A review by mells_view
Painted in the Shadows by Nichole Greene

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I don’t know what it is, but something about him draws me in. I know he’s not safe, but he makes me feel protected in some insane way. Nothing about this makes sense.

Can we trademark “stalker dark guardian Angel” because that’s 100% what Leif is to Tavi. If you like contracted killers, stalkers, man obsessed, and age gap where the older person has sort of been like a watcher/protector over the younger character then you will LOVE painted in the shadows. This one does get extremely dark at times, but there is also a sweetness to the connection between Leif and Tavi. There’s also some action in this one, which I love.

CW/TW (provided by author in their IG linktree): Dubcon, Stalker, Death of parents (murdered), Abuse, Rape, Forced marriage, Violence, Sexual assault, Homicide, Torture, Primal CNC, Spanking, Breath play, Dissociation (coping mechanism), Hyper-sexuality (trauma response), Kidnapping