Slick & Spooky

Friction Fiction #3

by Elliot Kyle

One night with Knox Everett was never enough, but the second I rushed Mu Lambda Nu he shut me out. He’s the fraternity president, I’m the pledge, and after our summer night together he pretends I never happened. I’ve always gotten what I wanted because of my family name, but tonight I’ll be whoever he needs me to be if it means having him again.

He’s spent too long denying it, and tonight what we began in the shadows comes into the light.

Slick & Spooky is a second chance, high heat romp featuring glow-in-the-dark Halloween makeup used in ways your dermatologist would not approve. It is the third entry in a series of MM romance novellas with big feelings and even bigger lube risks because let’s be real... silicone and water-based are boring.

While the unconventional lube may tie these books together, each one’s a total standalone. You can read them in any order, and the characters don’t cross over.

Genres: Novella, M M Romance, Romance

95 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 30, 2025

About the author

Elliot Kyle believes queer people deserve stories full of light, full of hope, and full of big feelings that don’t have to come from pain to feel real. He writes queer romance with less angst and a whole lot more heart.

He lives in the South with his husband, their very spoiled dog, and a TBR pile that refuses to quit.

Reviews

[Lauralee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tyler and Knox have one insanely hot evening together over the summer and it truly changes the trajectory of Tyler’s life in a sense. It’s all he can think of. Knox takes up every single sense he has and it just comes to a head when Tyler pledges the frat that Knox is the president of. Flash forward to their yearly Halloween party and Tyler is absolutely going to get his man. He dresses up as slutty as he can while still following the pledge costume rules. And it absolutely pays off

When I tell you I was so ungodly excited for this novella I MEAN IT. As soon as Elliot told me what he was up to, I lost my mind. If you want to read a filthy, nasty, delicious getting together novella, let it be this one. My god. Tyler is desperate for anything Knox will give him, and Knox wants to bend Tyler until he breaks. It’s absolutely filthy in the best possible way. The frat representation? Quite literally the most accurate I’ve ever read. The sex scenes? Delicious and dirty. The dirty talk? Kill me now. Everything about this was INSANE and so good.

And you know why we’re all here. The unconventional lube. This one is possibly even more unhinged than the banana and oil of its predecessor. Glow in the dark face paint. There’s a dick that looks like a glow stick, poppers, filthy talk and a massive tattooed frat president. What more could you want?

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes yes yes

I love a gay frat bro moment. I ESPECIALLY love a possessive frat boy. Oooof this one was so hot 🥵

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every time I go into an Elliot Kyle novella, I know I'm getting something special. But the part that always gets me is *how* it will be special. In the wise words of Taylor Swift, it hits different this time. This story is raw (emotionally) and raw (filthy). Tyler and Knox at first glance seem like common characters in an mm college romance. But it wouldn't be Elliot Kyle if he didn't flip the script on you and take you through a story of characters freeing their true self and finding connection when they finally stop pretending and start living authentically. And isn't that what queer romance stories should do? Encourage us to live our lives unapologetically and authentically? Yes, the smut is smutting and yes it's dirty as can be. But it's mostly about two young men who have been hiding who they truly are from the world and finally learn to let go in the safety of each other's company.

Highly recommend

[Madam Ra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The perfect Halloween novella! It wasn’t spooky 😄 but it was hot. The author said in the beginning it’s going to be pure smut, but that wasn’t quite truthful. It had a perfect build up, tension going through the roof with want and lust and when that eventually happened it was delicious.Shoutout to Joey, bro was the perfect wingman and friend ☀️

[dj&books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love me a slutty frat boy romance! This was SO HOOT 🥵
Knox did absolutely EVERYTHING for me! When he defended him in front of everyone 🌊 I lost it! Tyler is an obsessed angel baby face and I totally get it. I relate to Tyler 1000% when it comes to men haha This little novella series is so fun and sweet but also makes you feel everything! 🖤

[Emma ~ a chapter of tea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well that was a fun little ride😉

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

💀ARC Review💀
Slick & Spooky by Elliot Kyle

🩸Second Chance
🩸Forced Proximity
🩸Power Imbalance
🩸Obsessive MMCs
🩸High Heat

Elliot Kyle, I’m so obsessed with you. Your novellas never miss, and this one is no exception. One of my favorite things in Elliot’s novellas (and you’ll see this in past reviews as well) is that every single one packs SO MUCH into such a short novella. Slick & Spooky definitely has a different, darker vibe than the others and it was a perfect Halloween novella.

I love Tyler and Knox, the power dynamic is EVERYTHING. Tyler’s full brat coming forward throughout is glorious. The unconventional lube at play here is UNHINGED and delicioussssss. The glow stick d*ck🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 The frat aspect is something I don’t read a lot of, but to me it felt super authentic and realistic.

Let me just tell you, this novella is FILTHY. It is disgusting, it is unhinged, it is nasty….all of these I mean in the BEST possible way. In the “please gods sign me up for more” way.
It was so hot I almost melted. I gasped, I sweated, I blushed, I kicked my feet, I dropped my jaw.

Every novella I read from Elliot Kyle just shows his range as a writer. He does funny, he does sweet, he does dark, he does filthy. I am constantly just waiting to see what he comes up with next, and I’m so glad to have gotten an early copy of this! I will forever recommend Elliot Kyle to anyone who just needs a short, refreshing read.

Also, completely unrelated, I NEED a full dark romance from this author more than I need my next breath. That is all, thank you<3

[Josh Epp · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars!!!

Glow in the dark face paint, yup.

Holy shit, that was one of the hottest novellas I’ve ever read. This author is WILDDDDD and I’m here for it!!! I love a smut book, especially MM, but this had story and character growth and development in 91 pages!! How the author did this is incredible. I read it in one sitting, I couldn’t put it down. Characters were so well done, the love felt real and not forced and the overall execution was great.

Knox & Tyler…Jesus. I need them to be real people. How obsessed they are with one another, I’m sweating. I’m seriously sweating. Tyler is DOWN BAD for Knox man. You have the black cat, golden retriever and it’s everything. Their dialogue together and banter is everything I want it to be. The execution of the humor too, so good. I don’t normally like the dom/sub stuff but this works for me in the best way. Their sexy time together too, my god. So good. It didn’t feel repetitive either. Love the epilogue being in Knox’s POV too. I need a whole book with these two!

The story talks place in the course of two days, one of them being Halloween so the vibes were in my favor. It does time jumps in the very beginning and the very ending but for good reason. The story moves very quickly and we don’t linger long. It’s a very quick read too.

Y’all, go read these three novellas. Didn’t realize I was going to find a new favorite author this year but here we are!

🎨 teheeeee

[whatserereads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite being the one I was most excited for (I’m a spooky season girl through and through), this third novella in the Friction Fiction series ended up being the one I liked the least. Still liked it, don’t get me wrong—but it felt a bit rushed and unpolished. I know it’s a novella we’re talking about, but the first two felt much more complete. They managed to deliver solid context, development, and closure despite the short length.

Slick & Spooky takes place over a single night—a Halloween party at a frat house. Think fake blood, glow-in-the-dark makeup, shirtless guys, and a looooot of sexy time. Tyler and Knox already know each other; they actually had a one-night stand the previous summer that left both of them wanting more. For various reasons, Knox kept avoiding Tyler… until he couldn’t anymore.

I loved Tyler. He’s the definition of a power bottom—he knows what he wants and takes it without hesitation. Poor Knox never stood a chance. Together, they set the world on fire and finally let their masks (the symbolic ones, of course) fall away.

As I said, there’s a lot of sexy, glowy, dirty time—honestly, that’s most of the novella—and I’m not complaining! We even get a Knox POV in the epilogue, which I loved. Overall, I really enjoyed the read, but it left me hanging just a little, wanting a “more” that never quite came.

[Eli M.S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elliot Kyle has once again put more depth and character development into a short novella than many authors manage in a full-length novel.

Slick & Spooky is marketed as the raunchiest one yet, and it delivers a feast of sex, dirty talk, bodily fluids, and the star of the show: TWO unconventional lube choices. It also serves up a side of complex character emotions amidst all the debauchery.

Knox and Tyler have hooked up once before, and we get the rush of an angsty courtship process crammed into a night of seduction. What appears to be a straightforward power imbalance is flipped on its head when Tyler realizes he no longer needs to try to blend in to the crowd when he was always meant to stand out.

This novella delivers all the juicy bits you expected from a college setting: some pining, drink and dancing to spur a bit of jealousy, and even a bully that gets put in his place.

Yes, they’re frat bros, but Kyle gives them self-awareness and depth that made me want a full-length story.

It’s hot, it’s messy, it makes you root for characters you’d probably hate IRL.

[Troy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, fast read and great conclusion to this "Can that really be used as lube?" series. The writing like the first two books is phenomenal, and I like that this is a theme-based series meaning the books can be read in any order since they don't share any characters. The author hits the just the right spot when it comes to incorporating authenticity of physical intimacy and emotions into his fiction such that it resonates perfectly with me. I can get lost in the narrative (especially the more unique aspects) but still feel connected to the characters and imagery. This book isn't as sweet at the first one, or as heartfelt as the second because the MC is more into power dynamics, but I feel like the difference brought needed balance to the series. I can't wait for more from this author. I feel like he would be able to write a fantastic full length novel.

[Kolombina · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are just too many words in here.

I felt seriously exhausted after a while trudging through this jungle of metaphors and repetitions, grand feelings and big words. It all felt completely unnecessary for a simple Halloween smut.

There can be too much of a good thing, after all, and though I previously appreciated Eliot's way with words, I really wished he would use them much more sparingly this time around. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood.

Also... after all this talk about dark cravings and ruin, all we got is a bit of paddling and slightly rougher sex? :D Sort of underwhelming, really, after all that build-up:)

I really enjoyed Grease & Grips by this author, but this one missed the mark for me.

[ConversationsWith APRIL · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It's the relief of being seen." I enjoyed both the relationship dynamic that was revealed along with the development. The exchange of power between Tyler and Knox was so refreshing. Unfortunately, when one partner hands over power to the other, some may view it, translate it as that partner being weak. That couldn't be farther from the truth when these two let the other truly see them for who they were and not just the performance they give to everyone. The Cupid thing was too freaking cute and sooooooooo Tyler lol.....

[Maxine Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very different to the first two books in the series, both of which i absolutley loved. And this might be where my issue comes with it.
I dont know if this explains my issue correctly, but i will try. 
The first 2 books were so full of heart and i just didnt feel the warm fuzzies with this book at all. I didnt believe the characters and the relationship. It felt cold, clinical and forced. It seemed like it was going for shock value and it missed the mark for me. 

[Kyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful Filth

Filthy, dirty, and beautiful. In under 100 pages, Kyle delivers pure excellence. His character building is on point, and the writing is top-notch. If you’re into raw, gripping stories, definitely check this one out—you won’t be disappointed.

[Vita · Rating 4 out of 5]

"When we’re like this, I can be the version only he knows. The version even I forget is real.
I think that’s what keeps pulling us back.
Not the sex. Not the obsession. Not the high of trying to destroy each other.
It’s the relief of being seen."

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun little novella. Chapter 7 was a trip. I'm looking forward to future full-length novels from this author.

[Christina Sturgill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4/5 🌟
Spice: 3.5/5 🌶️
Characters: Tyler and Knox

[Meaghan Messmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chapter 7, that’s all you need to know…🤌🏼

[lustylicious · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading this. Its so hot. I wish it was longer because i cant get enough.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good plot/story and the spice was excellent.