The Neurospicy After dark archive

Title: Almost Honest (Heir of Hearts – Book #1)

Author: Ava Ardyne

⭐ My Rating: 4/5
🌶️ Spice Level: 1/5
Genre: New Adult Romance | Romantic Suspense | Dark Academia | Slow Burn | Mystery
Tropes: Enemies-to-lovers, morally gray billionaire heir, elite university setting, family secrets, emotional trauma, slow burn tension

My Thoughts:

There are books I can casually read and then there are books that quietly pull me into their atmosphere until suddenly it’s 2 AM and I am side eyeing every character while demanding answers. I looked at the status bar on this one often (before I realized it was NOT a standalone) with deep concern, because the mystery had me hooked and there was definitely not going to be enough time to wrap it up. It was compelling.

Ava Ardyne delivers a moody, emotionally charged romantic suspense wrapped in dark academia vibes, elite family secrets, and a romance built on tension instead of instant gratification. The story follows Prin, a scholarship pre-med student carrying grief, unanswered questions about her mother’s disappearance, and enough emotional baggage to fill an entire dorm room (so much so sometimes you want to shake her in frustration). When her search for truth begins pointing toward the wealthy and powerful Ozler family, she collides with Quinn Ozler, a billionaire heir who is equal parts intriguing, frustrating, and suspicious.

Quite honestly, I had no idea that this book was going to be as intriguing and suspenseful as it ended up being. It was a truly wonderful surprise.

What I Loved:

#1 – The atmosphere
The dark academia setting absolutely worked for me (it usually is not a favorite of mine). Elite schools, hidden histories, privilege, grief, and mystery created a heavy undercurrent throughout the story. It constantly felt like something dangerous was waiting around the corner.

#2 – Prin as a protagonist
Prin isn’t polished or perfect, good lord that feels like an understatement at some moments throughout. She’s grieving, guarded, impulsive, and deeply human. Watching her balance ambition, trauma, and the need for answers made her feel believable rather than idealized. Themes surrounding grief and guilt were woven into the story with more depth than I expected.

#3 – Quinn Ozler (unfortunately…I have a type…)
Okay. Here me out. Morally gray millionaire/billionaire heirs with secrets are apparently a weakness. Quinn gives “I have unresolved issues and expensive suits” energy. The chemistry between him and Prin is built almost entirely on tension, suspicion, and what isn’t being said, overall, it is a slow burn style that worked for me. For me I found I trusted him almost immediately for some reason but was divided much of the time with his motivations. I want more of his backstory in the following book for sure.

#4 – The mystery element
The romance may be front and center, but the family secrets and questions surrounding Prin’s mother kept me engaged. I would say it’s fairly well balanced between mystery, romance and suspense. Every reveal raised more questions, and I spent a good portion of the book mistrusting everyone. Heck, I still mistrust everyone in this book, even the FMC, she isn’t a super reliable narrator at least not in my opinion.

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Things That Didn’t Fully Work for Me:

The pacing occasionally felt uneven, especially in sections where I desperately wanted answers faster. Because this is the beginning of a larger series, some threads remain unresolved by the end. Prepare to google and try to find when book #2 is coming out because I do not like cliffhangers and/or unresolved story lines. Readers wanting a neatly wrapped conclusion may struggle with that as I am sure you have figured out, I did.

Additionally, if you are looking to read a book with high spice this is not the book to read. The characters barely made any physical connection, most was tension, slow burn and plot building. I did get the feeling as I read the book that the following books might have more since the chemistry of the two main characters was off the charts.

Final Thoughts:

Almost Honest blends romance, suspense, grief, privilege, and mystery into an addictive first installment. If you enjoy stories with emotional tension, morally questionable love interests, and layered family secrets, this one may pull you in.

The ending left me wanting the next book because I still have questions… and feelings… and mild (haha huge really) trust issues.

I recommend you read this if you like:

✔ Dark academia romance
✔ Slow burn tension
✔ Morally gray love interests
✔ Elite university settings
✔ Mystery + romance combinations
✔ Family secrets and emotional baggage
✔ Billionaire/Millionaire heirs with suspicious energy

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Neurospicy Rating: I would say that so far it is “one more chapter” and “minor series obsession developed” cross with “why did I not wait to read this until after the entire series is completed” rating.

Would I continue the series? Absolutely. I need answers. Now.

Publication Date: May 22^nd 2026 (OUT NOW!)

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review with absolutely no sugarcoating, no holding back, questionable grammar and dialogue being all my own. This review is being left voluntarily.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8629713373

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