“I was born with noble blood in my veins. Heir to a powerful dynasty. Wealth. Power. Aristocracy. Temptations too dangerous to resist. Until someone tried to steal it all. Scarred and broken, I emerged from the flames. Now I’ve returned to take what’s mine. Revenge.
The first item on my agenda? Make Ivy Moreno my wife. Second? Bend her until she breaks.”                                                               An extract from “A Taste Of Dark Romance”

Have you ever given up on looking for a good book after so many failed attempts at finding that one book that just makes you go “ooh” and “ahh” and it just makes you go “Oh..” and “yeah.. never mind?” Because I have and it’s not fun. So after scrolling and searching for a good book for hours on end that matches my interest, I finally found a book called,  “A Taste of Dark Romance.”

This is an amazing suspenseful romance story without actually having all that lovey-dovey stuff in between that makes me go “yuck” which is a good romance book just for me.

“A Taste of Dark Romance”, by Natasha Knight and A. Zavarelli was a book published in February 2023, which is a confusing, yet captivating twist of a dark, erotic, romance. This book is an alternating perspective story that goes back and forth between the two main characters, Santiago De La Rosa and Ivy Moreno.

The book begins with Ivy Moreno rushing out of her car into the pouring rain trying to get to the inside of her apartment complex until almost immediately, she suddenly stops in the middle of the lot. Feeling as though something wasn’t right, she scopes out the lot curiously while getting drenched in rain as an unfamiliar car arose into her view.

An all-blacked-out, matte Rolls Royce sat there, parked perfectly. Ivy decided to take a few steps closer to get a good look at the car, letting the curiosity get to her. “I.V.I” was the symbol embossed on the leather headrest. A sudden sense of panic swarmed Ivy leaving her breathless. It was them she thought, it was “The Society”.

She rushes into her apartment complex, slams the door behind her, and takes a few deep breaths as she makes her way to her apartment feeling relieved. Once in her apartment there on the counter, she sees unrecognizable keys and some black leather gloves. There is only one person she could think of at this moment and as if he read her mind her half-brother, Abel, comes out into the living room.

He delivers the news that her father is in a coma. He won’t say how or why, just telling Ivy she needs to go with him. Ivy’s head spins with confusion and ignores her brother’s request as she starts to get ready to see her father but just as she is getting ready, her brother grips her chin in a sudden movement and forces her to go with him.

Not too soon after going with her brother, Ivy gets relayed the news that she has been chosen for marriage and it is to the one and only Santiago De La Rosa who is one of the sovereign sons. Santiago has chosen Ivy’s hand for marriage not because he is in love with her but because of revenge. The De La Rosas and the Morenos are past allies to sworn enemies.

Santiago plans to destroy Ivy emotionally and physically until he finally kills her; however, that plan soon begins to shrivel up because of a funny feeling Santiago is starting to feel for his enemy, turning into a dark romance.

Santiago and Ivy are part of a “well-established” and “highly respected” organization called “The Society.” This organization holds power just as the mafia would. With this power comes education, professionalism, and discretion. However, unlike Santiago who is a part of the higher hierarchy in “The Society” called “I.V.I,”  Ivy is a part of the lower hierarchy in “The Society.” These positions in the organization correlate to how each member of “The Society” is treated and respected.

On top of Ivy already being treated like crap due to her status in this organization, unfortunately for her, she doesn’t have any friends and the best relationship with her family. Such as being disliked by her mother because she doesn’t live up to her expectations and shown little affection by her father, Eli Moreno, publicly.

Ivy has three siblings, her brother, Abel Moreno, who hates her guts because he feels superior to everyone; her sister, Hazel Moreno, who ran away from “The Society”  to escape from being forced into marriage; and then lastly her little sister, Evangeline Moreno, who does love her but they rarely see each other because they live in different homes.

This book is magnificent having me on the tip of my toes the entire time! It is mysterious, dark, and sensual. If you have never read a dark and erotic romance book then this is a book you should read. I used to hate reading books and I still do now; however on the occasion, when I come across a really good book that just captivates my attention, I’m all sucked in. I promise you that you won’t regret reading this book.