Blackthorn

A deliciously dark Gothic Romance from the TikTok sensation

By: J. T. Geissinger

Narrated by: Tara Langella, Connor Crais, Veronica Pace

Performed with passion and dark depth by Tara Langella, Connor Crais and Veronica Pace

In a town where the dead won’t stay buried, is love salvation . . . or the deadliest game of all?

Blackthorn is a tautly written, deliciously gothic tale from J. T. Geissinger, author of TikTok sensation Pen Pal. This is Deborah Harkness' A Discovery of Witches meets a spicier Masters of Death by Olivie Blake.

Twelve years ago, Maven Blackthorn fled her small hometown, leaving behind the wreckage of her mother’s suspicious death. But now, drawn back for her grandmother’s funeral, Maven steps onto Blackthorn soil once more, only to find herself thrust into a fresh nightmare: her grandmother’s body has vanished.

The Blackthorns immediately suspect the Crofts - the ruthless titans of Croft Pharmaceuticals, whose bitter blood feud with the Blackthorns has spanned generations. But when Maven comes face-to-face with Ronan Croft, the son of her mother’s suspected killer and the only man she ever loved, she discovers the forbidden passion they once shared is as alive - and dangerous - as ever.

As long-buried family secrets claw their way to the surface, betrayal lurks behind every whisper, and old vendettas ignite anew. The deeper Maven digs for answers, the more treacherous the game becomes. And the one man she can never seem to escape is hiding a truth that could burn their whole world down . . .

*Blackthorn is an addictive gothic romance with darker themes and scenes that may not be suitable for everyone. Please refer to the author's content note at the beginning of the audiobook.

Tropes include . . .

• Revenge
• Touch her and die
• Shadier than shade hero
• Forbidden romance
• Grumpy/grumpy
• Plot twists galore
• Beauty and the Beast
• Enemies to lovers

Critic reviews

Holy smokes! This series just keeps getting better and better! I can always count on this author for a sexy and laugh out loud funny romance. She straddles these two extremes so very well (Book Twins Reviews on Brutal Vows)

Utterly perfection, from giggling to swooning this had exactly the right amount of everything. I inhaled this book in record speed, every single one of my boxes were ticked! (Kitty Kat's Crazy About Books)

There are not enough words to do this story justice. It is MIND-BLOWING, intense, emotional, steamy, dark and so twisty. A masterpiece (When Vane Reads)

Holy sh*t one of the craziest (and smuttiest) books I've ever read??? I don't even know how to explain the premise of the book - you just have to read it to find out (JFD Books)

What did I just read? It is twisted. Mind bending. Reality altering. Wickedly kinky. Heartbreaking in an epic and ethereal way (PPS Bookshelf)

The perfect story

A wonderful story, I adore this author for a reason. Now the only question is: when will the second part be🤣😈. Perfectly voiced, which adds even more goodness to the book. Thank you, it's hard to say how Sunday passed, I didn't even feel like I was raking mountains of leaves, thanks to this book.

Ok I ate that book up in one go, but I have mixed feelings at the end.

The multicast duet for the audiobook was great. It’s performed by Tara Langella, Connor Crais, and Veronica Pace.
Tara Langella’s narration for a powerful FMC like Maven is exactly the voice I want in my ears for this kind of feral gothic romance.

Tropes
Enemies to Lovers
Grumpy x Grumpy
Revenge
Forbidden Love
Small Town & Gothic atmosphere

Content warnings
human sacrifice, violence, murder, mention of incest, horror, death, grief, and gore


Maven is exactly my kind of heroine (sharp, guarded, sarcastic). This is typically the type of FMC J.T. Geissinger writes, and I love her work for that.
Maven is forced to come back into this cursed hometown circus with Bea, her daughter. Enter the witchy aunts, a missing grandma, and a lot of grief.
Ronan is the son of the rival powerful family. He’s intense (oh boy, he is) and stalker‑at-the-gate obsessed.
The unresolved heartbreak between Maven and Ronan was honestly catnip for me, the banter is genuinely hilarious, and the plot kept me on my tiptoes.
Was this nightmares, fever dreams, or hallucinations?

I think I’ll join some reviews I’ve read about the end being a little bit messy and how all is unraveling.
There are a lot of details before it makes sense, but it was paradoxical because I understood the end beforehand.
I know this is weird. But maybe weird is on purpose and the point of this story.
I guess I’ll never know.