Thank you NetGalley for providing an eARC.
DNFed @ 37%

I don’t think I could take much more.
This is within a standalone series where you pretty much need to read the previous book to know the other characters the FMC is friends with since we are thrown in like we already know who they are and their story. This wouldn’t be a deal breaker is everything else was well done. I feel like there needed to be a lot of editing for unnecessary scenes/chapters (e.g there is literally a chapter of her going to the store to buy sunglasses because of a bad booty call. Why was this not summed up), they knew each other’s names without us, like why would he give her his real name the first night while he’s masked? I also feel like some scenes should have been in the other’s pov. There were also a lot of time skips instead of developing their trust towards one another. The sex scenes that did happen were lack luster.

I did like that the FMC was unapologetically a sex addict and that they talked briefly about STDs and the stigma behind herpes. Their issues that needs to be resolved was clear but I just wasn’t that interested.

If you are just here for vibes and a priest kink, try this one out.

This is a dark, forbidden priest romance that delves into themes of sin, temptation, and redemption. The story follows Bane Blackwolf, who has renounced his violent past to become Father Blackwood, only to be confronted by Moira—a woman from his past who reignites his buried desires. Their intense, enemies-to-lovers dynamic unfolds in a narrative rich with emotional turmoil and erotic tension. The novel has been praised for its compelling character development and gripping storyline, earning a 4.17 rating on Goodreads. Readers should note that the book contains mature themes and includes trigger warnings for mental illness, abuse, and trauma.

It's a very sexy story, with two deeply flawed characters who somehow make each other better.
The story is fast-paced and to the point, but I did feel like it could be a lot shorter.

I like the build of events and how everything unfolds. It is not only a spicy read but a deep loving of the heart.

This book surprised me—in the best way. It’s one of those rare reads that’s equal parts hot, heavy, and hilarious. At its core, it’s a spicy, emotionally-charged romance with BDSM elements, but layered beneath the steam is a story about trauma, mental health, identity, and control—and that’s where it really shines.

Moira and Father Blackwood (aka Bane) are fire together. Their chemistry is off the charts, but what really made me fall for them was how deeply flawed and human they are. Both are trying to cope with pain in their own destructive (and relatable) ways—Moira through chaos and wild freedom, and Blackwood through structure and repression. Watching them collide—and heal—in their own messy, sexy, hilarious way was deeply satisfying.

And wow, the humor. I wasn’t expecting to laugh as much as I did. Moira and her best friend Mads had me cracking up constantly. Their banter gave the story such levity, even when things got emotionally intense. Honestly, I kind of want to be their third best friend—they made me feel seen in all my weird, chaotic glory.

Yes, the spice is delicious, but what really stuck with me were the bigger themes: grief, shame, addiction, bipolar disorder, identity, and what it means to truly accept yourself and your partner. The author handles these topics with honesty and care while still keeping the story engaging and hot.

There are a few dark twists and moments where the stakes get seriously high, and it kept me on the edge of my seat. If you’re looking for a romance that’s more than just heat—something that isn’t afraid to get raw, messy, and real while still making you laugh out loud—this is it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I devoured this and would absolutely recommend it to anyone who loves their romance with depth, sass, and a whole lot of spice.

Unholy Obsession
Standalone Book 3 in the Carnal Games Series
Author: Stasia Black
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/🌶🌶🌶🌶

What a sexy but heavy read made fun by the amount of humor and sarcasm thrown in! I laughed throughout the book and enjoyed every minute of it. I want to be best friends with Moira and Mads!!! They had me in stitches all while making me feel a little more normal.

This book has delicious spice and great plot. But the best thing about it are the topics it dives into…real issues and lifestyles written for the reader to get insight into.

—-------------------------------------------------------

Father Blackwood is all about maintaining control. Moria is all about living life wild and free. But both are running from the pain of their past and barely hanging on.

After years of maintaining control and becoming the opposite of his father, Father Blackwood sheds his priest collar, gives into his darker desires, and visits the sex club just a few blocks from his church.

Moria frequents the sex club close to the church and often participates in the activities as a way of escape. But a year after she does something that ruins her relationship with her only brother and his fiancé, she finds herself having issues with enjoying herself and finding release. That is until she has one night at the club with Bane, a mask wearing Dom who makes her feel things she has never experienced.

Little does Moira know, Bane begins stalking her in the shadows at night and saying prayers in his church during the day. When she stumbles into the church feeling lost and spiraling, Father Blackwood can longer resist her temptation and decides to let Bane out to play.

Right when things become steady and happy for Bane and Moira, the stakes become high and lives are put at risk when other people begin to threaten their relationship and lifestyle. With outside pressures, Bane's need for control, and Moira's spiraling between depression and mania all playing against them, Bane and Moira have to make choices that could wreck them both.

—------------------------------------------------------

Contemporary romance
-Religious taboo
-He is a priest with a need for control who wears a skeleton mask
-She is an incorrectly diagnosed sex addict with a wild and sassy personality
-He is immediately obsessed with her
-She always spirals with a smile on her face
-Sex Club
-Dom/Sub
-Sex Addict and Bipolar rep
-Parental trauma
-Dealing with issues of guilt
-Therapy and Medication changes in personality rep
-Humor as a coping mechanism rep

Thank you netgalley and publisher for allowing me access to this eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Moira, a crazy out of control girl with an addiction to sex.
Bane, an always in control Priest with a messed up past.
Smut, Love, a wee bit of action, BDSM and maybe 15% plot. With Bipolar rep (dunno how accurate.)

I enjoyed this, it was a fun time imo. It wasn't too dark, but some of Moira's thoughts and feelings tugged at my heart strings because sometimes I think and feel in the same ways that she did.
I did not appreciate the time skips, It got a little confusing and I just wanted to know what happened in those times. I just felt like it was kind of unnecessary to have, but I get the author was trying to make their relationship seem longer than it maybe felt. Didn't work for me though lol
There was some detail errors on occasion that made me had to reread things.

I loved the ending though, it was so stinking cute! definitely will be picking up more of Stasia Black's books in the future.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series and couldn't wait to read Moira's story. If you read 7 Days (formally known as Cherry Auction) and thought it was too spicy, this book is a lot more mellow on that front. But it is still a dark romance.

Moira meets her love interest first knowing him as Bane but behind the mask he wears to the club, he's a priest at the church near by. Moira and Bane have a past they are running from but by being together they make each other better.

I was annoyed a little bit with Moira's brother blaming her for what happened in the first book but things start to look up towards the end of the book for them. I loved Moira and Bane's relationship.

But when one of their pasts comes back to haunt them, will they beat the odds and come out on top???

Thank you so much Netgalley and the author/publisher for accepting my request to read and review this book!

I saw this book was advertised as a dark romance with BDSM with religious elements and I just kneeewwww this would work for me

And it did.

I loved it.

I would definitely recommend checking the trigger warnings, this is a DARK romance, but I didn't personally find anything particularly egregious.

I also didn't realise this was book 2 in a (kind of) series set in this world by this author, but I don't feel like I missed out on anything by jumping into this one first. Although I will be reading the 'first' one as well now.

Bane/Father Blackwood was delectable. The spice was incredible. I was hooked on the drama.

I felt like the mental health rep and conversations were well done and not romanticized.

100% going to be reading more by Stasia Black.

Big thanks to Netgalley and Stasia Black for the eARC in exchange for a review.

This book comes with a few trigger warnings, but if you are good with some religious blasphemy, dom/sub, and lots of mental health talk with examples of manic and split personality disorders with A LOT of smut, you will enjoy this one.

He's a priest, she's a sex addict, but maybe together they can be a bit more.

This was a fun dark romance. It starts out right on the first page grabbing your interest. I honestly thought they would play out the religious aspect a bit longer before it was revealed to Moira. It worked out well but became a different type of romance. Still a great dark romance read overall.

I really could not get into this book; I read 36% and then did not finish it. Moira's character was immature with low self esteem and I could not find any redeeming characteristics in her.

Goodness me, this was such a good book. Highly entertaining. Would definitely recommend to others, that's for sure!

This was such a great read. If you like spicy, morally gray men, or forbidden love then you definitely want to read this! Make sure to read the trigger warnings. I love how the spice in the book doesn't overtake the plot but just adds to it! Bane is a priest that loves to control things so that drew me in of course! The characters in this book are great and I did not want to put this down!

Thank you NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Ok so this was the first book of its kind that I read, I read romance a lot but never tried erotica.
I felt like this book had a lot of potential but ended up falling flat for me, the dialogues I did not enjoy and there was a lot going on. I feel the author tried to shove too much into one story. Not to spoil anything, but a lot of the things were introduced and ended up going nowhere. And the main plot could have been more of a slow burn for me, it all happened too fast regarding the two main characters.

Unholy Obsession is a dark, steamy romance that pushes boundaries with its forbidden priest trope and emotionally charged storytelling. Stasia Black delivers a gripping tale of passion, guilt, and redemption as Moira and Father Bane are drawn into a dangerous, irresistible connection. Raw, provocative, and surprisingly heartfelt, this book is perfect for fans of dark romance with emotional depth.

This book was great and the chemistry between Moira and Bane were everything! The church scene on Christmas… damn!!!

❤️‍🔥Unholy Obsession❤️‍🔥
By Stacia Black

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 Star Review
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 5/5 Spicy Level

This is book 2 of 3 in the Carnal Games series by Stacia Black. I did not read book 1 prior. It is set up as a standalone but has shared characters with the other books. Each book in this series is about a different love story. It’s definitely a dark romance in genre with explicit scenes and a lot of strong emotional cues.

Unholy Obsession is the story of Bane and Moira.

Father Bane Blackwood is an Episcopalian priest who has some “darker” tendencies and enjoys visits to a local sex club, Carnal, while wearing a mask to hide his identity. He comes from money with a very troubled past. He has been living humbly as a priest, no contact with his family by choice for many years, and trying to gain absolution from past poor choices. One evening after giving in to his darker urges, he meets Moira Callaghan at Carnal where they have a rather intense scene together.

Moira Callaghan also comes from a very troubled past with a childhood suggestive of abuse. It’s very clear she has serious undiagnosed mental health issues which play a huge part in this story. The author does a phenomenal job of realistically portraying the mental health problems & how they affect daily life, both in the short and the long term.

These two together are explosive. Wild. Chaotic. Passionate. They are both inherently good people who have made poor past choices, trying to be better, making each other better, all while trying to make their relationship work and manage difficult family dynamics.

This was my first book I’ve read by this author. I would like to read the other two from this series after meeting those characters in this book.

The author does offer bonus content for this book through a link at the end via Book Funnel.

I did read this book as an ARC after publication date.

❤️‍🔥Happy Reading!❤️‍🔥

This book was 3.5 stars. rounding up to 4 stars on the scale here. It was not my favorite, it took me awhile to read, and while it was good, it just wasn't for me. I really wanted to love it, but i just didn't find myself loving it enough to give it the full 4 or 5 star review. It kind of felt a little disjointed in some parts. and that may just be me.

I need more plot to this book and for it to be longer. I'm starting to see that all erotica books are mainly for spice and not of the plot. That being said the book is good.