Egg Hunt

Twisted Holidays #2

by M.L. Philpitt

People rationalize their desires by calling them sins, and then use the Easter holiday to seek repentance before doing it all again. The pearl-clutchers of town would send me straight to hell if they knew what I enjoy. My sins are my own.  

The day starts like any other, but then I learn she’s moved back. The woman I wanted for so long. She’s here. She’s free. But I’m about to change that. 

When the town’s annual Easter egg hunt comes around, I decide that her and I will be having a private one.  Even if she has no idea I’m the man behind the mask. 

Except, I’m not the only one chasing her, but what he doesn’t realize is, she’s mine. My hunt. And wolves defend their prey. 

Run, little rabbit, run. 


Egg Hunt is the second book in Twisted Holidays, a series of dark-themed holiday novellas. The series can be read in any order.

Genres: Dark Romance, Holiday, Novella, Smut, Romance, Dark, Ebooks

138 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 1, 2025

About the author

USA Today Bestselling author M.L. Philpitt writes both dark romance and paranormal romance. When she’s not writing made-up realities, she’s reading them. She lives in Canada with her four pets and survives life with coffee and an obsession with fictional characters, especially the morally grey kind. By day, she masks as a therapist, and is still waiting for her Hogwarts letter so she can be sorted into her Ravenclaw house.

Reviews

[brittany:) · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved this one, it was a fun, dark little romance read for Easter! 🐣🖤

You’ve got:
— Friends to Lovers 🌸
— Stalker vibes 👀
— He chases her… literally 🏃‍♂️❤️‍🔥
— Masked man 🎭
— Small town setting 🏡
— Touch her and die energy 💀
— Psycho ex drama 🔥
— Over-the-top protective MMC 🖤
— The “It’s always been you” feels! 🥹

Cute, twisted, and the perfect quick read for the season!

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect book for Easter and everything I love in a book!

Masked man x chased through the woods x touch her and die x toxic ex 💀

Those scenes in the woods though with the 🔪 play(done very tastefully) love bites on her thighs, big O’s against the tree🫠

Delightful and a quick spicy little read😏🌶️🖤

[Kendra Renae · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️4 🌶️3


Primal play Easter egg hunt and I’m your golden egg ? oh baby sign me right tf up I’m SAT . Then you’re my second chance high school not so friend to lover ? DOUBLE SAT 😇

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now I want to be chased and eat chocolate eggs…

“Run, little rabbit, run. I’m coming for you.”

I loved the romance in this book. The second chance after them having hidden crushes on each other in high school was so good.
I liked the fact that Jace accepted and never judged Payton, not back then not now. He was so obsessed with her, but he let her go once and he was not doing that this time around. The second he found out she was back in town he was scheming and planing how to get back in her life and this time, get to keep her as his.

“Her, my deity, the only one who’ll own my loyalty.”

Payton was so strong and resilient. Her life was turned upside down and her ex was a douche of the highest category, but she wouldn't be sacred, she wouldn't change what she wanted and she was brave and would take the masked man up on his offer.

This book had the perfect mix of spice and romance and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

My only issue, I wish it were a tad darker, like the first one. I wanted more intensity, maybe more obsession from Jace, maybe a little death.

Thank you to the author for this e-arc!

[Tyler Kruchkywich · Rating 4 out of 5]

This lil read was actually so good? I really enjoyed the little storyline, and of course the dirty bits. Jace can fuckin chase me too 😮‍💨😮‍💨

[Yasmine M · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
Such a short and hot novella. Loved the chase.
He wants to devour her like a wolf but protect her just the same.
I am so glad she got justice against Bennett, he is a psychopath.
He built her a vet clinic. 😭 He really loves her.
I wish we got a little bit of a longer timeframe but…still such a hot romance.

[Hecate’s Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️4.5 🌶️3

Guys, I just really love a holiday romance. And this one was a medium grey (rather than dark), adorable, Easter themed read. I love when a novel feels like an entire novel, just short and sweet, instead of only a piece of a story.

🐇dark romance
🐇childhood friends? to lovers
🐇he falls first
🐇masked MMC
🐇small town
🐇stalker vibes (but not quite a stalker romance)
🐇holiday romance

Honestly this one was more on the cute spectrum than dark, and that worked for them. Jace and I would have so much fun, just putting that out there….

I do wish the end hadn’t been so abrupt and tied up so easily. I was a bit unsatisfied from that standpoint.

*this is a novella, so I don’t rate it the same way as I would a full length novel*

[Court Pinnock · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Mani · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This was a fun little Easter novella to read for the vibes! Nothing too dark or crazy. Just something quick to read for the holiday. It’s got a bit of stalking, pining and Easter “hunt” 😉

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick Read

The plot was super good, but the climax just didn’t quite deliver like I thought or hoped it would. Great book for those that like their spice mild to null… perhaps a good beginner book for primal.

[Sarah Fay · Rating 4 out of 5]

guys it’s me… what else do you expect? Anyways Happy smutty Easter! 🐣

[Alisha Buchanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️
I was here for a good time with a primal kink and I enjoyed 🩵

[JC Powers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew Easter could be so twisted? This was great.

[Kade · Rating 5 out of 5]

This had everything I wanted in such a short novella. Smut AND a plot!
Loved this sm 💕

[Sally May *✧･ﾟ · Rating 3 out of 5]

𝓔𝓰𝓰 𝓗𝓾𝓷𝓽 𝓫𝔂 𝓜.𝓛. 𝓟𝓱𝓲𝓵𝓹𝓲𝓽𝓽
𝒯𝓌𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝐻𝑜𝓁𝒾𝒹𝒶𝓎𝓈 #𝟤

3 ⭐️

: ̗̀➛ small town
: ̗̀➛ stalker/masked romance
: ̗̀➛ Easter holiday
: ̗̀➛ Second chance
: ̗̀➛ Friends to lovers
: ̗̀➛ 1.5/5 🌶️

⁺˚⋆｡°✩ 𝓜𝓲𝓷𝓲 𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀 ✩°｡⋆˚⁺

This one was less dark romance and more a cute, second chance, high school crush, friends to lovers, he-falls first (and hard), Easter themed fun time.

The small town/ diner vibes are giving Oregon in the autumn.

And Jace is hot. That’s all.

⁺˚⋆｡°🐣🍫🥚🐰°｡⋆˚⁺

╰┈➤ 𝓠𝓾𝓸𝓽𝓮𝓼

“𝒴𝑜𝓊’𝓇𝑒 𝓈𝓂𝒾𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔.” 𝒲𝒶𝓈 𝐼? “𝒯𝒽𝒾𝓃𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓅𝒶𝓈𝓉.” “𝒲𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉? “𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓅𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝓂𝑒 𝓌𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝒹𝒾𝑒𝒹 𝒷𝑒𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝓁𝑒𝓉𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜𝓊𝒸𝒽 𝓂𝑒.” “𝐹𝓊𝓃𝓃𝓎,” 𝒽𝑒 𝓂𝓊𝓇𝓂𝓊𝓇𝓈 𝒾𝓃 𝒶 𝒹𝓇𝓎, 𝓊𝓃𝒶𝓂𝓊𝓈𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉, “𝒷𝑒𝒸𝒶𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝓅𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝓂𝑒 𝓌𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝒹𝒾𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝑜𝓊𝒸𝒽 𝓎𝑜𝓊.”

———————————————————————

absurd but I'm down

[Victoria Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Favorite Quotes:

“I remember you were in fuckin’ love with the girl, but you hid it behind that weird relationship you called friendship.”

“Run, little rabbit, run. I’m coming for you.”

“You know what predators do when they catch their prey?” My breath catches, and I shake my head, my tongue feeling too thick to form some comprehensible answer. “They eat them.”

“Easter Sunday comes, and I drag my ass out of bed to attend the town’s egg hunt, only so I can see her.  Her. Payton. A fucking religion of the highest order. A deity who owns my heart, soul, and loyalty. If last night was considered a sin, then I’ll burn in Hell to do it with her again.”

“You’re my responsibility now, because it’s what I want.”

“I want to be selfish with you, little rabbit.” His hands slide around my waist, keeping me flush against him. “But I also can’t be selfish when it comes to your happiness. You owned me in high school, and you own me now. It’s entirely up to you to decide what to do with me.”

[♡Marizel Meadows♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Out of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶 Out of 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶
Would I reread : YES

"𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐈’𝐦 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫."

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

SPICY CHAPTERS:
Ch.17 Ch.18

I'm 3 days late to reading this but pretend it's still the 20th.

It's fast paced, lighthearted and I absolutely LOVE that there's actually plot, but considering "silent nivht" was a masterpiece I shouldn't have expected anything less with this one.

Can NOT wait for the Halloween one!!

[Yvonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.25

If you know me by now, I usually do not go for holiday themed books ...

However, this year this is what I have been doing.

This book was okay for what it was. I was initially very intrigued in reading this, considering that I love dark romance and the masked men trope. However, I felt that I wanted more from their interaction.

I also could not stand the FMC's ex. He was so damn annoying. And I know it was written that way for a reason, but I wanted to strangle dude through the pages.

[paige glaze · Rating 2 out of 5]

Grumpy sunshine dark romance. The main FMC was so stupid that it was actually impressive she is still alive. The MMC remains me of a “edgy” emo high school boy who thinks he’s the biggest and the basest guy ever and is too cool for anything. I did like the constant rechecking boundaries and the safe words that were out in place before anything though.

[Elise Aragon (Tzuyu's Version) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, this wasn't too bad. It's mostly rated at a 3 because of the beginning, I think this should've been shorter. I just felt like it yapped a lot, but the smut wasn't too bad. The bar is actually below hell at this point, because tell me why I was impressed that there were verbal and physical safe words in this? Like that should literally be the norm, omg.

[Tiffany Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

damn. this was so good! new kink unlocked. 🐰🥚🏃‍♀️🐺🌲one thing i loved about this book was how big Jace was on consent and clear expectations and safe words. He also checked in with her throughout the hunt as well. I like my book guys dark but also gentlemanly.

[Katie Beeler · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[madie dragoo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5⭐️
3.5/5🌶️
📱

short, fun, spicy AND easter themed? actually the perfect read today while i’m at work

“if there’s anyone i’d go to jail for, it’s her.”

[Alina · Rating 4 out of 5]

He should have just killed her ex lol

[Ashlee Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read silent night, and loved it!
So I went into this book with some expectations, and it exceeded it! I figured it’d be all dark and violence. But there was an actual story there which made it even better! For some reason I was not expecting a happy ending but definitely glad there was one!

[⋆˙⟡ golda ⟡˙⋆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than I expected tbh, they were actually pretty cute and all. I just wanted a quick fun read with a more unique setting and I feel like this ticked all the boxes!

[Abbie Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I would have liked it if it was longer. I believe I just didn’t like it because it felt super rushed!

[Thais tybooktok · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking for something spicy to add to your holiday TBR?

Egg Hunt by M.L. Philpitt delivers all the heat, thrill, and dark delight you'd expect from a primal play novella—with a delicious Easter twist.

Set in the shadowy woods behind the FMC’s house, the story kicks off the day before Easter, when she’s given one task: find the hidden eggs while a masked man hunts her down. What follows is an adrenaline-fueled, heart-pounding chase that’s equal parts danger and desire. It’s raw, wild, and incredibly hot.

This novella is a quick, filthy escape into a world where fear and fantasy collide, and honestly? I devoured it in one sitting. If you're in the mood for something dark, spicy, and just a little bit wicked this holiday, Egg Hunt is an absolute must-read.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

i thought this was a fun concept but it wasnt anything life changing. i would recommend if you need a quick palate cleanser or want to read something that is holiday themed.

[Nicole Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

💙💜
Egg Hunt
By M.L. Philpitt

5 ⭐️
4 🌶️

This is the third one of ML Philpitts holiday novellas I’ve read and I’m convinced she can’t write a boring book. I’m so impressed that a 130
page book can live rent free in my head for so long but even today, I’m still thinking about Be Mine and I honestly think that Egg Hunt might have the Silent Night and Be Mine beat by a LONG shot.

Almost immediately I’m captivated by her stories. I love the MCs, the town, the setting, the best friends, all of it. This story centres around high school non-friends Jace and Payton. Locker neighbours but that’s all it ever was even though we can see so clearly they both wanted more.

When I saw a trope here was Primal Chasing I could NOT wait to get to the action. These scenes did not disappoint. A masked man chasing me through the forrest while I’m on my own kinky easter egg hunt? Absolutely, yes.

I know that I love when he falls first, and I think this was the case for our couple, but when she’s just as much falling for him at the same time,
that hits a bit different.

This book had very little spice… and I loved the tension building up to it. These will they/wont they moments… pulling her by her apron strings… standing between his thighs.. the cheek grazing and quiet moments where they are both clearly falling for each other were perfect.

At this point, every one of the books in this series will be yearly rereads and I’m forever grateful to have discovered ML Philpitt at last years BB4E convention in Vancouver.

💙 Easter Novella
💜 Dark Romance
🩵 Small Town
💙 Primal Chasing
💜 Masked MMC

📖 Kindle Unlimited