(WARNING )
(MATURE CONTENT)
When 21-year-old (Derek Smith) crosses paths with 19-year-old (Scarlett Bernard)
, he falls madly in love with her, allowing his obsession to grow stronger day by day. Trying to paint the perfect picture, he hides his dark, twisted past and lives a double life as a masked serial killer, murdering the people she loves most in her life. ("She is mine and mine only. I don't care how many throats I have to slice open; I'll have her to myself soon enough-Derek.)
Scarlett finds herself in love with a man she barely knows, and as time passes, she starts noticing strange things about Derek, leaving her unsteady and on edge. ("Everyone I love is dying around me. I don't want to believe it's him, but I have to know the truth-Scarlett.)
As more bodies drop like flies, Scarlett fears most for her close inner circle of friends. Her close, intimate relationship with Derek, aka Slasher, leaves them all at risk. Scarlett was just a normal college girl before she met the love of her life, not knowing she's caught in this dark web of a love story with no escape.
Clue by clue, Scarlett gets closer to unraveling the truth about the darkness that lives under that mask. Deep down inside, she knows the truth, but will she let her denial get in the way of people being murdered, or will she use her knowledge to stop dark, the menacing shadow that lurks around her? ("I love him, I really do, but sometimes I feel as if I'm sharing a bed with a complete stranger-Scarlett.)
With each soul that Derek takes with his blade, he feels more powerful, more menacing. Derek doesn't care how much blood gets spilled; just as long as he has Scarlett to himself, that's all that matters. ("I'm finally one step closer to having her she will be mine forever-Derek.)
Follow Derek and Scarlett both through their points of view in this dark, bloody, secretive, intense love story, including Scarlett's friends as they fight for survival.
Grief-stricken over the death of the boss who was like a father to her, Olivia Bailey is left to deal with the aftermath--the arrival of his dashing but estranged son, Pierce Alexander. But she can't stand him and he doesn't trust her. Will working for the new CEO remain to be an impossible task?
***
Olivia Bailey might be plain and boring, but she's content with her current lifestyle, working for the kind but lonely old man who owns Alexander Corporation. But his untimely death flips her simple life upside down. Now, she must deal with his estranged son, the heir to his business empire, together with the growing feelings building up between them. Will Olive manage to bear the pressure and issues cropping up along the way--or is this too much to ask?
Disclaimer: This story won The Wattys 2014 People's Choice Award.
Cover Design by Ashley Marie Bandy