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Harvest Maze: An Autumn Dark Romance Short Story
Autumn has always been my season.
I loved the first crisp breeze after summer finally let go. I filled my little house with pumpkins, flickering candles, and strings of warm fairy lights. Fresh apple cider simmered on the stove while cinnamon rolls cooled on the counter. Every fallen leaf was an invitation to slow down and savor my cozy little life.
Then the man next door moved in.
He kept odd hours and never smiled. The neighbors whispered when they thought I couldn't hear them, but no one seemed to know where he had come from or why he had chosen our quiet street. He carried secrets in his eyes, and every instinct told me they were the kind that killed.
I should have stayed away from him.
Instead, I found myself watching the light in his windows after dark. I listened for the sound of his footsteps outside. Every night, I wondered what kind of monster hid behind the walls of the house next door.
Then he came to my door.
He was dangerous, terrifying, and impossible to understand. Every sensible part of me knew I should have locked the door and called the police.
Instead, I let him in.
Somehow, the safest place I had ever known became the home of a monster. Beneath the violence, beneath the darkness, and beneath every terrible secret he refused to share, I found a man who looked at me like I was the only light left in his world.
Autumn has always been my favorite season. I just never expected it to be the season I fell in love with the monster next door.
Harvest Maze features an obsessive stalker, a bubbly autumn girly, a toasty hot attraction, and a love story with a cozy darkness. This is a standalone dark romance short story with morally grey choices. HEA guaranteed. Check TWs!
I loved the first crisp breeze after summer finally let go. I filled my little house with pumpkins, flickering candles, and strings of warm fairy lights. Fresh apple cider simmered on the stove while cinnamon rolls cooled on the counter. Every fallen leaf was an invitation to slow down and savor my cozy little life.
Then the man next door moved in.
He kept odd hours and never smiled. The neighbors whispered when they thought I couldn't hear them, but no one seemed to know where he had come from or why he had chosen our quiet street. He carried secrets in his eyes, and every instinct told me they were the kind that killed.
I should have stayed away from him.
Instead, I found myself watching the light in his windows after dark. I listened for the sound of his footsteps outside. Every night, I wondered what kind of monster hid behind the walls of the house next door.
Then he came to my door.
He was dangerous, terrifying, and impossible to understand. Every sensible part of me knew I should have locked the door and called the police.
Instead, I let him in.
Somehow, the safest place I had ever known became the home of a monster. Beneath the violence, beneath the darkness, and beneath every terrible secret he refused to share, I found a man who looked at me like I was the only light left in his world.
Autumn has always been my favorite season. I just never expected it to be the season I fell in love with the monster next door.
Harvest Maze features an obsessive stalker, a bubbly autumn girly, a toasty hot attraction, and a love story with a cozy darkness. This is a standalone dark romance short story with morally grey choices. HEA guaranteed. Check TWs!
111 pages, Paperback
Published July 10, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 22, 2026
A super quick Halloween read.
There’s not much plot as it’s a novella but we do get a corn maze chase, a hunky neighbour and a funny, feisty FMC. There’s a little m^*der, a mafia background and spice what more could you want for Halloween 🤭
Primal Play | Spice (not just in the coffee) | Death | Violence | Stalking | Masked Man
There’s not much plot as it’s a novella but we do get a corn maze chase, a hunky neighbour and a funny, feisty FMC. There’s a little m^*der, a mafia background and spice what more could you want for Halloween 🤭
Primal Play | Spice (not just in the coffee) | Death | Violence | Stalking | Masked Man
August 3, 2026
For Ivry the autumnal season was the peak of her year, the cozy quite time of her life away from the fact shes a distant mafia relative who runs ops, yet that all changes when she gains a new mysterious neighbour in Demyan, others talk about him, his odd hours and lack of friendly manners, yet Ivry is intrigued but not as much as Demyan has been with her, even before she knew he existed. Well written steamy fast paced quick novella, that will have your pulse racing!
Review of advance copy received from Author
**ARC REVIEW**
★★★★☆ overall rating
♥︎ Maya's Reads ♥︎
First and foremost, thank you, Alexa Michaels, for entrusting me with another ARC !! I was lucky enough to have received my first ever ARC from the Boston Underworld novella, and since then, I have been grateful enough to have gotten every single ARC within that series, and they have been amazing. So, I'm so happy to be diving into a new series.
As I said in my last novella review, I’m not such a huge fan of novellas and have not read any since the last one, but once I started reading i actually really enjoyed it. The fast-paced romance these two had was so good, even though it felt rushed at times, it was actually every full filled in the storytelling. So, if you want some lore for the upcoming series, I have seen that reading the novella is since to read to get a hang of the family dynamics and business.
**SPOLIERS AHEAD**
But I really enjoyed how much Ives loves the fall season, that she loves decorating for the season, because lowkey I'm the same. I enjoyed the fact that she was such a badass FMC because when she got that body delivered on her porch, that was results of Demyan's doing, but the fact that she didn't flinch shows me that she is going to have an active role within the next books in terms of the family business. I actually enjoyed the fact that we got her related to Lucian and them being cousins and not being a direct sister because we get to see another side to the family business directly off the bat, rather than get a story directly from a sibling, but I am curious about how they are going to find their HEA. OMG BUT THE STALKER/ASSASSIN & CHASING KINK DID NOT DISAPPOINT!!!
BUT ONCE I STARTED I COULDN’T PUT IT DOWN, FOR SURE RECOMMEND!!!
★★★★☆ overall rating
♥︎ Maya's Reads ♥︎
First and foremost, thank you, Alexa Michaels, for entrusting me with another ARC !! I was lucky enough to have received my first ever ARC from the Boston Underworld novella, and since then, I have been grateful enough to have gotten every single ARC within that series, and they have been amazing. So, I'm so happy to be diving into a new series.
As I said in my last novella review, I’m not such a huge fan of novellas and have not read any since the last one, but once I started reading i actually really enjoyed it. The fast-paced romance these two had was so good, even though it felt rushed at times, it was actually every full filled in the storytelling. So, if you want some lore for the upcoming series, I have seen that reading the novella is since to read to get a hang of the family dynamics and business.
**SPOLIERS AHEAD**
But I really enjoyed how much Ives loves the fall season, that she loves decorating for the season, because lowkey I'm the same. I enjoyed the fact that she was such a badass FMC because when she got that body delivered on her porch, that was results of Demyan's doing, but the fact that she didn't flinch shows me that she is going to have an active role within the next books in terms of the family business. I actually enjoyed the fact that we got her related to Lucian and them being cousins and not being a direct sister because we get to see another side to the family business directly off the bat, rather than get a story directly from a sibling, but I am curious about how they are going to find their HEA. OMG BUT THE STALKER/ASSASSIN & CHASING KINK DID NOT DISAPPOINT!!!
BUT ONCE I STARTED I COULDN’T PUT IT DOWN, FOR SURE RECOMMEND!!!
August 26, 2026
⭐⭐⭐⭐🌙
This was such a nice, fun, and quick read! 🎃🍂
Ivry is a total fall girl, and as a fellow Virgo 🖤 and autumn lover… I completely understood her obsession with everything cozy, pumpkins, decorations, and all things fall. 😂🍁
Then there's Demyan, the mysterious new neighbor who, of course, comes with secrets, danger, and a rather intense interest in Ivry. 👀😏
For such a short story, I really enjoyed it! It was fast-paced, steamy, and had that cozy-but-dark vibe that worked perfectly with the autumn setting. And the stalker/assassin + chasing kink? 👀🔥 Yeah… definitely did not disappoint.
I'm curious now about what's coming next in the series!
Overall, a fun, spicy, dark little autumn read, perfect for getting into the fall mood. 🍂🎃🖤
This was such a nice, fun, and quick read! 🎃🍂
Ivry is a total fall girl, and as a fellow Virgo 🖤 and autumn lover… I completely understood her obsession with everything cozy, pumpkins, decorations, and all things fall. 😂🍁
Then there's Demyan, the mysterious new neighbor who, of course, comes with secrets, danger, and a rather intense interest in Ivry. 👀😏
For such a short story, I really enjoyed it! It was fast-paced, steamy, and had that cozy-but-dark vibe that worked perfectly with the autumn setting. And the stalker/assassin + chasing kink? 👀🔥 Yeah… definitely did not disappoint.
I'm curious now about what's coming next in the series!
Overall, a fun, spicy, dark little autumn read, perfect for getting into the fall mood. 🍂🎃🖤
August 2, 2026
Short and sweet
I love a good seasonal novella, and this one is perfect for leading into the fall season! It’s quick and it’s easy to read, but there’s also enough time to fall in love with the characters. Demyan is growly, a little bit socially awkward but he is down bad for his girl Ivry. Ivry is sweet, a little bit quirky and just a bubbly ray of autumn sunshine. I love how obsessed Demyan is for her, and I love that she’s low key obsessed with him. The spice was perfect for the length making this one spicy novella! This one definitely made me want to decorate my house for fall and start up all my cinnamon scents and get to baking!
I love a good seasonal novella, and this one is perfect for leading into the fall season! It’s quick and it’s easy to read, but there’s also enough time to fall in love with the characters. Demyan is growly, a little bit socially awkward but he is down bad for his girl Ivry. Ivry is sweet, a little bit quirky and just a bubbly ray of autumn sunshine. I love how obsessed Demyan is for her, and I love that she’s low key obsessed with him. The spice was perfect for the length making this one spicy novella! This one definitely made me want to decorate my house for fall and start up all my cinnamon scents and get to baking!
October 1, 2026
This was a such a fun one to read to get me into the fall/Halloween spirit! I instantly loved the FMC, Ivry! She hooked me in chapter one when she said that fall starts September 1 and she begins to decorate her house, bake fall goodies and watch Gilmore Girls! We would definitely be friends in real life. I enjoyed the Mafia aspect of the story as well as the way she finds her MMC (I love a good stalker trope). Overall it was a fun novella that mixed in some great dark romance tropes and ended with an HEA!
If you are you looking for a not-so-spooky novella to help get you in the Halloween spirit, I definitely recommend this one!
If you are you looking for a not-so-spooky novella to help get you in the Halloween spirit, I definitely recommend this one!
September 1, 2026
Title: Harvest Maze
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Author: Alexa Michaels
This short story was so cute and adorable. It kicks off Fall fun. I love fall and everything pumpkins. You have a hitman who falls in love with the girl next door. And the girl next door is the cousin to the man he was there to kill. Who then changes his mind on killing her cousin because it would hurt her and he doesn’t want to bring her any pain what so ever. He loves her and falls for her first. I hope there is more from these two. Because they are so cute!
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Author: Alexa Michaels
This short story was so cute and adorable. It kicks off Fall fun. I love fall and everything pumpkins. You have a hitman who falls in love with the girl next door. And the girl next door is the cousin to the man he was there to kill. Who then changes his mind on killing her cousin because it would hurt her and he doesn’t want to bring her any pain what so ever. He loves her and falls for her first. I hope there is more from these two. Because they are so cute!
August 5, 2026
This is exactly how a fun, seasonal novella should be done! Ivry is a quirky ray of sunshine, and Demyan is a socially awkward assassin—but together, they are absolute couple goals. If your reading kink includes a masked man chasing his woman through a corn maze just to bring her fantasy to life, you will absolutely love Harvest Maze!
Check the content, stalker besties—they’re not there for nothing.
I am voluntarily leaving this honest review after receiving an advanced copy.
Check the content, stalker besties—they’re not there for nothing.
I am voluntarily leaving this honest review after receiving an advanced copy.
September 19, 2026
**ARC REVIEW** Really enjoyed this, it was so much fun!
Ivry wants what we all want, to be loved and wanted. She wants to enjoy her favorite season, and it would be even better with a special someone who could fulfill her fantasies.
One spontaneous moment, a knock on the door, gets that ball rolling.
My only complaint, not enough spice.
Ivry wants what we all want, to be loved and wanted. She wants to enjoy her favorite season, and it would be even better with a special someone who could fulfill her fantasies.
One spontaneous moment, a knock on the door, gets that ball rolling.
My only complaint, not enough spice.
August 1, 2026
Demyan and very fall fast and hard! She notices the neighbor staying next door and decides to say hello, things only go up from there! Demyan has already been watching her and she loves every bit of it!
August 4, 2026
What a romp! Fun little autumn read. Gives just enough detail to get you hooked and not leave you absolutely wanting more info.
Ivry is adorable, Demyan is hard as nails (in more ways than one).
Thoroughly enjoyed this installment to the new series!
Ivry is adorable, Demyan is hard as nails (in more ways than one).
Thoroughly enjoyed this installment to the new series!
August 24, 2026
I loved this short story. Yes monsters also deserve love.
August 31, 2026
Absolutely loved this. The story was fantastic, the characters are so fun, and the vibes were immaculate. Definitely a new, spicy fall classic!
October 4, 2026
I loved Ivry’s story! This book was so good! It hooked me from the very beginning and I needed to know what was going to happen. This is the perfect spooky book!
October 17, 2026
This was a fun, short read! I love the maze scene.
I received a free advance copy of this book from the author.
I received a free advance copy of this book from the author.
September 29, 2026
Fun fast read! Love these short novellas in this series. The characters are delicious and easy to fall for. Story full of action and dark love.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews