What do you think?
Rate this book
Hollowed: An Apocalyptic Thriller
The fog came without warning. By the time anyone understood what it was, the world had already ended.
Chris was hiding from his past at a summer camp deep in the woods — a combat veteran running from the things that followed him home. Then the fog rolled in, and the people it touched stopped being people. They came back wrong. Hollow. Wearing the faces of friends and moving with something else behind their eyes.
Now the camp is a fortress. Outside, the forest crawls with supernatural creatures that used to be human. Inside, supplies are dwindling, trust is fracturing, and Chris is the only one with the training to keep anyone alive. Rylee keeps the group from falling apart, Abby patches them together when they get hurt, and Beryl is a former Olympic archer with the will to survive. They are dangerous, complicated, and the only reason Chris hasn't stopped fighting.
If the fog finds a way in, there won't be anyone left to save.
Some monsters wear the faces of people you loved.
Chris was hiding from his past at a summer camp deep in the woods — a combat veteran running from the things that followed him home. Then the fog rolled in, and the people it touched stopped being people. They came back wrong. Hollow. Wearing the faces of friends and moving with something else behind their eyes.
Now the camp is a fortress. Outside, the forest crawls with supernatural creatures that used to be human. Inside, supplies are dwindling, trust is fracturing, and Chris is the only one with the training to keep anyone alive. Rylee keeps the group from falling apart, Abby patches them together when they get hurt, and Beryl is a former Olympic archer with the will to survive. They are dangerous, complicated, and the only reason Chris hasn't stopped fighting.
If the fog finds a way in, there won't be anyone left to save.
Some monsters wear the faces of people you loved.
462 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 5, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 23, 2026
I came expecting this book to be in the genre of Erotica, and instead I found a Horror/Suspense story that has its roots in the works of Steven King and Dean Koontz.
One of the main protagonists, Chris, is a broken hero back from the Middle East after serving his country, a man whose plight tugs at our hearts. His childhood sweetheart is a woman named Rylee, who discovers she is incapable of physical intimacy and unable to complete their relationship. They work together at a summer camp for kids, Camp Riverside, that is set by a lake in the woods. They're joined by a cast of various others, some who become important later on. The primary antagonist is a sapient fog that appears suddenly one night, taking humans and animals for its own purposes. The counselors at the camp survive the initial attack for reasons that slowly become clear as the story progresses. Similarities to The Mist are obvious and are even noted by one of the characters.
The characters are well written and fleshed out, allowing the reader to care for their well-being. The horror aspects aren't very vivid, pretty much leaving the details to the imagination, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but if the reader is looking for gory, blood-soaked scenes, this isn't it. The horror does provide a good counterpoint for the suspense, and the two elements walk hand in hand, keeping the reader constantly on edge. The denizens of the fog, and even the fog itself, seem to follow the same rules and limitations traditionally associated with vampire culture, with a little bit of the Fae tossed in. The humans, mostly newly minted adults, behave as adults will in a pressure cooker.
Now for the elephant in the room: the Harem tag. I have never read anything by Lara X. Lust, but I have come to expect the best in harem stories from Annabelle Hawthorne. This is not a harem story. A threesome does form, and it is built up slowly, but three people is not a harem, even if there is a platonic hanger-on included. At best, an Erotica tag should be hung on this to warn of adult romantic entanglements. There are a couple of nice sex scenes in the book.
In spite of my criticisms, I highly recommend this book. It's a good, thoroughly engaging read, worthy of a future reread for sure, that leaves the reader wanting more. Which, I believe, is the point. The ending leaves room for sequels and spinoffs, and I for one would love to see it. Annabelle has stated that any future books will depend on the success of this book, so get out there a buy your own copy and enjoy this as much as I did.
One of the main protagonists, Chris, is a broken hero back from the Middle East after serving his country, a man whose plight tugs at our hearts. His childhood sweetheart is a woman named Rylee, who discovers she is incapable of physical intimacy and unable to complete their relationship. They work together at a summer camp for kids, Camp Riverside, that is set by a lake in the woods. They're joined by a cast of various others, some who become important later on. The primary antagonist is a sapient fog that appears suddenly one night, taking humans and animals for its own purposes. The counselors at the camp survive the initial attack for reasons that slowly become clear as the story progresses. Similarities to The Mist are obvious and are even noted by one of the characters.
The characters are well written and fleshed out, allowing the reader to care for their well-being. The horror aspects aren't very vivid, pretty much leaving the details to the imagination, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but if the reader is looking for gory, blood-soaked scenes, this isn't it. The horror does provide a good counterpoint for the suspense, and the two elements walk hand in hand, keeping the reader constantly on edge. The denizens of the fog, and even the fog itself, seem to follow the same rules and limitations traditionally associated with vampire culture, with a little bit of the Fae tossed in. The humans, mostly newly minted adults, behave as adults will in a pressure cooker.
Now for the elephant in the room: the Harem tag. I have never read anything by Lara X. Lust, but I have come to expect the best in harem stories from Annabelle Hawthorne. This is not a harem story. A threesome does form, and it is built up slowly, but three people is not a harem, even if there is a platonic hanger-on included. At best, an Erotica tag should be hung on this to warn of adult romantic entanglements. There are a couple of nice sex scenes in the book.
In spite of my criticisms, I highly recommend this book. It's a good, thoroughly engaging read, worthy of a future reread for sure, that leaves the reader wanting more. Which, I believe, is the point. The ending leaves room for sequels and spinoffs, and I for one would love to see it. Annabelle has stated that any future books will depend on the success of this book, so get out there a buy your own copy and enjoy this as much as I did.
September 25, 2026
Survival horror harem; sure, why not? Well-executed with a competent MC and female primary characters who pull their weight. One of them is a weak link, but the MC has known her forever so she gets a pass. Could be a sequel, but things are looking pretty dire for the world in general so I'm not sure what it'll look like.
November 8, 2026
This book was just ok. As the authors wondered, the harem elements in the middle of a horror story was a questionable choice, and that made some of the relationships feel surface level.
The MC is a former soldier with a bum leg that's working at the summer camp his childhood best friend (female) runs. And shortly before the campers are to show up, things start to get weird. The campers don't arrive, and the counselor who takes an ATV to goes to look for the bus doesn't come back. Eventually the MC and two of his future lovers go to check things out, and find the empty bus and wrecked ATV, but not kids, no bus driver, and no counselor. They see a weird fog, and the MC has a bad feeling, so they head back to the camp. And later, that fog shows up and appears to have "people" in it. Thus begins the odd events that make up the book.
The MC has two lovers and his childhood friend/former girlfriend who isn't a very sexual person. The camp nurse blatantly flirts with the MC, the new archery instructor locks on to him, and he puts no effort into either. That was a big weak point in the book for me. They are also not acting like they are in love with the MC, but like him and he's good for a booty call or comfort. Only the childhood friend loves him, just not sexually.
There are some mistakes I noticed, like the nurse putting suture kits into the various med kits. Nurses don't legally do sutures, and camp counselors wouldn't know how to do them either, so why do they need them?
I don't predict I will read a sequel to this if it is made, unless my TBR pile runs dry.
The MC is a former soldier with a bum leg that's working at the summer camp his childhood best friend (female) runs. And shortly before the campers are to show up, things start to get weird. The campers don't arrive, and the counselor who takes an ATV to goes to look for the bus doesn't come back. Eventually the MC and two of his future lovers go to check things out, and find the empty bus and wrecked ATV, but not kids, no bus driver, and no counselor. They see a weird fog, and the MC has a bad feeling, so they head back to the camp. And later, that fog shows up and appears to have "people" in it. Thus begins the odd events that make up the book.
The MC has two lovers and his childhood friend/former girlfriend who isn't a very sexual person. The camp nurse blatantly flirts with the MC, the new archery instructor locks on to him, and he puts no effort into either. That was a big weak point in the book for me. They are also not acting like they are in love with the MC, but like him and he's good for a booty call or comfort. Only the childhood friend loves him, just not sexually.
There are some mistakes I noticed, like the nurse putting suture kits into the various med kits. Nurses don't legally do sutures, and camp counselors wouldn't know how to do them either, so why do they need them?
I don't predict I will read a sequel to this if it is made, unless my TBR pile runs dry.
September 18, 2026
I love apocalyptic books, and this one didn't disappoint. I love the mountains to so being a survivalist at a camp in the mountains appeals to me. Some things that the book doesn't do. It doesn't explain anything about the fog other than what is visible to party being involved. It doesn't explain where the fog came from, what it wants - other than to kill and assimilate people, and how much of the world has been infected. I can understand the approach; we know what the people know. Everyone reacts like you would expect, except for the cult that forms. A sort of doomsday cult formed by a charismatic leader. I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it. There could be a sequel, depending on how liked this book is.
August 17, 2026
Very enjoyable. Well worth the purchase. Roll on book 2 please !
A successful collaboration. There was something to hold my attention on every page.lots of Action,lots of spice. Love that it's still not entirely clear everything that's in the fog. Lots to look forward to book 2 I hope. Definitely a cut above the typical harem lot book. The characters were better written than usual. A entertaining tale well told.I recommend it. If any of my neighbours see this review, no you didn't lol.
A successful collaboration. There was something to hold my attention on every page.lots of Action,lots of spice. Love that it's still not entirely clear everything that's in the fog. Lots to look forward to book 2 I hope. Definitely a cut above the typical harem lot book. The characters were better written than usual. A entertaining tale well told.I recommend it. If any of my neighbours see this review, no you didn't lol.
August 29, 2026
Absorbing terror
Alternate universe, apocalypse, monsters, harem adult situations
A kids camp with a lot of counselors waiting for the newest batch to arrive... except they never arrive. Not normally my genre, but I'm a fan of Annabelle Hawthorne's work, and I've read stories by the co-author as well, and thought, why not. Above average editing. Unexpected conclusion and cliffhanger.
Alternate universe, apocalypse, monsters, harem adult situations
A kids camp with a lot of counselors waiting for the newest batch to arrive... except they never arrive. Not normally my genre, but I'm a fan of Annabelle Hawthorne's work, and I've read stories by the co-author as well, and thought, why not. Above average editing. Unexpected conclusion and cliffhanger.
September 13, 2026
Horror and haremlit are just a weird mix.
People are caught up in the woods as a mysterious murder fog rolls in. They lose all contact with civilization, see many of their camp counsellors get zombified, are haunted by creepy children, have their own turn on them and even try to abduct one of the women and ... the women are feeling a little horny and want to giggle about nipple flicking and make sex plans for later tonight.
This just didn't work for me.
People are caught up in the woods as a mysterious murder fog rolls in. They lose all contact with civilization, see many of their camp counsellors get zombified, are haunted by creepy children, have their own turn on them and even try to abduct one of the women and ... the women are feeling a little horny and want to giggle about nipple flicking and make sex plans for later tonight.
This just didn't work for me.
August 8, 2026
It was pretty good
The story was interesting and the characters were fine. Kinda weird that that camp had like 50+ camp counselors for what was probably a single bus with like 20-30 kids. They just seemed to keep get more people even after so many died. But thats a minor detail. Overall I did enjoy the creepy aspect of the book and would read a sequel.
The story was interesting and the characters were fine. Kinda weird that that camp had like 50+ camp counselors for what was probably a single bus with like 20-30 kids. They just seemed to keep get more people even after so many died. But thats a minor detail. Overall I did enjoy the creepy aspect of the book and would read a sequel.
August 26, 2026
AMAZING!!!!
I had no idea this genre combination would work and honestly had my doubts before I began reading. Two of the best authors in the field did NOT disappoint! Loved the horror and the romance and the twists and turns.
I cannot recommend this book and all others by these talented authors enough! We need more like this.
I had no idea this genre combination would work and honestly had my doubts before I began reading. Two of the best authors in the field did NOT disappoint! Loved the horror and the romance and the twists and turns.
I cannot recommend this book and all others by these talented authors enough! We need more like this.
August 29, 2026
Best summer camp ever
This was a great story. It had babes, a vet, and a real horror story. I really liked how the different factions came to be. They worked against each other very well.
Oh my god, I will never look at a hammer the same way ever again! Great Story, and I can not wait for the next book.
This was a great story. It had babes, a vet, and a real horror story. I really liked how the different factions came to be. They worked against each other very well.
Oh my god, I will never look at a hammer the same way ever again! Great Story, and I can not wait for the next book.
September 30, 2026
SO GOOD!!
While I am well used to great stories from these ladies, this one is a cut above!
Plot, pacing, characters and eroticism are all top notch.
While I freely admit that, after reading any number of their stories, I would probably read their grocery lists and be entertained, this is one of their finest efforts.
Read it, read it, READ IT!
While I am well used to great stories from these ladies, this one is a cut above!
Plot, pacing, characters and eroticism are all top notch.
While I freely admit that, after reading any number of their stories, I would probably read their grocery lists and be entertained, this is one of their finest efforts.
Read it, read it, READ IT!
August 5, 2026
Fun horror romp!
This book is just a fun read that will leave you entertained. Nothing groundbreaking just horror and harem put together well.
This book is just a fun read that will leave you entertained. Nothing groundbreaking just horror and harem put together well.
August 6, 2026
Best collaboration
This was a great book. The ending had me dying laughing and the storyline had me hooked. Couldn't put it down till it was finished.
This was a great book. The ending had me dying laughing and the storyline had me hooked. Couldn't put it down till it was finished.
August 14, 2026
Great book
This was a great book. Absolutely great storytelling and I couldn’t put it down. I hope a second book is planned, I would read it in a heartbeat.
This was a great book. Absolutely great storytelling and I couldn’t put it down. I hope a second book is planned, I would read it in a heartbeat.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews