There Are No Saints makes stalking part of the central relationship rather than a threat coming only from an outside villain. Cole Blackwell is an established sculptor and serial killer; Mara Eldritch is a struggling artist whose survival captures his attention. Readers need to want this deliberately threatening attachment before the art-world setting or mutual attraction can become an appeal.
This researched assessment finds an arresting premise and meaningful disagreement about its execution. Positive reviewers respond to Mara’s resistance and Cole’s changing emotional reactions. Others find the trauma treatment shallow, the supporting characters thin or the momentum uneven. It is also the first half of a continuing duet, so buying this volume alone does not secure a complete relationship arc.
A mixed, narrowly recommended stalker romance with an unusual art-world premise, significant violence and consent boundaries, and a continuation readers should plan for.
Provisional Eikna score: 2.9/5. Four core dimensions cover 85% of the quality weight. Ending satisfaction and reread appeal remain unscored; heat is excluded. Researched editorial assessment; no firsthand reading claimed. Evidence confidence: moderate.
A numeric heat level has not been established. Read the review’s heat and content discussion for attributed descriptions before choosing. An unknown level is not a closed-door or no-spice promise.
The heat-level guide explains detail and frequency; the glossary entry for spice separates sexual content from quality.
The romantic outcome is not established in this summary. A romance label does not independently confirm an ending. Consult the discussion before choosing if closure is essential.
For the difference between romantic commitment and wider plot closure, compare HEA, HFN and cliffhangers.
Standalone or continuing-series status is not established in this summary. Read the existing format and series guidance for any available context; do not assume a missing series entry means the book stands alone.
The series-order guide explains what to check when a complete romance belongs to a connected world.
| Title | There Are No Saints |
|---|---|
| Author | Sophie Lark |
| Inspected edition | Bloom Books paperback · ISBN 9781728294247 · 272 pages |
| Publication scope | Bloom Books paperback edition, 3 October 2023; earlier work copyright 2021 |
| ISBN-13 | 9781728294247 |
| Edition page count | 272 pages |
The author or publisher evidence identifies the work. Publication dates refer to the stated edition or release scope, not automatically the first appearance of the story. Unknown identifiers and formats are left open.
Cole’s public success conceals predatory violence. Mara works several jobs while pursuing her painting, and surviving an attack puts her inside the rivalry between Cole and another artist. His attention offers artistic access while making her life less independent.
The publisher explicitly identifies stalking: it is a verified inclusion, not an inference from possessiveness. His interest involves monitoring her and controlling opportunities around her. The story’s attraction should therefore be approached as fictional danger rather than a model of protective courtship.
Reckless Reading particularly values seeing the stalking happen on the page, rather than receiving it as a label. That specificity supports the book’s fit for readers seeking surveillance and obsession as narrative elements.
Harlequin Junkie finds a relationship emerging as Cole experiences feelings he had previously resisted. A directly inspected StoryGraph reviewer instead reads the same conduct as manipulation without a convincing love story. The disagreement concerns whether emotional change makes this attachment romantically persuasive, not whether his actions are harmless.
Open Book Society praises the unusual premise and the way Mara confronts Cole. Its reviewer finds both central characters engaging and sees their resistance as part of the attraction. This gives the recommendation a concrete basis beyond simply liking morally dark fiction.
Book Addicts Reviews finds the supporting cast underdeveloped and the rival less frightening than expected. Its reviewer struggled through much of the opening before becoming absorbed late on. Readers wanting a sustained thriller rhythm or a richly developed ensemble may find the premise stronger than its delivery.
Publishers Weekly questions what the violent dynamic achieves beyond shock and criticizes the handling of Mara’s childhood history. That is a substantial craft objection: trauma supplies character stakes, but its inclusion alone does not establish careful development.
Fresh Fiction experiences a more effective emotional movement, finding reasons to hope for these characters despite the troubling material. Reckless Reading also recommends the dark tone while finding the final encounter and closing choices disappointing. Our mixed assessment preserves those different effects instead of treating discomfort as either proof of quality or automatic failure.
Sexual content is directly reported by inspected reader evidence, and the author’s notes reproduced on Audible call the book steamy. Exact frequency and a numeric heat tier remain unknown. Sexual intensity is not a quality score. StoryGraph: brittanyejuneau review. Audible US: There Are No Saints.
The publisher lists serial killers, blood, dubious consent, graphic murder and violence, mentions of child abuse, kidnapping, stalking, emotional abuse, self-harm, sexual assault, alcoholism and torture. Harlequin Junkie additionally reports voyeurism. This is a supported selection of boundaries; it is not an assurance that other difficult material is absent. Sourcebooks: There Are No Saints. Harlequin Junkie review.
For readers intentionally seeking a genuinely dangerous romantic lead and an adversarial attraction. Avoid it if surveillance, sexual assault, childhood abuse or an incomplete first-volume arc would undermine your enjoyment.
Selected responses disagree about both relationship credibility and momentum. Harlequin Junkie sees emerging attachment; the StoryGraph reviewer rejects the love-story interpretation. Book Addicts Reviews becomes engaged late, while Open Book Society dislikes stopping as the tension rises. Audible displays both listeners who enjoyed character growth and one who found too little happening until the end. These inspected examples describe disagreement without establishing a representative consensus or converting store averages into our score.
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Sinners Duet book one; There Is No Devil continues the same story. Harlequin Junkie describes a pivotal stopping point rather than a conventional cliffhanger, while Open Book Society finds the abrupt stop frustrating. Treat it as a continuing arc regardless of terminology. Audible verifies Lee Daniels and Jeffrey Holz as narrators. Current subscription inclusion and a Libro product identity remain unknown. The paperback record here is the 272-page Bloom edition, not a differently paginated illustrated edition.
The inspected Amazon product identity matches the stated title and edition. Confirm the selected format before buying; current price and stock are not established.
We may earn a commission from purchases through our links, at no extra cost to you. Check the verified Amazon edition.
The inspected Bookshop.org product is Paperback. Its title, author and ISBN 9781728294247 were checked; current price and stock are not established.
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Quality scale: 1 substantial weaknesses; 2 weaknesses outweigh strengths; 3 mixed; 4 strengths outweigh limitations; 5 exceptional sustained strengths. Half points are allowed. Weights: romance 30%, characters 20%, writing 20%, emotional impact 15%, ending satisfaction 10%, reread appeal 5%. A provisional overall score divides the supported weighted sum by its supported weight and rounds once to one decimal. Heat is descriptive and excluded. These scores express the evidence-based judgment explained in this review.
Mixed: fascination becomes attachment for some readers, but remains unpersuasive for others.
Provisional dimension score: 3/5.
Mixed: engaging central resistance, with limits in depth and supporting roles.
Provisional dimension score: 3/5.
Mixed with substantial reservations about pacing and narrative purpose.
Provisional dimension score: 2.5/5.
Mixed: dangerous intimacy can engage, while violence and execution can distance.
Provisional dimension score: 3/5.
Sexual content supported; exact heat tier unknown.
Not scored: the first volume continues, and closing responses are mixed.
Not scored: insufficient detailed evidence of repeat-reading value.
Yes. The publisher explicitly states that Cole begins stalking Mara, and inspected independent reviews discuss the surveillance on page.
The publisher identifies him as a killer and predator. His danger extends beyond protective behavior; readers should check the listed violence and consent boundaries.
It is book one of Sinners Duet, with the narrative continuing in There Is No Devil. Selected reviewers disagree over calling the stop a cliffhanger, but agree it leaves more story to follow.
No. The first-volume ending type remains unknown in this record; a continuing duet is not itself proof of an HEA.
The Bloom Books paperback published 3 October 2023, ISBN 9781728294247, with 272 pages. Other editions can differ in pagination and presentation.
For another surveillance-centered attraction with a different comic and suspense balance; check its own consent boundaries.
For hostile attraction and a deliberately difficult male lead without this serial-killer art-world premise.
For danger and romantic suspense when you want to examine a different protective dynamic rather than a killer’s fixation.
The contemporary romance collection includes this book among other choices. Compare those options if its premise appeals but a limitation gives you pause. The Stalker Romance guide explains the surrounding reading route and what to check before choosing.
A mixed, narrowly recommended stalker romance with an unusual art-world premise, significant violence and consent boundaries, and a continuation readers should plan for. For readers intentionally seeking a genuinely dangerous romantic lead and an adversarial attraction. Avoid it if surveillance, sexual assault, childhood abuse or an incomplete first-volume arc would undermine your enjoyment.
Libro.fm when this balance matches what you want to read.
Checked 2026-10-11. The How this assessment was researched preserves attributions and research limits. Unknown details do not establish absence. Purchasing links use our account.