Slaying the Holidays

by Beatrix Hollow, Lux Oleander

When I said "get a new hobby," I meant kayaking, not decking the halls with garlands of gore.

My newest therapy client is the definition of a DILF. His distractingly handsome face is all to blame for my mess up. If that wasn’t bad enough, now I’m practically stalking the murderous golden retriever. Can he even hear me arguing for pottery classes over the electric carver? Oh, it's a bone saw? My mistake.

Merry Christmas! I’m getting myself an accessory to murder.

★★★

After a helpful talk with my beautiful divorce therapist, I decided to get into manslaughter. Maybe it's not the hobby she had in mind, but the idea always interested me, and there's plenty of predators I’d love to turn into prey.

And what do you know? My therapist was right. I do feel better! She seems a little ethically confused and personally concerned. She’s even cuter grumpy and exasperated. We’d make the perfect couple if she’d stop threatening to call the FBI.

Genres: Christmas, Dark Romance, Holiday, Novella, Dark, Romance, Contemporary

146 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 8, 2024

Reviews

[♥Milica♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not expecting to be gigging so much while reading this and yet!! My very first book by this author, it seems I've chosen well.

At the beginning I was like, okay, standard holiday novella, but then the humour and the silliness came in and I just couldn't stop reading. It was SO GOOFY, quite ridiculous, but I loved it all the same.

The (questionable) romance was my favourite part because these two have a lot of chemistry, like A LOT. I was nearing the end when I started to get sad that there weren't many pages left, because I haven't had enough of them. I'd read a whole series about their shenanigans.

And the fact that Soren loves family gatherings was the icing on the cake, the way he acted around Sophie's family was just adorableeeee. You don't understand, I'M OBSESSED.

This was such a fun read, I'll have to read more of Beatrix Hollow's books. If they're as unhinged as this one, I'm definitely along for the ride.

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

As always, Beatrix delivers a psychopathic but charming MMC. Soren was a certifiably terrible human being, but he was everything Sophie needed to get out of her humdrum life. I loved that she was interested enough in studying him to keep hush hush about his extracurricular activities. Their love story was over the top, chaotic, violent, and funny. Well done

Spice: 4/5

Triggers: sex used as a morality chain (aka sex deals/sex as a bargaining chip), murder, weapons, strangulation, violence, dubcon during kink play, dubious marriage consent, home invasion roleplay, chasing, serial killing, moral ambiguity, vigilantism, corpses, flippancy around murder and dead bodies, recently divorced characters, discontent with child custody, unexpected family visits, inappropriate therapist/client relationship

[Kristie (read_between.the_wines) · Rating 5 out of 5]

idk wtf I just read but I loved it. therapist/client serial killer romance. all wrapped up on a little Christmas bow.

short and fun dark rom com novella

[•Mrs Pizza• · Rating 2 out of 5]

No thank you. Was not fun. Was not funny.

[tiffany dai jel 🐝✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slaying The Holidays

star rating: 4.8 (rounded up)
spice rating: 3 🌶️🌶️🌶️
this is completely based off vibes. and this book has all the vibes. Christmas feels + cozy vibes, fun + laughter, family + psychopaths, love + seri@l murd3rs.
Just great vibes all around.

[Kseniia ✨️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

❄️dark romcom
❄️holidays
❄️fake marriage
❄️golden retriever k🔪ller
❄️therapist fmc

Soren is a paramedic with dark thoughts. Divorced man struggling with sharing custody of his kids. Blonde, blue eyes, Norwegian. Such a cutie pie🥰
Sophie is a divorce therapist and she advised Soren to find a new hobby. So he decided to get into manslaughter. Though Sophie finds his hobby wrong, she is secretly obsessed with psychopaths.
It is fun and steamy holiday romance. I like dark humor and Soren is adorable❤️

[Bozhena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Це було смішно, криваво і дуже незвично.
Психотерапевт і пацієнт, який вбиває заради хобі, дуже кокет🤣🤣🤣

[Alina Syrotiuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Побачила один схвальний відгук на цю новелу і відразу вирішила прочитати — це було прекрасне рішення👌🏻🔥


Сорен — парамедик, який прийшов на терапію до сімейного психотерапевта, він розлучився з дружиною і дуже сумує за своїми дітьми.


Софія — сімейний психотерапевт, але завжди мріяла бути психотерапевтом серійних вбивць чи психопатів. Вона завжди намагалася знайти приховані психічні розлади у людей.

Коли Сорен прийшов на терапію до Софі, між ними відразу була відчутна напруга і потяг, особливо зі сторони Софії. Але вона мала правило ніколи не зустрічатися і не спати зі своїми клієнтами. Тому вирішує зняти напругу і піти на побачення з хлопцем із сайту знайомств.
Це побачення могло закінчитись будь-як, але Софі ніколи не могла подумати що стане свідком вбивства, і ще й тою хто на це підштовхнув.

Ця новела це щось неймовірне, я давно так не сміялася - гумор тут прекрасний. Любовна лінія мені сподобалась хоч вона і специфічна, але для жанру дарк цілком прийнятна. Не дивлячись на невелику кількість сторінок сюжет розвивався динамічно і цікаво. Це моє перше невелике знайомство з жанром дарк ромком, очевидно що мені потрібно більше таких книг👌🏻😅
Ставлю цій новелі 4/5⭐️


P.S. Чи можна вважати себе ще адекватною, якщо на моменті де головний герой вбиває доволі жорстоким методом людину, але при цьому наспівує пісню “Last Christmas” - я просто сміялася до сліз…😂😂

[M (hiatus) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh boy…

This book was very OTT, but in a bad way. This guy should’ve been caught the very first time he killed, he was so freaking sloppy.

While reading, I was trying to find where the com was. As a matter of fact, I was trying to find the rom too. Neither were found. I absolutely hated it.

1st person - dual pov
no virgins
no condoms
no sharing
no real owd/omd
no cheating
no 3rd act breakup
hfn because this man will for sure find another woman to “breed” after he impregnates the fmc and abandon his kids to go make new ones like he did with his first wife and kids.

[Wobilba · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would’ve been a better story if the story and the characters were a bit fleshed out. I would say it was ridiculous but I guess that was what made it fun to read 😏

[Sydni Donahue · Rating 1 out of 5]

Slaying the holidays .8
Not to be rude or anything but good lord did I despise this one. What do you mean dark rom com? Nothing was funny and it was barely dark. The fmc was one of the most unlikeable uninteresting characters ever. The mmc was whatever. The storyline was not it and I did not like how it developed at all. The whole therapist plot here was dumb as hell. Everything was way too easy. Honestly this ended up being a rage read for me because I found it so unlikable that ever second filled me with malice. I am in a slump and I fear this didn’t help or it maybe explains why this was more rage inducing than it may have been if I wasn’t in a slump but we will never know. ALSO THE SMUT WAS NOT GOOD. SOMEONE GET ME GOOD SMUT I BEG I WILL BEG ON MY KNEES BABE

[Darkromancerobyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beatrix SERVED with this dark and hilariously unhinged rom-com. I ate this UP! I am now in love with a handsome Norwegian serial killer named Soren Erickson. His witty banter and crooked smiles had me melting. Sophie’s inner dialogue had me laughing so much and the two of them together? Perfection!

In true Beatrix fashion she had me cackling throughout this entire book.
Seron is creepy af but in the sexiest way possible 🤤 I immediately pictured Alexander Skarsgard and I felt his look and personality fit perfectly! 🫠

When Sophie tells hers client to try a new hobby she has no idea that he’s talking about killing 💀 When she catches him the act one night, she finds herself in a very precarious position.

This is a dark, twisted, hilariously unhinged tale of a killer and his therapist. I really think Soren and Sophie’s personalities took this book to another level. The story had me wanting more and more and the relationship felt genuine and made sense in the most messed up way. I think I need more dark Rom-coms in my life!

As always I’m blown away by Beatrix’ writing and I’ll be counting down until her next release 😆 She has the best sense of humour! 💚

-dark rom-com 💚
-fake marriage 💚
-golden retriever serial killer 💚

[witchy_book_babe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beatrix Hollow absolutely slayed Slaying the Holidays: A Dark Rom Com😍🎄🎅🏻🪓!!

Beatrix is among my favorite Authors. And she never fails to impress me with her ability to write smaller stories/Novella's that feel much bigger than they actually are. I of course, would love this particular story to be expanded on in the future. But, as it is I thought Slaying the Holidays was everything that was promised!

I thought that Slaying the Holidays was goreeeeariffic😜, sexy, funny, atmospheric, and had some suspense thrown in as well! It was the perfect Dark Rom Com for the Holiday Season! I sincerely hope to see more of this content from Beatrix Hollow in the future!

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dark Rom Com - ❌
Thriller - ✅

[Nimi (Warner's Wife ) · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, thank you bestie @Mayouya for recommending this—I’m so happy to know you’re just as messed up as me 💀✌🙂🖤.

Golden retriever-coded lonely, empty serial killer X his grumpy therapist... I AM DEAD

ATE UPPPP THIS BOOK. It had me in a chokehold from the first line. It’s actually so funny IN THE DARK setting—some moments had me in hysterical laughter. I loved the characters, and it felt so unique compared to the usual serial killer plots. 👏👏. Their emotional connection was EVERYTHING.

I get that there wasn’t much space for deep character growth since it’s a novella, and everything happened fast, but even in just 135 pages, watching their connection bloom was soooo amazing.


I REALIZED ONE THING
Being the wifey of a serial killer means it’s totally fine if you find a human hand in damnnn your freezer while prepping dinner for your family who just came to visit. No big deal 🙂✌

[Meghan Evans]

Dnf'd at 26%. I read some pretty messed up books, but ones where the mc kisses a corpse is where I draw the line 🤢

[Lisbeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

No lo recomiendo.

[rereadqueen · Rating 4 out of 5]

SLAYING THE HOLIDAYS by Beatrix Hollow

Well, let me tell you, this made me laugh. My husband almost matched the description of Soren. I am married to a blonde, blue/grey eyed man who is a paramedic🥰.

' “He’s handsome,” Mom comments. “I know,” I sigh. That’s what started the whole mess.'

This was a Dark Rom Com Christmas novella taking place in a ski resort town where a therapist is attracted to her client. Sophie plans to go out with a similar looking man to help satisfy her cravings for her client when things go a different way.

"...he’s promised there’s an actual bed and not a hole in the ground where I put the lotion on my skin." I loved the Silence of Lambs reference - this made me laugh.

Lots of murder, blowjobs and trying to keep a serial killer at bay. Also, hosting a family gathering with body parts hidden everywhere! This was an interesting twist of events and a cute little Rom Com for Christmas.

“You aren’t out of the woods. A hobby isn’t a bandaid. It’s a path towards improvement,”

[Dominika Ast · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zhltla som to na jedno posedie. Moja prvá vianočná dark romance comedy a veľmi som si to užila. Už dlho som sa tak dobre nezasmiala.

Moje top highlighty:

*chlap stojí nad mŕtvolou v kancelárii terapeutky*
“Who are you?” I ask. His eyes find the clock on my wall and sparkle.
“Your ten o’clock. But if this guy is done, I’m happy to start early.”

“Are you stalking me? Why did you kill my date? Are you kidnapping me?”
…
“You told me to get a hobby.”

He looks comfused. I’ve made a killer look uncomfortable. Who knew I was this awkward? Certainly not me.

I never thought I’d be happy a killer kidnapped me from my date. Too bad Thanksgiving is over. I could have shared that I was greatful for murder.

This is a lot more fun than the last kill. Everyone should drag their therapist along for murders.

“Can you not act so… okay with this?”
“You are freaking out enough for the both of us.”

[thebeespot72 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can read any holiday book at any time of year. It really doesn’t matter to me, especially Christmas, because bah humbug and all. I loved Slaying the Holidays. I couldn’t have asked for a better novella. It had everything I wanted. It was dark. The humour was on point. Soren is a s3r1al k1ller but goes to therapy because he’s having a hard time working through his divorce. Sophie, the therapist, has the hots for him, but instead of acting on it, she attempts to date someone who looks like him. The evening does not end well. Yes, there’s gore, but it’s hilarious. Slaying the Holidays was a lot of fun. I’d probably reread it, too. Maybe at Christmas this time.

[Joni (livebythemoon7) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely LOVED this novella. I read it in 1 sitting. A serial killer with an amazing sense of humor while also being a golden retriever boyfriend type is so hilarious.

I received an advance copy. This review is honest and voluntary.

[Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

absolutely delightful

[Alicia Roberts · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Such a good therapist” he says. No. No she was definitely not a good therapist.
This was just not good. Entertaining? Yes. Cringy? Umm. Yes. (Cough cough * breading and my and therapist in the same sentence).
Going to rinse out my eyes now.

[Tatianna]

THE BLURB. Omfg. Sounds like my kind of xmas read! 🤣

[Zariareads · Rating 1 out of 5]

A guy ADDICTED to killing and that’s all they talk about.🥱🙄

[Paige Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did I devour this book or did it devour me? I was glued the moment it started. I mean how can you not be with an opener like this...

"My newest therapy client is the definition of a DILF. His distractingly handsome face is all to blame for my mess up. If that wasn’t bad enough, now I’m practically stalking the murderous golden retriever. Can he even hear me arguing for pottery classes over the electric carver? Oh, it's a bone saw? My mistake."

I beg your finest pardon?! Ya'll this book. You NEED it. I promise you.

Slaying the Holidays is a Dark Rom Com that pushes boundaries. Imagine being a therapist and in walks a smoke show of a client and you can't figure out how to be a therapist anymore? That is exactly what happened to Sophie. She can't get Soren out of her head and decides to turn to online dating where she finds a look-alike. When she's on her date with this doppelganger she finds herself turned off by his body odor and demeaning personality. She decides to escape to the bathroom to devise a plan of how to end this horrid date. However, once she goes outside to find him, she finds Soren with his look-alike. Oh and he isn't breathing...Surprise!

I loved the themes this dark romance explored. It was so much different than what I'm used to reading. I'll definitely be checking out more work by this author in the future! I need another story like this ASAP.

[★ Reshika · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️/5⭐️

OMGG I didn’t even imagine I would love this so much
Literally was so funny and cute
I can’t even imagine I’ve read about such a cutie and sweet psychopath
Give me Soren I just wanna protect him and put him in my pocket literally he was so cute and sweet and damn funny too
My Soren only wanted some love and family
I loved how Sophie also matched his freak
The Santa scene in the mall gave major art the clown vibes it was literally like if Art was a cutie potato who was obsessed with his therapist
I knew this book would be a five star read after the “Doctor Moore now you have to marry me” line
Like literally so cuteeee I can’t handle it
I felt really bad for him the last chapter baby had a panic attack because he thought his therapist left him
Like legit this couple was so perfect for each other
Sophie and Soren I didn’t think I would love them this much!! I wish I can have more of them!

[Cee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, did this make sense? lol absolutely not -- and more things made even LESS sense-- but it was ridiculous, a sweet type of dark, and just hit me the right way at the right time. So, I mostly enjoyed this and just shook at my head at... the whole ending portion. Yeah, I'm finishing this review here before I start thinking more about it.

If you just wanna turn your brain off, laugh, and read about someone getting chased in the snow and some holiday decor used in murderous ways then you should check this one out.

[LaTosha Webber · Rating 5 out of 5]

The love affair that started with a Christmas why choose, continued with an obsession with a moth, and comes full circle with a unconventional holiday contemporary Instalove. This was cheeky, fun, romantic in the creepiest way, and hot as sin! This is the unhinged I can get behind lol and I’ll deal with whatever that says about me.

[Natalie Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very easy to read and a fun novella. The concept of the plot was there and it started off so well but then it kind of just dropped off towards the end.