Exploring the Depths of Pain and Passion in Does It Hurt

Does It Hurt? by H. D. Carlton
on July 21, 2022
Genres: Dark Romance
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Who am I?

I’ve forgotten the answer to that question long ago. Ever since I ran from that house, so desperate to escape, I left with only the clothes on my back and socks on my feet. After that day, I’ve only ever walked in stolen shoes.

Could I be a girl who is searching for the meaning of life in faceless men? They were all so forgettable. Until he came along. He took me under a waterfall and made me forget my name, and in return, I took his instead.

Enzo Vitale.

An enigmatic man that will only ever love the deep sea. Or rather the predators that inhabit it. Turns out, he’s not so different than the monsters he feeds. He lured me onto his boat like a fish in the ocean, seeking vengeance for my crime. Had I realized his intentions, and that a massive storm would leave us shipwrecked, I would’ve ran.

Now, I’m a girl who’s seeking refuge in a decrepit lighthouse with a man who loathes me almost as much as he craves me. He wants to hurt me, but the old caretaker of the abandoned island may have intentions far more sinister.

It’s no longer a question of who I am, but rather, will I survive?

Also by this author: Haunting Adeline, Hunting Adeline

Does It Hurt follows Sawyer, a woman who’s spent the last six years on the run, surviving by stealing identities from strangers. She winds up in a remote coastal town in Australia, where she picks the wrong target—Enzo Vitale. When he discovers she’s opened a credit card in his name, he decides it’s time for payback. Enzo lures her onto his luxury boat, and what starts as a tense confrontation quickly spirals into something far more dangerous. Think great white sharks, a violent storm, and a shipwreck that leaves them stranded on a tiny island with a run-down lighthouse, a creepy old man, and a few ghosts who aren’t exactly resting in peace.

While Does It Hurt is classified as a dark romance, I’d argue it leans heavily into erotic mystery thriller territory. The lighthouse keeper, Sylvester, is clearly hiding something sinister, and in between Enzo and Sawyer’s steamy escapades, they’re trying to piece together the eerie secrets of the island—and the spirits that haunt it.

What I really appreciated about this book is that even if you dialed the spice down to PG, you’d still be left with a gripping mystery. The pacing is tight, the suspense builds steadily, and the twist at the end genuinely caught me off guard.