Sick Bargain (Vile House Book 1)

I knew from the beginning that Sick Bargain would be a wild ride. And what a WILD ride it was. I was engrossed in the book from the first chapter. There were so many twists and turns that I didn't expect and it kept me on my toes till the end of it. Krypt and Remiel are so broken for completely different reasons. Krypt is not morally gray, he is a morally BLACK character, he is unhinged, obsessive, and possessive, but Remiel accepts him the way he is. Krypt is Remiel's "sanity and insanity". Remiel needed Krypt's sickness to be able to soothe his sick mind, and to be able to pick life over his "curse". "I pick life. I pick me. I pick Krypt and all the beautiful ways he'll scare me". 💜 And Krypt needed someone who saw his monsters and accepted them, someone who thrived with his monsters. “Because Remiel is the only person who ever saw my monsters and coaxed them into loving him.” 💜 Two sick men who healed each other in a way that is not conventional for most people, but it was exactly what worked for them. “In sickness, we found our health.” 💜 The book started with one mystery and finished with another, and I'm here for MORE. I'm already excited for the next book. I'm curious about all the Vile boys' identities and their stories. Oh, I definitely don't trust the Doctor. I have so many questions, which I am excited to get answers to in the next books. I didn't expect this story to develop in the way it did. It was so much better and interesting than what I…

So so good! A few things I wish were included, I think there’s some kind of backstory I’m missing! I will be reading every signals book Nordika writes now!!!

This was a great start to the series and I cannot wait for all the guys to be unmasked and meet their matches! The town of Moros’ lore was built beautifully! There is a lot of detailed world building at the beginning of this book and information setting up Remi’s family curse, but it is so intriguing and pivotal to understanding how a town like Moros functions and why the residents lean on the Vile House and believe in them. It also sets up understanding the choices Remi makes to try to overcome his family curse and save his brother along the way. It also gives us a start to trying to understand Krypt and the rest of his Vile House family. I don’t want to give anything away because this book was a roller coaster between trying to outrun a curse, outsiders trying to worm their way in, and a match igniting these two in a way neither of them predicted. Watching Krypt and Remi feed each other’s demons and heal (in their own unique way) each other was wonderful. They truly compliment each other’s needs and are the perfect HEA for them! I will say please read the TW list if you have any concerns because this is a beautifully done dark romance. The scenes depicted these boys demons - especially Krypt’s who has no care- for the reader to fully appreciate!

Sick Bargain is a solid 2 ½ stars because I went into it with the right frame of mind. I went in expecting it to be ridiculously over the top. I had no expectations of realism or plausibility; I was just hopping on the crazy train for the ride – and it was reasonably entertaining. It felt like a cross between a comic book and a video game with elements of the old (1960’s) Batman live action serial with the occasional “Ka-Pow” coming at you. I wouldn’t classify it as “dark” per se but definitely delving into trigger topics for some; especially with a lot of initial dubious and or non-con, so warnings are appropriate. The story is very atmospheric, and I kept hearing Marilyn Manson singing “This is Halloween” in my head while I was reading it. It takes place in the infamous fictional town of Moros. “A secluded town with a daunting, depraved kind of history that also happens to be a tourist trap for sinister minds and occult fanatics”. It’s a gothic town filled with cults and secret societies, where the locals more or less seem to take care of their own and the tourists experience some version of The Wild Hunt meets The Purge. Remiel Sauder is a 26 year old young man born into a family under a suicide curse. All the Sauder men commit suicide. Remi’s father committed suicide, but he took too long to get on with it, so his mother killed him…but he would have killed himself eventually, so we’ll just call it suicide and move on. Remi doesn’t care if he dies, but he wants to live…

this book is by far one of the darkest books I’ve ever read and also the best I loved everything about this book from the main characters to the side characters to the world building to the spice. I am going to immediately start the next in the series and seriously cannot wait for more to come out in this series. Can’t come soon enough!!!