Even If It Hurts

Coastal Elite, Book 1

By: Sam Mariano

Narrated by: Theo Sinclair, Allie Shae

A psychopath and his prey.

A dangerous, toxic, and utterly destructive love story....

He could have been my hero. He saved my life that night, a beautiful dark angel slicing through my fear and the water, dragging me from its deadly clutches. He should have been my hero. I thought maybe he was.

Villains aren’t supposed to win, and good should always conquer evil, but in the elite coastal town I live in, the only purpose a label has is letting you know what something—or someone—costs. Good, bad—it’s all relative, and it hardly matters. Baymont, California, is a land of beautiful villains and happy ever afters that are just out of reach.

Especially for me.

Until Dare moves the world beneath my feet, and even though I’m afraid to trust it—to trust him—boy, am I tempted. In more ways than one. Being with Dare is scary, but being without him is impossible. He makes it impossible.

Dare’s no hero, that much is clear, but maybe... Maybe he’s mine.

This story contains triggers and is intended only for a mature, adult audience. See the opening author's note for more explicit warnings, but know this is a very dangerous relationship with a very dark hero.

©2022 Sam Mariano (P)2023 Sam Mariano

Dare is Dark and Sam Mariano is Amazing

I love Sam Mariano. Her books are dark, but I know that going in. It's dark romance, and it is good. Her books pull you along. I never have a desire to take a break. I just want to keep reading/listening. I wish she would release all of her books in audio format. I'm reading Sophie's Surrender now. Haven't re encountered Dare yet, but I know it's coming and I'm looking forward to experiencing the stories back to back, even if one is on audible and the other on my Kindle.

The narration is PERFECT! It couldn't have been better. Both of the narrator's were new to me, so I was worried, but Sam did a great job selecting the ideal narrators for this story. They read well, emoted well and the pacing was exactly right. It was narrated duet style, which is tricky. They pulled it off with a fabulous end result!!

This takes you on a mind trip the whole way

MMC is completely physco! He's the villain and the villain wins in the end. I can advise that I didnt know what was going on, where the story was headed for 98% of the book.

M/F, Highschool, Abuse, Somnophilia, Non-Consent, New Adult, Audible

Dark

This book challenges you. So many feelings. Definitely not for everyone. But if you can push through it is one hell of a ride. Overall a good read/listen. Worth it for some and a hard pass for others.

wtf did I just read and why do I LOVE it so much

One of my favorite books this year, because wtf just happened? Seriously, if a book takes me by complete surprise I'm ALL in! I was completely enthralled in this read. I suggest my morally black unhinged loving dark romance girlies read this one. My feelings were thrown around left and right, and I wasn't sure who was causing what to happen. I wasn't sure if I was suppose to love the characters or hate the characters. AND then the dots started to connect... I am OBSSESSED with this man!
I want to write a more in depth review... but I can't without giving the whole plot away. If you like dark romance and unhinged men and you're the type that can go into a book blind... please do?

This is not a romance

So do not rate it as such. I still liked Mariano’s ‘Untouchable’ better. Carter > Dare, but the sociopathy of these hero’s is everything.

No one else is willing to color outside the lines.. and if they are, they’re unrealistic in how they go about it. Not These Books though! I love it.

Dark and twisted

Love that Sam Mariano wrote an antihero and committed to it! There’s no warm and fuzzies for this story. It’s angsty, dramatic, toxic and addictive. The narration was stellar by the talented Theo Sinclair and Allie Shae.

what a lovely mess!

the story was hard to turn off! As a general rule, I prefer unrealistic stories like Sci-Fi and such. But this story is realistically, unrealistic. None of the stuff would ever happen! That's what makes it fun and kept my attention, I believe. It's so twisted and so many turns. There are warnings all over that tell you .. you better have some kinks and sense of adventure if you wanna enjoy this book. Please audible all her works!

One of my favorite Sam Mariano

Dare is the best villain/boyfriend in the series. His possessiveness knows no bounds. You can truly feel Aubrey’s fear of him and her confusion about whether she loves him or is scared sh*tless.

Dark

It’s Sam Mariano, so it’s dark. The story is good, but I wanted more from Dare after it came out what he did.

Check Trigger Warnings

Deliciously Dark and Twisted

This is my first Sam Mariano book but if they are all as dark and twisted as this one, then she will soon become one of my favorite authors. Even If It Hurts was captivating, thrilling, and unpredictable. It kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. There are many words to describe Dare -- sick, demented, dangerous -- a real devil in disguise. Aubrey is way too naive and innocent for Dare yet once he set a trap for her, there was no escaping him. While I guess this could be considered a romantic suspense, I would consider it more of a romantic psychological thriller. I loved absolutely everything about this story. I wish all books were as intensely captivating as this one. If you like your rollercoaster ride with dark twists & turns that will leave you guessing all the way until the end, then this is definitely for you. Theo Sinclair and Allie Shae both did an amazing job bringing this story to life.
🎧Pink Flamingo Productions, The Flock Reviewer
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