The Beautiful Dead

The Darkness Within, Book 1

By: Skyla Raines

Narrated by: Liam DiCosimo, Zachary Zaba

Domino

They say I'm a monster. Cold. Unfeeling. A man born to rule with bloodstained hands. They're not wrong. I don't feel guilt when I kill—only euphoria. There's nothing like the rush of holding someone's life in my hands, knowing I control the exact moment it ends. Life is weak. Fragile. Death is the only truth.

Then I met Remi Cain. Quiet. Obsessed with the beauty of death, just like me. The second I see him, I want him. Not just his body, but his darkness—the parts no one else sees. I want to own him, break him, bind him to me with blood. I want him breathless in my grasp, heart pounding, knowing I could take him apart piece by beautiful piece and he'd let me. I'll destroy anyone who tries to come between us.

Remi

Life has always felt temporary, fleeting. People lie. Moments fade. But death? Death never changes. It's permanent. Unyielding. The only thing you can trust. That's what I've always believed—until Domino DeMarco came crashing into my world.

He's terrifying. Brutal. Beautiful in a way that should make me run. But I don't. I can't. Domino doesn't just thrive in chaos; he is chaos, and I crave it more with every beat of my heart.

We are bound by blood and obsession. In a world ruled by violence and betrayal, love is as deadly as death itself. But for us, maybe that's exactly what makes it beautiful.

©2025 Skyla Raines (P)2025 Podium Audio

Very dark MM obsession story

A lot of murder and torture. The story line is all over the place. Insta obsession by both psychopathic MMCs.
A lot of agressive spice. Where is the lube?! Seems totally unrealistic. A lot of knife play, blood play and biting.
The romance is limited to offerings of body parts and self sacrifice. The internal dialogue is often repetitive. There are a lot of 1 word sentences.

All in all it was a good listen but I probably wont listen again. Nothing that captivated me.

Dark, no romance???

The plot was all over the place and seemed very choppy. There was nothing that truly flowed from chapter to chapter. The characters are obsessed with each other, okay we got it. There is no need to repeat it over and over and over, especially after it’s been established in almost every single setting. It seemed like the purpose was to be “edgy” but after a while, the overuse of descriptor words became cringey instead. Unrealistic and repetitive sex scenes galore. For it to be classified as a romance, there should be some romance. There’s no intimacy, no development; just obsession and claiming. No suspense build up for any of the plot points or “twists” and no follow through with things that should be fleshed out more like with Ghost. The performances are the only reason this book is getting 2 stars.