“I’ve done far worse than what I went to prison for.
She has no idea how bad this can get.”

Kill Switch, an all-new standalone dark romantic suspense by Penelope Douglas is live!
Sarah’s Musings…
5 Red’s My favorite Color CROWNS
I feel like I should start this review by saying this isn’t your typical romance. This isn’t boy meets girl, they fall in love, some conflict occurs that separates them for a short time, and then some grand gesture brings them back together.
This is a romance based on secrets and half truths. It’s a romance that centers on revenge and hate. As we all know love and hate are such closely related and passionate emotions, and Penelope Douglas blues these lines with Damon and Winter till they swirl around into a murky mess, where logic doesn’t make sense and your emotions rule.
My heart broke for Damon Torrance, and I knew that it would. Each scene from him in previous books showed glimpses of how lonely he was, how damaged he became from how life roughed him up. He is a character who on the surface seems to have it all – good looks, money, status, and yet he has spent his life denied the one thing he wanted. The times he thought he had it had been ripped away from him, and we really get to see what makes Damon tick, what has made him so angry. With each chapter and through the use of flashbacks we see all the mistakes and the misunderstanding and mistreatment, and our hearts shatter for this broken boy who became a cold-hearted man. Seeing him evolve, to let go of his anger and revenge and embrace love (in a very much Damon way) really showcases how forgiveness and acceptance are needed.
Winter is a wonderful heroine. There are times that I was angry with her while understanding the choices she made and the actions she took. There is a fight to her, with her pursuit of dance and her resistance to Damon. She isn’t idle. She does what she can to get her own happiness, but what I loved is that while she was able to bring love to Damon’s life, he brought her strength. He showed her how to grab what she wants and be fierce. Seeing her embrace these new parts of her character was just was rewarding .
From the very beginning we move back and forth between the past and the present. With each flashback, the author peels back the layers of Winter and Damon, and we get to see the missing pieces of their story. We get to see them fall in love, be torn apart, and attempt to deal with the anger, hurt, and revenge that follows. With any Devil’s Night book, there are surprises and revelations we weren’t expecting and some things that we were, but what I really loved most of all is the many topics and themes addressed in the novel and the evolution of Damon’s character. This is more than romance, it’s a character study on how a person’s past affects their psyche, how the desire for companionship can force humans to act out, and how love is acceptance of who someone is. This isn’t a swoon worthy romance, but it is a romance that has many more real-life lessons about love and life.
What I love most about this series is that it is a romance in the sense that these couples embrace the light and dark inside each other. None of them are fully good or fully bad, but they are still worthy of love. Their partners don’t try to change or suppress their urges or desires but they embrace them and let these darker parts out to play. For this alone, the Devil’s Night series will forever be one of my favorites.
ARC received in exchange for an honest review Continue Reading →