DOES IT HURT? by H. D. Carlton

Does It Hurt? by H.D. Carlton is a dark, suspenseful romance that follows a nameless protagonist living a fractured life of evasion, wearing stolen shoes and moving from one forgettable encounter to the next. Her existence shatters when she crosses paths with Enzo Vitale, an enigmatic and ruthless man obsessed with the deep sea and the dangerous predators that inhabit it. Seeking vengeance for a past crime, Enzo lures her onto his boat, only for a catastrophic storm to leave them shipwrecked together on an isolated, abandoned island. Seeking refuge in a decaying lighthouse, the two are thrust into a volatile game of survival, bound by a toxic mixture of intense hatred and fierce attraction. As hidden dangers emerge on the island—including the sinister intentions of its old caretaker—the protagonist must fight not only to uncover who she truly is, but simply to stay alive.