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Man Cave
WARNING:
This is an extreme horror novel and contains scenes of explicit and graphic rape, torture, gore and violence. It is intended for mature readers only.
Because bad things happen....
When Sophie and Amber leave their college campus and travel across the state in pursuit of love, they find lust instead. Or rather, the lustful, sadistic man they know only as Ben.
Abducted and held within Ben's dirty garage, things rapidly turn grim for Sophie and Amber who are repeatedly tortured, raped and abused in horrific ways--physically, mentally and emotionally. With an unquenchable thirst for savagery, Ben's brutality increases with each passing day, leaving the poor young women entirely at his mercy. Unfortunately for them, his ability to be merciful is about as limited as his supply of morals.
Will Sophie and Amber find a way to escape? Will they survive the depravity? Or will their lives end there in Ben's deplorable man cave?
This is an extreme horror novel and contains scenes of explicit and graphic rape, torture, gore and violence. It is intended for mature readers only.
Because bad things happen....
When Sophie and Amber leave their college campus and travel across the state in pursuit of love, they find lust instead. Or rather, the lustful, sadistic man they know only as Ben.
Abducted and held within Ben's dirty garage, things rapidly turn grim for Sophie and Amber who are repeatedly tortured, raped and abused in horrific ways--physically, mentally and emotionally. With an unquenchable thirst for savagery, Ben's brutality increases with each passing day, leaving the poor young women entirely at his mercy. Unfortunately for them, his ability to be merciful is about as limited as his supply of morals.
Will Sophie and Amber find a way to escape? Will they survive the depravity? Or will their lives end there in Ben's deplorable man cave?
387 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 21, 2018
28 people are currently reading
667 people want to read
About the author
Angel Gelique
19 books473 followersTake my hand and let me lead you to the dark side....
I don't want you to curl up and be cozy; I want to take you well out of your comfort zone.
I don't want to send a tingle up your spine; I want to paralyze you with fear.
I don't want you to read about a character's fright; I want you to experience it.
I don't want to take you down a well-traveled path; I want to lead you beyond the shadows into a realm of darkness beyond your wildest imagination.
Because ordinary horror is for ordinary people.
Dare to be extraordinary.
If you ever give my books a try, I would love to receive your comments, suggestions and/or critique. I never, ever grumble about negative reviews. I value honest, constructive criticism and am always happy to answer any questions you may have. Feel free to reach out to me here on Goodreads or via email at: angelgeliquebooks@gmail.com
I can't begin to express my gratitude for all of you awesome readers and the many wonderful friends I've met here on Goodreads. Thank you for your continued support.
Happy reading (and writing)!
I don't want you to curl up and be cozy; I want to take you well out of your comfort zone.
I don't want to send a tingle up your spine; I want to paralyze you with fear.
I don't want you to read about a character's fright; I want you to experience it.
I don't want to take you down a well-traveled path; I want to lead you beyond the shadows into a realm of darkness beyond your wildest imagination.
Because ordinary horror is for ordinary people.
Dare to be extraordinary.
If you ever give my books a try, I would love to receive your comments, suggestions and/or critique. I never, ever grumble about negative reviews. I value honest, constructive criticism and am always happy to answer any questions you may have. Feel free to reach out to me here on Goodreads or via email at: angelgeliquebooks@gmail.com
I can't begin to express my gratitude for all of you awesome readers and the many wonderful friends I've met here on Goodreads. Thank you for your continued support.
Happy reading (and writing)!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
June 11, 2020
WARNING - EXTREME HORROR - FOR IRON STOMACHS ONLY!
I would definitely heed the warnings on this book as it contains everything splatterpunk including the kitchen sink which is filled with body parts floating in blood!
Best friends, Sophie and Amber leave college and decide to take a mini road trip to find love, but they end up taking a detour into a small town bar where they end up meeting Ben.
At first they think Ben is harmless as he starts flirting around with the two friends, but when they both ignore his advances, he gets pissed off and decides to carry out unspeakable acts of violence against the two girls.
He kidnaps them and hauls them back to his property where he has made his own "man cave" which he ends up turning into a torture chamber. Ben is also not a "single" psycho as he is a "married" psycho which he lets loose on his wife with plenty of torture throughout the book.
Amber and Sophie endure every kind of torture imaginable from Ben and not just physical torture, but psychological torture too.
This book has it all as far as every type of gory situation that you can imagine within its pages!
It is not for the faint of heart and I do mean that literally!
If you get just a tiny bit squeamish and you cannot handle any kind of torture, rape, gore, and cannibalism, then do not read this book! But for you horror fans that have stomachs of steel, then by all means pick this book up and let the ride begin.....into terror! Five "blood-soaked" stars!!
Highly recommend to all extreme horror fans!
I would definitely heed the warnings on this book as it contains everything splatterpunk including the kitchen sink which is filled with body parts floating in blood!
Best friends, Sophie and Amber leave college and decide to take a mini road trip to find love, but they end up taking a detour into a small town bar where they end up meeting Ben.
At first they think Ben is harmless as he starts flirting around with the two friends, but when they both ignore his advances, he gets pissed off and decides to carry out unspeakable acts of violence against the two girls.
He kidnaps them and hauls them back to his property where he has made his own "man cave" which he ends up turning into a torture chamber. Ben is also not a "single" psycho as he is a "married" psycho which he lets loose on his wife with plenty of torture throughout the book.
Amber and Sophie endure every kind of torture imaginable from Ben and not just physical torture, but psychological torture too.
This book has it all as far as every type of gory situation that you can imagine within its pages!
It is not for the faint of heart and I do mean that literally!
If you get just a tiny bit squeamish and you cannot handle any kind of torture, rape, gore, and cannibalism, then do not read this book! But for you horror fans that have stomachs of steel, then by all means pick this book up and let the ride begin.....into terror! Five "blood-soaked" stars!!
Highly recommend to all extreme horror fans!
November 4, 2023
Oof. And I thought Omerion was brutal.
I hardly know where to start.
I guess I’ll start with the obvious. This book will not be for everyone. It won’t even be for the average horror reader. Scanning the reviews, you will see Angel Gelique’s Man Cave described by other reviewers as some very hardcore extreme horror. It’s all quite, quite true, I can assure you. What follows from the not-so-innocent looking cover with the bloody saw and the blood-soaked font for the title is an unflinching, unrelenting, and unapologetically brutal story involving the worst kind of human behavior. It is raw, base, disturbing as all get out, extraordinarily violent, and forces you to look at the worst things that can happen to women. One day, when I was near the end of the book, I found myself sort of listlessly walking along the street, thinking and despairing of what had happened to poor Sophie and Amber. It created such a weighing sense of helplessness. And these were FICTIONAL characters! If you see what I frequently read, that’s saying something that a story could stick with me as Man Cave.
But there’s something else this book is not – it is not a story with no purpose or just sordid or disturbing or gross just to be gross . It is not just shock value. There are characters in here you care about and characters you have hope for and characters you will hate. The gamut of emotions is very powerful in this story. Amber and Sofie run through everything. They Benny’s horrendous tactics elicit real revulsion. A I also found Benny’s wife, Mimi, compelling, including I also thought Gelique captured well the organic transitions and emotional push and pull our feelings can have in such extreme situations. There were a few passages in particular that struck me, like the following:
There’s another part where It is the non-linear, messy even, back and forth in emotions in such a dire situation that Gelique did very well here.
On a side note, I’ve been trying to get some of these indie author and small press books in paperback. I don’t know if this one was done by Amazon’s print on demand or through a third-party vendor, but the quality was quite good and it held up well between being read and put into a book bag while moving about, etc. I was quite pleased with that.
Gelique’s very candid and upfront about the book’s theme – “because bad things happen.” As I was reading it, seemed to me that the corollary to that was that sometimes—maybe even a lot of times—there’s no real reason for those bad things to happen. No reason why a particular bad thing should happen to a particular person. That, to me, was one of the reasons it felt so powerful.
Literature, stories, etc. are supposed to speak to us, right? The good ones affect us in any number of ways. Even when it is about bad things, it can affect us, instruct us, and quite possibly move us. Yes, bad things happen. Seems to me that we can’t shy away from seeing that, exploring that, and understanding it. Why bad things happen, and what, if anything, we can do about it. Ignoring why bad things happen doesn’t help. Shying away from stories that tell us about bad things doesn’t help either. Again, this could just be me, but aside from enjoying reading, stories should move us. This one did.
So, yeah, bad things happen in real life. For 99.999999% of it, there’s absolutely not a damn thing I can do about it. I can’t end wars. I wouldn’t even begin to know how to approach international conflicts. Last I checked bullets wouldn’t bounce off my chest (though it would be really awesome if they would, I won’t lie.) But Angel Gelique has reminded me that what I can do, maybe I should work a little harder at doing. So the next barista I see, there’s going to be a bit more in the tip jar. The next kiss goodnight to my spouse is going to last a little longer. When I walk into a building, I’ll wait that extra ten seconds to hold the door so it won’t drop on them. I’m going to wave to my neighbors and greet them with a good morning instead of sometimes being absorbed on my phone. If someone looks like they’re having a rough day, give them a smile or a greeting. Or maybe try to commiserate. Everyone likes donuts—maybe tomorrow I bring a box in to work. Offer to help if someone is struggling to lift something or move something. I guaran—effin—tee the next time I see someone out of gas and pushing their car, I’m getting out of mine to help push. Those are just little examples. Maybe even silly, pointless ones. But it’s something.
Was this what Angel Gelique intended? Dunno.
Is my reaction even a reasonable one? Again… dunno.
But if I can offset some of the bad things in REAL life by working harder at being extra good to people, you can bet your butt I’m going to do it. I make no apologies for that.
Anyway, I’m being goofy. Man Cave is an amazing book. It took bravery to put something like this story out there that is shocking without being just about being shocking. I encourage people to be brave and give it a whack.
Addendum: I had a re-read with the wonderfully morbid folks belonging to the Extreme Gore Whores. Good discussions and the incomparable Angel Gelique actually popped in for Q&A and to interact. That was really cool. And I had thought its horrific impact might have been lessened by knowing where the story was going and where it would end up. Nope. It was still just as viscerally brutal and impactful. To me, at least based on what I have read, this is one of the cornerstones of this genre, if not THE definitive extreme horror novel.
I hardly know where to start.
I guess I’ll start with the obvious. This book will not be for everyone. It won’t even be for the average horror reader. Scanning the reviews, you will see Angel Gelique’s Man Cave described by other reviewers as some very hardcore extreme horror. It’s all quite, quite true, I can assure you. What follows from the not-so-innocent looking cover with the bloody saw and the blood-soaked font for the title is an unflinching, unrelenting, and unapologetically brutal story involving the worst kind of human behavior. It is raw, base, disturbing as all get out, extraordinarily violent, and forces you to look at the worst things that can happen to women. One day, when I was near the end of the book, I found myself sort of listlessly walking along the street, thinking and despairing of what had happened to poor Sophie and Amber. It created such a weighing sense of helplessness. And these were FICTIONAL characters! If you see what I frequently read, that’s saying something that a story could stick with me as Man Cave.
But there’s something else this book is not – it is not a story with no purpose or just sordid or disturbing or gross just to be gross . It is not just shock value. There are characters in here you care about and characters you have hope for and characters you will hate. The gamut of emotions is very powerful in this story. Amber and Sofie run through everything. They Benny’s horrendous tactics elicit real revulsion. A I also found Benny’s wife, Mimi, compelling, including I also thought Gelique captured well the organic transitions and emotional push and pull our feelings can have in such extreme situations. There were a few passages in particular that struck me, like the following:
There’s another part where It is the non-linear, messy even, back and forth in emotions in such a dire situation that Gelique did very well here.
On a side note, I’ve been trying to get some of these indie author and small press books in paperback. I don’t know if this one was done by Amazon’s print on demand or through a third-party vendor, but the quality was quite good and it held up well between being read and put into a book bag while moving about, etc. I was quite pleased with that.
Gelique’s very candid and upfront about the book’s theme – “because bad things happen.” As I was reading it, seemed to me that the corollary to that was that sometimes—maybe even a lot of times—there’s no real reason for those bad things to happen. No reason why a particular bad thing should happen to a particular person. That, to me, was one of the reasons it felt so powerful.
Literature, stories, etc. are supposed to speak to us, right? The good ones affect us in any number of ways. Even when it is about bad things, it can affect us, instruct us, and quite possibly move us. Yes, bad things happen. Seems to me that we can’t shy away from seeing that, exploring that, and understanding it. Why bad things happen, and what, if anything, we can do about it. Ignoring why bad things happen doesn’t help. Shying away from stories that tell us about bad things doesn’t help either. Again, this could just be me, but aside from enjoying reading, stories should move us. This one did.
So, yeah, bad things happen in real life. For 99.999999% of it, there’s absolutely not a damn thing I can do about it. I can’t end wars. I wouldn’t even begin to know how to approach international conflicts. Last I checked bullets wouldn’t bounce off my chest (though it would be really awesome if they would, I won’t lie.) But Angel Gelique has reminded me that what I can do, maybe I should work a little harder at doing. So the next barista I see, there’s going to be a bit more in the tip jar. The next kiss goodnight to my spouse is going to last a little longer. When I walk into a building, I’ll wait that extra ten seconds to hold the door so it won’t drop on them. I’m going to wave to my neighbors and greet them with a good morning instead of sometimes being absorbed on my phone. If someone looks like they’re having a rough day, give them a smile or a greeting. Or maybe try to commiserate. Everyone likes donuts—maybe tomorrow I bring a box in to work. Offer to help if someone is struggling to lift something or move something. I guaran—effin—tee the next time I see someone out of gas and pushing their car, I’m getting out of mine to help push. Those are just little examples. Maybe even silly, pointless ones. But it’s something.
Was this what Angel Gelique intended? Dunno.
Is my reaction even a reasonable one? Again… dunno.
But if I can offset some of the bad things in REAL life by working harder at being extra good to people, you can bet your butt I’m going to do it. I make no apologies for that.
Anyway, I’m being goofy. Man Cave is an amazing book. It took bravery to put something like this story out there that is shocking without being just about being shocking. I encourage people to be brave and give it a whack.
Addendum: I had a re-read with the wonderfully morbid folks belonging to the Extreme Gore Whores. Good discussions and the incomparable Angel Gelique actually popped in for Q&A and to interact. That was really cool. And I had thought its horrific impact might have been lessened by knowing where the story was going and where it would end up. Nope. It was still just as viscerally brutal and impactful. To me, at least based on what I have read, this is one of the cornerstones of this genre, if not THE definitive extreme horror novel.
April 8, 2021
Two college girls on a road trip stop at a rural bar where they are harassed by a male customer. Little do they know that they will shortly encounter Ben Merrit again, when he takes them captive to his man cave, the garage of his home. This novel presses every button in the extreme system as the two girls are tortured and mishandled in every way possible. Ben is a despicable character, who is vicious to his wife as well as his captured "visitors." His wife is unaware of what occurs in the man cave, and has no idea what is going on in her own home.
Angel Gelique has created a masterpiece of extreme horror and suspense. I read this book in record time, anxious to find out what would become of the captured and their captor. The writing is clear and compelling, and I spent every moment reading on the edge of my seat. The ending is to die for.
Angel Gelique has created a masterpiece of extreme horror and suspense. I read this book in record time, anxious to find out what would become of the captured and their captor. The writing is clear and compelling, and I spent every moment reading on the edge of my seat. The ending is to die for.
Read
July 23, 2018This book is not for everyone because it contains material that many people may find offensive. It is brutal, gory, sick, twisted, sexually explicit and depraved. It is intended for readers who can handle extreme/hardcore horror stories.
Please heed the warnings.
Please heed the warnings.
November 8, 2023
Oh man, this has to be the most graphic, extreme horror book which I have ever read, and I’ve read a helluva lot.
Ben Merrit is drinking in his local bar, when Amber and Sophie, out of town college students, on a road trip, enter, full of beauty, youth and fun…and Ben wants ‘em!!
After trying his best flirt on, and getting rejected by them both, Ben is kicked out of the bar. Furious and rejected, Ben attacks the girls when they leave the bar, and takes them to his garage, which has been turned into a “Man Cave”. Amber and Sophie are tied up and subjected to the worst torture imaginable.
I love extreme horror, and this is VERY extreme!! This book is full of blood, gore, torture, rape, cannibalism, and just about everything you can imagine. This book was shocking, and at times was a slightly uncomfortable read. The book is full of the most heinous acts a man could do to a woman, but it also has a solid story. There is a lot of character development and my heart broke for each of the victims. Anyone who reads this, should seriously take note of the ‘Trigger Warnings’ because there are plenty, from the beginning to the end…and about that ending 😱 absolutely brilliant and unexpected!!
Highly recommended to everyone who loves extreme horror. I loved it!!
This was a group read within the “Extreme Gore Whores”, and we were kindly joined by the author, Angel Gelique, for a Q&A…thank you so much my friend 🖤
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ben Merrit is drinking in his local bar, when Amber and Sophie, out of town college students, on a road trip, enter, full of beauty, youth and fun…and Ben wants ‘em!!
After trying his best flirt on, and getting rejected by them both, Ben is kicked out of the bar. Furious and rejected, Ben attacks the girls when they leave the bar, and takes them to his garage, which has been turned into a “Man Cave”. Amber and Sophie are tied up and subjected to the worst torture imaginable.
I love extreme horror, and this is VERY extreme!! This book is full of blood, gore, torture, rape, cannibalism, and just about everything you can imagine. This book was shocking, and at times was a slightly uncomfortable read. The book is full of the most heinous acts a man could do to a woman, but it also has a solid story. There is a lot of character development and my heart broke for each of the victims. Anyone who reads this, should seriously take note of the ‘Trigger Warnings’ because there are plenty, from the beginning to the end…and about that ending 😱 absolutely brilliant and unexpected!!
Highly recommended to everyone who loves extreme horror. I loved it!!
This was a group read within the “Extreme Gore Whores”, and we were kindly joined by the author, Angel Gelique, for a Q&A…thank you so much my friend 🖤
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
December 19, 2021
Sophie and Amber manage to get kidnapped outside a bar by a dude named "Ben". They end up in his nasty garage aka Man Cave. Repeatedly tortured, raped and abused in horrific ways the girls find that Ben's depravity has no limits. I seriously mean no limits. I had several "oh damn" moments where I had to pick my jaw off the floor. No one is shown mercy, especially not Ben's long suffering wife. If I could give this book 6 stars I would.
🙀🙀🙀🙀🙀
🙀🙀🙀🙀🙀
August 24, 2023
I am way, way late to this party, I know! I actually had this book on my TBR for about 3 years! I can only say that I am so sorry I didn't get to it sooner, I saw all the hype, and that hype was absolutely justified! This book is incredible!!!! 🖤
Ben is a controlling husband to say the least. His long suffering wife, Mimi, knows to just play along and be obedient, unless she wants to suffer the consequences. But even that isn't enough in the end. Ben's abuse at the hands of his father as a child, still resonates strongly in his head and continues to impact how he thinks and how he treats his wife, and others. It has a lot to do with what happens next….
Sitting in his local dive bar one night, two women, Sophie and Amber, who are very clearly out of place there with their supermodel good looks and classy clothing, stroll in. It will be the biggest mistake they ever make….!
Ben returns home to find his wife in need of help, but he leaves her to it, after all, she can take care of herself right? She does it all the time. He goes off to his man cave, where the voice of his father taunts and goads him until he snaps! He's not right in the head, so it doesn't take much convincing from the voice he hears to make him return to the bar. And then back home again, this time with the girls in tow….
And that is where things start to get super nasty. And they continue to do so, in varying degrees, but mostly at maximum output, right up until the end of the story!
The girls are determined to persuade and manipulate Ben into letting them go, convinced their womanly charms will work on him, but that just makes him more intent on his torturous plans! The mental anguish they suffer, even makes the girls turn on each other, especially when they are left alone, cold, hungry and in pain in the night, with nothing more than the cries of torment and the thoughts running wild in their heads!
Ben splits himself between his idea of 'caring' for his wife, going to work, and torturing the hell out of his 'sex toys'. He dishes out torture, degradation and humiliation in equal measure to all of the women, his wife included, just in different, sadistic and mind bending ways! And he comes up with a super sadistic way to ensure that Amber cooperates with him. He has a bit of a fondness for her and wants to keep her around as long as possible, he's deluded into believing she may come around and fall in love with him.
Forced to watch her friend's awful demise, Amber becomes bitter and angry towards her too, and we watch her slow, painful descent into insanity, her mind breaking, until she feels the only way she can survive is to act like she is cooperating, like she wants him to do the things he does. But does that just make Ben worse? Because now he thinks he can get away with more? Making it unclear whether his affections or the torture he forces upon her, are the worst. For the first time in her life, Amber feels envious of her best friend, as Sophie's torture ends and Amber's is only just beginning….
The life Ben invents in his head, with him and Amber, is incredibly disturbing. He also seems to have a lot of conflicting feelings breaking through every now and then, like he knows that what he is doing is mean and wrong, but the voice in his head is telling him that it's necessary, and in the heat of the moment, he agrees! After all the years of abuse as a child, he still wants to please his father, to earn his sick, twisted respect!
5 months later things take a truly sad and horrific turn, and this story gets a lot tougher to read. Something has snapped in Amber, she has changed massively in this time, and when Ben discovers the main reason for it, he sees red and goes utterly and terrifyingly ballistic!
Mimi is a broken woman, completely and utterly destroyed by Ben, and when she discovers his secret, she's torn between being thankful that someone else is on the other end of his sadism, and being scared for her life if he finds out that she knows, yet also, anger at the betrayal by both Ben and Amber towards her. Little does she realise just how much she has in common with the girl in the man cave…
Things have gone too far for Amber now, there's no going back, no escape, her life is well and truly changed, as are her feelings towards men, naturally……
Such a smoothly flowing and addictive story, completely captivating. Vivid imagery and scene setting made for a lot of squirming on my part! Ben's character is completely sick, twisted, deluded, vile and barbaric, and the hatred you are made to feel towards him is palpable! This story is utterly horrific and depraved, but deeply moving too. My heart went out to the girls, and to Mimi, even, very briefly, to Ben!
The brutality and sadistic elements just kept escalating, chock full of total depravity. Shocking and vile, this book tears your heart out, whilst at the same time, causing you vomit inducing horror! And, when you think you've reached the peak of depravity, that it can't possibly get any worse, Angel racks it up another disgustingly depraved and outright nasty notch!!
Fast paced and absolutely rammed full of immorality, this will leave you shocked, breathless and reeling! And what a fantastically cathartic ending!
Ben is a controlling husband to say the least. His long suffering wife, Mimi, knows to just play along and be obedient, unless she wants to suffer the consequences. But even that isn't enough in the end. Ben's abuse at the hands of his father as a child, still resonates strongly in his head and continues to impact how he thinks and how he treats his wife, and others. It has a lot to do with what happens next….
Sitting in his local dive bar one night, two women, Sophie and Amber, who are very clearly out of place there with their supermodel good looks and classy clothing, stroll in. It will be the biggest mistake they ever make….!
Ben returns home to find his wife in need of help, but he leaves her to it, after all, she can take care of herself right? She does it all the time. He goes off to his man cave, where the voice of his father taunts and goads him until he snaps! He's not right in the head, so it doesn't take much convincing from the voice he hears to make him return to the bar. And then back home again, this time with the girls in tow….
And that is where things start to get super nasty. And they continue to do so, in varying degrees, but mostly at maximum output, right up until the end of the story!
The girls are determined to persuade and manipulate Ben into letting them go, convinced their womanly charms will work on him, but that just makes him more intent on his torturous plans! The mental anguish they suffer, even makes the girls turn on each other, especially when they are left alone, cold, hungry and in pain in the night, with nothing more than the cries of torment and the thoughts running wild in their heads!
Ben splits himself between his idea of 'caring' for his wife, going to work, and torturing the hell out of his 'sex toys'. He dishes out torture, degradation and humiliation in equal measure to all of the women, his wife included, just in different, sadistic and mind bending ways! And he comes up with a super sadistic way to ensure that Amber cooperates with him. He has a bit of a fondness for her and wants to keep her around as long as possible, he's deluded into believing she may come around and fall in love with him.
Forced to watch her friend's awful demise, Amber becomes bitter and angry towards her too, and we watch her slow, painful descent into insanity, her mind breaking, until she feels the only way she can survive is to act like she is cooperating, like she wants him to do the things he does. But does that just make Ben worse? Because now he thinks he can get away with more? Making it unclear whether his affections or the torture he forces upon her, are the worst. For the first time in her life, Amber feels envious of her best friend, as Sophie's torture ends and Amber's is only just beginning….
The life Ben invents in his head, with him and Amber, is incredibly disturbing. He also seems to have a lot of conflicting feelings breaking through every now and then, like he knows that what he is doing is mean and wrong, but the voice in his head is telling him that it's necessary, and in the heat of the moment, he agrees! After all the years of abuse as a child, he still wants to please his father, to earn his sick, twisted respect!
5 months later things take a truly sad and horrific turn, and this story gets a lot tougher to read. Something has snapped in Amber, she has changed massively in this time, and when Ben discovers the main reason for it, he sees red and goes utterly and terrifyingly ballistic!
Mimi is a broken woman, completely and utterly destroyed by Ben, and when she discovers his secret, she's torn between being thankful that someone else is on the other end of his sadism, and being scared for her life if he finds out that she knows, yet also, anger at the betrayal by both Ben and Amber towards her. Little does she realise just how much she has in common with the girl in the man cave…
Things have gone too far for Amber now, there's no going back, no escape, her life is well and truly changed, as are her feelings towards men, naturally……
Such a smoothly flowing and addictive story, completely captivating. Vivid imagery and scene setting made for a lot of squirming on my part! Ben's character is completely sick, twisted, deluded, vile and barbaric, and the hatred you are made to feel towards him is palpable! This story is utterly horrific and depraved, but deeply moving too. My heart went out to the girls, and to Mimi, even, very briefly, to Ben!
The brutality and sadistic elements just kept escalating, chock full of total depravity. Shocking and vile, this book tears your heart out, whilst at the same time, causing you vomit inducing horror! And, when you think you've reached the peak of depravity, that it can't possibly get any worse, Angel racks it up another disgustingly depraved and outright nasty notch!!
Fast paced and absolutely rammed full of immorality, this will leave you shocked, breathless and reeling! And what a fantastically cathartic ending!
November 8, 2023
Extremely extreme!
Story 4.5/5
Narration 5/5
If you want a story with nightmarish graphic torture, unspeakable vileness against three innocent women, inflicted by one of the most vile fictional serial killers, Angel Gelique's Man Cave is for you.
I rated it 4.5/5 and not 5/5 because I would have liked there to be a little more development in the story, in addition to the atrocious acts of torture. I was about to lose interest in Ben’s madness. It was almost becoming too much exaggerated, for my taste. And I would have preferred that the victim's situation started in another way. In a situation where this could have happened to anyone, not because they walked into a creepy bar without telling anyone where they were.
Be aware of the trigger warning. The main character is extremely vile!
I recommend Man Cave to Splatterpunk fans only!
Story 4.5/5
Narration 5/5
If you want a story with nightmarish graphic torture, unspeakable vileness against three innocent women, inflicted by one of the most vile fictional serial killers, Angel Gelique's Man Cave is for you.
I rated it 4.5/5 and not 5/5 because I would have liked there to be a little more development in the story, in addition to the atrocious acts of torture. I was about to lose interest in Ben’s madness. It was almost becoming too much exaggerated, for my taste. And I would have preferred that the victim's situation started in another way. In a situation where this could have happened to anyone, not because they walked into a creepy bar without telling anyone where they were.
Be aware of the trigger warning. The main character is extremely vile!
I recommend Man Cave to Splatterpunk fans only!
November 3, 2023
'When Skyes Are Grey And Clouds Are Black - Enter The Cave, At Your Peril'
Man Cave is a wonderful example of a well constructed, no holds barred, ultra-extreme captivating horror story that certainly leaves nothing to the imagination. Graphically challenging and explicit in content throughout, regular triggers included in the narrative range from abduction and torture to extreme physical, mental and emotional abuse leading ultimately to obscenities, depravity and murder, but maybe, just maybe, also to a certain kind of peacefully, bliss retribution.
Ben is a domestically abusive sadistic monster who goes out looking for 'love' and, after being rejected by two young women in a local bar, he decides to take action into his own hands with the aim of turning the girls into his very own personal sex slaves. Returning back to his cave, his sick and disgusting maltreatment is about to begin. Hope now seems but just a pipe dream to his victims, and with personal futures appearing destroyed and in tatters, do they have any realistic chance of surviving their truly grotesque and despicable life-changing ordeal? Time alone will surely tell.
A big thank you to the author for finding the time to provide valuable and genuinely fascinating input and background information to our 'Extreme Gore Whores' reading group members - much appreciated, Angel, once again, thank you so, so much!
Finally, as Angel herself quite rightly says, the reader should endeavour to see passed the hardcore abuse itself, and give time to think about the plight of the actual victims themselves. A valid point worth remembering indeed!
Highly recommended to readers of extreme horror only.
Rating: 4.7 dark stars of downright evil badness.
Man Cave is a wonderful example of a well constructed, no holds barred, ultra-extreme captivating horror story that certainly leaves nothing to the imagination. Graphically challenging and explicit in content throughout, regular triggers included in the narrative range from abduction and torture to extreme physical, mental and emotional abuse leading ultimately to obscenities, depravity and murder, but maybe, just maybe, also to a certain kind of peacefully, bliss retribution.
Ben is a domestically abusive sadistic monster who goes out looking for 'love' and, after being rejected by two young women in a local bar, he decides to take action into his own hands with the aim of turning the girls into his very own personal sex slaves. Returning back to his cave, his sick and disgusting maltreatment is about to begin. Hope now seems but just a pipe dream to his victims, and with personal futures appearing destroyed and in tatters, do they have any realistic chance of surviving their truly grotesque and despicable life-changing ordeal? Time alone will surely tell.
A big thank you to the author for finding the time to provide valuable and genuinely fascinating input and background information to our 'Extreme Gore Whores' reading group members - much appreciated, Angel, once again, thank you so, so much!
Finally, as Angel herself quite rightly says, the reader should endeavour to see passed the hardcore abuse itself, and give time to think about the plight of the actual victims themselves. A valid point worth remembering indeed!
Highly recommended to readers of extreme horror only.
Rating: 4.7 dark stars of downright evil badness.
January 27, 2024
This was fun in the beginning and an absolute blast towards the end, but the middle was quite the snoozer. The majority of the story is told from the perspective of the antagonist Ben, and I found myself enjoying the parts told in third-person so much more. The way the first-person account is told gives off a comedy-type vibe and manages to be perpetually outrageous but not in a good way. I absolutely loved the very end, but that's almost it as far as praise goes for this one. I wanted this to be comparable to Jon Athan's The Groomer, but this was trashier, had many more shock value-esque qualities, and wasn't a particularly compelling story. This is mostly just a firsthand telling of a bunch of rape and torture with no real substance, and to say it overstays its welcome would be an understatement. I'll give this a 3/5, but that seems generous, especially considering how it took an epic ending to save this entire thing from being a complete waste of time.
June 25, 2023
From the cover and the back blurb, you know this is going to be some hard core torture porn, and yes Gelique delivers that in spades here. Gelique writes in the extreme horror genre and Man Cave represents it well. What makes this so good, however, revolves around the psychological aspects of the two kidnapped women and the oh so dark humor Gelique brings to the story.
Ben, our main antagonist, is truly one sick mofo and a character you love to hate. Man Cave starts off with Ben beating his wife, both physically and psychologically, before he goes out to the local pub to do some boozing and hopefully screw a slutty barhag. He has an epiphany, however, when two lovely coeds enter the bar-- a new use for his Man Cave, e.g., his two car detached garage. Once he has Sophie and Amber (our main protagonist) safely tied up in his cave, the party starts, at least for nasty Ben...
Ben basically possesses something of a split personality, with his 'father' goading him on to more and more extreme actions with poor Sophie and Amber. Gelique notes in a few key places that yes, bad things happen to people, but Amber's mantra is something she learned from her father-- Use your head, don't lose your head. As things develop, Amber never gives up hope, however and Gelique brings this to a smashing denouement for sure.
The dark humor worked for me, but may not be for everyone. Ben's endless ruminations about the 1 to 10 'stink factor' of his shit and farts; his contemplation of his genital warts and his other STDs; and of course lots of 'sexual' innuendos. I read this in one sitting as it was hard to put down. Would I recommend this? Maybe, if you want a rough ride. Fans of Ed Lee would probably like this due to the dark humor. This is my second book by Gelique and she is definitely worth checking out if you like horror on the extreme side. 4 stars!!
Ben, our main antagonist, is truly one sick mofo and a character you love to hate. Man Cave starts off with Ben beating his wife, both physically and psychologically, before he goes out to the local pub to do some boozing and hopefully screw a slutty barhag. He has an epiphany, however, when two lovely coeds enter the bar-- a new use for his Man Cave, e.g., his two car detached garage. Once he has Sophie and Amber (our main protagonist) safely tied up in his cave, the party starts, at least for nasty Ben...
Ben basically possesses something of a split personality, with his 'father' goading him on to more and more extreme actions with poor Sophie and Amber. Gelique notes in a few key places that yes, bad things happen to people, but Amber's mantra is something she learned from her father-- Use your head, don't lose your head. As things develop, Amber never gives up hope, however and Gelique brings this to a smashing denouement for sure.
The dark humor worked for me, but may not be for everyone. Ben's endless ruminations about the 1 to 10 'stink factor' of his shit and farts; his contemplation of his genital warts and his other STDs; and of course lots of 'sexual' innuendos. I read this in one sitting as it was hard to put down. Would I recommend this? Maybe, if you want a rough ride. Fans of Ed Lee would probably like this due to the dark humor. This is my second book by Gelique and she is definitely worth checking out if you like horror on the extreme side. 4 stars!!
February 15, 2023
One of the most hard-hitting extreme horror books I’ve ever read! Gritty, disturbing, and relentless in how Gelique amps up the gore (it gets real bad real quick). It was perfect up until the epilogue. I don’t think the epilogue was necessary and it kind of felt tacked-on and under-developed. I like the idea behind it, but the execution was rushed and way too underdeveloped to make it work in the context of this story. 90% of the story is gritty, realistic darkness… and for the last bit to suddenly turn into this wish fulfillment fantasy? Yeah, no. Either way, I still really loved this. I’d recommend it to fans of books like The Summer I Died and films like Hostel (specifically Hostel 2).
June 10, 2021
I can't lie, I'm super skeptical of indie authors. I have so many books I want to read, I don't want to waste any time on something I'm not going to enjoy. Well, I'm so glad I took a chance on this particular author. This book was a fast, entertaining read, and it really kept your attention. It was extremely sick, brutal, and disgusting - even at times, hilarious - everything I could ask for in a horror novel. I can't wait to read more of her work.
August 8, 2018
The encyclopaedia of sadistic sexual violence, if there is such a thing, is pretty much covered in this latest offering from Angel Gelique, an author who is rapidly turning into a shocker par excellence for me. Squeamish readers may decide to put a barrage of softer books between them and ''Man Cave'' if they want to keep their sanity intact, such is the scope of Ben’s activities with two hapless college girls in my third outing with Angel after Omerion: and Expulsion, both amazing in their own right.
Imagine a crude mastectomy carried out at home with a kitchen knife (without letting the fatty tissue go to waste), the carnal potential of a gouged eye and the phallic utilization of a broken glass bottle and you have some of the highlights of a tale that unapologetically rides on a flimsy plot and yet manages to deliver a pageturner, albeit for the right audience. Forewarned is fore-armed doesn’t quite work here.
I did have a few issues with the book, such as the usage of present tense which was broken in places by normal past-tense storytelling, and was hence distracting. Also, I love to explore psychos but I’d be more impressed with one who doesn’t have the oft-repeated excuse of monster parents, one or both: someone who is pure evil because he was born for it, not moulded and nurtured by childhood abuse. This reminds me of a review of the movie, Hannibal Rising(2007), where the teen Lecter was shown to have witnessed his little sister being cooked and eaten by renegade soldiers from WWII. It diminished the glassy-eyed Anthony Hopkins of The Silence of the Lambs as the ultimate psychopath and brought him down to the level of humans with their weaknesses and pliability that allow them to be shaped by personal calamity. Give me 100% evil Edward Hyde with nary a trace of Henry Jekyll inside him and I’d celebrate it with the same glee that our antagonist/protagonist Ben experiences on pounding a womanly cavity with a dead foetus peeping at the other end (try getting that picture out of your mind, dear strait-laced reader, assuming you managed to reach this point in my review).
I’m looking forward to the sequel, Woman Cave. So should all those who like to test their threshold for gore and depravity, getting their rocks off in the process.
This is an unasked-for and totally unbiased review of an ARC I received from the author.
Imagine a crude mastectomy carried out at home with a kitchen knife (without letting the fatty tissue go to waste), the carnal potential of a gouged eye and the phallic utilization of a broken glass bottle and you have some of the highlights of a tale that unapologetically rides on a flimsy plot and yet manages to deliver a pageturner, albeit for the right audience. Forewarned is fore-armed doesn’t quite work here.
I did have a few issues with the book, such as the usage of present tense which was broken in places by normal past-tense storytelling, and was hence distracting. Also, I love to explore psychos but I’d be more impressed with one who doesn’t have the oft-repeated excuse of monster parents, one or both: someone who is pure evil because he was born for it, not moulded and nurtured by childhood abuse. This reminds me of a review of the movie, Hannibal Rising(2007), where the teen Lecter was shown to have witnessed his little sister being cooked and eaten by renegade soldiers from WWII. It diminished the glassy-eyed Anthony Hopkins of The Silence of the Lambs as the ultimate psychopath and brought him down to the level of humans with their weaknesses and pliability that allow them to be shaped by personal calamity. Give me 100% evil Edward Hyde with nary a trace of Henry Jekyll inside him and I’d celebrate it with the same glee that our antagonist/protagonist Ben experiences on pounding a womanly cavity with a dead foetus peeping at the other end (try getting that picture out of your mind, dear strait-laced reader, assuming you managed to reach this point in my review).
I’m looking forward to the sequel, Woman Cave. So should all those who like to test their threshold for gore and depravity, getting their rocks off in the process.
This is an unasked-for and totally unbiased review of an ARC I received from the author.
June 26, 2019
Ms. Gelique sets a new standard in extreme horror fiction.
You guys remember “that” scene in the movie “Irreversible”? That feeling you had witnessing that brutal crime?
Well, reading Man Cave by Ms. Gelique gives you that same feeling.
Only, in “Irreversible”, “that” scene is what, like 5 minutes long?
In Man Cave, Ms. Gelique gives you that same feeling.... for 387 fucking pages.
5/5 Skulls
☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️
Ok, one more comparison.
You remember in 8MM when Mr Cage gets in that comfy chair, sits back, and watches that crappy snuff film?
Remember how he flinched and gasped and twitched while viewing it? Almost started crying even?
Man Cave makes you do that, for 387 pages.
☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️
You guys remember “that” scene in the movie “Irreversible”? That feeling you had witnessing that brutal crime?
Well, reading Man Cave by Ms. Gelique gives you that same feeling.
Only, in “Irreversible”, “that” scene is what, like 5 minutes long?
In Man Cave, Ms. Gelique gives you that same feeling.... for 387 fucking pages.
5/5 Skulls
☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️
Ok, one more comparison.
You remember in 8MM when Mr Cage gets in that comfy chair, sits back, and watches that crappy snuff film?
Remember how he flinched and gasped and twitched while viewing it? Almost started crying even?
Man Cave makes you do that, for 387 pages.
☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️
January 24, 2022
Holy shit.. it's happened, I've found the ultimate book of brutality! I've read some seriously horrific books but this one takes the cake. It was just non-stop horrendous abuse, physical and emotional. The antagonist, Ben, is the worst villain I've ever read. He is pure sadistic evil in human form. This book traumatized me a little bit but I do like my reads a bit traumatizing.. what does that say about me lol? Anyways, this one won't be leaving my mind anytime soon and I have to give it 5/5 skulls 💀
May 16, 2021
Jesus Christ. 😨
This book was relentless. I had to pause a couple of times to stare blankly at the wall. I felt so many emotions. I can’t remember the last time I detested a main character so much.
Heed the warnings. You will need a strong stomach for this one. Highly recommended for splatterpunk/extreme horror fans. This is one of the best (worst?) I’ve read in this genre.
This book was relentless. I had to pause a couple of times to stare blankly at the wall. I felt so many emotions. I can’t remember the last time I detested a main character so much.
Heed the warnings. You will need a strong stomach for this one. Highly recommended for splatterpunk/extreme horror fans. This is one of the best (worst?) I’ve read in this genre.
November 4, 2023
This is what happens when complex PTSD graduates to unchecked antisocial personality disorder before going into FULL BLOWN PSYCHOPATHY. Holy mother of Christ.
Aron Beauregard would be PROUD of this production.
4.5 stars! Also, if you’re considering reading this on audible, you 100% should! Sunny Wong Absolutely SLAYS the narration!
Aron Beauregard would be PROUD of this production.
4.5 stars! Also, if you’re considering reading this on audible, you 100% should! Sunny Wong Absolutely SLAYS the narration!
June 3, 2021
"Man Cave" by Angel Gelique
💥Proceed with caution in regards to this read as it is an extreme horror novel and NOT for the faint of heart💥
"Because bad things happen. Just how it is."
Amber and Sophie make a life changing decision by visiting a run down bar in the middle of no where after Sophie is cat fished by the man she's been talking to online.
"The more things change the more they stay the same."
Ben Merrit goes in search of his favorite whore Evie at his favorite bar. Instead he finds Amber and Sophie. His forwarding advances get him kicked out of the bar but Ben is a patient man and he will have them one way or another.
Ya'll I have read some seriously interesting reviews on this and after completing it myself I see why 🤣 There are quite a few "WTF" scenes in this that required my jaw be picked up off the floor 😆 In regards to gore and overall savagery this book definitely delivers. I believe this author will be releasing a sequel to this based off the included chapters in the back titled "Woman Cave". If you haven't read this it is most definitely worth the read but please proceed with caution and have a shower running for when you're done 😅 4.5 🌟
💥Proceed with caution in regards to this read as it is an extreme horror novel and NOT for the faint of heart💥
"Because bad things happen. Just how it is."
Amber and Sophie make a life changing decision by visiting a run down bar in the middle of no where after Sophie is cat fished by the man she's been talking to online.
"The more things change the more they stay the same."
Ben Merrit goes in search of his favorite whore Evie at his favorite bar. Instead he finds Amber and Sophie. His forwarding advances get him kicked out of the bar but Ben is a patient man and he will have them one way or another.
Ya'll I have read some seriously interesting reviews on this and after completing it myself I see why 🤣 There are quite a few "WTF" scenes in this that required my jaw be picked up off the floor 😆 In regards to gore and overall savagery this book definitely delivers. I believe this author will be releasing a sequel to this based off the included chapters in the back titled "Woman Cave". If you haven't read this it is most definitely worth the read but please proceed with caution and have a shower running for when you're done 😅 4.5 🌟
December 19, 2023
I'm struggling to find the words for what I just finished reading. This is extreme horror to the max. Each depraved scene of brutality is worse than the one before, which is a feat in and of itself. It culminates with what is by far the most extreme and brutal scenario I've read yet. I tip my hat to the author for even being able to write it. Then you get hit with a fantastic, surprising, and yet fitting ending.
December 31, 2022
Brutal!
At the beginning of this one I was rolling my eyes and thinking it was just another same old kidnap story with lack of imagination…….. hit half way and I spent most of the last half with my jaw dropped and or my face screwed up in disgust! Ben has just climbed up the ladder to be one of the vilest villains I have come across! This book will not be for everyone, pay attention to the tigger warnings!
At the beginning of this one I was rolling my eyes and thinking it was just another same old kidnap story with lack of imagination…….. hit half way and I spent most of the last half with my jaw dropped and or my face screwed up in disgust! Ben has just climbed up the ladder to be one of the vilest villains I have come across! This book will not be for everyone, pay attention to the tigger warnings!
April 27, 2023
Holy crap this book is gut wrenching, disturbing AF and def not for the weak hearted or stomached. It's really a deep dive in extreme horror and it's relentless, horrific and you need a shower after every page. It does not ease up from beginning to end. Def recommend this book to the ones that like extreme horror.
November 30, 2023
It doesn't get any more brutal than this. 'Man Cave' should be required reading for any lover of splatter.
April 12, 2023
Angel Gelique you have the mind that I'm totally jealous of....this book has to be one of the most extreme horror experiences that I have ever read. After I'd finished this book I felt as if I wanted to...no...needed to...take my brain out and soak it in bleach....rinse my mouth out with disinfectant and cleanse my soul with carbolic soap!!!! Wow just fucking Wow....this had me gripped from the very first page until the last word.I absolutely loved this book and enjoyed it tremendously...I would recommend it to extreme horror fans...but I would say tread very carefully and be aware of the trigger warnings....this is brutal, violent and very extreme. Thank you Angel 10/10....5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
March 9, 2023
Speechless
This book was hard to read through at some parts. Don’t like gore and blood go find another book to read.
Amber and Sophie go to some podunk town to meet the man of Sophie’s dreams. He turns out to be some creepy older man.
They go to a bar to get drunk and get snatched by Ben. He takes them to his man cave and delivers torture galore.
Will Amber or Sophie survive?
This book was hard to read through at some parts. Don’t like gore and blood go find another book to read.
Amber and Sophie go to some podunk town to meet the man of Sophie’s dreams. He turns out to be some creepy older man.
They go to a bar to get drunk and get snatched by Ben. He takes them to his man cave and delivers torture galore.
Will Amber or Sophie survive?
January 1, 2023
This book was very well written, but just felt like an emotional punching bag the whole time. This story is messed up. Probably one of the most graphic books I've read.
March 5, 2023
Vile. Depraved. Heartbreaking. Anger inducing….
Not for the faint of heart but WOW. I’ll definitely be reading more from this amazing author
Not for the faint of heart but WOW. I’ll definitely be reading more from this amazing author
December 22, 2023
Absolutely Brutal, Cruel, Sadistic, and a great read.
January 7, 2019
This book comes with a disclaimer warning the reader of graphically offensive content. If you have even the slightest distaste for extreme horror or the splatterpunk genre, heed this warning! It’s not there as some sort of click-bait to reel you in only to be sadly disappointed. It’s serious. You will lose your lunch and have nightmares for eternity.
Luckily, I consider myself a connoisseur of splatterpunk and therefore I loved every minute of this book! I lost my splatterpunk virginity to Jack Ketchum’s The Girl Next Door, followed closely thereafter by Ryan C. Thomas’ The Summer I Died. This book definitely rivals the likes of Thomas and Ketchum in its cringe-worthiness. I was actually surprised to learn that this level of gore and graphic violence could come from the mind of a female author, being the delicate little flowers that we are. The only thing I would change with this book would be for the main character to get back a little more of what he dished out. But anyway, if you’re a true fan of splatterpunk, this book will not disappoint.
Luckily, I consider myself a connoisseur of splatterpunk and therefore I loved every minute of this book! I lost my splatterpunk virginity to Jack Ketchum’s The Girl Next Door, followed closely thereafter by Ryan C. Thomas’ The Summer I Died. This book definitely rivals the likes of Thomas and Ketchum in its cringe-worthiness. I was actually surprised to learn that this level of gore and graphic violence could come from the mind of a female author, being the delicate little flowers that we are. The only thing I would change with this book would be for the main character to get back a little more of what he dished out. But anyway, if you’re a true fan of splatterpunk, this book will not disappoint.
December 1, 2022
All in all I enjoyed Man Cave! I found parts in the middle to be pretty repetitive and other parts felt disjointed, but the unrelenting gore was great. Almost every page has some form of torture or abuse, so it’s definitely not for the faint of heart.
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