Friday, July 29, 2022

Release Blitz: Even If It Hurts by Sam Mariano

EVEN IF IT HURTS: A Toxic Romance (Coastal Elite) by Sam Mariano Release Date: July 29th Genre/Tropes: Dark Romance/Bully Romance/Villain gets the girl/Psycho Hero   AVAILABLE NOW!!! FREE IN KU!!! Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3PFZEfK 



Blurb: A psychopath and his prey. A dangerous, toxic, and utterly destructive love story...   He could have been my hero. He saved my life that night, a beautiful dark angel slicing through my fear and the water, dragging me from its deadly clutches. He should have been my hero. I thought maybe he was.   Villains aren’t supposed to win, and good should always conquer evil, but in the elite coastal town I live in, the only purpose a label has is letting you know what something—or someone—costs. Good, bad; it’s all relative, and it hardly matters. Baymont, California, is a land of beautiful villains and happy-ever-afters that are just out of reach.   Especially for me.   Until Dare moves the world beneath my feet, and even though I’m afraid to trust it—to trust him—boy, am I tempted. In more ways than one. Being with Dare is scary, but being without him is impossible. He makes it impossible.   Dare’s no hero, that much is clear, but maybe… Maybe he’s mine.   This story contains triggers and is intended only for a mature, adult audience. See the opening author's note for more explicit warnings, but know this is a very dangerous relationship with a very dark hero.   







4.5 Stars
Review by Jen Skewes

After I finished reading this book I asked myself what did I just read and why did I love it?  But I knew the answer to that question.  I just read a dark and twisted bully romance written by Sam Mariano and that is exactly why I loved it.  I have yet to read a book of hers that I did not like, no matter how dark and gritty they are.  But this time she took it to a whole other level.  I must WARN you though. Please read the trigger warning from the author because this book is not for everyone.  

 

Aubrey has a lot going on in her life to worry about having friends and going to parties.  But for some stupid reason she decides to attend a party one night and finds herself very close to death, until Dare, the guy that basically runs the school, saves her.  She has heard the rumors about Dare, she sees how he treats people at school and how in no way should she trust him. But when he starts paying a little attention to her, she starts to question her own morals, because she finds herself liking  the attention and him. 

 

Dare is a psychopath!  There is no other way to explain him.  People are afraid of him for a reason.  He saved Aubrey that night at his party so there must be somewhat of a conscience in there right?  I am still not sure…lol What I do know is that he makes a deal with the devil herself which gives him the chance to get to know Aubrey more.  For some reason he is intrigued by her.  Now this is where it gets tricky because this all started out as a plan to ruin her, but personally I think he had his own reasons for agreeing to that plan  Very vague, I know but if I give any more details it will ruin the story. 

 

Dare is a possessive, manipulative, dark human being.  He is a predator and Aubrey is his prey.  And while she thinks she knows what she is getting herself into and hanging onto some bit of hope that maybe she could really be his, she also knows that being with someone like Dare could ruin her.  But she cannot seem to help herself whenever she is around him.  She wants to trust him, love him and be with him, no matter how toxic this thing between them is.  And believe me it is very toxic.  He turns on the charm when he needs to, but still shows the other sick side of him and no matter what side she sees, Aubrey keeps going back for more.  

 

Dare is very calculated with his moves, everything he does is planned out and done for a reason.  And I think you see in the end what his plan was all along. I do not doubt that he loved Aubrey in the only way he knew how.  He wanted her, and as far as he was concerned she was his and vice versa.  But being Dare's in such the way that Aubrey was, came with many consequences.  Ones she was willing to a accept. I questioned her many times.  My God I questioned my own morals many times, because just like Aubrey I fell for a psychopath!!!  I tried to find the good in him, but I am not sure the is even possible.  They're relationship was beyond toxic, but despite everything that happened, she loved him!

 

As I type this and think back on the book I question why I loved this book so much but I know it's because of Sam Mariano.  This book is dark, twisted, raw and gritty.  If you have read a book by this author you know that she has this ability to create a monster, and write him in a way that you fall for him and then question your own sanity because of it.  She has a talent for writing the darkest of books.  As I said earlier int his review, she took this to the next level of dark, going places that I did not know if I could come back from. But here I am giving this 4.5 stars and wishing we have more of Dare and Aubrey.  So, if you love a dark bully romance, then this one is for you.  





About the Author: Sam Mariano loves to write edgy, twisty romantic reads with complicated characters you’re left thinking about long after you turn the last page. Her favorite thing about indie publishing is the ability to play by your own rules! If she isn’t reading one of the thousands of books on her to-read list, writing her next book, or playing with her adorable preschooler… actually, that’s about all she has time for these days.   

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