Monarch (Grimstone, 2)

Such an enjoyable read! A little mystery with some romance. Atlas was so 🥵. Love how the mmc was with the FMC. Possessive and protective. 🌶️🌶️. Excited for more from Grimstone! Thank you Sophie Lark!

If you are a thriller girly and wanna dip your toe in some romance, this is for you! This romance is equally dark romance, romantic suspense and a great romantic thriller! Definitely won’t be let down.This is a marriage of convenience, Elena is trying to make it work with the man she is to marry, but he is a bit unstable. But there is this mysterious man catching her eye at their stay at the hotel.I definitely throughly enjoyed this book! The first book had me in a chock hold and so did this one 😍

Monarch - what an incredible captivating thriller and whirlwind of a book! From page one I was hooked and I could not put it down until I had finished it. That its release date is in October and during spooky season is just perfect considering the dark gothic vibes you get while reading it.Sweet, innocent Elena moves to the US from Ukraine to be with her fiancé, Lorne, who she has only met once prior. When he was courting her over the phone, he seemed like Prince Charming and things seemed to be almost too good to be true ... and maybe they are ? It doesn't take long before Elena begins to see changes in Lorne, bad changes, and her only ally then becomes Atlas, the owner of the hotel where she and Lorne are staying while their house is under construction.This book literally had everything - it was a thriller with mystery, tension, angst and fear. It also had romance and two very loveable main characters. I absolutely loved Elena from page one, I could relate to her fear and the uncertainty she felt of moving away by herself and start over in a new place. I also loved Atlas and his protectiveness of Elena from the very start. He always SAW Elena for who she was without hesitation.I also want to mention the incredible art work that was featured throughout the book. Every time I read a Sophie Lark book I appreciate this so much, especially because I have a hard time visualizing characters even when they are described in detail on page. The added art work really helped me imagine the characters better, and I so wish more authors would do this in their books!This book is for you if you love these tropes:Gothic VibesForbidden RomanceFriends to LoversSlow BurnSmall Town

I have always been and will always be a Sophie Lark fan. The way she writes and the way her brain works is unlike anything else you will read in some of the very best ways.We meet Elena as she is coming to the United States for the first time as a mail order bride. She left behind all she knows as loves in Ukraine as well as a big secret that she’s been keeping…and running from. Upon reconnecting with her fiancé she realizes that maybe she didn’t really get to know him all that well and now is unsure of her future as whats in front of her is almost as terrifying as what she left behind.Arriving at the Monarch Hotel in Grimstone, Elena runs into the owner of the hotel Atlas. He’s immediately drawn to her and has had a bad feeling about her author fiancé for quite some time- his actions regarding her only proving it more. As the two start to get closer and she starts uncovering more about her fiancé’s true colors Elena realizes she might be in much deeper than she ever expected. Not to mention the bond she has started to form with her future husband’s neurodivergent daughter hangs in the balance of her choices.The unlikely bond between these two was just enough taboo to keep me on the edge of my seat but it almost felt too easy. The connection between Elena and Atlas was fun and flirty as well as mysterious. I loved the way Atlas was a safe harbor for not only Elena, but for Ivy too. After Grimstone I almost expected this book to be a little on the dark side for Sophie Lark’s work but it felt like diet dark romance in my opinion. I feel like this would be a great book for someone starting out and unfamiliar with the taboo/forbidden tropes and also dark romance as a whole!If you haven’t already- I highly recommend reading Grimstone, the first in this series. They are interconnected standalones and do not have to be read in order but you will see reoccurring characters/ themes which I feel like would be better suited to be read in order.

Another book by Sophie I absolutely DEVOURED. If I didn't have to work/have responsibilities, this would have been read in one sitting lol.I was hooked from the start since our FMC was a "mail order bride" from the Ukraine. Whisked away to the town of Grimstone where she hopes to begin her "fairytale life," Elena quickly learns that things are not exactly as they seem. Her husband to be, Lorne, is not the man she met on his holiday in the Ukraine. From their first encounter, he was shy, nerdy, handsome, and sweet. But this version of Lorne back in Grimstone is conniving, creepy, and just not quite right in the head... Elena's only solace in moving to America has been meeting the owner of the local hotel, Atlas. While staying at the Monarch hotel with Lorne while their house (or castle, rather) is finished being built, Elena can't help but feel a connection toward the larger than life hotel owner. Atlas is everything she could possibly want, and everything she knows she'll never have - not if Lorne has anything to say about it...Without giving too much away, just know this story is PERFECT for spooky season. After reading Grimstone, I was already so excited to dive into Monarch. The mystery, spookiness, and morose backstories held within the town of Grimstone make everything much more appealing for the readers who enjoy a more dark/gothic romance.Here's to hoping we get to return to the town of Grimstone once again to revisit our beloved characters on their journey to HEA amongst the chaos.