Hills of Shivers and Shadows by Pam Godwin
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
For the dark romance readers who:
say they are desensitized to TWs
say TWs are their love language
want to lose themselves in an original, super dark story
Hills of Shivers and Shadows will remind you why you fell in love with dark romance to begin with.
Trauma nurse and married woman, Frankie, is taken from her billionaire husband and brought to a remote cabin in Alaska by Denver (late 40s Brad Pitt look-a-like), where he lives with his three adult sons. Frankie does everything she can to escape, but what they have planned for her is far darker and more twisted than ANYTHING you can imagine.
Leo is the oldest brother at 30 years old, strong and gorgeous with hair "pulled back in twisty braids and complicated knots like a goddamned Viking". Kody the middle brother is a hunter, who prefers to stalk and watch from the shadows, "he's the scary one, the dark one". Wolf is the youngest at 23, "the epitome of a fallen angel, all dark shadows and misunderstood emo vibes."
Pam, our queen of forbidden/taboo romance is at the top of her game with this book. I was sucked in from the very beginning. When I say this book is dark, I'm not talking morally grey, we're in fully lights out territory here in the BEST way. And when the spice starts simmering, it grabs you by the throat and does not let go. The pacing is amazing. The character development is deep and authentic. The mystery behind why Frankie was taken is so unexpected that I just couldn't stop reading.
I also love how the setting of remote Alaska becomes a character in the book. Reading this I felt like I was there, alone, cold, lost. Most of the chapters are from Frankie's POV, but we also get chapters from all the men which makes the story feel richly detailed and lived in.
Some of the mystery is revealed, but not all of it and the story is far from done. Book two 'Cage of Ice and Echoes', is expected April 23 and book three, 'Heart of Frost and Scars', in June 2024, which is amazing, because if I had to wait any longer I might just implode.
I received an ARC of this from Pam Godwin in return for an honest review. And I can honestly tell you I am not the same person I was when I started this book. When I say I cannot wait for the next book in the series, I am not playing.
This book is best read by a cracking fire in a wood cabin during a winter storm. When the door bangs open it might be your captor or your savior at the threshold- either way you better run.
