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Devil's Serenade #1
Den of Monsters
I woke to the soothing sound of a peaceful serenade.
Except there’s nothing peaceful about being kidnapped after being sold to the Devils of Sin.
This never should have happened, because I did everything right. I accepted the invitation, attended the masquerade in the depth of the forsaken forest, and danced with whomever requested. The longer one remains, the more debt is cleared from the family name, so I danced through the night.
I survived to the final note — and let me emphasize the “survive” part — but I’m starting to realize where the real problem lies. I didn’t dance with one suitor...I danced with five Devils, and each immediately laid a claim on me.
Joaquin. Talon. Dagger. Croix. Creed.
Now here I am, kidnapped and held for ransom by sick men with bigger debts and troubles than my bankrupt family and their dark organization combined, but I’m no damsel in distress.
I’m actually stalling.
There’s a rumor that the Devils of Sin are dangerous men of royal stature during the day and ruthless monsters at the peak of the night. I want to see them again…to touch and enjoy the illusions that left me panting for more.
I’m willing to enter the den of monsters to escape the true demons lurking in the shadows of desperation.
All in exchange for my freedom.
DEN OF MONSTERS is a steamy 187,000+ words STANDALONE. This reverse harem monster romance is filled with possessive monsters with a hint of psychosis, a badass FMC who may be even crazier, and loads of "bump in the dark" heated scenes that will make one blush in public - literally. Note that these den of sinister monsters can do various "things" with their bodies, so be warned. All sexual encounters are consensual.
Except there’s nothing peaceful about being kidnapped after being sold to the Devils of Sin.
This never should have happened, because I did everything right. I accepted the invitation, attended the masquerade in the depth of the forsaken forest, and danced with whomever requested. The longer one remains, the more debt is cleared from the family name, so I danced through the night.
I survived to the final note — and let me emphasize the “survive” part — but I’m starting to realize where the real problem lies. I didn’t dance with one suitor...I danced with five Devils, and each immediately laid a claim on me.
Joaquin. Talon. Dagger. Croix. Creed.
Now here I am, kidnapped and held for ransom by sick men with bigger debts and troubles than my bankrupt family and their dark organization combined, but I’m no damsel in distress.
I’m actually stalling.
There’s a rumor that the Devils of Sin are dangerous men of royal stature during the day and ruthless monsters at the peak of the night. I want to see them again…to touch and enjoy the illusions that left me panting for more.
I’m willing to enter the den of monsters to escape the true demons lurking in the shadows of desperation.
All in exchange for my freedom.
DEN OF MONSTERS is a steamy 187,000+ words STANDALONE. This reverse harem monster romance is filled with possessive monsters with a hint of psychosis, a badass FMC who may be even crazier, and loads of "bump in the dark" heated scenes that will make one blush in public - literally. Note that these den of sinister monsters can do various "things" with their bodies, so be warned. All sexual encounters are consensual.
810 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 4, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 314 reviews
July 23, 2023
3.7 stars.
Ummmm…that ending was totally uncalled for. Right?!
Look.
I really enjoyed most of this book, even with its tendency to ramble and be a tiny bit confusing.
The intimate moments with the monsters were hot and most definitely monstrous.
And the plot was super interesting and complex.
But.
I feel like the last few chapters were super convoluted and confusing to no end.
Especially that ending that felt like it literally came out of nowhere.
Plus, we only got to experience Esme with Talon and Joaquin outside of her dreams. And the dreams were all sort of vague to add to the dreamlike quality.
I feel cheated to be honest.
That ending felt like a cop out.
I feel like I need a couple hundred more pages to make what happened at the end reasonable.
It felt like the author was done with the story so instead of giving everything its due she just slapped everything she wanted into one short chapter and called it good.
I was really enjoying it until all that bullshit happened.
We got zero build up to it and the tiny bit of foreshadowing we may have gotten was too vague and uninformative to make it feasible.
I mean, even Esme didn’t seem to know until that very last chapter! How the hell were we supposed to?
I’m sorry. But that ending just sort of made me angry and completely frustrated me.
I feel the beginnings of a slump coming on.
Just.
What the actual fuck was that?!
If you’re gonna read this, first off check TWs, and second, be prepared for immense disappointment.
Ummmm…that ending was totally uncalled for. Right?!
Look.
I really enjoyed most of this book, even with its tendency to ramble and be a tiny bit confusing.
The intimate moments with the monsters were hot and most definitely monstrous.
And the plot was super interesting and complex.
But.
I feel like the last few chapters were super convoluted and confusing to no end.
Especially that ending that felt like it literally came out of nowhere.
Plus, we only got to experience Esme with Talon and Joaquin outside of her dreams. And the dreams were all sort of vague to add to the dreamlike quality.
I feel cheated to be honest.
That ending felt like a cop out.
I feel like I need a couple hundred more pages to make what happened at the end reasonable.
It felt like the author was done with the story so instead of giving everything its due she just slapped everything she wanted into one short chapter and called it good.
I was really enjoying it until all that bullshit happened.
We got zero build up to it and the tiny bit of foreshadowing we may have gotten was too vague and uninformative to make it feasible.
I mean, even Esme didn’t seem to know until that very last chapter! How the hell were we supposed to?
I’m sorry. But that ending just sort of made me angry and completely frustrated me.
I feel the beginnings of a slump coming on.
Just.
What the actual fuck was that?!
If you’re gonna read this, first off check TWs, and second, be prepared for immense disappointment.
September 17, 2023
A bit disjointed!
The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙🖤💜
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗
World building: 🌏🌍🌎
Character development: 😠😘🤓
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Dual Narration
The heroine: Esmeralda (a.k.a. Esme) - she remembers legends from her younger years about the Loring Serenade, where you are kept captive while your body is touched in a number of ways (gentle touches, claws digging into you, and more intimate touches). She seems to be going through this Loring Serenade, though it might be some sort of dream state where it is all happening to a copy of herself. She yearned for the monsters to take her away from her life, especially the main monster who was directing the action. Though we find out later that it is just a recurring sex dream she has.
The Story: This book starts off quite weird, with the heroine going through this ceremony, it gets steamy quickly, but the reader doesn’t really know what is going on. I have to say, I wasn’t too fond of how it began. Also, I wasn’t too fond of the fact that the blurb states this is a standalone, but from the blurb on the next book, it doesn’t seem to be true. The same characters are in that book, and it looks to be continuation of this same story.
It turns out Esme is from a wealthy family; her father joined the mafia because he was bored. Though now they have to come up with seventy-five million dollars by the end of the year (9 days) or all their assets will be taken. Esme and her siblings can’t believe there are going to be poor. They grew up in a lavish lifestyle and don’t want that to end. They are definitely a weird family, including a half-brother Claude who had strange circumstances of his birth and is the same age as her older full brother Lucas.
Their father’s solution to their predicament is the Masquerade of Sin which is coming up shortly. Two types of men are invited, bidders and observers. Bidders can participate in the dances to which they have the option to claim a woman and observers bet on which women survives on the dance floor the longest. It happens in the shadowed depths of the forbidden forest. The invitation will go to the first daughter of the family, which is Esme’s sister Antoinette, whom nobody has ever wanted to dance with. It turns out this is not a fun and jovial even, but an event used by monsters against people who are in debt. It is known that a set of royal bidders with lots of money will be in attendance.
It turns out that the Masquerade had some oddball rules, which changed at the last minute and because of Esme’s father’s machinations to keep her safe, she needed up as one of the contestants, and she had to be in the top five of the women at the end of the night, if she wanted to save her father’s life. It was all very complex and the lead up to the masquerade was longer than I would have expected, but all that did set up Esme’s background quite nicely. We found out that she is very intelligent, wily and fierce.
The Heroes: Talon, Joaquin, Dagger, Croix, Creed - They are The Devils of Sin.
Talon - He is a 6’3” Korean prince, slim but with muscle mass and has teal colored hair. He is Sinful Night (his true monster trait) – the ruler of defense and power in the form of combat.
Joaquin - He is the Sinful King, the leader of their den of monsters (The Devils of Sin).
Dagger - he is a serial killer for fun. He likes to lead the police and FBI on a merry chase. He is the Sinful Assassin.
Croix - he is a prince and an identical twin to Creed. He is the Sinful Advocate.
Creed - he is a prince and an identical twin to Croix. He is the Sinful Negotiator.
It is a bit confusing on how the guys have a monster side. I wasn’t quite sure if they were some kind of shifters, or if they had glamour which hid their monster sides, or if they were only monsters in dreams at first and it wasn’t explained very well. Like everything in this book, it took a while to get it. Things weren’t explained all that clearly. I never really got a decent picture of what they looked like in their monster forms. Some had weird tails and crazy features. I also thought this was unnecessarily long, with a lot of filler where not much happened, and much could have been eliminated, since I found myself bored at times.
This audiobook was told in multiple points of view via dual narration. It was narrated by Keira Stevens and Gregory Salinas. Keira Stevens has done quite a few reverse harem audiobooks I have listened to before and I like her voice. She seems age appropriate for the heroine as well. Gregory Salinas has a deep pleasing voice, though I do wish there were different narrators for each of the Heroes. Although he does a good job at different voices for different characters.
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The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙🖤💜
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗
World building: 🌏🌍🌎
Character development: 😠😘🤓
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Dual Narration
The heroine: Esmeralda (a.k.a. Esme) - she remembers legends from her younger years about the Loring Serenade, where you are kept captive while your body is touched in a number of ways (gentle touches, claws digging into you, and more intimate touches). She seems to be going through this Loring Serenade, though it might be some sort of dream state where it is all happening to a copy of herself. She yearned for the monsters to take her away from her life, especially the main monster who was directing the action. Though we find out later that it is just a recurring sex dream she has.
The Story: This book starts off quite weird, with the heroine going through this ceremony, it gets steamy quickly, but the reader doesn’t really know what is going on. I have to say, I wasn’t too fond of how it began. Also, I wasn’t too fond of the fact that the blurb states this is a standalone, but from the blurb on the next book, it doesn’t seem to be true. The same characters are in that book, and it looks to be continuation of this same story.
It turns out Esme is from a wealthy family; her father joined the mafia because he was bored. Though now they have to come up with seventy-five million dollars by the end of the year (9 days) or all their assets will be taken. Esme and her siblings can’t believe there are going to be poor. They grew up in a lavish lifestyle and don’t want that to end. They are definitely a weird family, including a half-brother Claude who had strange circumstances of his birth and is the same age as her older full brother Lucas.
Their father’s solution to their predicament is the Masquerade of Sin which is coming up shortly. Two types of men are invited, bidders and observers. Bidders can participate in the dances to which they have the option to claim a woman and observers bet on which women survives on the dance floor the longest. It happens in the shadowed depths of the forbidden forest. The invitation will go to the first daughter of the family, which is Esme’s sister Antoinette, whom nobody has ever wanted to dance with. It turns out this is not a fun and jovial even, but an event used by monsters against people who are in debt. It is known that a set of royal bidders with lots of money will be in attendance.
It turns out that the Masquerade had some oddball rules, which changed at the last minute and because of Esme’s father’s machinations to keep her safe, she needed up as one of the contestants, and she had to be in the top five of the women at the end of the night, if she wanted to save her father’s life. It was all very complex and the lead up to the masquerade was longer than I would have expected, but all that did set up Esme’s background quite nicely. We found out that she is very intelligent, wily and fierce.
The Heroes: Talon, Joaquin, Dagger, Croix, Creed - They are The Devils of Sin.
Talon - He is a 6’3” Korean prince, slim but with muscle mass and has teal colored hair. He is Sinful Night (his true monster trait) – the ruler of defense and power in the form of combat.
Joaquin - He is the Sinful King, the leader of their den of monsters (The Devils of Sin).
Dagger - he is a serial killer for fun. He likes to lead the police and FBI on a merry chase. He is the Sinful Assassin.
Croix - he is a prince and an identical twin to Creed. He is the Sinful Advocate.
Creed - he is a prince and an identical twin to Croix. He is the Sinful Negotiator.
It is a bit confusing on how the guys have a monster side. I wasn’t quite sure if they were some kind of shifters, or if they had glamour which hid their monster sides, or if they were only monsters in dreams at first and it wasn’t explained very well. Like everything in this book, it took a while to get it. Things weren’t explained all that clearly. I never really got a decent picture of what they looked like in their monster forms. Some had weird tails and crazy features. I also thought this was unnecessarily long, with a lot of filler where not much happened, and much could have been eliminated, since I found myself bored at times.
This audiobook was told in multiple points of view via dual narration. It was narrated by Keira Stevens and Gregory Salinas. Keira Stevens has done quite a few reverse harem audiobooks I have listened to before and I like her voice. She seems age appropriate for the heroine as well. Gregory Salinas has a deep pleasing voice, though I do wish there were different narrators for each of the Heroes. Although he does a good job at different voices for different characters.
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February 12, 2022
. . . What??? WTH did I just read????
This book was just so . . .
Good gravey, this was bad! I'm at a loss to even explain how terrible it was. I try not to quit a book mid read. Thankfully, there were a few redeeming parts that kept me pep talking myself into completing it, but . . . wow! What a task!
This book is a mash-up of juvenile, jumbled thoughts with intermittent sexual encounters and strange anatomical descriptions, combined with massive editing faux pas and nonsensical drivel given book form. The story switched tempo and character so many times that it left me reeling. Overall, in many places, the book read like a teen/young adult self-published a dream they once had.
Then, after pushing through all that, there's the ending to deal with. Where on earth did that ending even come from??
This book was just so . . .
Good gravey, this was bad! I'm at a loss to even explain how terrible it was. I try not to quit a book mid read. Thankfully, there were a few redeeming parts that kept me pep talking myself into completing it, but . . . wow! What a task!
This book is a mash-up of juvenile, jumbled thoughts with intermittent sexual encounters and strange anatomical descriptions, combined with massive editing faux pas and nonsensical drivel given book form. The story switched tempo and character so many times that it left me reeling. Overall, in many places, the book read like a teen/young adult self-published a dream they once had.
Then, after pushing through all that, there's the ending to deal with. Where on earth did that ending even come from??
February 21, 2022
I read 657 pages to end with complete horseshit. Seriously. Fucking horseshit. It started off good, and then took a deep nose dive.
It’s like the author had a vision, and then lost it 1/3 of the way through the book. I was curious to where it was fucking going, so I kept up with it, to only end in fucking flaming disappointment. If the last 2/3 of the book weren’t weirdly put together enough (like new shit and scenarios popping up that didn’t really need to be in there), the last 15% really was like someone forgot what they wrote and just tried to cram everything into a 3 page ending because they couldn’t figure out how to end it. It is the weirdest stupidest ending. I’m fuming. My curiosity was never assuaged, instead I’m more mad. It literally went from them at the masquerade to some random weird plot where the book finishes. There is no closure. And you’re left going “what the fuck did I just spend hours of my life on!”
Gahhhhhhh!
It’s like the author had a vision, and then lost it 1/3 of the way through the book. I was curious to where it was fucking going, so I kept up with it, to only end in fucking flaming disappointment. If the last 2/3 of the book weren’t weirdly put together enough (like new shit and scenarios popping up that didn’t really need to be in there), the last 15% really was like someone forgot what they wrote and just tried to cram everything into a 3 page ending because they couldn’t figure out how to end it. It is the weirdest stupidest ending. I’m fuming. My curiosity was never assuaged, instead I’m more mad. It literally went from them at the masquerade to some random weird plot where the book finishes. There is no closure. And you’re left going “what the fuck did I just spend hours of my life on!”
Gahhhhhhh!
July 3, 2022
Den of Monsters initially introduced me to a character that I despised.
No, it's not the main character. I actually ended up liking her and the guys. Nope, it's the mother who I despised. The bonus point was the new addition to my hate pile towards the end of the book. Definitely not surprised with how it ended but I wanted some bloodshed. Lots of it. I guess in a weird way, I can be okay that they are uncomfortable and in hell (sort of).
Other than that, I enjoyed the twists and turns throughout. Some of the betrayal was easy to spot on because of certain characters being behind it. Others not so much but they got what they deserved. Now I just need to find Eloise's book because I have a feeling that one will also be good.
No, it's not the main character. I actually ended up liking her and the guys. Nope, it's the mother who I despised. The bonus point was the new addition to my hate pile towards the end of the book. Definitely not surprised with how it ended but I wanted some bloodshed. Lots of it. I guess in a weird way, I can be okay that they are uncomfortable and in hell (sort of).
Other than that, I enjoyed the twists and turns throughout. Some of the betrayal was easy to spot on because of certain characters being behind it. Others not so much but they got what they deserved. Now I just need to find Eloise's book because I have a feeling that one will also be good.
February 7, 2022
That was terrible and none of it made sense
June 8, 2022
the beginning was sooooo long and then the end was like BLIP.
February 13, 2022
confusing
I tried. I wanted to really like this. I know lots of people love it. Honestly it just left me confused and unenthusiastic. DNF
I tried. I wanted to really like this. I know lots of people love it. Honestly it just left me confused and unenthusiastic. DNF
February 10, 2022
⭐️⭐️.5
🌶🌶🌶
I..dont…get it? I just don’t get it. I read the whole book. And I am at a loss. None of this made sense. Okay..like 30% of it made sense. But there was so much plot that did NOTHING and it was SO LONG. I feel like this could’ve been done in 300 pages and had the same result. The ending was bad. It was just so bad. I kept being like “oh maybe it’ll all wrap up nicely” but NO. I wanted this to be a good read so bad.
🌶🌶🌶
I..dont…get it? I just don’t get it. I read the whole book. And I am at a loss. None of this made sense. Okay..like 30% of it made sense. But there was so much plot that did NOTHING and it was SO LONG. I feel like this could’ve been done in 300 pages and had the same result. The ending was bad. It was just so bad. I kept being like “oh maybe it’ll all wrap up nicely” but NO. I wanted this to be a good read so bad.
February 10, 2022
…what did I just read?
Plot holes
Sentences that ran on FAR too long
More plot holes
Bit of spice…
More over-exaggerated sentences
Random ending with no actual resolution
I struggled to finish this book. Every other book by Avery has been wonderful, but this was a massive disappointment.
Definitely WONT be reading the next book in this series.
Plot holes
Sentences that ran on FAR too long
More plot holes
Bit of spice…
More over-exaggerated sentences
Random ending with no actual resolution
I struggled to finish this book. Every other book by Avery has been wonderful, but this was a massive disappointment.
Definitely WONT be reading the next book in this series.
February 5, 2022
This story is one of deception, twists and turns, spice, and redemption. Esme is strong, slightly unhinged, smart, and loyal to a fault if it's learned. She has an amazing BFF in Eloise (so excited for her story). And her monsters are all traumatized, lethal, and in desperate need for an unconditional love.
The plot didn't end up anywhere close to where I thought it was going. The action was off the charts, and the masquerade was so original and creative. The twist at the end was so satisfying, and I'm very interested in what comes next.
The plot didn't end up anywhere close to where I thought it was going. The action was off the charts, and the masquerade was so original and creative. The twist at the end was so satisfying, and I'm very interested in what comes next.
February 10, 2022
What the f*ch is that????????
Honestly, I thought I would rate this book 5 stars because I love the universe, the mix between mafia and monsters, and all the complexity of the world building. But this end??? 😱👿👿👿👿 Is that a joke?
The plot twist is such irrealistic that it ruins everything!!! I hate when authors do that because it needs to be very accurate regarding all the information given during the read and the character's behaviour to make it realistic, and here it's not the case for me. All along the book, it felt like you were given wrong or twisted information and suddenly at the end, thank to farfetched twists, a new truth rises. I didn't believe it at all.
So I hated totally the end and worse, it's not even a HEA nor a HFN! The story just ended abruptely while the characters were in the middle of a very important moment. For me a part two is needed to but alas it's not the case🙄. Of course there will be a sequel with Eloise but we won't know more about Esméralda and her Sinful Monsters I guess.
It's a shame that the author completely f*cked up the end of this book because it could have been so good!
So angry to have lost my time...😡
Honestly, I thought I would rate this book 5 stars because I love the universe, the mix between mafia and monsters, and all the complexity of the world building. But this end??? 😱👿👿👿👿 Is that a joke?
The plot twist is such irrealistic that it ruins everything!!! I hate when authors do that because it needs to be very accurate regarding all the information given during the read and the character's behaviour to make it realistic, and here it's not the case for me. All along the book, it felt like you were given wrong or twisted information and suddenly at the end, thank to farfetched twists, a new truth rises. I didn't believe it at all.
So I hated totally the end and worse, it's not even a HEA nor a HFN! The story just ended abruptely while the characters were in the middle of a very important moment. For me a part two is needed to but alas it's not the case🙄. Of course there will be a sequel with Eloise but we won't know more about Esméralda and her Sinful Monsters I guess.
It's a shame that the author completely f*cked up the end of this book because it could have been so good!
So angry to have lost my time...😡
February 18, 2022
This book was a struggle to get through from the beginning. There is very little world building to help you understand where and when the characters are. Why are there princes and kings all over the place in Boston? I was completely lost.
I get the feeling the author had some good ideas for a RH meets Hitalia, but didn't plot out her storyline fully before hand. There were very childish rationalizations for every turn the story took. The expectation that the reader would just continue to be able to suspend their disbelief more and more as the book progressed was ridiculous. It was a little bit like catching a 4 year old in a lie and listening to the explanation for what "really happened". There's fiction, and then there's whatever this was.
There was about 80% too much exposition but thats OK, you don't need to read it because the author basically reverses it all at the last second with another confusing whirl of purple prose, miraculously IMPROBABLE AND POORLY EXPLAINED REVELATIONS, and bad grammar. Everything you thought you knew because that is what the author told you in the first place? Conveniently reversed or magically the opposite because REASONS.
The 1 star is for having a good premise and decent steamy scenes. Honestly it really needed a better outline of the story arc before being written, needs to be more consistent, and needs fewer adjectives. It also needs severe editing to fix grammar, word and tense usage, trim the story down by half and again, fix the childish continuity U-turns and explanations. This was not a fun read.
I get the feeling the author had some good ideas for a RH meets Hitalia, but didn't plot out her storyline fully before hand. There were very childish rationalizations for every turn the story took. The expectation that the reader would just continue to be able to suspend their disbelief more and more as the book progressed was ridiculous. It was a little bit like catching a 4 year old in a lie and listening to the explanation for what "really happened". There's fiction, and then there's whatever this was.
There was about 80% too much exposition but thats OK, you don't need to read it because the author basically reverses it all at the last second with another confusing whirl of purple prose, miraculously IMPROBABLE AND POORLY EXPLAINED REVELATIONS, and bad grammar. Everything you thought you knew because that is what the author told you in the first place? Conveniently reversed or magically the opposite because REASONS.
The 1 star is for having a good premise and decent steamy scenes. Honestly it really needed a better outline of the story arc before being written, needs to be more consistent, and needs fewer adjectives. It also needs severe editing to fix grammar, word and tense usage, trim the story down by half and again, fix the childish continuity U-turns and explanations. This was not a fun read.
February 10, 2022
DNF - quit at 10%
Ok, this was a bizarre story that absolutely made no sense to me. The characters- they just be nuts! I feel like ALL of them were created when the author was high, even the plot. I can’t even fathom any positive reviews on this let alone over a hundred. What book did they read, cause it sure wasn’t this one. Definitely not reading more from this author!
At my age (60), life is way too short & my time is too important to force myself to read a book I'm not enjoying, especially when there are so many other books out there waiting to be read.
Ok, this was a bizarre story that absolutely made no sense to me. The characters- they just be nuts! I feel like ALL of them were created when the author was high, even the plot. I can’t even fathom any positive reviews on this let alone over a hundred. What book did they read, cause it sure wasn’t this one. Definitely not reading more from this author!
At my age (60), life is way too short & my time is too important to force myself to read a book I'm not enjoying, especially when there are so many other books out there waiting to be read.
February 21, 2022
I have to say this book was one I could not put down! Go read it! The ending definitely was not what I was expecting and I loved it!
May 16, 2022
How on Earth did this book get such a high rating? It was terrible! The plot was confusing at times and the dialogue was so awful. It was MUCH too long. I've read (and enjoyed) reverse harem books before, but this one was too much. Very cheesy. I only liked one scene and wanted to give this book an extra star just for that, but by the time I'd finished I just couldn't.
March 25, 2022
This was interesting... Up until 95%
Had me captivated... right up until the end. The climax did not make sense and contradicted the first 95% of the massive book. It felt as though the end belonged to another book and even another main character. The MC supposedly had memory problems which suddenly vanished, trashing the believability of the story.
I checked with the other reviews and many were equally confused, so I didn’t personally miss something. The end needs a severe fix.
Such a damn shame since it was good until then. At that 95%, the reader is given whiplash. And not in a good way. It would've been five stars otherwise.
Had me captivated... right up until the end. The climax did not make sense and contradicted the first 95% of the massive book. It felt as though the end belonged to another book and even another main character. The MC supposedly had memory problems which suddenly vanished, trashing the believability of the story.
I checked with the other reviews and many were equally confused, so I didn’t personally miss something. The end needs a severe fix.
Such a damn shame since it was good until then. At that 95%, the reader is given whiplash. And not in a good way. It would've been five stars otherwise.
June 9, 2024
I guess now I need a tutorial on “how to unread a book“
May 23, 2022
Not going to finish! I was trying to give it a chance but yeah no.
I was really enjoying the plot even though at some points it was hard to follow the storyline. The MC was likable, strong and funny at points. I was getting excited to meet the guys. However when I started to read the book I decided to check the authors note, check GR and check the blurb to make sure I’m reading something I like and to no get surprises. But of course even doing that I still got m/m everywhere. I read a book a while ago that the second book mentioned that it was coming and I was very frustrated because it came out of nowhere. But this book is more than m/m it’s a love circle or heading that way. Which great if that what you like to read however in my opinion it doesn’t describe RH. The lines are getting a little blurred with RH because I see a lot of m/m which I have no problem as long as a I get a disclaimers, authors note or in the synopsis. If the relationships are open within a group shouldn’t that be called a poly relationship instead of RH. Especially if feelings are involved, prior relationship or that the focus isn’t the FMC? I guess I need to do some research.
However I left right before the masquerade and I was really interested to learn more so if you are into a love circle, dangerous monsters and a likable MC the go ahead and give it a try.
—— so I finished the book just to be sure and literally sooooo confused like what even happened???? How is there a next book with that ending ?
I was really enjoying the plot even though at some points it was hard to follow the storyline. The MC was likable, strong and funny at points. I was getting excited to meet the guys. However when I started to read the book I decided to check the authors note, check GR and check the blurb to make sure I’m reading something I like and to no get surprises. But of course even doing that I still got m/m everywhere. I read a book a while ago that the second book mentioned that it was coming and I was very frustrated because it came out of nowhere. But this book is more than m/m it’s a love circle or heading that way. Which great if that what you like to read however in my opinion it doesn’t describe RH. The lines are getting a little blurred with RH because I see a lot of m/m which I have no problem as long as a I get a disclaimers, authors note or in the synopsis. If the relationships are open within a group shouldn’t that be called a poly relationship instead of RH. Especially if feelings are involved, prior relationship or that the focus isn’t the FMC? I guess I need to do some research.
However I left right before the masquerade and I was really interested to learn more so if you are into a love circle, dangerous monsters and a likable MC the go ahead and give it a try.
—— so I finished the book just to be sure and literally sooooo confused like what even happened???? How is there a next book with that ending ?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 20, 2022
Where is the Rest???
The ending was so discombobulating. Like it literally made no sense and it’s like what kind of ending was that??? There are things that still have yet to be answered and some important details were just glossed over. The grammar wasn’t the best, but I could live with that if the story was amazing. Majority of the characters besides Talon don’t even get any or much development until the literal end of the story. Then what happens after the very horrible ending? Like that ending was a cop out and I really wanted to know what would happen with Esmeralda and her den. Also the entire Antoinette plot doesn’t make sense. If Antoinette was trying to protect Esme then why did she start hating her with the passion of a thousand suns and try to kill her at the beginning of the book? Like don’t get me wrong I understand her character but there are some plot holes. And also why was Lucas allowed to even live in the same house? Just so many plot holes and wtf moments
The ending was so discombobulating. Like it literally made no sense and it’s like what kind of ending was that??? There are things that still have yet to be answered and some important details were just glossed over. The grammar wasn’t the best, but I could live with that if the story was amazing. Majority of the characters besides Talon don’t even get any or much development until the literal end of the story. Then what happens after the very horrible ending? Like that ending was a cop out and I really wanted to know what would happen with Esmeralda and her den. Also the entire Antoinette plot doesn’t make sense. If Antoinette was trying to protect Esme then why did she start hating her with the passion of a thousand suns and try to kill her at the beginning of the book? Like don’t get me wrong I understand her character but there are some plot holes. And also why was Lucas allowed to even live in the same house? Just so many plot holes and wtf moments
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 7, 2022
Ok so, I freaking love the 97% of the book, I enjoy the story and the craziness but that ending tho… ugh
WHY say that it is standalone, when CLEARLY it is NOT? 🙄
WHY say that it is standalone, when CLEARLY it is NOT? 🙄
February 6, 2022
I really wanted to like this book but I couldn’t finish it. I feel like it still has the potential to be good after a massive amount of editing. It felt like too much information was being thrown out about what was going on to the point where it felt like word vomit and I couldn’t retain it all. I wasn’t attached enough to the main character to keep reading. I kept finding myself skipping whole paragraphs of unnecessary information or dialogue. Loved the cover artwork.
March 15, 2022
Dnft 36%
I feel very out the loop reading this, which annoys me anyway when I feel I'm missing something, but it's mostly monster porn. Things are described and stuff and I feel like it's only half mentioned as it's just spoken like it's Normal? Uhm.. no I have no idea what this is and what year and what happened etc.
I feel very out the loop reading this, which annoys me anyway when I feel I'm missing something, but it's mostly monster porn. Things are described and stuff and I feel like it's only half mentioned as it's just spoken like it's Normal? Uhm.. no I have no idea what this is and what year and what happened etc.
September 17, 2025
The second I saw the phrase "...itty bitty coochie," I dropped this novel so fast. I get this was written in the height of the TikTok erotica era, but having such a childish phrase really took me out of things.
May 18, 2022
Ugh
Once again, Kindle sucks at picking out books for me. I have trouble categorizing this book because so much of it did not make sense and /or I had no idea what was going on (details below). I’ll call it a reverse harem fantasy romance with obstacles & intrigues between the characters. I class a book as fantasy if it takes place in a fantasy world and supernatural if it takes place mostly in this world with supernatural beings. After finishing this book I still have no idea which the author was aiming for. The characters were inconsistent and had backstories that didn’t really make sense to me. The world seemed to have overly complicated rules, which were sometimes laid out, sometimes not, and then ignored at times. The sex component was, I’ll say not for everyone. I guess I had a hard time figuring out what things were important to the story and which things were just random. Which means I spent most of this book trying to figure out the world & characters instead of actually being in the story. Also the synopsis is misleading. It made it seem like the book starts after the masquerade when in fact the book ends just a bit after the masquerade. As for ending, I think all of her guys saying some version of 'We'll talk about it after the masquerade.' so I would have trouble calling the ending a HEA.
*****Spoiler Alert*****
This Book Includes - Basically if you are easily offended do not read.
Violence. A lot of violence, deaths, guns, knives, body as weapon, fights against multiple opponents (20 or 50 against 1-2), references to kidnappings & broken bones, references to rape & incest, references to torture, references to skinning alive, references to ‘killing rampage’, references to child trafficking and childhood sexual abuse, physical child abuse, kidnapping.
Sex. Bondage, tentacle sex - sort of, monster sex, multiple (5) partners at once, sex dreams, dominance submission, spanking, bisexual characters, mm-bj & kissing, mfm sex scene, sex with inanimate object - knife hilt, anal play with tongue, lots of cold things (e.g. fingers, knife hilt) entering her, some temperature differentials (hot & cold), tails used intimately.
Mental Health. More than one character is bipolar, multiple other characters sanity questionable, some outright calling themselves psycho with a screw loose, or memories tampered with.
Thing That Bothered Me
World Building
It is a tried and true method to have an outsider character come into a new world. That way the readers can learn the rules of the new world as the character does. However, that is not the case here. Some things aren't explained (e.g. new definition of the word Sin) until 75-80% of the book is through. The first quarter of the book at least I had no idea whether I was supposed to be taking these dreams seriously or not. Were they dreams, witchcraft, alternate reality, etc.? What part of them was important to the story?
Character Introductions.
The 5 devils are introduced in a sex dream - fine. The problem here is that apparently their appearance in the dream may or may not correspond with their 'monster form'. So you are introducing characters without names and without a stable form. What exactly am I supposed to take away from that?
The Unexplained
There's a couple references to the monsters feeding off of her in the sex dreams, but what exactly is it they are feeding off of? Do they need it? Is this linked to the idea at the masquerade that sex during the intermissions will invigorate her?
What's the difference between being a devil and being a royal if all of one category also seem to be in the other?
Some people at some times can tell what a child is going to be (sinful maiden or devil). How?
How did the evil brother come up with the money and the invite to the masquerade?
Why were the heroine's memories suppressed?
A white rabbit is a jack of all trades - but what are the trades? It seems like it's just that she's powerful. Shouldn't she be able to do magic if those 3 girls that tried to kill her can?
Who was trying to kill her before the masquerade? The King guy of the sinful six, her evil brother, or her supposed mother?
They say that bitch wife married the father in hopes of having a sinful maiden daughter. Why would she want that? If that was the true then why didn't she dote on the heroine instead of hating her? If that was what she wanted why did she cheat on her husband instead of having his kids?
The Explained I Still Don't Understand
I still have no clue how this masquerade works. It was explained like 5 times and I'm still unclear. I thought they were going to bid on her for each dance, but they only bid for the first dance. I thought observers (Claude) couldn't dance, but he did. What exactly was the point of bidding on maidens that are already taken? It seemed like the non-dancing bidders were betting on the women's survival not bidding on buying them at auction. However, I'm still not sure whether it was both or neither. Then the word voting was tossed in the explanations and I think I just stopped trying to make sense out of it.
Inconsistencies
Why would childhood abuse & trauma make a male a devil but prevent a female from becoming a sinful maiden?
The heroine, when 12 was kidnapped by 3 men and killed them all with a knife. Yet when she ends up in a rope trap she basically cries for help & does nothing? She still has a knife. Speaking of the knife how does she have it when tied up and then not have it later? Or perhaps you can tell me how if she is tied upside down (which I read as feet in the air ) and a rabbit bounces on her stomach?
I swear it says that no one knows who rules the mother family, but then it says the sinful six rules the mother family?
So, let me get this straight. The father and bitch wife were separated and working on divorce, so the father was getting back with Chloe. Then while all 3 were together they were attacked. How in hell were those 3 together in the same place in the first place? Then bitch wife was having mental health issues so father & Chloe gave her their child. What? First mental health instability is generally a reason to take a child away from someone, not give a child to someone. Second, even if the father feel some obligation to bitch wife why in the world would Chloe give up her only daughter? So basically instead of letting crazy bitch deal with her own shit they made the daughter, the father & Chloe miserable for 20 years. Why?
They just kill people all the time in this story, so why don't they just kill evil brother? What are they waiting for?
How can some of the devils be very sexual in the heroine's dreams and asexual or demisexual in the 'real' world? If they are different in different places who are they supposed to be?
The Ending
This made no sense to me. The father is dead then he's alive? He has to be dead for her to become a sinful maiden then suddenly he doesn't? There are all these reasons the mother can't change her name to get out of the debt, but then suddenly she has a new name. How? Is it her lover's? I get that bitch mother cheated and the 2 oldest siblings aren't actually the father's, but then Antoinette says that she isn't evil brother's sibling either - how? I mean they're at least half sibs. I have no idea what the point was of the suppressed memories. What exactly was accomplished by suppressing them?
Once again, Kindle sucks at picking out books for me. I have trouble categorizing this book because so much of it did not make sense and /or I had no idea what was going on (details below). I’ll call it a reverse harem fantasy romance with obstacles & intrigues between the characters. I class a book as fantasy if it takes place in a fantasy world and supernatural if it takes place mostly in this world with supernatural beings. After finishing this book I still have no idea which the author was aiming for. The characters were inconsistent and had backstories that didn’t really make sense to me. The world seemed to have overly complicated rules, which were sometimes laid out, sometimes not, and then ignored at times. The sex component was, I’ll say not for everyone. I guess I had a hard time figuring out what things were important to the story and which things were just random. Which means I spent most of this book trying to figure out the world & characters instead of actually being in the story. Also the synopsis is misleading. It made it seem like the book starts after the masquerade when in fact the book ends just a bit after the masquerade. As for ending, I think all of her guys saying some version of 'We'll talk about it after the masquerade.' so I would have trouble calling the ending a HEA.
*****Spoiler Alert*****
This Book Includes - Basically if you are easily offended do not read.
Violence. A lot of violence, deaths, guns, knives, body as weapon, fights against multiple opponents (20 or 50 against 1-2), references to kidnappings & broken bones, references to rape & incest, references to torture, references to skinning alive, references to ‘killing rampage’, references to child trafficking and childhood sexual abuse, physical child abuse, kidnapping.
Sex. Bondage, tentacle sex - sort of, monster sex, multiple (5) partners at once, sex dreams, dominance submission, spanking, bisexual characters, mm-bj & kissing, mfm sex scene, sex with inanimate object - knife hilt, anal play with tongue, lots of cold things (e.g. fingers, knife hilt) entering her, some temperature differentials (hot & cold), tails used intimately.
Mental Health. More than one character is bipolar, multiple other characters sanity questionable, some outright calling themselves psycho with a screw loose, or memories tampered with.
Thing That Bothered Me
World Building
It is a tried and true method to have an outsider character come into a new world. That way the readers can learn the rules of the new world as the character does. However, that is not the case here. Some things aren't explained (e.g. new definition of the word Sin) until 75-80% of the book is through. The first quarter of the book at least I had no idea whether I was supposed to be taking these dreams seriously or not. Were they dreams, witchcraft, alternate reality, etc.? What part of them was important to the story?
Character Introductions.
The 5 devils are introduced in a sex dream - fine. The problem here is that apparently their appearance in the dream may or may not correspond with their 'monster form'. So you are introducing characters without names and without a stable form. What exactly am I supposed to take away from that?
The Unexplained
There's a couple references to the monsters feeding off of her in the sex dreams, but what exactly is it they are feeding off of? Do they need it? Is this linked to the idea at the masquerade that sex during the intermissions will invigorate her?
What's the difference between being a devil and being a royal if all of one category also seem to be in the other?
Some people at some times can tell what a child is going to be (sinful maiden or devil). How?
How did the evil brother come up with the money and the invite to the masquerade?
Why were the heroine's memories suppressed?
A white rabbit is a jack of all trades - but what are the trades? It seems like it's just that she's powerful. Shouldn't she be able to do magic if those 3 girls that tried to kill her can?
Who was trying to kill her before the masquerade? The King guy of the sinful six, her evil brother, or her supposed mother?
They say that bitch wife married the father in hopes of having a sinful maiden daughter. Why would she want that? If that was the true then why didn't she dote on the heroine instead of hating her? If that was what she wanted why did she cheat on her husband instead of having his kids?
The Explained I Still Don't Understand
I still have no clue how this masquerade works. It was explained like 5 times and I'm still unclear. I thought they were going to bid on her for each dance, but they only bid for the first dance. I thought observers (Claude) couldn't dance, but he did. What exactly was the point of bidding on maidens that are already taken? It seemed like the non-dancing bidders were betting on the women's survival not bidding on buying them at auction. However, I'm still not sure whether it was both or neither. Then the word voting was tossed in the explanations and I think I just stopped trying to make sense out of it.
Inconsistencies
Why would childhood abuse & trauma make a male a devil but prevent a female from becoming a sinful maiden?
The heroine, when 12 was kidnapped by 3 men and killed them all with a knife. Yet when she ends up in a rope trap she basically cries for help & does nothing? She still has a knife. Speaking of the knife how does she have it when tied up and then not have it later? Or perhaps you can tell me how if she is tied upside down (which I read as feet in the air ) and a rabbit bounces on her stomach?
I swear it says that no one knows who rules the mother family, but then it says the sinful six rules the mother family?
So, let me get this straight. The father and bitch wife were separated and working on divorce, so the father was getting back with Chloe. Then while all 3 were together they were attacked. How in hell were those 3 together in the same place in the first place? Then bitch wife was having mental health issues so father & Chloe gave her their child. What? First mental health instability is generally a reason to take a child away from someone, not give a child to someone. Second, even if the father feel some obligation to bitch wife why in the world would Chloe give up her only daughter? So basically instead of letting crazy bitch deal with her own shit they made the daughter, the father & Chloe miserable for 20 years. Why?
They just kill people all the time in this story, so why don't they just kill evil brother? What are they waiting for?
How can some of the devils be very sexual in the heroine's dreams and asexual or demisexual in the 'real' world? If they are different in different places who are they supposed to be?
The Ending
This made no sense to me. The father is dead then he's alive? He has to be dead for her to become a sinful maiden then suddenly he doesn't? There are all these reasons the mother can't change her name to get out of the debt, but then suddenly she has a new name. How? Is it her lover's? I get that bitch mother cheated and the 2 oldest siblings aren't actually the father's, but then Antoinette says that she isn't evil brother's sibling either - how? I mean they're at least half sibs. I have no idea what the point was of the suppressed memories. What exactly was accomplished by suppressing them?
Read
March 25, 2022Wow… and not in a good way
I was really excited to read this book, the synopsis sounded interesting. It started out a little strangely with the doppelgänger dream sequence, which was a tad bit confusing. But I don’t like to give up on books so I kept reading, and often re-reading paragraphs and pages. The story was disjointed, convoluted and all over the place. The masquerade does not happen till 73% in to the book. Some of the men are such a background in the story, that I hardly have any grasp on any of their stories nor their personalities. Talon gets the most time, but is still a mystery. There is very little relationship evolution or relationships at all. I am all about new ideas in the realm of PNR, but this was a mess and I still have little clue what I was supposed to be reading about. I got really tired of re-reading to try to figure out what was going on, especially during and after the masquerade. And the ending… OMG! Seriously?!
Over 500 pages with questions after questions, and it ends in a few pages with very little explanation. I was flabbergasted, and that does not happen very often. I am an avid reader, and read several books a week. I rarely leave reviews and especially bad ones, but felt the need to warn others looking to start this book. Good luck!
I was really excited to read this book, the synopsis sounded interesting. It started out a little strangely with the doppelgänger dream sequence, which was a tad bit confusing. But I don’t like to give up on books so I kept reading, and often re-reading paragraphs and pages. The story was disjointed, convoluted and all over the place. The masquerade does not happen till 73% in to the book. Some of the men are such a background in the story, that I hardly have any grasp on any of their stories nor their personalities. Talon gets the most time, but is still a mystery. There is very little relationship evolution or relationships at all. I am all about new ideas in the realm of PNR, but this was a mess and I still have little clue what I was supposed to be reading about. I got really tired of re-reading to try to figure out what was going on, especially during and after the masquerade. And the ending… OMG! Seriously?!
Over 500 pages with questions after questions, and it ends in a few pages with very little explanation. I was flabbergasted, and that does not happen very often. I am an avid reader, and read several books a week. I rarely leave reviews and especially bad ones, but felt the need to warn others looking to start this book. Good luck!
May 10, 2022
Did not finish. Ugh.
Let me just wash out my brain first, shall I?
I try to give every book I read a fair shot, but sometimes they're so terrible that I just have to toss them aside and bleach my brain. Seriously. I couldn't stand anything about this book.
The writing was sloppy and uninteresting with blatant editing mistakes and misspellings, there was a half-assed plot that didn't make sense, and the combination of mafia/mob themes versus the fantasy monster theme clashed horrifically. All of the characters were annoying as hell, it switched POV's so often and so confusingly that it was hard to keep track of what was going on at any given time, and plot holes on plot holes.
Just an overall disappointment. Yikes.
Let me just wash out my brain first, shall I?
I try to give every book I read a fair shot, but sometimes they're so terrible that I just have to toss them aside and bleach my brain. Seriously. I couldn't stand anything about this book.
The writing was sloppy and uninteresting with blatant editing mistakes and misspellings, there was a half-assed plot that didn't make sense, and the combination of mafia/mob themes versus the fantasy monster theme clashed horrifically. All of the characters were annoying as hell, it switched POV's so often and so confusingly that it was hard to keep track of what was going on at any given time, and plot holes on plot holes.
Just an overall disappointment. Yikes.
December 24, 2022
This wasn't anything special, but it was entertaining enough until the end. The ending was awful. It was really poorly executed. If you're going to go the "we played you all along" route there needs to be a lot of foreshadowing that makes logical sense. There need to be clues and it needs to be set up so the reader is either clued in or clued in enough that it makes sense when the ending unfolds. This was.... bad. Hands down one of the worst book endings I've ever read.
November 21, 2024
2.5⭐️’s - everything felt a bit off in this book.
At some points, especially the beginning, the internal dialogue went on FOR SO LONG it almost felt like the scene was in real time… which, to me, was OBNOXIOUS. On and on and on… bleh!
Then, as soon as the events of the masquerade started, everything went SUPER FAST.
Then, we get to the end and it felt like I had a literary rock strike my head and wondered what the eff happened and where it came from. IT WAS WEIRD!
At some points, especially the beginning, the internal dialogue went on FOR SO LONG it almost felt like the scene was in real time… which, to me, was OBNOXIOUS. On and on and on… bleh!
Then, as soon as the events of the masquerade started, everything went SUPER FAST.
Then, we get to the end and it felt like I had a literary rock strike my head and wondered what the eff happened and where it came from. IT WAS WEIRD!
August 23, 2022
I had to dnf after chapter one. It’s like those pay by chapter books. The kind where you aren’t sure what language it was written in first because it’s for sure translated to English from something else. I spent the entire (long) first chapter just completely confused at all times. If I stop a book I ask myself “will I be disappointed jo knowing where this goes?” And the answer is no. No I won’t.
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