Say It Slowly, Break Me Gently: A Dark College Romance That Hurts So Good

Because the most dangerous love stories aren’t shouted—they’re whispered.

In Say It Slowly by Evelyn Austin, the second instalment in the Legacy of Lies series, the tension doesn’t scream—it hums just beneath the surface, curling into your chest and refusing to let go. This is a dark college romance for readers who want more than heat. It’s for those who crave emotional wreckage, secrets that sting, and a love that builds not on trust but on a thousand broken pieces forced to fit.

Evelyn Austin doesn’t write easy love stories. She writes about the ones you survive. And this one? It’s addictive, painful, and absolutely unforgettable.

A broken campus, a buried past, and a love that was never meant to bloom

Set in the same cold, elite halls of power and privilege as Tell Me You Like It, Say It Slowly follows two characters caught in a world built on secrets—where truth is dangerous, and love is the biggest risk of all.

She’s the quiet one. A girl who’s learned to disappear, to keep her trauma close and her voice closer. On this campus, silence is survival. But then he shows up. Loud. Reckless. Beautiful in the way a storm is stunning—something you shouldn’t touch but can’t help running toward.

He’s not supposed to want her. She’s not supposed to want anything. But the way he looks at her, the way he listens when no one else ever has—it chips at her defences, one glance at a time.

Their connection is slow, intense, and terrifying. Because when you’ve built your identity on silence, speaking up—even for love—can feel like tearing your skin open.

Where power dynamics twist, and healing is earned, not given

Tropes That Will Haunt You:

• Dark college romance – rich kids, dirty secrets, and unspoken pain
• Slow burn – every scene is heavy with things unsaid
• Trauma romance – not about saving each other, but surviving beside each other
• Opposites attract – she’s quiet and calculated, he’s chaos with charm

Emotional Depth That Cuts Deep:

• Consent and voice – explored with nuance and care, especially in the wake of trauma
• Shame and self-worth – what happens when you believe you’re unlovable… and someone dares to prove you wrong
• Trust, fractured and fragile – the slowest arc, the most rewarding payoff
• The violence of vulnerability – because letting someone see you can be the most brutal act of all

Austin doesn’t rush her characters. She lets them simmer. Their tension unfolds in glances, pauses, and breathless moments where saying anything might change everything. And that restraint is what makes the payoff so damn powerful.

Who Say It Slowly was written for

This isn’t a story for readers looking for fluff. It’s for:

• Fans of emotionally intense dark romance who want more than surface-level angst
• Readers who love slow-burn tension where every word feels like a thread unravelling
• Women who’ve ever questioned if they were “too much” or “too broken” to be loved
• Anyone who fell hard for Verona Falls University or Devils’ Night and wants a heroine with quiet fire

If you’ve read Tell Me You Like It, this next instalment expands the universe without repeating it. If you’re new to Evelyn Austin, prepare to be wrecked—in the best way.

Final thoughts: Love doesn’t need to be loud to be life-changing

Say It Slowly is a dark romance wrapped in silence, shame, and soft power. It’s about learning that your voice is worth using—even when it shakes. It’s about desire that waits, listens, and doesn’t demand. And most of all, it’s about two broken people who don’t fix each other—but finally find the space to breathe.

If you’ve ever wanted a story that gives you space to feel every ache, every hesitation, every slow-burn second of connection—this is the book for you.

So open it. Whisper it. And say it slowly—because some stories are too powerful to rush.