A Lovely Menace

by Shanjida Nusrath Ali

*Disclaimer: "A Lovely Menace", is a quick and short smutty read with dark themes. It is fast paced with instant build up between the characters.*

The day I stepped in Blackwell Prison to serve lifetime imprisonment, I accepted my fate. But when I saw the sweet and innocent face of the nun who lives among the predators of the prison, I knew I was a goner.

I would count the hours to be at the confessional just to see her face through the divider. But somewhere along those meetings, I started to feel something for her. She was forbidden and yet my body and soul yearned for her. I wanted to make her mine and I was willing to do anything for that.

However, I could sense a darkness captivating her and I had to know about it, before it was too late.

Genres: Dark Romance, Novella, Romance, Smut, Dark

106 pages, Paperback

Published August 15, 2023

About the author

Shanjida Nusrath Ali, bestselling Bangladeshi dark romance author of "The Devil Tainted Us" and "Syncopating Hearts", writes dark romances that explore the seductive world of gothic castles and the dangerous secrets of mafia crime lords.

With a BA in English and Humanities, she thrives on storytelling. Off the page, she dances to Bollywood music, sketches her morally grey characters, and brings a vibrant charm to life; proving that even in darkness, there's room for art, music, and mischief.

Reviews

[warhawke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Dark Romance
Type: Standalone novella
POV: First Person - Dual
Rating:
3.75 Stars



A life sentence at Blackwell Prison was no stroll in the park for Silas Frost. His bleak future made bearable by the prison nun, Aella. However, she had her own struggles, and their connection could put their lives in danger.



This book had potential, but it would work better if the relationship was more established. It felt too sudden to be invested in. I did like how Silas and Aella were connected by their traumatic background. For the storyline, I enjoyed the cult and forbidden aspects to it.

A Lovely Menace is a story of coping and new beginning. It would appeal to readers who enjoy a quick, dark read.





⛓🙏🏼⛓. . . (F)BR with Twinsie CC . . . ⛓🙏🏼⛓



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[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

My love, my love, my love.
My slut, my slut, my slut.

Say it again, I dare you.
The overuse of both of these sayings was absolutely ridiculous.

While this is a novella and I expect things to move rather fast, the pacing of this story was whiplash paced. The two characters go from not even knowing one another to screwing? There was no relationship between them, yet they claim there was.

The editing was awful... words were missing from sentences.

A Lovely Menace ends in a super weird way. It's a rushed ending and frankly doesn't make any sense when one of the characters is a prisoner.

So, why 2 stars? The spicy scenes - those were entertaining. And the cover is absolutely stunning.

There was so much potential for this story and unfortunately it just fell flat.

[25 Readings Or More · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75

Well well, it was really a great novella, much darker than i thought it would have been tho.
The prologue kinda shocked me
🙈🙈🩸🩸🩸🗡️

Not that i'm complain here, i'm always up for this type of reads 😏😏

And it was freaking steamy too 🥵🥵
Silas knows what to do 🔥🔥

Being a novella, everything happens fast, but reading it you can't help but feeling like it is too fast for the complexity of the story.

[Drasevia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning was great (but be careful - really, really dark!), but from about the fourth chapter it slowly went downhill.. With every page it became more and more illogical, too rushed, the story often had a lot of holes..

And the ending was absolutely terrible, it made me feel like the author was mocking us readers😅.
5,5/10. 🫠

[Ana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honnêtement la note parle d'elle-même, c'est le pire truc que j'ai lu de ma vie pour l'instant 😂 en une phrase : RIEN NE VA !

Heureusement que c'était une nouvelle et l'histoire ne durait que 76 pages parce que c'était presque une torture. Ce n'est qu'un ramassis de sexe, de sexe et de sexe sans profondeur, en plus il est mal fait, ça répète "cunt" et "juices" sans arrêt, donc c'est supra gênant, et il l'appelle "slut" constamment (c'est nul nul), y a une histoire de culte sans queue ni tête, qui se veut gore juste pour être gore, mais c'est nul, c'est sanglant, c'est pervers, la violence est gratuite et c'est naze. Je sais que la cadence se voulait rapide mais les personnages tombent amoureux au premier regard et d'un coup ils deviennent TOUT l'un pour l'autre et ils parviennent à s'enfuir et à se sauver et yay le monde est sublime et ils s'aiment et ils se pardonnent leurs péchés youpi 🥰 NON EN FAIT, merde

En vrai j'ai eu un fou rire monstrueux tellement c'était nul. Vraiment. On dirait vraiment une histoire que t'écris pour te faire kiffer tu vois. Pas pour te faire publier. J'en reviens pas comment j'ai ri

Sérieux qui a écrit ça, une gamine de 15 ans ????

Morale positive de l'histoire : si celle personne a réussi à se faire publier... VOUS LE POUVEZ AUSSI 😀👍🏻

[Natasha diary_of_a_sarcastic_bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

You all should know me enough by now to know me and novellas have a lot hate relationship.. you know cause I’m greedy and always want more! But let’s be honest Shanjida could write a freakin’ postcard and I’d no doubt fall in love. (Also even the teeny tiny glimpse I got of the drop dead gorgeous grump Eryx, will always be enough to have me panting)

This is a dark, steamy novella;
- age gap
- Forbidden romance
- Cült
- Touch her & 💀
- Like always check triggers.

Our two leads are Aella and Silas, they meet in the most unfortunate of places however their chemistry cannot be denied.

Both imprisoned in their own way…

Aella is our shy and innocent nun, living a life she doesn’t want and can’t escape. Though don’t let her innocents fool you this woman is strong, fierce, totally dirty in the best way and knows what she wants… even if she doesn’t think she can have it. Have life has been anything but a fairytale, she’s seen things no one should ever live through. When she meets Silas she is conflicted by desires, she knows she shouldn’t be having. We get to watch her faith be tested, her fight for freedom and the things she can’t control.
Will she ever escape her unwanted life?

Silas is our prisoner, he never expected to find a woman like Aella in the hell he is living. However he isn’t sad about it, he craves her and wants to save her when he doesn’t even know what from yet. Even when he couldn’t save himself, he is possessive, protective and will stop at nothing to have this ‘angel’. He has been wronged, betrayed and beaten but even he can still see the beauty that lies within this woman. He is hot as all hell 😮‍💨
Can he survive long enough to save them both?

Let me also just say no one puts a confessional to as good of a use as Shanjida🥵🥵 ‘forgive me father for I have sinned’ and I’ll do it again and again 😏

[prii✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely menace is another epic piece of shanjida Nusrat Ali. The very first book I read of her was cross my heart in 2022. Since then im a big fan. Then i read Devil tainted us, that book had me on my knees😅😅. I love the way she wrote her words. They are very mesmerizing 💗.
And ERYX's arrival in lovely menace is very nice. I love that guy....... 😭😭😭😭
A lot of courage needs to publish a book and as from asian family.... It takes alot. Trust me, im proud of her🚩🚩🚩🚩
The sweet lovely nun who had been hiding herself in tge veils jas unleashed her lust for the prisoner. Her beauty Has made silas crazy. This is a perfect novella sis!!!!!
My ratings :4 🌟
One 🌟 more for my ERYX💋

[Meagan Mcquigge-Derkacz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, I am giving 5 stars because that was some sort of crazy! I don't even know how to write a review. You want a crazy quick story with nun and an inmate. This is it. The whole time, I was like, "What am I reading lol but I couldn't put it down!

Read the trigger warnings, FYI
Spice 4/5
The storyline is haunting AF

If you like Den of Vipers and Hunting of Adaline, then you will love this short crazy book!

[Kate Aulton · Rating 2 out of 5]

'𝔸𝕝𝕝 𝕚 𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕨 𝕚𝕤 𝕞𝕪 𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕤𝕠𝕦𝕝 𝕪𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕟 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕙𝕖𝕣'

So at the beginning I absolutely loved this book I was so engrossed in the story and thought it was so dirty when Silas and Aella get together in secret.

It’s so twisted and dark😍 however the story seems to happen so quickly jumping from one thing to the next within sentences…

And especially near the end it seemed rushed which was a bit disappointing.

But still a fun short read! With some spicy 🌶️ scenes

[Shanjida Nusrath Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely Menace (A Dark, Age Gap and Forbidden Novella) by Shanjida Nusrath Ali, NOW AVAILABLE on Amazon.

Tropes:
🖤 Dark Romance
🖤 Forbidden Romance (Convicted 🔪 x Shy nun)
🖤 Age Gap (15 years gap)
🖤 Cult prison
🖤 “Touch her you die” MC
🖤 Confessional “action” 🫣

[Daniella Parks · Rating 1 out of 5]

Um this book was a lot. It was a lot darker than I thought and I didn’t feel emotionally invested in the romance; thus, I felt that the smut was excessive and randomly placed.

[Alexandria · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good for a 90 something page book

[K. Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Smutty and short. Just how I like them

[Female Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick spicy read.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short really spicy novela, really liked this. Check TW

[Melanie (Fenrys's Version) · Rating 1 out of 5]

An editor could have made this so good

Update: it actually did have an editor 💀 well then

[Mimiorphee · Rating 2 out of 5]

The scenario of A Lovely Menace held a promise that the author's writing didn't provide. It was intriguing, mysterious, dark and gruesome. That's a fact. But I so needed more. The length of this novella explains the rushed parts and the lack of depth, but the repetitive vulgar vocabulary, bored me to no end and burst my reading bubble. Poof.

[Chloe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Last time I listen to book recommendations from people at work, *cough* Daisy *cough*

[Bookswitheni · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5⭐️ 4/5🌶️

[Sophia Bhetwal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was terrifying.

[Smuttyttums · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Eryx and Agatha cameo🤌
That's all, that's the review.
Nope that isn't all.
Love affairs with novellas are painful because you end up liking them enough that you wish they were full length novel instead.
I had the same feelings for A Lovely Menace, I wish it was a full length novel instead of a short steamy read, but I guess I'll leave it upto the writer to feed more to us.
The gothic setting of the novella was amazing and so was the plot line. This one had age gap, forbidden love, nun x prisoner, all the cult vibes, chaos, mayhem, bloodlust and I was all in.
Overall rating- ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Plot- ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice- 🌶🌶🌶🌶

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

*cringe* such a waste of eyesight

[Holly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rating: 1/5 stars

POV: Dual 1st person, Past & present tense
Length: Novella
Relationship: MF

Primary Tropes/Features: Dark romance, Age gap (15 years), Touch her and die, Prison escape, Cult
Secondary Tropes/Features: Degradation, Praise
Micro Tropes: Spicy confessional scene

Content warning: A trigger warning is included at the start of the book. Triggers include: Explicit sex scenes (on page), Foul language (on page), Rape (on & off page), Physical abuse (on page), Drug abuse (on page), Murder (on & off page), Violence (on & off page), Religious fanatics/cults/references (on & off page), Torture (on page), Mutilation (described not seen), Beheading (discussed not seen)

Aella, an innocent forced to serve in a prison as a Nun, and Silas, a man with a complicated criminal history both found themselves serving life sentences at Blackwell Prison, a place probably best described as Hell on Earth.

Their story was described in an FYI note at the start of the book as a “quick smut read with a little bit of dark suspenseful plot”. In all honesty, there is nothing “little” about the darkness of this supposed romance. The beginning of it was quite shocking and I did debate DNF’ing but given it was novella decided to persevere but that was probably the wrong decision. The plot was ridiculously fast paced given the attempt at a complex storyline, the romance sudden and without foundation to the point I found it non-existent, and so many of the triggers seemed unnecessary. I don’t mind reading books with triggers in them but the triggers just kept coming and I felt like they were added for no other reason than shock factor and I lost all interest in this novella.

I don’t like writing mainly in the negative when it comes to reviews but there wasn’t anything I enjoyed about this novella and I do regret the short time I spent reading it, 1 star purely because I won't leave it without a rating.

[❤ArtfullySinful❤ · Rating 2 out of 5]

And deep down, I have this urge to be with her… to make her mine. I don’t care if I am fifteen years older than her or the fact she is a nun who keeps her distance from men. All I know is that my mind and soul yearn for her.

A secret cult in lying buried beneath the infamous Blackwell Prison. A place many facing life sentences from trecherous crimes come, this place hold secret senaces to the devil under the guise of heaven. Using LSD to drug the prisoners, they are tortured, starved and battered to the point the fight has left their very souls. From hours locked in the dark, to food deprivation, to amputations and sacrifices, everyone knows to be leery for once you leave your cell, you won't be coming back alive. With a deep passion burning between Aella and Silas, it's only a matter of time before the innocent nun and the ahrdenrd criminal began dancing to their own rhythm as they sneak kisses and sex whenever possible. Haunted since the moment she watched her own mother become the angel sacrifice of Ixtar, she knew her abuse was only begining as her uncle Jilian was grooming her to eventually fulfil that also. When news of the affair between them reached his ears, Julian decided a double sacrifice was in ordee and had plans to kill both Aella and Silas together. Unfortunately, his plans would backfire as the two fought back and with the use of violence and fire managed to murder guards, prisoners and the monster himself before running free. Lost in the desolate mountains, they managed to find a car that was willing to drive them so they could put this entire nightmare behind them.

“I am no angel, Aella, but this devil will protect you like no other. For you, I will sacrifice my heart, soul, and everything. Ask me for anything, my love, and I will bestow it at your feet.”

[Heidi Duttle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely little novella written by Shanjida Nusrath Ali. I had the pleasure of meeting her at the Love and Romance in Toronto back in May where I bought her book.
It's a quick read with lots of spicy scenes. 🌶️🌶️🌶️ It's a dark forbidden romance between a nun and a prisoner in a remote jail. There was a twist in the middle of the book that had me second guessing all the characters. I very much enjoyed reading this book.

My favourite quote, "Because when I look at you, I feel a piece that I have never felt. you are the calm to my storm. and to keep that calmness, I will do everything possible to protect it to protect you, my love"

[loneeldestsoul · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a novella so it is short. Aella is a "nun" and Sillas is a prisoner. But actually Aella is a victim of some kind of 'ajaran sesat'. Cause of that she has to be a nun. It's quite spicy for a novella and they "did it" in a prison. LIKE WHATTT IF SOMEONE HEARD YOU. ok the ending, both of them escape from that prison. The age gap is big, 15 years old and the reason why Sillas got into prison because he kills his wife. Why? Cause his wife murdered his best friend and accuse him for that crime. Ok that's all.

[Ashton Truelove-Chapman · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. This was disappointing. I didn’t know it was a short story prior to buying it so I definitely was surprised to find out it was 100 pages long. Besides that, I gave it a chance. Since when do short stories have this bad of insta love?? This would’ve gained a 0.5 star if it was insta lust instead!! To much over use of “my love” and mewed. That made me wanna smack my head,

[OtakuGurl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book as well, a very short read. However, if you've read The Devil Tainted Us first and then read this, you can tell that it's the exact same story, but re-skinned. I wish that there was more originality in this one, but it's still a good one nonetheless. 7/10.

[areiana · Rating 1 out of 5]

🧍🏻‍♀️

[Karol · Rating 3 out of 5]

2'5 ⭐

Ya está? Necesito algo más q eso, lo q hay m vale como introducción no como libro