This was a wild ride and just what you’d expect from a dark billionaire romance. I can’t help but to love the trope of “once he sees her he only has eyes for her”. Definitely check CW. I will say though the stalker aspect is pretty lighthearted, almost to the point it’s a bit of a cheeky joke (and she’s in on it). I definitely didn’t mind that but for those who love the stalker trope it may not be what you expect.

The reason this lost a star for me was the many time jumps. And some random characters and plot points that would end up telling not showing. It made it drag on at some points.

The spice is plentiful. There was a good grovel and angsty bit. Thank you to NetGalley, BooksGoSocial, and Kimberly Quay for this ARC!

A great start to a dark romance series. I'm always a sucker for the dark and 'broken' MC who falls in love with his 'light' FMC and they fix each other. This was spicy with a mix of a cute relationship and I although Killian was very morally grey you can't help but love him and Skye. I was super hooked when reading this and couldn't put it down and I can't wait to read the rest of this series.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review. This book was spicy! I loved Killian and Skye and cannot wait to get to know them better in the next book. This first book I feel has laid the groundwork for a fabulous series! It was just the right amount of sexy, I loved it! 5 stars from me.

I want to preface this by saying that I am not the target audience for this book. I don't typically enjoy dark romances. So I don't think I was ever gonna love the MMC. I think the book started out a little rough. In the beginning I had a difficult time following the timeline and knowing what characters were in the scene. They seemed to come and go constantly over the course of one evening.

As I continued I liked the book more and I'm happy with how it ended. The plot lines were a little far fetched, but thats to be expected. If you go into a book like this expecting it to be realistic then you're in the wrong place. I am very interested to learn more about the other characters and will most likely read the sequels when they are released.

I definitely need a Killian in my life. I loved his and Skye's relationship, two broken souls trying to fix one another. She wasn't my favourite FMC and said 'oh' way too many times but I liked their story.

I'm always a fan of the morally gray and the alpha male. However, the book was a little repetitive to me. I just couldn't make myself love it how I wanted to. There's great potential but it just didn't follow through.. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

ok... I honestly did not expect to like this. some of the themes in the book I wasn't into, but like I was hooked. I really loved all of the characters, including side characters which has been sort of rare for me recently

should you date a dark stalker in real life? no. was I entertained? yes.

Rating: 4.25/5
Spice: 2/5

Took a chance with this book as the author is new to me but the synopsis intrigued me. Loved the story. Loved the relationship between Skye and Killian. I’m looking forward to future installments in this series. (Chelsea and Lucian and possibly Layla and Wes???)

Read this if you like/love:
- Billionaire dark romance
- Morally gray MMC
- “Touch her and you die” or “Who did this to you”
- Girl friendship goals (Layla and Chelsea)

Please do check for TW prior to reading, some include:
- Parent death/grief
- Physical abuse
- Discussions about addiction
- Killing
- Stalking

This story does include a third-act breakup that lasts for nearly a year due a secret/past action before they met. Both were not with other people during the separation but FMC did go out for one dinner as a favor to Layla.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

I couldn’t get past the creepiness of the stalker element. I couldn’t continue- too cringy for me.

This book reminds me of the twilight movies. Highly entertaining but super cringe-y.
Let me just say that I didn't hate it, it held my attention and it was an easy read.
However, if we're talking quality, the book was lacking in many aspects.
Firstly, I'm all about insta love, the concept doesn't bother me, but you're telling me she saw him, she literally glimpsed him, didn't even know how his eyes looked, and she remembered him for 2 YEARS?!!
I mean, that's stretching logic way too far.
The way she responded to him "stalking" her was so childish, it felt like she was an 8 grader who found out her crush likes her.
Their relationship was totally physical, I don't even think romance is the best description for their story.
The childhood traumas and "anger issues" were written badly, the author just wanted a reason for their connection, and mental health was the winner.
That being said, the writing style was engaging, I wouldn't go as far as saying the book was a page turner, but it was a fun read anyway.
Overall, not the worst out there.
*I received an ARC of this book through netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

⤷‧₊˚1.5⭑
“you need your space. i’ll give it to you, but you are still mine. so, go home with him, or any other man in those two weeks, and i’ll rip their fucking heart out.”

-spoiler-
that was weird.. i didn't really know if I would love it because it's a stalker romance, but I really wanted to try it so i gave it a try well- it was way too fast for me, they were really weird together and there wasn't any build up she was oh my god my beautiful stalker right at the start and then all of a sudden she's fake dating him because of her brother??
Or when she asked him what his name is, he then says her his name and she still says I'll call you Stalker??!

Everything that happened in this book was strange

Tainted Dreams by Kimberly Quay was exactly the book I needed to read.
Honestly I enjoyed everything about Tainted Dreams.
The stalking added a mysterious element to the story which I loved.
The obsession and possessiveness was amazingly told.
The characters were so well written and developed. Killian and Skye I loved their story and was intrigued the entire time.
And the writing was great. I was hooked immediately and sucked into this story which I was sad to see it end so soon.

Tainted is book one in the TAINTED series and I’m ready for book two.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I'm a sucker for an anti-hero story and Tainted Dreams did not disappoint. From the very first page I was loath to put down my kindle and just wanted to devour the story in one sitting. I'm not usually a fan of installing but in the case of Skye and stalker Killian it wotked, the chemistry was palpable and his 'burn the world" attitude towards anything that put his obsession at risk made me swoon (though a walking ref flag like Killian in real life would have me running to get a restraining order as fast as possible). Whilst I think the angsty twist might drag on a little too long for some, I think it was appropriate for the situation and was more than happy with the conclusion. I can't wait to read future books hopefully featuring the stories of Skye's two best friends and their respective love interests.

Please read the trigger warnings before reading.

Sadly this book was not for me. I was intrigued because I do like a morally grey character, but it all felt a bit fluffy in the beginning. Is it stalking if the woman wants him to watch her and can sense when he's present? Lol. It seemed a bit weird, plus I'm not really a fan of insta-love books. Maybe it's because I just finished Season 1 of You I had different expectations.

I've giving it a 3 star because even though I didn't enjoy it that much, I do believe this author has great potential.

Tainted Dreams kept my attention from start to finish. Killian was your typical alphahole who thought his word was law, but there were some fun twists to his personality I really enjoyed. His other persona was a bit over the top, and the story could have succeeded without it, but I still really enjoyed unraveling the different parts of him.

Skye had a difficult time figuring out who she was, and I think that really worked for the plot. Is she the happy-go-lucky yoga instructor? Damaged woman who went through hell as a kid? The possession of a man obsessed with her?

Her best friend, Layla, and brother, Wes, try to help her find herself as much as they can, but there's something going on between those two that distracts them. I think Wes has a hidden dark side, and I hope there's a book where he's the lead!

There's another set of friends - Chelsea and Lucian - who I wasn't a huge fan of. The scenes with them in it rubbed me the wrong way but didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story.

Tainted Dreams is billed as a dark romance, but it was tamer than I expected and I appreciated that. There was some serious spice and moral ambiguity, but overall a sweet romance!

Loved it! Skye is sweet and feisty and Killian is mysterious and sexy. They've both been through a lot in their lives, but they found each other and help each other. They are hot separately but even hotter together! I really enjoyed reading about their love story and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

Ironic. It's addictive but sadly not in a good way.

Thank you to the author and the publisher for this ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.