They won’t let me go. I’m theirs until morning.I run from them, but they are faster and stronger than me. They only care about one making me theirs. Until it's time for me to stand trial. My three jailors accuse me and hand me my a cruel, obscene punishment. There is no escape from the haunted house. No running from my captors. And so I suffer, I bleed, I open and scream under their skillful hands, but I don't wish for mercy. Because there’s something that hurts me even more than the salacious pain they deliver with every touch. They are right. I deserve everything they do to me.
This is a Why Choose MMFM Halloween novella with 18+ content and dark themes. Read responsibly.
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.
Like I said in my previous review that This series was recommended to me by a friend, but damn the author is the one who Brought me back for more.
After that crazy cliffhanger. In both 0.5 & book 1, the author picks up right where she left us In the previous book………..
I was left with so many questions from the previous book…….In this installment, we find out what exactly happened to bring all four these broken souls together
Jack is Groomer. Silas is Butcher. And Caden is Strangler………. So, what is Harlow in the scheme of things.
Carved is book two in the Ghosts of Halloween series by Layla Fae. These three books need to be read in order, each ending in a cliff hanger. This series is my first experience with this author! I don’t know if all of her books are quite this dark but this is definitely dark and twisty! After I read the first book, Jacked, I was hooked and have been waiting for today to get my hands on this second book to see what happens next. Yes, we got some answers but not all of them. I need more and luckily it’s only two weeks until the release of the final book to see how this all turns out. Because honestly, I don’t see this ending well for any of these characters!!!
“She’s the one gluing us all together so well. She’s our curse and redemption.”
Harlow is trapped in the old haunted house with Jack, Silas and Caden. And now she finally understands why. These three men want to punish her and she feels like she deserves it. But there are only a few hours left of this night. What happens when it’s over? How will this all end? This is another instance when I can barely say anything without spoiling the story. Just know that if you liked the first book, this one ramps up even more. And perhaps you shouldn’t read this if you are alone in your home! Now starts the wait for the final book due out on Halloween. I will be waiting! I need to find out how this is going to end!
How am I ever going to look in the mirror again? I'm totally lost. Leave me behind. (Please don't read these books without checking the TWs, I mean it.)
This book picked up where book 1 left off. And let me tell you, it was equally as intense as the first. Carved is another nail-biter of a story in this intense, erotic suspense trilogy. Oh, the kinks! *evil grin + heart eyes*
I am invested, I am intrigued, and I am most definitely in love! Layla Fae’s writing never fails to pull me in, get me all riled up in one way or another, and makes me want to never put her books down once I start them. This series is proof of that.
I can’t say too much about the story, because I don’t want to give anything away. A few things I will say though…the story is still gripping ahold of my heart (with its sharp claws), the characters have made me fall for them even harder, and I’m anxiously awaiting the final book! Oh, and just like the first book, this one kept me guessing and it blew. My. Mind.
p.s. In between the time I read this book and wrote this review, book 3 has been released, so no waiting for you!
Note: Some of my goodreads shelves can be spoilers
Overall: 3.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Readability: 📖📖📖📖 Feels: 🦋🦋🦋 Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔 (You get a bit more background in this one) Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡ Romance: 💞💞💞 Sensuality: 💋💋💋 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 More character focused or plot focused? How did the speed of the story feel? When mains are first on page together: Cliffhanger: Yes. You will need to read books 1-3 to get to a HFN Epilogue: No Format: bought the combined series titled Ghosts of Halloween Why I chose this book: @imromanticallyinvolved sent it to me on instagram! (Descriptions found at end of my review)
”I’ll tell you what. If you get caught, you’ll be fucked. Don’t want that? Don’t run.”
Should I read in order? Yes, this series should be read in order – start with Jacked: The Prequel, or get the Ghosts of Halloween which is all the books together.
Basic plot: Jack, Caden, and Silas exact their punishment on Harlow.
Give this a try if you want: - contemporary with paranormal elements – note that this is book 2 of the series and ends on a cliffhanger with no HEA/HFN - brother’s best friend - disability rep – heroine has a prosthetic arm - unrequited love from one of the heroes - pierced heroes - Halloween - kink includes rough sex, degradation, praise, spanking, knife play - higher steam – 5-6ish full scenes – most of the novel is sex - M/F and M/F/M scenes
Ages: - Harlow is about 22, Jack is 28, Caden is 41 and didn’t catch Silas
First line: He moves closer, gliding through the air like he weighs nothing, and I let out a terrified squeak.
My thoughts: “You’re not supposed to make me feel better.” “That’s not for you to decide, little brat. Now behave, or I’ll make you come.”
Well I liked parts of this one because we find out more about their background and what exactly is happening here...but I was left a bit frustrated because I thought their reasoning on their hatred for Harlow was a bit weak. The fact that they were punishing her was definitely a reach after finding out what she did to deserve it.
I liked some aspects of this book quite a bit, but I also think it just went a bit far for me. It’s a little too dark I guess? Maybe a bit too much pain and punishment for me to really love it. But that’s just me being a baby haha.
Few random reading stats for this author # of books read: 3 Average rating: 4.67 stars Favorite book: Jacked
Endearments
Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes, safe sex aspects, consent, pregnancy/child in the story: My chapters will be off since I’m going off the combined set in Ghosts of Halloween Safe sex: No (but there’s kind of a twist to it??) Hows the consent? It’s not good – if you need consent in your novels, I wouldn’t pick this one up. Definitely dubious and non consensual acts inside. 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 in this novel
Chapter 19 – Jack fucks Harlow against a closet wall Chapter 21 – Caden gives Harlow oral Chapter 24 – Caden fucks Harlow’s ass while she gives a bj to Jack Chapter 32 – they fuck Harlow with a knife handle Chapter 33 – DP with Caden and Jack Chapter 36 – Harlow gives a bj to Silas
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)
This is some dark and insane read. I have so many feelings after this second book, I'm mostly sad for all the characters. Their story is really tragic, and I understand their pain and anger. Can't wait to read the final book, I have an idea of what happened with Harlow that night, and it makes me already sob. I hope eventually they will all be eternally together 😭 because damn they deserve it.
Also, I don't blame her for what happened with them. She was just a lost soul, craving for attention and love. Definitely from the wrong place, but damn, her life is so tragiiiiiiic. I just wanna hug her 😭.
So, these reads, despite being novellas, they really catch you and take you through an entire range of emotions.
** definitely DON'T IGNORE the entire list of triggers; you've been warned!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
It's the slut thing. Jack and Caden are there, but it seems like the main man overall is Silas. You've got him being the main guy all for planning and then realizing he might've gone too far and realizing he might like a woman after all. Another suicide attempt from Harlow and the rest is all sex. I'm curious where it all ends so will give the next one a go. But yeah. The constant name calling got old fast.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I powered through the first one because I was intrigued, but the triggers (which I didn’t expect to get to me did) got to me. This is DARK which it delivers and I can go for a dark romance as shown my love of Layla Fae’s most recent novel, Devils Deal (review coming soon) which is equally dark. But in this the darkness seemed pointless.
I also never vibed with the smut. Tbh I am generally not on board with when a MC disrupts a prior romantic relationship dynamic… Silas and Caden had an established relationship and Harlow was just added in. I love RH and can enjoy MMF but the relationships should blossom together; I have only experienced a few exceptions to this rule. BUT this is personal preference but it is a tie in to why this series didn’t hit for me.
I am sad I won’t know what happened to Jack and Harlow but powering through to know doesn’t seem worth it right now. Layla Fae is still a newish fave of mine for dark and monstrous romances but not every book will hit every time.
Read the triggers!!! I read them and I was willing to give it a shot, but still was startled. This ain’t a bad thing and I adore how Layla included a tag to remind you to read them if your kindle opened directly to the story.
It's all hot and sexy and you know, but.. .. Spoilers 👇🏻
But it wasn't Harlow's fault 😭. Sorry, but I don't really see how it could be - she had no idea, her brother was lying to her and yeah, maybe she shouldn't have been talking about how expensive the arm was, but also maybe they shouldn't have been stealing? Maybe that was why they were killed? I was so fu***ng angry they were trying to blame everything on Harlow, I almost closed the book and stopped reading. 😐 Change my mind, I'd love to hear other opinions. It's the point and the plot of the book, the reason they are punishing Harlow, and what's worse, why she thinks so low of herself.. I don't know 🤷🏻♀️ (And I'll definitely read the last book even though I was so angry. Maybe it will make more sense.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
dark and sexy and delicious. i flewwwww through this book!!! it’s definitely spice witha side of plot but both are soo good that i love it! this series is fast paced and absolutely PERFECT for the halloween season. can definitely see it being an annual thing i read! 5 stars babyyy
i received an arc through booksprout for my honest review
Layla Fae’s Carved is one wild, intense ride. What the fuck, this book is so dark and so smutty, but I have to admit—I liked it! It pushes boundaries in ways that might not be for everyone, so definitely check the trigger warnings before diving in.
Despite how dark it gets, the story is gripping and the chemistry between the characters is off the charts. If you’re into darker, steamier reads, Carved will leave you shocked and hooked at the same time.
Dudeeeeee this series man- I’m a wreck. Idk whether to be depressed or horny. Not only is this kinky, spooky smut; it’s also emotional and it’ll pull on your heart strings. Layla has an incredible way with words.
I loved this book, so twisted, so spicy 🥵, I really want so much more, I want for her to tell them why she didn't show up and what happened to her the same night the horrible things happened to them. I so want for them to find another way for her to find her realise and for them to be happy. I am so conflicted if I want it to end with the next book or keep going. I am so sad I can't go straight into the next one. I know I don't have long to wait but it's still annoying.
“…my soul calls out to hers. Like two twins recognizing each other after decades of staying apart.”
God this story hurts so good.
As you get bits and pieces of the backstory it’s heart breaking. Finally understanding why they hate her so much but also waiting for them to understand her side.
I want to know what happens when they find out why she never showed up. When the pieces all finally fall into place. They’ve had it bad but I’d say she’s had it far worse.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I’m going to start with saying you need to check trigger warnings on this one, because this shit gets DARK.
So many feelings.. I don’t even know where to start. So much tragedy. So much spice with a good amount of plot (considering how much spice there is).
Ugh fuck idk what to even say honestly😂. I’m just going to put a few quotes in here and hopefully that helps (ALSO THE THIRD ONE DOESN’T COME OUT UNTIL HALLOWEEN AND I’M GUTTED).
Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
“Such a good boy, making her come with your pierced dick. Cream that pussy for what it’s worth. Cream it deep and good. I want to see your cum in that cunt you stretched so well.”
““Full of his cum,” I say, my voice growing hoarse with the desire I barely hold back. “Yet begging for more. You’re a filthy little slut, aren’t you, sweetheart?””
“Well, then. Will you be my good little cumslut, Harlow? Will you give me this dirty little cunt to fuck?””
“Eat out this naughty little cunt before I fuck you? This is mine right now, little bird. A little slut like you won’t tell me what to do with my things.”
“Gripping the sharp blade of a knife in his palm and fucking someone’s ass with the handle is right up his alley.”