The "BookTok" Trap
You’ve likely seen the aesthetic on social media: moody woods, occult symbols, and a "monster" who looks like a dream. Harley Laroux’s Her Soul to Take is a flagship for the dark romance surge that has taken over digital feeds. It taps into the same pulse as popular urban fantasy but strips away the "young adult" filter entirely. If you see this on a shelf or a digital wishlist, don't let the ghost-hunting premise fool you. This isn't a paranormal mystery with a side of kissing. It is a full-throttle dive into the monster romance subgenre that thrives on being as transgressive as possible.
The Leon Factor
The core friction here is Leon. He’s a demon summoned by Rae, a ghost hunter who gets way over her head. In a standard fantasy, Leon would be the "big bad" you're rooting against. Here, he is the love interest, though "love" is a heavy word for a relationship built on possession and obsession. This is the anti-hero archetype taken to its logical, supernatural extreme. Leon is a killer and he treats Rae like a "toy." For readers who find traditional romance tropes boring or predictable, this jagged edge is exactly what keeps them turning the pages. It's a specific fantasy about power dynamics that isn't trying to be "healthy" in a traditional sense.
Horror with a Pulse
The cult elements in the Souls Trilogy aren't just window dressing for the romance. The horror is legit. We are talking about ritualistic sacrifices and ancient evils that feel genuinely threatening. It creates a weirdly effective tension: you find yourself rooting for the demon because the humans in the cult are significantly worse. This is where the book succeeds as a page-turner. The mystery of the town and the danger Rae faces provide a solid skeleton for the more explicit scenes to hang on. It’s atmospheric and genuinely creepy when it wants to be.
Where it Fits
If a reader is looking for something like A Court of Thorns and Roses but wants it way darker and far more graphic, this is the destination. It’s the difference between a PG-13 action movie and an unrated midnight feature. While the world-building is surprisingly deep for the genre, the "kink" and "fetish" labels in the synopsis are not exaggerations. It’s a fast, dark, and very specific ride that knows exactly what its audience wants—and it doesn't apologize for it. If you're an adult reader who likes their romance with a side of ritual sacrifice and a "villain gets the girl" vibe, Laroux delivers exactly that.
