Haunting Celeste

by Llianne Olivo

This is a duplicate listing of the official ebook edition. For reviews, please use the primary listing so your feedback is properly counted.

An English pianist falls hard for a Black saxophone player in the age of segregation—and loses his humanity the night a Vampire Goddess claims his life. Bound to Celeste’s bloodline for nearly a century, Julien lingers like a curse in a French Quarter house where ghosts remember everything, love turns feral, and women die young.

This time, Celeste refuses to die without bleeding him dry.

But when devotion curdles into obsession and immortality becomes a velvet-lined prison of shapeshifting friends and foes, the question sharpens its fangs: will she break the cycle—or be consumed by it? And can she dominate the morally black vampire who destroyed her mother and grandmother… or will he devour her last?

Haunting Celeste is a Southern Gothic vampire rom com steeped in jazz, reincarnation, profanity, ancestral sin, and forbidden desire.

This story contains mature and taboo themes intended for adult readers (18+).
Please consult the full content warnings on the author’s website or within the book.

Genres: Amazon

223 pages, ebook

Published December 31, 2025

About the author

Llianne Olivo is a bestselling Dominican-American author, poet, and singer specializing in erotica, BDSM, mafia, and billionaire romance. She writes dark, pitch-black, and taboo romance threaded with lyrical prose and characters who feel uncomfortably alive. She’s known for unapologetic heat and morally ruined lovers who claw their way toward power. She centers interracial protagonists who love like it’s a weapon—and are never afraid to bleed for it. Her work spans paranormal, fantasy, and contemporary romance, united by themes of obsession, power, devotion, and transgression. When she isn’t writing erotic verse or summoning your next obsession, she champions indie authors and reshapes self-publishing into something feral, unhinged, and fearlessly fun.

She founded the House of Llianne Olivo (HOLO BOOKS), an independent imprint dedicated to dark, taboo, and pitch-black romance. Select titles are currently available, with additional releases forthcoming.

Follow Llianne on socials @houseofllianne

Reviews

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really did enjoy the book it was just hard for me to follow and keep up with

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was intense. The amount of detail that was put it was amazing. I’m not a fan of vampire stories per say but this one didn’t make me feel like I was reading a “twilight” Julian and Celeste’s story is both tragic and beautiful the plot is a bit insane but as you read though it is turns into something completely amazing! I loved Celeste as a female character though she had a horrible start to life and lived an equally crappy life she knew what she wanted and made sure that Julian never took her choices away from her. Their love story happens fast and gives you fated mate feelings but she excepted who Julian was and sympathized with him on how his life was turned upside down. The history in this book is amazing and I love how llianne was not afraid to take some hard American history and add it to the story!! I haven’t read many books that pull that kind of detail in their books! She never leaves anything out and for such a short book I did not finish feeling like the story was shorted in any way!
Thank you for such an amazing story to arc for!

[Ally-Chaos Demon · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you first start reading, you get lulled into the sense of "oh this is a sweet Gothic romantasy.." WRONG... When Llianne said it's taboo, she meant it! It comes at you out of nowhere.
We have Circe - our love-sick goddess who'd do anything for the object of her desire.
Julien Duval- the man turned vampire, the object of Circe's desire.
Celeste- they, yes plural, are the objects of Julien's love, his obsession, his ultimate sacrifice.
This story brings you back in time when people weren't allowed to love freely, social status was a thing, hiding your love was a must in this time if you wanted to survive, freedom to love was not allowed. That's when Julien and Celeste got creative.

Dive into the world of Haunting Celeste, but PLEASE check TWs, your mental health matters. Full list of TWs can be found on Llianne's website, link in bio.

#hauntingceleste #darkgothicromance #tabooreads #darkromance

[Elissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Haunting Celeste was potentially groundbreaking for my usual romance reads. It had all the right ingredients: the taboo themes, the vampire lore, and the fascinating touch of a Goddess in cat’s fur. However, I found the ending a bit lackluster, not because the writing was bad, but because it felt like such a brilliant introduction to a world I wanted to see more of.
I was captivated by the premise that "not all soulmates are meant to bring happiness. Some are forged for misery. Some exist to ruin you." I truly wanted to see more of that ruin and downfall and pain and a struggle. While the spice and romance were handled nicely, I walked away wishing the culture, the gods, and the sheer agony of their era had been explored more deeply rather than just brushed over.
It’s an amazing start, solid 3 stars read, I just wanted more of the pain and the world building behind the passion.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

[Ares Tempest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haunting Celeste is a Gothic, Taboo, dark novella. Celeste is trapped in a generational curse and doesn't realize it till her birthday. Julien poor tortured murderous Julien. he takes Psycho to a delicious level of f-u-c-k-e-r-y. I loved and hated this novella. at times it was so heart wretching and devastating at others it was empowering and freeing. Definitely check the triggers. spice was 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶. Llianne wrote an amazing novella and I truly commend her.