Trick or Treat

The Nightmare in Salem #1

by K.M. Rogness

Scarlett was a good girl, always followed the rules and did what she was supposed to, until one night everything changed. A night out with her friends, and one of them ends up dead. Now a secret is kept within their sacred group, but as the year passes, each one either vanishes or ends up dead…except her. When strange things start happening around her, she begins to panic and worry that she’ll become the next one to meet her fate. When Halloween comes around, the anniversary of the death of her friend, she finds herself held captive in the hands of four dangerous, masked strangers, and they’re out to make this Halloween one that she’ll never forget.

Genres: Dark Romance, Halloween, Horror, Dark, Why Choose, Erotic Horror, Contemporary

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 7, 2024

About the author

KM Rogness is an indie author known for writing dark, twisted, and smutty why choose romance novels. She doesn't shy away from addressing real issues and draws from personal experiences, with a focus on intense and emotional storytelling. Residing in North Carolina with her husband and three sons, she is expecting a daughter. Rogness is inspired by nighttime and rainy, stormy days. Her books are packed with intense themes and captivating male main characters, promising an enthralling reading experience.

✨️Find Me✨️

🖤My website- https://kmrogness.com
🖤IG- @DarkSmutAuthor_KaseyR
🖤FB- KM ROGNESS
🖤TT- @kaseyrogness
🖤Linktree- https://linktr.ee/kmrogness
🖤Facebook Group- Facebook.com/groups/kmrogness

🌪Stay dark, stay twisted, & stay smutty🌪
◇-Kasey-◇

Reviews

[Megan White]

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Darkness: 😈😈😈😈😈

That was some fvcked up sh!t.

This is definitely NOT a romance, and there is no morally gray to be seen. The morals of this book have up and run. Hearts are dark and full of sin here. The men of this horror story proudly fly their red flags (and no, they're not the red flags that look kinda sorta green if you squint a bit... These are bloody and gory, grab your daughters, run screaming for the hills, demonic red flags).

The horrors that are endured by Scarlett cannot (and SHOULD NOT) be topped. If you're looking for dark, this is it. If you're looking for something that will keep you gasping and spike your anxiety, this is for you.

And the spice! The spice SHOULD NOT be this good, considering the circumstances (but it is 🫠). And it's pretty well sprinkled throughout the whole story. There is absolutely no slow burn anything here.

Bottom line: I devoured this, licking up every last drop and even went back for more 🥵 (Several passages are well worth an immediate re-read!). I can't wait for another book by K. M. Rogness.

I highly suggest reading the trigger warnings, or just steering clear of this all together if happily ever afters or redemption arcs are a must for you. This is not for the faint of heart, and dare I say, not for the morally white either 😈

[Alana]

ARC Review - Releases 2/29
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶/5
Halloween came early this year. This is for the dark romance readers only! Next time someone asks for the darkest, most disturbing thing I've ever read, I'm recommending this with no hesitation. It is very dark and I almost don't want to call it romance 😂. I don't recommend this if you're new to dark romance, but you do you. Make sure you check the trigger warnings, like I said, this one is DARK.

[Neapolitan670 📚🖤]

I couldn’t put it down, it pulled me in, swung me round, threw me at a wall, grabbed my hair and spun me to the floor…yep! It did all that. It’s one of those reads where you want to grab the female and shake her but in the same vain you want to be her, iykyk lol I can’t start with the guys because I really didn’t gel with any of them, if you take it upon yourself to read the book you may find the same affects you or you may like them, that’s how this storyline gets you 🤷🏻‍♀️

AND, just when you think you’ve figured it out, she throws in a twist or two or three. I loved it, it gripped me, it shook me and it left me going wtf!

“The entire experience was a confusing clusterfuck and I struggled with it”

[Micki-D]

This is the perfect spooky time horror book to read, it’s dark, twisted erotic horror that pulls you in from the start and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

It’s filled with blood, gore, with twists and turns you don’t see coming. The spice will have you looking for a dry spot to sit and finish this book. And the ending oh the ending is masterful

I didn’t read the first version though I do own it. Now I’m wondering what the difference is.

[Leah]

This is a first from the author. The cover and title grabbed my attention right away. I thought the characters and plot were beautifully done. I was totally immersed in this story. And… the twist at the end 😮 The end game is not what I saw coming at all and was unexpectedly saddened by it. Job well done by the author.

🌶️ 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️+

Please read triggers as there are many. Can’t wait to read more from the author. Thank you for the copy.

[darkromancexo]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Saint, Blade, Nixon, Riley & Scarlett

Before reading I highly suggest to read the TWs!
I devoured this book and absolutely loved every bit of it. This book was absolutely perfect for spooky season. Four masked men who are absolutely unhinged and obsessed with the Fmc. The ending was a mindfuck and totally unexpected but I loved it no HEA, or was it.

🖤 Masked Stalkers
🖤 Unaliving
🖤 Virgin Fmc
🖤 Erotic Horror
🖤 Primal Play
🖤 MMMMF

[Aleasha]

I received this book as an ARC & wasn't sure what to expect. This book was so dark, twisted & full of spice. The ending tugged at my heart strings no matter how screwed up it was. I did not see the twist coming with Saint & it blew me away when everything was revealed.

[Michaella]

ARC Review- Trick or Treat by KM Rogness

CHECK TRIGGERS

Rating 5⭐️ and Spice 5🌶️

I absolutely devoured this book in hours literally. This book was addictive and a true dr^g for me. I couldn’t put it down. This book will live in my dark soul for a long time. I can’t wait to see what she writes next. I will say this is the first book I have read by KM Rogness and it won’t be the last. I have bought all the rest and I will be reading them 🖤🖤

WHAT FO EXPECT:
🔪Masked Stalkers 🩸Gun and Kn!fe Play 🔪Why Choose
🩸Unaliving 🔪Erotic Horror 🩸Darkkkkk Smüt
🔪Virgin FMC 🩸MMMMF
🔪Group Scenes 🩸Cemetery Play 🔪NONCON / DUBCON
🩸Tortüre/ D!smemberment 🔪Primal Play

"I know you know my friends... Black and Silver, oh, and Red, and we've all got plans for you, Scarlett."

“You don't order me around, mother f^ker.
If I want to kiss Saint, I will. If I want to f^k Saint, I will. You order your b!tch around, not me. Got it?"

SCARLET—- She was just a girl going to college in Salem. Everything changed after Halloween one year. She was none the wiser and yet she didn’t run either. The masked men intrigued her as well as scared her. She has secrets of her own.

"Don't worry, pretty little thing. We're not going to hurt you. Not yet, anyway. And when we do, I promise you're gonna fucking love it."

SAINT(Silver), BLADE(Black), NIXON(White), RILEY(Red)—- they are ruthless in everything they do. They terrorize everywhere they go leaving blood and destruction in their wake. There are the definition of the devil and hell. Once they have their sights set on her, Everything changes. Their Little…Psycho, KILLER, SINNER, BRAT.

"That's it, my little psycho... f^king choke me and soak me with that c^m..."

"You've never been hotter than you are tonight, brat."

"Yes... Good fucking girl, sinner,"

"That's my good little killer."

They terroizer the town and her and no one knows a thing. She has secrets but little does she know they see all. There at plot twists that you don’t see coming and some make you want to go back and reread a page before. Will they fulfill their plan or will she be their undoing. Everything comes to light, have fun🤫🖤 TRICK OR TREAT F^CKERS 💋

[Vikki]

KM Rogness has delivered another jaw-dropping, dark, and twisted masterpiece with an alternately ended version of her book, Trick or Treat. This book is a why choose erotic horror, and it's exactly the kind of disturbing and demented ride that fans of dark romance crave. From the spicy, steamy scenes to the pulse-pounding plot, I couldn't put it down!

I absolutely love KM Rogness's writing style. She has a way of weaving intense, spicy moments into a solid storyline that keeps you hooked from start to finish. Trick or Treat had me eagerly flipping pages, and the alternate ending? Let me just say, Rogness did not disappoint! It was everything I hoped for and more. If you're a fan of dark books with horror and plenty of spice, this one is going to knock your socks off (among other things).

The cover is gorgeous, and I’m completely obsessed with it. It perfectly captures the dark, seductive energy of the book.

But let me be clear—this is a dark book. KM Rogness doesn't shy away from pushing boundaries, and the story is pretty demented in the best way possible. It's essential to read the trigger warnings before diving in. If you're a fan of dark romance, you’ll love it, but don’t go in blind and then be surprised that it’s disturbing—it’s meant to be.

Shoutout to the author for letting me ARC read this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Danny]

dnf 45%. What a mess. For a book that’s supposed to be a dark horror, I was bored through most of it. The time jumps, the constant drugging her, the way she acted so on “lalaland” after every encounter that she said left her oh so scared. I was hoping for Halloween/spooky horror vibes but got nothing.
From the first time they met her till, at least where I stopped, it’d been like 5 years of back and forth, of breaking into her room to watch her sleep, follow her on streets, watch her from afar.. there’s was absolutely no reason why they were “waiting” for Halloween to get her. There was also no reason why they wanted to off her friend group, despite one of them killing one of the MMCs sister (which was brushed off so fast). The plan I guess was to k!ll her friend group one by one till it was her time, but there was no building leading up to her time. Every time one of them was killed, she was right there too (mostly drugged up with stuff that made her not remember anything), so I didn’t feel that anxiety about her time running out, there was no build up.
I also couldn’t even distinguish the MMCs, they were all the same in my head, their povs were basically the same.
Anyway, I like this author’s books but this one was not it. It honestly pissed me off the more and more I read so I had to dnf.

[Angie]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

* Read the trigger warnings

I absolutely LOVE this book and it is one that I recommend quite often. I adored the original that came out in Feb and I feel the same with version as well. I was so stoked to reread it.

These men do some DERANGED and HORRIBLE things to Scarlett. Saint, Riley, Blade and Nixon are your dream men that are unhinged, tatted, built and morally pitch black lunatics.

Scarlett IS feminine rage. She fights them at every turn. I love her.

This spicy smut is top notch high level! It shouldn’t be this good in such a dark plot. It is a highly sexual book where the spice is in almost every chapter.

This reworked version has a bit of a different ending and more secrets were revealed. I love books that do not have a HEA or even a typical HEA.

YOU DO NOT GET A HEA.

[Stacy]

An erotic horror

This is one fucked up book.
AND I LOVED IT
For Scarlett one night changes everything and when four masked men who are all equally demented, disturbed and bad shit crazy hold her captive. Can she escape?

This is not a romance and I definetly only recommend if you love not only morally grey but morally black characters as this is dark.

This is fast paced, lots of WTF scenes that I had to do a re-read (so I could actually understand everyones positions

[Dawn Alexander]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Please check triggers warnings for this book this is hands down the darkest dark romance I have read. Once you pick this book up you will not be able to put it down. Four morally black men with a reverse harem female . This was jaw dropping literally and the edge of your seat kind of read and if you like gore horror movies your going to love this .

[Kristina Marquardt]

This book was crazy! It was one of the most disturbing stories I have had the pleasure of reading. It was a good horror involving very unhinged characters. I absolutely loved the ending. I recommend this to horror fans who enjoy a bit of primal play thrown into the mixture. Please read trigger warnings.

[Roo]

I enjoyed this book a lot! It had an interesting set of of intermixed past and present points and included an interesting relationship between all of the characters! The ending was my favorite part but you’ll have to read to figure out how it all goes!! Perfect spooky time read!

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3🌶️🌶️🌶️

Please read trigger warnings!!

[Aly Reads]

Tbh this book was horrible. The plot and everything was good but the amount of spelling and grammar mistakes were tragic. Also it’s like the details couldn’t be kept straight. It’s like the bouncing back and forth got too confusing for the author. I just idk this wasn’t it. It was chaos.

[io greymoon]

I love all things Halloween including my dark romance/smut! This hits like a fine wine on a Fall night after running through the cornfields, being chased by a masked man of course!

[kailesbooks]

Trick or Treat is not a romance novel by any means, but did I still devour it? Yes, yes I did. This erotic horror has morally BLACK male characters that do the most depraved and psychotic acts to our FMC. This book had me on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next and how it could possibly end.

If you’re one for HEA’s or an “I can change him/her” trope, this book is NOT for you. The ending was a bit of a twist and had my anxiety through the roof, but once again, KM Rogness made it so enjoyable! The spice in this book was sprinkled throughout and absolutely deranged, but was so good despite the condition of all characters involved.

Though I really enjoyed this book and would 100% recommend it to dark romance lovers, its contents aren’t for everyone so PLEASE read the content and trigger warnings before reading. Your mental health matters!

[shyra ☾]

my salem, massachusetts 🍒 popped and it’s not even october yet (we have arrived already!!)

”for some inexplicable reason, my little sinner silences the voices in my head. she restores sanity to the insane. she brings order to the chaos. she makes the wrong, right. she makes every-fucking-thing okay.”

no better way to celebrate spooky season than with this gem!
about time i finally read this because i was originally going to read this last year and i was dragged in right away!
like not once did i know where this twisted ride was headed.
revenge is best served cold but they also serve it with blood, fear, & pleasure. each character stole a piece of my heart.
you’ll never catch me questioning my moral compass.
i devoured every drop of this treat and there are tons of red flags but i’m colorblind soooo

”blood flows, and the world thrives in chaos.”

[Destiny Imperati]

ARC Review ✨️
Scarlett 🖤
This book was dark, it was gory, it was horrifying, and I loved it 🤣🫣 I seriously question the stuff I'm into sometimes! The scenes in this book were so detailed, it really bought the dark aspect to life! This was the best erotic horror I've read so far! If you can handle the TW's in this book, you'll definitely fall in love with it🤗

[Gabby Wentworth]

okay this was entirely unhinged but i enjoyed the chaos 😂

- why choose
- MMMMF
- they’re all unalivers
- 🩸 play
- 🔫 play
- 🔪 play

a good read for the halloween season!!

[Mellie]

Looking for a book that will have you questioning your sanity? Trick or Treat is the book for you!
K.M. Rogness has delivered a pitch black masterpiece full of blood, smut, and tears.

*Check your TWs with this one, it is NOT for the faint of heart*

If you’re into deranged masked men that enjoy the sight of blood and they are downright obsessed- Blade, Saint, Nixon, and Riley are waiting for you…. RUN.

Scarlett gives off all the Final Girl energy. She had a tragic past but she stayed focused and worked hard to make something of herself. She has no family and her friends are all she has. When a Halloween accident results in her friends disappearing, Scar worries she’s next. Attracting 4 unhinged men was not part of the plan. Can she outsmart and outlast a group of psychos?

The ending had me turning pages so fast! I did not see the twist coming but damnnn it was so good! There are some graphic scenes that are not for everyone but I was so impressed with how well they were written!

Things you’ll find in Trick or Treat:
☠️ Why Choose
🖤 Erötǐc Horror
☠️Pitch Black MMCs
🖤 Masked Stalkers
☠️ Twisted sëx games
🖤 Psychological torment
☠️ Halloween/cemetery setting

Do yourself a favour and read this one for Halloween!

[kay reads]

Should i save this for Halloween? I'm tempted to just read it now

[B D Nook]

An interesting read and the ending was not quite what I was expecting

[Hannuuhhhh.Reads]

Who wants a wild dark ride, with 4 masked men, a bunch of unaliving, delicious & probably some spice you feel like you shouldn’t be enjoying 🤣 (talking about the finger scene 👀), and a fxcked up ending??? Then you will LOVE this book. Scarlett and her friends experience something horrific and it pretty much goes down hill from there. 🤣 I didn’t want it to endddd! This is a debut from this author and I will def be reading more! It checked all the boxes I want from a horror er0tica.

Yeah, they are probably more triggers than tropes, but hey that’s what is fun about horror, right?
⊹Masked
⊹Primal, 🔫🩸🔪 play
⊹dubc○n, drugg!ng
⊹forced proximity, Captivity
⊹dark smut, twisted se× games, group scenes
⊹MMFMM
⊹Virg!n MC, OTT MMCS
⊹Unaliving, torture, gore
⊹mental health topics - ptsd, schizophrenia, anxiety, etc
⊹dark love, dark secrets, dark scenes

[io greymoon]

I love all things Halloween including my dark romance! This hits like a fine wine on a Fall night after running through the cornfields, being chased by a masked man of course!

[C.reads_reviews23]

All readers have limits and this book is mine. I've read dark romance with horror elements and n0nc0n/dubc0n before but none have made me go 'nope I'm out' like this one has. So I'm very confused as to how to rate this book, I finished it so it's NOT 1⭐️ (as that's only reserved for books I DNF) but it's also left me wanting to bleach my eyeballs 😅
So a confused ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 from me and 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶/5 I cannot emphasise enough with this one READ THE TRIGGER WARNINGS ⚠️⚠️⚠️
Masked cereal k!llers
Primal 🔫🩸🔪 play
N0nc0n/dubc0n, 💊ing
Forced proximity, captivity
Virginia FMC
MMFMM
Mental health
And last but not least gore, T0rture and 💀

[libri amoris]

Rating: ☆
Spice: 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶

The biggest problem I had with this book is actually not the content (though that also left much to be desired), but how little sense the story made. The characters, the plot, the writing, all of it felt jumbled and inconsistent. I know with these kinds of books, you're supposed to suspend your disbelief, but there were so many points throughout this story that completely pulled me out of it because I was just thinking, "In what world would this ever happen??"

Scarlett, girl… I wanted to root for you but where is your brain? You live in a city where people are being murdered left and right and you still feel okay with walking around at night and accepting drinks and drugs from random strangers? The MMCs keep breaking into your apartment or accosting you when you go out, and you don't move to a different area? One of them literally tells you point blank to your face that they're planning to kidnap you on Halloween and you don't try to skip town that night, or even make the connection that he's one of the serial killers?

Don't even get me started on the MMCs… in my mind, they're all the same person because there are virtually no distinguishing features that separate the four of them from each other. I couldn't even tell whose POV I was reading whenever I got to their chapters, and regardless of who was speaking, they just weren't very interesting. Even with morally black characters, I feel like there should still be some kind of redeeming or humanizing quality to them, right? It seemed like there was an attempt at redeeming them at the very end when they were kind of hesitating to kill Scarlett, but for me it was too little, too late. The uncertainty about whether she loves them or hates them in the end only adds to this confusion. Of course there's nuance, but she flips back and forth between the two extremes so quickly it was practically giving me whiplash.

Even if there were just more challenges for the MMCs to overcome, this book could have been a lot more interesting. The lack of police activity in this city despite all the bodies piling up was really odd, and it made the MMCs seem invincible, which detracted from the intrigue of how they get away with their crimes. Part of what makes other stalker/serial killer romances good is the attention to detail in regard to how they cover their tracks and hide from law enforcement (for example, Josh from Lights Out or Lana from the Mindf*ck series), and when they nearly get caught, it adds a thrill to the story that wasn't present in Trick or Treat.

As far as the content, yes this book has a LOT of controversial elements, so it's not for the faint of heart. That's why I was so surprised to find myself bored at times; I thought I'd be more shocked or grossed out by it. Some scenes are definitely shocking, but I found the smut to be repetitive after a while, so I think the book could have been shorter and left some of that out. The mental health rep was not very accurate either and could have been left out entirely.

⚠︎ Content warnings: noncon/dubcon, kidnapping, knife play, gun play, blood play, murder, psychopathy and schizophrenia, stockholm syndrome, alcoholism, drugging/drug use

read: Nov 17, 2025

[Sydnie Nova]

I sooooo badly wanted to love this book and there were parts that definitely had me hooked and absolutely on the edge of my seat. You really have to understand that this is not a romance AT ALL and the triggers are very very heavy and it is super dark and twisted. There’s a kind of Halloween/Scream meets I Know What You Did Last Summer vibe and I was definitely there for those vibes. The part that kinda lost me was the alternating between the guys names and mask colors(even when not wearing masks) and the constant drugging of the characters when it’s later clarified that sometimes they aren’t actually on drugs but are just (without explanation or real ties to the main plot) having a serious mental health episode (that isn’t an accurate portrayal of that disorder(and it’s not previously mentioned or stated why). Also, I kept wondering when the police were gonna follow up with some of the things that happen because they pop in here and there and there is news footage about the things that happen but the SHEER AMOUNT of deaths and unalivjng in this seemingly small town(particularly involving this small group of interwoven people) is rather suspicious. All of that aside, the story was really entertaining and I’m definitely looking forward to reading more by this author.

[Samantha]

—ARC disclaimer. I received this Ebook from the publisher in return for review. My opinion is my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!!!

Now THIS is a traumance. Great storyline, great character building and world building even in a short amount of book time, and made me want a sequel. Scarlett was a great FMC, and the Boys ™️ were so bad they were just great. This opens up on Halloween with an accident, drugs, death, stalking, and a whole lot of weird. Scarlett is a whole big fan of being a dumbass 🫠 and not being aware of her surroundings, the people around her or even just herself tbh. The finger event will have me in my feelings for a while I think. But the end? I definitely didn’t see that coming. Scarlett definitely got her shit together enough for that. Wow. This was a great short read, and one I would recommend. READ. THE. TRIGGER. WARNING. LIST. listen you your gut; and if you can’t handle death, sex, dismemberment, and a whole lot of fucked up, this definitely isn’t the book for you. But if you’re a fan of a traumance (hey there I see you 👀 come say hi over on my Instagram) this is a GREAT opportunity to sip on some deliciously tainted tequila.