Be Terrible

by Molly Likovich

"Giving new life to myth and unspeakably naughty. This novella is for those who love the dark and daring."—Maisie Dickson, co-author of We All May Be Together

Monika is spending the holidays alone this year, hiding out in her late grandmother’s beach house. She plans to spend the season with her anti-anxiety meds and a bottle of wine until an unexpected visitor breaks in. Prepared to fight for her life, Monika uses her grandmother’s old handgun to shoot the intruder only to realize it’s not a man. It’s Krampus the Yule Devil himself.

Krampus sweeps Monika up in his sack and carries her back to his realm where she is in for a whirlwind night of pain and pleasure. But there is more to Krampus than meets the eye, and there is a darkness in Monika that she’s always been dying to unleash.

Not everything is as black and white as ‘naughty’ and ‘nice.’

CW: dubcon, bdsm, spanking, light bloodplay, choking/breath play, mentions of past sexual assault, mentions of mental illness.

Genres: Christmas, Monster Romance, Romance, Monsters, Fantasy, Holiday, Novella

52 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 21, 2021

About the author

Molly Likovich is the author of gothic romances, poetry, and the occasional play. When she's not writing she can be found lurking around the local graveyard.

Reviews

[buket · Rating 3 out of 5]

miss girl has ptsd from an abusive relationship and can’t be near any man but it’s all cured after a night with Krampus full of bdsm 😌 she even remembered her past life after having an orgasm 🥰🥰 i was kinda into this so 3 stars 🫣🫣🫣
it’s time to shine for Christmas monsters 👹
oh i forgot to mention, it made me realize i still know how to speak german with their random sentences and endearments🥰🥰🥰

[₊ ˚ ale ࿓ ♡ ⋆｡˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please check up the tws before reading!

It was so fucking short. I wanted more, but it was good and cute, I also wanted more spicy scenes.

[•Mrs Pizza• · Rating 3 out of 5]

My descent into krampus monster smut has begun. Happy holidays 😂

[♥Milica♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot >>>>> everything else.

[Becky (romantic_pursuing_feels) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: Some of my goodreads shelves can be spoilers

Overall: 3.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞 (Personally s/m doesn’t inspire romantic feelings in me, but the whole, I will journey multiple lives to be with you is!)
Sensuality: 💋💋💋 (not a big emotional pull for me in the scenes)
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥+
Humor: A bit
Perspective: First person from the heroine
More character focused or plot focused? let’s just go with sex focused
When mains are first on page together: Almost immediately (about pg 3 or so)
Cliffhanger: No this ends with a happily ever after (my HEA was guaranteed in the ‘bonus story’ section
Epilogue: No? But there was a ‘bonus story’ at the end that feels like one
Format: bought e-book
(Descriptions found at end of my review)

Should I read in order?
This is a stand alone.

Basic plot:
Monika defends herself against a home intruder and realizes it’s the Yule Devil

Give this a try if you want:
- monster romance
- Maryland/other realm setting (mostly in the Krampus’ realm)
- Krampus hero/human heroine
- anxiety and ADHD rep (heroine)
- size difference – 7 foot tall hero, 5 foot tall heroine
- kidnapped heroine
- High steam – 6 scenes if you read the bonus story (kink includes acts of punishment, pain, hair grabbing, spanking, edging, biting/blood, levels of sadism/masochism, light choking)

Ages:
- Didn’t see them mentioned, but would guess heroine is in 20s and the Krampus is immortal and is at least 100+ years old

First line:
I grip the edge of the kitchen counter and wait for the anxiety attack to pass.

My thoughts:
I love when authors add in a playlist for their books! How fun.

This one is a quick and quite naughty holiday read. The kink went a bit too far into pain that I’m not as into, but that’s my own personal preference. Aside from that, I enjoyed this story and the characters! I was a bit confused for a moment when it started switching towards the end to give reveals and background but it works out. I loved the fated mates of this one.

Cock/Hero Stats:

- Hero is a krampus and speaks German
- He is 7 feet tall
- red eyes
- claws (retractable!)
- horns
- fur
- fangs


Quotes/thoughts: (Any mistakes are my own)


“Oh, it’s too late for that, little one. You had your chance to be good.”
---
I gently tap the hand holding the rope. Krampus smiles.
“Good girl. Now give me your hands.”
---
He reaches out and runs his fingers through my long, honey-blonde hair, his claws gently scarping my scalp. I shiver at his touch.”Such a good girl. A shame you had to act so naughty.”
---
“You take women,” I whisper, not a question. A statement.
“I took one,” is his only response. “No more questions, meine Schone.”
He then sinks to his knees before me, his horned head level with my stomach.
“What are you doing?
“Rewarding you for your obedience.”
---
“I’m not a pet,” I say, trying to sound as firm as possible when really I’m shaking from the cold, and fear, and horribly wanton anticipation.
He takes my face in his hand and traces a claw gently down the curve of my jaw.
“Of course you’re not. But you are mine.”


Content warnings: (This should be taken as a minimum because I could have missed some!)

- heroine shoots the hero when he is inside the house
- check out the levels of kink in the steam details/above in steam summary
- suicide by knife on page

Author given content warnings: The author includes a note that says the book is intended for readers 18+ and contains darker themes and links their website for a full list of triggers.



Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

Safe sex? No
24% - fingering for her (incomplete because he’s edging her)
33% - 🔥oral for her

“What are you doing?
“Rewarding you for your obedience.”

38% - 🔥biting, breast play, cuffed to a bench with a collar and spanking orgasm

"Tell me the truth," he whispers in my ear. "Do you like when I touch you?"

49% - 🔥fingering for her

"You may not come until you're screaming. You must beg me to come."

64% - 🔥 her on top

"You can take it, meine Schone."

71% - 🔥 (flashback?) he chains her former self to the wall by her wrists, bites her breasts until they bleed, then missionary in the bed

"Love me. Be wicked. Be terrible. Just love me."

83% (this is in the ‘bonus scene’ section of my version of the story) – 🔥switch usage on her thighs and pussy, oral for her, sex against a tree

"That's it, Monika," he says, "give it all to me."



Extra stuff like what my review breakdowns mean, where to find me, and book clubs


Full break down on what my ratings above mean here:
Overall: How I felt about it everything considered!
Readability: How ‘readable’ was the book? Did I fly through it? Did I have to tell myself to pick it back up repeatedly? Were any passages confusing? (I will probably score like (1) is literally unreadable due to formatting/typing errors, etc (2) There were lots of errors that made it difficult to read OR It was extremely confusing and I had to reread passages to make sense of it OR I disliked it so much I had to bribe myself to keep reading (3) I didn’t really want to keep reading and would have preferred to abandon the read and start something else OR some minor continuity issues/confusion (4) I liked it fine, maybe a minor error or 2. I was happy to pick it up when I had time. (5) I never wanted to put this down. I thought about it when I wasn’t reading it. I hid in the bathroom from my kids to read. I threw inappropriate food at my children for dinner so I could read instead.)
Feels: Totally subjective to each person but did the book give me any tingles? Any butterflies? Did it rip my heart out (in a good way?)
Emotional depth: How well do I feel I know the characters at the end? How much did I feel their emotions throughout the story?
Sexual tension: Again, subjective, but how strong was the wanting and longing to me between the characters? A book might have strong sexual tension without a single touch.
Romance: Was there romance? Did romantic things happen? This can be actions/words/thoughts of the characters and again is subjective.
Sensuality: This is how the intimate scenes are written. Kisses and sexual scenes – how sensual were they? Were they on the mechanical side? Was there emotional pull tied in? Were the details explicit or flowery? These are subjective but generally (1) too short to get a good judgement (2) not all what I'm looking for - very vague or flowery prose (3) either not explicit enough or not enough emotional pull (too mechanical/physically descriptive without the emotions) (4) what I love in a scene (5) absolute perfection - perfect balance of emotional longing and explicit descriptions
Sex Scene Length: How long the bedroom scenes are (generally (1) is 1-3 sentences (2) is a few paragraphs to a page-ish (3) is about average, a few pages (4) more well developed scenes, quite a few pages with descriptions (4) the majority of the book takes place in the bedroom. This is always hard to tell for me on audio!
Steam Scale: Generally, each flame is a scene. If scenes are super close together I sometimes combine them. If a scene is super short or so vague I don’t know what’s happening, I don’t count it. There’s some levels of grey but generally the number of flames is how many sex scenes there are (I max out at 5 so I’ll put a + after if there’s more than that)



Find me
Instagram || The Storygraph || Bookbub

Book Clubs
The Ton and the Tartans (Historical Romance)
Upturned Petticoats and Undone Cravats (Historical Romance with Steam Requirements)
A Love Less Ordinary (Science Fiction, Paranormal, Monster, Fantasy Romance)
Modern Manuscripts (Contemporary Romance)
Words for the Wicked (Contemporary Romance with Steam Requirements)
Vintage Romance (Old School Romance – published 2000 and prior)

[Dianthe · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️


Genre: Monster Romance
Age group : Adult
POV : First person
Characters: 4/5 ⭐️
Plot: 4.5/5 ⭐️
Setting/Themes: 4/5 ⭐️
Writing: 5/5 ⭐️
Spice : 3.5 ⭐️

�� Please check TWs & CWs
• mature language, sexual scenes, mentions of rape, PTSD
• Monster romance
• Tropes : Reincarnation, fated lovers
• HEA

”What is this, Stockholm Syndrome on overdrive?”

Yes. Big fat yes. Came for the smut, stayed for the beautiful plot.

[Kate V · Rating 3 out of 5]

Krampus monster smut…need I say more?😂

"The stuff of nightmares and dark myths. You may be absolutely terrible. But I’d rather be an honest monster than a wicked man. Be terrible and love me in all your wicked ways.”

[Maisie Dickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Giving new life to myth and unspeakably naughty. This novella is for those who love the dark and daring."

[Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wasn’t a sad story at all and it made my UGLY CRY!!
It was an amazing read, WOULD DEFINITELY RECOMMEND if you want a quick monster romance filling.

[Miranda Norton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow where to begin? Yet another work of art by Molly Likivich. What I love about her books including this one is the plot. There’s always a solid story underneath. I was so unprepared for the star crossed backstory. A beautiful blend of multiple folk tales, but with new twists.

[Ian Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came for the smut and stayed for the absolutely immaculate plot. Not only did this have my favorite romance trope, reincarnated lovers, but you can feel the love for Germanic folklore and fairy tales in every page. My only complaint is that I wish this was a full novel instead of a novella because I want more! Molly is a truly talented writer and I look forward to more from her in the future.

[Marcia Ruiz-Olguín · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful read and romance. Molly Likovich understood the assignment and delivered us a tasteful load of sex scenes that never felt denigrating. Truly the best Krampus themed novella of the year can’t compare

[Molly Likovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Biased cause I wrote it but I think it’s pretty swell.

[summer (oscar wilde’s version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Likovich has done it again. A dark and heartfelt monster romance. Wonderfully spicy scenes that are enjoyable to read even for someone who isn't into BDSM. A love story crossing oceans of time and the very limits of nature to find us. Whether you're gentle or terrible, Be Terrible is the best novella this holiday season.

[tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Riding the Headless Horseman by this author and really liked it, so I was looking at some of their other books and clicked on this one.
and... I'm not disappointed. it's not as good as the other one, but much better than some of the other monster romances I've been reading!

[Gracie · Rating 5 out of 5]

BRAVO 👏❤️

Update:this has become a Yuletide/Christmas reread for me 😈❤️

[amirahlynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 ⭐️

“You very well maybe. The stuff of nightmares and dark myths. You may be absolutely terrible. But I’d rather be an honest monster than a wicked man. Be terrible and love me in all your wicked ways.”

I loved this. The perfect mixture of halloween, bdsm and winter vibes. There are dark themes though

TW: rape, domestic abuse, violence, spankings, chains

[LiLu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!

I really enjoyed reading this story. It is so different from any Krampus story that I’ve read. There was so much going on. The backstory was amazing! He had to jog her memory, the only way he knew how. But what really got me was, ‘ I’d rather an honest monster, than a wicked man’. Wow! Isn’t that the truth.

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adore Molly Likovich, I have ever since I first read Send In the Clowns. This was such an intriguing (very short) book. I love the altering timelines and how this all plays out. Monster smut for the win everyone!

[•° Whimsy Fairy °• · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 56%
NOPE. Can't do it.

[Kassybetweenpages · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tis the season for Krampus spice✨
This was a quick read, our fmc is take by Krampus because she unknowingly has something of his.
-forgotten past
-punishment/spanking
-ptsd

[Brittney Bardin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite

[Kai · Rating 3 out of 5]

(This review is mostly for my friends on goodreads that’s going to see that I read this on their feed)… Okay but listen… the plot was good and the smut was even better lmao

[treofpaperbacks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first year I’ve become a true sap for Krampus and this one truly did me in. It brought my love for dark fairytales to life. I really loved this christmas tale. The smut is perfection but the love story between the MCs hooked me for life.

[Edie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The holiday reading saga continues with yet again another Krampus tale lmfao and I love the new knowledge about the Germanic folklore and Little Red Riding Hood like I'm already in love with fairy tale and fairy tale retellings 😍 This story is short and to the point, more grounded than Katee Robert's A Very Krampus Holiday, if I say so myself. Though I enjoy both lol

[Emily McCuaig · Rating 5 out of 5]

short, sweet, beautiful
just DAMN

[Coral · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heiße Heiße Heiße!!!!

I need more sexy German folklore monsters!

[Jenni Strand · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very Smutty, with what could be a good story

Warning: very explicit sexual content.

The story was extremely rushed. That is honestly the biggest complaint. It could’ve been a fantastic book, but it just needs development. I would be interested in an expanded edition.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was looking for smut and got a lovely plot to go with it. The romance between Monika and Krampus was beautiful to watch unfold. The questioning herself, but knowing deep down it's what she wanted, I felt that anxiety of trying to make the right decisions. The Germanic folklore can be felt throughout the book, and their love story unexpectedly had me in tears. My only complaint is wanting more of the story. The bonus chapter at the end gave me all the warmth and fuzzies—a perfect season read if you want to see Krampus be dominant but SWEET AF.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Molly Likovich books are always dependable for freakiness and actual monstrous behavior in their heroes. I liked this fine, but I felt like this book was having a bit of a tone crisis with how dark it wanted to be vs. how much darkness it thought its readers would be willing to accept. There was quite a bit of heavy-handed dialogue where Krampus would be like "JUST SO YOU KNOW, I HAVE NEVER HARMED A CHILD" or "MY BDSM GAMES ARE ENTIRELY CONSENSUAL," and, like, I as a reader do not need the book to be assuming the worst of me like this. I was never imposing those assumptions on this book, Krampus!

Something else I found to be a bit of a wild choice. On one page we have Krampus say, "I never punished children, that was just a cruel rumor that began so many years ago. I have been here since long before those silly stories were first told, and I will be here long after they cease to pass people's lips," and then on the VERY NEXT PAGE, our narrator says: "One of my favorite fairy tales was always Little Red Riding Hood. But not Grimm or Perrault, the darker, grittier versions. The one that were passed by word of mouth between women in villages as opposed to the ones rich white men stole and then committed to paper for money." THE VERY NEXT PAGE. That's really a stance you want to take in the sanitized Krampus romance you're selling on Amazon?