Given to the Ghoul

by Desirée M. Niccoli

They sent her into the desert to be sacrificed. To die upon the sweeping hot sands, torn limb from limb by ghoulish tooth and claw. Devoured.

Appease the monsters, and they’ll leave the town alone. Isn’t that how it always went?

One had come to devour her. But not like they said in the stories. It wasn’t blood it spilt. That’s not what it wanted.

Oh, how the townspeople would clutch their pearls, if they knew the truth.

Genres: Monsters, Romance, Novella, Monster Romance, Paranormal, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

74 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 8, 2021

About the author

By night, Desirée M. Niccoli writes a blend of vicious romance and cozy horror, featuring monsters, villains, and the supernatural, and often served with (mostly) emotionally intelligent characters and heart. By day, she is a public relations professional living the nomadic military life with her husband and two cats Pawdry Hepburn and Puma Thurman. Although born and raised in Pittsburgh, Desirée has since lived in coastal Maine (where her spooky heart truly lies) and Maryland.

Name Pronunciation: DE-zi-RAY NI-Koh-lee. Rhymes with cannoli.

She is represented by Kaitlyn Katsoupis at Belcastro Agency.

For emailed book news and author’s musings, subscribe to Desirée’s blog Brain Ink at www.dmniccoli.com. And for even more regular book-related updates, you can find her on Twitter/X and TikTok @dmniccoli and Instagram @author_dmniccoli.

Reviews

[julia✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

𝟯.𝟱 ✩
𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗴 ~ 𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗹𝘀


𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘁 …
➷ mina lives in a town full of slightly unhinged doomsday preppers (or something akin to that energy). due to that, they force her to go to the desert to be eaten by a ghoul. they think it will save their souls, or something [sound logic]. jokes on them cause mina ends up fucking the ghoul.

❝my human,❞ he said.
my monster.

𝘁𝗹𝗱𝗿
♥ this book had no right to be as good as it was. and you know … i still want you guys to think i have SOMEWHAT normal reading tastes, but idk. after this line:

❝i would be honored to feast upon your enemies.❞

i couldn't not write something 🤪
something about him wanting to feast on the flesh of her enemies did something to me.

♥ basically, i wish this book was longer. the romance between mina and her monster was low-key high-key extremely sweet. oh and he had a snake tongue. yes. it's exactly what you think.

[｡.•*¨*•♬✧maeve ✧♬•*¨*•.｡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

⭐️1/5 im so disappointed in this. it literally put me in the worst slump and i almost dnf but forced myself to keep going!

‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊ ♡ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙·̩̩̥͙*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ♡ ‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊

🌶️3/5 boringgggg for a monster romance ugh! just bland and disorganized.

‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊ ♡ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙·̩̩̥͙*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ♡ ‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊

basically, mina is raffled (but it’s rigged) to be sacrificed to the monsters in her new town. she ends up being fine and happy in a monster community with her own monster but its just not entertaining. i swear there’s like no context and i couldn’t connect to any of the characters.

‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊ ♡ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙·̩̩̥͙*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ♡ ‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊

i don’t recommend this sorry:(

[Misha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved everything about this. Weird and violent and... cozy as fuck?

You can tell this was written by someone smart. It was hot and over-the-top (the way monster romances are supposed to be), but it was also unexpectedly charming and emotionally intelligent.

[m. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 STARS

Find yourself a monsterous lover who will literally eat your enemies to please you. 🥺🔥

I really enjoyed this novella, it was short and read easily but still felt like a complete, developed story which isn't an easy thing to achieve, even for seasoned writers.

I also really loved the addition of Garyth's struggles with showing/accepting his ghoulish appearance and his insecurity over sharing it with Mina. After all, monsters have inner monsters, too. They're just like us.

I'm looking forward to reading Desirée's trade pub debut come 2022! This was a great little bite-sized taste of what she can do. 🥰

[Toribetweenpages · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay Hippy Snake boy 🐍

Why was this violent yet sweet? The spice was far too tame

[Paulette Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sexy, fast-paced, and addictive. I could not put this spicy novella down. The characters were well-drawn and fully realized—impressive for such a short piece of fiction. I especially enjoyed the overtones of shared vulnerability and emotion between the main character and her love interest. And who wouldn’t want an honorable lover who vows to eat the ones who have hurt you? Swoon. A wonderful, well-written read with the perfect balance of on-page steam and a propulsive plot to carry the heat.

[Melissa Polk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, look--Garyth was the best and I absolutely adore him. This was such a fun and delightful read!

[⚔️Sarah⚔️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as good on the reread!

"What's your stance on book-burning busybodies?"
[...] "We eat 'em."

Coming back to this 2 years later and I still love Mina and Garyth. I love that Garyth will do anything to make Mina feel safe and protected. And of course the whole seeking vengeance for her.

I love that Mina works to make Garyth feel safe and secure in himself. The way they give to each other is really sweet and vicious. We love when all sides of a character are embraced by their partner. I'll let you guess who is sweet and who is vicious in this relationship. It may not be exactly who you think.

Nothing like a badass FMC and the monster that will deliver her the skulls of her enemies.
A girl can dream.

-----------------------------------------

This book left me wanting more but in the absolute best way! 74 pages was not enough!

I absolutely loved the 2 Main Characters. They were so great. Even some of the other characters that we don't get a lot of time with I loved. I just want more of all of them.

I also enjoyed the overarching theme of "Who are the real monsters?". It's one I always find meaningful and thought provoking. It worked very well with this story.

[Ashley King · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novella was one of the best romances I've read--it had me wishing it was a full length novel. Niccoli does a brilliant job of building tension and romance between Garyth and Mina. I adored these two and loved how they both truly cared for each other--and not just the outer appearance. This love was soul deep. This book was deliciously steamy and I loved the ending, how Garyth avenged Mina. I highly recommend this novella and eager await Niccoli's next novel and would most definitely love more novellas or even a novel set in this world she so brilliantly created.

[Elena Rodríguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5
“There was something very attractive about him revealing his true face to her”.

Este es la primera obra que leo de la autora. Se trata de un relato de Monster Romance de una humana y un ghoul. Está en inglés y no tiene traducción en español.

En cuanto a su nivel de idioma lo encuadraría entre un B1-B2, tampoco cuenta con un vocabulario especifico de la novela ya que está ambientada en nuestro mundo.

Ahora en cuanto a la historia en sí, ha estado bien. Es bastante sencilla y ligera. La forma de escribir de la autora me ha gustado, sin embargo, el relato peca del llamado “insta-love o insta-lust” en este caso particular.

¿Lo recomendaría? Sí.

[Chanel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Given to the Ghoul was my intro to the "monster fucking" genre and I have to say it was definitely a sweet romance. Mina is in a town full of people that seem to hate her (not exactly sure why, besides the mayor) so when the opportunity arises to get rid of her by sacrificing her to the desert creatures, it's an easy choice.

Mina's expectations of survival are not high but when she meets Garyth, her life irrevocably changes. He's not what she expected and us actually quite charming and caring. The more they get to know each other, the more they fall in love to the point that Garyth helps her get revenge against those that caused her harm.

This novella is definitely a great introduction to this genre and can't wait to read Desirèe's upcoming full novel!

[Alex (HEABookNerd) · Rating 4 out of 5]

GIVEN TO THE GHOUL was a sexy and bloodthirsty novella and a perfect match for monster romance fans. I was immediately pulled into Mina's story and I loved how tough and determined she was. I also loved how much she accepted Garyth's ghoul form and loved him for exactly who he was. And Garyth! I never thought I'd be swooning over a ghoul but he was sexy and charming and ready to literally devour Mina's enemies. I can't wait to read more by this author!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Favorite Quotes:

Emotion, mixed with lust, dripped from his next words. “I would be honored to feast upon your enemies.”

Her heart soared to hear it.

[Desirée Niccoli]

Bloody, horny desert romp.

[Romantically Inclined Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weird but unexpectedly charming. I love a civilized monster. I also love a heroine who doesn't balk at violent revenge. Sexy & fun.

[Bon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everything I want in a monsterfucking novella TBH. Fealty, body worshipping, "show me your true form", eating your enemies for you. So good.

[•Mrs Pizza• · Rating 3 out of 5]

So a ghoul isn’t what I assumed a ghoul would be. That’s not a bad thing, I was just surprised we weren’t getting a demon type monster, so adjust expectations accordingly. Instead we get a desert-type monster. So yes still a monster romance 💕

We have Mina, who is a former nomad that set down roots in the wrong small town. She is dubiously chosen to be the sacrifice to the desert ghouls. Monster romance ensues.

I really liked this. If anything I felt disappointed this wasn’t longer because I feel like if we got more this would have been a 5 star situation. I think it was originally in an anthology/short story collection which explains the length.

[Christina (stinarinareads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75✨ (rounded to 3 for GR)
2🌶️

🏜️ Shapeshifting desert monster MMC x human FMC
🏜️ Monster sacrifice gone right
🏜️ Instalust + instalove
🏜️ Themes of belonging and acceptance

I always have love in my heart for monster romances, but in reality, my brain just didn’t connect with this one. The low page count definitely worked against it, as I really didn’t have time to get a true feel for either character. And I anticipated the instalust+instalove, but this was just a little too insta.

[Seffra · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars!

I really enjoyed this short story, it was packed with a wonderful characters in Mina and Garyth. Their story was a treasure to read and I loved our self conscious monster who was so multifaceted in the time we had him. Mina was also a wonder to read about because of strength and willingness for like…ANYTHING. Haha !

The writing of Desirée M. Niccoli was a pure treasure to read, I loved her writing style and damnnnnn can she write spice! I L O V E D one scene in particular that would have had me clutching my pearls if I wore any!

I recommend this book for any monster lover out there. One little thing I will say is that I wished it was a bit longer. I loved this world and these characters so much that I wished I was with them a bit longer. This story really could have been a full length novel because of how rich it was and I’m not just talking about the main characters. I also loved the world and culture of his species and honestly would have loved to explored that more! Buuut, I will say, this has made even MORE excited for Niccoli’s debut novel!

[Dora · Rating 2 out of 5]

Underwhelming and forgettable 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Morgan Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yaaasss to this novella! I was excited to read this story and thoroughly enjoyed the rendezvous between Mina and Garyth.

Garyth's physical detail is both intriguing and mesmerizing as he is a ghoul who has the ability to change his appearance to whoever Mina desires. The most refreshing part of this story is Mina's desire for Garyth's true form as their passionate tryst for one another grows into love.

Desirée's novella is perfectly paced, with succinct, stylistic, and fluid language that grabs your attention from the first page. Mina is an exciting nomad and a protagonist with a relatable perspective on life, family, and misogyny.

You'll be intrigued from the start, hungry in the middle, and craving more by the end.

[Dani Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! This was just the bloodthirsty beach read I was hoping for. The romance was so honest and steamy. Garyth may be her bloodthirsty champion, but Mina is just as viscous in her pursuit of Garyth’s trust. Desirée’s writing is the perfect balance of visual without taking forever to get there. I’m all the more excited for her next story.

[Gabrielle Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a sweet ghoul!! I wanted more, but only because I really enjoyed it!

[Kat Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sexy and fun and I even learned a new word-nictitating!

[Megan Van Dyke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was exactly what I wanted it to be. I was really impressed with the level of world building that the story managed to portray, and the shorter length didn't hinder that one bit. I was really loved the main character and was able to invest in her very quickly. The LI managed to be both monstrous and sexy at the same time, and filled with more humanity than most of the human characters in the story.

The only thing I would have changed? Even more sex.

I like what I like, and when it's good, I always want more.

[Kyle Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Given to the Ghoul successfully blends the strengths of horror and romance, evoking the creepy, insular cults of King and Lovecraft. Author Desiree Niccoli brings a fresh take that returns a mythological monster to its desert origins, a suitably hostile and beautiful backdrop to a fiery whirlwind romance.

Sweet and to the point, Given to the Ghoul delivers on its bloody promises, giving the reader the justice and satisfaction its characters so richly deserve.

[SFFRomCast · Rating 5 out of 5]

We featured this novella in part two of our season one Christmas special on the SFFRomCast, where we delve into the wonderful world of monster romance! You can listen to the episode here:
S1MonsterNovellaChristmasSpecial

or watch it on YouTube here:

S1MonsterNovellaChristmasSpecialYouTube

[Victoria Weyland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is basically a paranormal retelling of The Lottery but with a damn sexy ghoul and better revenge. Adored it.

[Alicia Birdie and the books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Watch the live where we spoke about the book linked below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYI8n...

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Watch the livestream discussion

https://youtu.be/BYI8n92Swbc

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

We love a vengeful romance 👌