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Wheel of the Year #1

The Mabon Feast

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In an aging Victorian on a tree-lined street in Oldetowne, the Brackenbridge witches have practiced the craft for generations in a circle unbroken — until the chain was passed to her.

Ousted from her coven, hurting for clients, and struggling to keep her aging family home from falling into disrepair, painfully awkward witch Ladybug is at the end of her rope. When she rents the attic bedroom to an unsmiling, spider-like araneaen, she hopes her fortunes are making a change for the better. But Ladybug knows nothing about the secretive spider-folk; not what they eat, what goddess they worship — or anything about their mating needs. The blustery winds of Autumn usher in the rain and the second harvest . . . and a strangely enticing smell that seems to permeate the seams of Ladybug's very existence. The darkness beyond her bedroom door hungers, and she is helpless to offer herself up as its feast.

The Wheel of the Year is a monster romance series of short vignettes featuring a neurodivergent FMC and a non-human MMC, centered around the witch’s sabbaths. The Mabon Feast is the first vignette in this series and can be enjoyed as a short standalone. CWs in front matter and on author website.

78 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 31, 2021

449 people are currently reading
4152 people want to read

About the author

C.M. Nascosta

28 books4,496 followers
C.M. Nascosta is an author and professional procrastinator from Cleveland, Ohio. As a child, she thought that living on Lake Erie meant one was eerie by nature, and her corresponding love of all things strange and unusual started young. She’s always preferred beasts to boys, the macabre to the milquetoast, the unknown darkness in the shadows to the Chad next door. She lives in a crumbling old Victorian with a scaredy-cat dachshund, where she writes nontraditional romances featuring beastly boys with equal parts heart and heat, and is waiting for the Hallmark Channel to get with the program and start a paranormal lovers series.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 568 reviews
Profile Image for Matilda.
269 reviews2,834 followers
November 8, 2021
not gonna lie I'm a whore for monster smut

the heroine half the novella: what is that smell and why am I getting turned on by it
the hero: *in heat*

Profile Image for Isabella. R.
1,007 reviews2,179 followers
November 7, 2021
3.5 Sweet Mercy Stars ⭐

In The Mabon Feast we meet Ladybug 🐞 a human witch who has been shunned by her coven. Living alone in a house which requires serious TLC, she is forced to take on a tenant especially since her services have been drying up. And on top of all those concerns, she's woefully lonely.

It was the smell of need and want, and it beseeched her through the air, licking up her legs beneath the bedclothes until she writhed, pained with her inability to give the darkness what it desired.

Anzan is not your usual tenant, apart from being an araneaen, half man/half spider, first appearances are deceiving. Initially he came to Ladybug in dire need of lodging but also slightly emaciated. Keeping to himself for months, when Anzan does reappear, he's literally a different being. Healthy, larger, gorgeous and in heat.

With a scent that has permeated the house for weeks it takes awhile for Ladybug to piece together the situation. Anzan needs a mate, pronto. And frankly it's driving her crazy with need.

“Let me have you, little bug,”

By then she understood his request. He wanted to bite her, for his venom to make her pliable once more; wanted to mount her again, to fuck her until she was practically unconscious, and it should have terrified her.


Don't get me wrong this was one panty melting novella, with underlining sweet gestures leading to a blossoming romance. However it felt incomplete. I spent the first 60% trying to piece together what was going on. We knew nothing about Anzan and then suddenly their re-enacting 50 Shades on a life-sized web, which was hot BTW. I realize this is book 1, but it was seriously lacking a backstory.
Profile Image for Leticia (jerseygirlsbookshelf).
578 reviews288 followers
November 1, 2021
"Sweetie, didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s the quiet ones you have to look for?"
Just a quick review for what was essentially a really quick Halloween read - this novella is only 75 pages long.

I enjoyed Morning Glory Milking Farm by the same author, and this was coming out on Halloween, so I thought - why not? So I buddy read this with my friend CC, and it was not disappointing.

Ladybug (Elizabeth) is a witch shunned by her coven and looking for someone to rent her attic room to to make some extra money. Enter Anzan, an aracneaen.

"Let me have you, little bug."
Before you wonder about the whole spider thing, let me tell you I am terrified of spiders IRL. However, and even though the description is on point and you get multiple limbs and eyes of course, I sort of forgot about it sometimes.
Plus point: web-making skills do sometimes come in handy, and that's all I'm going to say.

As weird as it may be to think about a man-spider (well, milking minotaurs wasn't exactly normal either, was it?) and a witch coming together somehow, it really isn't. They sort of fit.

Two things come to mind that might have made it better for me. Since it's only 75 pages long, I wish there was more focus on the two of them, and not only on her. The author does an incredible job setting the backdrop to the story, and then it seems like their part is over in five minutes. I needed more.
I would've also loved to have seen a bit of Anzan's perspective of things, especially when it comes to the differences between humans and his kind - and I don't mean just the anatomy! I would have loved to have seen him wondering about her just as she was about him.

All in all, it was an enjoyable, fun read, and I'm kind of curious to see what'll come next.

(I kept this spoiler-free, if you have any questions feel free to DM me)
Profile Image for Ruby Dixon.
Author 161 books19.7k followers
Read
November 1, 2021
Charming as ever. Can't wait to read more about these characters (and hopefully learn why Anzan was so frail when he first showed up!)
Profile Image for toointofiction.
319 reviews428 followers
March 16, 2024
“That’s very good,” he murmured, running one of those talon-like nails over her swollen bottom lip, “a very nice treat . . . but that’s not what I need, little bug.”


Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

This is my first arachnid monster romance, and I have to say it's pretty damn good and I want to read more! This short vignette is barely more than eighty pages long and is part of the Cambric Creek series but can be read as a series on its own (more books are coming out soon), although I would definitely recommend getting the whole Cambric Creek experience.

To begin with, Elizabeth, a.k.a. Ladybug, and Aznan, the arachnean, are adorable characters. Ladybug is a human witchy sunshine who wants to heal people with her magic. She is kind to everyone, even though most aren't kind to her. She is also incredibly socially awkward and has difficulty understanding and interacting with people. She ends up being made fun of most of the time, although she is never quite sure that's what's happening. On top of that, she has been unfairly shunned from her coven and has been alone for a long time. It's not a true loss though, that coven is full of bitches. Nevertheless, my favorite thing is her insisting that she's letting Aznan absolutely rail her repeatedly strictly for health reasons. She claims that she is a healer and she has to help a creature in need, even if that means doing the horizontal tango. I want to tell her that's not part of her job description but I'm fine letting her live a lie. She'll realize the truth soon enough, anyway.

Moreover, Aznan is the grumpy one who likes to keep to himself, has also been cruelly shunned by his community, and is just as lonely as Ladybug. His species gets a lot of bad rep because of their strict culture and imposing figures which is why he struggled to find a place to live. Despite his appearance and antisocial demeanor, he is just as kind and sweet as Ladybug. He behaves like a proper gentleman, even the way he speaks kind of sounds like he came out of the Bridgerton series which is seriously so cute. He also becomes very possessive of Ladybug, though it's the sexy kind.

Finally, as expected, there's obviously not much plot and the smut is exceptionally absurd and delightful. There's a ton of sexual tension between them, a lot of hormones, and plenty of sleepless horny nights they spend suffering in heat instead of doing something about it. Until they finally give in. I've already made a list of the highlights of them giving in to each other, but I feel they are important enough to mention again: Firstly, his 💦 has a numbing effect that made me question its benefits until I discovered his size and odd shape. Secondly, said size and odd shape are shocking and definitely not suitable for human-sized ladies, although they kind of make it work. Moreover, he excretes venom that relaxes the muscles or something and helps with 👉👌, but also puts the other person at the arachnean's mercy (although that has not been expanded at all). Lastly, he is also really into bondage which is expected given his species and their "talent" with that sort of thing.
Profile Image for D.L. Howe.
Author 25 books601 followers
March 10, 2022
I love witches, they’ll always be my favorite paranormal trope. So I loved all the descriptions of solstices and herbs and just anything witchy.

But and it’s a big but … it’s a lot of build up for such a short story.

No doubt this is a me thing … but all I want, all I need due to my unflinching curiosity is to know what happens when a spider gets it on. Is that too much to ask for? Can a girl just get some spider smut?!

Even though I had to wait, perhaps it was made worth it just for the description of what Anzan was packing. And then the web bondage, yes please. And the venom that works like Spanish fly? Hell yes! It was everything I never knew I wanted.

I know I’m weird … don’t judge me … ok, judge if you must, but you know it’s only because you’re jealous.

I only wish there was more. I waited far too long and then it was all taken away in a flash. Give me more CM Nascosta!
Profile Image for Niki {Still a Widow but reading more}.
809 reviews345 followers
January 26, 2022
3.5 "I wish my hubby had 4 hands" Stars!!

I really liked this. I loved the shy little witch, Ladybug, and her mysterious tenant Anzan. I loved his little sweet touches and gifts. Not gonna lie the sex was crazy hot!!

I just wish there was more. I'm not happy with the price for the pages. I have questions that were left unanswered. It says we will see them in a future story and I feel a little jipped. She did same thing with girls weekend.
Profile Image for Paula Valadez.
114 reviews5 followers
November 9, 2025
Me costó leerlo más porque a pesar de que es corto, tiene muchas descripciones para mí gusto y ni llegaron a conectarse o “hablar”.
Profile Image for Monique.
460 reviews
November 1, 2021
This author is some kind of witch for sure. A half man, half spider but make him sexy? Surely not, I mean I honestly had no idea what to expect going into this but here I am begging her to please give me the next book because gosh this was so cute, I dunno how she did slow burn in a 100 page book but she did and the sex 🔥🔥🔥🔥 dear loooord. If I happen to walk through a spider web in the future I'm gonna end up turned on instead of scared and I'll be like "omg, I'm so sorry little spider guy! I didn't mean to ruin your sex web!"

So anyway, highly recommend this book if you've read and enjoyed this authors other work. You will not be disappointed and I'm so excited to read all about the sexy monsters in Cambric Creek.
Profile Image for Mara.
1,948 reviews4,322 followers
December 7, 2021
A short, interesting take on a monster romance! As always with this author, it is both quite erotic and surprisingly sweet, and while I think it just wasn't substantial enough for my taste, it was a nice Halloween short story. Alternative title: "I Boinked a Spider Man and I Liked It"
Profile Image for Preslee Lynn.
139 reviews9 followers
January 24, 2025
Idk it honestly takes a great writer to get anyone behind a spider monster romance 👀👀 and I am sold
Profile Image for Romantically Inclined Reviews.
728 reviews2,854 followers
November 17, 2021
You think you have a line that you won't cross. And you think that line is sex with a spider-man. Not spiderman. A spider dash man. You are wrong. The truth is that the line no longer exists. You are one with monster romances. You will read anything...and you will like it.


I know CM Nascosta's writing at this point so I wasn't expecting the raunchy, borderline pornographic writing of some of the other monster romances I fancy. Nascosta's style is more of a slow-burn erotic sensation sweeping across your senses and drowning you in lyrical writing. And this book was no different.


Mabon Feast was unique in that 95% of the book is the heroine's internal dialogue. Ladybug is a loner with no friends or family to speak of and lives alone in a big, empty house. Enter: hero. Anzan is a half-spider (bottom half), half-man (top half) with two extra arms and four extra eyes. This frail, sickly man is looking for a place to live and Ladybug's empty attic is the perfect place. Anzan takes introverted to the next freaking level, so if dudes that are so quiet that you think they might be dead are your thing then you are in luck. The two of them exchange few words throughout the novel, but it turns out you can communicate without words pretty easily.


Mabon Feast is a novella, so the sex takes some time to work up to and then once it's there it's like one long scene. One long scene filled with spider webs and strange cocks and fangs and venom and a very, very willing victim. It was wicked creative and unbelievably sexy.


At the end of the day this was a beautiful romance between two quiet, introverted people who have no one else in the world but one another. It was sweet and sultry and dangerously touching. First you felt their bone deep loneliness--tugging at your heart with incredible force--but then there was the sweet relief of two lost souls finding one another in the midst of their darkest time.


If you're looking for spider porn, go elsewhere (but like...let me know where you end up, kay?). If you're looking for an emotional, heart string tugging read that gets beautifully creative with the kinky stuff, then take a pit stop here for an hour and enjoy yourself.
Profile Image for Inna.
1,678 reviews372 followers
January 20, 2022
3 stars. Not enough time spent with the couple together - too many pages devoted to the heroine’s inner thoughts and problems. It would have been better if this had been a longer story, but the ending felt very abrupt and unfinished. I don’t even know if I could call this a HFN ending… seems questionable to even say that the couple had a relationship rather than a fling.

Safe
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Bryneyre The Book Eater.
57 reviews59 followers
November 9, 2022
Bookstagram | Facebook | Booktok

I won't lie and say I didn't delay reading this book because I was a little bit weirded out about him being a spiderman, but the fluff went directly to my romantic heart... and the smut had me pressing my thighs 😌 I hope we will know about Ladybug and Anzan soon.

Now I understand why Shruti liked this book
Profile Image for Shruti (Hiatus).
214 reviews118 followers
August 30, 2022
This was excellent. A very short story - delicious, heady and heartwarming. I love it when men are deferential, reverent and in awe of their women. Automatic 10/5.

Loved reading the little details on witchcraft peppered throughout. The mentions of rituals/cultures of different creatures makes me very eager for more stories with varied non-humans front and center. Loving the world of Cambric Creek so far. Can't wait for book 2 in this series!

Never in a million years would I have ever had even the most fleeting of thoughts that a part-arachnid part-man would EVER make me lust for him. Well done dear author. Well fucking done.
Profile Image for Des.
360 reviews
April 1, 2022
she just wanted to do foki foki with a spider
Profile Image for Liv - Livslibrarylabyrinth.
216 reviews39 followers
November 18, 2025
I think the MMC said about 7 full sentences the entire book.

Plot? Never heard of her. But it’s short and spicy if that’s what you’re looking for.
Profile Image for Christi (christireadsalot).
2,793 reviews1,431 followers
November 7, 2021
I definitely wanted more from this, I loved MGMF by this author so went in with high hopes (although Girls Weekend wasn’t a hit for me either). This takes place in Cambric Creek and Ladybug (the heroine’s nickname) is a witch who has been cast out from her coven. She puts an ad in the newspaper for a tenant for her upstairs room and Anzan, an araneaen (spider-folk), shows up to be the renter. After that, months pass and we don’t have them spending time together or anything until 55-60% into the read. She does make him some stew and leave it on his doorstep, he returns the favor by leaving her some seed pods and gardening tools (she’s an avid gardener). But otherwise we don’t get them together on page again until over half into the book and then when they do get together, it’s straight to kinky webbed up times. Which was hot, lots of webs and legs to keep things in place but I just felt the relationship development never happened so I wasn’t invested in them together. Not a lot of backstory is explained about Anzan, all of this is told in Ladybug’s POV, which she has a lot going on too that I didn’t feel like got fully explained. They don’t really talk at all and I just wanted so much more from this premise. Then the ending was very abrupt, I know this says it’s only part 1 of their story but I don’t know about this one. 🤷🏼‍♀️
Profile Image for lobelyys.
608 reviews94 followers
November 8, 2022
i expected more, and i honestly wanted to know more about the dude. there wasn’t any type of growth in their relationship. i really don’t know anything about the characters. really disappointed
Profile Image for Lana Reads.
477 reviews230 followers
December 20, 2021
4,5 stars

What's the weirdest monster I was hot for you ask? Well, after a minotaur and a centaur, I felt like a kraken was nothing... But an araneaen who is half man / half spider? Heh, that one was new.

This story was short yet full of heat and sweetness. I rrrreally wish it was a little bit longer though, it ended rather abruptly. I'm definitely looking for more by the author.
Profile Image for Jess.
517 reviews40 followers
August 20, 2023
dnf @ 41%

This is a novella so why did it feel like a slog to get through? It was also incredibly boring and there was nothing interesting about the characters.

Not only that but like they barely talked to each other and I got almost half way through. Someone make it make sense
Profile Image for Steph (Teacups & Tropes).
867 reviews129 followers
October 7, 2022
Spider smut isn't my jam.

This author, however? Totally is. I bought everything she's written so far and I can't wait to make my way through everything.
Profile Image for Helene Black.
419 reviews29 followers
July 27, 2024
Nascosta certainly has a wild imagination. I’d like to live in that head 😂
Profile Image for Kristen.
77 reviews1 follower
June 2, 2025
go outside and touch grass instead
Profile Image for Mary.
199 reviews8 followers
April 21, 2025
Un mierdolo. Ni siquiera es relevante que el señoro sea una araña (💀🤢). La protagonista és una pánfila llorona y pesada. me ha caido fatal y bueno su relación con el señor araña... Es que ni se hablan, ufff
De verdad, ¿por qué me hago estas cosas a mí misma?
Profile Image for Caity.
109 reviews4 followers
November 29, 2024
I liked it but all I could picture what the spider doll thing from Toy Story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 568 reviews

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