Follow Her Down

Her Monsters, Her Crown #1

by Holly Ryan

The hunt is on.
Sera Vale stalks her tormentor.
Men stalk Sera.
And somewhere in the dark, a killer waits.

Will this be Sera Vale’s final unmaking?

That depends.

She’s not running. She’s collecting—tools, weapons, worshippers.
They bow to her.
Crave her.
Kill for her.
Follow her down, even to hell.

Her monsters aren’t just lovers.
They’re trophies.
They’re jewels in her bloody crown.

And Sera Vale?
She’s named herself queen.

So go ahead.
Underestimate her.
She dares you.

Follow Her Down is dark feminist energy in the worst, best, most unhinged way.
It’s vigilante justice mixed with gothic stalker reverse harem filth with poetic teeth.

Genres: Dark Romance, Paranormal, Dark, Romance

143 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 20, 2025

About the author

Holly Ryan is a writer of steamy love stories. Specializing in contemporary romance with a dark twist, she attended Western Illinois University and graduated from Chicago’s Roosevelt University with a degree in Psychology.

Reviews

[Bent Letters · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really fun start to this new series. I wish there was more backstory to her beginning. I kind of felt like I missed a book before reading this one. The story was getting really really good before the cliffhanger. I was so shocked at the cliffhanger that I about threw my phone across the room Lol I can’t wait to read the next book and see all the characters develop more. Shadow daddy is probably gonna be my favorite. But the other two are so top notch too ughhh.

Short read guys!

[kymagirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

She’s not running. She’s collecting. She’s building a crown.

Sera returns to Wichita with a new name, a fake smile, and one goal: confront the man who destroyed her and walked away clean. She moves into a crumbling house that isn’t empty. Something lives beneath the floor, watching and touching. She doesn't flinch from the dark. She invites it in.

But she’s not the only one watching. James, her stalker, circles with cameras and devotion wrapped in barbed wire. Eddie, the detective, digs up her secrets and keeps coming back. One wants to worship. One wants to protect. Neither is safe.

Then the city starts bleeding. Women turn up dead, posed like they were meant to be found. A killer known as Red Hands moves in silence, and his message is personal. Sera didn’t come to be hunted. She came to rewrite the rules.

Pain sharpens into purpose. Lust turns violent. She doesn’t fall in love, she pulls it apart until it belongs to her. The ones who get close don’t save her. They kneel.

Sera shifts from shattered to sovereign. James becomes her violent protector, obsessed and unhinged. Eddie breaks his own lines just to stay close. Shadow Daddy, the presence in her walls, worships her with jealous, supernatural hunger. Each one is hers, claimed and kept.

Their dynamic is messy, dark, and shaped by trauma. She tests, takes, and holds power close. Love isn’t the goal. Control is. What they create together is feral, forbidden, and unforgettable.

A dark, steamy, reverse harem romance with stalker fixation, serial killer tension, paranormal obsession, and shadow-laced heat. It blends vigilante justice, supernatural suspense, and violent devotion while exploring trauma, survival, identity, and transformation. It’s about choosing your monsters, wielding desire like a weapon, and refusing to be anyone’s victim. Her reckoning starts here.

The Elevator Pitch: A dark, seductive reverse harem where obsession burns, shadows touch, and vengeance tastes like desire. A woman reborn hunts the man who broke her and collects monsters who worship every jagged piece. It's violent, intimate, and addictive, with power shifting under every kiss and kill.

[Morally_Gray_Nola · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been a Holly Ryan obsessed fan since reading about Geulia in the ‘Whispering Ivy’ series debut, ‘Shiver, Little Toy’. I loved that series and It looks like the ‘Her Monsters, Her Crown’ series is going to be just as addictive.

‘Follow Her Down’ is original, filled with spine tingling suspense, murder, mayhem, super spicy times, a clarity of acceptance, and a cliffhanger that makes me super anxious for book 2!

*** Recommended ***

MMC:
✨James
✨Eddie
✨Entity
FMC:
✨Sera
HEA/Cliffhanger:
✨cliffhanger
Series:
✨ Book 1 of Her Monsters, Her Crown
Tropes:
👉dark paranormal romance
👉shadow daddy romance
👉dark stalker romance
👉serial killer
👉vigilante justice
👉touch her and XX
Triggers:
💥18+
💥sex - graphic and … creative
💥profanity
💥violence
* murder, dismemberment, gore, graphic description of crime scenes,
💥mental health
* trauma response, ptsd, coercion, manipulation, r ape-off page, obsession, stalking, revenge
Burn Speed:
✨fast
Spice Level:
✨🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
✨MF.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[K. · Rating 2 out of 5]

First Off: Content Warnings are not all inclusive. Yes you mention objects but uhhh hey author? You kinda missed the whole gun play warning. It’s kinda a major one. You also could’ve warned for the surprise tentacles. Also by the logistics of this- this has to be hentai rules bc anatomy does not work to fit three feet inside you. No matter where you put it.

Ok soo- I was not aware that getting gifted a hand in a box was such a popular trope; but when in such a niche book trope, I suppose having similarities is not unusual.

Also unmentioned is different (more vanilla) kinks; because in comparison to the some of the more extreme kinks- some that seem more vanilla could very well be a trigger for someone. As for the content warning of off screen rape.. you’re giving a lot of details on page. OH MY - Ok… Author. I’m disappointed in you. This is ON PAGE assault. You really need to learn how to do content warnings better.

Also have you never heard of safe sex? This… this isn’t safe. None of it is safe.

This girl needs some therapy. And fast…

TLDR: not enough content warnings

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by this author. I picked it up via an ARC copy, and I am so glad I did. It had me hooked from the get-go!

Sera (Penny) is back in her hometown, but with the change in her appearance, in the hope that she stays under the radar. She is not there to meet up with old friends or family; she is back for revenge. Her target is in her crosshairs, and in time, she will hopefully take aim. But she is not alone; others have her on their radar, so is she safe? Has the predator just become the hunted?

From picking up my Kindle, I never put it down until the story was finished. A definite page-turner. But it leaves us on a cliffhanger, and I am desperate to know what happens next!!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Merilu Keenum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy freaking moly! I’m enthralled by Sera’s strength and determination! She’s been tempered by injustice and is actively seeking her revenge! Holly Ryan has a unique style: her words speak to my soul and the characters leave an indelible impression on my psyche. I love why choose, spicy suspense, haunting scenes, and a good old fashioned who-did-it!!! Sera attracts attention, not all of it good, but her shadowy lover is a force, her stalker is a protector, and the lawman can’t stop himself! It’s a gory, brutal, and scary world and I need more!!! More spice, more justice, and more powerful energy that sends evil into oblivion!!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Nicole Deanne Veracruz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I seriously want to lie down on the floor and kick my legs and throw my arms around like I'm a toddler throwing a temper tantrum. That's how upset I am about the cliffhanger. How can you do this to your readers? I was so invested in this book. Okay, I don't know who I love more: James or Shadow Daddy. Don't get me wrong, I like Eddie, but James and his accent and how far he'll go to protect her—that's hot. I don't know when the next book comes out, but I'm anxiously awaiting it. I forgot to mention a quote from the book that I absolutely loved from Sera. I quote " I'd rather shave my legs with a rusty cheese grater.".

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Charlotte Battersby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely heed the trigger warnings before reading this series.

This was a quite fast paced novella which doesn't take away from the story at all for me. Sera and the love interests introduced are really morally grey or straight into the red flag territory but it makes for a great read! Red hands has made the underlining story a lot more interesting and Sera's monster I'd love to learn more about. This is a very fast burn novella too for the spice. The flow of the story was good, left enough to keep me intrigued for the next one and can recommend this if you don't mind fast, steamy and dark romance novellas!

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Booksprout and Holly Ryan for the ARC!

Ya know, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. As a dark romance girlie, at some point, they start to blend together at times but this one? This one didn't blend.
With five POVs (our FMC, Sera. Our MMCs, James, Eddie, the Entity, and Red Hands) all following a revenge plot, it can be a little confusing with no clear timeline, but it held my attention and kept me wanting more.

This does end on a cliffhanger!
I'm read for book 2, please!

Bonus points for making James Scottish. I'm weak for a Scotsman, even though I need a cheat sheet to understand what they're saying a times 😅 (I see you Gunner)

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I absolutely would! That being said, I have 3 warnings:

1) Check the TWs, for they are many.
2) If you don’t want to stay up all night reading, don’t start this book in the late afternoon. I know from personal experience.
3) Be prepared for the cliffhanger.

I COULD NOT put this down! I read it in one day/night and I need the next book asap…right this second. I don’t even have the words to describe how much I recommend this book. It was my first book by Holly Ryan and I am beyond impressed. Go read it. Seriously.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jen D84 · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️x4
🌶x4

I swear these books are just never long enough. Creepy house. Dark twisted paranormal elements... I really enjoyed the book. But I did feel like something was missing, maybe I needed more back story, which maybe that's by design, to give it some mystery and the pieces will all come together and be explained later in the series. I've loved other series/books by Holly Ryan, so I'm definitely intrigued ro see where this story goes from here.

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

Follow Her Down by Holly Ryan
Her Monsters, Her Crown Book 1
Release 10/20/25
~143pgs

[Bec A · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little twisted and different. We meet "Sera" (a sexual assault survivor on her path to revenge) and a plethora of characters that you really need to pay attention to, to keep them all in sequence.

Check your TW!

A little confusing at times, especially with no definitive timelines in some parts. Overall it's well written and will continue on this novella journey to see where it ends. This is a new to me author.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[A. Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sera moves to Wichita, KS for revenge. There is also a paranormal aspect and stalking. The dialect threw me at first. There's a character who is Scottish and the words I wasn’t totally familiar with. I suggest paying close attention to the names on the chapter headings. I'm 50 pages in and a little confused with the male characters. We don't get all the answers because there will be more books. I'm very curious about shadow daddy.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Carissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay. So I've never read a book that had a "shadow daddy" but I'm not complaining a bit. I was a little worried at first that I wouldn't be able to get into it because of that but I'm so glad I gave it a go. 10/10 recommend. The only issue i had (a me issue, not the book itself) it took me a little bit to understand James 😅
I did enjoy the book and can't wait for more!!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Allicia M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story 4.25 ⭐️
Spice 4 🌶️

A dash of shadow monsters with shadow tentacles of spicy scenes, a dash of revenge, a dash of serial unalivers, and a dash of stalking and you get Follow Her Down.

This book contains elements of several dark romance tropes all rolled into one and ending on a cliffhanger.

I will definitely be reading the next one.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Samantha Millican · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the blurb reads “vigilante justice mixed with gothic stalker reverse harem filth with poetic teeth”, sign me up! Dark, twisted, and spicy, this quick read did not disappoint. Sucked me in till I finished. Prepare yourself, there’s a cliffy! But, the next one comes out in December ☺️.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deeply sinister. There’s a stalker, a serial killer, a sinister jealous ghost, a crooked cop, and a detective that I can’t figure out yet. In the middle of it all is woman that binds them. It’s well written. It’s wicked. I think I’ll go read something wholesome so this doesn’t linger on my brain lol.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[L KQ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark and Dangerous

This is only the beginning of this dark romance. While the cliffhanger leaves me wanting more, the emotional depth and intrigue captivated my attention. I can't wait for the next installment to see where it takes me next.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing premise made me want to read this book. Shorter than I thought it would be, the author still managed to make this book come alive through intense, well written scenes that stuck with me. I look forward to reading more books in this series.

I received a copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Amanda Hahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this was an insanely wild blood-soaked ride. I was prepared for the rage and revenge. I loved the haunted house (started off a little strong for the Shadow Daddy). But otherwise.. the plot is there. The scenes are there. I dont believe ill ever look at a gas station bathroom the same though.

off to read the next one!

[Doris Scales · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a bit on the dark side, admittedly not for everybody, but it’s so good. Definitely find some interesting men. She most definitely find some wonderful monsters to treat her like a queen.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Krissy Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was completely overtaken by the mystery and thrill of this book. You also have almost like a why choose romance in the mix. Also a paranormal spicy theme as well. Definitely worth the read. From serial killer vibes to dark kinky romances.

[Cheyenne Rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book that I was a little worried about in the beginning but man did it take off and was such a great read. So good with great characters.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Susan Thomson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

I liked the book, there’s a supernatural element to the book , the main female characters house is haunted, she is in a small town for revenge of someone who hurt her, physically and mentally. I also like that the book is short. A book that can be read in a day.

[Lara Bruni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is dark, sexy and lusciously twisted. I can't wait for more! Gimme!

[Candace Cross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sara is out for revenge in this amazingly dark and twisted story. This book hooked me in on the first page and I was still hooked at the last. It leaves you on a cliffhanger that will have you wishing December 2nd was already here. I loved this novella, everything about it. The scene, the story, the characters, all of it, everything. It's dark, it's spicy and unhinged! It's perfect!

[Sandy ✨️ · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐