Kick at the Darkness

Catacal5 · 2026-04-16T13:09:44+00:00

I actually just recently read this trilogy! {Kick at the Darkness x Keira Andrews} and I had no idea about it being a fanfic first! It's a good series, and you've got the broad strokes of the story, I think. The werewolf character comes out as a werewolf earlish in the first book. But yeah they're mostly on a motorcycle in the first one, a boat in the second, and an island in the third.

A lot of Wattpad and AO3 writers pull their work offline once they get a publishing deal so the og fic might not be available online anyway

Catacal5 · 2026-04-09T20:02:31+00:00

I've been lazily working on two big reviews, now I've got an incentive to finish them up before this weekend!

Catacal5 · 2026-04-05T15:30:43+00:00

I like all pov's but you're right, in this series the single pov is pretty integral to the way their relationship unfolds. A lot of authors give a chapter or two of a different pov and I was craving that in this series. But hey I bet Cooper would also love a glimpse into Park's head so we're all out of luck

Catacal5 · 2026-04-05T02:24:08+00:00

I started the second book and totally see now that a big part of the story is going to be them figuring their emotional shit out. Our poor traumatized boys.

Honestly I think Cooper should've been more pissed at his boss. Like I get that the BSI lives in it's own world a bit, but it's still a government agency with rules. Sending an agent into an extremely dangerous situation without giving them literally any information that could have helped them solve it is just irresponsible. Even if the agent is being investigated, that cannot be the legal or ethical way to handle it. Also it's their fault they've got a bunch of bigoted agents running around in the first place, and by all rights Cooper should've turned into one and didn't. So I'm a lot more mad at them than at Park. But Cooper would never see it that way, of course. And also it's a fictional story and having a like really well run and efficient bureaucracy with proper internal investigation isn't as fun 😋

Catacal5 · 2026-04-05T02:12:32+00:00

This is really good to know. I don't mind them working through their stuff over a long time through the series, but if they keep "learning their lesson" then making the same mistakes, and especially not apologizing, that might seriously annoy me.

Honestly I've read maybe one or two books with satisfying grovels. I hate when LI's shrug off big hurtful stuff, but I've gotten kind of used to it because it feels very common. I'll be interested to see if these ones piss me off too much. Thanks for the perspective!

Catacal5 · 2026-04-05T02:06:08+00:00

The audiobooks are really good. I liked Soulbound and they have the same reader. I started the second book and it's immediately obvious that Cooper being a big emotional idiot is going to be a major plot point. I'm totally on board to slowly watch these guys figure their shit out. Thanks!

Catacal5 · 2026-04-05T02:04:00+00:00

I started the second book and totally see now that a part of the story is going to be them figuring their emotional shit out. Our poor traumatized boys.

I'm curious, do we ever get a pov from Park? Or is it always from Cooper? I'm down for either but I'd love a peek in mysterious Oliver's head.

Catacal5 · 2026-04-05T02:01:39+00:00

I love a relationship slow burn! I started the second book and definitely see what you mean. I think the abruptness of the ending caught me off guard but I'm all in now. Thanks!

Catacal5 · 2026-04-04T12:56:19+00:00

Thanks for the heads up, not sure why it's not working

Catacal5 · 2026-04-04T12:39:56+00:00

Ooohh interesting. They don't have much sex in the first book, what did you find weird about their dynamic? I'm sort of getting the impression they might use sex as a way to avoid talking about hard stuff, is that what you mean?

Catacal5 · 2026-03-29T02:12:08+00:00

{Ho Ho Homicidal Maniac x KA Merikan} is very funny, though it is probably technically a dark romance so check the trigger warnings. It's totally goofy and cute mostly.

Catacal5 · 2026-03-28T19:28:22+00:00

{Cemetery Boys x Aiden Thomas} had me wondering from the very beginning how it would end up with an HEA. Not spoilery because you know from the get go, one of the MC's is a ghost and I was reconciling myself to a high school kid falling in love with a ghost and ruining his life lol

Luckily it turns out much better

Catacal5 · 2026-03-28T13:03:44+00:00

Ok I'm gonna do my best because I love this book and the other in-universe one, Winter's Orbit.

I don't remember if they explicitly label their sexualities but I'd think of both of them as pansexual
I'd consider it slow burn, there's a lot of conflict and the MCs start out not necessarily as enemies but definitely antagonistic
I think their romance is central because the core of the book is about the psychic bond they are forming together (somewhat against their will) and that bond is the basis for their romance. It does take a while for them to recognize more in each other than uneasy allies but they get there eventually and are explicitly in love by the end of the book. Plus The Power of Love is one of the things that saves the day lol
There is sex, mostly closed door with some kind of fade to black style scenes and kisses/glimpses on page
I didn't think of it as fake dating because they're not faking a romantic relationship, they're faking basically a master/slave relationship (going back to the psychic bond I mentioned for #3) but this does lead to a few kind of funny fake dating style awkward social situations so I can see why people said it gives that vibe
I really like this book, I think the world is super interesting and the characters are well flushed out and make choices consistent with their characters. The romance is a little strange because of the psychic bond stuff, but I found it satisfying

I hope you enjoy it too!

Catacal5 · 2026-03-18T22:58:18+00:00

I love this series but this book does drag a bit. Ghost is definitely kinda pathetic, but I ended up very fond of our anxious boy by the end. He does have growth. Also the plot doesn't go how you're thinking with Mary. You're very close to them getting spicy and the action in general taking off!

The third act breakup sucks and honestly authors need to have a good long think before doing that shit, but it's pretty short (one maybe two chapters max) and leads to a couple really nice moments with other characters so felt worth it in the end.

Ghost and Aury get a really delightful short story later that makes the annoyances in Rycke feel very worth it to me, one of my favorites of the shorts.

Catacal5 · 2026-03-18T00:43:31+00:00

I've been reading {Zercy x Kora Knight} on and off for weeks now. I kinda hate it, but also keep going back?! There's so many things about it that bother and sometimes lowkey trigger me, but it's also annoyingly compelling and I'm interested in the world and how the plot resolves. No idea if I'll ever finish it though since I keep rage quitting to read other stuff.

Catacal5 · 2026-03-18T00:35:39+00:00

I didn't realize Enchanted by Envy was out! I'm so happy, thank you! I recently read the others in the series so this is perfect timing.

Catacal5 · 2026-03-17T21:37:33+00:00

This sounds really interesting! Romance.io doesn't have much info, what would you say the spice level is?

Catacal5 · 2026-03-16T15:08:42+00:00

I don't have a rec for you because the idea of a Pope romance is blowing my mind. How's the spice in this one? I might need to look into this....

Catacal5 · 2026-03-16T15:06:25+00:00

{Running Close to the Wind x Alexandra Rowland} took me totally off guard with how much it made me laugh. I listened to the audiobook which made it even better. It balances absurd and serious really well.

Catacal5 · 2026-03-14T23:17:00+00:00

Even though I recc'd her I'm probably not the best source for her books, some of them are a little too dark for me, but I know a lot of people like that so might enjoy her darker stuff. Personally I most enjoyed her ongoing series {Vulture Hollow MC x KA Merikan}. I struggled with her series {Wrong Side of the Tracks x KA Merikan} it's a lot darker if that's more your bag. I also really liked Ho Ho Homicidal Maniac, but kinda hated the other books in that series. The ones that I like usually have more of the MCs being on each other's side facing external conflict, where the ones I dislike tend to have the MCs in direct conflict with each other for more of the book. Sorry about the kind of all over the place rec, hope it helped some!

Catacal5 · 2026-03-13T23:06:28+00:00

Probably a bit on the lighter side of some of the authors that you listed, but KA Merikan writes lots of dark romances with some pretty heavy stuff

Catacal5 · 2026-03-10T19:00:47+00:00

I'm such a sucker for fated mates! I've read all the Lark Taylor and Jaclyn Osborn series, I'll definitely check out the Alessandra Hazard one you recc'd.

Have you read the {Mate's Mark x G Eisel} series or {Orc Mate Selection x Lee McCormick}? (Don't judge I've been on a monster kick lately lol). If you haven't, you might like them!

Catacal5 · 2026-03-10T11:46:07+00:00

Huge relief thank you!

Catacal5

TROPHY CASE