Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice Rating: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 (5/5 - Explosive)
Plot Rating: 📚📚📚📚⭐ (4.5/5 - Gripping)
Let me start with a disclaimer: if your therapist ever suggests you make a "deal" with someone, maybe get a second opinion. Or at least make sure it doesn't involve a motorcycle club president and a month of forced proximity. But in Madison Lawson's "A Deal With the Reaper," this questionable life choice makes for absolutely delicious reading.
This book is what happens when you combine "Dexter" with "Sons of Anarchy" and throw in a heaping dose of spicy romance that would make your grandmother clutch her pearls (if she wasn't too busy reading it herself). June Graves, our delightful FMC, is a therapist by day and a serial killer by night. And before you judge, let's be clear: she only kills abusive men. It's basically community service with a slightly more permanent solution.
Plot Summary: When Stalking Goes Wrong (Or Right?)
The story kicks off with June, our resident stabby therapist, targeting Theo Zervas—president of the Saints of Purgatory motorcycle club—because she believes he's an abusive boyfriend who harmed her client's niece. Classic therapist-client boundary violation, but we'll go with it.
June begins stalking Theo with the enthusiasm of someone who takes their work way too seriously. She watches him, gathers evidence, and plans his murder with the meticulous precision of someone who definitely didn't learn this in graduate school. But here's the thing: Theo is no ordinary target. He's the president of an MC, which means he's been looking over his shoulder since before he could walk. He notices his sexy shadow and starts investigating her right back.
Their cat-and-mouse game is absolutely delightful—both suspicious of each other, both drawn to the darkness they sense in the other. When June finally makes her move to drug and kill Theo, he turns the tables like he's been taking plot-twist lessons. Instead of killing her or turning her in (how boring would that be?), he makes her an offer she can't refuse: live with him and the Saints for one month, after which she can try to kill him again if she still wants to.
June, cornered and outmatched, agrees. And thus begins thirty days of forced proximity, fake dating (because nothing says "I hate you" like pretending to be someone's girlfriend to an entire motorcycle club), and enough sexual tension to power a small city. As June navigates the complex dynamics of the Saints, she begins to see the humanity—and the monster—within Theo. Meanwhile, Theo starts to recognize that June's darkness matches his own.
The deal forces both to confront their assumptions, their pasts, and eventually their feelings. But let's be clear: this isn't a journey of redemption in the traditional sense. Neither character becomes "good"—they just find someone who accepts them exactly as they are: broken, dangerous, and absolutely perfect for each other.
Characters: The Morally Grey Dream Team
June Graves—She's basically what would happen if Harley Quinn went to therapy school and decided to focus on practical applications. June is a complex antiheroine with a compulsion to kill abusive men—a coping mechanism born from her own abusive childhood, time in foster care, and betrayals that would make anyone reach for a knife. She's fiercely intelligent, methodical, and driven by a twisted sense of justice that somehow makes perfect sense.
What makes June absolutely delightful is her absolute refusal to apologize for who she is. She's not looking for redemption—she's looking for someone who understands that sometimes the only way to stop a monster is to become one. Her friendship with Sadie is her anchor to normalcy, and her eventual romance with Theo is transformative not because it changes her, but because it gives her someone who sees her completely.
Theo Zervas—He's the president of the Saints of Purgatory, a man who commands respect through a combination of charisma, violence, and the kind of raw presence that makes you simultaneously want to hug him and run away screaming. Scarred by the loss of his daughter and lover, Theo is driven by loyalty, responsibility, and anger that would fuel a small city.
Theo is both ruthless and compassionate, capable of great violence and great tenderness. His relationship with June is a crucible that challenges him, matches his darkness, and ultimately helps him heal—not by changing who he is, but by giving him someone who accepts every part of him. He's protective to a fault, loyal to his core, and surprisingly funny when you least expect it.
The Supporting Cast—The Saints of Purgatory are basically a found family of misfits who've chosen each other over everything else. James (Theo's best friend and VP) is the moral compass, Luna (treasurer) is bold and unapologetic, Sadie (June's best friend) provides unwavering support, and Detective Lorry McCoy serves as the obsessed antagonist who can't let go of the past. Each character is fully realized and contributes to the rich tapestry of this world.
The Good Stuff: Actual Quotes (Because We Need Evidence)
Note: These quotes capture the essence of the story's dark humor and raw chemistry.
"A sexy broken, really?"
This quote perfectly encapsulates the book's approach to romance: finding the beauty in the brokenness, the attraction in the damage. It's not about fixing each other—it's about loving each other exactly as they are, scars and all, dark pasts included, questionable life choices embraced.
"Little reaper, I got rock hard watching you slit a man's throat, and you got off when I fucked you next to his body."
Okay, wow. This quote is basically the thesis statement of the entire book. It captures the intersection of violence and intimacy, the way these characters connect through shared darkness rather than in spite of it. It's raw, unapologetic, and absolutely perfect for this story.
"I didn't wanna force her out of the murder closet."
This line (said by Sadie about June) is the kind of dark humor that permeates the entire book. It's funny because it's absurd, but it's also oddly touching in its acceptance of who June is.
Trigger Warnings: Read Before You Proceed
This book comes with serious trigger warnings for a reason, so please take them seriously:
- Graphic violence and murder (obviously)
- Domestic abuse and references to past abuse
- Sexual assault and references to sexual violence
- Addiction and substance abuse
- Kidnapping and torture
- Death of a child
- Gun violence
- Mental health issues including PTSD and trauma responses
If any of these are triggers for you, proceed with caution or skip this one. Your mental health is more important than any book, no matter how good it might be.
Tropes Galore: A Masterclass in Dark Romance
This book is basically a greatest hits collection of dark romance tropes, executed with absolute perfection:
Enemies to Lovers—The ultimate foundation. June literally plans to kill Theo when they first meet. Their relationship evolves from mutual suspicion to grudging respect to complicated love. It's a journey that feels earned rather than rushed.
Forced Proximity—The month-long deal ensures they're literally living together, creating delicious tension in every interaction. There's nowhere to hide, no escape from the growing attraction.
Fake Dating—June has to pretend to be Theo's girlfriend to the entire MC, which provides both comedy and opportunities for genuine feelings to develop behind the facade.
Touch Her and Die—Theo's protective instincts are off the charts, and once he claims June as his, anyone who threatens her better have excellent life insurance.
Morally Grey Characters—Neither June nor Theo is "good" by traditional standards, and the book refuses to condemn them for it. They're survivors who've made hard choices, and their love story is about acceptance rather than redemption.
Found Family—The Saints of Purgatory provide a chosen family that's fiercely loyal and unconditionally accepting, showing that family isn't always blood.
He Falls First—Theo is absolutely down bad for June from pretty early on, even when he's pretending to be suspicious. It's delicious watching him try to resist his feelings while falling harder every day.
What Makes This Book Absolutely Devour-able
The chemistry between June and Theo is off the charts—they're not just attracted to each other; they're fascinated by each other's darkness. The banter is sharp and witty, the spice is plentiful and well-written, and the emotional depth comes through in unexpected moments that will absolutely wreck you. It's the kind of connection that makes you believe that sometimes the only person who can truly understand you is someone else who's been through the same kind of hell.
The author has a gift for balancing the darkness with moments of genuine humor and heart. There are scenes that will have you laughing out loud, moments that will make you fan yourself with the intensity of the chemistry, and then suddenly you'll be hit with something so emotionally raw that you'll need a minute to compose yourself. This emotional roller coaster is exactly what makes the book so compelling—it never lets you settle into one mood for too long, keeping you constantly engaged and invested in what happens next.
What's particularly impressive is how the book handles the trauma and mental health aspects. June's compulsion to kill is never romanticized or glorified—it's presented as a complex coping mechanism born from survival and pain. Similarly, Theo's past losses and the ways they've shaped him are treated with nuance and respect. The story doesn't offer easy solutions or magical cures; instead, it presents the reality that some scars don't heal, but they can become part of who we are rather than defining us entirely.
What sets this apart from other dark romances is the psychological depth. June and Theo aren't just antiheroes—they're fully realized people shaped by trauma and survival. Their journey isn't about becoming "better" people; it's about finding someone who sees them completely and loves them anyway.
The pacing is relentless, keeping you turning pages late into the night, and the supporting cast is rich enough that you'll find yourself genuinely caring about everyone's fate (and apparently there's a sequel coming about James and Sadie, which I am HERE for). The world-building is meticulous without being overwhelming—you get a real sense of the motorcycle club's inner workings, the bonds that tie them together, and the threats they face from both law enforcement and rival gangs.
The dual narration style works perfectly here, allowing you to see the same situations from both June's and Theo's perspectives. This creates a delicious tension where you, as the reader, often know more than either character does about what the other is thinking or feeling. It deepens the romantic tension and adds layers of complexity to their relationship as you watch them navigate their growing feelings while trying to maintain their respective facades.
One of the most brilliant aspects of this book is how it subverts expectations without betraying the genre. You expect certain tropes to play out in familiar ways, and then the author adds twists that feel both surprising and inevitable. The way June and Theo's relationship develops isn't just about physical attraction or forced proximity—it's about two damaged people recognizing that they've found someone who doesn't need them to be anything other than who they are. That's rare in any genre, but particularly so in romance, where the expectation is often that love "fixes" people.
The Verdict: Why You Should Read This Immediately
This book is a masterclass in dark romance done right. It's dark without being gratuitous, spicy without sacrificing character development, and romantic without compromising the grittiness that makes the genre compelling. Madison Lawson has crafted a story that refuses to shy away from the ugly parts of humanity while still finding beauty in the connections we form.
The 4.5/5 rating reflects a near-perfect execution of a challenging premise. The only reason it's not a perfect 5 is because there are moments where the pacing feels slightly rushed, particularly in the third act, and some readers might find the moral ambiguity challenging (though honestly, that's kind of the point).
The spice rating of 5/5 is well-earned—these scenes are hot, frequent, and actually advance the relationship rather than just existing for their own sake. The chemistry is palpable in every interaction, and the emotional vulnerability in intimate scenes adds depth that goes beyond physical attraction.
The plot rating of 4.5/5 reflects the gripping, fast-paced story that keeps you engaged from start to finish. The external threats, internal conflicts, and relationship development are well-balanced, creating a narrative that never drags but also doesn't feel rushed.
Bottom line: If you like your romance dark, your characters morally grey, your spice plentiful, and your humor twisted, this book is absolutely for you. It's the kind of story that makes you question your own moral compass while rooting for two people who probably should be in prison (but hopefully end up together instead).
Pick it up, but maybe don't mention it to your actual therapist. And definitely don't try the home remedies suggested in these pages—unless you're a licensed professional with a very specific set of skills and a motorcycle club to back you up.
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