Jacked Up: A Whimsical Sentient Object Dark Romance

by Latrexa Nova

My Jack-in-the-Box asked me to kill for him.My life freaking sucks. The only relative I actually like just died, my mom refuses to acknowledge what a creep her husband is, my landlords won't fix my apartment, and I get yelled at every day because the only job I could get was in telemarketing.So when my grandma leaves me an antique Jack-in-the-Box, I start confiding in it. And then the dreams start--but in the dreams, he's not some toy. He's more than fun-sized and sexy in that way lanky nerds tend to be. Only problem is, his bottom half is a spring. But that doesn't stop him from bringing me more pleasure in dreams than any man ever has before.He says a demon trapped him in the box. A human sacrifice is his only way to be free.And it's crazy, but I might just do it if it means he'll finally get to pop out his weasel.

Genres: Dark Romance, Paranormal, Horror, Paranormal Romance, Demons, Novella, Romance

192 pages, Paperback

Published November 21, 2023

About the author

A California native, Latrexa has always seen the weird in the world and seeks to share their outright lust for the strange and unusual. Their hobbies include sculpting unnatural horrors and running from their inner demons. Latrexa writes for the weirdos, heavily featuring darkness and off-beat humor.

Reviews

[Celia {Hiatus until August} · Rating 5 out of 5]

•| ⊱✿⊰ |• 4,9 Stars •| ⊱✿⊰ |•

Melody inherits Jack-in-the-box from her grandmother.
The box gives her the creeps.



She left her mother's house due to her stepfather, Rick is always looking at her in a funny way.
Melody hates when he goes into her house.



Melody gets obsessed with the box, and takes it everywhere, even to work.
Start to have strange dreams.



The box is asking to be open, and as Melody will find out, there's a demon trapped inside.
And to be free, needs human sacrifice.



This has a lot of triggers, graphic descriptions, gore, read with careful.
There's nothing good in this story.



This is not a love story, but the evil spirit ends up, falling in love with Malory, and Malory falls for him, and makes the true sacrifice.

[Jess | jadecanread · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stray further and further from the light with every sentient object romance I read.

and that's okay.

This was bonkers in the best way!

FMC inherits a jack-in-the-box from her late grandma, but lo and behold, a demon is actually trapped in it. There's a ton of manipulations, dream orgasms turned real life orgasms, murder, weird peens, and great dark humor. It's gorey, wild, and so out of left field that I never want to be right.

Highlight: when he first gets a human body, his dick is a coil lmao. Then after a few more sacrifices, it becomes this red, minty ridged phallus with a knot. Obviously a fun time.

I honestly cannot wait to read more by this author.

[♥Milica♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no idea I needed a Jack-in-the-box romance in my life until now. And trust me, you need it too. It's so good, I might have to get a physical copy.

I was so easily sucked into this world and its characters, I didn't want the story to end. Jack was crazy, but in the best way, I loved watching him transform bit by bit into his true form. He progressively got darker, but still had his sweet moments with Melody.

Melody meanwhile, was a character I crave often, kind of goes with the flow of the weird, doesn't question it too much, and why should she when she has Jack? Exactly.

There were some really funny moments, and I also loved how they just didn't give a damn about anyone walking in while they did the deed after their sacrifices. It was like the whole world had to stop until they were sated. As it should, honestly.

I need a spinoff please and thank you. I'd like to know what happens to them after the way things ended.

P. S. If you've ever been curious about a springy cord type of dingaling, Latrexa Nova's got you covered.

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

Alrighty, well this was quite the stabby lil novella full of lies, comeuppances, and murder. Melody was stuck in a terrible situation, living her morally gray life in a shabby apartment while being harassed by pretty much everyone. She was depressed AF and honestly kinda the perfect sort of character for a sentient object romance because she was so isolated and looking for any kind of connection. Jack, Mr in-the-box himself, was a terrible influence on her. I’m talking turning a little morally gray woman into a vigilante-esque serial killer. If you’re a fan of feminine rage, then this is probably the book for you. But if you have any triggers (not including cheating, cuz that doesn’t happen here), steer clear because it’s dark AF.

Spice: 4/5

Triggers: *Depression*, the pressure of living in a capitalist hellscape, horrifically bad landlords, sewage leaks, child abuse/CSA/pedo references in as little detail as possible, on page sexual assault, narcissistic parents, a parent with ALS, a dead dad, recently deceased grandmother, outright murder, lots of jester and clown imagery/ references/culture, a haunted toy, the occult, demons, possession, body betrayal/puppetry, vengeance, lies, gaslighting/manipulation from the MMC, body worship, dream oral & handies, a bottomless body, a cursed springy peen, confetti cum, breeding (no preg), blood play, fucking in a puddle of blood and in the middle of multiple recent murder scenes, and some dubcon.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good sentient object romance. While my tastes in books lean heavily toward horror, I can’t resist spicy unhinged romance. So when the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Jacked Up, a book about a demon trapped in a jack in the box, popped up, I happily indulged myself. Latrexa Nova is a new to me author and I’m always on the prowl for new names to add to my TBR.

While you will find this one in the weirder parts of Amazon, it does check off a lot of boxes for me. Sentient object romance? Check. Murder and mayhem (horror)? Check. Non-human character with interesting equipment that can only be fixed with massive amounts of murder and blood (bizarro horror/dark monster romance)? Check. This is the story of a woman with the worst luck and an unhealthy attachment to an old jack in the box toy she inherited from her grandmother. Melody talks to it like it’s alive and that’s the possessed toy’s cue to start talking to her in her dreams. He tells her he was trapped there by a demon and needs her help to come back to the real world. At this point she’s developed a sexy connection with him in her dreams and she does not take his revelation lightly. She finds a way to make the human sacrifice that he needs to escape. It didn’t take much convincing to get her to kill for him. I guess when you have the kind of luck that Melody has, you figure life can’t get much worse and you may as well start murdering folks for some good dick. What neither of them realize is that it’s going to take a lot more blood to get Claus back to his normal state. Until then, we get to enjoy plenty of spicy scenes describing springy appendages, confetti, and cotton candy flavored stuff. And because it wouldn’t be a proper monster romance without a focus on the inhuman anatomy, we get front row seats to all of Claus’ physical changes as he absorbs more blood. Does he ever regain his true form? Does Melody ever uncover the truth about her life of bad luck? You’ll have to read it to find out.

This book is absolutely absurd in the best way. Claus’ inner voice chastising himself for catching feelings cracked me up. Melody’s whole I don’t care if your dick’s weird is a vibe. The way she always interrupts his I’m a big bad guy inner dialog with silly sweet things like forehead kisses, completely disarming him, made me laugh. Some of the imagery had me rolling. This was a fun read. I feel like it could have been expanded into a full length novel, but it is great as it is. If you like the kind of weird shit I do, check it out.

Big thanks to Latrexa Nova for sharing an ARC with me. Opinions expressed are my own. I’ll definitely be reading more Latrexa Nova.

[Niamhyyy12 · Rating 1 out of 5]

1/1.5 ⭐️

Was it shit- yes / did I stop reading- nope

This was all over the place, the characters were cringy, ending was rubbish and the writing was flat

I skimmed through after 40% because I needed to know what was happening and honestly I should’ve deleted it from my kindle

[Anana Nuñ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so mad she went with him 😒

[Jeliza Torres · Rating 2 out of 5]

He has a coiled peen that turns into a huge red knotted peen after several sacrifices, and his cum tastes like cotton candy 🫠

[Marcie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Came for the demon clown stayed for the glitter confetti love juice!

Latrexa is a new to me author and I couldn’t resist diving into this unique paranormal spicy romance. Needless to say - came for the demon clown, stayed for the glitter confetti love juice.

Melody has had a rough go in life, but this little spitfire doesn’t give up. She keeps pushing on no more how much life may suck and I adore that about her. Things seem to take a turn when she inherits a creepy jack in the box from her grandmother though.

Jack is a demon who has been trapped in the confines of a musical box for centuries, but when the beautiful Melody sets him free..all Hell breaks loose as he manipulates her to help him regain his power and former self. This demon was something else, but in all his badness he still managed to have the ability to fall in love.

This was trip to read and I devoured it in one sitting. It’s like nothing else I have read and I was here for it all. Jacked Up is twisted and dark with just the right amount of crazy humor and toe curling spice - I never thought I would say I want more of paranormal clown demon dark romance, but this talented queen made me write that on my list. This definitely won’t be the last I read by this author.

[Ive · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4⭐️ a very unique entertaining story. For me it was more funny than sexy, idk if that was the intention. The end came a bit abruptly and some will find it disappointing, but it suited the plot. I liked that „Clause“ acted like what he was - a demon. Melody was boring.
If your are looking for a really HEA, then this is not for you even though it ends with both being together. The idea behind had a lot potential.

[Dakota · Rating 1 out of 5]

Confetti. It’s …confetti.

[Unfortunate Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novella has a content warning list the length of my arm so please be advised. That being said I absolutely LOVED this book from Latrexa. This is their first standalone I think, and one of their longest as well. Yes it’s dark but it’s also funny and the writing is great. Also he’s got confetti 💦 so you know I’m down.

——————
BELOW IS THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE RECAP ON UNFORTUNATE READS. SPOILERS AHEAD ⚓️
——————

Melody is at home in her shitty apartment (literally, her plumbing burst) when her horrible step father comes over with a boxs of things that were her grandmothers.

Inside is a very creepy jack in the box that Melody remembers from her childhood. She starts feeling a weird attachment to the box, taking it to work with her and putting it on her nightstand to sleep. Finally she start dreaming about the man inside it.

First her dreams are sweet…until they get steamy. He may not have legs but somehow he still makes her *arrive* so hard she wakes up.

Claus has convinced her that a demon trapped him inside millennia ago and the only way to free him is to kill one person.

Claus is a VERY good actor because HE is the demon who is trapped. Melody makes her first kill when a plumber who came to fix her pipes assaults her, and Claus is freed. They have victory sex in the blood.

Claus is horrified to find his eggplant is still a spiral coil and his spooge is glitter confetti that tastes like cotton candy. He’s like, yeahhhh we need to kill more people so my dick goes back to normal. (Typical)

They embark on a journey of murder, sex, blood, and depravity killing evil landlords, animal abusers, and her pedophile stepdad along the way while Claus absorbs more power.

Claus tells himself this whole time that he is using Melody as his thrall, but in reality he’s falling in love with her.

There is a lot happening in this book, clowns, fortune tellers, circus acts, witches, demon hunters, outrageous sex, flavored jizz, knotting, and a fun little ending where Claus and Melody do end up together…forever.

I’m not going to give you the whole story because if you want something different, but so much darker than your typical sentient object romance (yes even darker than a pillow who sucks the life from people to gain human form) then you should definitely read it. I really, REALLY enjoyed it.

But please for the love of confetti jizz, check the content warnings before you do. Read at your own risk!

[alison lirio · Rating 1 out of 5]

0.5 stars

I thought I would like it.

I had heard so much good reviews on this (spice wise) on booktok and bookstagram only to be severely disappointed with the outcome of the sex.

I won’t lie, the spring cock was laughable and the confetti cum even more so. My thing is, how did she clear the confetti out of her vagina like that? Sure he’ll pull out and also how did he not know? Did he really just put it in and not feel that his dick didn’t feel like a dick to him? Questionable. Why didn’t he look down to where they were connected to one another when she said huh feels weird when he thrust his hips in? Babes.

Plot wise, this was a mess. A lot of blood and killing and going back and forth in time for context clues but honestly I was having a hard time gripping reality in general. Felt like a bad dream that you couldn’t wake up from.

Not as good as everyone deems it to be in my opinion.

[Courtney Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

bloodthirsty

I can’t even explain what I just read! But it was gripping, gory and just wild. The ending had me laughing too hard after all that!

[DEE · Rating 1 out of 5]

Do not read this lol. Plot had soooo much potential but was just not good

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Content warnings: depression, the pressure of living in a capitalist hellscape, horrifically bad landlords, sewage leaks, child abuse/CSA/pedo references (in as little detail as possible), on page sexual assault, narcissistic parents, a parent with ALS, a dead father, recently deceased grandmother, murder, jester/clown imagery/references/culture, a haunted toy, the occult, demons, possession, body betrayal/puppetry, vengeance, lies, gaslighting/manipulation from the MMC, body worship, dream oral and handjobs, bottomless body, a cursed springy peen, confetti cum, breeding without pregnancy, blood play, fucking in a puddle of blood, slight dubcon

This book is dark and twisted! But, it was SUCH a fun time! Melody (FMC) is clearly depressed and inherits a jack-in-the-box after her grandmother passes away. She has sexy dreams that lead her to wondering what's inside the box...is it just a toy or are her dreams actually reality? After a rightful murder, the bottomless man's springy coil begins to develop into something more...but he's not quite complete. Melody must continue killing for Jack to make him whole. This story doesn't end with a traditional HEA...so don't go in expecting that!

[s.shadereads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah, this book had me at springy peen and cumfettie... what can I say? A girls curiosity knows no bounds. I had to know...and yes, it was flavored.. you know, in case you were wondering. 😂🍆🎉

I don't read a lot of paranormal romances, but this one was just the palate cleanser I needed to shake things up and get me out of a major bookish rut. It was a lot of fun, a whole lot dark, and even wilder than I imagined.

To compare... Melody was just an unappreciated Bonnie, who just wanted to be loved and treated right. And Jack, a demon clown Clyde who manipulated and enjoyed every moment of madness along the way. They left death and destruction along their journey to restore Jack back to his original form. Poor Melody learned that love will make you do the craziest things. But don't worry... she enjoyed herself along the way too. 😉

[MelissaReneeReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will live rent free in my head. I met Latrexa at a book event where this book caught my eye, I immediately went home after meeting her and got this book on KU. I finished this book so quickly and can’t stop telling people about it. It was the right amount of crazy/dark/effed up I needed 😂

The plot really develops and makes sense over time as the main character increases her crazy and passion for the love interest. I was hooked, it was funny, unique, dark, twisted and I enjoyed every minute. Excited to see what else Latrexa comes up with!

[Hijinx Abound]

Look, I read some crazy shit. Sometimes I have a great time. Even when I realize the book is fucked up.
This was not that. This book was too much for me.
And I am not scared of clowns.
Anyway, it’s more like the damn Easter bunny book that still haunts me.

I am a glutton for punishment so I read the end and it was worse than I anticipated.

[Kennedy Cannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

There were a lot of things I enjoyed about this (like the spicy scenes), but especially the bet at the end. I just wish it has been longer and expanded on things a bit, and I wish it had more to do with demons and betting and the relationship between Jack and Melody with both of them trying to deny all their different feelings.

[Vivi the reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHAT THE FUCK KINDA ENDING WAS THAT?!?!

NO WAY YOU LEFT IT ON THAT NOTE!
WTF?!?!

[Randi Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just wish it ended differently. I loved the book, though.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

i think i need to go back to fluffy romances😟

[Javi Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

❤️ Súper easy and fast to read, I loved it it was an unexpected storyline and I loved it

🖤 Medoly’s life wasn’t easy and you can easy understand her and care for her, she’s an unlucky FMC but after her grandmother passed she got a Jack in the box and her life changed..

🎁 He has a crazy storyline too and he’s just a jack in the box 👀 the spice is spicying hehehe and I love everything

[Wyn Marucci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Darkness Scale: 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

Review:

📘 Plot Overview
FMC inherits a jack-in-the-box from her grandmother, she gets obsessed with the box and starts bringing it everywhere, then starts having strange dreams.

👩‍🔬 Character/s
Melody the Female Main Character
Jack the demon in the box

📖 Why Read It?
I'm very interested in books that TikTok deemed as 'disturbing', I am also interested in dark romance and this book happened to fit my taste.

📚 Tropes Galore
all i see is smut, blood play, demon, dark romance

📣 Series?
Jacked Up is a standalone

🌟 Final Thoughts
This was a very interesting read, very dark but entertaining. I love how the st0ry progressed, may find myself rereading this in the future.

⚠️ Warning
not everyone may like the books that I read (I just started book reviews this year so the books I've read are not that many)

[andrea ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2⭐️ um something was off that didn’t make me completely enjoy this but I don’t know what it is.

maybe it’s Melody’s acceptance of the whole demon paranormal shit or the fact that she didn’t question murder for him like idk.

also, the ending. are you so frl?!🤨

[Acoverofspice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't really do it for me. Getting toward the end of the book it just felt lazy. The writing just became lazy and i didnt find the spice that hot. So just very meh 😐 overall.

[Kyle Modschiedler · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5! She had her tongue between his coils and his explosion tastes like cotton candy…. I should have known that the coil would still be involved even when jack got his body back

[Danielle Graves · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a line in this book that says 'a sensation that's simultaneously immensely erotic and violating' and I think that line perfectly describes Jacked Up by Latrexa Nova. This is the first piece of writing by Latrexa that I've read, and wow, what a place to start. This book conveyed so many thoughts and feelings from me; it's one of those that you can't really find the words to accurately describe the journey that reading it takes you on. Both the book and the main character play mind games, and as it combines demons, murder, and lots of spice, I found I loved it.
The story revolves around Melody, a young girl down on her luck, and for very good reason; her grandmother, a luck witch, had gambled it away to a demon before she was even born. That demon, Jack, or Claus, as he is also known, is trapped in a Jack in the Box, which is one of the few possessions Melody has. Melody is unaware of Jack's demon status, and they initially communicate via dreams, with him telling her he was cursed into the box hundreds of years ago before he convinces her to release him—by killing people.
It's a far-fetched story, but it had me hooked. I loved the similarity between both Jack and Melody's lives, with both of them being trapped, and Melody was openly susceptible to Jack due to her loneliness and the fact he was her only confidante, even as an inanimate children's toy at the beginning. They were drawn together, and as Melody basked in Jack's darkness, we also see him show some moments of softness as he realises she is different from his other thralls, although he fights those feelings.
There was a perfect balance of darkness with murder and throes of passion as they enjoyed some exceptionally spicy and hot moments together, as well as humorous moments such as Jack's spring-like penis that sprays candy floss-flavoured confetti. It was really cleverly written, and I genuinely loved every moment of it. As much as the things within the book, like demons and Jack in the Boxes coming to life, shouldn't make sense, the story did. The actions of Melody were believable, and their relationship, although born from lies and manipulation, was the perfect combination of love and lust. It was everything, and I enjoyed it immensely and look forward to reading more by the author.

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's more a 3.5 stars for me than 4 stars. But as we know, I can't give half stars, and it's kind of on the better side of the 3.5, so that I round it up.

Generally, I found it interesting to read, and it is, due to the content and events, a dark story. I mean, after all, 'Claus' is a true demon. And demons, in the general description, aren't known for good deeds or having morals.

And I loved the little story time in it. Not to forget the little bits and pieces of past events.

So, yeah, it's a gory story. Characterwise, I did appreciate that Claus wasn't a 'good' demon. Which often happens with stories to make it more redeemable or anything. I don't know. The same way, why the victims are typically bad persons, so that we as readers don't feel that bad about it. Though, I get that part. I wouldn't want to see a good person offed for nothing. But if the story would be more real — it can strike anyone. Good or bad.

So, Melody is our unlucky FMC. I didn't like her that much? I mean, I know she wasn't a bad person and all. And I liked that she thought of justice. But on the other hand, she was weak in many ways and seems to be 'bland' for me. Her reasoning and all was not always authentic. And it is a more 180 degree change. I didn't like that. But in the end, I'm glad she found one thing that was true.

And that brings us to 'Claus', who isn't actually Claus but a Jack. And a demon, who initially tricked Melody into doing his bidding. So, that he could be free again and gain his power back. Along the way, unknown to him at first, he fell in love with Melody. But, of course, his love is a twisted little thing. Which, again, is fitting for a demon.

He is not meant to be sane or having any morals. But he truly loved her. And that's what counts.

And while dark, it had a lot of humor in it. Furthermore, confetti. 😁

So, the story has a lot of merit to me. But I really didn't like the ending. It is some sort of HEA, since they both are together. But I didn't like the solution in any way. That could have been done better.