Gutted

Ghosts of Halloween #3

by Layla Fae

It’s time to pay, and I am the price.The night’s coming to an end. We all know what it means. The only thing worth living for will be ripped out of my hands.
They agreed on what would happen. It’s me against the three, and it seems I will get my goal, after all.
We come together for one last time before our fates untangle forever. Sugar meets spice, and unless a miracle happens, this thing between the four of us will die with the dawn.

This is a Why Choose MMMF Halloween novella with 18+ content and dark themes. Read responsibly.

Genres: Dark Romance, Halloween, Novella, Dark, Paranormal, Romance, Paranormal Romance

157 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2023

About the author

Sign up for my newsletter: here.
Layla Fae writes steamy monster romance of many varieties. Fluffy or dark, with TWs ranging from flavored monster essence used as food to blood play and dark taboo romance, she explores the fantasy of monster love from various angles.
She is not an author for the faint of heart.

Reviews

[➦Paulette & Her Sexy Alphas · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re looking for a light and fluffy read STEP AWAY NOW. Cuz this book contains dark themes. It’s not pitch black by any means, but the subject matter touches on difficult topics, and some spicy scenes involve darker kinks.
This final installment gave me everything I needed, and satisfied all of my curiosity



Jack, Caden, and Silas, they started off With vengeance in their heart planning and Blaming Harlow for two long years for Their situation…….


Now that they have her in their grasp. And seen how truly strong Harlow is ……. Wil they still want to Inflict their vengeance on her.

Once Harlow realizes that only death can free the three men from their ghostly existence….. She is willing to Sacrifice herself for them.




I was completely gutted few times in this installment

To say that Jack, Caden, and Silas are driven by their Desire and by the need to experience corporeal pleasures before they move on… Is putting it mildly.


Harlow want’s this night to be branded across her soul. After so many years of. not getting the right touch from all the many men she has had her, somehow even though Jack, Caden, and Silas have been hard on her this night they still have coveted and desired her …. And they are three feral, vengeful men who conquered death for her… So, in Harlow’s minds eye what more does she need or want




. After all that don’t get me wrong, this book was just a spicy or maybe even more than the Previous books , Omg and just as twisted as the Previous ones books as well…… oh, dang that Epilogue was priceless to say the least


To my friend whom Has a tendency of recommending to me all these dark and spicy reads, to satisfy that dark side of me. Thank you.

[Carol [Goodreads Addict] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gutted is book three in the Ghosts of Halloween trilogy by Layla Fae. Wow, just WOW!! I had no idea how this amazing author would wrap up the fates of Harlow, Jack, Silas and Caden and was even nervous about it. But this book exceeded my expectations in every way! What a wild ride this series has been!



Silas, Caden and Jack are running out of time. It’s almost dawn and if they don’t complete their plan, then they will remain trapped inside the house where they have been for the past two years. They had a plan. But what they hadn’t planned on is the way they would feel about Harlow. That they would fall so deeply for her.



There isn’t a whole lot more that I can tell you other than that those last few hours are filled with so much. And our Harlow shows us all how strong she really is. I think it’s the love of these three men that help her to realize her strength. Just make sure you don’t read this in any public places. If you wear eye glasses, they will most definitely be steamed up! There are so many surprises and even sweet moments. These three books were my introduction to this author and I am blown away.

For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Carol...

[Lori R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOWZA. This was SO. AMAZING!!
Well worth the wait after book 2!

This was exactly what I was wanting and craving with the continuation of this story. It was super intense, raw and gritty, and so insanely good. Not only did it continue to keep me guessing (just like the first 2 books!), but it consumed me. I planned my reading schedule around the release of this book. I knew it was coming, and I was ready to dive in.

In true Layla Fae fashion, this story is well-written, it pulled me in, and it rock my fucking socks off until the very end.

Gutted has twists and turns and loops and zig-zags and WTFs and had my mind going every which way. And I loved every single second of it. It’s full of all the feels I need, made my heart race (A LOT!), and it was surprisingly sweet at times. Yes, I said sweet. Believe it. And I suppose I better add in, it’s filthy and kinky AF. *evil smile*

If you read and loved the first two books (plus the prequel), you NEED this book. If you haven’t started this trilogy yet, you will need to read the previous books.

[Layla Fae]

And so it ends. I loved this journey and these characters. I loved them enough to not be able to let go, so expect some bonus material in the future. I'll share it on my social media and in my newsletter. Until then... Enjoy this final book!

[Fey Flowers (enbytweenthepages) · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a finale. I have no idea when the mood changed so much, but it all just feels very cozy and no longer tough - in comparison, be sure to read the TWs. I'm really happy for the 4 and their perfect ending.

[Becky (romantic_pursuing_feels) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: Some of my goodreads shelves can be spoilers

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔 (We do get a bit more background about them and their history in this novel)
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡ (There’s a lot of fucking and there has been a lot of fucking in this series, so not as much tension, but there was still some for me in regards to the emerging relationships between all the characters)
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋 (I like the way her scenes are written – I feel like it’s a good mix of explicitness and emotional pull for me)
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humor: not much
Perspective: first person from the heroes (Jack, Caden, and Silas) and the heroine Harlow
More character focused or plot focused? it’s kind of hard to say...character??
How did the speed of the story feel? medium to fast
When mains are first on page together: Pretty much immediately (this is a continuation of book 2, where they are together in a scene)
Cliffhanger: This ends with a happy for now for all characters (there is an epilogue that makes it feel more complete)
Epilogue: Yes, 2 years later
Format: I read the combined Ghosts of Halloween book on Kindle Unlimited
Why I chose this book: Because the lovely @imromanticallyinvolved sent it to me on instagram!
(Descriptions found at end of my review)

Should I read in order?
Yes, this story picks up immediately after book 2 ends, so definitely read in order.

Basic plot:
Caden, Silas, Jack and Harlow’s last night together comes to a close

Give this a try if you want:
- contemporary romance – this is the culmination of the series and ends with a happy for now for everyone (there is also an extended Christmas epilogue)
- brother’s best friend
- disability rep (heroine has a prosthetic arm
- pierced heroes
- M/M, M/F, and MMMF scenes
- praise
- higher steam – 6ish full scenes

Ages:
- Harlow is about 22, Jack is 28, Caden is 41 and I didn’t catch Silas

First line:
I struggled against Silas, grunting from effort, but he lies on top of me, pinning me to the ground with his full body weight.

My thoughts:
Overall I liked this one – I liked getting to know a bit more about the characters background and the history of what drove all these actions.

The sex was a bit hotter to me because they were all opening up to each other (heh heh) and it just felt more emotional to me. But it also got pretty dark towards the end, and I’m never really that eager to read graphic murder scenes.

The whole ending was a bit weird to me! I’m not sure how I feel about it….but overall I still liked the ending result of this story.

Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: 4
Average rating: 4.5 stars
Favorite book: Jacked

Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.

- panic attacks on page
- remembered rape
- murder on page
Author content warnings? Author does put content warnings at the beginning of the story and I think I have them noted in the first reviews, Jacked


Locations of kisses/intimate scenes, safe sex aspects, consent, pregnancy/child in the story:

Safe sex: Yes???
Hows the consent? This whole series is noncon/dubcon with revenge plotline so if you need consent in your books I would maybe bypass this one – it’s darker. But at this point (book 3 in the series) it’s consensual between them)
Pregnancy/children in story? (Please note this is the best to my memory/note taking. If you see something I missed please feel free to message!) No children or pregnancy. They use protection when needed (the heroine doesn’t want unprotected sex)
Chapter 40 (this is in the box set) – 🔥 Silas fucks Caden
Chapter 42 – scene with Jack and Harlow (memory)
Chapter 43 – 🔥 wall sex between Jack and Harlow
Chapter 45 - 🔥 Harlow gives Caden a BJ while Silas fucks Caden and Jack fucks Harlow
Chapter 50 - 🔥 Jack goes down on Harlow in front of their victims
Chapter 55 – 🔥 Jack fucks Harlow while she’s sleeping and Silas praises him
Chapter 56 – 🔥 foursome sex


Extra stuff like what my review breakdown means, where to find me, and book clubs


Full break down on what my ratings above mean here:
Overall: How I felt about it everything considered!
Readability: How ‘readable’ was the book? Did I fly through it? Did I have to tell myself to pick it back up repeatedly? Were any passages confusing? (I will probably score like (1) is literally unreadable due to formatting/typing errors, etc (2) There were lots of errors that made it difficult to read OR It was extremely confusing and I had to reread passages to make sense of it OR I disliked it so much I had to bribe myself to keep reading (3) I didn’t really want to keep reading and would have preferred to abandon the read and start something else OR some minor continuity issues/confusion (4) I liked it fine, maybe a minor error or 2. I was happy to pick it up when I had time. (5) I never wanted to put this down. I thought about it when I wasn’t reading it. I hid in the bathroom from my kids to read. I threw inappropriate food at my children for dinner so I could read instead.)
Feels: Totally subjective to each person but did the book give me any tingles? Any butterflies? Did it rip my heart out (in a good way?)
Emotional depth: How well do I feel I know the characters at the end? How much did I feel their emotions throughout the story?
Sexual tension: Again, subjective, but how strong was the wanting and longing to me between the characters? A book might have strong sexual tension without a single touch.
Romance: Was there romance? Did romantic things happen? This can be actions/words/thoughts of the characters and again is subjective.
Sensuality: This is how the intimate scenes are written. Kisses and sexual scenes – how sensual were they? Were they on the mechanical side? Was there emotional pull tied in? Were the details explicit or flowery? These are subjective but generally (1) too short to get a good judgement (2) not all what I'm looking for - very vague or flowery prose (3) either not explicit enough or not enough emotional pull (too mechanical/physically descriptive without the emotions) (4) what I love in a scene (5) absolute perfection - perfect balance of emotional longing and explicit descriptions
Sex Scene Length: How long the bedroom scenes are (generally (1) is 1-3 sentences (2) is a few paragraphs to a page-ish (3) is about average, a few pages (4) more well developed scenes, quite a few pages with descriptions (4) the majority of the book takes place in the bedroom. This is always hard to tell for me on audio!
Steam Scale: Generally, each flame is a scene. If scenes are super close together I sometimes combine them. If a scene is super short or so vague I don’t know what’s happening, I don’t count it. There’s some levels of grey but generally the number of flames is how many sex scenes there are (I max out at 5 so I’ll put a + after if there’s more than that)


Find me
Instagram || The Storygraph || Bookbub ||

Book Clubs
The Ton and the Tartans (Historical Romance)
Upturned Petticoats and Undone Cravats (Historical Romance with Steam Requirements)
A Love Less Ordinary (Science Fiction, Paranormal, Monster, Fantasy)
Modern Manuscripts (Contemporary Romance)
Words for the Wicked (Contemporary Romance with Steam Requirements)
Vintage Romance (Old School Romance – published 2000 and prior)

[Destiny · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s finally over omg this series almost finished me not the other way around

[christy - pr0bablyreadingsmut · Rating 5 out of 5]

dark, spooky, sexy halloween triology. the final book wrapped up the four characters perfectly and it was so hot

[Natalie H · Rating 3 out of 5]

October 2023
Kindle edition

This one was less about Harlow and more about Silas and Jack it felt like. The secrets are out, Harlow has to die and all the hatred is gone. Silas is happy with his Bi awakening and now it’s Jack’s turn but no touching because they’re on a time crunch.

My favourite part in this one was Harlow smashing the guy’s face in. I don’t completely buy how they came back but it was a nice HEA with the four of them becoming a unit. It did feel strong on the M/M/M front with their freedom becoming mainly about sexing Jack up.

[Lolina ⋆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

LF delivered with this series 🧌.

[angie_bookrecs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy shit.What a way to end the series.Loved every minute of it🖤

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect ending

It's been a wild, crazy, and sexy ride with Harlow, Jack, Caden, and Silas. This book completes the story. The conclusion is just right. I'm glad that these damaged people can get their happy ending.

[dais · Rating 5 out of 5]

My babies finally got their HEA 😭😭😭😭
I freakin’ loved this series.
It’s beyond spicy- like holy hell, you’ll want your B.O.Bs or you’ll want to pounce on your partner when reading this. You’re going to need tissues too; shit gets pretty freakin’ heavy and you’ll feel like your heart is being ripped out…
Seriously, you won’t know whether to laugh, cry, swoon, sob or cum. It’s an emotional rollercoaster.
This series was filled to the brim, much like Harlow in the group activities. Once you start, you won’t want to put it down. 10/10 spooky read.
🎃Pierced Ghost Peens
🖤Sword Crossing
🎃MMMF
🖤Revenge
🎃Gore
🖤Grief/Loss
🎃Knife Play
🖤Chasing
🎃Kinky Fuckery
🖤Heart Wrencher

[Char ღ Denae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spooky, Spicy & Unexpected…

The third book in The Ghosts of Halloween series wraps up this spooky trilogy perfectly.

I kept trying to figure out how it would end and I didn’t even come close. Throughout the series, it doesn’t seem like there can possibly be a happy ending but it is a spooky, Halloween story, so I just kind of went with it. Though very spicy and pretty graphically violent, all the loose ends from the first two books are finally revealed with the ending being totally unexpected.

I really, really enjoyed this series. It was totally different from anything I have ever read before. I loved the characters and the ending was very satisfying.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harlow, Jack, Caden, and Silas are continuing their night together. It's been two or three years since the men's death.Their vow to Harlow's brother to protect her has kept them on earth. Now they are taking out what they think of as their vengeance on her only it turns to something more. They also know they need to keep her with them forever. So they are using the time to do what they need to do. Then time shortens and Harlow is once again in danger. What happens next is shocking.
A fantastic ending to the story before. It is enthralling and exciting to see the characters sort of evolve!!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Chelsie Lucas · Rating 1 out of 5]

I. Hated. These. Books.
**read it in an omnibus and the ONLY reason I finished is because it was sort**

But. Like. Seriously. Wow

She is beat up she is used. She is violated. She has zero redeeming qualities. These men have zero redeeming qualities. This month is not even good because I genuinely hate all of them.

This is awful

[Feral Words · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obsessed!

Ok, admittedly I initially judged these books by the covers and thought these were just going to be some super spicy, raunchy holiday shorts.

I was SO wrong. Well...they're not JUST super spicy holiday shorts. 😏

This was seriously such a great trilogy. There's some really beautiful writing and a great plot with twists and turns. The trilogy aspect makes sense because each book serves it's purpose to the story as a whole.

The prequel is available at the end of book 2 so read that first!

I'm honestly kind of blown away. Without saying too much, this isn't my exact preferred genre at all, but I'm glad I went in blind. I absolutely love all the characters, the way things came together, the paslcing and tension was amazing. The last 5 or so chapters I simultaneously couldn't read fast enough and wanted to slow down.

Awesome trilogy and a 5 ⭐ from someone who rarely awards them!

[Spender of Money · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know, when I first started reading this author I liked her fun, darkish-lite, quirky, holiday, spicey reads. I thought, this is an author to turn to when you need something… else. The more I read, the more she writes, the more I appreciate her skills and talents.

I’m absolutely NOT a fan of the multi-part, cliffhanger stories. But this one? I couldn’t let pass thru my fingers. I read these as they came out, and I regret nothing. Not the time thinking about them, not the many times I checked to see if the next one will release early. What a well written tale. For me, I feel this series is go-to reading.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow.

There's a lot to unpack here. I didn't see the ending going down the way it did, but I think it was a better alternative to killing Harlow and not knowing what would happen after. I like the fact that Silas and Harlow had their revenge and were freed from that. Jack...I was stunned. When he took Silas up on his offer, I screamed! Not a normal read for me, but I enjoyed it. Definitely read in order and check all the TWs. There's so many.

[Stephanie Wonser · Rating 5 out of 5]

What. An. Ending!!!

I waited until I finished the last book before I left a review. I found this trilogy the day before the second book was released. The waiting for this third book was a killer but SO worth the wait! I wasn’t really sure how it was going to end but I definitely didn’t see it ending the way that it did. This trilogy was hot, dark, heartbreaking, sexy, and freaking HOT! I loved everything about it. Well done!

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Väldigt grafiskt, lite väl rå. Utöver det otroligt bra. Hela serien sends you on a emotional rollercoaster, både positivt och negativt. Korta böcker men hinner ändå make an impact. Viktig att läsa alla trigger warnings innan!!

[books2bikes · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️ If you can put aside how many times the mmc’s referred to Harlow as young this was a sweet HEA. It’s a 20 year difference. Am I the problem??? I’ve read fae romances where there’s a THOUSAND year difference. I was looking forward to how that plot was gonna end and I’m not gonna lie, I definitely didn’t expect that. And the spice? Holy, straight to the gates of hell. That was dark. That was… a lot.

[Jenifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG That was the perfect ending for this series! It was gritty and dark when it needed to be and sensual beyond belief for the rest of it. And when Jack comes around to embracing the inevitable, I just about swooned. I totally love this foursome and so wish we could read more of their story and know what happens as(if) they grow older together.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[JackaayReadsallday · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot get over how much I am completely obsessed with this trilogy! Harlow and the guys are everything that I could ever want in a paranormal/horror erotica romance… I have loved every single thing from Layla Fae that I have ever read, and this mini series is no exception! This emotional roller coaster is one of the roughest I’ve been on, but I loved every single second of it. I’d love to see more of these 4 in the future!!!

[Becky Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Happy Halloween!

We finally got the conclusion of Silas, Caden, Jack, and Harlow's story, Gutted. It wrapped everything up in a haunted Halloween bow. It even had a HEA. Kudos!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️
RTC

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea how this was going to play out but I’m so glad they got their happy ending. I’m glad they were able to find peace with each other. I really enjoyed this trilogy, I didn’t expect much going into this but it was a fun crazy ride with lots of sex 🤣


This is my favourite bit in the book🫶🥰
“What do you think we should do now, angel?” he asks. I open and close my mouth, not really knowing how to answer, and Silas arches a perfect brow, mocking me. “The four of us,” he adds, his voice softening. Oh, my God. My chest squeezes painfully, and I have to blink to turn back tears.”

I’ve put it as may contain spoilers because I honestly didn’t know how it would end. If they would be together or not. So I don’t want to ruin it for anyone else😊

[Erin - Books&nails&puppydogtales · Rating 5 out of 5]

That ending was perfection!

I have devoured all three books in just the last two days. The cliffhangers were brutal, so thankfully, I didn't have to wait between books. Gutted, I read with my heart in my throat and my stomach on the floor, dreading the ending that I knew would live up to the books name. Thankfully, though each book got better, the ending didn't leave me Gutted as I was expecting. It did, however, leave me emotional. I know I'm going to be feeling these for a while. Layla Fae, you have yourself another adoring fan, offering up my undying love and admiration. Possibly with a tab bit of obsession. Thank you.

[Alexandria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything came together so great.

[Lemmily · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I’ll always love you. No matter what happens. You’re mine.”

Everybody finally has every piece of information they need. There’s closure and healing and yay.

I hate Michael, Greg, and Ryan and I hate that they think they are entitled to her. I love how they get punished.

Love the end of this book and series!!! I’m not gonna lie. I could easily read more with these characters. So cute and well written.