Tempting Shadow: A Steamy Monster Novella from "The Land of Everything"

by Margo Davis

When twenty-five-year-old Penelope rereads her grandmother's old books about the shadow creature dwelling in the mysterious Land of Everything, her imagination ignites, drawing her in like a moth to a flame. As she embarks on a daring quest to uncover the truth behind the enigmatic being, the allure of the shadow creature becomes impossible to resist.Yet, when their paths finally intertwine, Penelope is taken aback by the compelling force of his presence, prompting her to question the very desires that led her to him.

Will she embrace her fated role as the creature's destined mate, or will she turn away from a love that defies all odds?


Genres &
Monster romance
Fantasy
Fated Mates
Shadow Creature
Large size difference
Overprotective Hero

Genres: Monster Romance, Monsters, Novella, Fantasy, Romance, Dark Romance, Smut

70 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 25, 2024

Reviews

[Vicki (athousandbookishlives) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did I download this because I heard there was tail play? Yes, yes I did
Do I have any shame over that fact? No, no I do not.

Short, sweet and to the point - we all know why we picked up this story. No need to lie; if you are checking out reviews then you’ve already decided you’re in for some weird monster p33n fun so may as well just enjoy this 70page ride.

Arys was much sweeter than I expected and I had hoped for a bit more unhinged-ness ; but that’s just my personal preference when it comes to monster romance.

Overall a quick and fun read if you enjoy being distracted from reality with spicy monster romance for a few hours.

𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳
➵ monster romance
➵ tail play
➵ size difference
➵ fated mates
➵ mild breeding k!nk
➵ spicy novella

𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹 4/5⭐️ | 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 4/5🌶️ | 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 3/5🔥

[Sasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

don't ask

[Jasmine heigel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not enough details of events, a fever dream

[Evelyn White · Rating 1 out of 5]

My therapist will be hearing about this

[clarisse :) · Rating 1 out of 5]

go girl give us nothing!

[Vanessa (bookfairy.reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was nice, but I must say I've written better monster smut before. 😂

[Marcia Gomes · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tempting Shadow is a very short, steamy monster romance novella that had an interesting premise but ultimately didn’t work for me.
Arys as a shadow monster was intriguing at first. However, the story feels too rushed and underdeveloped to create any real emotional impact. The attraction between the characters is instant, with little buildup, making their connection feel shallow and only sexual.
One major issue for me was the extreme size difference. Arys is described as being around sixteen feet tall, while Penelope is five feet, and the story never convincingly explains how their physical relationship is supposed to work. Instead of feeling fantastical it felt unrealistic even for paranormal romance. During intimate moments, the emphasis on how enormous he is to the point where she is physically affected pulled me completely out of the story rather than adding to the appeal…

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

October means monster romance! Saw this as a TikTok recommendation with a shadow man and leashes… obviously it worked because I read it 🤪 This is short and leaves you wanting a little more but it was spicy so I recommend you giving it a read too! #monsterromance #shadowman #octoberreads #bookrecommendations

[Dominika Ast · Rating 4 out of 5]

Na tento rok prvá monster romance môže byť. Toto by som odporučila asi každému, kto niečo také nečítal. Bolo to krátke, nemalo dej, akurát spicy so všetkými prvkami monster romance. Proste človek a 4,5 metrové monštrum. Bodka.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

“You need me the same way I need you, human.”

Synopsis:
When twenty-five-year-old Penelope rereads her grandmother’s old books about the shadow creature dwelling in the mysterious Land of Everything, her imagination ignites, drawing her in like a moth to a flame. As she embarks on a daring quest to uncover the truth behind the enigmatic being, the allure of the shadow creature becomes impossible to resist.
Yet, when their paths finally intertwine, Penelope is taken aback by the compelling force of his presence, prompting her to question the very desires that led her to him.

Will she embrace her fated role as the creature’s destined mate, or will she turn away from a love that defies all odds?

Review:
Super quick read for me but this is one that I’ve been anticipating reading for a while.

Was a good storyline and the spice was on point. I REALLY wish it was a longer story but the length was enough to bridge the gap between my last read and my current read. Would honestly be down to read more on Penelope’s adventure.

[Oksana Slobodyanyuk · Rating 2 out of 5]

it was fun, thanks😂

[Nisha Parmar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wtf did I just read!?!
(Kinda addictive though)

[Maggie Hokanson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m a sucker for monster romance but this needed TONS of editing…

[Aya Blackwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not explaining myself

[Sarah L · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dreadful
almost did not finish which is funny as the book is only nine small chapters.
writing style is a bad wattpad at best. left me drier than the Sahara.

[Reads_Must · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tempting Shadow
Fantasy
Margo Davis
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

• ꜰᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴍᴀᴛᴇꜱ • ᴍᴏɴꜱᴛᴇʀ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ • ꜱᴘɪᴄᴇ •

This was a short read but the writing style was very good.

I liked how mysterious The Land of Everything was. Everything Penelope knew about it came from the books her Grandmother had given her.

I was surprised that Penelope has such a quick and easy journey to The Land of Everything when all she had was a gut feeling. She didn't know where it was or how to get there, she just started walking and didn't stop.

I liked the world building, although it was quite limited.

The spice itself was written well and I liked the cute and sweet moments that Penelope and Arys shared.

I really wanted to know more about the land and the other monsters/creatures that lived there

[Amy May · Rating 2 out of 5]

Subpar

It was a story,I guess? Heavy on the ridiculous (he's sixteen feet tall, she's five feet tall),with no real plotline. She's curious about his existence,travels to his world,and finds him. They mate,the end. That's it. No real anything actually happens. I can't believe I'm even saying this--there is nothing,not even internal conflict. I really enjoyed the pre hunt cave scene,because it was a refreshing change from the "I don't want to be her,fleeing heroine trope" but the author just used that to just jump ahead without anymore relationship/world building. The "walking through the woods" scene was hot,and There were a few funny lines,but overall just a read. A bland read. My thoughts only. Feel free to read and form your own. But don't say you weren't warned.

[Ambrianne Valdez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Saw this across Tiktok, a quick read. (70 pages) Not much storyline, or build-up between the characters. Erotic scenes were alright, sexy of course, but short-lived. Wished there was more to it, a girl can appreciate a good monster romance.

[Riley Rogers · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yeah this was just high key terrible and I didn't like it at all. At least it was short but this was HARD to get through. It was beyond boring and incredibly rushed. Also.. excuse me what was that "being walked" by a tail part? wtf.

[Yasminebaobao · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t wanna talk about it

[Dakota Reedz · Rating 5 out of 5]

what did I just read

I loved everything about this book from start to finish omg….. I wish there was more pages but can’t wait read the next book

[Diana Monster · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this since I am a huge fan of monster romance, but it didn't satisfy my monster romance loving heart.

Lets first start with the things I liked:
1) The world: Although there wasn't much of it in the story, I still liked how we get introduced to the Land of everything where creatures such as Arys exist and/or any creature that we don't have in the real world.
2) Arys himself: Interesting creature design and his personality made me like him as a character and I wanted to get to know him more after finishing the novella.

Now on to the things I didn't like:
1) The main character: I wasn't a fan of how she expressed herself and how she got mad at Arys for saying that she is weak when compared to everything in the Land of everything she is weak or when you compare her to Arys himself. Her narration also felt a bit bland.
2) Sex scenes: I was expecting there to be something different, a bit more tentalising, but it was a bit boring and confusing at times because of their height difference, the creature is 16 feet tall or 4.877 m and she is 5 feet tall or 1.524 m.

All in all, it was a very dissapointing read for me.

[Ash - chasingwistoragic · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was supposed to be a sixteen-foot-tall, demon-like figure with two large horns and a long tail. It was magnificent on paper and I wondered if it would be just as impressive if I ever saw it with my own eyes.

Just fyi everything was impressive about Arys lol while I could have handled this demon being a wee bit more unhinged this was still such a fun read! I loved how sweet and accepting they both were with each other. If you want short and spicy monster romance with a 11ft size difference and tail play...download this immediately 😂

[Fawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

shadow

A very quick read that could do with some editing, though not a lot. Just a few bits that were like wait… what? With its A to B plot it left a lot of questions that I’m not sure will ever be answered. It says this is a single book, with no other in a series but that it is also from “the land of everything” series, which there isn’t anything… yet. Either this being published in August of 2024 (review Dec 2024) there is a possibility there will be more to come. And maybe this will get a rewrite with more added. We will see.

[Sophia Cristello · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was just okay. The story seemed very dry, like there wasn't much chemistry and the part about fated mates didn't make much sense because of that lack of chemistry.

I think the one thing that was the strangest to me though was that each chapter was labeled with "Penelope" stating that it was her POV... but every chapter was in her POV, so there really was no point labeling a POV when it never actually changed.

[Jenna Goble · Rating 4 out of 5]

surprisingly cute!

Short sweet and to the point. While I had more imagined some raunchy stuff you generally think of when you read a monster romance this was actually over all very sweet and heartwarming. It was nice that in a short time Margo Davis made you really get a good feel for the characters. I would have liked maybe a bit more action I guess but it was over all really good

[Sydney · Rating 3 out of 5]

the author said at the beginning of the book not to take it too seriously so i didn't, and i had a pretty fun time. i would like if the world was explored more but it doesn't need to be to enjoy the story. i like that we only interact with penelope and arys, i like small contained stories. and over all it was pretty cute. i don't have many complaints .

[Maria G · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not completely sure how I feel about this read but there were some things I liked. Penelope knew she wanted to go to the Land of Everything and find the shadow creature. She didn't let anything stop her from going and she meets Arys. I liked the care he showed her. This was a short, steamy read.

[Alexis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was unlike anything I have read. A first 'shadow' monster romance for me.

This book starts with a fairy tale vibe (which was great) but fell flat for me. I didn't like the direction and immediacy of the love interests and the tail situation.

[Avelynia Kersh · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Well..
I gotta say that was some good monster smut.
I loved how grumpy but also sweet Arys was and it’s cool that Penelope just came to terms with everything easily and quickly about her new life.