Thank you NetGallery for the ARC! Sadly, I could not get into it and wish I could! Give it 2 stores cuz some of it was entertaining and definitely feel that others would enjoy it, it just wasn’t my style. Has potential though to be big and it did pique my interest about the rest of the series!

this book probably one of the most basic romance of all time but not in a bad way like you really can’t go wrong with a book like this like i don’t even know how to explain it like his like bad boy she’s a good girl idk but the way killian asher treats skye omfg and the power he has over her but also the POWER she has over him YES PLEASE the book was kind of slow like the begining was really good however by the time we got to the middle it started getting a bit repetitive like it was just the same thing over and over but like don’t get me wrong i would never say no to smut scene and there were quite the number of smut scenes in this book oooh and the other character there is something about lucian i don’t know what it is maybe it because his name reminds me of another book character maybe it just him and i cannot wait for his book and layla i already know i’m gonna love her book

Thank you for letting me read this arc!!


Please check the trigger warnings!

Must admit I was hesitant with the stalker trope. I liked both characters but I’m not a fan of third act breakup. It was a quick read!!

HOLY JESUS LORD


Before I start I want to say MAJOR TW!! Please put yourself first when you’re reading!!


I absolutely LOVED this book!!! I could not put it down once I picked it up. It’s such a good and easy read to get out of a slump or just something if you’re bored with what you’re reading!! Let me just start off by saying that Killian Asher is the possessive man everyone secretly wants. I loved the little heated arguments with Skye’s best friend (Layla) and her brother (Wes) and I hope to see more of that in the next book! One thing that was a little out of my reading style was that it seemed like a insta-love situation. But that quickly went away when I was absolutely captivated by the love that Killian and Skye share for each other. They quite literally brought out the best and each other and kudos to her for holding out for so long and letting him grovel ehehehe.



TROPES
- Billionaire CEO
- Stalker Romance
- Touch her and I’ll kill you
- Who did this to you?
- Self-made Business woman

Thank you to NetGalley for Giving me a e-copy of this book for an honest review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

⭐⭐⭐.75/5

In this book we are following Skye and Killian (one of my favourite names ever) in their love story. This book is a little dark with the murders and you kind of question if its a little of Stockholm syndrome but you also cant help but fall in love with them.

Their romance progressed rather quickly and with like 150 pages left you knew it wasn't going to be smooth sailing.

<Spoiler> You kind of could tell that Killian's secret was going to have something to do with Skye's past and that would be the cause of the typical 3rd act breakup, but still it was done very well </Spoiler>

I cannot wait to read the rest of the series <spoiler> and I really hope that a future book is about Lucien and Chelsea and I kind of think we'll get a Wes and Layla book too?? </Spoiler>

Have you ever sat down to read a book and thought to yourself, “I want a spicy psychotic book”?
Well look no further. Tainted Dreams is a dark romance where the main love interest is quite literally stalked until she falls in love with the main character. It’s giving “YOU” vibes, but in a spicer way. Overall, I did enjoy this arc and can’t wait to read more from Kimberly Quay.

Right, so were Playing hard and fast with the stalker trope here. More like light tailing. A brief stalk. If anything i would say this is more a voyer book than a stalker. I also got super excited because our MC's started to fake date but of course this was short lived as they only really 'faked it' for a few chapters.

So, our characters. I really liked Skye. She was bold, determined and wasnt afraid of her sexuality (like some FMC'S are). From the first chapter you were intrigued by her backstory and the more you got to know her, the more you came to love her strength.

Killian was a different story. Off the bat, I didn't get a good vibe from him. At first I couldn't put my finger on it. But then it clicked. He came across as really egotistical and a bit of a kn*b. Going on about how he's slept with Queens and kiss thousands of woman. Nah wasn't for me. His mood swings gave me whiplash and made it really hard to like him. Generally, his personality was too hard and unlikeable. But his saving grace was the chemistry he had with skye.
•
So normally there's a 3rd act rumble and this one happened relatively early on. My interest started to drift and in all honesty, if I wasn't so curious about the secret Killian discovered in the dossier I would have stopped reading. Unfortunately, it wasn't as much of a bombshell as I was expecting. Oh well.
•
Quay talked some hard themes in this book. It was really powerful to read how our MC's overcame their past and how it shaped their present lives.
•
So all in all, if your looking for an intro in stalker romances, this would be a great place to start.

Triggers -murder. Childhood truama/abuse. Domestic abuse. Arson.

Did he quite literally stalk her, yes, but I had a good time. If you don't find any part of a fictional man stalking someone romantic then don't read this, it will not be for you. It is however, for me. Killian and Skye are such a good couple and she really made him a better person. He always wanted to do what's best for her. I loved the unwavering faith that she had in him. It literally didn't matter what he did(besides the thing at the end) she loved him anyways.

This book gives me the same vibes as twisted love so if you like that you'll probably like this.

I received an arc through netgalley.

I was really excited to read this, loved the prose and really liked Skye. However, I found the ‘me man, me kill’ story line a bit tiresome and unbelievable - especially the way Skye just accepted it. Other than that part, I really did enjoy the book - I flew through it in a couple of sittings. Will definitely check out this author’s other work.

I really enjoyed reading this book. For me personally some of the sexual content was a little much but I was prepared thanks to the content warning. I think more people should have these. I also enjoyed the playlist part of the book. I listened to those songs while reading and I can surely say the emotions were stronger than I thought they would be. I look forward to reading the rest of this series :)

Tension - check
Spice - check
Murderous MMC who is soft for FMC - CHECK

I was not expecting to be so thoroughly sucked into this story the way I was.

i'm obsessed with beautiful cover. who couldn't be? i was sucked into this one immediately. i can't wait to keep recommending it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kimberly Quay for a free ebook in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: 3/5 Stars

This was my first book by this author and I was excited to get into it! I really was interested from the beginning, and was really into it most of the way through - just some themes weren’t for me. But enjoyable still!

I loved this book! Its definitely a darker romance, so please check your triggers but if you are able to read this title, please do! I love a good stalker romance and this was no exception! I really enjoyed the characters and their relationships. I hope this continues as a series because I was invested in the side characters and would love to get their stories!

This book was really good and really well written. I think it will do amazingly on social media when it comes out. The plot was great and I fell in love with the characters especially Layla.

➳ arc rating: 5 ★

First of all, I want to thank the author, BookGoSocial and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Tainted Dreams by Kimberly Quay will be coming out on May 26th, 2023.

Kimberly Quay is a new adult romance author. She also writes paranormal shifter romance and urban fantasy.

Tainted Dreams is book 1 in the TAINTED series. This novel is recommended for 18+ due to dark themes, violence, profanity, explicit sex scenes, and a possessive MMC.

What is the book about?
Killian Asher (MMC), a coldhearted billionaire haunted by a painful past, becomes obsessed with Skye Larsen (FMC), a tormented artist and yoga instructor.

Despite his focus on business and his resistance to relationships, Killian can't stay away from Skye and she consumes his thoughts and dreams. Skye, in turn, feels drawn to Killian and desires him like nothing else.

They are both determined to be together, and Killian is willing to do whatever it takes to make her his.

Tropes and themes:
• Stalker MMC.
• Spicy.
• Billionaire romance.
• Touch her and you die.

My review:
This book had me hooked since the very beginning.

Skye was so sweet but she also had a feisty side in her whenever she was around Killian; and the chemistry they had since the start was everything!

There’s a lot of grovelling from him at the end -for almost a year- that I really felt bad for him at one point but I was pleased with its conclusion.

Every time Lucian and Chelsea appeared, I was so invested in their story —I can’t wait to read their book! (and maybe Layla and Wes’ story too? 👀)

Tainted Dreams by Kimberly Quay is a great book overall with good writing.

My favourite quotes:
“She was a part of me, a part of my tainted soul. We were a perfect match made in hell.”

“I’d lost the only person who ever meant something to me, leaving me with nothing but tainted dreams of what could have been.”

Who I recommend this book to?
• Fans of the Twisted Series by Ana Huang.
• People who want to get into dark romance.

#TaintedDreams #NetGalley

Honestly, I didn't think I would like it because some of the themes weren't really my thing, but I was totally hooked. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read it. However, I do have to admit that I couldn't get past the creepiness of the stalker element. It just gave me the heebie-jeebies, you know? But overall, definitely worth the read.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this one. It was such a cheeky wild ride and I was here for it. I really liked the characters and the way the author flowed with the plot.

Right from the start , this book had me completely Hooked. The author had put in a lot of effort into crafting both the characters and the plot, which were well-developed and intriguing. However, I must admit that I was hoping for something more from the story. While it did contain elements of the classic "obsession-stalker" trope, I felt that it lacked a unique twist or fresh perspective. Despite this, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and found myself invested in all the characters.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

I did not enjoy this one. It was really weird and cringy for me. I went in hoping to give it a try even though i do not like stalker and dark romances.