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What is this book?
The Risk is the first, ferociously fast installment in S.T. Abby’s viral dark-romance/thriller hybrid, the Mindf*ck series. It pairs an FBI profiler with—plot twist—the very vigilante serial killer he’s trying to catch. The hook is delicious, the length is novella-lean (about 130 pages), and the ending is a clean “see you in Book 2” handoff. Originally self-published in 2016, it’s now a cult fave across BookTok and Goodreads. mindfck-series.fandom.comjessicasreadingroom.comAmazon
Plot summary (spoiler-light)
Lana Myers lives a quiet, curated life in a small Southern town. Quiet is a mask. By night, she hunts men who participated in a catastrophic crime from her past. Lana doesn’t kill randomly; she targets monsters, and the kills are meticulous—mutilation as message. Enter Logan Bennett, a brilliant, idealistic FBI profiler brought in to consult on a new string of ritualistic murders. Their meet-cute is blades-and-banter: instant chemistry, instant danger. Logan feels seen by Lana; Lana feels…almost safe with Logan—an irony that fuels the series’ central tension. As bodies drop, the case narrows, and we know exactly how close Logan is to sleeping with the enemy. Think cat-and-mouse, except the “mouse” has a toolbox and a trauma ledger. SoBriefNew Book RecommendationBookey
Abby structures the novella like a fuse: short chapters, jagged hooks, morally provocative reveals. The climax doesn’t resolve the manhunt so much as raise the emotional stakes—and then the book ends, daring you not to one-click Sidetracked. jessicasreadingroom.com
The leads (and why they work)
Lana Myers — avenger in lipstick
A survivor who refuses the “survivor script,” Lana is purposeful, funny in a dry, surgical way, and terrifyingly competent. She’s not a femme fatale caricature; she’s a mission. The narrative doesn’t ask you to approve of her violence so much as understand it. She’s the series’ moral riddle: if you cheer a serial killer who only kills “worse” men, what does that say about you? SoBrief
Logan Bennett — profiler with a Boy Scout soul
Logan makes the world safer; he’s principled, observant, and a tiny bit cocky—exactly the kind of man who believes he can love someone better. His job is to map predators’ minds, which makes his attraction to Lana both inevitable and exquisitely dangerous. Their banter is part flirtation, part chess match—two high-IQs circling the truth. SoBrief
Chemistry
It crackles because it’s built on a lie. Logan is attracted to Lana’s steel; Lana is attracted to a kind of goodness she thought she’d never have again. Every tender moment is laced with dread—reader catnip for anyone who loves romantic tension with razor wire. New Book Recommendation
Quotes (short, spoiler-free)
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“They took too much. Left too little. I had nothing to lose…until him.” — Lana (series blurb, Book 1). Amazonjessicasreadingroom.com
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“Logan Bennett makes the world a safer place… While he’s saving lives, I’m taking them.” — Lana (blurb). Amazon
These lines set the thesis: an impossible romance between justice and revenge.
Tropes & vibes
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Serial-killer (vigilante) heroine vs. FBI profiler hero
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Morally gray to pitch-black anti-heroine
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Secret identity / sleeping with the enemy
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Cat-and-mouse romantic suspense
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Revenge quest rooted in past trauma
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Short, bingeable novella with soft cliffhanger into Book 2
If you like Anna Zaires’ danger-tinged pull or Dexter-style morality puzzles, you’ll likely vibe with this. Amazonmindfck-series.fandom.com
Trigger warnings (please read before diving)
This is dark romance/thriller with heavy material. Non-exhaustive:
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Graphic violence, torture, and murder
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Sexual assault in backstory; trauma and PTSD
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Vigilante justice and moral ambiguity
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Gaslighting/manipulation (from villains)
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Strong language and sexual content
Abby doesn’t linger on gore for gore’s sake, but the kills are detailed and the subject matter is intentionally upsetting. If those are hard lines for you, this series likely isn’t a fit. (For a quick orientation to tone and themes, see the Amazon overview and reader guides linked below.) AmazonBookey
Craft: How Abby sells the impossible
Pacing. The book moves like a chase scene. With ~130 pages, Abby trims exposition and lets subtext do heavy lifting; it’s “just one more chapter” storytelling. jessicasreadingroom.com
Duality as engine. The duality of every scene—flirtation vs. forensic scrutiny, tenderness vs. threat—creates the book’s oxygen. We’re constantly toggling between Logan’s faith in law and Lana’s faith in retribution.
Voice. Lana’s POV is sardonic and self-aware, often darkly funny; Logan’s is measured and observant. That tonal contrast keeps the romance buoyant when the plot gets bleak. (Several reviews highlight the balance of banter with brutality.) SoBrief
Where it shines (and where it stings)
The good
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Hook & execution. The premise could’ve felt gimmicky; Abby makes it authentically tense and surprisingly tender. SoBrief
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Lana. Unapologetic, competent, and emotionally credible—she carries the series.
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Lean structure. The novella form fits the “just try me” vibe; you can sample without a 500-page commitment. jessicasreadingroom.com
The caveats
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Ethics on fire. If vigilante murder as romance deal-breaker? Hard pass.
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Cliff-adjacent ending. Not a brutal cliffhanger, but definitely a baton pass to Book 2 (Sidetracked). Binge-readers will be thrilled; casual dabblers may feel teased. mindfck-series.fandom.com
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Violence threshold. While not extreme-horror, the kill scenes are graphic enough to alienate gentler readers. Bookey
Who will love it?
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Readers who like their romance with knives and moral calculus
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Fans of rom-suspense who want the “forbidden” dial cranked to 11
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Anyone craving a female anti-hero whose rage is plot, not just window dressing
Who won’t: readers needing squeaky-clean HEAs in Book 1, or those for whom vigilante violence is a non-starter.
Verdict
The Risk is a high-concept, high-tension amuse-bouche: sharp, sexy, and audaciously moral-gray. It’s less about “Is this okay?” and more about “Why does this work on me?”—and that self-interrogation is part of the fun. If you’re game for an FBI-vs-serial-killer romance that makes you complicit in every complicating heartbeat, queue it up—ideally with Book 2 ready to go.
Rating: 4 out of 5 cherry-red flags (and yes, I’m still rooting for them—send help).
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