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The Dark Side #2

Three Trials

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So, I've checked off some life goals and added a few new ones to my list.

Goal #5: Get out of hell's belly without letting my ungrateful charges die.

Goal #6: Get a new name that's more badass.

Goal #7: Stop wasting my breath on lectures and start annoying the quad hell squad every time they annoy me. Fight fire with fire. Ha! Another hell pun.

Goal 8: Find out who the hell killed me.

I'll add more. I don't want to overwhelm myself before I even finish checking off my old goals. But seriously, I really do need a more badass name, considering how much I have to keep saving my damsels in distress.

I probably shouldn't call them damsels, since they're a little murderous and all.

Maybe I should add seeing a hell-certified psychologist to my list of goals.


**Sexual situations/content
**Reverse Harem
**Dark humor galore
**Language warning

167 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 2, 2017

3191 people are currently reading
7558 people want to read

About the author

Kristy Cunning

14 books5,957 followers
Kristy Cunning always loves a good laugh, and lives and breathes the emotions of the characters she becomes attached to.

Though she came from a family of musicians, she has zero abilities with instruments; she sounds like a strangled cat when she sings; and her dancing is downright embarrassing. Just ask anyone who knows her. Her creativity rests solely in the written word. Her family is grateful that she gave up her quest to become a famous singer.

Kristy Cunning is one of the pen names C.M. Owens writes under.

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5 stars
15,567 (42%)
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3 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,149 reviews
Profile Image for Bibi.
1,287 reviews136 followers
December 22, 2017
If you didn't know, Kristy Cunnings also writes as, C. M. Owens and S.T. Abby. Pick any book of hers and you will get stories that are insanely fun, engaging, with characters that are multidimensional. And although I enjoyed the first book (Four Psychos) immensely, this otoh is indulgent and vapid, which made it quite tedious to finish.
Profile Image for Jessica ❥Chatterbooks Book Blog❥.
884 reviews3,431 followers
February 21, 2019
4.25

It's official! I'm in love with this series and these characters! 😍 We get some answers in this installment as to what Keyla actually is, and why she has a connection to the boys. The story is unique, the characters are hilarious, and the romance is hot!! I had a ton of fun reading Three Trials, and I really wish I didn't have to wait for the next one! 😭 The author said it shouldn't be too long, and I sincerely hope she means that! If you like paranormal reverse harem, you do not want to miss this one!

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Profile Image for Jilly.
1,838 reviews6,686 followers
October 31, 2018
Even better than the first one!
Our heroine, Ghost Girl, is snarky and hilarious. The four guys have become less assholish, which is awesome, but they are still a bit on the moody side. Luckily, Ghost Girl figures out their mood-swing problems. See, they are VERY bonded and they live together and do everything together. What happens when girls do this:

"I think I know why you're all so moody... You all have your man-periods at the same time....Episodes of homicidal rage. Uncontrollable lust. Middle-of-the-night pizza cravings..Yep. You're all totally synced up..."


It's hell.

Speaking of hell... this book gives us a lot of answers to the questions we had from the last one, like who the hell are these guys and does Ghost Girl have a real name?

She does, and it's appropriate.



But, I still think she's adorable. I totally approve of her T.V. viewing choices.

my attention snagged on the weird cat on TV as he tries super hard to get some lasagna. Why have I not seen this cartoon sooner?


I can so relate to this cat.

There is smut, course language, violence, murder, hell, blood, the devil, and tons of vagina talk, so if you have any sensitivity - stay away. If you can find the humor in all of that - you need this series in your life.
Profile Image for Deborah.
3,842 reviews497 followers
August 11, 2018
Re-read 10th - 11th August 2018.

Original review.

I’m absolutely loving this series but this book went by far too quickly, I tried to slow down but I couldn’t since my curiosity to find out what happened was stronger than my need for this book to last longer.

This picks up where the previous book Four Psycho’s left off with the third trial (yes you must read that first) and it’s brutal, designed by the devil himself. It soon becomes apparent that no one is meant to survive this trial and Keyla has her work cut out for her keeping the guys alive.

Keyla is slowing winning the guys over although Jude is holding out not wanting to risk their bond.
This book is a funny entertaining read I love Keyla and her constant costume changes and the guys, all of them to the extent where I can’t pick a favourite and that’s another thing I loved, the way she changed her favourite all the time.

In this book we find out who the guys really are...okay so we’ve known that all along but we also find out who Keyla is and her link to these four and that I didn’t see coming.

So now I’m waiting not so patiently for the third book, I wish I’d checked before I started reading I would have held off until the whole series was finished but it’s too late for that now.
Profile Image for Jessica .
2,646 reviews16k followers
September 20, 2021
This series is so good! This is book two in the paranormal reverse harem series and we get so much more information about our heroine and her connection to the heroes. We get a lot of suspense with the guys going through another trial and such interesting reveals. I hate it when series wait until book four to reveal anything, so I'm really happy this book gave us so much so early on. There's still a lot of questions and information we need, but I'm so excited to learn more in the next two books. And things definitely heated up in this book and I loved every second of it!
Profile Image for Penny Well Reads.
936 reviews233 followers
June 18, 2018
I love this series.

This book did't disappoint, it made me laugh from the start, I was so hooked I couldn't stop.

Entertaining, humorous, sexy. A great second installment.

The book starts right where the first one left off. So much so, that if you read them back to back you won't even realize that the story is separated in different installments. I only wish we could have had more in depth development of each of the guys so we could know them better.

I can't wait to read the next one.
Profile Image for Darcey.
1,316 reviews339 followers
February 29, 2020
Just as funny and sexy as book one, and with more romance. We finally find out just how much all four guys love her!

~~~~

just did a reread (for the third time) and i've decided this should be upgraded to 5 stars! it's just so fun and obsessive. super funny too! and i love the characters of course ;)
Profile Image for vee.
885 reviews398 followers
December 21, 2021
4 ✨

”Actually, you were numbered based on the order I saw you in,” I tell him as I step across a bleeding rock.
Yes. The rock is bleeding. I’m not sure if it’s dangerous, but if it’s bleeding, I’m gonna say it’s not a good rock.
Certainly not sanitary.
Or maybe it’s on its period, so I assume stepping on it would really piss it off more than usual


so this book open up where we left off from the previous one, in hell. gotta say, i liked this one better, mainly coz it was more action-packed

haven’t found a fav from the guys yet, (beginning to suspect i’m not going to, maybe ever. cuz i just felt like they all sorta blend in, and not one of their characters were fleshed out enough. i found all of them attractive yes, but the characterizations were lacking imo)

so sofar, the heroine’s still the best thing from this series

”I think I know why you’re all so moody,” I say as though it’s just dawned on me. “You all have your man-periods at the same time.”
“I’m not even sure how to respond to you when you abruptly shift directions and say shit like that, and half the time you take silence as a sign of being moody,” he murmurs distractedly.
“Episodes of homicidal rage. Uncontrollable lust. Middle-of-the-night pizza cravings…Yep. You’re all totally synced up like these menstruating rocks,” I go on.
I get the usual groan.
“I mean, it’s right there in the word. Menstruating. It’d make more sense to define moody men.”


my fav part from this book : def the the trials scenes in hell. the vibe kinda felt like percy jackson’s ‘the battle of the labyrinth’. it felt a lil bit like an adventure, and was certainly the most interesting aspect of this book

’Jude is the only one awake. He never really slept as deeply as the other three, and I’m fairly sure he resents the hell out of all of them for sleeping as well as they have. And he resents me for my wicked vagina voodoo.
My milkshake brings all the boys to naptime…Yeah, that’s not how that song goes. The song is a lot sexier, but beggars can’t be choosers.
They’re a tough crowd, so I take the small wins that come along.’


🧶
now complains (spoiler) section
🧶

”How can I argue with her when she makes no damn sense ninety percent of the time?” Jude snaps, gesturing a little wildly at me like I’ve finally pushed him over that edge.
It’s fascinatingly intriguing, and I go to the kitchen as they continue talking.


now, i loved the fact that they were so sus of her sudden appearance since the book 1, it was realistic and started warming up to her here. with the exception of jude. that’s why i was most interested in him, it took longer for him to trust her. i was excited to see their development bcs of that. (her development w/ each one of them too, but jude especially)

’Jude looks like he’s about ready for that death punch again when I come walking around, hugging my bowl of popcorn in one arm, while using my other hand to shovel it into my mouth.
I’m so hungry. And this is definitely one of those popcorn moments I finally get to enjoy with popcorn.
They all turn to look at me, not saying a word, blank expressions donning their faces.
“What?” I ask around a mouthful, before packing it full once again.
Ezekiel’s lips twitch.
“See?” Jude asks, gesturing to all of me as though I’ve just proven a very valid point. “Insane!”


that’s why i was kinda bummed when that revelation w/ lamar bout paca and the 4 horsemen happened. i liked that plot, it made sense enough for me, but i just wished it was revealed a bit later after they fell in love with each other (all of them), and not one second before (maybe in book 3/4?). cuz all of a sudden, after that event (and the event before that, which was keyla coming back from the dead, if we’re being technical), jude immediately had a change of heart, and i was robbed from the buildup i wanted. just. let them figure things between each other out first without the help of those knowledge

imo, with them knowing things like that, it felt like the falling in love part was already guaranteed & doesn’t felt as pure/genuine as i wanted. where’s the fun in that. ik maybe not everyone thinks so, but this girl needs to see the real progress. (not w/ only the knowledge of their history that they don’t even remember), but pure on their own efforts & w/ time, from strangers to smth more. i wanted see their love bloom kay

so while i see the potential of the romance at first, i don’t think i’m interested enough to continue on w/ the series, now that i know the reason they’re connected was cuz of some goddess’ mortal/immortal & balance/imbalance game. i just don’t like the direction it's going to go

also, the world still felt fuzzy to me, that one problem hasn’t changed sadly
Profile Image for Sophia Triad.
2,241 reviews3,766 followers
December 10, 2017
Just a suggestion: When the Devil says, “Lets the games begin,” see if you can run in the opposite direction.

If book 1 (Four Psychos) was the book of questions, book 2 (Three Trials) is the book of answers.
And (Shh! Don’t tell that I told you!) it is the book that the guys will finally grab the ghost girl.

With an even more intriguing book cover and a title that includes the word “trials”; it is obvious that games will be integrated in the main characters’ attempts to learn who they really are.

A fast paced story which happens mostly in the interesting, vast, unpredictable and dark area of HELL!

The four guys will discover new allies. The girl will discover her real family, her preferable family, her nickname and her true name (which name will make sense somehow…)

Hopefully we will have book 3 soon. Please.
Profile Image for Kat Kennedy.
475 reviews16.5k followers
March 8, 2019
Okay, so whilst there is a lot of action in the physical sense in which monsters needed to be slain and lives were on the line, I continue - and I can not express this strongly enough - to be searching through the pages wondering when the explosive, all-consuming and wickedly-delightful sex scenes are going to appear.

Like, I’m sorry, is this author even dedicated to the craft of whacking as many orgies in as taste and common decency allows? Have they no appreciation for our needs?! If I can count the sexual interactions from two books on one hand then I count that as underachieving.

If I have to sit through another conversation I don’t want to understand about imbalances and purities and the carefully constructed tightrope hell and heaven walk then I am going to start screaming.

I DON’T CARE ABOUT CHARACTER MOTIVATIONS AND DECEIT AND A WEB OF LIES AND PLOT THAT IS ENSNARING THE LEAD CHARACTERS!

I could do with more stabbing (literally and figuratively) and less chitchat about the conspiracies surrounding all the bit players!

Jesus!

Profile Image for Montzalee Wittmann.
5,217 reviews2,340 followers
June 9, 2019
Wow, lots of new secrets in here!

Three Trials by Kristy Cunning takes the story even farther and deeper into Hell ! More secrets about the guys are revealed, the girl, and details about the trial in Hell! One of the five is attacked, one dies, so you have to read to see who, what, when and where! Very exciting! This book gets very steamy!
Profile Image for Bex (Beckie Bookworm).
2,519 reviews1,595 followers
February 5, 2020
36839899._SX318_-1.jpg

This is the second book in the series and starts right back where we started with Keyla and her boys ready to enter the trial initiated by the devil himself.
It's full of twists and turns throughout and we finally get some answers regarding the origins of all five.
In regards to the heat factor here, things are heating up in more ways than one, in fact, its only Jude that's really holding himself back the others all seem to be openly competing for the position of her current favourite.
Keyla's powers are also manifesting at a very swift rate which makes a very interesting question on just who and what she actually is.
So as well as being action-packed this is again extremely funny with many fantastic lone-liners from both sides and if you like warped humour then this one certainly delivers on that.
I also adored Jude's nickname for her Treacherous Treasure to cute.
This series is fast turning into a favourite and I am looking forward to starting book three.

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Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com
Profile Image for MG *Bury Me with My Kindle.. & a REALLY Long Charger*.
587 reviews768 followers
January 25, 2022
(Update on 1/24/2022 - I finished the series and would give it a 3-3.5 rating; this one gets a 3)

Still not quite sure what to think about this story... But I am seriously going to send this author a thesaurus because there is way to f'ing much SMIRKING going on. FIND ANOTHER WORD!!

One sexy scene, and it was pretty steamy, but seemed a little impersonal the way that it went until the end, and I wasn't as big a fan of that.

Plot --- 3/5
Main Characters --- 3/5
Supporting Cast --- 3/5
Steam Level* --- 2.5/5
Violence --- yes but nothing domestic
Language --- definitely
POV --- 1st (h)

*Note that steam level is not a rating so much as a how hot was it: 0/5 - clean; 1/5 - mild (nothing descriptive); 2/5 - 3rd base action/1 home run; 3/5 - now we're getting somewhere (a couple of full-on steamy scenes); 4/5 - yes please! (erotica territory); 5/5 - they did EVERYTHING in this one, y'all
Profile Image for Melanie (mells_view).
1,930 reviews395 followers
December 5, 2017
I’m just sitting here trying to pick a favorite psycho!

People. If you like supernatural romance with a heavy dash of reverse harem and you’re not reading this series then you are TRULY missing out.

In book two we get so many answers to ghost girl, and the four psychos pasts/presents. I honestly had no clue what any of them truly were, but once the author lets us in on their true back story it all makes perfect sense.

The tensions from book one are fulfilled and I will say it was well worth the wait. There’s a bit more action in this book, less story building, but lots of info giving. All very entertaining and interesting.

All in all if you like PNR, with detailed back story that’s actually as interesting as the romance and naughty bits, then The Dark Side Books are for you!


https://instagram.com/p/BcUv7-wgCZ4/
^^Check out this fab edit I made on IG!
Profile Image for Lacey (laceybooklovers).
2,144 reviews12k followers
June 22, 2021
This was such a good sequel! The reveal about who the heroine and 4 heroes are was epic. This picks up right where book 1 left off with the series of brutal, violent trials the MCs have to survive. So when I say it’s action packed, it’s action packed. The romance picks up and deepens here as well (and it’s hottt). I just love these characters and all the ridiculous humor!
April 7, 2024
Still highly entertained by the humor in this series 😂
I also really enjoyed the spice leveling up in this book 👏
Such complex relationships, the mystery of “Keyla’s” existence, the engaging four psycho-squad-personalities, and the overall storyline make this a very enjoyable read 👌
4.75⭐️’s
Profile Image for Paige ♠.
314 reviews1,129 followers
July 15, 2021
This was really good! But the ending left me feeling a little mehhh so I think I still like the first one better

THE TRIALS OF HELL were fun to read and I enjoyed getting to explore all the creative ways in which hell really sucks haha. I'm always a big fan of "trial" or "tournament" plotlines

I DID NOT LIKE HOW EASILY some of the trials were solved though. It seemed like Keyla would just think of something bizarre that happened to work and idk... seemed too easy for me

🆗 THE ROMANCE AND SMUTTYNESS definitely stepped up a notch! I liked how she got a lot closer with the boys and had some one-on-one time with each of them during the trials. But the scene where the finally all got together didn't work for me

THE TWIST AT THE ENDING and the big reveal behind the mystery of Keyla's memory really bothered me for some reason. I just did not like how it made Keyla's bond with the boys seem "forced" and like it wasn't even their choice. But it does leave things interesting for the third book

Overall, even though there were some things I didn't like, it was still SO MUCH FUN! The characters were all hilarious and I loved their dialogue together - it also picked up a lot of steam, which you know I almost never complain about 😉
Profile Image for ❤️Emma Book Lover ❤️.
564 reviews305 followers
April 4, 2020
4 Moody Stars

The guys and Keyla (how they named ghost girl) are on the last trial. The hilariousness continues, the guys are still moody and assholes, but start to come around, at least 3 of them. This one is more action packed than the first book. We discover who they are, both the buys and ghost girl too.
Im still enjoying this very much..but the "favorite" matter starts to piss me off. I wish she would drop this stupid thing already (even if I know its a game between them). Oh..and we finally get some action in the sheets. Finally!!! the sexual tension started to get to me.

(ghost girl figures out why the guys are having mood swings 😂😂😂)
“Episodes of homicidal rage. Uncontrollable lust. Middle-of-the-night pizza cravings…Yep. You’re all totally synced up like these menstruating rocks,” I go on.
I get the usual groan.
“I mean, it’s right there in the word. Menstruating. It’d make more sense to define moody men.”
Profile Image for Al *the semi serial series skipper*.
1,659 reviews852 followers
April 14, 2018
This book set me on fire, I had to pause to drink some water because I was so thirsty .

I see there's no expected publication date for book three even though she said it was ready before this was released which was 4 months ago, what is going on?! We don't even have a cover! I need more sex drama with my boys.
Profile Image for Alaina.
7,359 reviews203 followers
February 14, 2019
devoured the shit out of this book.

Three Trials was a book that brought these five closer together. Now when I say these five, I mean the five people you met in the previous book: Jude, Gage, Kai, Ezekiel, and Keyla. Their chemistry and relationships are definitely growing and getting stronger. They just need to stop pissing off Keyla and making her feel unappreciated. Mostly because she saves their asses way too many times for them to do that.

I really enjoyed this book because we got to know more about their past - especially Keyla's. I especially loved how she totally called what the guys actually represented but had no flipping idea who she was. It made things a bit more interesting because I'm still trying to figure out why she was a spirit in the first place. Who tried to kill her back then and who is trying to kill her now? So many freaking questions are swimming around in my mind which is why I need to dive into the next book ASAP!

Overall, I'm loving all the characters right now and their relationships. The smut got 10x better in this one and I'm so happy that they have finally accepted her. I'm hoping for great things in the third book.
Profile Image for Rhea_Sways.
498 reviews110 followers
December 20, 2017
Mediocre.
Here for some Reverse Harem Action.
Mostly Bland.
Not all that exciting.
Flat characters.
Supposed great legacy.
More talking and less action.
Skipping over things.
PLOT HOLES.
Everything is just a little too easy and perfect for MCs.
GRAMMATICAL ERRORS TO LAST A LIFETIME..

Profile Image for ash |.
607 reviews118 followers
April 25, 2019
Four Psychos ★★★★★

I JUST CAN'T WITH THESE COVERS.
SO
SEXY
AND
GORGEOUS
OMG AJ@H% THAT BEDROOM SCENE --- IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT.
This book. This was so good.
Kai is my current favorite. Gage is such a close second.
Profile Image for &#x1f338; Tana &#x1f338;.
579 reviews95 followers
July 21, 2022
21/07/2022

2022 reads book 30

“I don’t even particularly like you at the moment, yet I’d still stop my heart from beating if it meant saving yours from such a fate.”

Many answers were given, more questions have risen. Not a big twist, seeing how she was talking about the "twist" since the beginning, but her identity is a clever idea. Can't wait to see what happens in the next one.

Also only now realized that the titles of the books are counting down, because I'm an idiot.
Profile Image for Annika.
467 reviews124 followers
January 1, 2018
description

More fun, more snark, more action, more hotness.
I'm thoroughly enjoying this series. It's an easy read and perfect for the times when your brain just needs to shut down for a while.

Also, this is surprisingly (and blessedly) non-smutty, so if you're looking for some dirty Erotica, these books aren't for you.

I did like the first one more, though, since there was quite a bit of info dumping in this one, and the trials felt a little drawn out.
Profile Image for Allie MacDonald.
169 reviews57 followers
October 10, 2025
I am obsessed with this series. Book two somehow manages to be even better than Four Psychos. The trials were wild, the tension was perfect, and we finally start getting some answers about the heroine and her connection to the guys-but of course, still not enough to stop me from immediately grabbing the next one.

The chemistry in this book?? Off the charts. The banter, the chaos, the slow-burn tension!!!!! I was either laughing, swooning or literally yelling “WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!” every few chapters. It’s got the perfect mix of dark humor, spice, and mystery that just hits different.
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