Ink & Obsession by C.A. Burkhart

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Luna Stirling was on the brink of becoming a bestselling author. Her dark romance series ignited a fervor that swept through readers like wildfire, all thanks to the exciting world of BookTok. Without this vibrant and dedicated community, she could never have imagined that her tales of twisted love and seductive horror would captivate so many.

One night, as Luna promoted her book during a live stream, a renowned Masktoker, Dante Wolfe, secretly tuned in from his burner account. Intrigued by, Luna's playful comment that she left in his comment section that he could effortlessly embody the male lead of her dark romance. As he joined the live chat, he was instantly captivated by the sight of a stunning woman discussing the chilling intricacies of disposing of a body on a pig farm while her protagonists engage in a steamy encounter amidst the gruesome backdrop of pigs feasting on the remains.

At that moment, Dante realized he was destined to meet Luna, whether she was ready or not. The Killer had found his Muse, and their dark story was just beginning…

Thank you, Dark Star Romance, for providing me with an early copy of Ink and Obsession.

Have we gotten to the point where we’re just pulling tropes out of a hat and rubbing out a book? That’s what Ink & Obsession feels like.

This was an ALC I received from Dark Star Romance. It’s written by C.A. Burkhart and narrated by Troy Duran and Skye Lark.

The audio production was great. Skye Lark and Troy Duran gave energetic performances and brought these characters to life. There were a few spots in the audiobook where you could hear the narrators’ edits. Such as subtle changes in EQ and volume, but nothing that pulled you out of the listening experience. My real issue with the book is the story. It had potential, but it’s essentially a collection of ideas and tropes from other dark romance books, cobbled together into a book that could have been half its length.

A popular MaskToker starts stalking a dark romance writer. He follows her, and she gets thousands of followers in a day. Sound familiar? He installs cameras in her apartment, and the tropes go on. Technically speaking, the writing isn’t bad; it’s just recycled pieces of other books. What annoyed me the most was constant backtracking. Basically, we get a story beat from the FMC’s perspective, and then we have to hear the same story beat from the MMC’s perspective. I feel like it was a lot of wasted time that could have been spent telling a deeper story.