Diary of a Monster: Marcus Diaz- Dreamwalker Villain - A Dark Romantic Suspense Novella

by J.M. Stockford

113 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 28, 2026

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 ⭐️

This was a quick read. It’s a novella, so it didn’t get into much of the background or details of the main character, Marcus. All we know is he is a self proclaimed monster, and is evil. I was really rooting for him at the beginning, and had hoped he would get his fairytale ending. In a way, he still does. The author could definitely expand on his story and it would be interesting to know the why and how of it all.

Thank you J.M. Stockford and Hayling Bookstorm Ltd. for providing this e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

#DiaryofaMonster #JMStockford #HaylingBookstormLtd #ARC

[Emmy Wong · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know the author labels this as romantic suspense, but truly it reads like a thriller or horror novel because there’s no true “romance” here. This book was so interesting because it’s the origin story of the villain in this authors previous book Tortured Dream. Marcus Diaz is without a doubt, a villain and a monster, there is no justifying his actions, except maybe recognising that his actions are trained behaviours from his equally monstrous father. I’ve never read Tortured Dream but now I most definitely will read it, as Marcus’ obsession in this book “Eliza Green” is actually the FMC of that book, her real name being “Sydney McKenna”. After everything knowing the details of everything Sydney goes through, I’ll definitely be reading Tortured Dream with a different and sadder perspective. It’s also clear that Marcus is delusional, being trained into being a monster by his father and slowly losing touch with reality. There are many super dark themes including human trafficking which he takes parts in and later runs the organisation. This man is morally black and his actions are inexcusable, but his diary is written in such a magical way that I started to feel bad for him. That truly is the magic of writing, because anyone can be a villain or a hero, it’s all about perspective. I give this a 4.5/5

[Mache · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diary of a Monster by J.M. Stockford is a brutal, emotionally dark novella that fully commits to telling the story of a man shaped by violence, abuse, and emotional destruction. This is not a romance meant to soften the monster or offer a comforting happily ever after. Instead, it dives headfirst into the psychology of a man who was taught from childhood that pain, fear, and brutality were the only ways to survive.

What made this novella stand out to me was Marcus himself. He is deeply unsettling, violent, and morally broken, yet there were still moments where you could see traces of the boy he once was before his father molded him into something monstrous. Watching the progression of his emotional numbness and complete embrace of darkness created a character that was both disturbing and strangely tragic at the same time.

The relationship between Marcus and Elizabeth added an emotional layer that gave insight into the small part of humanity he still possessed. It was clear that in his own damaged way, she represented something pure to him. Once that was ripped away, you could feel the moment where whatever remained of Marcus as a person fully disappeared.

I also appreciated that the story never tried to excuse Marcus or make him redeemable. His obsession, violence, and sociopathic tendencies remain at the forefront of the story the entire time. Even during moments where you may feel sympathy for the life he endured, the novella constantly reminds you of the monster he willingly became.

For only around ninety pages, this story packs a surprising amount of emotional heaviness and tension into a short amount of time. The pacing moves quickly while still managing to create a dark atmosphere that lingers throughout the entire novella. The violence feels raw, the emotional damage runs deep, and the ending fits the tone of the story perfectly.

My only reason for giving this 4 stars instead of higher is because I would have loved just a little more depth in certain areas. The premise and psychological aspects were incredibly strong, and I found myself wanting even more exploration into his mindset.

Overall, Diary of a Monster is a dark, bloody, and psychologically intense novella that explores what happens when someone fully embraces the monster they were raised to become. Disturbing, tragic, and emotionally heavy, this was a very quick but memorable read.

[InkedSirenXO · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of Advanced Copy received from Author

This book delivered obsession, brutality, and enough tension to leave claw marks on my sanity. Marcus Diaz is not your polished morally gray billionaire pretending to be dangerous. This man is the danger. Cold, violent, emotionally fractured, and terrifyingly possessive in a way that feels like standing too close to a lit match in a gasoline storm. 🩸

What really pulled me in was the psychological edge to Marcus’s character. He knows he’s broken. There’s no redemption speech, no softening around the edges right away. Watching his obsession with Eliza grow from curiosity into full blown fixation felt dark, toxic, and weirdly hypnotic. Every interaction carried this “something awful is about to happen” energy that made it impossible to stop reading.

Eliza also held her own well against the chaos surrounding Marcus. Their dynamic had that sharp predator/prey chemistry where you’re simultaneously screaming “girl run” and “wait… maybe stay another chapter.” 😭

The atmosphere of this book deserves credit too. It feels gritty and dangerous the entire time, like the pages themselves smell faintly of gunpowder and expensive cologne. The tension never really lets up.

Why 4 stars instead of 5? A few moments felt slightly rushed emotionally, and I wanted even deeper exploration into Marcus’s psyche because he was by far the most fascinating part of the story. But overall? Addictive dark romance chaos.

If you like:

* obsessive MMCs
* morally black heroes
* dangerous power dynamics
* mafia darkness
* “touch her and die” energy wrapped in menace

…this book will absolutely crawl into your bloodstream. 🖤

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of advanced reader copy received from the Author.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 stars

What to expect:
🔪 Mafia
🔪 Morally black MMC
🔪 Alpha MMC
🔪 BDSM
🔪 Power Imbalance
🔪 Villain Origin Story

Yep this one was great! Love a good villain origin story!

This book follows Marcus Diaz, and he is an absolute soulless monster.
We learn all about his childhood and how his father's choices have shaped him into the man he is now.
He was tortured by this father as a way for Marcus to 'learn' the family business.
Then let his son use those same methods on other people he needed information from.

After reading Tortured Dream, I never thought I would feel pity for Marcus Diaz.
I hated him with a passion in that book. But getting a look into his childhood has changed my mind on him a little.
The choices he made, I will NEVER agree with, he is violent, obsessive and unhinged, but I now get why he is like that.

He loses someone close to him, and then he flips a switch and goes to meet with his father. To takeover the family business.

He then hears someone is sniffing around asking questions they shouldn't, our FMC Eliza Greene. And once he lays eyes on her, he decides she will be his and he will never let her go.

The plot of this was fantastic. Fast paced, with some definite high stakes as certain points.
This is a short book just under 100 pages, but holy cow the amount of sh!t that goes down in this book was crazy!

Definitely recommend this one.

Thank you to the Author and Hayling Bookstorm Ltd for sending me a copy of this book.

[Aneta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written from the villain's point of view.

This gives the details of how you can take something as innocent as a child and transform it into something devious, unhinged and monstrous. I had a strong hate for Marcus's father in the first chapters of this book because of everything that he did and made him do to have him become what he wanted him to be, a killing machine.

I ached for the little boy and wished his mother would've somehow protected him. He was groomed by his father who inflicted pain upon pain on him and he became a man who didn't know better than to inflict pain himself.

And even if he was molded in pain and suffering, he still found a way to keep his soul until that too was ripped from him by his own monster of a father. After he looses that, he switches his humanity off and makes a blood bath around him.

I have never felt so many emotions while reading a 90 pages book. He is a monster, he knows what he is, he starts his story saying he is amonster, he doesn't justify his choices, and still, I couldn't help but feel empathy for him because of everything he endured.

I devoured this book and I absolutely recommend it as long as you take the time to read the trigger warnings.

I heard that there is another book that includes him and that I will probably absolutely hate him in that book. I will read it knowing what I know now and hurt for the little boy that he was. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this.

[Taylor Wodnick · Rating 5 out of 5]

🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪 and 🌶️🌶️ : keep in mind the star review is based off of MY interests!

Just wow! Newer to novellas and this one really peaked my interest. Dark suspense thriller with a little romance mixed in. A villain origin story was also new to me and very much enjoyed it. This novella makes me more interested in reading more villain origin stories in the future!

The plot, the pace, the thrill and OMG THE ENDING! I was engaged and caught myself skipping forward to find out what happened next (don’t worry I stopped myself and read the whole thing)!

I know Marcus is technically a villain 😈 but I couldn’t help myself but like him and want to root for him. Certainly don’t agree with his tactics and what he does but the love ❤️ story and the pain behind his childhood. I found hatred with his dad and an odd understanding with his mom. The Stockholm syndrome was woven into the story beautifully.

Now I need to go find the rest of Marcus’ story! I need more, the novella was a quick snippet of his whole life.

Read this if you enjoy: romantic suspense, dark, morally gray, obsession/control, monster vs survivor.

⚠️: please read all the triggers before reading. There are quite a few!

I am voluntarily leaving this review and all thoughts are my own!

Thanks for the advanced copy @haylingbookstormltd and @authorstockford! What a fantastic read 🔪!

[The Honest Bookmark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Diary of a Monster by J.M. Stockford was definitely an interesting read, and honestly, it really did feel like reading someone’s personal diary without the actual “Dear Diary…” parts.

Plot: I actually kind of enjoyed the diary-style storytelling. It made the book feel more personal and raw. My biggest issue was the timeline jumps because sometimes I genuinely couldn’t tell how much time had passed before we were suddenly talking about something completely different. It made parts of the story confusing and a little hard to follow.

Characters: I wish we had gotten to know the characters more deeply because I never fully connected to them emotionally. That said, I absolutely felt for Markus. His upbringing was horrific, and you could really see how much his childhood shaped the person he became.

Spice: What little spice we got was pretty meh overall.

Ending: This isn’t really an HEA, and I’m honestly still not sure how I feel about that. But because I never fully connected to the characters, the ending didn’t hit me quite as hard as it probably should have.

[Charlotte Crouch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

You know when you read a book and you find yourself asking - wtf did i just read? Well this was that.

At 91 pages I expected a dark palette cleanser. It was incredibly dark (although I can't say any part of me feels cleansed). What I will say is that I believe the book achieves exactly what the author wanted it to.

The main character, Marcus is indeed a sadistic monster. With his upbringing I can't say I'm at all surprised. The story was well written, depraved and uncomfortable, detailing Marcus' life as he rises in the ranks of a major crime organisation dealing in human trafficking.

I did feel I missed out on a more in-depth experience of the death of one incredibly deserving character but I also found the end of the book incredibly satisfying. There was a huge amount of violence mostly involving torture from beginning to end so if you enjoy that kind of thing then this is for you.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC Review: A Diary of a Monster by J.M. Stockford
​Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
​A Diary of a Monster is a short, dark, and gripping read that instantly hooks you and keeps you guessing from the very first page.
​The story dives straight into the gritty and unforgiving life of a mafia boss, pulling back the curtain on a brutal upbringing where he was trained from a young age to run sex trafficking and drug operations. J.M. Stockford doesn't pull punches with the dark themes, creating a complex look at how a monster is made.
​The emotional core of the story shifts when he falls for a girl he was meant to train, leading to an unexpected pregnancy and a glimpse of a different future. But just as you think things might change, he returns home one night to a absolutely devastating discovery.
​If you are looking for a fast-paced, intense dark romance/mafia read that will keep you on the edge of your seat, I highly recommend checking this one out.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the very first line, I knew that this was going to be good. I loved that Marcus knew that he was flawed and understood that there was something wrong with him. He never tried to change this and just accepted it.

There are so many ups and downs that take place in this novella, but are needed for you to understand Marcus and where his mindset is throughout the book. Marcus is a product of his raising, evil, and sadistic. A man who thrives off of torturing people. This was the man he was raised to be. At 18, Marcus "trains" Elizabeth, and he eventually learns to love her and is excited to become a father until his own father steps in and takes that away. Having everything he cares about stripped from him, Marcus seals himself off and becomes the monster he always knew he was, until Miss Green. Miss Green became his new obsession and his downfall.

[Miss E · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐ review

Diary of A Monster

This is a novella following the beginnings of Marcus Diaz who is a huge walking 🚩 so I’m not entirely sure how this author has managed to make me feel empathy and compassion for him but she has. Marcus is not a morally grey man he is unequivocally pitch black and his obsession with Eliza runs deep!

This story is a prequel to another of my favourite reads of last year ‘Tortured Dream’ and although its much darker its just as beautifully written with a storyline and pacing that pulls you right into the pages.

If you are looking for a short novella that packs a massive punch and has lots of emotion as well as 🌶️ then this is the book for you- do be sure to read the trigger warnings!

[Mandy BunBun · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Impressions: Marcus, a self-proclaimed monster in the world of organized crime, reflects on love lost in this short novella.

Pacing: The pacing starts and stops, which normally would be a criticism, but it works well for the diary format. This is especially true when he reflects on his time incarcerated.

Character development: Marcus is an cruel, unapologetic man. He views the world through his own distorted lens and only finds contentment on the final page.

World Building: The diary space does not allow for much world building. The tight confines of the diary and its secretive nature is an excellent companion to the dark, stifling criminal underworld.

Romance: The romance is entirely one-sided. I thought of a statement Alex Cross makes in "Kiss the Girls":

"Multiply your anger by about a hundred, Kate, that's how much he thinks he loves you."

This is how Marcus "loves" his women: delusional, possessive, deadly.

Spice: The spice is also one-sided. Check your CWs.

Errors and Consistency: This was a tidy little novellas.

Overall experience: Well, it's definitely a dark thriller novella. I would not call it a dark romance because of the lack of consent. However, I was so strongly reminded of the Casanova character from "Kiss the Girls," it almost added a missing puzzle piece to that character's development almost 30 years later. If I were still a student, I would use this piece for a media analysis in a criminology class.

⭐️ 4
🌶 3

[The Book Ssirren · Rating 5 out of 5]

🤯 Wow, just wow. This has to be one of the darkest, most twisted stories I’ve ever read. It was absolutely amazing reading this in the POV of the villain. He was being taught to be a monster by his father at a young age. So this for him was normal. That’s just so messed up. And while I don’t condone the things he’s done, it just goes to show what can happen to young minds that are learning. Being beaten and tortured, groomed basically for this life. I just couldn’t put this down. It was so well written, so intriguing. I’m just seriously blown away by this one.

[Maureen · Rating 2 out of 5]

•Romantic Suspense Mafia
•Touch Her & ☠️
•Morally Black MMC
•Alpha MMC
•BDSM - Dom/Sub
•Power Imbalance

This book was dark, yes. Just how I like them. However, this one was not for me. I found the story to be… for lack of a better word, flat. Really no twists or turns just straight. There was no emotion, which tracks for the MMC, and since this is supposed to be his diary, makes sense. I don’t know, just not sure what else to say about this one, other than, it just wasn’t for me.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG. My heart strings were being pulled so hard for Marcus!

His life…not one I'd wish on anyone, and obviously…he feels the same!
He calls himself a monster. Born, or raised to be?
You'll be asking yourself that question!

I wanted to cry for what Marcus' dad did!

This is not an easy read.
So take care, read the trigger warnings first!

Intense.
Emotional.
Heart-wrenching.

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arc review hayling bookstorm Ltd.

I enjoyed reading from Marcus Diaz point of view. Getting his back story on how he became the cold monster he is. His obsession with is first love Elizabeth which showed he still had a piece of humanity left and then with Eliza green. His character held as the monster he was made to be.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the book blurb reveals, obsessions are dangerous things, for everyone involved regardless of their status. The more we come to know about certain people, the more we become caught in their gravity, and that in itself can be dangerous. Enjoyable and interesting characters, with a storyline that borders on ridiculous. A haunting type of read.

[Anonymous Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recieved this as an ARC. I have never heard of this author before and was drawn to this book because of the title. It may be labeled as a romance but it is definitely more of a horror or thriller type of book. If you are looking for a happily ever after type of romance, this is more of a pain or brutal kind of book.
Thank you for the free book!

[Andrea Freeland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this short book was full of so much traumatic things. Definitely read the trigger warnings. I believe that Marcus could have not been such a monster if things didn't happen that did happen. His father was the monster..the story was well written just like a diary in the way it was written.
I received an advance reader copy of this book for an honest voluntary review.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly dark emotional novella which is centred around a man that was raised on fear through violence abuse and emotional torture. The story line instantly grips you that you have to keep reading.

[Ashleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re looking for dark and suspenseful story then this is for you. The mmc is very dark and ruthless. I liked how this was told from the POV of a villain, it made it an interesting read. The story kept me hooked the whole time.

[Sarah Graham Wuerch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed seeing the pov of the villain and the circumstances that made him that way. While I love a good dark romance human trafficking is not my thing.

[Erin Tselepis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was good. I liked that it was from his point of view. Him telling his story of what happened and made him the way he was. This still happens even today.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book very dark read all trigger warning, psychotic mmc good read

[Jaqueline Doldersum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to thank Haylingsbookstormltd for sending me the ARC.

Marcus was being groomed by his farther. So once, he can take over the business. In the meantime, losing his humanity.

On one side, I felt for the MMC. He never asked for anything. That happend to him.
On the other side, I hated him. For what he became.
I just wanted to keep reading. To find out, what was going to happen next.

[thesadiereads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short novella which has a detailed timeline of Marcus Diaz’s life. It is a dark and compelling read.

What I enjoyed the most was how the story blurred the line between monster and human, making me question who was truly monstrous in this book. The diary format was what pulled me in and making his journey feel personal and unsettling at the same time.

The pacing was steady and the atmosphere was haunting. And the ending was well deserved.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super quick read. Dark and twisty. A little predictable. The beginning was a little rough but if you can get through the first chapter or two you will not be disappointed. Would recommend.

[Marie smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good and fast read. I could not put it down but some of the things had me thankful I read the trigger warnings.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, Great characters. Quick read. Not very spicy in my opinion. Read triggers. No HEA. But still a good book.