A Review: Harley Laroux’s “Her Soul To Take”
Tropes and all the goodies in “Her Soul To Take.” (Designed by Rissa Bennett)
Below we get into my ratings and overall thoughts on “Her Soul To Take” by Harley Laroux. Strap in, this one’s crazy (and I loved it).
RATING: 4/5 Stars
Rissa’s Ranking: BEDROOM. “Her Soul To Take” is full of mouthwatering erotic horror, which I am such a fan of. The genre is so unique, but you need to proceed with caution prior to getting into it. These kinds of books are full of trigger warnings.
5/5 Peppers on the spice scale. It’s great.
“Her Soul To Take” met all of my high expectations and even exceeded them. This dark romance with occult elements made for an atmospheric read that kept me wanting more. How happy I was to find out this is a series! This demon-romance was one of the most unique and atmospheric books I have read. The spice had me…well, questioning things about myself. But, that’s a story for another day.
Our female-main-character (FMC), Rae, was so insanely likable and just about as flawless of a main character you can get. She was quirky and different, which added to her appeal. I always appreciate it when authors intentionally create FMCs who are fully fleshed out, with a heightened understanding of who they are. Rae unabashedly loves and gets turned on by scary things. She is a ghost-hunting Youtuber—which is badass—and you can feel how her interests drive her decisions throughout the book. I felt like I could truly put myself in her position, and, boy, there are many positions she gets put in (wink wink).
“Her Soul to Take” reminded me that I am a dark romance girl through and through. Dark romances, complete with their weird oddities and openness regarding taboo topics that aren’t talked about enough, have always stood out to me. Setting reality and social-norms aside and being able to dive into a totally different, fictional world to play out a controlled fantasy is a magical, freeing experience. It’s a fantasy that dark romance, specifically erotic horror, allows readers to do. I will stand by dark romance until the day I die—I understand why it’s not for everyone, but I just love the power I feel from reading it. I completely eat up the genre and Harley Laroux kills it every time (pun intended). Laroux is a must-read author if you're in the dark romance community. She has several dark, fantastical reads—cough, cough the “Losers” duet— to choose from; this one is great for those interested in starting their dark-journey with demon-smut.
Another element that stood out to me about this book was the lore behind our male-main-character, Leon, a literal demon. He had such a complex backstory full of abuse and captivity. Again, funny considering he’s a creature traditionally depicted as the embodiment of evil.
Feeling allured to dark, often self-destructive stories with BDSM elements, particularly CNC, can be a mental hurdle for some readers. The themes explored in dark romance are inherently taboo and often met with disapproval, yet they resonate with thousands of readers—myself, proudly, included. Stories like the ones Laruox writes offer a controlled exploration of boundaries, vulnerability, and forbidden desires.
As Laroux writes in Her Soul to Take, “In French, there’s a phrase for the random urge to jump from high places, the irrational desire to swerve into traffic despite imminent destruction: l'appel du vide, the call of the void.”
This “call of the void” encapsulates the inexplicable draw to the taboo and sexually stimulating themes that dark romance boldly embraces. It is this nature that keeps readers coming back for the chaos and deliciously dark themes. “Her Soul to Take” is an example of a book who situates itself dark romance and creates a world where readers can feel seen. And, yes, the smut is, whew! Leon and Rae are so magical together and are simply, sexy soulmates. I can’t wait to see what Zane has in store in the next book and look forward to all of Laroux’s future releases. Stay dark, stay smutty friends, there is nothing wrong with you.
