Selfish... Yet self-sacrificing. Clever... Yet blind.
Puppet Master
Nicole Cypher
Puppets and Property, book one
ebook, 322 pages
Independently published July 17, 2026
ASIN B0H98TWMYP
He says his job is to train me.
Miles from civilization, buried in the wooded hills of New York, lies a cult compound known as the Shadow Sanctum. Sawyer Hansley—a man who’s made a career out of conditioning women into obedience—is their newest weapon.
When I wake up alone in a cold, dark cave, he tells me the cult has claimed me as their next member.
They want him to force my submission. My adoration. My obedience.
In other words: they want him to break me. And he’s all too willing to oblige.
What he doesn’t know? I’m not like his previous victims.
By the time we’re through, it won’t be me who’s broken.
A note from Nicole: This trilogy is for readers who crave dark romance with depth — intelligent characters, layered psychology, slow-building obsession, and strong thriller vibes. It includes cult elements, intense themes, psychological manipulation, and dark, mature content.
If that’s your kind of story, welcome in.
Luna awakens in a cell, inside a cave, with the taste of copper in her mouth and fragments of a memory of falling asleep in her bed.
Cue the mile-a-minute thoughts. Her brain is spitfiring at a rapid pace. It's a choppy writing style that you're either going to gravitate to or recoil from.
I am in the camp that gravitates.
And then, we meet Sawyer.
Color me intrigued.
He's a con artist with a history. One that involves an island and gullible women.
I did cringe a bit at that minor detail.
But he's a highly intelligent male who has crafted his gifts of memory and manipulation to outwit the best of them. And his next target is the infamous and richly funded cult, the Shadow Sanctum.
To infiltrate, he'll be tested. Sawyer has three weeks to break their newest
Luna.
The spice hits a bit sooner than I had anticipated. Then again, when one is being abducted with the purpose of being groomed into a soul purifier, whose basic function is to f### the demon out of you... I suppose that's not too abrupt at all. All in the name of "training".
I was introduced to this book via a Facebook dark romance book influencer, and while I knew little, I was aware of a potential plot twist. That, and the blurb, had me side-eyeing Luna from page one and therefore softened any shock that might have fallen from the reveal of the Puppet Master's true identity. No less awe, though. And shout out to the stereotypical sibling rivalry angle. My tiny complaint would be all the things Sawyer is up to off-page. It loses focus of the plot and takes away from the rhythm of the story.
Neutral on the semi-cliffhanger ending. They basically flip the table and reset the board.
Anticipating a return to this series to discover what these two manage to inflict upon one another next.
3.5 out of 5 stars.
Available in ebook
2026/38