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The Ritual Room #1
His Ultimatum: A boss/employee billionaire romance
No one knows what happens up at Midnight Manor.
The home of the Voss brothers sits like a sentinel looking down on our small town, remaining a mystery. The four brooding billionaires rarely leave the confines of the iron gates, fueling rumors that have existed for decades.
When my father dies, all the security I’ve known is ripped away, forcing me to come face to face with the eldest brother, Asher Voss. His outward beauty is just as I’d heard—it belies a predatory nature, irresistibly drawing me in.
A bargain is made, and I have no choice but to live in the shadowy confines of his gothic manor to save my family. As time passes, it becomes harder and harder to deny our attraction.
Asher Voss might be too old for me, and he’s definitely cursed by his own demons, but an inferno of passion between us threatens to either consume or destroy us both.
MOONLIT THORNS is a dark contemporary romance Beauty and the Beast retelling.
The home of the Voss brothers sits like a sentinel looking down on our small town, remaining a mystery. The four brooding billionaires rarely leave the confines of the iron gates, fueling rumors that have existed for decades.
When my father dies, all the security I’ve known is ripped away, forcing me to come face to face with the eldest brother, Asher Voss. His outward beauty is just as I’d heard—it belies a predatory nature, irresistibly drawing me in.
A bargain is made, and I have no choice but to live in the shadowy confines of his gothic manor to save my family. As time passes, it becomes harder and harder to deny our attraction.
Asher Voss might be too old for me, and he’s definitely cursed by his own demons, but an inferno of passion between us threatens to either consume or destroy us both.
MOONLIT THORNS is a dark contemporary romance Beauty and the Beast retelling.
464 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 29, 2024
709 people are currently reading
8884 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 758 reviews
March 1, 2024
❀ 𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐒 ❀ Is the first full length (Beauty and the Beast fairy tale retelling) romance book within the (Midnight Manor) series by new to me author P. Rayne. Spoken in 'dual perspectives' ❥ Asher and Annabelle ❥As soon as this went live, I was ready to jump in with both feet after seeing all the hype surrounding this book on my social media feeds I couldn’t wait to dive in and see what all the fuss was about.
Straight away I was pulled in, easy to get into, hard to put down, which explains exactly how this was inhaled. This was so unique and ticked so many boxes, loved the grump and sunshine vibes, loved how she bit back (no one stood up to him-ever, until her) the gothic spooky setting, the secrecy surrounding the once monthly visitors, there was so much to unfold in this book.
A fairytale retelling
Gothic vibes
Sexy as sin 4 brothers
A solid start to what I can only imagine is going to become my next obsession! Now I'm kind of stuck with what to read next!!
March 1, 2024
Moonlit Thorns is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, and it has all the elements that you would expect to find in one. That pretty much sold me on it right there. I love a story involving a sexy, wealthy man with a grumpy disposition who lives in a big, gothic mansion complete with a spectacular library and rumors of beastly behavior surrounding them. Don't you? If so, this might just be the book for you.
P. Rayne did an awesome job of incorporating all the fairytale's signature elements, along with a little violence, family trauma, and a whole lot of delicious spice. Asher and Annabelle's romance was perfectly paced, entertaining, and hot af. I read it all in one sitting, and it did not disappoint!
The whole Midnight Manor series is going to be a blast, if this one is any indication. The next installment is a retelling of Rapunzel, and I can't wait! I assume that the bartender in town having the name Cinder is no coincidence either. Rest assured, I will be reading all of these books as they come out, and if you're a retelling fan, you should, too!
P. Rayne did an awesome job of incorporating all the fairytale's signature elements, along with a little violence, family trauma, and a whole lot of delicious spice. Asher and Annabelle's romance was perfectly paced, entertaining, and hot af. I read it all in one sitting, and it did not disappoint!
The whole Midnight Manor series is going to be a blast, if this one is any indication. The next installment is a retelling of Rapunzel, and I can't wait! I assume that the bartender in town having the name Cinder is no coincidence either. Rest assured, I will be reading all of these books as they come out, and if you're a retelling fan, you should, too!
February 26, 2024
4 STARS
A modern day Beauty and the Beast retelling with a broody hero, some D/s, gothic vibes, and an exclusive sex club? Sign me up immediately!
Am I fully obsessed with the Voss brothers after finishing this book? You bet, I am. But before I gush about the broody brothers who live in the dark manor with a dark history shrouded in secrets and murder, let me talk about this book. Moonlit Thorns is the story of Asher Voss and Annabelle; an age gap romance with some D/s, good girl meets tortured bad boy vibe. In true Beauty and the Beast fashion, Asher is a dark and broody man who doesn't let anyone close besides his brothers. After the sudden death of her father, Annabelle is still picking up the pieces of her life and trying to keep her family in one piece. So when a notice shows up on her door that her family is about to lose their home, she's desperate. So desperate, that she agrees to a deal with the devil. The devil being Asher Voss, the man who her father owes a debt to that he never repaid before his death. And the deal? Work for him for a year. Whatever he says, whenever he says it.
I loved that the story mirrored many elements of the fairy tale, including characters, scenarios, and vibes. I loved Annabelle's mix of innocence and resilience. She's 22 to Asher's 36 but she's no naive girl. She is drawn to Asher's broodiness like a flame. But I don't blame her. I love the mean ones myself and Asher was so hot and cold, I didn't know if I wanted to kill him or hump him. Mostly both at the same time.
And while I loved Asher, I'm already dying to get my hands on Kol's book. And after that set up at the end of this book, I'm absolutely ravenous for it.
ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review
Find me on:
...she’s a motherfucking flame, and I’m the moth who doesn’t care if my wings get burned.
A modern day Beauty and the Beast retelling with a broody hero, some D/s, gothic vibes, and an exclusive sex club? Sign me up immediately!
Am I fully obsessed with the Voss brothers after finishing this book? You bet, I am. But before I gush about the broody brothers who live in the dark manor with a dark history shrouded in secrets and murder, let me talk about this book. Moonlit Thorns is the story of Asher Voss and Annabelle; an age gap romance with some D/s, good girl meets tortured bad boy vibe. In true Beauty and the Beast fashion, Asher is a dark and broody man who doesn't let anyone close besides his brothers. After the sudden death of her father, Annabelle is still picking up the pieces of her life and trying to keep her family in one piece. So when a notice shows up on her door that her family is about to lose their home, she's desperate. So desperate, that she agrees to a deal with the devil. The devil being Asher Voss, the man who her father owes a debt to that he never repaid before his death. And the deal? Work for him for a year. Whatever he says, whenever he says it.
I loved that the story mirrored many elements of the fairy tale, including characters, scenarios, and vibes. I loved Annabelle's mix of innocence and resilience. She's 22 to Asher's 36 but she's no naive girl. She is drawn to Asher's broodiness like a flame. But I don't blame her. I love the mean ones myself and Asher was so hot and cold, I didn't know if I wanted to kill him or hump him. Mostly both at the same time.
And while I loved Asher, I'm already dying to get my hands on Kol's book. And after that set up at the end of this book, I'm absolutely ravenous for it.
ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review
Find me on:
September 17, 2024
Yeah... this had more cheese in it than a 4-cheese pizza.
Thanks but no thanks.
Thanks but no thanks.
August 31, 2025
2 .5 for the premise ⭐️⭐️
So I didn’t like this very much, I think it would have been a Dnf under normal circumstances. However it was a super fun, buddy read, and I had the absolute best time sharing this experience with Lori and CB.
The premise of this book was interesting, and original in a contemporary sense, but it just did not pan out for me.
This book, was a beauty and the beast retelling. The famous fairytale which, according to me, is one of the most romantic of all the fairytales. So I had high expectations.
However this story failed to recapture that essence of romance and yearning. It’s a mess of time jumps and cut/paste bdsm and a very insta lovey feel. I understand why the authors chose to jump ahead in time, but the romance suffers from it. It creates a lack of tension between them. By time jump I mean, they kiss, 3 weeks go by, and they meet again.
Anabelle’s father dies, with a 3 million dollars debt to Asher. She agrees to work for him for a year to keep the family mansion. He shows no sexual interest in her, and she cleans toilets for a few weeks without them actually meeting. She is lusting for him almost right away, and I didn’t understand how we got there so fast.
Suddenly we are introduced to a sex club in the basement, some plot device to introduce the bdsm element I guess.
It’s was all so random and put together in one big superficial swoop.
There were a few loose ends for me:
1. Why was Annabelle the one trying to fix the debt? She has a brother, why couldn’t he go to the manor? He is old enough to drink and she is only 22? Would you not think they at least would go together.
2. Why did Asher hire her for a year to clean toilets, to foregive her 3 million dollar debt? It makes no sense and I don’t understand his initial motivation. He clearly wasn’t interested in her sexually, and it had nothing to do with the sex dungeon. Which would have made more sense. Why would he just forgive 3 million dollars, it was all I could think about 😂 no answer.
3. It was implied the father committed suicide because he owed money from gambling and/or the debauchery in the sex dungeon, Why was there no elaboration on the father and mother’s story? Was the mother involved? Why was she depressed? Why couldn’t Asher let the dad work of the debt?
4. Would you kill yourself for 3 million dollars if you have a wonderful family and just leave them to fix it? Mental health aside, it doesn’t seem plausible, because they were an affluent family, they would have more connections to help them out.
5. Why did Cinder have Asher’s phone number?
You see, a have a lot of unanswered questions, which bothered me. I did speed the audio up so some of it might have been missed. I did follow up research though.
The romance was lacking for me, Asher’s character came across too shallow, all grumpy and then lovey dovey. I missed the segway from lust to love.
The trope factory was yet again hard at work. “ no body touches what’s mine” was used verbatim, multiple times. I mean the writers could at least rephrase it.
This is the ending more or less correctly quoted:
“I love you Anabelle, we can be dom/sub for the rest of our lives “ 😂😂😂
You be the judge of that little tidbit in the writing. The steam was not super organic, as I mentioned before it’s like they just really wanted the book to work around the bdsm as a main focus.
I don’t necessarily need romance but it wasn’t thrilling either.
Should you read it? No 😂 your time is better spent trying to get Anabelle’s gig, scrubbing toilets for 3 million dollars a year.
So I didn’t like this very much, I think it would have been a Dnf under normal circumstances. However it was a super fun, buddy read, and I had the absolute best time sharing this experience with Lori and CB.
The premise of this book was interesting, and original in a contemporary sense, but it just did not pan out for me.
This book, was a beauty and the beast retelling. The famous fairytale which, according to me, is one of the most romantic of all the fairytales. So I had high expectations.
However this story failed to recapture that essence of romance and yearning. It’s a mess of time jumps and cut/paste bdsm and a very insta lovey feel. I understand why the authors chose to jump ahead in time, but the romance suffers from it. It creates a lack of tension between them. By time jump I mean, they kiss, 3 weeks go by, and they meet again.
Anabelle’s father dies, with a 3 million dollars debt to Asher. She agrees to work for him for a year to keep the family mansion. He shows no sexual interest in her, and she cleans toilets for a few weeks without them actually meeting. She is lusting for him almost right away, and I didn’t understand how we got there so fast.
Suddenly we are introduced to a sex club in the basement, some plot device to introduce the bdsm element I guess.
It’s was all so random and put together in one big superficial swoop.
There were a few loose ends for me:
1. Why was Annabelle the one trying to fix the debt? She has a brother, why couldn’t he go to the manor? He is old enough to drink and she is only 22? Would you not think they at least would go together.
2. Why did Asher hire her for a year to clean toilets, to foregive her 3 million dollar debt? It makes no sense and I don’t understand his initial motivation. He clearly wasn’t interested in her sexually, and it had nothing to do with the sex dungeon. Which would have made more sense. Why would he just forgive 3 million dollars, it was all I could think about 😂 no answer.
3. It was implied the father committed suicide because he owed money from gambling and/or the debauchery in the sex dungeon, Why was there no elaboration on the father and mother’s story? Was the mother involved? Why was she depressed? Why couldn’t Asher let the dad work of the debt?
4. Would you kill yourself for 3 million dollars if you have a wonderful family and just leave them to fix it? Mental health aside, it doesn’t seem plausible, because they were an affluent family, they would have more connections to help them out.
5. Why did Cinder have Asher’s phone number?
You see, a have a lot of unanswered questions, which bothered me. I did speed the audio up so some of it might have been missed. I did follow up research though.
The romance was lacking for me, Asher’s character came across too shallow, all grumpy and then lovey dovey. I missed the segway from lust to love.
The trope factory was yet again hard at work. “ no body touches what’s mine” was used verbatim, multiple times. I mean the writers could at least rephrase it.
This is the ending more or less correctly quoted:
“I love you Anabelle, we can be dom/sub for the rest of our lives “ 😂😂😂
You be the judge of that little tidbit in the writing. The steam was not super organic, as I mentioned before it’s like they just really wanted the book to work around the bdsm as a main focus.
I don’t necessarily need romance but it wasn’t thrilling either.
Should you read it? No 😂 your time is better spent trying to get Anabelle’s gig, scrubbing toilets for 3 million dollars a year.
February 20, 2024
HE GAVE HER A WHOLE DAMN LIBRARY. A. WHOLE. DAMN. STINKING. LIBRARY. 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
Yes I know it’s a ‘Beauty and the Beast’ retelling but gosh knowing that fictional men out there are giving their women libraries while I’m here in my bed decaying away by reading this stuff instead of living it genuinely hurts my soul😃.
But no genuinely this book is literally’Beauty and the Beast’ just darker, eery, definitely spicier, and in a contemporary setting. The way I like to look at it is think of the film + ‘Neon Gods’ by Katee Robert. Like in many ways the beast and Belle are basically hades and persophone and I felt like ‘Moonlit Manors’ really gave both vibes.
I ate this book up. Yea, genuinely I’m not a big fan of the spice, and despite knowing the plot of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ from beginning to end I will never get sick of a retelling and this book was just done SO well.
Another thing is it’s a dark romance that manages to have NO SA BY THE MMC AND FMC. As in PROOF something can be dark without it having to be unconsentual between the couple and I found that to be the most important aspect of the book. How Asher was so gentle with Belle, and basically made sure she was comfortable with anything. The minute he suspected she wasn’t, he immediately would stop anything he’s doing to make sure she’s ok.
LIKE WHAT A MAN. Consent is sexy and I hate when people think it’s not.
ANYWAYS I loved this book, it’s pretty mhch like the film like you’ll immediately catch on to it, but reading it in this version still hits🫦
I’m so excited for the next book now because it’s going to be a RAPANZUEL RETELLING🤩🤩🤩
Yes I know it’s a ‘Beauty and the Beast’ retelling but gosh knowing that fictional men out there are giving their women libraries while I’m here in my bed decaying away by reading this stuff instead of living it genuinely hurts my soul😃.
But no genuinely this book is literally’Beauty and the Beast’ just darker, eery, definitely spicier, and in a contemporary setting. The way I like to look at it is think of the film + ‘Neon Gods’ by Katee Robert. Like in many ways the beast and Belle are basically hades and persophone and I felt like ‘Moonlit Manors’ really gave both vibes.
I ate this book up. Yea, genuinely I’m not a big fan of the spice, and despite knowing the plot of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ from beginning to end I will never get sick of a retelling and this book was just done SO well.
Another thing is it’s a dark romance that manages to have NO SA BY THE MMC AND FMC. As in PROOF something can be dark without it having to be unconsentual between the couple and I found that to be the most important aspect of the book. How Asher was so gentle with Belle, and basically made sure she was comfortable with anything. The minute he suspected she wasn’t, he immediately would stop anything he’s doing to make sure she’s ok.
LIKE WHAT A MAN. Consent is sexy and I hate when people think it’s not.
ANYWAYS I loved this book, it’s pretty mhch like the film like you’ll immediately catch on to it, but reading it in this version still hits🫦
I’m so excited for the next book now because it’s going to be a RAPANZUEL RETELLING🤩🤩🤩
February 17, 2024
A mafia retelling of Beauty & The Beast?
You know I signed up for this ARC!
This was awesome; great plot, fabulously rich characters and all the spicy bits.
I am so excited that this is only the first book in a new series and I have all my fingers crossed hoping the rest of the series is on the remaining brothers.
Much love to P. Rayne for my ALC
You know I signed up for this ARC!
This was awesome; great plot, fabulously rich characters and all the spicy bits.
I am so excited that this is only the first book in a new series and I have all my fingers crossed hoping the rest of the series is on the remaining brothers.
Much love to P. Rayne for my ALC
March 1, 2024
5 Stars!
Talk about gobbling a freaking book up and barely coming up for air even once! I loved the hell out of this story.
What to Expect:
- Beauty & the Beast Retelling
- Dark gothic setting
- Boss/employee
- Morally grey hero (AF)
- Age gap (he's 14 years older)
Anabelle may lose her family home after her father's tragic death. So she runs to Midnight Manor to plead with Asher Voss, one of the elusive and reclusive Voss brothers. But he has a condition - she has to work for him for one year and her debt will be forgiven.
This book was the perfect blend of world building, plot, and spice. The pacing between Anabelle and Asher was so delicious and kept me glued to the page.
Asher has kept himself hidden from the world, and I loved watching Anabelle bring him back to life.
There were a bunch of delicious twists thrown in there as well, adding a bit of suspense.
This was my first read by P. Rayne but it will not be my last. The story leaves it open for one of the other brothers and I cannot friggin' wait. This is now another series I will be stocking fiercely.
P. Rayne knocked it out of the park with this dark, sexy masterpiece!
"You want to be used, little girl, is that it?" he clenches my chin hard in his hand with the bear tattoo on it. "You want me to take what I want from you and toss you aside?"
Talk about gobbling a freaking book up and barely coming up for air even once! I loved the hell out of this story.
What to Expect:
- Beauty & the Beast Retelling
- Dark gothic setting
- Boss/employee
- Morally grey hero (AF)
- Age gap (he's 14 years older)
Anabelle may lose her family home after her father's tragic death. So she runs to Midnight Manor to plead with Asher Voss, one of the elusive and reclusive Voss brothers. But he has a condition - she has to work for him for one year and her debt will be forgiven.
This book was the perfect blend of world building, plot, and spice. The pacing between Anabelle and Asher was so delicious and kept me glued to the page.
Asher has kept himself hidden from the world, and I loved watching Anabelle bring him back to life.
There were a bunch of delicious twists thrown in there as well, adding a bit of suspense.
This was my first read by P. Rayne but it will not be my last. The story leaves it open for one of the other brothers and I cannot friggin' wait. This is now another series I will be stocking fiercely.
P. Rayne knocked it out of the park with this dark, sexy masterpiece!
March 3, 2024
This was a fairy tale retelling of Beauty and the Beast with a Billionaire and a k!nk club in the basement. What else could a girl ask for?
Anabelle needs to stop her family from losing everything so she throws herself on the mercy of Asher Voss. She knows it's a long shot but the mysterious death of her father has left her desperate. She's willing to do anything, even become a servant for 365 days to the cruel billionaire who holds her fate in his hands.
From there, it really DOES follow the tale of B&B that we know so well. Just add in a dash of k!nky spice and a brooding brother or three. I am really looking forward to the next books in the series too. Midnight Manor seems like a place I will enjoy getting to know better. I'm already trying to parce out which tale each brother will have.
I listened to the audio book version of this book. Narrated by Rose Dioro & Marcio Catalano in the duet style. I enjoyed them a lot, however, there did seem to be some unevenness in volume and within the same scene i went from being unable to hear a voice, so I'd turn it up and then have my eardrums busted the next. But their performance was on point!
*Thank you to VPR for an ALC of this title.*
4 stars
4 on the spice scale
CW: BDSM, attempted rape, drugging, death of parent
Anabelle needs to stop her family from losing everything so she throws herself on the mercy of Asher Voss. She knows it's a long shot but the mysterious death of her father has left her desperate. She's willing to do anything, even become a servant for 365 days to the cruel billionaire who holds her fate in his hands.
From there, it really DOES follow the tale of B&B that we know so well. Just add in a dash of k!nky spice and a brooding brother or three. I am really looking forward to the next books in the series too. Midnight Manor seems like a place I will enjoy getting to know better. I'm already trying to parce out which tale each brother will have.
I listened to the audio book version of this book. Narrated by Rose Dioro & Marcio Catalano in the duet style. I enjoyed them a lot, however, there did seem to be some unevenness in volume and within the same scene i went from being unable to hear a voice, so I'd turn it up and then have my eardrums busted the next. But their performance was on point!
*Thank you to VPR for an ALC of this title.*
4 stars
4 on the spice scale
CW: BDSM, attempted rape, drugging, death of parent
June 26, 2025
“She's a mother fucking flame, and I'm the moth who doesn't care if my wings get burnt.”
This follows Annabelle 22 and Asher 36. Annabelle lost her father recently and is losing the Oak Haven Estate. Now she is face to face with the grumpy broody eldest Voss brother who is responsible for taking over the family estate soon. Annabelle will do anything to make sure the house stays in the family but also won't let Mr Voss get to her…
This book was great I loved the Midnight Manor run by the Voss family. Four broody brother’s yes, please. As this follows the eldest brother he has a responsibility over the family and he comes with some past trauma. You see Asher, someone who is not for commitment opens up to Annabelle. Don't get me wrong though Asher starts off as a mysterious asshole but you appreciate why once you understand his past. Annabelle did what she had to do to make sure her family was safe in the Oak Haven Estate. You get good girl vibes and someone who will happily challenge and prove someone wrong. I loved Asher and Annabelle together. The spice was delicious and a huge shout out to Rose and Marcio for fantastic duet narration! Highly recommend the audiobook.
Lastly, I will say I wanted her to investigate her father's death more. It was a mysterious circumstance to my understanding and it was questioned a lot at the start I thought it would lead that way and she would uncover answers but didn't. It left off with her asking Asher if he knew but said no and that was the last of the questions.
Other than that I'm excited for the next book in the series!
If you love:
🔹Dark Contemporary Romance
🔹Beauty And The Beast Retelling
🔹Enemies To Lovers
🔹Age Gap (14yrs)
🔹Mysterious Plot
🔹Delecious Spice
Genre/Type: Dark Contemporary Romance 18+
APK: Audiobook - ARC
Audiobook Length: 8hrs 31mins
Narrators: Rose Dioro and Marcio Catalano - Duet
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spice: 🌶️🌶🌶
Series or Stand Alone: First Book In The Midnight Manor Series
Tropes or Themes: Beauty And The Beast Retelling, Enemies To Lovers, Forced Proximity, Age Gap (14yrs), Billionaire, Workplace, Contract, Secret Society, Tortured MMC, OMD, Jealousy, Protective / Possessive MMC, Nightmares, Death Of Parent, Touch Her or Die, Third Act Breakup, Sexual Content, Sex Club, Dom, Sub, BDSM, Exhibitionism, Aftercare, Mirror Scene, Crawl, Sir, My Wife, CA, Violence, Drugged Situation, Medical Content and Injury
Check Triggers ⚠️ 💫
All Round Romance Reader
Sienasummerrreads 💕📚
TikTok | Instagram | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Everand | Amazon | Audible Reviews 💫
This follows Annabelle 22 and Asher 36. Annabelle lost her father recently and is losing the Oak Haven Estate. Now she is face to face with the grumpy broody eldest Voss brother who is responsible for taking over the family estate soon. Annabelle will do anything to make sure the house stays in the family but also won't let Mr Voss get to her…
This book was great I loved the Midnight Manor run by the Voss family. Four broody brother’s yes, please. As this follows the eldest brother he has a responsibility over the family and he comes with some past trauma. You see Asher, someone who is not for commitment opens up to Annabelle. Don't get me wrong though Asher starts off as a mysterious asshole but you appreciate why once you understand his past. Annabelle did what she had to do to make sure her family was safe in the Oak Haven Estate. You get good girl vibes and someone who will happily challenge and prove someone wrong. I loved Asher and Annabelle together. The spice was delicious and a huge shout out to Rose and Marcio for fantastic duet narration! Highly recommend the audiobook.
Lastly, I will say I wanted her to investigate her father's death more. It was a mysterious circumstance to my understanding and it was questioned a lot at the start I thought it would lead that way and she would uncover answers but didn't. It left off with her asking Asher if he knew but said no and that was the last of the questions.
Other than that I'm excited for the next book in the series!
If you love:
🔹Dark Contemporary Romance
🔹Beauty And The Beast Retelling
🔹Enemies To Lovers
🔹Age Gap (14yrs)
🔹Mysterious Plot
🔹Delecious Spice
Genre/Type: Dark Contemporary Romance 18+
APK: Audiobook - ARC
Audiobook Length: 8hrs 31mins
Narrators: Rose Dioro and Marcio Catalano - Duet
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spice: 🌶️🌶🌶
Series or Stand Alone: First Book In The Midnight Manor Series
Tropes or Themes: Beauty And The Beast Retelling, Enemies To Lovers, Forced Proximity, Age Gap (14yrs), Billionaire, Workplace, Contract, Secret Society, Tortured MMC, OMD, Jealousy, Protective / Possessive MMC, Nightmares, Death Of Parent, Touch Her or Die, Third Act Breakup, Sexual Content, Sex Club, Dom, Sub, BDSM, Exhibitionism, Aftercare, Mirror Scene, Crawl, Sir, My Wife, CA, Violence, Drugged Situation, Medical Content and Injury
Check Triggers ⚠️ 💫
All Round Romance Reader
Sienasummerrreads 💕📚
TikTok | Instagram | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Everand | Amazon | Audible Reviews 💫
March 1, 2024
DNFed at 40%
Asher and Anabelle both are dumb.
Asher was no broody dark billionaire, he was a joke.
Anabelle was too desperate for his attention, he humiliated her, at least have some self respect 🙄
First he kissed her and then when she kissed him back, he got angry that why she kissed him. Stupid Guy!
Second time when he finger f*cked her in middle of nowhere, he left her to clean her up and went away. Then he told her to set him up a date with some rich socialite for an upcoming party.
Asher and Anabelle both are dumb.
Asher was no broody dark billionaire, he was a joke.
Anabelle was too desperate for his attention, he humiliated her, at least have some self respect 🙄
First he kissed her and then when she kissed him back, he got angry that why she kissed him. Stupid Guy!
Second time when he finger f*cked her in middle of nowhere, he left her to clean her up and went away. Then he told her to set him up a date with some rich socialite for an upcoming party.
Read
February 29, 2024Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
https://geni.us/mthorns
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https://geni.us/mthorns
Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3tVC8Fk
February 29, 2024
mafia academy was one of my favorite series of 2023, and when the authors first announced this new series, the title alone won me over. they did the mafia subgenre justice, but could they master gothic fairytale retellings as well? if this introduction to midnight manor is any indication, it'll quickly become another favorite of mine. the writing was very immersive, i felt goosebumps at times due to the eerie atmosphere of the setting. it was another layer of tension to an already charged chemistry between the main characters. and the smut was delicious as always, the bdsm cavernous sex club element of the book reminded me of "twisted devotion" by poppy st. john. but i must say, much like it happened in their previous series, the band of brothers, the different dynamics and personalities was what made this special. there's so much darkness, so much trauma within the walls of this manor that the ghosts residing it are the living. the rose bush nursed to bloom metaphor, more than a nod to beauty and the beast, was the perfect embodiment of this couple's love story. i can't wait for what the rest of the siblings have in store for me. and for more cameos of the one and only mr. smith, he didn't get a mafia book, but maybe a billionaire one? fingers crossed.
* i was sent an arc by the authors in exchange for a honest review
* i was sent an arc by the authors in exchange for a honest review
September 4, 2025
REVIEW
Rating: 3.5/5
POV: 1st; Dual
Tropes: Age Gap (12-14 years?); Retelling - Beauty & the Beast; Boss/Employee; Contract; Gothic; Neighbors; Opposites Attract
Heat Level: 5+/5
Kinks: Dom/Sub Relationship
Likes:
* The FMC is young (22) and in the first quarter of the book she seemed to have a really good head on her shoulders and was self aware.
* I liked the gothic aspect of the story and even wish it was a bit more dark to get even more of a gothic feel
* The spice was spicing
Dislikes:
* After the first quarter of the book the FMC gets attacked by the horny bug and spends the remainder of the book making dumb decisions and by the end of the book I've put her in horny jail.
Conclusion:
This was a fun read and it had a strong beginning. The story takes a turn I was not expecting at all (see kinks) and once it started there it did lose its spark. Don't get me wrong that part of the story was hot but the FMC loses her mind for some dick and the MMC becomes too kind, lol. He was such a mean asshole and it was fantastic and I feel like that side of him disappeared too quickly.
My rating might seem high for this review but I really did overall enjoy the story. The banter was good, the parts with the brothers was interesting, and I really liked how the author did the retelling based on the Beauty & the Beast cartoon we all watched as kids. It's also been too many days from when I finished this for me to write a good review haha.
I had the best time buddy reading this with Lori and Annika! Thanks ladies! :)
3.5/5
Rating: 3.5/5
POV: 1st; Dual
Tropes: Age Gap (12-14 years?); Retelling - Beauty & the Beast; Boss/Employee; Contract; Gothic; Neighbors; Opposites Attract
Heat Level: 5+/5
Kinks: Dom/Sub Relationship
Likes:
* The FMC is young (22) and in the first quarter of the book she seemed to have a really good head on her shoulders and was self aware.
* I liked the gothic aspect of the story and even wish it was a bit more dark to get even more of a gothic feel
* The spice was spicing
Dislikes:
* After the first quarter of the book the FMC gets attacked by the horny bug and spends the remainder of the book making dumb decisions and by the end of the book I've put her in horny jail.
Conclusion:
This was a fun read and it had a strong beginning. The story takes a turn I was not expecting at all (see kinks) and once it started there it did lose its spark. Don't get me wrong that part of the story was hot but the FMC loses her mind for some dick and the MMC becomes too kind, lol. He was such a mean asshole and it was fantastic and I feel like that side of him disappeared too quickly.
My rating might seem high for this review but I really did overall enjoy the story. The banter was good, the parts with the brothers was interesting, and I really liked how the author did the retelling based on the Beauty & the Beast cartoon we all watched as kids. It's also been too many days from when I finished this for me to write a good review haha.
I had the best time buddy reading this with Lori and Annika! Thanks ladies! :)
3.5/5
February 21, 2024
Oh. My. God.
Having been in a major reading slump this year, this was the perfect read to reignite my love for reading and it kept me HOOKED. I mean reading in one sitting, forgetting the existence of my boyfriend and devouring this book in about 4 hours tbh.
When her father dies unexpectedly, Annabelle Bordeaux is forced to face the mysterious and intimating Asher Voss to try and save her families estate. What does he want? Her. For a year.
Despite telling himself she was too young, deserved better and that he wasn’t interested, the temptation of Annabelle had Asher forgoing all his rules and feelings to get her.
It’s the perfect balance of world building, plot and spice and let me tell you the spice is exactly what you need among the plot which actually held my attention far more. I loved the little bits of information dropped here and there regarding Asher’s brothers and hopefully leading to their own books following and I can definitely see the links and inspiration that came from Beauty and the Beast.
I honestly don’t think I will stop talking about this book for a long time and will be encouraging everyone to read it.
ARC REVIEW.
Having been in a major reading slump this year, this was the perfect read to reignite my love for reading and it kept me HOOKED. I mean reading in one sitting, forgetting the existence of my boyfriend and devouring this book in about 4 hours tbh.
When her father dies unexpectedly, Annabelle Bordeaux is forced to face the mysterious and intimating Asher Voss to try and save her families estate. What does he want? Her. For a year.
Despite telling himself she was too young, deserved better and that he wasn’t interested, the temptation of Annabelle had Asher forgoing all his rules and feelings to get her.
It’s the perfect balance of world building, plot and spice and let me tell you the spice is exactly what you need among the plot which actually held my attention far more. I loved the little bits of information dropped here and there regarding Asher’s brothers and hopefully leading to their own books following and I can definitely see the links and inspiration that came from Beauty and the Beast.
I honestly don’t think I will stop talking about this book for a long time and will be encouraging everyone to read it.
ARC REVIEW.
March 7, 2024
4.5 stars.
This book makes me want to find more beauty & the beast retellings to read, as I loved this one! The FMC’s name is Annabelle (get it? like Belle in B&TB). I love when there are references like that in a retelling.
This one is a dark romance with our MMC, Asher, as the moody, grumpy billionaire who lives in a gothic manor named “Midnight Manor”. Annabelle was able to “tame the beast”, and through it all, their chemistry was on point!
We also meet Asher’s brothers in this book, and I love how now this series will be about each brother. The only thing I wish Asher would have stopped worrying about in the book was their age gap difference. I mean age is just a number, am I right?!
Oh and Midnight Manor of course has a huge beautiful library as it should, and it becomes Annabelle’s haven along with the maze garden.
@authorprayne put a lot of thought into the small details of this book that really made it feel like a retelling. The roses that Annabelle brings back to like reminds me of the rose in the glass vase of B&TB.
If you like Disney retellings but on the darker side, then add this to your TBR!
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
This book makes me want to find more beauty & the beast retellings to read, as I loved this one! The FMC’s name is Annabelle (get it? like Belle in B&TB). I love when there are references like that in a retelling.
This one is a dark romance with our MMC, Asher, as the moody, grumpy billionaire who lives in a gothic manor named “Midnight Manor”. Annabelle was able to “tame the beast”, and through it all, their chemistry was on point!
We also meet Asher’s brothers in this book, and I love how now this series will be about each brother. The only thing I wish Asher would have stopped worrying about in the book was their age gap difference. I mean age is just a number, am I right?!
Oh and Midnight Manor of course has a huge beautiful library as it should, and it becomes Annabelle’s haven along with the maze garden.
@authorprayne put a lot of thought into the small details of this book that really made it feel like a retelling. The roses that Annabelle brings back to like reminds me of the rose in the glass vase of B&TB.
If you like Disney retellings but on the darker side, then add this to your TBR!
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
February 19, 2024
・score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
・spicy: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
・beauty and the beast retelling / forced proximity / age gap / gothic vibes / secret society / billionare dark romance / dom/sub
I loved this story from beginning to end! I really had a lot of expectations before reading it, especially bc it's a retelling of Beauty and the Beast (a story I love and I know a lot of retellings) so I was very excited to discover how the authors worked this new version of the traditional tale. Just one word, AMAZING, they reflected the essence of the original story perfectly with a lot of detail and taking it to the contemporary world with dark vibes that simply captivated me from beginning to end 🖤 beauty and the beast retelling + dark romance + kinky smut = perfection ✨
Since I started the book I couldn't put it down, the narrative is so gripping that every time I finished a chapter I literally said to myself "one more chapter and I stop" but I couldn't, I needed to know more about the wonderful characters and their stories 🤌🏻 Needless to say, this book made me squeal, cry and laugh, because it touched me so much that I really felt like I was living the story with the characters 🤭
It's not a book that blows your mind in the sense that it has plot twist in every chapter because it's kind of predictable due to how faithful it is to the story of Beauty and the Beast, but still it doesn't need that "surprise" factor to be the gem it is because the story of the main characters and how their relationship is progressing is EVERYTHING ☄️ Asher and Anabelle are my new top literary couples 💞✨
The epilogue is epic and left me super hooked, so I will definitely be following this series because the next books promise 👀
⋆⋆SPANISH⋆⋆
Amé de principio a fin esta historia! La verdad tenía muchísimas expectativas antes de leerla sobre todo porque es un retelling de La Bella y la Bestia (historia que amo y conozco muchísimos retellings) así que estaba muy emocionada por descubrir como las autoras trabajaron esta nueva versión del cuento tradicional. Solo una palabra, INCREÍBLE, reflejaron la esencia del cuento original a la perfección con mucho detalle y llevándolo al mundo contemporáneo con dark vibes que simplemente me cautivaron de principio a fin 🖤 beauty and the beast retelling + dark romance + kinky smut = perfection ✨
Desde que empecé el libro no pude soltarlo, la narrativa es tan atrapante que cada vez que terminaba un capítulo literalmente me decía “one more chapter and I stop” pero no podía, necesitaba saber más de los maravillosos personajes y sus historias 🤌🏻 Está demás decir que este libro me hizo chillar, llorar y reír, porque me llegó tanto que en verdad sentí que vivía la historia junto a los personajes 🤭
No es un libro que te vuela la cabeza en el sentido de que tiene plot twist en cada capítulo porque es algo predecible debido a lo fiel que es a la historia de La Bella y la Bestia, pero aún así no necesita ese factor “sorpresa” para ser la joya que es porque la historia de los protagonistas y cómo va progresando su relación es EVERYTHING Asher y Anabelle son mi nuevo top de parejas literarias 💞✨
El epílogo es épico y me dejó super enganchada, así que sin duda seguiré esta serie porque los siguientes libros prometen 👀
・spicy: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
・beauty and the beast retelling / forced proximity / age gap / gothic vibes / secret society / billionare dark romance / dom/sub
I loved this story from beginning to end! I really had a lot of expectations before reading it, especially bc it's a retelling of Beauty and the Beast (a story I love and I know a lot of retellings) so I was very excited to discover how the authors worked this new version of the traditional tale. Just one word, AMAZING, they reflected the essence of the original story perfectly with a lot of detail and taking it to the contemporary world with dark vibes that simply captivated me from beginning to end 🖤 beauty and the beast retelling + dark romance + kinky smut = perfection ✨
Since I started the book I couldn't put it down, the narrative is so gripping that every time I finished a chapter I literally said to myself "one more chapter and I stop" but I couldn't, I needed to know more about the wonderful characters and their stories 🤌🏻 Needless to say, this book made me squeal, cry and laugh, because it touched me so much that I really felt like I was living the story with the characters 🤭
It's not a book that blows your mind in the sense that it has plot twist in every chapter because it's kind of predictable due to how faithful it is to the story of Beauty and the Beast, but still it doesn't need that "surprise" factor to be the gem it is because the story of the main characters and how their relationship is progressing is EVERYTHING ☄️ Asher and Anabelle are my new top literary couples 💞✨
The epilogue is epic and left me super hooked, so I will definitely be following this series because the next books promise 👀
⋆⋆SPANISH⋆⋆
Amé de principio a fin esta historia! La verdad tenía muchísimas expectativas antes de leerla sobre todo porque es un retelling de La Bella y la Bestia (historia que amo y conozco muchísimos retellings) así que estaba muy emocionada por descubrir como las autoras trabajaron esta nueva versión del cuento tradicional. Solo una palabra, INCREÍBLE, reflejaron la esencia del cuento original a la perfección con mucho detalle y llevándolo al mundo contemporáneo con dark vibes que simplemente me cautivaron de principio a fin 🖤 beauty and the beast retelling + dark romance + kinky smut = perfection ✨
Desde que empecé el libro no pude soltarlo, la narrativa es tan atrapante que cada vez que terminaba un capítulo literalmente me decía “one more chapter and I stop” pero no podía, necesitaba saber más de los maravillosos personajes y sus historias 🤌🏻 Está demás decir que este libro me hizo chillar, llorar y reír, porque me llegó tanto que en verdad sentí que vivía la historia junto a los personajes 🤭
No es un libro que te vuela la cabeza en el sentido de que tiene plot twist en cada capítulo porque es algo predecible debido a lo fiel que es a la historia de La Bella y la Bestia, pero aún así no necesita ese factor “sorpresa” para ser la joya que es porque la historia de los protagonistas y cómo va progresando su relación es EVERYTHING Asher y Anabelle son mi nuevo top de parejas literarias 💞✨
El epílogo es épico y me dejó super enganchada, así que sin duda seguiré esta serie porque los siguientes libros prometen 👀
February 29, 2024
I don't think I will ever get tired of reading Beauty and The Beast retelling! I have read so many but this was special. Moonlit Thorns by P. Rayne just left me completely mesmerized and obsessed. Dark gothic vibes, scorching hot chemistry, heartaching feels at the right place..this book has everything. Falling for our dark billionaire antihero was just so easy. With his tragic past, broken heart, panty melting hot arrogance and sinful dominance..Asher Voss is one of my top book boyfriend. He just needed someone sweet and sassy like Anabelle to awaken the dead heart.
After her father's tragic death, Anabelle Boudreaux runs to Midnight Manor to plead with Asher Voss to save her family home and farm. Four reclusive billionaire brothers live there and so many urban legends circulate around. Asher has a condition. She has to work for him one year. Whatever he wants. And the debt will be forgotten. What he didn't expect was to fall for her. But he doesn't do love. Enough tragedies have wrecked his life. Anabelle won't stop till she gets inside his heart but at what cost?
I loved everything about this retelling! I enjoyed how the authors incorporated the original details in a smart way. The big library, a dying rose bush in middle of a maze, the loving housekeeper, Anabelle's annoying ex sheriff Galen..it was finding little clues here and there. I love this idea band of Brothers with various shades because I know right away I am going to get more in this world and obviously the brother dynamics is a strong point in P. Rayne's writing. Asher is the eldest and he carries a lot more burden than his younger brothers. The cruelty of their evil father, the tragic death of their mother, running their business dynasty..he has a lot. Except feeling something real. He restricted himself to meaningless sex in the secret sex club they run. But Anabelle just came in hard with her beauty, her stubbornness, her compassion, her need to care and protect others at any cost. She has been attracted to his sex appeal and confidence immediately but Asher was a bully and he initially wanted to break her spirit down. The enemies to lovers tension was delicious! There were sparks flying everywhere even when they were using sharp almost hateful words. Anabelle evoked a strange and strong possessiveness and protectiveness in Asher. Oh how I love a hero with Touch her and die vibes. It was denial and deflection for Asher that he carried on a long time. Even after they started the dom/sub sessions. He thought he could keep it physical but love really doesn't stay behind a line. It was touch and go for a while. They almost lost each other and that made them surrender to love completely. I just love to read antiheroes falling in love and this book was everything. Anabelle healed his broken pieces..
I reviewed an early copy voluntarily
After her father's tragic death, Anabelle Boudreaux runs to Midnight Manor to plead with Asher Voss to save her family home and farm. Four reclusive billionaire brothers live there and so many urban legends circulate around. Asher has a condition. She has to work for him one year. Whatever he wants. And the debt will be forgotten. What he didn't expect was to fall for her. But he doesn't do love. Enough tragedies have wrecked his life. Anabelle won't stop till she gets inside his heart but at what cost?
I loved everything about this retelling! I enjoyed how the authors incorporated the original details in a smart way. The big library, a dying rose bush in middle of a maze, the loving housekeeper, Anabelle's annoying ex sheriff Galen..it was finding little clues here and there. I love this idea band of Brothers with various shades because I know right away I am going to get more in this world and obviously the brother dynamics is a strong point in P. Rayne's writing. Asher is the eldest and he carries a lot more burden than his younger brothers. The cruelty of their evil father, the tragic death of their mother, running their business dynasty..he has a lot. Except feeling something real. He restricted himself to meaningless sex in the secret sex club they run. But Anabelle just came in hard with her beauty, her stubbornness, her compassion, her need to care and protect others at any cost. She has been attracted to his sex appeal and confidence immediately but Asher was a bully and he initially wanted to break her spirit down. The enemies to lovers tension was delicious! There were sparks flying everywhere even when they were using sharp almost hateful words. Anabelle evoked a strange and strong possessiveness and protectiveness in Asher. Oh how I love a hero with Touch her and die vibes. It was denial and deflection for Asher that he carried on a long time. Even after they started the dom/sub sessions. He thought he could keep it physical but love really doesn't stay behind a line. It was touch and go for a while. They almost lost each other and that made them surrender to love completely. I just love to read antiheroes falling in love and this book was everything. Anabelle healed his broken pieces..
I reviewed an early copy voluntarily
March 10, 2024
Loved this beauty and the beast retelling!! The dark and gothic vibes in this were SO GOOD. I can’t wait to read the rest of the Voss brothers books <3 I just know Kol’s book is gonna eat😭🖤
November 17, 2025
This is a Beauty & the Beast retelling that has all the vibes of that along with some dom/sub vibes also. Annabelle begins working for Asher Voss after she discovers an eviction notice on her family’s estate. The chemistry between Asher and Annabelle is something neither can resist.
February 20, 2024
The only knowledge I had going into Moonlit Thorns was that it was a contemporary retelling of Beauty and the Beast. That’s not generally my thing, but if this duo is writing it, I’m reading it. Within a few pages, I was completely mesmerized by the intriguing world that came to life before my eyes. Mystery, suspense, sass, and SO much spice. Asher and Anabelle’s story was an enthralling introduction to the Midnight Manor series. The Voss brothers certainly have my attention, and I can’t wait to see what’s to come. (No pun intended.) (By far the spiciest book I’ve read in quite some time.)
At an emoji glance, you can expect...
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
In no particular order...
😞😵🧨😊🥵💦😉😍🤔⁉️
😨😧🙂🥵💦🤯🧨😡😍🤨🤨
Anabelle is willing to do whatever she has to for her family, and that’s what leads her to Asher Voss’s door. The man’s temperament rivals that of a beast, and he has no qualms about directing that towards Anabelle from the moment they meet. That seems to only grow in intensity the more they are in the same vicinity of one another. The push and pull between them is downright painful at times, emotionally and physically (wink). No matter how hard he tries, Asher can’t seem to pretend Anabelle doesn’t exist. After certain events change the game, he lets the predator inside him have a little fun with the sassy yet innocent pet. What’s supposed to be temporary feels like anything, but... But can the beast put all the trauma aside to be what his beauty needs?
Anabelle is the perfect blend of sassy attitude and sweet innocence. She had her world turned upside down when her father passed away, and then again when she walked into Midnight Manor for the first time. Yet she never hesitated to dive into the unknown to make sure her family was okay. She saw many sides of Asher, and it seemed that she was drawn to each and every one. The broody beast up in a mysterious manner, the man who has faced trauma, the fiercely protective older brother, and the man who has a predatory appetite for... She had a connection to every aspect of what made him who he was.
Asher was a growly beast of anger wrapped in mystery the moment he appeared on the pages, and that is definitely a weakness of mine. The pages were fraught with tension, and it only seemed to become more intense the more he tried to keep his distance from Anabelle. It seemed as though her mere existence fed the beast inside him, and before he even had his first taste, he was addictively obsessed with the girl who pushed his buttons and trusted him to hold the control he thrived on. Anabelle’s sassy stubbornness and sweet innocence were exactly what Asher didn’t know he needed.
Asher and Anabelle shared a connection the moment they met, but it’s so much more than that. They have this push and pull that’s fraught with so much tension that you can feel it seeping through the pages. The unrestrained physical desire might be where it starts, but it evolves into soul-searing. They are seriously on fire; the back and forth, the sexual tension—everything about them is downright explosive.
As soon as Moonlit Thorns hit my kindle, I put everything aside and dove in. Within a few pages, I may as well have put an out-of-order sign on life; those real-life peasants weren’t inhabitants of the world that had me completely spellbound. As someone who doesn’t usually read fairytale retellings, I will say that a dark twist on my all-time favorite may have changed that. As the saying goes, I still like fairy tales; they are just dirtier. and, in this case, darker
I’m already impatiently DYING for the next book in the Midnight Manor series. Asher and Anabelle have me as addicted to needing more of this world as they are to each other. I need more of the Voss brothers, and I’m absolutely positive there’s going to be some “wtf” moments with all the unknowns lurking in the shadows and the mystique that surrounds these broody brothers.
Moonlit Thorns was an eye-opening introduction to the Midnight Manor series, and I can’t wait for a front-row seat as the Voss men wreak havoc on the pages and probably many panties. These Voss men are quite spicy.
Website | Amazon | Facebook | Instagram
At an emoji glance, you can expect...
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
In no particular order...
😞😵🧨😊🥵💦😉😍🤔⁉️
😨😧🙂🥵💦🤯🧨😡😍🤨🤨
Anabelle is willing to do whatever she has to for her family, and that’s what leads her to Asher Voss’s door. The man’s temperament rivals that of a beast, and he has no qualms about directing that towards Anabelle from the moment they meet. That seems to only grow in intensity the more they are in the same vicinity of one another. The push and pull between them is downright painful at times, emotionally and physically (wink). No matter how hard he tries, Asher can’t seem to pretend Anabelle doesn’t exist. After certain events change the game, he lets the predator inside him have a little fun with the sassy yet innocent pet. What’s supposed to be temporary feels like anything, but... But can the beast put all the trauma aside to be what his beauty needs?
Anabelle is the perfect blend of sassy attitude and sweet innocence. She had her world turned upside down when her father passed away, and then again when she walked into Midnight Manor for the first time. Yet she never hesitated to dive into the unknown to make sure her family was okay. She saw many sides of Asher, and it seemed that she was drawn to each and every one. The broody beast up in a mysterious manner, the man who has faced trauma, the fiercely protective older brother, and the man who has a predatory appetite for... She had a connection to every aspect of what made him who he was.
Asher was a growly beast of anger wrapped in mystery the moment he appeared on the pages, and that is definitely a weakness of mine. The pages were fraught with tension, and it only seemed to become more intense the more he tried to keep his distance from Anabelle. It seemed as though her mere existence fed the beast inside him, and before he even had his first taste, he was addictively obsessed with the girl who pushed his buttons and trusted him to hold the control he thrived on. Anabelle’s sassy stubbornness and sweet innocence were exactly what Asher didn’t know he needed.
Asher and Anabelle shared a connection the moment they met, but it’s so much more than that. They have this push and pull that’s fraught with so much tension that you can feel it seeping through the pages. The unrestrained physical desire might be where it starts, but it evolves into soul-searing. They are seriously on fire; the back and forth, the sexual tension—everything about them is downright explosive.
As soon as Moonlit Thorns hit my kindle, I put everything aside and dove in. Within a few pages, I may as well have put an out-of-order sign on life; those real-life peasants weren’t inhabitants of the world that had me completely spellbound. As someone who doesn’t usually read fairytale retellings, I will say that a dark twist on my all-time favorite may have changed that. As the saying goes, I still like fairy tales; they are just dirtier. and, in this case, darker
I’m already impatiently DYING for the next book in the Midnight Manor series. Asher and Anabelle have me as addicted to needing more of this world as they are to each other. I need more of the Voss brothers, and I’m absolutely positive there’s going to be some “wtf” moments with all the unknowns lurking in the shadows and the mystique that surrounds these broody brothers.
Moonlit Thorns was an eye-opening introduction to the Midnight Manor series, and I can’t wait for a front-row seat as the Voss men wreak havoc on the pages and probably many panties. These Voss men are quite spicy.
Website | Amazon | Facebook | Instagram
February 22, 2024
4.5 stars! Moonlit Thorns is the first book in the Midnight Manor series and this was just so addictive and fun! This is a dark contemporary romance retelling of Beauty and the Beast with gothic vibes and has alllll the tropes: alpha billionaire anti-hero, age gap (she’s 22, he’s 36), opposites attract (bad boy/good girl), enemies to lovers, forced proximity, secret society (including BDSM), tortured hero, and more! If you love a BaTB retelling, this hits that perfectly!
The story kicks off with Anabelle receiving an eviction notice after her father’s death for her beloved home. She goes to the Voss mansion, Midnight Manor, to plead for her family’s home and runs into Asher Voss. Anabelle says she’ll do anything to save her home and Asher offers her a bargain: he’ll give her back her home if she comes to live in his manor and works for him for a year. Anabelle agrees and quickly learns there is more than meets the eye when it comes to broody, tortured, bad boy Asher, as well as with Midnight Manor. She finds out about a secret that Asher and his brothers are a part of and decides she wants to join them as well!
This was just so delicious and fun! The story is fast-paced and I loved the chemistry between the couple. The backstories were well-developed, all the side characters were great, the steam was steaming, and this was just all around entertaining! The tease at the end for the next book sounds so good too and I’m just so excited to continue on!
The audiobook narration in particular really added to the overall vibe and feel of this story! It’s a duet narration and I loved the narrators, Rose Dioro and Marcio Catalano. I received an audio ALC from the author, all thoughts in this review are my own. Moonlit Thorns is out February 29, 2024!
The story kicks off with Anabelle receiving an eviction notice after her father’s death for her beloved home. She goes to the Voss mansion, Midnight Manor, to plead for her family’s home and runs into Asher Voss. Anabelle says she’ll do anything to save her home and Asher offers her a bargain: he’ll give her back her home if she comes to live in his manor and works for him for a year. Anabelle agrees and quickly learns there is more than meets the eye when it comes to broody, tortured, bad boy Asher, as well as with Midnight Manor. She finds out about a secret that Asher and his brothers are a part of and decides she wants to join them as well!
This was just so delicious and fun! The story is fast-paced and I loved the chemistry between the couple. The backstories were well-developed, all the side characters were great, the steam was steaming, and this was just all around entertaining! The tease at the end for the next book sounds so good too and I’m just so excited to continue on!
The audiobook narration in particular really added to the overall vibe and feel of this story! It’s a duet narration and I loved the narrators, Rose Dioro and Marcio Catalano. I received an audio ALC from the author, all thoughts in this review are my own. Moonlit Thorns is out February 29, 2024!
July 21, 2025
This is my first book by P. Rayne and wow I absolutely devoured it. This story is a retelling of the classic fairytale of beauty and the beast, but a darker, dirtier, BDSM version along with some classic characters and the gothic mansion and gargoyles.
Anabelle's father passes away suddenly so she comes home to help out her family and the after mouth of his passing. After she takes a morning run she comes home to a eviction notice and decides she's not losing her family home along with everything else. So she drives to Asher's mansion and confronts him.
Being the cold and distant beast of a man that he is he tells her tough. Her dad made a deal and used her family home as collateral. Anabelle begs Asher and says she will do anything to work out a deal to save her home. Asher finally agrees to a deal where she must live with him for a year but the west wing and the basement is forbidden, she must give up her phone and that she can only leave on a Saturday night and that he owns her so she has to do any job he demands.
While cleaning rooms and working in the kitchen we get to meet some classic characters from the fairytale like Maurice, Mrs Pott's (Potter). Feelings start to stir between the MCs and after Asher takes another woman out to try and forget about Annabelle and the feelings he's starting to feel, along with worrying about a 14 year age gap. She returns home goes to a bar and meets a man and ends up going back to the mansion and into the basement, where things take a different turn and wow did not see that in the original 😂
Anabelle's father passes away suddenly so she comes home to help out her family and the after mouth of his passing. After she takes a morning run she comes home to a eviction notice and decides she's not losing her family home along with everything else. So she drives to Asher's mansion and confronts him.
Being the cold and distant beast of a man that he is he tells her tough. Her dad made a deal and used her family home as collateral. Anabelle begs Asher and says she will do anything to work out a deal to save her home. Asher finally agrees to a deal where she must live with him for a year but the west wing and the basement is forbidden, she must give up her phone and that she can only leave on a Saturday night and that he owns her so she has to do any job he demands.
While cleaning rooms and working in the kitchen we get to meet some classic characters from the fairytale like Maurice, Mrs Pott's (Potter). Feelings start to stir between the MCs and after Asher takes another woman out to try and forget about Annabelle and the feelings he's starting to feel, along with worrying about a 14 year age gap. She returns home goes to a bar and meets a man and ends up going back to the mansion and into the basement, where things take a different turn and wow did not see that in the original 😂
February 18, 2024
Filled with delicious tension and unexpected twists, Moonlit Thorns proved to be the perfect gothic billionaire romance with a fairy tale retelling twist. P. Rayne stepped up their game and knocked it out of the park this dark and sexy read.
From the moment you met Asher and Anabelle, you just knew you were in for a treat. Asher was dark, broken, and 100% complicated. And Anabelle was young, refreshing, and would do anything to save her family. I loved getting to know these characters and seeing that there was more to Asher than just his gruff exterior. He tried his hardest to fight the irresistible pull towards Anabelle and let’s just say, Asher took me by surprise in the best possible way. I never saw him coming and was completely unprepared for the wild ride I was taken on, and I enjoyed every single second.
Moonlit Thorns is a perfectly done Beauty and the Beast retelling. It’s sexy. Intriguing. And Utterly captivating! I can’t say it enough. This is hands down my favorite book from this duo and I can not wait to get my hands on the next book in this series, Shattered Vows.
*I was provided an ARC copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review*
From the moment you met Asher and Anabelle, you just knew you were in for a treat. Asher was dark, broken, and 100% complicated. And Anabelle was young, refreshing, and would do anything to save her family. I loved getting to know these characters and seeing that there was more to Asher than just his gruff exterior. He tried his hardest to fight the irresistible pull towards Anabelle and let’s just say, Asher took me by surprise in the best possible way. I never saw him coming and was completely unprepared for the wild ride I was taken on, and I enjoyed every single second.
Moonlit Thorns is a perfectly done Beauty and the Beast retelling. It’s sexy. Intriguing. And Utterly captivating! I can’t say it enough. This is hands down my favorite book from this duo and I can not wait to get my hands on the next book in this series, Shattered Vows.
*I was provided an ARC copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review*
March 1, 2024
There is nothing I love more than an age-gap romance. ESPECIALLY, when it's a beauty and the beast retelling. I mean, come on!! The Voss brothers are a mystery to everyone, especially on Saturdays when luxury cars are going to and from their property. Nobody knows much about the brothers, except everyone knows you do not cross them.
Anabelle finds herself working for Asher Voss, in order to pay off her fathers debt. She quickly learns that Asher loathes her and will do anything to try and break her. The Tension begins to build but then something unexpected happens and Anabelle finds herself learning exactly what happens on those Saturday nights.... Everything changes for Anabelle once she discovers this secret, but she finds herself loving the direction that her life is going in.
Read if you like
•DARK ROMANCE
•AGE GAP ROMANCE
•BILLIONAIR ROMANCE
•ENEMIES TO LOVERS
•TOUCH HER AND YOU DIE
•STRONG FMC
Anabelle finds herself working for Asher Voss, in order to pay off her fathers debt. She quickly learns that Asher loathes her and will do anything to try and break her. The Tension begins to build but then something unexpected happens and Anabelle finds herself learning exactly what happens on those Saturday nights.... Everything changes for Anabelle once she discovers this secret, but she finds herself loving the direction that her life is going in.
Read if you like
•DARK ROMANCE
•AGE GAP ROMANCE
•BILLIONAIR ROMANCE
•ENEMIES TO LOVERS
•TOUCH HER AND YOU DIE
•STRONG FMC
June 18, 2024
“But she’s a motherfucking flame, and I’m the moth who doesn’t care if my wings get burned.” 🔥
This surprised me with how much I loved it! 💖
This follows the oldest of the 4 Voss brothers, Asher. Anabelle loses her family home after the passing of her father, and to get it back she agrees to move into Midnight Manor and work for Asher for one full year. The beauty and the beast vibes were really strong in this, from the massive library to the yellow ball gown. 🤭 the D/s relationship was a nice little surprise. I love a good healthy D/s in my books, and that was done really well. I went into this blind, as I always do, but I suggest checking the content warnings as this may not be for some people.
The audiobook for this was fantastic. Done in duet, and the narrators did a good fucking job. Highly recommend this! 💕
Onto book two!
This surprised me with how much I loved it! 💖
This follows the oldest of the 4 Voss brothers, Asher. Anabelle loses her family home after the passing of her father, and to get it back she agrees to move into Midnight Manor and work for Asher for one full year. The beauty and the beast vibes were really strong in this, from the massive library to the yellow ball gown. 🤭 the D/s relationship was a nice little surprise. I love a good healthy D/s in my books, and that was done really well. I went into this blind, as I always do, but I suggest checking the content warnings as this may not be for some people.
The audiobook for this was fantastic. Done in duet, and the narrators did a good fucking job. Highly recommend this! 💕
Onto book two!
February 27, 2024
I absolutely LOVE retellings, especially ones of Beauty and the Beast, so you know I had to sign up for this ARC.
Moonlit Thorns is the first book in the Midnight Manor series. Overall I really enjoyed the story and felt the authors did a great job of keeping true to the B&TB whether also making it different enough to keep it interesting. There is a lot more to unpack with the Voss brothers and I for one cannot wait for book two!
- Dark Romance
- Beauty and The Beast Retelling
- Forced Proximity
- Age gap (36H/22h)
- Dom/sub
- Touch her and die
4⭐️
3🔥
Moonlit Thorns is the first book in the Midnight Manor series. Overall I really enjoyed the story and felt the authors did a great job of keeping true to the B&TB whether also making it different enough to keep it interesting. There is a lot more to unpack with the Voss brothers and I for one cannot wait for book two!
- Dark Romance
- Beauty and The Beast Retelling
- Forced Proximity
- Age gap (36H/22h)
- Dom/sub
- Touch her and die
4⭐️
3🔥
February 21, 2024
ARC REVIEW:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
🌶️🌶️🌶️
Ahh I loved this! Such a unique beauty & the beast retelling. I loved finding all the little connections to the original fairytale but in a modern setting ! I also listened to the playlist for this while reading and it really helped put my in the mindset of the manor!
I’m hoping the rest of the series is about the other brothers!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
🌶️🌶️🌶️
Ahh I loved this! Such a unique beauty & the beast retelling. I loved finding all the little connections to the original fairytale but in a modern setting ! I also listened to the playlist for this while reading and it really helped put my in the mindset of the manor!
I’m hoping the rest of the series is about the other brothers!!
February 18, 2024
First time reading P. Rayne books, and I'm definitely surprised in the god way.
This is mafia retelling of Beauty & The Beast,with pinch of Gothic vibes and great amount of BDSM ,who unfortunately I'm not I big fan of.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4.5
Here have to expect:
🥀Age gap(14 years)my favorite 😏
🥀angst
🥀secret society
🥀forced proximity
When Annabelle Bordeaux father die unexpectedly, she is forced to step in the forbidden Midnight Manor to meet the mysterious,and domineering Asher Voss to try to help her family.
This day а deal is made ,for her to stay and work for him for one year, doing everything he wants.
Asher can’t seem to pretend that Anabelle Bordeaux doesn’t exist,and no matter how time was telling himself ,that she is to young, he is not capable for love ,and most importantly she deserves better that him the temptation Annabelle had was making him to forget every rules and feelings to get her.
This hase great world building,and for sure great amount of spicy .🙈
Anabelle hase the perfect blend of sassy personality and in the same time showing sweet and innocent part of herself that make Asher to get ever more wilder with his obsession toward her.
They are seriously fiery couple,that connect them so much more ,obviously aside the sexual tension.
Now I definitely need more of the Voss brothers and looking forward for the second book to read.
Thanks again P. Rayne for ARC in exchange of honest review.
This is mafia retelling of Beauty & The Beast,with pinch of Gothic vibes and great amount of BDSM ,who unfortunately I'm not I big fan of.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4.5
Here have to expect:
🥀Age gap(14 years)my favorite 😏
🥀angst
🥀secret society
🥀forced proximity
When Annabelle Bordeaux father die unexpectedly, she is forced to step in the forbidden Midnight Manor to meet the mysterious,and domineering Asher Voss to try to help her family.
This day а deal is made ,for her to stay and work for him for one year, doing everything he wants.
Asher can’t seem to pretend that Anabelle Bordeaux doesn’t exist,and no matter how time was telling himself ,that she is to young, he is not capable for love ,and most importantly she deserves better that him the temptation Annabelle had was making him to forget every rules and feelings to get her.
This hase great world building,and for sure great amount of spicy .🙈
Anabelle hase the perfect blend of sassy personality and in the same time showing sweet and innocent part of herself that make Asher to get ever more wilder with his obsession toward her.
They are seriously fiery couple,that connect them so much more ,obviously aside the sexual tension.
Now I definitely need more of the Voss brothers and looking forward for the second book to read.
Thanks again P. Rayne for ARC in exchange of honest review.
February 27, 2024
Why hello Asher Voss!!!!! Just imagine Asher saying, "You need to read this now," and you'd have no problem saying "yes, sir." Did I mention he has three brothers too?
Annabelle was sassy, sweet, and would do anything for her family! I would have liked to see you just a little bit more of the family Dynamic, but there's enough of it there that you get the gist of things with her family.
Read if you like
♡light BDSM
♡Beauty and the Beast retelling
♡Found family
♡Mafia vibes
I can't wait to see where these authors take the storyline in the next book!!
Overall ☆☆☆☆/5
Spice ★★★/5
Annabelle was sassy, sweet, and would do anything for her family! I would have liked to see you just a little bit more of the family Dynamic, but there's enough of it there that you get the gist of things with her family.
Read if you like
♡light BDSM
♡Beauty and the Beast retelling
♡Found family
♡Mafia vibes
I can't wait to see where these authors take the storyline in the next book!!
Overall ☆☆☆☆/5
Spice ★★★/5
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