Poisoning Ivy

by Carly Claire

The mountain was always my safe place... until it wasn't.

It was my refuge from the cold loneliness of the city, from my parent’s loveless marriage, from their anger and chaos. Even when they left me with my creepy uncle, I looked forward to summers at the cabin, especially after I met them.

The reapers.

Killian, Monty, and Theo.

They were my friends, the secret I kept to make my life tolerable. And then one summer, their friendship turned into something sinister. Their hatred kept me alive, fed a part of me that needed it. I thought it turned into something more, but then they left me, and everything fell apart.

I married my assigned husband and traded one prison for another. For years, I tolerated my husband’s apathy, his hatred, his disgust. I knew better than to try and run, but it didn’t stop me. My husband found out, and now he’s dragging me back to the cabin, to my safe place… which may just be my final resting place. Because if my husband doesn’t kill me, the men I left behind all those years ago will.


Poisoning Ivy is a dark and twisty, masked men, home invasion love story/thriller. This is a DARK romance. It is not for beginners of the genre. Please, for your own sake, heed the content warnings.

Genres: Dark Romance, Why Choose, Dark, BDSM, Romance, M M Romance, M M F

Kindle Edition

Published September 13, 2024

Reviews

[ashlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

While there’s a lot of smut, the actual story is surprisingly solid. This is definitely a dark read, so check the trigger list if you need to. It was previously banned from Amazon - which honestly is what pulled me in. I just knew it was going to be good.

These guys are brutal, violent, and completely relentless. They. Do. Not. Stop. The story comes out swinging from page one and never loses momentum. The pacing is tight, the tension stays high, and I devoured every bit of it.

If you love dark, ruthless characters and a plot that doesn’t let you breathe, you’ll want to pick this one up.

✨ T r o p e s + T r i g g e r s ✨
Literally too many to name but here’s a few
MMMF
Past Trauma
Voyeurism
Murder
Rape | Non- Con
Gun Play
Breathe Play
Sexual Violence | Physical Violence
Breeding Kink - no pregnancy
…AND MORE

[Lizz_reads._ · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

WELL DAMN !!!! I did not expect this book to be soo good and the things that happen in this book well had me speechless 😶 This is the reason I love Why choose romances cause HOLY SHIT dude I love Killian , Ivy , Cody and Monty. 😍😍😍😍 I especially love Ivy and Killian cause them ahhh on my knees for them any day. 🛐🛐🤭🛐 I loved how there was the present and before in the book which helped in the understanding of the story line and what happened why I absolutely devoured this freaking book. ❤️❤️AHHHH WHY CHOOSE FOR THE WIN 🥇 🛐

⚠️If you wanna read this I would highly recommend check the tropes( down below) and content warnings ( this book is not for everyone so keep that it mind)

💚TROPES💚

💚MMMF ( everyone fxcks everyone)
💚light bully romance
💚S3rial K!ller
💚a touch of mafia
💚Touch her & bye 👋 😁
💚Frenemies to lovers
💚Masked men / Why choose

[Toni Amey · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You could dig that blade a little deeper, cut open my chest, and you’ll see… your names have been carved on my heart longer than they’ve been on my flesh.”

This book was so beautifully dark and twisted. I didn’t think the MMC’s were gonna be able to redeem themselves. I’m not sure they truly did however they loved Ivy so much and they made sure she was happy in the end. All the characters were perfect for each other, and the spicy scenes were 🥵🥵🥵.

[High Lady of Delulu · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

Holy shit.
Ok so I went into Poisoning Ivy without any expectations and still it exceeded everything I could have hoped for.

’Is it not obvious that I can’t think when she’s near, but I can’t breathe when she’s gone?’

With a total of three twisted MMCs, problematic in all the best ways, this book has no shortage of layers. While character development is no focus of the male characters, they thrive from the dynamic of the relationships amongst each other. Possessive, obsessive, depraved. And hungry for each other.
Add a love starved FMC, so desperate that she takes bullying over loneliness, to the mix and the result is explosive.

’I want to crown her the queen of the damned, to build her a throne of the bones of those who hurt her… every last one.’

I especially loved the timeline chosen for this book. The way the author throws us smack into the middle of the plot, ready to escalate things, then unravels the multi-layered, complicated history of all main characters. With Ivy still not knowing much about what drives these three men and they never having learned her truth, what follows is a violent game of push and pull that shatters all masks.

’Someone favored Killian when he was being crafted in the depths of hell because he is exquisite and cunning, a trap that people will walk willingly into.’

While this book is intensely spicy, most of the smut scenes serve a purpose rather than just being deliciously smutty. Not least because they paint the contours of the characters by positioning them in different dynamics. And, well… positions.
Oh and do I love a book where every MMC has his own special pet name for the FMC!

”I’ll fucking break her into a million pieces. And when she’s good and shattered, you can fuck her husband on the shards.”

This book is so loaded with hate and love, hunger and brutality and I am absolutely in awe of how the author managed to always walk the line between those without ever losing me in one extreme. The writing is great and I very much hope that we will one day get an audiobook version of this (might I suggest Teddy Hamilton for Killian and Shane East for Theo?) – and that Poisoning Ivy gets the attention it deserves!

”You’re my favorite flavor, Poison.”

Thank you to the author and Book Sirens for granting me the opportunity to read a free ARC of this book. I’m leaving this honest review voluntarily.

[Adie Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy... wow. That was darker than the dark in the basement and spicier than a pepper X, and yes I LOVED every second of it.
Cody? Piece of shit - deserving of what happened and how. The boys? Where can I find them? I want them - especially Monty.
I love how protective and remorseful they are when they find out she's been hurt by others, and how they react to all the plot twists.
I love that Ivy wants them but actually still tries to run - kinda like a good horror film plot.
So so so spicy and I loved it, absolutely brilliant 😍

[Chloe Whittle · Rating 5 out of 5]

THREE UNHINGED MALE MAIN CHARACTERS... ALL IN MASKS.... WITH A TOUCH HER AND DIE VIBE, SIGN ME THE F UP! THIS BOOK WAS INCREDIBLE FROM FRONT TO BACK! IF I COULD READ IT THOUSAND TIMES I DONT THINK IT WOULD BE ENOUGH! THE WINDOW SCENE LIVES RENT FREE IN MY MIND IYKY ...
I WENT THROUGH A ROLLERCOASTER OF EMOTIONS READING THIS BOOK AND IT TRULY HAD ME IN A CHOKEHOLD. OUR MAIN GIRL IVY IS A POWER HOUSE. KILLIAN, THEO AND MONTY ARE THE 3 MEN WHO YOU WILL LOVE TO HATE, THE FRENEMIES TO LOVERS IS DONE SO WELL AND WITHOUT SPOILING TO MUCH YOU NEED THESE 3 MEN IN YOUR LIVES!!

[Elanda Birch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Official review of Poisoning Ivy by Carley Claire. I received an ARC from the author. First off: READ YOUR TRIGGER WARNINGS ON THIS ONE! Your mental health matters and please take this one seriously!!! I'm not kidding, Ms.Claire ain't playin with you on this book y'all! Listen, I read stuff with trigger warnings for breakfast, I live for trigger warnings, I laugh in the face of...ok you get the idea, but seriously, this book was a bit much for even me. Like it was just one thing after another for this poor girl . She never caught a break, even with her guys. I mean, everyone has stuff, everyone goes through their own trauma and comes out the other side in their own way and these men are no different. I like the way that CC wrote them so close, they are like brothers, and have always been there for each other. But this also effects our main girl, Ivy. She has been abused her whole life, first by her parents, then by her husband and coming back to the summer cabin where, as a young girl, she first met these 3 bad boys that took her heart doesn't make things any better for her it seems. But we soon realize that they do love her, in their own way, and maybe it's the way that she needs. This is a book about how abuse can change people, and sometimes it changes how people need to be loved. It's a deeply phycological book, very emotional as well. But this book is NOT for the faint of heart. CC is a wonderful author, she really knows how to spin words so that you feel like you are a part of the story, like you really feel a part of the characters she is creating, and that's a good thing! You are there, inside the story, with them as the plot unfolds. But for this story, I kind of wanted to be anywhere but with the character! I understood why she was the way she was, but at the same time, I didn't' understand because that was not my story and so I could not give it the empathy it deserved. I gave it 4 stars, not that it was horribly written or anything, it wasn't, it was very well written, but it won't be for everyone and, again, READ YOUR TRIGGER WARNINGS!!!

[manu · Rating 5 out of 5]

PITCH BLACK
…this definitely has spoilers and my ramblings are probably not coherent enough lol so you’ve been warned.

Forget all other reverse harems you’ve read and go into Poisoning Ivy with an open mind. The story unfolds in a gut wrenching manner of three men who’ve held onto pure hatred towards the girl they loved growing up. They wanted nothing more than to obliterate her in every way, only stopping when she felt the exact pain she had caused them. On the flip side, Ivy has been through so much abuse in life, she doesn’t even have the will to live. She’s been wronged by her parents, sexually abused by her uncle and father in law, continuously battered by her husband and the only men she ever loved and thought would protect her never came to save her. This is where the heart ache began - both sides assumed the other maliciously had left them.

The Reapers: Killian, Monty, and Theo
Bambi, Poison and Tiger Lily: Ivy

At the beginning I was so sad that she wasn’t fighting back, wasn’t trying to stop the never ending cycle of abuse - but the more I thought about it the sadder I felt. How is she supposed to fight if all she’s ever known from since she was a little girl was to take all the pain and abuse that was doled out.

“They all trained me to take the abuse, not to feel it, to accept it and move on. A culmination of other men killed that girl with their violent love. The reapers taught me to take the pain, to feel it, to relish it, and to turn it into something bigger.”

As the story progressed and the truth was laid out for all to hear, she started to fill into the form of vengeance.

My favourite kind of serial deleter is one made to exact revenge. One who finds every person who has ever SA them, every person who has abused them and just becomes the bottomless pit of unadulterated retaliation. - I said what I said and I don’t care if that’s messed up but seriously the best female protagonist is one like this - unapologetically ruthless.

I kept finding myself with a gaping jaw every time I thought I new where it was going to lead - I was bamboozled by the trauma.

This story is heavy and if you have triggers don’t even think about trying to read this.

BEST PART was when the epilogue came and then I read “there’s more, click here if you want an extended epilogue”…. if you read this book fricken click that immediately because the absolute bloody mess of vengeance that Ivy exacts is next level and ticks ever box.

“I'm the queen, and they move to protect me... a knight, a rook, a bishop.”

5/5

[Neapolitan670 📚🖤 · Rating 4 out of 5]

⛔️ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕥𝕣𝕚𝕘𝕘𝕖𝕣 𝕨𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤⛔️

It drew me in from the start and I just had to finish it 🙄 Our FMC is shy, submissive, restrained, all she wants is to be noticed and loved. However, we know what you want isn't always what you get 😟 She carries her baggage, keeping it close…until she blows. The three guys treat her like their toy, bully her, torment her, with underlying issues themselves they don't see Ivy for the person she is. Secrets, lies, betrayals, twists and turns make this story a compelling read with deleting, SA, non con, D/s and 🩸🪓🔪

[readbyyes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poisoning Ivy
By: @carly Claire

Ohhh my god!!! This book was wild and I freaking devour it.
Okay!! I did question my sanity a bunch of times definitely check your trigger warnings ⚠️
It has 4 POVs that make the story even better. I had mixed feelings about the guys but honestly Monty & Theo were my favorites 🤪 I feel for Ivy & I’d love to see more of her getting revenge on the people who hurt her.

Highly recommend if you looking for unhinged man with mask & a lot of spice.

[Daniela Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

On my way to drink some bleach in hopes it will cleanse my brain of this book.

What the actual fuck did I just read?

Is there any actual pleasure in this book?

Why did I punish myself?

How does this book have so many 4-star ratings?

The whole story felt like someone who was drunk but not yet passed out trying to spew out a story they remembered and you like this person so you wanna stay to hear the shit that is coming out of their mouth because it’s wildly amusing, but your exhausted that this person is more drunk than you and you can’t wait for the night to be over just to rid yourself of their current drunkenness.

36 chapters and 33 of them were sexual in nature, most of it non-con. I’ll just leave it at that.

[Crazydutchbooklady · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read in a group chat that people had to DNF because this book was to dark I knew I had to read it.

This book is definitely wild, dark, unhinged and there’s morally so much wrong. Luckily I’m in my dark era.
There wasn’t a moment I felt I couldn’t continue. Guess I still haven’t found my boundaries, tho at some point I was happy the story took a turn for the better.

I was sucked in right from the start and liked reading present day the most. It was a fast and captivating story.

That being said I would have liked some more information about certain topics. I’m left with questions that I won’t write down so I won’t spoil anything.

But after a conversation with the Author who was so kind and took her time explaining why some things are left out and that there will be additional chapters where things get explained.

An enjoyable read with a little room for improvement 4⭐️ with the prospect of extra chapters. Without it would’ve been 3⭐️ for me.
Definitely check for triggers with this one.

[Keira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely smutty and very dark… has some spelling errors and she called a character by the wrong name at some point. But I enjoyed reading it 🤷‍♀️

[Char · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so deliciously dark and the smut pushes the plot beautifully

[Ashley Kinney · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

As always check your trigger warnings!

This was the darkest dark romance I have read so far in my journey and I've discovered it was not for me. This book felt to me to be more smut than plot, which is not my favorite, and very heavy on pain is pleasure. I liked what story was there but would probably not read something like this again

While the story wasn't my favorite, I still enjoyed the way the book was written. I truly think Carly Claire is gifted and will continue to read everything she puts out! This one just wasn't for me and that's okay!

[Valentina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the dark themes in this second chance with trials story. Not dark for me, but still some of the elements I enjoy reading. I felt the story took place around one pivotal scene, and for flow even with the spice, was interrupted by a long flashback. Time breaks, unfortunately, divert my interest since I was more consumed by the present and didn't want to "catch up" visiting the past.

Mostly, I found the story missing some depth, reading like a series of dark acts, thoughts, and revenge which was not really meted out. In fact, the anti-heroes really loved the heroine. A bit of repetitive inner monologue about the heroine returning to them with reflection on childhood trauma and an abusive husband, but otherwise a good storyline. The spice was spicing, and the premise was entertaining.

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those reviewing this as a one star. Why do queer relationships have to be a TW? If they need one heterosexual relationship need one too!

Being gay isn’t a trigger. Being a lesbian doesn’t need a warning. If you feel that way, sit and internalise why you feel this way. Have the day you deserve.

This book keeps you turning the page and is hot. Some people just don’t have common sense

[Cane (FeelinNoCane) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poisoning Ivy was very unexpected. It's a dark, lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers, bully, why choose, second-chance romance. Ivy, a sheltered girl, spent her summers at a mountain vacation home with her parents. This is where she met three locals known as the Reapers: Killian, Monty, and Theo. Over the years, she endured constant bullying from the Reapers and abuse from her parents. Just when she thought she found peace with the Reapers, her parents rip her away to marry a stranger. Fast forward, and Ivy returns—but now the Reapers hate her and are out for revenge.

I highly recommend reading the trigger warnings before diving in, as this book is dark darks. Ivy goes through extreme abuse at the hands of her parents and later, her husband—it can be a lot The Reapers are unhinged, and the only people they care about are Ivy and each other , but they are blinded by revenge to see the bigger picture

The story is well-paced, good plot, lot of spice and divided into three parts with a bonus epilogue that I highly recommend reading—it’s delicious. As wild as this book is, I loved every minute of it. If you like the darker end of the spectrum of dark romance this is for you.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[LivingReadGirl666 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you ever read a book where the MMCs are so morally black and unhinged YET you feel compassion for them and low key kinda get where their unhinged train of thought comes from? Or do you like when the men are over the top possessive? Then this dark MMMF romance is for you! We’ve got breeding, non-con/dub-con, masked men, sword crossing, sharing the FMC, and some good ol torture and murder. It’s hard to really summarize the layers that made this plot so heart wrenching and drew me in without spoiling it. So just go read it (after you check TWs)!

“Maybe even try to crawl inside her and live in her— it’s the only place I ever wanted to be anyway.”

“Is it not obvious that I can’t think when she’s near, but I can’t breathe when she’s gone?”

I was given a free copy. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

This book is DARK and I ate it all the way up. It’s completely insane how many twists and turns there were. My jaw was pretty much on the floor the whole book, it just lived there lmao. Their love is completely toxic and unconventional but it completely works for them. One of the major things I loved about this book is that the boys had a relationship too, sometimes it’s hard to find RH or why choose where the men are intimate. My heart just kept breaking for Ivy 😭 that girl has been through so much, just going through life completely used, abused, numb and feeling completely unloved and betrayed. 10/10 recommend this book. I loved it so much! Please check the trigger warnings!

[Lunawolfwy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is twisted, dark, and wicked in the best ways possible!

I loved how the author started the book with the present time and moved into the past for an understanding of why things and people were the way they were. Then, came back to the present through the end of the book.

My favorite quote, "You could dig that blade a little deeper, cut open my chest, and you'll see...your names have been carved on my heart longer than they've been on my flesh."

I highly recommend this book if you're looking for a well written dark story! But I also recommend reading the tropes, etc, if you have certain things you don't like to read about.

[Candis Arnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review

⚠️Check the TW before reading!⚠️

"If I decide to live, laugh, toaster bath, they’d know it wasn’t an accident, right?"

Poisoning Ivy is DARK and TWISTED. I loved not only reading this from everyone's point of view, but also the jump to the back story of how they got to where this story started before bringing it back to the twists at the end. I was routing for Poison and her mountain men the whole time! Their relationship is unhinged and toxic, but those men would do anything for her. I hope we get more of them in the future!!

[Kate Fordham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow…. I heard a lot of good things about this book so I knew I wanted to read it and I'm glad I did.

It's based around Ivy who visited her cabin in the mountains every summer and for a few short days she meets Killian, Monty and Theo 😍😍😍

Please make sure to check the trigger warnings at the front of the book, because this is not for the faint hearted.

You can feel the obsession and Passion of each other throughout this story and your heart breaks for Ivy in places.

This is a hot, spicy and 🩸🩸 book and I'm definitely interested in reading some other books by Carly!!

[Tashii Sainsbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review!

Poisoning Ivy by @authorcarlyclaire !

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Omg this book!

This had me gripped from the get go!

First of all this book has tons of triggers! So please read them before you read this book!

The heat in the book! 🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵

I love the storyline and the main characters. It all flowed smoothly and the detail is just 🤯🤯🤯🤯.

I absolutely loved this book and I would totally recommend this to anyone who loves DARK DARK romance books! This book is definitely not for the light hearted!

[Danielle Muy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was OBSESSED with poison ivy when I was younger and knew I had to read this book once I seen it!
🌿Literally and I mean, literally started reading this and couldn’t put it down!
We have an FMC who needs saving and to grow into herself and we have 3 delicious 🤤 and I mean DELICIOUS men to help her! The book starts out with the drama and you just keep getting the good stuff from there! The amount of times I said “WTF” (in a good way) was unreal!
5/5 ⭐️
5/5 🌶️

[AshlynNichole31 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please check trigger warnings before reading.

Loved this so much I will definitely be reading this more than once.

Killian, Theo, Monty, and Ivy have an absolutely incredible dynamic, and their stories independently and simultaneously weave perfectly together. The banter between them all was spectacular, and the spice was mouthwatering!!

While this was incredibly dark and the twists were super unexpected, I adored the whole story from start to finish.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

 
"𝐈'𝐝 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐩 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐈 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞, 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐯𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫"  
 
I don't have many 5 star reads this year out of the 113 I've read but let me tell you
I ATE  THIS UP. 😍🤌🏽 
ABSOLUTELY READ YOURE TRIGGERS IF YOU DONT LIKE TO GO IN BLIND.  
 

[lizsreadingjourney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m ALMOST speechless?
I damn near DNF’d this book after chapter one. But I’m not a quitter, so I kept going & holy shit am I glad that I did. Also.. I feel a little filthy for enjoying this book as much as I did? Like I may need to go get my head checked cause this was A L O T. Definitely left me wanting more from the characters, so I’m hoping we’ll get more.

[Just_A_Few_More_Pages_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! The fmc is strong and feisty! The mmc knows what he wants and twists things to get what he wants. The banter between the characters made me laugh. The spice was 🥵 and the storyline had me hooked from the start, I could happily keep reading about them!

I can't wait for book 2!!

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was great. I really enjoyed it. Carly has a way with her story telling. I loved killian, theo and monty!! And poison ♡ the plot and spice were equally amazing in this book. "We've loved her for the last twelve years in stolen moments" 4☆ 4🌶 this book was an ARC from booksirens