Yule Tied

by Cara Bryant

Leap-before-she-looks treasure liberator Lucy is a rare supernatural whose main talents are finding hidden things and then relocating them into her pockets...Working for a dangerous man, she stole from the wrong demon and incubus. But during her long con, they stole her heart. When she falls back into their lives in the pursuit of another piece of treasure, she finds a new mysterious power within herself that could save the world, if only she can keep her lovers safe from the man who wants her dead. Yule Tied is a holiday romance novella featuring one mischievous thief and the two demonic men she loves (and who love each other!). Due to adult themes and situations, it is recommended only for adults. This story originally appeared in the 2022 Monsters and Mistletoe anthology, and is now being rereleased with a new bonus chapter!

Genres: Christmas, Novella, Second Chance, Holiday, Paranormal, Demons

136 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 24, 2023

About the author

Cara Bryant pens paranormal reverse harem romances about real, vulnerable heroines who discover their inner power throughout their journeys of saving the world and falling in love. She loves writing domineering, alpha heroes, “cinnamon roll” heroes, and “grumpy rolls” who are only soft for the heroine. Because Cara writes reverse harem, she never has to pick a favorite hero—and neither do her heroines! Add in a touch of magic and a whole lot of heart and you’ve got the type of stories Cara loves to tell.

Cara has been writing since some kind soul first taught her how to pick up a crayon and write her letters. She definitely believes in happily-ever-afters and true love. She lives in the Midwest with her wonderful husband and two canine writing assistants.

Reviews

[sairs_readsandreviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was jam packed!

- Tomb raiding
- A quest (world saving)
- Second chance romance
- Why choose
- Sppppiiiiiicccccy fmm scenes
- Incubus and a demon (yes there is tail action)
- Cinnamon rolls

The writing style is fun and conversational with the first person pov being very like an inner monologue which I enjoyed.

These aren’t my usual tropes and it was probably a bit more spice over plot than I’m looking for but I thought it was good, easy to read and definitely had action, an fmc that develops and some lovely mc’s and it gets extra points for the dedication and the references! I liked the lore and although it was a shorter read there was a lot of information established and shared, it felt like it had depth and purpose as well as setting the scene for what might be more from this throuple!

Definitely pick up for a spicy monster read with some plot and a HEA that’s wrapped up in not one but two epilogues!

[Poppy || Monster Lover · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so over the top and I love it. Lucy was a klepto with a tendency to stab and the most chaotic thinking patterns. She got herself in a pickle with good and not so good intentions, but was able to find support, joy, and love in the arms of her ex lovers. Yae was precious and Reznik was grumpy through and through. The world building was interesting, the story line engaging, and the characters relatable.

Spice: 5/5

Triggers: undead, dead bodies, attempted murder, battle violence, stabbing and blood, discussion of poverty involving children, mention of child abandonment, mentions of grief and death of loved one

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This winter just got a whole lot hotter with Cara Bryant's paranormal holiday rom-com. There is magic and mischief and so much steam even the Grinch could catch fire.


Luce is freaking fabulous. She has a great sense of humor, is stubborn as heck, her inner commentary is a blast, and she has Star Wars references for days. Not to mention the little klepto actually has a heart. She acknowledges what she is and accepts what people may think of her for it. I couldn't help but like her and her sass.


The guys, Yaelyn and Reznik are some of the rare ones. They are a pair of upstanding guys that understand duty and honor, they have the biggest hearts and the kindest souls. Even after she broke their heart once they let her back in. Being kind and patient with her while accepting who she is. Sure they were a happy couple but Luce was their missing piece.


Cara packed a lot into this novella and she did it in a way that completely makes sense. There was a second chance romance between Luce and the guys, and the history of the Light Barers was given in small but impactful ways. There was a sense of family and friendship and a couple of epic romances. This book had it all, somehow being super entertaining (and funny) while keeping it light.


Yule Tied was a fun holiday read. There may have been a Light versus the Dark theme but there was also tomb raiding, magic, humor, blood contracts, rich history, and a splash (yes, I meant splash, haha) of romance. This little holiday short had it all. I hope Cara has more plans for this world.

[Laura (lady_h_reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
"We'll never give you more than you can take," he says, his voice as smooth as silk. "But we'll give you more than you think you can stand. You'll be begging us to stop, begging us for more. And you'll give us everything."

This was an adorable, fun read. Cara Bryant packs a ton into such a short story. We get our desired HEA, a FMC who saves the world and who also happens to be absolutely hilarious, sexy demons with special talents, and monster smut. So much monster smut. And she wraps it all together with a great plot.

It’s a MMF, so expect some sword-crossing. One of the sexy demons in an incubus who can control sexual desire through his… spent. And he has a tail. Both demons have horns. And large… appendages. Very naughty things are found within this story.

Originally found in the Monsters and Mistletoe anthology, this version includes a bonus chapter not found in the original release.

Genre: Holiday Monster Romance
Tropes/Features: Christmas romance, second chance, demons, monsters, special equipment, kinks
Narrator: Multiple 1st Person POV
Relationship Type: MMF, fast burn, spicy (monster smut!)
Book Type/Ending: Novella with HEA
TW/CW: Available in Content Note

[Chaos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really short and spicy monster Christmas book. There's not really a plot. I mean, there is, but it's not really fleshed out since the book is only 125 pages. It's not bad, and it's a super quick read. I find Lucy absolutely hilarious. It's funny what she turned out to be. I knew from the start, but again, there wasn't room for tension and mystery. Yael and Rez are absolutely perfect, and the scenes with them and Lucy? Nice nice, nice, and spicy 👌

[Liz | lizzuplans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the cover, surprising amount of plot for a smutty monster, fun story and characters, did get a bit repetitive in the end, but still a nice albeit not really Christmassy read.

Not sure if monster romance is my genre of choice, but fun enough to enjoy.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Yule inspired tale of sexy times between supernatural beings. 🌲🎄

[Megan]

DNF @ 48%

[Darcy’s Good Opinion · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars
Characters: 4.5/5
Plot: 4/5 It's a Yule novella - are you really reading it for the plot? ;)
Strong Language: 1/5
Steam: 4/5

Yule Tied is a standalone holiday novella. It is a demon, incubus, and *surprise* sassy treasure hunter FMC menage monster romance.

This is a rollicking, joyful read for the holidays. The feisty heroine, who uses hilarious and punny comebacks, has become a favorite. The grumpy demon and cinnamon roll incubus are endearing and will charm their way into your hearts. The steam is high. The rope play and funishments are more plentiful than ornaments on our shiny loving heroine's Yule tree.

This is a delightful monster menage with heart and humor. You will not be disappointed.

[I'm Fine, Just Tired · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yule Tied is intended for mature audiences only. It features sexual situations, including: spanking, pegging, male/male and male/male/female scenes, bondage, light domination, toys, demonic sex magic, and tails doing inappropriate things. All sexual situations are consensual.

⭐2 /5⭐ this was cute I guess. I just couldn't get over how unserious our fmc was and that made it not very enjoyable. Our mmc were amazing and gems. I love how attentive they are to her. The little nicknames made me kick my feet.

[see Jules read books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucy is a ‘treasure liberator’ and no tomb is safe from her raiding, using her less-than-legally-gotten gains to help support her foster father and his orphanage. Offered a job with a massive payday, she ended up pulling a long con on a demon and an incubus, but lost her heart to them whilst she did it.

Months later she ends up magically falling in their laps again which leads to a reconciliation and a bigger mystery which has the fate of the world in Lucy’s hands.

This was quite the rip-roaring adventure with plenty of rom-com tomb raiding, the Welsh countryside and the sweetest, most cinnamon-roll main male characters in Yaelyn and Reznik I’ve read in quite a few books. The second-chance romance was both sweet and spicy (just like a delicious Christmas treat) and there were more funishments than punishments. There was so much packed into this novella, but I’d be happy to read another 500 pages of these characters.

Also, this book has one of the best little dedications I’ve read in a while and a ton of Star Wars references.


Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Join me over on my Instagram for reviews with pretty pictures

[Menthie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yule be Surprised

This was a well written naughty monster/demon holiday novella. It was definitely fun & and adventurous. I love the hilarious inner monologs of Luce, our FMC. She literally sounds like someone I would want to hang out with!!!

Excellent read.

[Cassie Farris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cara fit a whole lot into this little novella. We truly got a whole story about Lucy.

Lucy's sassy mouth and humor made the story super enjoyable.

But let's not forget about the demon and incubus!

This is a great holiday read, jam-packed with shinies, sass, and allllll the smut ;)

[Heidi LaGrone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic little book! Lucy is such a fun character - her love for shiny and stabby things is a hoot and her inner dialogue will have you laughing out loud! When she reunites with her two demon lovers - the heat is scorching hot! A fun little read with some Christmas cheer thrown in!

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book wasn’t exactly what I thought it’d be (the beginning was kinda slow for me) but was pretty funny overall. Loved Lucy’s humor in this book. Her obsession with collecting shinies was funny too.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this short story and need a whole series of them.

[Ila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and fun, with some nice spice. Enough plot to keep it going and a sweet ending.

[kkissreading · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful paranormal romance! I love how we started middle of the story and the characters had a history while there was still more growth and development in the relationships. This book had everything - super hot spice, super funny shiny magpie moments, a believable plot and fast pacing without feeling like you were getting left behind. I cannot wait to read more from this author!

I love that there's an established MM pairing and our F comes in and takes it to the next level - no one left behind, everyone gets more love for adding in more peeps!