Kill Switch is the third book in the dark romantic suspense series Devil’s Night by Penelope Douglas.  You absolutely have to read the first two books (Corrupt and Hideaway) prior to reading this one because it a true continuation of the series, and is not a stand alone, despite focusing on different main characters in each one.  If you read this book first you will be confused and it will spoil the first two books. Also, this is a dark romance, basically the whole entire thing is triggering as the book includes rape, abuse, issues with consent, violence, and misogyny.

“I’ve done far worse than what I went to prison for. She has no idea how bad this can get.”

WINTER

Sending him to prison was the worst thing I could’ve done. It didn’t matter that he did the crime or that I wished he was dead. Perhaps I thought I’d have time to disappear before he got out or he’d cool off in jail and be anything but the horror he was.

But I was wrong. Three years came and went too fast, and now he’s anything but calm. Prison only gave him time to plan.

And while I anticipated his vengeance, I didn’t expect this.  He doesn’t want to make me hurt. He wants to make everything hurt.

DAMON

First thing’s first. Get rid of her daddy. He told them I forced her. He told them his little girl was a victim, but I was a kid, too, and she wanted it just as much as I did.

Step two… Give her, her sister, and her mother nowhere to run and no fuel to escape. The Ashby women are alone now and desperate for a knight in shining armor.  But that’s not what’s coming.

No, it’s time I listened to my father and took control of my future. It’s time I showed them all–my family, her family, my friends–that I will never change and that I have no other ambition than to be the nightmare of their lives.  Starting with her.

She’ll be so scared, she won’t even be safe in her own head by the time I’m done with her. And the best part is I won’t have to break into her home to do it.

As the new man of the house I have all the keys.

If anyone could make me fall for a character like Damon, it’s Penelope Douglas. That woman could get me on board with truly anything. He did some very evil and fucked up things in the two previous books.  But holy shit, after this book he might actually be my favorite of the bunch. He knows he’s fucked up and just owns it without expecting or asking for forgiveness.

Winter is blind, and for some reason it actually took me a little bit to pick up on that and sometimes I even forgot but probably because Douglas does such a great job developing Winter into a full, immediately likable character who has a disability but is not defined by it. She was also so freaking brave; I would have been terrified if I was her for so much of this story but like many of the characters of this series, she has a love hate relationship with fear and often gets off on it.

I loved the history and relationship between Damon and Winter.  It was so tormented, vulnerable, aggressive, and thrilling. You learn a whole new side to Damon that’s so dynamic. My heart broke for both of them in so many ways wondering the what ifs about if they hadn’t experienced so much trauma growing up.

Things really escalate in the story for the series. More murder and intrigue and the gang really squads up for some amazing group scenes. And speaking of group scenes, 1) the sex was amazing as per usual for a Douglas novel, and 2) another steamy AF threesome scene (though I’m still partial to the one from Corrupt).

Also I think the romantic ending of this was the most dreamy and actually romantic of the series. Brb while I go dream about dancing around in magical fountains.

This book was for sure completely insane just like all the rest in the series but god am I so freaking obsessed with these books. Will’s story is being written next and is the final book in the series; we’re still waiting for a pub date but you can bet I already have it shelved on goodreads. Also I recommend reading the novella Conclave after this, which is a short bridge between this and Will’s story, Nightfall. It made me so pumped for the next book and honestly even more excited for Alex’s story which Douglas has said will be wrapped up in Nightfall as well.