I literally could not put this book down. It was so good and so spicy! Like the perfect amount of plot and spice, which I believe is very hard to come by.
I cannot wait to read Harley's other books. But if you're into paranormal, demon, cult vibes - this is for you. ( )

I wasn't expecting or I wasn't prepared for this one, but I couldn't stop. Some parts were above my imagination, but it was intriguing and I am looking forward to the rest of the series. ( )

Raelynn Lawson has always felt the pull to return to her hometown of Abelaum and the paranormal vibe it's always had. So with her final year of university looming, she makes the decision to transfer. But she soon finds the paranormal vibe is a lot more real than she imagined.

Leon has been the captive of a human cult for over a century and he hates every freaking minute. He can't wait for the day they screw up and he can slaughter them all and he will finally be able to return to Hell. But when the option for freedom comes, he manages to find another reason to stay - Rae.

I read the second book, Her Soul for Revenge first. It said I could in the blurb and since that one really appealed to my mood - I did. And it was epic. I loved every minute even if it wasn't necessarily a perfect book. So with my book hangover and a slight curiosity of Leon and Rae's story - I thought I'd give this one a go. In some ways, I'm glad I did. In other ways not so much.

This is an okay read. It runs concurrently to the second book and there is the tiniest bit of overlap but otherwise it is kind of separate. It's got a decent plot, some interesting worldbuilding (though, as in the second one, it's a bit skint on the details), red hot sex and one really big problem in the form of the two main characters. Well, one main character.

The problem was Rae. Leon is average - I liked him more in this book than I did in the second - but he didn't really gain much more than like. On the other hand - I hated Rae. Or at least very strongly disliked her. She was too stupid to live. Seriously. Everything takes a crazy amount of proof for her to believe. I mean she's a paranormal investigator for fks sake - why would it be so unbelievable that any of it is true? Plus she completely ignores her instincts. She knows when something is wrong - but that seems to be her cue to convince herself that it's not and it was fkn annoying. She drove me insane and it made it very hard to enjoy the rest of the book. See, Juniper from the second book is a badass. She fights and fights and fights. Rae is defiant but she's not really much of a fighter - successful or otherwise. And I just didn't want to read a story about a timid mouse. It was not what I was expecting. And maybe that's on me - cause I read the second book first.

That said though I don't think I could've read it the other way around. Her Soul to Take fills in some of the blanks but I feel like the overall story is stronger for me having read Her Soul for Revenge first. It provides a better overview of what's actually going on and I don't think it would've made as much sense the other way round.

The relationship between Rae and Leon was sweet and flirty with a dark edge. It wasn't quite as dark as the next one gets in some ways but I also feel that it doesn't necessarily address kink and the lines between fantasy and the real world as well either. Although it does provide a disclaimer at the beginning regarding this.

Honestly I didn't really get the relationship between them. I didn't understand why Leon was so keen on her when she was busy doing everything she could to destroy his trust or run. I hated the bit where Rae tries to bind Leon to her will. He was already doing everything for her and proving he could be trusted and she just ruined it - and Leon kind of just accepted it! I mean yeah he punished her but after all his rants about freedom - how the hell did he let that go?

Not liking the main character did mean this was a particularly long book. Much too long when you find the sex starting to get boring and repetitive. But as I said, this book does fill in a few blanks mainly in regards to Everly and Callum (I'm so excited to read their story!) - it's not much and you could potentially skip it but I'm glad I didn't. Even if Rae drove me mad.

If nothing else, Harley Laroux is an author to watch. 3.5 stars. ( )

This is my first book by this author and I HAVE NO WORDS. I loved this story so much with the cult, the demons and all of it!! For once I actually loved the female lead but LEON has my heart ❤️ ( )

"Blood has been spilled in Its name. It is awake." Harley Laroux knows how to start a novel. This sentence is the perfect introduction to the world of Her Soul To Take, the first installment of the Souls Trilogy. It opens with the riotous inner monologue of Leon the demon, affectionately known as The Killer. He's been diminished into a glorified errand boy for a... small-town historical society? What? No way. That can't be right. Why would they need a pet demon? Anywho... one of his errands lands him in the crosshairs of paranormal investigator Rae, who has spent her life searching for the things that go bump in the night. Curious about a gruesome murder and the haunted history of her hometown, Abelaum, her pursuit brings those horrors right to her front door. Unfortunately for her, one of those horrors is a green-eyed, heavily tattooed demon, hell-bent (see what I did there?) on halting her investigations by any means necessary.

The imagery used to elicit horror is so vivid it's equal parts haunting and beautiful. The creatures that haunt the forest surrounding Abelaum are both terrifying and intriguing. Readers will find themselves wishing to see them, only to remember it probably wouldn't end well. Even the forest itself knows something horrible dwells there, with the trees themselves uprooting "as if they could walk away from the thing below that felt so wrong." But it's not only the details in the sights, sounds, and smells that make it feel so real. It's the depiction of that visceral, intangible feeling of wrongness that Harley conveys so well.

She seamlessly builds fear and anticipation while also building tension between Rae and Leon. "Au revoir, petit jouet. I'm sure you'll suffer beautifully for me." This line perfectly encapsulates the taunting and flirtatious nature of Leon. His character manages to traverse the thin line between seductive and scary. He's everything readers could ever want in a (fictitious demon) man.

Like most paranormal romance novels, it does fall victim to overdone tropes, especially in Rae's character. She's clumsy, uses glasses (that she has to push up her nose constantly), wears creepy clothes, runs headfirst into danger again and again, and has "not like other girls" energy. In my experience, this is almost unavoidable in this genre. What makes Her Soul To Take different is that the writing style comes across as very self-aware. It takes the tropes and presents them in a way that makes it a fun read. Rae's lack of self-preservation is almost a running joke throughout the novel and has significant importance to the plot.

I rated this book five out of five stars. The spice, the story, the horror, the humor, and the setup for the rest of the trilogy were perfect. There were only a handful of spelling/ grammatical errors as well.

Lastly, since it's erotic horror, readers will need to take possible triggers into account. The content warning straight from the author's page lists graphic sexual scenes, violence, hard kink/fetish content, horror elements, and drug use. If none of this is an issue for you, I highly recommend picking up this book. Although, maybe don't start it at midnight like I did because you won't be able to put it down. ( )