Fall

Fair's Fair #2

by A.J. Merlin

It didn’t feel real until they showed up at my door—without their masks.

When they knock, I let them in. Even though I know I should slam the door in their faces and call the cops. I know I shouldn’t be this curious, especially after what happened at the warehouse.

But I can’t bring myself to turn them away.

Nor can I bring myself to tell the police what really happened, no matter how many times they ask or how forcefully they press. What started as thrilling quickly turns into something darker. Something I’m not sure I’m ready for.

Something I won’t be able to walk away from if I don’t act soon.

Too bad they’re willing to do anything to keep me from leaving.

They’ll tear down everything in my life until all I have left is them—and the twisted world they’re offering. They’ll threaten my friends, bind me to them in ways I can’t escape. If they get caught, I get caught too.

After all, fair’s fair, right?

Please read the content warnings at the beginning of the book. This book is dark, with content that could bother some readers. FALL is a short, spicy Halloween novella. It’s MMF, and book 2 in the Fair's Fair trilogy. It is extremely dark.

Genres: Dark Romance, Dark, Novella, Romance, M M F, Horror, Halloween

114 pages, Paperback

Published January 29, 2025

About the author

AJ Merlin would rather write epic love stories than live them. I mean, who wants to limit themselves to only falling in love once? She is obsessed with dark fantasy, true crime, and also dogs. From serial killers to voyeurs all the way down to the devil himself, AJ's specialty is in writing irredeemable heroes who somehow still manage to captivate their heroines (and her readers).

Reviews

[Caitlin Hayward · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a straight continuation from Haunt and it was so good! I know my girl Noa can handle anything, even after being forced in that situation 🫣. I can’t wait for the next book!

[klinta · Rating 3 out of 5]

well, that’s the question, isn’t it? how do you prove to two murderers that you won’t- you can’t- betray them?

i missed my deranged throuple <3 these men could praise me into doing anything and everything

[Tiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was completely clueless that this book would be picking up right from where Haunt ended, but it was such a pleasant surprise!
I will read anything and everything that AJ Merlin writes without missing a beat because they have become one of my favourite authors of all time. Everything that they come up with just hits the spot and has me OBSESSED even after I finish reading

This was such a short and fast paced read, but again, you need to have read Haunt for everything to make sense.
Without giving too much away, our girl Noa goes to the wrong halloween haunt and ends up with two serial killers on her tail that are kinda obsessed with her. Things got very steamy and intense in book 1, and this one follows with the guys trying to find a way to get Noa to keep their secret (so they don’t have to kill her)

I read this in one sitting because I just couldn’t put it down, I NEEDED to know what was going to happen with every fiber of my being, and when I finished reading it I was left with even more questions that I started with, which was great…

Was not expecting that ending at all, or for the guys to just let it go and let Noa go back to her ‘normal’ life. Really thought that they were just going to keep her hostage for the rest of her life as their little play thing, so now I’m even more excited to see how things are going to conclude in book 3!

This mini series is definitely worth a read if you like the serial killer romance sub genre, really dark romances and hella steamy scenes that leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about yourself.

[Natalie H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jan 2025
Kindle edition

Huh, thought this one was a duet, oh well. Not too sure about this one. Its definitely on the darker side and more of a uh well that happened. Noa continues to dig herself into a deeper hole with the guys with kidnapping and a calculated escape attempt. Cliffhanger ending with Noa now an unwilling accomplice. Curious what happens next and the beating her mental state might take.

[Leoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

TWs:
- Graphic violence
- murder
- kidnapping
- MMF
- non-consent
- dubious consent
- primal
- slight cliffhanger

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe I don't want this to happen to me...
Book 2 of the Fair's Fair series is here! Book one, Haunt, was a Halloween novella that ended with the MMCs at the door of the FMC the next day and book two picks up exactly where we left off.
The beginning is so fun, I was so excited like omg the guys are back and came to see Noa, so happy for her!! Next thing my girls kidnapped... oh um I thought this was the HEA part?
It twas not the HEA part.
This book managed to make me feel all the emotions of Noa, the FMC, while reading which sounds fun but the ending of this book had Noa questioning if she was going into shock and I was too, just sitting there afterwards just numb. Honestly I liked that it brought that out but at the same time I'm feral for book 3 because how are they, Val and Kieran the MMCs, going to fix this?
As for the spice, AJ is always going to bring the spice and it usually comes with a little fear included for fun. I can't believe there was a time in my life where I didn't get the appeal of a primal scene or the kink itself. I'm not saying chase me through the woods, but I can see the appeal cause that scene was HOT. Also the way Kieran and Val basically use Noa however because they know that she's going to like it even though she's saying no... making me look at myself differently 😌
Thank you to aj merlin for allowing me to be on the ARC team 🥰

[patricia &#x169b9; · Rating 4 out of 5]

some dialogue was insanely cringy but i overall loved how this unraveled and the ending has me running to start the last in the trilogy


*spoiler-ish?*



harrow/kieran still owns me

[Kylie C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my god. Primal play.

This novella leans fully into dark intensity and does not apologize for it. The dynamic is feral, the tension is constant, and the praise? Immaculate. Absolute praise kings energy throughout!!!

What really sets Fall apart is the relationship between the two MMCs. Their chemistry is unhinged in the best way, sharp, dangerous, and charged. It’s not good cop / bad cop. It’s more like bad villain / worse villain, and that imbalance somehow makes everything hit harder.

The pacing is tight, the atmosphere is heavy, and the power dynamics are crystal clear. This is one of those reads where you don’t want softness, you want edge, control, and intensity, and Fall delivers exactly that.

Dark, primal, and completely unapologetic.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ekkk these men !!

They were never going to just leave her at the hunt !

They are utterly unhinged but wow are they awsome can she finally escape those men or will she actually miss them ,?

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

dark cereal munchers/ Non Co N/ dub/ 2H and 1 h

Book two picks up where book 1 ends! I am not gonna lie I could barely put this down.

In this book we’re seeing a slightly less dark side of the Hs …. And then more of their darkness bc I mean that’s who they are lol.
Drugging
Dub con
Primal/chase
Asphyxiation
Biting/marking
Love the dirty talk
Get a bit more background on the haunt from book 1 and the guys.

Whew the mouth on Val 🤤
““You should be so grateful to us because no one else on this entire planet could satisfy your depraved needs, you know? But don’t worry, Noa.” He sounds almost soothing for a moment, but his words are undermined by his fingers being so tight that I’m definitely about to black out. “I’ll always be here to fuck you in all the ways you need. Over and over and over.””

And then Kieran in his like daddy-ish vibe but he’s soooo controlling it’s easy to see he’s the “alpha” alpha in the dynamic. This was the gentle words of course lol.

“Easy, darling,” Kieran murmurs when I stiffen ever so slightly. “You’re being so good for me. You take me perfectly and you know how to do this. Just relax for me, all right? Let me do all the work to fuck your pretty face.”

This one ends much the same. It’s an ending to this book but def know theirs more to come. I’m diving into book 3. lol

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a continuation of Haunt and Noa couldn’t get rid of these two guys even if she wanted. They have to make her do something unspeakable to make sure she doesn’t rat them out. Val is definitely my favorite 🤭 I’ll be reading the next one for sure!

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good at the first one. Took me a while to get through. Gonna push myself to read the last one so I can finish the story, but no promises.

Still waiting for the MMF content that was promised, btw. Not even a hint of it in this one. 🫥

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

This book picks up exactly where Haunt left off and was far less gory.

The boys need a way to make sure Noa won’t turn anyone in and their way ended up being exactly what I guessed it’d be.

The ending, in my opinion, is similar to the ending of Haunt in the way that it’s not really a cliffhanger but it still makes me excited to read the next book.


I received an early copy and this is my honest review.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 stars

[dimiloaf · Rating 3 out of 5]

A filler second book (only 100 chapters so very quick gateway). Rating it at 3 since the spice was very similar to book 1. But the next and last book picks the pace right back up!

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Called that ending.

[Heather Kellermann · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Malysh_2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Los chicos entran y ella solo se queda allí mientras suben y la policía toca su puerta. Ella explica q fue a una casa embrujada y conoció un chico dando a entender q tuvo sexo. La policía le dice q debe mantener el contacto más que todo porq ya tiene antecedentes con salud mental y comprobación de bienestar. Al despedir a la policía, sube y ve a uno de sus gatos en el regazo de Harrow, su nombre es Kieran y el de Ravage es Valentine. Quieren jugar con ella, está en le regazo de Kieran y Valentine la alaba al ver sus marcas q recorre con sus labios. Mientras Kieran le toma las manos en su espalda y la marca en el cuello, Val la desnuda y juntos la masturban, Kieran con sus dedos y van con su lengua e introduce sus dedos, la llevan al orgasmo pero la confunden cuando dicen q se van y preguntan por sus zapatos y chaqueta, el vaso de agua q Kieran le ofrece tiene drogas q hace q se vuelva a sumergir en la inconsciencia. Despierta en una cabaña frente a una chimenea y empieza a ver los rincones pero Val y Kieran llegan, quieren explicarse pero su instinto de lucha prospera haciendo q termine reducida por Val. Piensa q la van a☠️, Kieran le dice q querían traerla allí desde el almacén pero el cloroformo no les iba a dar el margen q necesitaban y Val quería asegurarse de q la cabaña estaba sola. Noa no sabe q tan lejos puede estar de Nashville y piensa en sus🐱. Val le dice q cambiaron su arenero y les colocaron agua y comida extra y q Sienna no estará preocupada ya q ella le dijo a su amiga y a la 🚔 q estaba bien y Val le envío un mensaje cuando Sienna llegó a Portland, no quieren matarla pero tampoco pueden arriesgarse y ya lo q queda es q ella los convenza de q no los traicionará. Val le propone un trato: pasar la noche descansando o una especie de tregua o puede intentar escapar, le darán 5 minutos de ventaja y luego saldrán por ella, sin armas y al atraparla le demostrarán q no quieren☠️. Noa decide escapar porq no confía en ellos y quiere sobrevivir, a pesar de estar en la 1era semana de noviembre en Tennessee y apenas con un short, al menos sabe defenderse en el bosque por las habilidades de camping q su familia le ha enseñado. Al salir a la intemperie y a pesar de la oscuridad, logra alejarse pero se da cuenta que hay cámaras por todo el bosque. Logra esquivar a Valentine, pero Kieran la mira fijamente y le permite correr por q ese es el juego q le encanta a Val, a la final ella se devuelve al arroyo y Val la agarra, la asfixia y le dice q pensó q ella haría algo inusual pero nunca podrá escapar de ellos, selló su destino desde q fue a su casa embrujada, ella aprovecha la distracción y le quita la navaja de su bolsillo.

Amenaza con cortarlo pero al huir, no llega lejos cuando Kieran la agarra y la lanza hacia Valentin. Los deja solos pero pide el siguiente turno, Valentin le dice q estaba corriendo más lejos de la carretera y de la carpa de conveniencia en donde habían parado asi q su huida fue en vano y le pide q por favor pelee con él, al no querer ser su princesa ni su buena chica sino su sucia salvaje, Noa va descubriendo excitaciones q nunca pensó experimentar pero no se queda pensando en ello para no enloquecer. Tienen sexo con asfixia y al llegar a un orgasmo arrollador y con la verguenza de haberlo disfrutado, ve q Kieran lo ha visto todo y aun empalada por Val, Kieran hace q ella le haga un oral. Es llevada en la espalda de Val a la cabaña. Despierta muy adolorida y sucia, Val le dice q debe hidratarse y le da Tylenol y agua y si quiere bañarse sabe donde hacerlo, el día será lluvioso y no teme q quiera salir por la ventana porq está bloqueada. Ella se mira al espejo viéndose como una víctima de guerra, recuerda a su madre q ya ha muerto extrañando su capacidad de resolver problemas. Cuando sale, se consigue con otro visitante q resulta ser Neron, reprende a Val al ver el estado de Noa ya q los cuidados posteriores son muy importantes, se preocupa un poco de q Noa pueda hablar o como le explicará a sus amigos sus marcas si pero algo pasa q Val debe irse con él por un problema con Erika, al parecer una de las chicas asesinadas tiene hermanos buscándola. Ella se queda sola con Kieran quien la alimenta y le dice q si cree q ahora 1 contra 1 será mas fácil de escapar, se equivoca ya q le iría mejor con Val. Él admite q ella parece un poster de violencia domestica y va por un peine para peinarla, ella le dice q realmente confió en ellos y terminaron raptándola y ahora quieren matarla en el bosque pero él le dice q no es así sino no hubiese despertado en su casa, sabe q el enamoramiento q tiene con ellos no es suficiente porq eventualmente la culpa le ganará e irá a la policía y necesita q a ella también le afecte porq no puede poner su seguridad encima de la de ellos y él le jura q cuando se convenza de q tiene su lealtad le dará su libertad. Cepilla muy suavemente su cabello lo q la desconcierta, le cuenta q a Val no le gusta la lluvia por los truenos, a la edad de 6 fue adoptado por fanáticos religiosos q lo obligaron a hablar en inglés dejando sus raíces rusas olvidadas y sus castigos eran severos, lo encerraban afuera bajo la lluvia, él si tuvo una vida aburrida y privilegiada en los suburbios. Las personas de la casa embrujada no eran inocentes y les hicieron mucho daño, no del tipo de burlas o un robo de estacionamiento sino serias. Se queda dormida en su regazo pero despierta cuando Val le dice si quiere volver a casa por q lo han resuelto. La llevan al bosque en donde ve a un hombre amordazado y atado a un árbol, si lo mata puede volver a casa ya q tendría una razón de peso para no delatarlos.

Ella al ir a apuñalarlo, suelta el cuchillo y corre pero no llega lejos y ve como Val y Kieran se vuelven los asesinos de la casa embrujada, así q Kieran le dice q se trata del padre de Hex,la muñeca de porcelana de la casa, su padre golpeaba a su madre hasta q ella huyó y la cazó y luego descargó toda su ira en Hex, se llama Joe Addison y puede buscarlo luego y comprobar q ellos no mienten. Kieran toma la mano de Noa y la envuelve en el cuchillo y entre ambos matan a Joe, este muere siempre mirando a Noa y ella siente q jamás se sentirá cálida. La dejan en su casa pero ella esta en shock, la suben hasta su cama y le dice q se tranquilice, no es culpable pero ya tienen una garantía, el arma tiene sus huellas y es la única sobreviviente de la casa embrujada y eso la hace su cómplice. Volverán porq están muy unidos y ella solo se pregunta si en realidad son Val y Kieran de quienes se enamoró o Ravage y Harrow, al quedar sola grita sobre su almohada sintiendo como se rompe su corazón.

[KrisKayPattie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jumping straight from where we left off in the last book, loved that because we didn't miss anything.

This is definitely for people who can handle some messed up stuff, on that note I absolutely loved it and I can't wait to read more!!

[JJ reads]

It's not you, it's me. DNF at 64% (but I did read the recap).

[bookaddict2021 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever wondered what it would be like to meet a masked incredibly hot and attractive serial killer and become their newest obsession? To meet them at what you thought was an innocent Halloween Haunt only to then wake up the next day safe and sound in your bed??? Believing it all to be some weird nightmare except, your sore and there are marks and bruises on your body from an intensely pleasurable night? Then to have them suddenly they turn up unmasked at your house acting as if everything is normal? No? How about two of them?

Noa is our fmc and she's a halloween lover, loving watching all the the gory horror movies and strange and frightening paranormal tv shows but it's safe to say she hoped this would all stay on the tv rather than suddenly enter real life. Her entire life has entered the Twilight Zone, she's scared for her life and just wants to return to normal and forget about what happened only to bask in her luck that she managed to escape whole. Until these strange dark men kidnap her to a secluded cottage in the forest and force her to do something she reallllly doesn't want to do in order to ensure her silence. Something that may well break her into pieces.

This is a dark read and there is not much consent from our fmc other than she does end up enjoying things that are forced upon her, secretly enjoys it, learning new kinks and more about herself and her slightly more darker inclinations. But what happens when the two alluringly dark men take it a step too far? I need the next book to be longer, these short stories are killing me with the anticipation and I just need more. I need the next book because it was cruel to leave it there! If you want to take a step into the darker side of the romance genre then have a go at this one!

[georgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I could devour you happily. Every part of you, until there’s nothing left but bones.”

Arc Review for Fall (Fair’s Fair #2) by A.J. Merlin!

Overall Rating: 4/5 ⭐️
Spice Rating: 4/5 🌶️

Not my first A.J. Merlin and certainly never to be the last! The second book on Merlin’s Fair’s Fair trilogy, I enjoyed this quick, depraved & spicy read! I sped-read the first book in the series before starting this one (and I loved it), and this one was just as good as that one! I feel so much fun & good stuff happened in this book that I just couldn’t put it down! It was super action-packed, spicy, and intense, to say the least! Everything I could ever want in a dark, serial killer romance(even some good fluffy moments from our stabby men and their girl too!) I can’t wait to see how the end of the trilogy will turn out!

Merlin’s books are always a favorite of mine to read - as gory + twisted as they can be, I don’t know what it is about them but they’re such comfort reads for me and i’m always devouring them + loving every second of experiencing Merlin’s book universes.

What to expect in Fall:
🕯️ mmf romance
🕯️ serial killers
🕯️ quick & spicy novella
🕯️ girl obsessed men
🕯️ primal/breeding kink
🕯️ lowkey enemies to lovers
🕯️ dark romance
🕯️ really hot serial killers
🕯️ romantic suspense x mystery

Thank you to A.J. Merlin and her team for allowing me to be an arc reader for this new release & providing me with an advanced reader copy of Fall in exchange for an honest review! 🤍 I received an ARC copy of Fall and all thoughts & comments on this review are my own!

Fall releases January 30th, 2025!

[Ande GIDGET Oliva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great short read. I have been waiting for this follow up and it didn't disappoint. AJ is so great at taking the FMC and making her relatable. She's never your stereotypical bombshell goddess who wears fancy clothes and looks like a million bucks and has a snooty personality. Her FMC's are usually raw faced or minimal. With crazy hair situations who love leggings and over sized novelty hoodies with beat up sneakers. And the FMC's love animals and don't have super fabulous jobs with boatload of money who waste it away on everything they see. They have real world jobs and face real world problems. Their real and the men they come across love these features about them. It's attractive and they want that in their women. AJ also has a way of taking deep dark desires that people don't usually talk about and brings them out and makes you feel okay for having them. And she definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat with suspense with the possibilities in her books. This was no different.

Noa having just spent the scariest night of her life, fighting to see her way out of the Haunt wakes up thinking the worst was behind her, until she gets visitors at her door.

In this short Noa goes through more crazy suspenseful drama, fights herself at every turn on the feelings and non feelings she has through it all. But once again we are left with a cliffy that has us yelling at AJ for more. And I for one, can't wait for more of Noa's journey, what will happen between her and her men? What secrets was she hiding about her past? What secrets are the guys hiding? I can't wait to find out.

[Annabelle Donnelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t planning to fall into book two and spiral immediately into book three. But AJ Merlin said, “lol, that’s cute,” and proceeded to tear my soul out page by page—with zero remorse and maximum filth.

Let’s be clear: you absolutely need to read book one first. This isn’t a cute little duet you can bounce around in. This is a descent. Book one introduces the darkness. Fall grabs you by the throat and says, “Ready or not, let’s get twisted.”

This installment is Noa’s true breaking point—her fall, and damn, what a delicious fall it is. Kieran and Val (formerly Harrow and Ravage, because yes, even their names got sexier) drag her into the deep end of herself. This isn’t about choosing one man over the other. It’s about choosing to stop fighting the darkness inside her—the one that likes being called a slut, craves breath play, and aches to surrender.

And guess what? I was cheering for it. Not once did I think “girl, run.” I was thinking “girl, ruin me too.” The writing is just that good. AJ Merlin dances on the blade of morally gray, making you fall for murderers and excuse chaos like it’s foreplay. The intensity starts on page one and does. not. let. up.

It’s dark. It’s hot. It’s twisted. It’s brilliant. That ending? I’m still recovering. I had a plan to pace myself, but that’s gone. Book three is already whispering to me and I know I’m about to answer like the depraved little reader I am.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably more like a 2.5. I was disappointed as I thought this was a duet. I hate getting to the end of a book and finding out I have to wait for another one, especially when a book is as short as this one. I understand that writers want to make money, but the constant splitting up of a single story in order to keep hitting readers for more money is rather obnoxious. That being said...

I still like Noa. She could have used a bit more of a backbone here, especially with the final forest scene. Not sure why, but based on her previous character development, I was expecting something else. She is clearly not the typical damsel in distress, which is good, but that scene made her seem weak. There were so many other possibilities of what she could have done.

Finding out a little about the various characters from Haunt was nice. There was a bit of motivation provided, which added some layers and nuance. I found the dynamic between Harrow and Ravage to be different in this book. This was strange as one was clearly the most dominant in the first book. That was not as clear here. Of course, they were in their "real life" personas, but those were not drastically different from their "masks," so it stuck out quite a bit.

It ended on another cliffhanger. I really do hate those. At least the next installment is coming at the end of the month.

[spicy_book_nook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughts / Synopsis : um… Ravage and Harrow are messing with my mind. They were ruthless serial unalivers, now they are being sweet… well, sort of anyway 🫣🤭🤣

Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot / Storyline 👩🏻‍💻: 📑📑📑📑
Heat / Burn (slow / fast): 🐢🐇🐇🐇
Darkness: 🖤🖤🖤
Red Flags: 🚩🚩🚩🚩
Kinks: 🫦🫦🫦
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Range of Emotions: 🥵🤭🥵🫣🥵😢🥰
Ending: unfinished / cliffhanger
POV: 🏃🏻‍♀️{single}

⚠️⚠️⚠️spoilers - whole story***
Ravage / Val and Harrow / Kieran come back to Noa’s apartment to “check on” her. They are there to see if they can trust her not to tell what happened. They dr%g her and take her to a cabin in the woods. They taunt her and make spicy time with her. The woods scene… 🧑🏻‍🍳 💋
Nero, the “host / ring leader” from the night before, comes and basically tells them they have to figure it out with Noa.
They tell Noa she has to unalive someone. She is adamantly refusing the whole time saying she can’t. Kieran hold her hang while chopping down on the bad guy.
She becomes catatonic essentially and they take her back to her apartment. They warn her if she goes to the police, no one will believe her.
She says by and they tell her they will be back.
When they leave, she breaks down on her bed.
CLIFFHANGER…

[Danni · Rating 1 out of 5]

THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN 2-3 STARS. But the fmc and mmc both use the term unaliving and that was an instant 1 star, no coming back. I was mad. The only reason I didn't immediately dnf is because it's a short read.

This is actually incredibly disappointing on so many levels.

I liked the first one enough to grab this one immediately. This one was just... Not it. The masked killers have taken off their masks and now they're just... Kind of annoying guys. They don't even have the same dynamic with each other anymore. I started skimming a third of the way in, because it was boring. I spent more time going "you've been kidnapped and your cats are all alone for an unknown amount of time" rather than be concerned even a little about the main characters. I was really bothered about the cats being left and the fmc didn't even really care.

It's way less smut than the last one, and what's there is just a repeat of the last book but less interesting. Oh no she's being choked. Again. Big surprise.

Every time one of the mmcs called the fmc princess, I was only able to go "Oh *pwincess*" and it ruined the whole fucking thing forever.

All of the main characters just felt annoying. I didn't feel this way for the first book, but this one was just... Not great.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

So dark, so deep, in one little novella
4.5⭐️’s
3 🌶️’s

This one is definitely not as spicy or as gory as the first but it goes deep. That is the main reason it gets 4.5 (that and the writing is just kinda annoying to read at times) rounded up to 5. We meet Ravage and Harrow for their true selves and learn more about their pasts. They are complicated characters with many shades of cruel and kind. This book is both sexy and heart-wrenching because of the dark themes that were more plot driven than smut driven, a nice deviation from the first that kept things interesting. To be honest, in terms of smut, it was pretty limited and very similar to the first book in some ways.

Overall, I loved it because it took the story of what happened in the haunt to the next level in a dramatic and emotional way. The shock factor and thrill of the first one is what hooked me into that one but the depth of emotion and story telling kept me reading here.

Kinks/Triggers

🩸kidnapping/force proximity

🩸morally grey MMCs

🩸primal/if i catch you …

🩸dub-con

🩸MFM action

🩸mild degradation

🩸SA and abuse

[Kricketland · Rating 5 out of 5]

TITLE: Fall
GENRE: Dark Romance
AUTHOR: AJ Merlin
TROPE: Serial Killer Romance, MMF
TYPE: Trilogy (Fair’s Fair Series Book 2)
POV: First Person
MY RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5

⚠️ Check trigger warnings; this dark content is for +18 readers

What I liked:
✔️ A quick, dark & spicy read
✔️ Noa’s character (love her!)
✔️ Fast pace read
✔️ MMF
✔️ Dark Serial Killer theme
✔️ Primal MMC

What I didn’t like:
❌ It was over too soon! 😭
❌ I can’t wait for book 3 🖤

Haunt (Book 1) should be read before starting Fall, as Fall picks up right where Haunt leaves off. If you were a fan of the Cat & Mouse series by HD Carlton, you would enjoy this short, dark, spicy read with feral men. I was so engrossed in wanting to find out what was next for Noa, Harrow (Kieran) & Ravage (Val) that I pretty much-ignored anything else until I could finish reading. I will absolutely reread this series, making it worthy of 5 / 5 stars. Please, AJ Merlin, don’t make me wait too long for book three in the trilogy. 🖤

[Roksy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picking up from the exciting end to Haunt, Fall dives straight into the scorching tension between FMC Noa and MMCs Ravage (Val) and Harrow (Kieran). I love the moral complexities that Merlin brings to her stories and characters. Getting to know the unmasked versions of the morally black serial killers that captured and captivated Noa in the first novella was a wild, thrilling ride, and I appreciated how much insight I was able to glean into their pasts and motivations through the narrative and their interactions. The banter between the three MCs was excellent, as was the chemistry—I am an absolute goner for primal play, so the spice in this one had me positively melting. I’m eagerly awaiting the third instalment of the trilogy.

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀
4.5⭐ ~ 4🌶️ ~ 2💔

𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀
🖤 Serial killers
🖤 Stalkers
🖤 “Ours”
🖤 “Good girl”

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱
🖤 Primal play
🖤 Hand necklaces and breath play
🖤 MMF
🖤 Morally grey/black characters with a hint of vigilantism
🖤 “Princess” and “Darling”