How to Negotiate With a Nightmare

Seven Suitors for Seven Witches #3

by Amy Boyles

I have three problems:

One: The hot guy I met in the bushes (don't ask) has magic so cold and dangerous it should come with a warning label.

Two: My family's dragging me to a ball hosted by the Nightmare King—you know, the cruel monster who rules the dark half of town where the sun literally never rises.

Three: Turns out Hot Bush Guy and Nightmare King are the same person. And when our magic touches? We make flowers. Which would be romantic if I wasn't supposed to be terrified of him.

Eryx Nightshade has spent ten years alone in his castle, haunted by a voice in his head that demands blood and revenge. Until I walked into his spell and the voice went from "destroy everyone" to "she's pretty, don't mess this up."

Now he's thrown a ball to find me. I'm trapped in pink tulle and sparkly sneakers. And every time we touch, our magic does things that shouldn't be possible.

He thinks I'm his salvation.

I think he might be mine.

But I'm supposed to marry someone to save my family's dying magic, and he's got a revenge plot ten years in the making.

Falling for the Nightmare King wasn't part of anyone's plan.

Especially the nightmare's.

Perfect for readers who love:

✨ Grumpy x Sunshine
👑 Villain Gets the Girl
💍 Marriage of Convenience
🔮 Magical Bond
🖤 Morally Gray (and slightly obsessed) Hero
⚡ Dangerous Magic
😂 Fantasy Romance with Humor

How to Negotiate with a Nightmare is book three in the Seven Suitors for Seven Sisters series. Other books in the series:
How to Fake it With a Fae
How to Outwit a Wizard

Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Romantasy, Witches, Magic, Marriage Of Convenience

339 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 26, 2026

About the author

Hey, I’m Amy,
I write books for folks who crave laugh-out-loud paranormal mysteries. I help bring humor into readers’ lives. I’ve got a Pharm D in pharmacy, a BA in Creative Writing and a Masters in Life.
And when I’m not writing or chasing around two small children (one of which is four going on thirteen), I can be found antique shopping for a great deal, getting my roots touched up (because that’s an every four week job) and figuring out when I can get back to Disney World.
If you’re dying to know more about my wacky life, here are three things you don’t know about me.
—In college I spent a semester at Marvel Comics working in the X-Men office.
—I worked at Carnegie Hall.
—I grew up in a barbecue restaurant—literally. My parents owned one.
If you want to reach out to me—and I love to hear from readers—you can email me at amyboylesauthor@gmail.com.
Happy reading!

Reviews

[Luna ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

»I present the King and Queen of Nightmares.«

★ ★ ★ ★

❥ 𝑪𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒆𝒂 𝜗𝜚˚⋆
She‘s confident, funny and loves pink.

❥ 𝑬𝒓𝒚𝒙 ⋆✮
He carries some secrets and is mysterious and brooding.

✥ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌
I really enjoyed this book. It‘s a short and funny fantasy romcom. I‘m glad we got this book because I already loved the previous ones. The magical world the author has created is easy to dive into and the characters are all lovely. I had a lot of fun with this book and laughed a lot. I‘m always down for a good marriage of convenience plot and this one didn‘t let me down.
Chelsea and Eryx have good tension and I liked how they communicate with each other. Both have their own problems and they always stand by each others sides.
All in all this was a good romance.

𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤?
Yes.

𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟓 ׂㅤ𐙚 ࣪ ⭒
plot: 4/5
spice: 1/5
humor: 5/5
couple/tension: 5/5
world building: 4/5
happy end?: yes

𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 ₊ ⊹
possessive and protective hero, romcom, urban fantasy, grumpy x sunshine, marriage of convenience, villain gets the girl, magical bond, magical creatures, forced proximity, he falls first and harder

𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬
#1 How to Fake It with a Fae ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#2 How To Outwit a Wizard ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
# 3 How to Negotiate with a Nightmare ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Roma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I always wonder how I get through such trashy books

[Stacia Arielle Clair · Rating 4 out of 5]

•*•*• Such An Enchanting Surprise •*•*•

As much I would like to say I’d been anticipating or awaiting this book I can’t say it because whilst I read book 1 and loved almost everything about it, it was a long while before I actually got around to picking up book 2 that was somehow better than the 1st in many ways — So much so that I went immediately & picked up this book but given the title and little that I knew beforehand I wondered if I would be able to enjoy it or find something to like (enough to finish the book) as it didn’t sound/look like something I’d enjoy.

——— // ——— The Book ——— // ———

I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with this story as I really felt like I was pulled and lulled into Chelsea & Eryx’s story which was many things — It was fun, light, enchanting, sweet, wholesome, romantic and funny asf. There isn’t much else I could have wanted from such a story. Even as the 3rd in a series I’m asking myself why there isn’t a fourth yet 😭😭😭

[TheBookandBubble · Rating 5 out of 5]

How to Negotiate with a Nightmare by Amy Boyles was such a good mix of light and dark! It really hit that perfect balance and was so darn good!!

Chelsea is thrown into this situation where she has to save her family’s magic, by getting married. Then next thing you know she literally meets a guy in the bushes. Yes, it’s about to get fun! She later ends up at this ball at the Nightmare King’s castle. She leaves for the evening and not long after, Prince Eryx publicly announces their engagement.

And that’s when things really take off.

Chelsea and Eryx have got amazing chemistry. She’s all bright, golden, and sassy. Literally, her magic is gold colored. While he’s dark, intense, and broody (and yes, definitely the overprotective type). My favorite!!

But what makes it even more interesting is Nightmare, the voice in Eryx’s head. It’s such a big part of who he is and their relationship. Nightmare isn’t just there for drama either, it actually helps Eryx hunt and devour evil nightmares. It adds such a cool dark edge to the story.

Watching Chelsea, Eryx, and Nightmare try to figure things out together was one of my favorite parts. There’s this constant tension between love, protection, and control. You’re just waiting to see if they’ll find balance or fall apart.

Plus, the shadow dog?? I loved him.

[Trey U · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

I honestly enjoyed this book so much. It’s a very quick read and the love is pretty quick, yet somehow the author makes me—a hater of Instalove—obsessed with the book. The dynamic between Eryx and Chelsea is unmatched, especially with how petty and stubborn Chelsea gets. Eryx gives the bad guy facade but is really just a sweet, wounded puppy essentially and I love it.

Although this isn’t super plot heavy, I just can’t give it my typical it’s-a-three-because-it’s-an-easy-read rating that I give books similar to this. It’s just done so well and ropes you in almost immediately.

There’s only a few things that bothered me about the book: some of the commentary about Echo and his coloring + the somewhat dull sex scenes + the fact that we never see Eryx apologize around the big scene of the book. The first one is petty but did irk me, the second made me just wish there wasn’t smut in the book really because it was somewhat lazy writing, and the last one was a completely lost moment that made what they became a little less enjoyable because it was shuffled under the rug somewhat.

Overall, a great book in a very enjoyable series. Can’t wait for the next book!

[Derryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear Amy Boyles, never stop writing!

I really love this series. Each book is a standalone in an interconnected series. There are 7 sisters who are bound by a family curse to marry, or their family loses its magic.

The first 2 books were great! This one is my favourite. Although, it was tough to knock Devlin Ross out of first place, I feel guilty 😔

The author builds 3 dimensional characters that you really connect with! Both the FMC and MMC were well written. Maybe the FMC less so as it feels like we were already supposed to know her from the other books but we should have a deeper insight, I feel.

Can't wait for Dallas's book

[Bree Delgado · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was anticipating this book and what it didn’t do was disappoint! I can’t get over how much I loved everything about this book. Chelsea doesn’t want to get married; she meets a king of nightmares one day and the dynamic to the marriage of convenience was EVERYTHING. Also the nightmare? Obsessed. Would read a book with only his pov! I did everything with this book, felt all the emotions, swooned and giggled. Amy does it again!!

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book up until the epilogue, ending it with a baby/pregnancy is such a mood killer for me,otherwise it would have been a five star read from me.

Plot: 8/10
Magic system: 4/5
Spice level: 2:5

[Ryann Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Sunshine needs that darkness"

If you enjoyed Tom Hardy's banter with Venom then buckle up because you are gonna love this. Eryx is the king of Nightmares and "nightmare" is an actual character bonded inside Eryx that, despite his name, is more of a hyperactive obsessive puppy dog that loves our FMC Chelsea to no end. Eryx, on the other hand, takes a minute to be convinced she's the one for him but nightmare is down bad from day one and the banter between Eryx and nightmare had me ROLLING on the floor cackling. I couldn't get enough of their moments arguing and bickering.

These 3 characters, Eryx, Chelsea and Nightmare, had such an intriguing dynamic and I loved the way magic sharing and the symbolism of light and dark was used to capture the depth of their relationship. I simply cant describe how much I adore them all! They were all so different, so flawed and yet so LIKEABLE! And the CHEMISTRY was of the charts 🫠🫠🫠

"Her magic mixed with ours. Don’t you see? She’s our soulmate. Our true love. Our other half. She completes us!"

This is my new favorite in the series.
- dislike to lovers
- arranged marriage
- dangerous magical connection
- sentient nightmare magic
- hurt/comfort
- he falls first
- hilarious banter
- break the curse
- loads of spicy scenes
- He calls her his "beautiful monster"

And that SPICE!!!!! 🥵🥵🥵 We are talking, breaking windows and furniture spice. Their poor house keeper. Someone get Nancy a raise because she was working overtime getting that palace back in working order after Eryx and Chelsea were done with it LOL.

"I never thought love would make me want to become a monster. But I'll become the monster I need to."

[BeeFaith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, this one was such a fun read! My favorite…so far. Nightmare is a precious handful! I love that Eryx eats people's nightmares, which is the exact opposite of what the people of Castleview think. 

For a decade, Eryx and Nightmare have thought of nothing but vengeance. Only once Chelsea crosses his path, he's smitten and can't imagine life without her. 

𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒎𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅—𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒂𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒔𝒌 𝒇𝒐𝒓.

So, what does he do? Propose, of course! Can he have his revenge and love, or must he choose between the two?

After years of watching her aunt suffer in a marriage made of duty, not love, Chelsea has no desire to marry. However, when she meets Eryx and sees the beauty of their magic working together, she decides to accept his proposal to marry him for a year to help strengthen her family's failing magic.

Just how will Chelsea react when she realizes there's so much more to Eryx than the darkness he deals with daily?  Can she help him with his duties and lighten his load? Better yet, will he allow her to?

“𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔, 𝒉𝒖𝒔𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒅”—𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒕—“𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒚𝒐𝒖.”

How to Negotiate with a Nightmare is sweet and cozy with a bit of darkness and a delicious bite to keep readers on their toes.

I’m dying for Dallas’s story! 4.5 ⭐ rounded to 5.

[Brea Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhh loooved this

The BANTER! The NIGHTMARE! This plot was my favorite of all the series so far! Obsessed! I cackled, I giggled, I got all the feels in this. I love a good strong FMC that while wants love, she doesnt have to exist FOR love.

[Jennifer Slusher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deliciously Perfect

I loved this book. The danger and darkness is perfectly balanced with sarcasm and humor.

I can't wait to see what happens in the next book

[KMP · Rating 5 out of 5]

How to negotiate with a nightmare

Great read. Love this series. Can’t wait for the next book. I am definitely going to checkout other books from this author.

[Gina Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 3 - Chelsea and the Nightmare King good read

[Lauren]

Checked in to see if there was anything about the next book in the series, saw this, and was excited.

Then I read the description, and now I'm REALLY excited. King of Nightmares? In.

[Shawna Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

The series that keeps getting better. It’s a fun premise- a family with seven daughters and a curse where the family’s magic is swiftly fading. The only way to beat the curse is for each daughter to marry.

Not that they necessarily want to.

This is the third in the series and follows Chelsea, third of our seven sisters whose family must swiftly find a suitor for her to wed… by throwing yet another ball to invite every eligible man to get a good look at the latest Thornwood sacrificial lamb. Kidding, but that’s pretty much how the girls see it- a meat market for a wife.

So imagine Chelsea’s relief when her aunt Ovie agrees to cancel the ball and let Chelsea try to find a man on her own terms. Unfortunately, that’s when an invitation arrives for the residents of Castleview to cross the barrier across town to the Nightmare realm and attend a ball held by the feared Nightmare King himself.

To Chelsea’s surprise she’s already met the Nightmare King earlier that day… finding him tangled in a bush along a Castleview street. And Eryx Nightshade, King of Nightmares, was so enchanted by Chelsea with her sunny disposition and sparkly sneakers, wanted to meet her again so desperately that he threw a ball in order to find her… the girl he announces he is going to marry… the girl whose touch mixes with his magic in explosions of beautiful gold and black roses.

But can a sparkly ray of sunshine and a king of nightmares find love in a marriage of convenience?

As with author Amy’s other stories, you are in for characters with depth, loads of humor and a guaranteed Happily Ever After by the end. And the journey getting there is well worth the read.

Looking forward to Chelsea’s remaining sisters and their love stories to come!

[Cal D · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨Gifted ARC✨
What a fun, sweet, exciting, magical read that kept me invested in our wonderful MCs from start to finish!

THOUGHTS 💭
✨ I just love this world so much and was so happy to dive back into it with Chelsea and Eryx as our MCs.
🖤 Eryx’s conversations with his constant internal companion, Nightmare, were amazing; though the blood-thirsty nightmare typically only had violence on its mind, both it and Eryx’s entire being shifted when Chelsea came into the picture.
✨ Nightmare/shadow magic? A story with Beauty & the Beast undertones? Yes, please!!
🖤 There’s an instant connection between Chelsea and Eryx; their magic drew them together and their feelings for each other grew quickly.
✨ I love the marriage of convenience trope. Watching our MCs fall for each other, form a bond, and integrate into each others’ worlds was charming perfection.
🖤 The chemistry between these two is magical and intense and I absolutely LOVED them together! Their love felt like a perfect, meant-to-be kind of love.
✨ The author made me feel all the things while reading this book! Joy and loss and connection and sadness and so much more.

Thanks so much to Amy Boyles for the ARC of this book!

[Meghan T · Rating 5 out of 5]

How To Negotiate with a Nightmare is the book I didn’t know I very much NEEDED! I absolutely LOVE it! I love the banter and the aesthetic and the MMC makes me swoon. And Nightmare? He is my new favorite side character. I just love him SO much. This book made me laugh A LOT and it made me kick my feet like a giddy girl! I loved the first two books in this series but this is now my favorite of them so far! I know there’s 4 more after this, the series is called Seven Suitors for Seven Witches and this is book 3, BUT it’s going to take something truly super fantastic to beat this one. This book has now become one of my comfort books. I have already reread parts of it when I was having a bad day and needed Nightmare in my life.
How to Negotiate with a Nightmare is out now and I definitely recommend it! Technically you could read this as a stand alone but I very much recommend reading the first two beforehand, it only makes it better and you get more of the background of the story.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely LOVED this book!

*Just a quick note for anyone who prefers clean reads. There are some scenes in this book that do contain very descriptive intimate moments shared between Chelsea and Eryx, but they easy enough to skip past them if needed*

From the very first page, I was hooked. I am someone who can finish a book of this length in one day, but I couldn’t with this one. I wanted to make sure that I savored every word and every emotion this book evoked. Chelsea and Eryx’s story was intense and incredibly beautiful. The chemistry between the two of them was absolutely perfect. Overall, this book exceeded my expectations. I have been a fan of Amy Boyles for awhile and I can’t wait to see where she takes us in the next book of this series!

[Katt Faëhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adore this series. The first book wasn’t a favourite but I absolutely love the last two books. And I can’t wait for the next books in this series!

One of my favourite things in this book was nightmare. For something that’s ancient and supposedly terrifying he’s actually very sassy and sarcastic. I was laughing out loud from the conversation he was having with the MMC.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun romantasy with soulmate vibes, and witty humour. Also there is spice but it’s minimal.

This may not be the best review I’ve ever written but do cut me some slack as it’s 2am and I’m in bed with a nasty flu. But I felt it was my duty to let people know that they should read this book.

[Brandi Augustine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness! This book right here is my favorite one of this series. Everything about it was absolutely perfect. Had me in tears in some parts and giggling so hard in others.

Eryx is absolutely perfect. I just love him. Him being the Nightmare King made me even love him more. Love a bit of a villain.

Chelsea doesn't believe in love. Not really. She sees things happen with some relationship and just doesn't want a relationship that isn't her choosing. But when her and Eryx are around each other, strange things happens.

This book has a bit of a mystery and magic and secrets and oh my itvis just so good. I cannot wait for more books but this one definitely holds a special place in my heart.

[Sarah Marks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved this series, but I have to say this one is by far away my favorite. Chelsea is a bad ass who just wants to make her own decisions and being in charge of her own life. She doesn’t want to be the princess and her story. She wants to be the one doing the saving and I love that! Eryx is delicious and sweet and completely misunderstood as the Nightmare King. What makes it even better is there’s a third entity in this relationship. It’s not a why chose situation. There’s just an inner voice of Nightmare who is absolutely hysterical. If I could pick one book to live in, this is definitely in the top five contenders.

[Taty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unputdownable Book

Third book in Seven suitors for Seven witches series. Witch, Chelsea, needs to get married in order to save her family’s magic. Sure enough she gets in a line of magic curse of the powerful King of Nightmares. Their magic powers touch … and the romance and adventure begin. FMC and MMC are likable from the beginning, side characters are written perfectly. Book reads easy and has excellent pace of plot development. It is spicy with some darkness. I was not able to stop reading!

[Leah Ketchum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cant get enough of this series!

This book is just as good as it's two predecessors! I adore the love story and literally cant wait for the next book in this universe. For the first time in a while I have the very real problem of finding a series that I devour that isn't finished yet. That is honesty my only negative, I am dying to see what happens next and it is driving me a little batty that I will have to wait to see.

[sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

kept me up

I really liked this book. I stayed up way too late last night cause I couldn’t put it down!! I like the pace of these books. The sisters must get married to replenish the family’s magic. Each one finds someone and the story is based on how they make it work. There are struggles, but no unnecessary angst. Eryx and Chelsea were a great couple. He had a softness for her that was endearing. How the came to make their magic mix and work was great to read.

[Yvonne Archer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chelsea & Eryx

An amazing action packed page turner
We get to see characters from previous books and some new ones, like the Nightmare King
Chelsea agrees to marry him to
save the families magic from disappearing
Its nonstop action and all is not what it seems.
The journey to their HEA was not easy but was beautiful at the end
Great job with the world building and characters
Looking forward to reading more of this series

[Kourtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

guaranteed great read!

The humor, the magic, the attraction, the curse—they all come together to create an unputdownable read. Finished it in a day. The heart and the banter in her books keep me coming back. It’s a fast paced smooth read. I love the characters and watching each sister fight for her HEA in each book. Amy Boyles is on my auto buy list.

[Courtny · Rating 5 out of 5]

sweet and deep

Oh this was a good one! The pacing was excellent and our MCs were strong. When the conflict happened my heart broke too but I am so happy with the outcome (I knew they’d figure it out). Such a great romance! Also Nightmare’s dialogue had me snort laughing in some parts (check my highlights).

[Machae · Rating 5 out of 5]

She did it again..

I absolutely love these sisters and there are still 4 more to go. I think Eryx and Chelsea are probably my favorite so far. Their bond and magic are amazing. I'm not going to spoil it with my review but Chelsea is so strong as a FML and I love the way she meets her match.

[Margaret lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

nightmares

I totally loved this book it was well worth the wait , Eryx and Chelsea find each other and it was a nightmare so begins a tempestuous exciting, mind blowing relationship, and let’s not forget the roses , a very well deserved 5 stars