Once You're Mine: A Dark Stalker Romance (Possessing Her)

The characters have such a fun banter and full of surprises! I adore the possessive/ dominance/obsession that this author created for Hayden, and the independent strong female lead Calista. Beautiful name by the way. I cannot do my adult-things without snagging time with book 2! Absolutely amazing 👏, and definite spice moments. I forsee the characters light and dark being a fantastic blend, and I cannot wait!!!

I didn't want to like this book and I'm ashamed I do.I'm ashamed that I flew through it in 3 days of reading, when that's never happened to me with any other book.Their relationship is obviously unhealthy. Stalkers are rarely ever hot, rich men and if a man did ANY of the shit he did irl, it would not bode well.Beating the shit out of someone in a bar and police not being called, literally killing a man and setting the place on fire and absolutely no investigation taking place? Definitely unrealistic, but it is fiction after all and I guess that's the point of dark romance.Their entire relationship is unhealthy, obviously. But at least the fmc Calista isn't a complete idiot like in many other dark romance novels. Although, if you know you have a stalker and there just so happens to be the same guy constantly coming out of nowhere randomly wherever you are, I would think the math would be mathing. But I digress.It has a quick pace with very little fluff, which I appreciate. Kept me engaged, hence why I zipped through it so quickly and ends on a cliffhanger. So I guess I'll be binging the sequel now. 😪 Hopefully I won't be up til 5am for a second night in a row. 🥴Their relationship (if you want to call it that) goes 0 to 100 REAL quick. Touch her and you die is definitely an understatement. The intense drama of their sexual tension almost made me laugh, but not necessarily in a bad way.I did like that even though he's unhealthily enraged with any man that comes within 5ft of her, he's still gentle and caring with her and makes it clear from the jump that he wouldn't hurt her. Well, physically at least being that stalking mentally and emotionally causes harm. But anyways..The fact that he does become so enraged once he finds out her trauma was a big green flag for me (as ironic as that may be) and in that case I am totally okay with him unleashing his fury onto whomever caused it and will read through that scene with glee in the future if it's described in the second novel. 😈Absolutely LOVED her BFF Harper! She's funny and probably the most normal thing about this whole book. 😂My two qualms: The phrase "worried my bottom/lower lip" is used pretty consistently and ground my gears. But that's just my personal issue.Given the cover, I was expecting more of a paranormal stalker romance, so I expected him to be like a ghost or incubus or something. But it's contemporary, so I was kind of disappointed in that.I'm definitely interested in a paranormal stalker romance, so if you've read this far and know of some, please comment below. 😁😁

Had a lot of potential but with enough small issues what I could only give it 3.5 stars.First of all, the book was amazing until 50% then it kind of started to go off the rails.Calistas character felt inconsistent. At times she was a timid, shy, socially awkward and inexperienced young girl. Other times she was a witty and snarky adult woman with a good up bringing and a Senator for a father. It was like she had two different personalities and they didn’t mesh.Then this girl - who’s so timid she can’t even talk to a somewhat pushy coffee store customer - gets a job as a half-naked bartender in a B-rate Hooters-esque bar? No, just no.The stalking never got intense or angsty or… thrilling. Her reaction was “meh… I think I have a stalker”. Okayyyy. At no point was she scared for her life or did I feel a sense of uneasiness about the events happening. The writer could have made it so much more interesting.The interactions between Hayden and Calista started out great, but quickly delved into insta love territory, and the worst part was her self-depreciating inner turmoil about not being good enough. Towards the end the inner monologues got tedious. I just would rather action and dialogue drive the plot more than thoughts.The whole “I own you now” situation - while I typically love it, there is nothing better than a growly, dominant MMC - it just felt off. I was rolling my eyes over some of the interactions.On top of it all, for a stalker romance it was only mildly spicy. Granted I just got done reading a bunch of Penelope Douglas - aka the Queen of morally grey MMCs - so that has undoubtedly colored my opinion. I could only give it 2🌶️.The book had a lot of potential but it kind of fell flat. I’m debating if I want to read the second book just to see how the cliffhanger resolved.

I expected obsession. I expected suspense. I expected a morally gray man who had no concept of personal space.What I didn’t expect was how beautifully this book would describe love.Yes, it’s dark. Yes, it’s obsessive. But woven between the tension and possessiveness are some of the most memorable passages I’ve highlighted in a long time. The author has a way of putting emotions into words that make you stop reading for a second just to appreciate them.If you enjoy protective, “touch her and die” energy, plenty of suspense, and a romance that’s equal parts unsettling and strangely heartfelt, this one is absolutely worth picking up.Favorite part: the writing itself. Some of those quotes are staying with me for a long time.

This is easily 3.5 stars. The cliff hanger at the end *chefs kiss* You can feel the intensity between Callie and Hayden, but for me the real favorite is definitely Harper.The book, for me, starts off a little slow. It's a fast read but how Hayden talks in the beginning made me feel a little bored. Hayden is obviously intelligent. The way the author has him speak definitely portrays that side. It does get better throughout the book.Callie, or Calista, is a sweet girl who's lost her father. She went from being the pampered but kind senators daughter, to a very penniless woman struggling to survive. She has little to no confidence and has severe anxiety.I'd say that between the spice and the plot it's not bad. There are times it felt smut heavy but it followed along with the plot so it worked.Reasons it's not a 4 for me is there are a few editing mistakes in the book. Nothing terrible, a mispelling, a word that didn't make since in the sentence. Those kind of things. It's not mistake heavy but I noticed a few.I'm usually a little apprehensive about these types of books. The super obsessed ones, but this one wasn't terrible. I read this due to my old co workers starting a book group and inviting me to join. I'm glad I read it. Is it one I'll buy the physical copy of? I'm not sure. If I enjoy the second book in this series I'll probably pick it up.Reading this pros: there were times I laughed, times I felt the butterflies with Callie, times my chest hurt from understanding the pain she felt. I loved how Harper had a new name for Hayden everytime she talked about him. The author did a good job of trying to keep the book both smutty and interesting.I'm always a tad apprehensive about this genre only because obviously this is red flag behavior. Super fun to read and pretend that this is ok but totally different if this were to happen to anyone in real life. I think that's why this particular genre struggles to get a higher rating solely because women are nervous someone might read this and think it's ok. Obviously not the authors fault, reading is subjective.This may not be a book for you and that's ok. At the end of the day I'll read anything once! On to book 2!

The stalking element added such a chilling layer to the story, making everything feel more intense and unpredictable. And the pearl necklace? That detail stuck with me the whole time—it was such a haunting, symbolic touch that kept me intrigued and questioning what it all meant as the story unfolded.Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Love, love, love a good stalker to lovers trope. The way Morgan Bridges shows how the MMC is struggling with the new emotions the FMC has made him feel really helps give a look inside the mind of the MMC. The struggles the FMC has had to face shows how strong she really is. This book is chefs kiss. That cliffhanger about killed me. My only complaint is the cliffhanger and the MMC's secret...

It was good. It’s more on the beginning of stepping into dark romance. Ending wasn’t great either to make me want to read the second book.

The condition of the book came pristine throughout (spine, edges flawless). Theres no annoying stickers whatsoever on the book cover itself (inside or out) (i plastic wrapped mine for longevity).

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The book's quality is great, with good pages and an engaging story. It's a well-rounded package. If you're a fan of dark romance and thrillers, don't hesitate - give it a try