Know: 530 times; Think: 182 times
(you are doing way too much Telling and not enough Showing with counts like that)
Fuck: 523; Vile: 241; Sick: 142
After 10% its rape and murder mixed with info dumps to spice it up.
—�
Honestly I could go on, but you get the picture. Posting notes and highlights as well to share the over-the-top dialogue.
November 29, 2024
UGHHHHHHH DNF at 75%
I keep thinking that Nordika Night is going to be redeemed for me as an author and it keeps not happening. I am disappointed but I’m not surprised. The last few reads haven’t been great and I just have to stop trying at this point.
TW don’t read this book if you’re triggered by rape or suicide cause it’s mentioned a lot.
Unsurprisingly, I actually couldn’t stand this book. It tries so desperately hard to be dark and deep and poetic and it felt incredibly superficial to me. There is SO MUCH FLUFF in the writing and that fucks me off like nothing else.
Rape gets mentioned (not just alluded to) so many times in the effort to be dark but it just ended up feeling like it was included to be outrageous. Because of that it had the opposite effect on me, so every time I read it I just rolled my eyes. WE GET IT. YOU’RE SO BAD. 🙄
The fictional town of Moros that the book is set in was the first issue for me. It’s trying so hard to be spooky it’s turned into a caricature of a horror movie. It’s a scooby doo villains lair - the place is a literal joke.
I couldn’t tell if Moros was supposed to be believable or not? It would have hit the mark way harder if it was, but instead it sat somewhere between being a real world possibility and a paranormal fantasy. Just pick one!
The recurring theme here for me is that the author is just trying too damn hard, and because of that we get a town that has one road in and out, is filled with cults, gangs, secret societies and familial curses and “more missing persons cases than the entire country combined�.
Correct me if I’m wrong but that certainly sounds like there should be no un-missing people in this town?? The fuck? Do you KNOW how many people are missing in America? Let me tell you cause I checked. It’s OVER 560,000 PEOPLE A YEAR. A small CITY starts at 100,000 people!!!! Sorry but these inaccuracies piss me the fuck off.
Also, as far as I could tell, this book ISN’T paranormal. So the fact that one of the main plot points is a “curse� that isn’t really a curse at all really annoyed me. Call it a pet peeve of mine but it feels like lazy writing.
Anyway, the two main characters, Krypt (it’s giving ✨Kardashian� because he doesn’t like the letter ‘C’� yes, that is the real reason he spells his name like that) and Remiel have no chemistry whatsoever. I don’t know why they like each other? I actually don’t think that they do? Did they trauma bond? Krypt has literally zero personality asides from being insane and Remiel has no personality asides from being suicidal. I think I skipped the part where they went from rapist/victim to being consumed by one another because I can’t make it make sense. There’s a lot of branding, cutting and choking involved so it must have happened somewhere in there 🙄
The additional plot that tries to take this book from porn to plot is also about a mad scientist trying to instil MIND CONTROL in the towns inhabitants (scooby doo villain, I’m telling you) and it was just so especially cliche and boring I couldn’t have cared less.
Someone drop a bomb on Moros and everyone in it STAT.
I keep thinking that Nordika Night is going to be redeemed for me as an author and it keeps not happening. I am disappointed but I’m not surprised. The last few reads haven’t been great and I just have to stop trying at this point.
TW don’t read this book if you’re triggered by rape or suicide cause it’s mentioned a lot.
Unsurprisingly, I actually couldn’t stand this book. It tries so desperately hard to be dark and deep and poetic and it felt incredibly superficial to me. There is SO MUCH FLUFF in the writing and that fucks me off like nothing else.
Rape gets mentioned (not just alluded to) so many times in the effort to be dark but it just ended up feeling like it was included to be outrageous. Because of that it had the opposite effect on me, so every time I read it I just rolled my eyes. WE GET IT. YOU’RE SO BAD. 🙄
The fictional town of Moros that the book is set in was the first issue for me. It’s trying so hard to be spooky it’s turned into a caricature of a horror movie. It’s a scooby doo villains lair - the place is a literal joke.
I couldn’t tell if Moros was supposed to be believable or not? It would have hit the mark way harder if it was, but instead it sat somewhere between being a real world possibility and a paranormal fantasy. Just pick one!
The recurring theme here for me is that the author is just trying too damn hard, and because of that we get a town that has one road in and out, is filled with cults, gangs, secret societies and familial curses and “more missing persons cases than the entire country combined�.
Correct me if I’m wrong but that certainly sounds like there should be no un-missing people in this town?? The fuck? Do you KNOW how many people are missing in America? Let me tell you cause I checked. It’s OVER 560,000 PEOPLE A YEAR. A small CITY starts at 100,000 people!!!! Sorry but these inaccuracies piss me the fuck off.
Also, as far as I could tell, this book ISN’T paranormal. So the fact that one of the main plot points is a “curse� that isn’t really a curse at all really annoyed me. Call it a pet peeve of mine but it feels like lazy writing.
Anyway, the two main characters, Krypt (it’s giving ✨Kardashian� because he doesn’t like the letter ‘C’� yes, that is the real reason he spells his name like that) and Remiel have no chemistry whatsoever. I don’t know why they like each other? I actually don’t think that they do? Did they trauma bond? Krypt has literally zero personality asides from being insane and Remiel has no personality asides from being suicidal. I think I skipped the part where they went from rapist/victim to being consumed by one another because I can’t make it make sense. There’s a lot of branding, cutting and choking involved so it must have happened somewhere in there 🙄
The additional plot that tries to take this book from porn to plot is also about a mad scientist trying to instil MIND CONTROL in the towns inhabitants (scooby doo villain, I’m telling you) and it was just so especially cliche and boring I couldn’t have cared less.
Someone drop a bomb on Moros and everyone in it STAT.
December 3, 2024
Tropes: dark romance with morally black characters, secret identities
Feels: 1.5/5
Steam*: 3/5
Kinks: noncon, dubcon, fear kink, branding, degradation
Angst: medium
HEA: yes (but it is borderline an HFN)
Pairing: MM
Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: rape, suicide of minor characters, MC suicide attempt, non-consensual drugging, unsafe sex, violence, murder, gore, brainwashing, mental health
2.25 stars (not enjoyable to me due to my personal taste but also the storytelling)
Remiel is 26. He's always identified as straight. He lives in a weird town that is full of cults and gangs and mystery and violence. He believes that his family is cursed and all the men in his family are cursed to die by suicide. His father and one of his brothers has died by suicide along with many ancestors. He feels like he's being driven to insanity and that he's being stalked by various dark forces, and he is. One night he feels especially driven to the brink and he comes to Vile house, the place where a secret society known as the Vile boys lives. He offers his life up as a bargain, he wants three people taken care of in exchange for him giving up his life.
Krypt is 28. He is one of the Vile boys. He has never taken a bargain before, but the moment Remi offers himself, he insists on being the one to take the bargain and make Remi his. Krypt is a messed up person, abnormal. He doesn't really feel sexual desire, but Remi looks at him a particular way and it brings out the want in Krypt. Krypt rapes Remi, but Remi likes it, he gets off on the fear and he likes being owned and having decisions taken away from him. And once he knows who Krypt really is, he knows he can trust him to some degree. The drama between the two characters is the race to fulfill the deal and prevent Remi from committing suicide and see if they can turn their bargain into a relationship. There's overarching plot of threats to the Vile boys and the town of Moros, which doesn't come to a resolution because this is a multi book series.
Spoiler alert...
The rest of this review will include spoilers, because I need to comment on the contents of the book. This is a bit of a rant, because I had a lot of feelings about this book that I wanted to dissect and get out. It was very frustrating for me.
I really struggled with this book. I gave the book the benefit of the doubt, and I gave it a long time for me to warm up to the book before I let myself start to get judgy, before I started to give up hope on actually liking this book. I understood that this was a new world the author was building and I needed to give it some time to be developed and then judge the book and the MMCs relationship for the story that it was. For a long time I hovered between coming to a conclusion about whether the book wasn't to my tastes or whether the book was crummy, and at about the 70% mark I came to the conclusion that it was both.
There's a billion things I could point out. And I'll point out a couple specific examples but overall, this book was confusing, it lacked direction, deliberation and artistry. It was like poser goth babies murdering for the sake of it, chaotic and insane, with no logic, brains, consistency, or romance. The author was guilty of telling us and not showing us, the characters loudly and repeatedly telling us how sick they were just made it seem superficial. I need to be shown things with some subtlety, delicacy, artistry... I need some genuine character depth and feeling. One confusing thing was the ranking system, why were the Vile boys ranked, what was the purpose of that? This book didn't really have any true paranormal elements to it, no magic even. It was more of a Gothic horror romance. And I think it would have worked better if there was actually paranormal elements in this world that they're building, because without any power or magic to back it up, these characters were just unbelievable and I was just cringing and finding them to be full of themselves, thinking that they're tough s*** when they're dumb as f*** and just brutes/bullies/murderers/rapists for indulgent reasons because they enjoy it. And at times I felt bad that some of these guys are being used as violent instruments when really they probably need some actual mental health treatment.
It felt like the author didn't edit the story they were telling after writing it to check herself and make it more cohesive. There were continuity errors and also moments where the characters were dumb. Like in the beginning, Krypt asks Remi how old he is, if he's legal when they are making their bargain, but Krypt later on is revealed to have recognized him on sight and known him since childhood. In a dumb moment, Krypt thought Remi wouldn't realize Krypt "practiced" with his ass while Remi was passed out... Remi was always going to wake up and feel wet/sore. Remi knows things that he shouldn't know, like the secret that Krypt killed his parents when he was 14 - it's like the author just decided it would make her point to have Remi define Krypt with this element of his past in mind, forgetting that he didn't know. Another continuity error - the tattoo that Krypt got to honour Remi while Krypt was held captive by Axel. When the f*** did he have time to get a tattoo?! He was Axel's captive, though he was willing for part of it. They literally just got reunited the same day he revealed the fresh tattoo to Remi... Axel walked in to Vile house with Krypt, they were never not together. He had to have gotten the tattoo while Axel had him, and what kind of captor indulges the whims of their captive and allows them to get a tattoo that is meaningful to them, and could f*** with the mind control shit Axel has been trying to do?
At one point, one of the MMCs says he is distracted by "something that he should be noticing but isn't". That is complete nonsense. You can't logically do that. The way this book is written, they say shit that is cyclical and talks in riddles to confuse the point and hide the meaning/truth. It comes off as over the top and just confusing. I'm a very literal person because of my neurospiciness, so part of this is probably my personal taste and need to find order/patterns of thought and behavior. And maybe this way of writing is part of the author's master plan to have this be like a thriller, but it just comes off as sulky over dramatic little emo boy crap. Krypt's logic in particular is shitty. After he loses his s*** after almost losing Remi to suicide, his thoughts are "I can never see him again. If I do, I’ll kill him for trying to leave me." And he goes in and gets himself chipped, having learned nothing about the value of his life after lecturing Remi about being suicidal, knowing that getting chipped is basically a death sentence because every time they've tried to remove a chip the patient has died.
At the 68% mark, Remi says the following. And I think this is an accurate representation of what they have been through. It's very not romantic, and there isn't depth to their relationship. There hasn't been a buildup of feelings. This is a poignant representation of why I found this book a bit cold and hard to get into.
"“I kind of hope we� if there is a we, I hope it becomes more of a partnership. It doesn’t have to be equal. You give what I need and I give what you need, even if it’s unhealthy. Love, to me, is caring enough about someone to know what they need and wanting to give it to them. It doesn’t have to be romance and kindness and compassion. It can be rough and unhinged and aggressive if that’s the language we speak it in.� He looks up at me. “I barely know you, Krypt. I don’t know what you need because you’ve spent this whole time bringing me back to life. So I can’t love you, and you can’t love me because our relationship hasn’t been about each other. It’s been about a curse. It’s been a deal. It’s been about fear.�"
I didn't like the attitude towards rape in this book. I get it, the characters are morally black. They do horrible things. But the word rape seemed to be used for its shock value and it became another way for the author to just keep shoving in our face that it was a dark romance. It felt like disrespect of the readers. I'm also a person who can be more forgiving of murder in my dark romances than I am of rape. And I don't like to feel like an author is playing with the concept of it for fun. At the 76% mark, Remi in his internal monologue calls Krypt his rapist, really defining what Krypt is to him as being his rapist. But by this point you would expect Remi to stop using the word rapist in his thoughts to describe their relationship. Yes Krypt is a rapist, and I make no excuses for him, but the character of Remi shouldn't think of him that way at that point in the book. He did it one time, and Remi forgave him, doesn't regret it, and every time after has been consensual. Krypt is so many more significant things from Remi's perspective. The fact that he mentally defines Krypt this way doesn't match with what he feels for Krypt.
This piece of commentary is about one of the reasons why this book wasn't to my personal taste. I'm a person that really likes when characters show platonic affection. When the relationship isn't just about sex. The first moment of tenderness between them was at 88%. I needed more of this earlier! And I couldn't even enjoy that moment, because the moment Remi gets it he pushes back and says he doesn't want tenderness, he asks for more kink, to be made to fear. I'm not a person that likes relationships based entirely on kink. There needs to be some daily living element to the relationship for me to believe the relationship can last the ebbs and flows of life, otherwise the relationship is just performative and about sex. Also, in response, Krypt tells Remi that he (Krypt) is capable of love and tenderness, and that Remi doesn't know him if he thinks that the only real Krypt is the Krypt that comes out when they are playing with fear kink. Krypt is saying that Remi is insisting on him being rough with him, and that is more telling about Remi's character/wants because it's saying that Remi doesn't accept Krypt for who he is, he only accepts Krypt if Krypt is what he wants him to be, i.e. inspiring fear and turning him on through that fear. And to me that makes their relationship superficial on Remi's side.
At no point did I actually enjoy the relationship between Krypt and Remi, which was disappointing. I did find some of the dynamics in the side characters interesting. Ghost being conflicted about being mad at his BFF for raping his brother while at the same time being quizzically entertained at what this development means for Krypt was interesting. Ghost and Riot, who is Krypt's brother, have a promising E2L and forced proximity setup. Kyd was a bright light for me in this book. I like him wanting to be besties with people. I like how he called double dibs on Axel, his obsessive crush on Axel seems promising. He seems like an unhinged cutie, he says funny stuff, he skips, and released a lion for fun.
I don't know if I can muster enough enthusiasm to try another book in this series. I didn't really find a lot that is appealing. I've read a bunch of books by this author that I enjoyed, but I am feeling disappointed knowing that there are seven more books to follow in this world. I will watch other people's reviews though and see if things get better, if the direction of the storytelling gets tightened.
Some notable moments:
"“Do all bargains come with ownership and sex?� I’ve never heard that before, but� what do I know about Vile secrets? “No. But yours does.�"
I do like possessiveness. "Dinner? I don’t date. I don’t want to date. I want to skip the dating phase and go straight to ownership and possession. He’s either mine or he’s dead. There is no in-between."
*FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink.
**Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers.
Feels: 1.5/5
Steam*: 3/5
Kinks: noncon, dubcon, fear kink, branding, degradation
Angst: medium
HEA: yes (but it is borderline an HFN)
Pairing: MM
Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: rape, suicide of minor characters, MC suicide attempt, non-consensual drugging, unsafe sex, violence, murder, gore, brainwashing, mental health
2.25 stars (not enjoyable to me due to my personal taste but also the storytelling)
Remiel is 26. He's always identified as straight. He lives in a weird town that is full of cults and gangs and mystery and violence. He believes that his family is cursed and all the men in his family are cursed to die by suicide. His father and one of his brothers has died by suicide along with many ancestors. He feels like he's being driven to insanity and that he's being stalked by various dark forces, and he is. One night he feels especially driven to the brink and he comes to Vile house, the place where a secret society known as the Vile boys lives. He offers his life up as a bargain, he wants three people taken care of in exchange for him giving up his life.
Krypt is 28. He is one of the Vile boys. He has never taken a bargain before, but the moment Remi offers himself, he insists on being the one to take the bargain and make Remi his. Krypt is a messed up person, abnormal. He doesn't really feel sexual desire, but Remi looks at him a particular way and it brings out the want in Krypt. Krypt rapes Remi, but Remi likes it, he gets off on the fear and he likes being owned and having decisions taken away from him. And once he knows who Krypt really is, he knows he can trust him to some degree. The drama between the two characters is the race to fulfill the deal and prevent Remi from committing suicide and see if they can turn their bargain into a relationship. There's overarching plot of threats to the Vile boys and the town of Moros, which doesn't come to a resolution because this is a multi book series.
Spoiler alert...
The rest of this review will include spoilers, because I need to comment on the contents of the book. This is a bit of a rant, because I had a lot of feelings about this book that I wanted to dissect and get out. It was very frustrating for me.
I really struggled with this book. I gave the book the benefit of the doubt, and I gave it a long time for me to warm up to the book before I let myself start to get judgy, before I started to give up hope on actually liking this book. I understood that this was a new world the author was building and I needed to give it some time to be developed and then judge the book and the MMCs relationship for the story that it was. For a long time I hovered between coming to a conclusion about whether the book wasn't to my tastes or whether the book was crummy, and at about the 70% mark I came to the conclusion that it was both.
There's a billion things I could point out. And I'll point out a couple specific examples but overall, this book was confusing, it lacked direction, deliberation and artistry. It was like poser goth babies murdering for the sake of it, chaotic and insane, with no logic, brains, consistency, or romance. The author was guilty of telling us and not showing us, the characters loudly and repeatedly telling us how sick they were just made it seem superficial. I need to be shown things with some subtlety, delicacy, artistry... I need some genuine character depth and feeling. One confusing thing was the ranking system, why were the Vile boys ranked, what was the purpose of that? This book didn't really have any true paranormal elements to it, no magic even. It was more of a Gothic horror romance. And I think it would have worked better if there was actually paranormal elements in this world that they're building, because without any power or magic to back it up, these characters were just unbelievable and I was just cringing and finding them to be full of themselves, thinking that they're tough s*** when they're dumb as f*** and just brutes/bullies/murderers/rapists for indulgent reasons because they enjoy it. And at times I felt bad that some of these guys are being used as violent instruments when really they probably need some actual mental health treatment.
It felt like the author didn't edit the story they were telling after writing it to check herself and make it more cohesive. There were continuity errors and also moments where the characters were dumb. Like in the beginning, Krypt asks Remi how old he is, if he's legal when they are making their bargain, but Krypt later on is revealed to have recognized him on sight and known him since childhood. In a dumb moment, Krypt thought Remi wouldn't realize Krypt "practiced" with his ass while Remi was passed out... Remi was always going to wake up and feel wet/sore. Remi knows things that he shouldn't know, like the secret that Krypt killed his parents when he was 14 - it's like the author just decided it would make her point to have Remi define Krypt with this element of his past in mind, forgetting that he didn't know. Another continuity error - the tattoo that Krypt got to honour Remi while Krypt was held captive by Axel. When the f*** did he have time to get a tattoo?! He was Axel's captive, though he was willing for part of it. They literally just got reunited the same day he revealed the fresh tattoo to Remi... Axel walked in to Vile house with Krypt, they were never not together. He had to have gotten the tattoo while Axel had him, and what kind of captor indulges the whims of their captive and allows them to get a tattoo that is meaningful to them, and could f*** with the mind control shit Axel has been trying to do?
At one point, one of the MMCs says he is distracted by "something that he should be noticing but isn't". That is complete nonsense. You can't logically do that. The way this book is written, they say shit that is cyclical and talks in riddles to confuse the point and hide the meaning/truth. It comes off as over the top and just confusing. I'm a very literal person because of my neurospiciness, so part of this is probably my personal taste and need to find order/patterns of thought and behavior. And maybe this way of writing is part of the author's master plan to have this be like a thriller, but it just comes off as sulky over dramatic little emo boy crap. Krypt's logic in particular is shitty. After he loses his s*** after almost losing Remi to suicide, his thoughts are "I can never see him again. If I do, I’ll kill him for trying to leave me." And he goes in and gets himself chipped, having learned nothing about the value of his life after lecturing Remi about being suicidal, knowing that getting chipped is basically a death sentence because every time they've tried to remove a chip the patient has died.
At the 68% mark, Remi says the following. And I think this is an accurate representation of what they have been through. It's very not romantic, and there isn't depth to their relationship. There hasn't been a buildup of feelings. This is a poignant representation of why I found this book a bit cold and hard to get into.
"“I kind of hope we� if there is a we, I hope it becomes more of a partnership. It doesn’t have to be equal. You give what I need and I give what you need, even if it’s unhealthy. Love, to me, is caring enough about someone to know what they need and wanting to give it to them. It doesn’t have to be romance and kindness and compassion. It can be rough and unhinged and aggressive if that’s the language we speak it in.� He looks up at me. “I barely know you, Krypt. I don’t know what you need because you’ve spent this whole time bringing me back to life. So I can’t love you, and you can’t love me because our relationship hasn’t been about each other. It’s been about a curse. It’s been a deal. It’s been about fear.�"
I didn't like the attitude towards rape in this book. I get it, the characters are morally black. They do horrible things. But the word rape seemed to be used for its shock value and it became another way for the author to just keep shoving in our face that it was a dark romance. It felt like disrespect of the readers. I'm also a person who can be more forgiving of murder in my dark romances than I am of rape. And I don't like to feel like an author is playing with the concept of it for fun. At the 76% mark, Remi in his internal monologue calls Krypt his rapist, really defining what Krypt is to him as being his rapist. But by this point you would expect Remi to stop using the word rapist in his thoughts to describe their relationship. Yes Krypt is a rapist, and I make no excuses for him, but the character of Remi shouldn't think of him that way at that point in the book. He did it one time, and Remi forgave him, doesn't regret it, and every time after has been consensual. Krypt is so many more significant things from Remi's perspective. The fact that he mentally defines Krypt this way doesn't match with what he feels for Krypt.
This piece of commentary is about one of the reasons why this book wasn't to my personal taste. I'm a person that really likes when characters show platonic affection. When the relationship isn't just about sex. The first moment of tenderness between them was at 88%. I needed more of this earlier! And I couldn't even enjoy that moment, because the moment Remi gets it he pushes back and says he doesn't want tenderness, he asks for more kink, to be made to fear. I'm not a person that likes relationships based entirely on kink. There needs to be some daily living element to the relationship for me to believe the relationship can last the ebbs and flows of life, otherwise the relationship is just performative and about sex. Also, in response, Krypt tells Remi that he (Krypt) is capable of love and tenderness, and that Remi doesn't know him if he thinks that the only real Krypt is the Krypt that comes out when they are playing with fear kink. Krypt is saying that Remi is insisting on him being rough with him, and that is more telling about Remi's character/wants because it's saying that Remi doesn't accept Krypt for who he is, he only accepts Krypt if Krypt is what he wants him to be, i.e. inspiring fear and turning him on through that fear. And to me that makes their relationship superficial on Remi's side.
At no point did I actually enjoy the relationship between Krypt and Remi, which was disappointing. I did find some of the dynamics in the side characters interesting. Ghost being conflicted about being mad at his BFF for raping his brother while at the same time being quizzically entertained at what this development means for Krypt was interesting. Ghost and Riot, who is Krypt's brother, have a promising E2L and forced proximity setup. Kyd was a bright light for me in this book. I like him wanting to be besties with people. I like how he called double dibs on Axel, his obsessive crush on Axel seems promising. He seems like an unhinged cutie, he says funny stuff, he skips, and released a lion for fun.
I don't know if I can muster enough enthusiasm to try another book in this series. I didn't really find a lot that is appealing. I've read a bunch of books by this author that I enjoyed, but I am feeling disappointed knowing that there are seven more books to follow in this world. I will watch other people's reviews though and see if things get better, if the direction of the storytelling gets tightened.
Some notable moments:
"“Do all bargains come with ownership and sex?� I’ve never heard that before, but� what do I know about Vile secrets? “No. But yours does.�"
I do like possessiveness. "Dinner? I don’t date. I don’t want to date. I want to skip the dating phase and go straight to ownership and possession. He’s either mine or he’s dead. There is no in-between."
*FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink.
**Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2025
3.5⭐️
This is unhinged, unhealthy, deranged, toxic, possessive, twisted, scary, unbalanced and violent but also romantic!? It took me a while to read it, because it’s hard to go though. That said this was romantic in its own way.
Chapter 23 gave me hope, had the most romantic declaration sick people can make, and brought me back to the story. Loved it, highlighted the whole thing. But then�
Dislikes
>Getting thrown down my throat that everyone is dark, twisted and sick. I get it, they get, we all get it!!! Repeating it doesn’t make it more dark, more twisted or more sick. More show less tell!
>I’m all for morally grey Mc, but I needed some righteousness in the killing and darkness, more redeemable. They just don’t kill bad guys� they kill innocent people, no justification or logic!
>I don’t feel connected to their way of loving, I wish I could but it was insta, and too forced. I don’t get their attraction 🥺
There’s so much going on, it’s a bit overwhelming, but it’s book 1 and the stage is set for more unhinged, unhealthy and ott shenanigans from all the other colorful Vile Boys! I’m curious but I don’t feel completely invested.
P.S. i will never ever forget Kryptic seeing gay porn to be a good lover, that was romantic even if Remiel was drugged😅
This is unhinged, unhealthy, deranged, toxic, possessive, twisted, scary, unbalanced and violent but also romantic!? It took me a while to read it, because it’s hard to go though. That said this was romantic in its own way.
Chapter 23 gave me hope, had the most romantic declaration sick people can make, and brought me back to the story. Loved it, highlighted the whole thing. But then�
Dislikes
>Getting thrown down my throat that everyone is dark, twisted and sick. I get it, they get, we all get it!!! Repeating it doesn’t make it more dark, more twisted or more sick. More show less tell!
>I’m all for morally grey Mc, but I needed some righteousness in the killing and darkness, more redeemable. They just don’t kill bad guys� they kill innocent people, no justification or logic!
>I don’t feel connected to their way of loving, I wish I could but it was insta, and too forced. I don’t get their attraction 🥺
There’s so much going on, it’s a bit overwhelming, but it’s book 1 and the stage is set for more unhinged, unhealthy and ott shenanigans from all the other colorful Vile Boys! I’m curious but I don’t feel completely invested.
P.S. i will never ever forget Kryptic seeing gay porn to be a good lover, that was romantic even if Remiel was drugged😅
December 6, 2024
DNF @ 50%
I'm called it quits because this book did the whole "my obsession is really love" thing. There has literally been NOTHING romantic or positively meaningful between the 2 MCs, but we're just supposed to believe these two are in love just because they say so? 😒
I'm called it quits because this book did the whole "my obsession is really love" thing. There has literally been NOTHING romantic or positively meaningful between the 2 MCs, but we're just supposed to believe these two are in love just because they say so? 😒
November 25, 2024
I don’t know what this book was trying to be but it didn’t hit💀
Shelved as 'soft-dnf'
November 29, 2024i just don’t know what i want to read 😔. it’s nordika night tho so i will be back for it
November 24, 2024
Nordika, Nordika, Nordika�.. omg how your brain works is a freaking masterpiece. The writing, story, and world building alone gives this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ everything else is just a bonus imo. This author is fan-freaking-tastic.
This is book one of the Vile Boys series. We have Remiel who is trying to outrun a family curse by making a bargain with a member of Vile House. Little does he know his bargain is just the beginning to an eye opening world he only thought he knew about. This book has it all!!! Definitely a must read and I can’t wait for the next book!!! Come at me, Director!!
**check your trigger warnings**
This is book one of the Vile Boys series. We have Remiel who is trying to outrun a family curse by making a bargain with a member of Vile House. Little does he know his bargain is just the beginning to an eye opening world he only thought he knew about. This book has it all!!! Definitely a must read and I can’t wait for the next book!!! Come at me, Director!!
**check your trigger warnings**
November 22, 2024
This just wasn’t good for me. I started getting bored around 30% and would put the book down over and over. Almost gave up at 54% but I thought I’d try to push through�.. couldn’t take anymore at 71%. I’m so done! I wanted to love this and I was excited for its release day but it just didn’t hit.
November 12, 2024
UMM! wow.
this was mind blowing, this was amazing, this was dark, this was possessive, this was everything that i needed.
i knew this was going to be amazing because im a sucker for Nordika’s books but wow this 100% surpassed all my *extremely high* expectations.
this was truly everything i love in a dark romance and more, it kept me hooked with the story line since the very first page & i was eating their relationship UP. i’m a huge sucker for toxic and unhinged “love� (obsession) so this checked every single box i have. i can’t wait to continue this series and find out about all the Vile boys!
💜 EASY 5 stars, i wish i could give it more. 🖤
please please please check trigger warnings for this book, it is extremely dark.
this was mind blowing, this was amazing, this was dark, this was possessive, this was everything that i needed.
i knew this was going to be amazing because im a sucker for Nordika’s books but wow this 100% surpassed all my *extremely high* expectations.
this was truly everything i love in a dark romance and more, it kept me hooked with the story line since the very first page & i was eating their relationship UP. i’m a huge sucker for toxic and unhinged “love� (obsession) so this checked every single box i have. i can’t wait to continue this series and find out about all the Vile boys!
💜 EASY 5 stars, i wish i could give it more. 🖤
please please please check trigger warnings for this book, it is extremely dark.
November 19, 2024
:: “𝙎𝙞𝙘�. 𝙎𝙞𝙘𝙠. 𝙎𝙞𝙘𝙠. 𝘼 𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙨 𝙢𝙚. 𝘼 𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙮, 𝙨𝙪𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙙𝙞𝙤𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙗𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚. 𝙄𝙣 𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨, 𝙬𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙝.�
This is by far my favorite book Nordika has given us so far; a totally different vibe than we’re used to while still giving us the banter & emotional charged characters that we love. I truly believe Nordika was meant to write dark…you can feel the passion vibrating off the pages of this one. I fear this series will become my whole new personality.
“𝙏𝙝𝙞� 𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙙, 𝙗𝙪𝙩� 𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚. 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙝𝙤𝙬, 𝙄 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙄 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜.�
The world she has built within Moros is absolutely incredible; it’s dark and twisted with far more secrets than we think. The characters she gives us are so multifaceted & well developed for book one of a series & I am desperate for each & every one of the Vile Boys stories. Their loyalty to each other is unparalleled & made me more emotional than I expected to be. This story was filled with twists & turns, keeping me on the edge of my seat the entire time. The love story between Krypt & Remiel was truly unique. They created the rules to their relationship & never strayed from their truths. As unhinged as it was I couldn’t help but want them to get whatever version of HEA worked for them.
“𝙍𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙣� 𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙄 𝙖𝙢.�
💜 MM
🖤 Dual POV
💜 Secret Society
🖤 Hidden Identity
💜 Gothic Small Town
🖤 Found Family
💜 Obsession
⚠️ Check Triggers
This is by far my favorite book Nordika has given us so far; a totally different vibe than we’re used to while still giving us the banter & emotional charged characters that we love. I truly believe Nordika was meant to write dark…you can feel the passion vibrating off the pages of this one. I fear this series will become my whole new personality.
“𝙏𝙝𝙞� 𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙙, 𝙗𝙪𝙩� 𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚. 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙝𝙤𝙬, 𝙄 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙄 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜.�
The world she has built within Moros is absolutely incredible; it’s dark and twisted with far more secrets than we think. The characters she gives us are so multifaceted & well developed for book one of a series & I am desperate for each & every one of the Vile Boys stories. Their loyalty to each other is unparalleled & made me more emotional than I expected to be. This story was filled with twists & turns, keeping me on the edge of my seat the entire time. The love story between Krypt & Remiel was truly unique. They created the rules to their relationship & never strayed from their truths. As unhinged as it was I couldn’t help but want them to get whatever version of HEA worked for them.
“𝙍𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙣� 𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙄 𝙖𝙢.�
💜 MM
🖤 Dual POV
💜 Secret Society
🖤 Hidden Identity
💜 Gothic Small Town
🖤 Found Family
💜 Obsession
⚠️ Check Triggers
November 18, 2024
~ ranting: 4 �
~ spice: 3 🌶
arc review
This book was definitely a wild ride! I love that this woman is always feeding us different genres and styles.
The story starts with a bargain, and from there, things quickly spiral. Remi has no clue what he's walking into when he crosses into the Vile House, and it doesn't take long before Krypt, one of the vile boys, decides Remi is his next obsession.
As they push each other’s boundaries, they start questioning things they never thought they would, and that's where the tension builds. Their dynamic is very complex and definitely not your typical relationship!
Taking one star down, because while I was hooked by the characters and the storyline, I was hoping for a bit more plot development and a little less focus on the steamy scenes (but hey! they were hOT). Anyway, I will love everything Nordika writes because I'm obviously biased lol
AND I can't wait for the next couple hehe
Now, Remiel’s name sits with mine because he is not only my source of pride, but my source of liberation. He is love. He is obsession. He is mine, and I am his, and not even death, fate, or a fucking suicide curse will tear us apart.
~ spice: 3 🌶
arc review
This book was definitely a wild ride! I love that this woman is always feeding us different genres and styles.
The story starts with a bargain, and from there, things quickly spiral. Remi has no clue what he's walking into when he crosses into the Vile House, and it doesn't take long before Krypt, one of the vile boys, decides Remi is his next obsession.
As they push each other’s boundaries, they start questioning things they never thought they would, and that's where the tension builds. Their dynamic is very complex and definitely not your typical relationship!
Taking one star down, because while I was hooked by the characters and the storyline, I was hoping for a bit more plot development and a little less focus on the steamy scenes (but hey! they were hOT). Anyway, I will love everything Nordika writes because I'm obviously biased lol
AND I can't wait for the next couple hehe
Now, Remiel’s name sits with mine because he is not only my source of pride, but my source of liberation. He is love. He is obsession. He is mine, and I am his, and not even death, fate, or a fucking suicide curse will tear us apart.
December 4, 2024
DNF
This is hands down one of the worst dark romance i’ve read. The book cover, characters and storyline all scream 2016 wattpad stories.
I can’t with the colored masks, I cringed so hard.
This is hands down one of the worst dark romance i’ve read. The book cover, characters and storyline all scream 2016 wattpad stories.
I can’t with the colored masks, I cringed so hard.
Read
December 2, 2024DNF
I went into this story blind, only influenced by a friend's five-star rating from a few days ago.
My bad.
Unfortunately, I quickly realized that this book revolves around one of the tropes I dislike the most: Secret societies that believe they are above the law. The idea that these groups consider themselves elite and can commit horrific acts with no repercussions because they think there is no one above them feels incredibly unrealistic. It undermines the story’s credibility for me.
My dark reads need to be grounded in some form of realism to feel believable. Without that, the story loses its impact and becomes harder to take seriously.
I'm out.
Peace, folks!
I went into this story blind, only influenced by a friend's five-star rating from a few days ago.
My bad.
Unfortunately, I quickly realized that this book revolves around one of the tropes I dislike the most: Secret societies that believe they are above the law. The idea that these groups consider themselves elite and can commit horrific acts with no repercussions because they think there is no one above them feels incredibly unrealistic. It undermines the story’s credibility for me.
My dark reads need to be grounded in some form of realism to feel believable. Without that, the story loses its impact and becomes harder to take seriously.
I'm out.
Peace, folks!
December 1, 2024
DNF. This is like a bad horror B-movie. Chaotic and over the top. Random scenes trying to create an eery ambiance spliced together with repetitive info dumps about this insane town that doesn’t even make any sense because it straddles the line between paranormal and reality. Author doesn’t even seem to know what she wants this story to be. It’s all over the place.
The MCs aren’t interesting or relatable in any way. One is a psychotic killer of innocent women (swoon🙄) and the other has zero personality other than wanting to commit suicide� for reasons I’m not even sure of because the writing is so bad.
The MCs aren’t interesting or relatable in any way. One is a psychotic killer of innocent women (swoon🙄) and the other has zero personality other than wanting to commit suicide� for reasons I’m not even sure of because the writing is so bad.
December 17, 2024
4 Stars
I really enjoyed this! Finally a "dark" culty type of book without sharing. Love how possessive they were.
Safety: safe
No ow/om drama
No cheating/sharing
No manho/1 has only had sex twice and didn't like it, and not much details on the other hero except he's never been in a relationship
I really enjoyed this! Finally a "dark" culty type of book without sharing. Love how possessive they were.
Safety: safe
No ow/om drama
No cheating/sharing
No manho/1 has only had sex twice and didn't like it, and not much details on the other hero except he's never been in a relationship
Read
December 17, 20240🌟
I read 20%---------(my thoughts) it's toxic but have scope to get better.😕
I read 45%---------(my thoughts) let's be optimistic, it's too soon to judge.🥹
I read 60%---------(my thoughts) let's face it.....it's dark romance, can't help with abuses 😰
I read 75%---------(my thoughts) let's not loose hope, the lead was way too caught up with his past.😭
I read 90%---------(screaming) it's not getting better but surely going towards the worst.
Me after reading 100%-----------(my thoughts) never reading anything from this author 😶
I read 20%---------(my thoughts) it's toxic but have scope to get better.😕
I read 45%---------(my thoughts) let's be optimistic, it's too soon to judge.🥹
I read 60%---------(my thoughts) let's face it.....it's dark romance, can't help with abuses 😰
I read 75%---------(my thoughts) let's not loose hope, the lead was way too caught up with his past.😭
I read 90%---------(screaming) it's not getting better but surely going towards the worst.
Me after reading 100%-----------(my thoughts) never reading anything from this author 😶
January 15, 2025
3 stars ⭐️
This book took dark to a whole new level, by far the most dark and brutal book I have read. If this was my introduction book to dark romance I think I would have thrown up 2 chapters in. Every time I thought the actions of these characters couldn’t get more f up, it just got worse to the point where I feel like I have to drown myself in holy water to cleanse my soul.
Every time there was a soft and romantic moment in this book, it turned grotesque and unhinged from out of nowhere and just ruined it all.
I mean at least I was entertained for most of it but I definitely do not wanna relive this book anytime soon✋�
maybe other ppl won’t experience this book as as dark as I do but I think this book particularly had a lot of elements that I have a harder time reading about. I don’t get triggered per se I just find some acts (such as non-consent) to be disturbing for me personally.
This book took dark to a whole new level, by far the most dark and brutal book I have read. If this was my introduction book to dark romance I think I would have thrown up 2 chapters in. Every time I thought the actions of these characters couldn’t get more f up, it just got worse to the point where I feel like I have to drown myself in holy water to cleanse my soul.
Every time there was a soft and romantic moment in this book, it turned grotesque and unhinged from out of nowhere and just ruined it all.
I mean at least I was entertained for most of it but I definitely do not wanna relive this book anytime soon✋�
maybe other ppl won’t experience this book as as dark as I do but I think this book particularly had a lot of elements that I have a harder time reading about. I don’t get triggered per se I just find some acts (such as non-consent) to be disturbing for me personally.
November 9, 2024
I was a little intimidated starting this, since I’m not always in the mood for something so dark. The fact that I enjoyed it so much is making me question myself.
I’m not going to do what I normally do and give details on both MCs and the story. I feel like everyone needs to get to know them on their own.
I was confused for a good minute at the start of the book because we get a lot of information about the setting of the town and the characters. That’s on me and my pea brain though!
This is a dark book. Nothing morally grey about it. At the same time, the dark humour gave it a lot of balance and took the crazy down a notch. (I never thought I’d be full on chuckling at some extremely twisted inner jokes😌)
I absolutely love the concept of it all and where it’s headed. There’s a lot of mystery, little plot twists and so many secrets kept in Moros. Secret societies, gangs, killers, cults. A damp, foggy town with an old gothic house in the middle.
The psychological aspect of this book is probably what I loved the most. Krypt’s obsession, his need to be seen. Remiel’s fear, his need to die. Two very sick men, who make each other so much sicker, but that’s what also keeps them alive.
It’s astonishing to me, how one’s mind can create such a beautifully dark story, about two people who end up so woven up in each others� sickness. A sickness and toxicity that lets them be themselves and free. It works for them so perfectly.
I keep thinking about everything I just read. Keep going over the story and the more I think, the more everything makes sense. This one is going to stay with me for a while!
Also…I’m obsessed with Krypt. I understood him and twisted ways and loved him despite it all.
I’m not going to do what I normally do and give details on both MCs and the story. I feel like everyone needs to get to know them on their own.
I was confused for a good minute at the start of the book because we get a lot of information about the setting of the town and the characters. That’s on me and my pea brain though!
This is a dark book. Nothing morally grey about it. At the same time, the dark humour gave it a lot of balance and took the crazy down a notch. (I never thought I’d be full on chuckling at some extremely twisted inner jokes😌)
I absolutely love the concept of it all and where it’s headed. There’s a lot of mystery, little plot twists and so many secrets kept in Moros. Secret societies, gangs, killers, cults. A damp, foggy town with an old gothic house in the middle.
The psychological aspect of this book is probably what I loved the most. Krypt’s obsession, his need to be seen. Remiel’s fear, his need to die. Two very sick men, who make each other so much sicker, but that’s what also keeps them alive.
It’s astonishing to me, how one’s mind can create such a beautifully dark story, about two people who end up so woven up in each others� sickness. A sickness and toxicity that lets them be themselves and free. It works for them so perfectly.
I keep thinking about everything I just read. Keep going over the story and the more I think, the more everything makes sense. This one is going to stay with me for a while!
Also…I’m obsessed with Krypt. I understood him and twisted ways and loved him despite it all.
November 24, 2024
"The Vile Boys have a calling card. Everyone around town knows it, but now that I’m staring at it, seeing the purple that marks it from him, I’m hesitant to flip it over. The symbol is always the same. The skeletal system of a torso. Ribs, a spine, the pelvic bone. It’s the splashes of colour that differ. Ten colours, and although I’ve never seen a purple one around town, I know I’m about to become vividly familiar with the bright shade."
If writes it, I am going to read it - she's one of those authors for me. And when she says something is dark then you best believe it's dark and absolutely won't be for everybody - even Nordika fans. This is NOT for the faint-hearted or easily offended. So before you decide to read make sure you check out the author's notes, and then strap in for the ride!
is book one in the 8 book connected Vile House series, and whilst they are standalone, the series is very much linked and you should read them all in order. This is Remi and Krypt's story and it's darrrrrrrk and messed up. Of course, I loved it regardless.
What To Expect:
💜MM dark romance
💜very dark themes
💜ԴDz-Dz
💜ٱ
💜first times
💜MH rep
💜Dz/Dz
💜fear k!nk
💜blood play
💜HEA (but warped)
Still want to read it?! Don't say I didn't warn you. Welcome to Vile House.
"Simply put, if you are bred by Moros, you remain in Moros. Not many get out, and if they do, they aren’t fit to survive in the regular world."
If writes it, I am going to read it - she's one of those authors for me. And when she says something is dark then you best believe it's dark and absolutely won't be for everybody - even Nordika fans. This is NOT for the faint-hearted or easily offended. So before you decide to read make sure you check out the author's notes, and then strap in for the ride!
is book one in the 8 book connected Vile House series, and whilst they are standalone, the series is very much linked and you should read them all in order. This is Remi and Krypt's story and it's darrrrrrrk and messed up. Of course, I loved it regardless.
What To Expect:
💜MM dark romance
💜very dark themes
💜ԴDz-Dz
💜ٱ
💜first times
💜MH rep
💜Dz/Dz
💜fear k!nk
💜blood play
💜HEA (but warped)
Still want to read it?! Don't say I didn't warn you. Welcome to Vile House.
"Simply put, if you are bred by Moros, you remain in Moros. Not many get out, and if they do, they aren’t fit to survive in the regular world."
December 2, 2024
I had a hard time rating this one because I wasn’t obsessed with it like everyone else seemed to be. For me it was more of a 3-3.5 but that’s just my personal opinion.
I can see why people are loving this book but it personally didn’t work for me. I was I trying to find the right word to describe why it wasn’t working for me. At first I thought it was dark but to be honest that wasn’t the right word. The kinks didn’t bother me. It wasn’t even the triggers, as many as there were, that made me unable to connect with this book. It wasn’t the characters because I actually loved them as well as the secondary characters. The word that made the most sense was TOO�
It was TOO much. Too many plots going on at once. Too many villains, too many words explaining something, too many emotions that were at war with each other that kind of kept contradicting one another. Just too much. Give me one plot with a side plot, not four different ones, give me two villains at most, not a handful of them. I think I like more simplicity and this books lacks simplicity and that’s where I couldn’t connect. It’s definitely a me problem and not the book because obviously everyone else liked it. But I was soo overwhelmed with it. By 80% I was anxious for it to be over because it was too much for my brain.
I definitely loved the concept but I had so many questions and at the end the author states questions will be answered in the next book but I think I would have liked it more if some of the questions were answered.
The TWs are heavy in this one, one of the main ones being SA between the MCs. But definitely check the other ones before diving into this. I’ll list a few below because my brain is too fried to remember them all.
TRIGGERS BELOW
NO CHEATING
NO OP DRAMA
NO THIRD ACT BREAK UP(separated but Krypt would say it can’t be a break up because it’s not a relationship)
TORTURE
MURDER
SA BETWEEN MCS
VIOLENCE BETWEEN MCS
BRANDING
SUICIDE ATTEMPT
SUICIDAL THOUGHTS
DRUGGING BETWEEN MCS
SOOO MANY MORE
I can see why people are loving this book but it personally didn’t work for me. I was I trying to find the right word to describe why it wasn’t working for me. At first I thought it was dark but to be honest that wasn’t the right word. The kinks didn’t bother me. It wasn’t even the triggers, as many as there were, that made me unable to connect with this book. It wasn’t the characters because I actually loved them as well as the secondary characters. The word that made the most sense was TOO�
It was TOO much. Too many plots going on at once. Too many villains, too many words explaining something, too many emotions that were at war with each other that kind of kept contradicting one another. Just too much. Give me one plot with a side plot, not four different ones, give me two villains at most, not a handful of them. I think I like more simplicity and this books lacks simplicity and that’s where I couldn’t connect. It’s definitely a me problem and not the book because obviously everyone else liked it. But I was soo overwhelmed with it. By 80% I was anxious for it to be over because it was too much for my brain.
I definitely loved the concept but I had so many questions and at the end the author states questions will be answered in the next book but I think I would have liked it more if some of the questions were answered.
The TWs are heavy in this one, one of the main ones being SA between the MCs. But definitely check the other ones before diving into this. I’ll list a few below because my brain is too fried to remember them all.
TRIGGERS BELOW
NO CHEATING
NO OP DRAMA
NO THIRD ACT BREAK UP(separated but Krypt would say it can’t be a break up because it’s not a relationship)
TORTURE
MURDER
SA BETWEEN MCS
VIOLENCE BETWEEN MCS
BRANDING
SUICIDE ATTEMPT
SUICIDAL THOUGHTS
DRUGGING BETWEEN MCS
SOOO MANY MORE
November 10, 2024
Genre: M/M Contemporary Dark Romance
Format: E-Book
Series: Vile House # 1
CHECK YOUR TRIGGERS BEFORE READING
This is darker than any of Nordika Night's other books/series.
Suspend reality, enjoy the town of Moros and the Vile Boys it holds.
Character Development: 4/5 � Krypt and Remiel... I am at a loss for what to say. Both broken, twisted, sick men in their own right. Their sicknesses call to each other and act as a healing balm. "In Sickness, We Find Health".
Plot: 5/5 � The plot was so well written. This was a story of two broken men, inside a larger story of the town of Moros. Each chapter felt like a gift that kept on giving.
Writing Style: 5/5 � The book was well written, with no grammatical or spelling errors. There was a lot going on, and the book itself has a huge cast but I never felt overwhelmed. I found myself wanting more and more of each of the Vile Boys.
Spice Level: 3.5/5 � This is not a traditional romance. Again, I say check your triggers. BUT, when Krypt and Remiel were together, it was literally scorching the pages.
Overall Rating: 5/5 � This is an amazing first book in the Vile House series. I am giddy for the other 8 books. Krypt and Remiel are damaged goods, sick and twisted. However, together they are stronger, they make sense. Like I said before, this book was so much more than two men, this was an interconnected web of deception, dark secrets and madness.
Tropes:
� Masked Men
� Forced Proximity
� Ownership
� Power Imbalance
� HEA but let's be real, neither of them are Prince Charming
Cheating:
Third-act breakup:
POV: Dual POV (First Person POV)
KU: Yes
Format: E-Book
Series: Vile House # 1
CHECK YOUR TRIGGERS BEFORE READING
This is darker than any of Nordika Night's other books/series.
Suspend reality, enjoy the town of Moros and the Vile Boys it holds.
Character Development: 4/5 � Krypt and Remiel... I am at a loss for what to say. Both broken, twisted, sick men in their own right. Their sicknesses call to each other and act as a healing balm. "In Sickness, We Find Health".
Plot: 5/5 � The plot was so well written. This was a story of two broken men, inside a larger story of the town of Moros. Each chapter felt like a gift that kept on giving.
Writing Style: 5/5 � The book was well written, with no grammatical or spelling errors. There was a lot going on, and the book itself has a huge cast but I never felt overwhelmed. I found myself wanting more and more of each of the Vile Boys.
Spice Level: 3.5/5 � This is not a traditional romance. Again, I say check your triggers. BUT, when Krypt and Remiel were together, it was literally scorching the pages.
Overall Rating: 5/5 � This is an amazing first book in the Vile House series. I am giddy for the other 8 books. Krypt and Remiel are damaged goods, sick and twisted. However, together they are stronger, they make sense. Like I said before, this book was so much more than two men, this was an interconnected web of deception, dark secrets and madness.
Tropes:
� Masked Men
� Forced Proximity
� Ownership
� Power Imbalance
� HEA but let's be real, neither of them are Prince Charming
Cheating:
Third-act breakup:
POV: Dual POV (First Person POV)
KU: Yes
November 21, 2024
Loved this! Nordika is quickly cementing herself as one of my favorite authors. This book was everything I want from a dark romance and more. And oh boy was it dark, as every other review has said- check your triggers. There wasn’t a single moment where it felt like this book dragged, every moment I wasn’t reading this, I was wishing I was. It consumed me every minute of the 24 hours it took me to finish it, and it will continue to consume me in the weeks to come.
When you’re like me and read over 500 books a year, it is really difficult to choose your top 10 books for the year. But I can easily say this book is in my top 10 (maybe even top 5) of books I’ve read this year.
I can’t wait for the next books in this series! There isn’t a single Vile Boy whose story I’m not excited for!
When you’re like me and read over 500 books a year, it is really difficult to choose your top 10 books for the year. But I can easily say this book is in my top 10 (maybe even top 5) of books I’ve read this year.
I can’t wait for the next books in this series! There isn’t a single Vile Boy whose story I’m not excited for!
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