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Monarch
- Narrated by: CJ Bloom, Aaron Shedlock
- Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins
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Publisher's summary
In a desperate bid to get out of town, twenty-seven-year-old virgin and bookstore nerd Elena Zelenska becomes the world's most unlikely mail-order bride. Her gamble pays off when she's swept off her feet by Lorne Ronson, handsome single father and (gasp!) actual published author. Elena's new fiancé seems almost too good to be true. Her life is turning into a fairytale, especially once Lorne starts building her a castle in the woods. But when Elena arrives in Grimstone, her fairytale turns darker.
The castle in the woods is a macabre labyrinth of hidden chambers, and Lorne is no Prince Charming. In fact, he might just be a monster.
Isolated far from home, Elena's only ally is Atlas Covett, owner of the Monarch hotel. Massive and stern, even Atlas' employees are terrified of him. He becomes Elena's unexpected protector, offering sanctuary from the darkness that threatens to consume her.
As Elena's bond with Atlas deepens, her jealous fiancé exerts his control in increasingly twisted ways. Elena must find a way out before the castle he's building becomes a prison she'll never escape…
Lark Notes:
Halloween is my favorite time of year. Even though I'm a huge baby, I can't seem to resist true crime, thrillers, and movies that keep me up all night. Monarch is my love letter to Spooky Season, a romance-thriller mashup for those of us who crave the dark and scary, as long as we know there's a happy ending somehow. – Sophie
"Monarch" is a dark contemporary romance and a complete standalone. Listener beware: it has spicy scenes and triggering content not suitable for all.
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What listeners say about Monarch
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Marissa Hux
- 10-09-24
gothic vibes
I freaking love this series. The Gothic creepy vibes are so good! I especially loved Elena and Atlas in this one. Atlas seems so intimidating but I was drawn to him instantly. He's so protective and exudes power. Elena seems broken but the woman is utterly amazing and really fights for what she wants. Her love for Ivy and how she tries to protect her warmed my heart. However I was skeptical of Ivy at first. With all the creepy vibes I wasn't sure which direction her character was going - creepy kids get me every time 😂 - loved seeing her development though. Lorne the man who bought Elena was just SOMETHING ELSE. The audio was perfect. The accents played in well and sold me on these characters. Such a good suspenseful gothic dark romance!
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- Jenn @YeahOrNeighReviews
- 10-08-24
A staple for Spooky Season!
Sophie Lark's latest installment in the Grimstone series is a chilling delight. I devoured the audiobook, but following along with the Kindle edition, with its captivating illustrations, only enhanced my reading experience.
The storytelling is beyond masterful, as the author draws you in with a seemingly straightforward plot, only to twist it in unexpected ways that leave you both awestruck and perplexed.
This series will become a yearly tradition for me, offering the perfect blend of suspense, tragedy and dark romance. If you're looking for a spooky read to curl up with this Halloween season, look no further!
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- Amazon Customer
- 10-14-24
Loved it!
I’m loving this series. Just the right amount of everything and perfectly revealed. So much fun to read.
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- kevin and Deb conover
- 10-16-24
Yep, Romantic thriller
This book goes right along and then takes some sharp turns. Then towards the end jumps right off the cliff and as the reader I just follow along. This was a little lighter on the spice.
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- Anonymous User
- 09-30-24
A Perfect Blend of Romance and Chills
As the veil between worlds thins and the air turns crisp, there’s something undeniably magnetic about curling up with a book that brings both a flutter to your heart and a chill to your spine. If that is what you are looking for, this book is exactly that—a masterful concoction of eerie suspense wrapped in the warmth of a blossoming romance.The romance is rich, simmering with an almost irresistible tension. Sophie Lark has an undeniable gift for writing characters whose chemistry leaps off the page, entangling you in their emotions. There’s a delicious slow-burn to the suspense of this story. The balance between romance and horror is meticulously crafted, ensuring that neither overshadows the other but rather complements perfectly. I have enjoyed listening to other books by Sophie Lark and this book doesn’t disappoint. Sophie has a knack for infusing each scene with emotion—whether it’s fear, passion, or hope. The storytelling feels effortless and the characters real. The narration was spot on. Definitely worth the credit.
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- Katie R
- 10-02-24
Perfect Spooky Season Read
Sophie Lark is an auto-buy author for me. She does the dark, creepy and gothic vibe so well. And Aaron Shedlock is one of my favorite MMC narrators. This story is one that will stick with me for a while and will definitely be a relisten this time of year, Elena's biggest fear is also my own. I loved her and Atlas' story and the addition of Ivy. 5/5
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- Elaiza ☪︎
- 10-16-24
Totally hooked!
I absolutely loved this book, and the narrators brought the story to life in a completely captivating way!
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- Aly
- 10-08-24
3.5 Stars across the board!
I really loved book one and was super excited for this but it did fall a bit flat for me. There are a lot of triggers that seem important to me for people to check out and that wasn’t my issue because I did read those before proceeding.
I loved the MMC, but the FMC just seemed to come out of no where and this town has so many cool side characters I would of liked to see more out of them I guess rather then the random one brought in.
It did have a happily ever after for all involved, but it was a brutal run to get there for some of the characters in this story.
Overall I did enjoy seeing more into this town and the manor I just really wish we would of seen more of the charters I loved so much in book 1
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- Ashley Morgan
- 10-13-24
So Good !
Amazing performance. Story was phenomenal, I have never strongly disliked a side character so much, literally wanted to shove his head in a toilet but the connection between Elena & Atlas had me hooked from the start and I had to keep listening !
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- Alexandra
- 10-07-24
🌟🌟🌟🌟
🌟🌟🌟🌟
🌶🌶
Grimstone book 2 but can be read as a standalone.
Elena and Atlas’s story was a real gem. Atlas’s attentiveness and protective nature were touching, and their chemistry was undeniable from the first page. Lorne, the wealthy author and Elena’s fiancé, was unsettling right from the get-go. Anyone who neglects their child deserves a hard pass🗑 Elena’s relationship with Ivy was a sweet highlight 🥰. This book was a perfect pick for spooky season, and the mystery of the hotel chaos kept me hooked 👻.
🎧 This book was narrated by CJ Bloom and Aaron Shedlock, and they did an excellent job 🙌 CJ's accent was my perfection 👌🏻
💙Quotes💙
"To be touched by him is to be possessed by him, moved, warmed, manipulated in his hands."
"But Atlas was my heaven."
“Empathy is understanding even the ugly things. and there are a lot of ugly things. but a lot of beautiful things, too”
"I breathe her scent into my lungs, and she owns me forever."
"Stealing time from other people is one of the rudest things you can do, because it is the scarcest commodity that any of us have."
“Be with me always. Live here. Love me. Let me love you.”"
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