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Once Upon a Nightmare: A Monster Anthology
Wait, what was that sound?
That one. There.
There it is again.
It's getting closer.
Your pulse is racing, but you don't want to hide. You don't want the safe enclosure of some secret space, no. The rough bark of a tree at your back, the sudden embrace of the ground, or the soft metallic ring of sacrificial shackles - that's more your style.
And they know it.
These nightmarish monsters are bringing delicious dread to the bedroom with 12 tales of lustful encounters that will haunt the night with heat. Get ready to run with the bulls, tangle with tentacles, and take your tempting chances with shadows in Once Upon a Nightmare, a monster romance anthology that celebrates and elevates otherworldly attraction in all its many dark forms.
Featuring completed stories from L.K. Reid, Salem Sinclair, Maeve Black, YD La Mar, Lea Jade, Tia Fanning, Maggie Bonnet, Quirah Casey, Selena Michaels, January Rayne, AJ Merlin, and Nikita.
That one. There.
There it is again.
It's getting closer.
Your pulse is racing, but you don't want to hide. You don't want the safe enclosure of some secret space, no. The rough bark of a tree at your back, the sudden embrace of the ground, or the soft metallic ring of sacrificial shackles - that's more your style.
And they know it.
These nightmarish monsters are bringing delicious dread to the bedroom with 12 tales of lustful encounters that will haunt the night with heat. Get ready to run with the bulls, tangle with tentacles, and take your tempting chances with shadows in Once Upon a Nightmare, a monster romance anthology that celebrates and elevates otherworldly attraction in all its many dark forms.
Featuring completed stories from L.K. Reid, Salem Sinclair, Maeve Black, YD La Mar, Lea Jade, Tia Fanning, Maggie Bonnet, Quirah Casey, Selena Michaels, January Rayne, AJ Merlin, and Nikita.
565 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 14, 2022
71 people are currently reading
399 people want to read
About the author
L.K. Reid
29 books657 followersL.K. Reid is a dark romance author who hates slow walkers and people being mean for no reason.
In her opinion, Halloween should be a public holiday, and she also has a small obsession with all things historical—especially Greek mythology. During high school, she wanted to be an archaeologist, and ended up studying law, but obviously neither one of those professions worked out.
If she isn’t writing, she’s most probably watching horror movies, listening to music, reading, or plotting upcoming books.
Find her on other social media:
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3hIWR4w
Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3luuARa
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorlkreid
In her opinion, Halloween should be a public holiday, and she also has a small obsession with all things historical—especially Greek mythology. During high school, she wanted to be an archaeologist, and ended up studying law, but obviously neither one of those professions worked out.
If she isn’t writing, she’s most probably watching horror movies, listening to music, reading, or plotting upcoming books.
Find her on other social media:
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3hIWR4w
Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3luuARa
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorlkreid
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 17, 2022
Excellent anthology full of all kinds of supernatural hotties!!! Usually I go right for the authors I love in a anthology and just glance at the other stories unless they catch my eye. But this anthology was packed with some really awesome short reads that had some really steamy hot sex scenes that were very erotic! Some of my favorites were January Raynes Hexed and Hellbound a hot steamy read but also with a side of humor between lucifer and his curse bringer Hex! Then their was Bad to the Bone by Salem Sinclair about a skeletal lover who comes once a year for three days to feed off his lovers pleasure ( it was hot)! Also I loved Ruthless Lover by Selena
Michaels a dark mafia romance with a skin walker it was very good! Another one I really loved was The Crimson Throne by L.K.Reid it was a vampire romance with a beauty and the beast twist and very steamy! And last Delectable Soul by Maggie Bonnet about a dark mysterious creature the Sluagh thats from the Emerald Isles that searches for souls full of sadness,heartbreak and despair who loves to play with his prey. If you love erotic romance with monsters of all kinds check out this collection of short stories by some of the best writers of paranormal romance today.
Until next time Luv's💕💋
“I’m every nightmare you’ve ever had. I am your worst dream come true. I am everything you were afraid of!” — STEPHEN KING, IT
“I am your worst nightmare, and your wildest dream.” — SONYA CHLOE
Michaels a dark mafia romance with a skin walker it was very good! Another one I really loved was The Crimson Throne by L.K.Reid it was a vampire romance with a beauty and the beast twist and very steamy! And last Delectable Soul by Maggie Bonnet about a dark mysterious creature the Sluagh thats from the Emerald Isles that searches for souls full of sadness,heartbreak and despair who loves to play with his prey. If you love erotic romance with monsters of all kinds check out this collection of short stories by some of the best writers of paranormal romance today.
Until next time Luv's💕💋
“I’m every nightmare you’ve ever had. I am your worst dream come true. I am everything you were afraid of!” — STEPHEN KING, IT
“I am your worst nightmare, and your wildest dream.” — SONYA CHLOE
Read
November 2, 2022⭐⭐⭐⭐ for the book Hexed and Hellbound by January Rayne
A very short sexy book with a monster from hell. Very safe - the heroine is a virgin, the hero is most likely too.
Sins of the father change the course of so many lives.
Sons. Daughters. Anyone who loves them.
And it’s all because of me.
Every hellhound has a different purpose.
Mine is to curse the children of the fathers who sin.
I hear it isn’t fair, but life isn’t fair.
I never cared.
Until I met her.
My mate.
Someone, I cursed.
A very short sexy book with a monster from hell. Very safe - the heroine is a virgin, the hero is most likely too.
Sins of the father change the course of so many lives.
Sons. Daughters. Anyone who loves them.
And it’s all because of me.
Every hellhound has a different purpose.
Mine is to curse the children of the fathers who sin.
I hear it isn’t fair, but life isn’t fair.
I never cared.
Until I met her.
My mate.
Someone, I cursed.
February 25, 2023
I originally picked up the book due to the monster theme and that it was on KU. I was not familiar with any of the authors featured.
A few stories in, I thought the themes were mostly not to my preference - there was a lot of dubcon without much consent from the MCs and erotica rather than true romance. I still tried to give the stories a fair chance.
Overall, it was definitely different than the usual romance I prefer, and it established tropes that I now know I really don't like.
---
Bad to the Bone by Salem Sinclair
35 pages
Rating: ★★★★☆
Tags: ghouls, druids, orcs, magic, monsters, necromancers, fae, goblins, ogres, reverse-harem
The author stated in the content warning that there was no plot but just smut with triggers such as blood play, belly bulging, and water sports among others, and it did not disappoint these expectations.
The story was based in the town of Grimlake during the 3 days of Samhain when the Lich Ederic returned annually to the human realm to plunder his chosen maiden to regain enough magical necromancer energy through female orgasms to restore his human form instead of just looking like a reanimated skeleton. While he used to choose random maidens from the village, the FMC Callahan, then 21 years old, managed to make him sign a contract to use only her instead.
It was a sweet very smutty read with a HFN and hope that Ederic would eventually gain enough power in the future.
---
Delectable Soul by Maggie Bennet
56 pages
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Tags: monsters
This story followed the 23-year-old widowed FMC Fiadh after her 25-year-old husband Daire died in a motorcycle accident and she moved in with her ailing grandfather. While there, she attracted the attention of an Irish Sluagh demon in the woods who wanted her as his prey. The dubcon and degradation were not really my cup of tea, and the ending was hand-wavy without much explanation about what happened with her Granda. I started skimming when the romantic scenes kept suddenly turning monstrous with a flip of a coin - I think I would have preferred if the personality had been unapologetically morally grey the whole time.
---
Hexed and Hellbound by January Rayne
41 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: hellhounds, monsters
This story followed the hellhound Hex as he found his mate, Madison. Hex was the right hand of Lucifer, responsible for cursing the sons and daughters of fathers that had sinned - the sons would become hellhounds themselves when they turned 18, and the daughters would become true mates to a hellhound.
I found that to be quite the messed up system, and Lucifer talked more like a 20-year-old rather than the ultimate boss of Hell. DNF at Chapter 3 of 5 after Hex pretty much kidnapped the FMC, and Madison pretty went full irrational insta-love for her kidnapper after seeing his dick.
---
Monsters Captivated by Quirah Casey
31 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: sex-workers, menage, monsters
This story followed the FMC Celeste as she was introduced to sex work by classmate to pay her bills for school and found out she was actually sleeping with monsters. It was quite the smutty read with a TSTL FMC, but it ended pretty inconclusively with a menacing tone.
---
My Monster by Maeve Black
31 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: merfolk, monsters, telepaths, m-m-romance, mpreg
This story followed the MMC Angel after he dived too deep in the ocean and ended up captured by a monster, who revealed that he was his mate. There was consequently quite abrupt breeding for a previously asexual virgin, and we still didn't know the monster's name (Raith) until much later in the story. I also feel like Chapter 6 was supposed to go before Chapter 4, timeline-wise. The story was mostly smut, but it was an interesting concept.
---
Once Upon a Slither by Dani Carr & Tia Fanning
77 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: monsters, lamias
DNF at Chapter 4 when the FMC was caught by the snake man.
This story followed the FMC as she found monsters living in her basement - one revealed that he was the guardian of a gateway, and the house she inherited was trespassing in his territory. I had to stop reading when I got to sudden dubcon and breeding kink within a page of meeting the monster. Not my cup of tea.
---
Ruthless Monster by Selena Michaels
76 pages
*skipped*
This was a dark mafia romance with the monster MMC Carlton infiltrating a cartel for revenge. I skipped this story due to the trigger warnings of skin peeling, child death, and more in a mafia setting - I do not like gratuitous violence.
---
Songs of Wrath by Lea Jade
63 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: magic, minotaurs, monsters, gargoyles, retelling
This was a prequel novella in the author's Ancient Monsters universe. The story followed 25-year-old FMC Meline after she inherited an olive grove in Greece when her grandfather died. She was transported to ancient Greece in dreams/the past after seeing a minotaur statue. In the alternate world, the minotaur Asterius wanted to claim Meline as his mate while murdering and raping others trying to escape his labyrinth. The ending was an unpredictable twist, but the story overall was a little too insta-love, monstrous, and violent for my tastes.
---
The Crimson Throne by L.K. Reid
81 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: post-apocalyptic, dystopia, slaves, magic, elves, prisons, vampires, monsters, fairy-tales, retelling
This story was a Beauty and the Beast fairy tale retelling following the human FMC Kaelin living in a post-apocalyptic dystopian society ruled by dark elves. Her brother went missing, and she went to go look for him and found him imprisoned by the vampire Erix living in a castle alone.
The plot proceeded as expected in a retelling with the couple falling into love as instant soulmates, and the pacing quickly jumped a year with a heat for Kaelin out of nowhere.
It was in interesting world, but the pacing and relationship development were too undeveloped for me.
---
The Hunger of Thieves by YD La Mar
68 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: demons, monsters, ghosts, gods
This story followed the FMC Agatha as she grew up, first escaping with her little sister and mother from the French Revolution (?) and afterwards from the plague epidemic until she finally ended up living in the woods alone. 7 years later, a monstrous demon Obsideo found and started haunting her. There multiple instances of questionable dubcon and unstable mental health in their insta-lust and love, and overall, it wasn't really a relationship that was my cup of tea.
A few stories in, I thought the themes were mostly not to my preference - there was a lot of dubcon without much consent from the MCs and erotica rather than true romance. I still tried to give the stories a fair chance.
Overall, it was definitely different than the usual romance I prefer, and it established tropes that I now know I really don't like.
---
Bad to the Bone by Salem Sinclair
35 pages
Rating: ★★★★☆
Tags: ghouls, druids, orcs, magic, monsters, necromancers, fae, goblins, ogres, reverse-harem
The author stated in the content warning that there was no plot but just smut with triggers such as blood play, belly bulging, and water sports among others, and it did not disappoint these expectations.
The story was based in the town of Grimlake during the 3 days of Samhain when the Lich Ederic returned annually to the human realm to plunder his chosen maiden to regain enough magical necromancer energy through female orgasms to restore his human form instead of just looking like a reanimated skeleton. While he used to choose random maidens from the village, the FMC Callahan, then 21 years old, managed to make him sign a contract to use only her instead.
It was a sweet very smutty read with a HFN and hope that Ederic would eventually gain enough power in the future.
---
Delectable Soul by Maggie Bennet
56 pages
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Tags: monsters
This story followed the 23-year-old widowed FMC Fiadh after her 25-year-old husband Daire died in a motorcycle accident and she moved in with her ailing grandfather. While there, she attracted the attention of an Irish Sluagh demon in the woods who wanted her as his prey. The dubcon and degradation were not really my cup of tea, and the ending was hand-wavy without much explanation about what happened with her Granda. I started skimming when the romantic scenes kept suddenly turning monstrous with a flip of a coin - I think I would have preferred if the personality had been unapologetically morally grey the whole time.
---
Hexed and Hellbound by January Rayne
41 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: hellhounds, monsters
This story followed the hellhound Hex as he found his mate, Madison. Hex was the right hand of Lucifer, responsible for cursing the sons and daughters of fathers that had sinned - the sons would become hellhounds themselves when they turned 18, and the daughters would become true mates to a hellhound.
I found that to be quite the messed up system, and Lucifer talked more like a 20-year-old rather than the ultimate boss of Hell. DNF at Chapter 3 of 5 after Hex pretty much kidnapped the FMC, and Madison pretty went full irrational insta-love for her kidnapper after seeing his dick.
---
Monsters Captivated by Quirah Casey
31 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: sex-workers, menage, monsters
This story followed the FMC Celeste as she was introduced to sex work by classmate to pay her bills for school and found out she was actually sleeping with monsters. It was quite the smutty read with a TSTL FMC, but it ended pretty inconclusively with a menacing tone.
---
My Monster by Maeve Black
31 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: merfolk, monsters, telepaths, m-m-romance, mpreg
This story followed the MMC Angel after he dived too deep in the ocean and ended up captured by a monster, who revealed that he was his mate. There was consequently quite abrupt breeding for a previously asexual virgin, and we still didn't know the monster's name (Raith) until much later in the story. I also feel like Chapter 6 was supposed to go before Chapter 4, timeline-wise. The story was mostly smut, but it was an interesting concept.
---
Once Upon a Slither by Dani Carr & Tia Fanning
77 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: monsters, lamias
DNF at Chapter 4 when the FMC was caught by the snake man.
This story followed the FMC as she found monsters living in her basement - one revealed that he was the guardian of a gateway, and the house she inherited was trespassing in his territory. I had to stop reading when I got to sudden dubcon and breeding kink within a page of meeting the monster. Not my cup of tea.
---
Ruthless Monster by Selena Michaels
76 pages
*skipped*
This was a dark mafia romance with the monster MMC Carlton infiltrating a cartel for revenge. I skipped this story due to the trigger warnings of skin peeling, child death, and more in a mafia setting - I do not like gratuitous violence.
---
Songs of Wrath by Lea Jade
63 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: magic, minotaurs, monsters, gargoyles, retelling
This was a prequel novella in the author's Ancient Monsters universe. The story followed 25-year-old FMC Meline after she inherited an olive grove in Greece when her grandfather died. She was transported to ancient Greece in dreams/the past after seeing a minotaur statue. In the alternate world, the minotaur Asterius wanted to claim Meline as his mate while murdering and raping others trying to escape his labyrinth. The ending was an unpredictable twist, but the story overall was a little too insta-love, monstrous, and violent for my tastes.
---
The Crimson Throne by L.K. Reid
81 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: post-apocalyptic, dystopia, slaves, magic, elves, prisons, vampires, monsters, fairy-tales, retelling
This story was a Beauty and the Beast fairy tale retelling following the human FMC Kaelin living in a post-apocalyptic dystopian society ruled by dark elves. Her brother went missing, and she went to go look for him and found him imprisoned by the vampire Erix living in a castle alone.
The plot proceeded as expected in a retelling with the couple falling into love as instant soulmates, and the pacing quickly jumped a year with a heat for Kaelin out of nowhere.
It was in interesting world, but the pacing and relationship development were too undeveloped for me.
---
The Hunger of Thieves by YD La Mar
68 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: demons, monsters, ghosts, gods
This story followed the FMC Agatha as she grew up, first escaping with her little sister and mother from the French Revolution (?) and afterwards from the plague epidemic until she finally ended up living in the woods alone. 7 years later, a monstrous demon Obsideo found and started haunting her. There multiple instances of questionable dubcon and unstable mental health in their insta-lust and love, and overall, it wasn't really a relationship that was my cup of tea.
July 7, 2024
RATING: 3 / 5 ⭐
GENRE: Paranormal, Monster Romance
TYPE: Anthology
STORIES: 10 stories (500+ pages)
Will I re-read it? Maybe some.
This anthology was read on Kindle and hence, number of pages might differ from other versions/readers.
Overall an okay read. The quality of these stories varied and a lot of them were lacking but a few were quite good. There were a lot of misspellings and editorial misses in almost all of these stories which could have easily been avoided if someone just read it once. Not the best monster anthology out there but definitely an entertaining read (I do love monsters).
Short review for each story below.
Bad to the Bone (c. 30 pages) by Salem Sinclair.
Rating: 3.5 / 5 ⭐
Spice: 3 / 5 🔥
Callahan celebrates a three day long Samhain celebration.
Includes: (M/F) Human x Lich & Orcs, Watersports, Triple fun
Short and spicy. I would really enjoy a longer version of this story to see the characters get what they deserve. The only down part was that there were a bit of editorial misses/misspellings.
Delectable Soul (c. 49 pages) by Maggie Bennet.
Rating: 1.5 / 5 ⭐
Spice: 2.5 / 5 🔥
Fiadh moves out to a cabin but the forest around her is not as peaceful as she expects.
Includes: (M/F) Human x Sluagh, Grief
This is a story that contains way too many details. It takes too much time to read and gets cheesy when the author writes about books and authors (feels like commercials). The ongoing mentioning of the character's dead spouse is way too repeated and boring.
Hexed and Hellbound (c. 35 pages) by January Rayne.
Rating: 2.5 / 5 ⭐
Spice: 2.5 / 5 🔥
When Madison turns 21, a fire starts in her apartment, bringing with it a monster from hell.
Includes: (M/F) Human x Hellhound, Insta-love
It started well but kind of went downhill. The hellhounds were described as unfeeling and harsh but suddenly Hex (our main hellhound character) had tears in his eyes all the time. Also a bit too much insta-love. If the story hadn’t gotten so sweet, it would have been better.
Monsters Captivated (c. 24 pages) by Quirah Casey, writing as Scorpia KC.
Connected to Monster Associated Series
Rating: 4.5 / 5 ⭐
Spice: 3 / 5 🔥
Celeste needs money and accept a new, mysterious job.
Includes: (M/F/M) Human x Demonlike monster, Sex work, Trickery
A little bit darker story and I loved it! I want a longer version now so I can get to know the characters more. I’m trying to find more from this author/series but haven't been successful yet.
My Monster (c. 24 pages) by Maeve Black.
Rating: 2.5 / 5 ⭐
Spice: 2 / 5 🔥
A’ngel takes an evening swim without knowing that there is someone watching him.
Includes: (M/M) Human x Cthilios, Oviposition, Insta-love
An okay read. Mainly just smut. But It felt like the two last chapters were in the wrong order.
Once Upon A Slither (c. 69 pages) by Dani Carr & Tia Fanning.
Rating: 3 / 5 ⭐
Spice: 3 / 5 🔥
Sabina gets dragged through her dryer into another realm.
Includes: (M/F) Human x Naga, Getting drugged
It had potential, it really did. But, there weren’t any lovable feelings between the characters and none developed during the read, so the relationship between them felt forced. It also ended on a cliffhanger which was quite unnecessary. It was also sometimes hard to follow the story because descriptions weren’t detailed enough. And, a bit too much back and forth which made the story unnecessarily long (or other fun stuff could have been in the plot instead).
Ruthless Monster (c. 69 pages) by Selena Michaels.
Rating: 2.5 / 5 ⭐
Spice: 3 / 5 🔥
Carlton saves a little girl in a shooting and their paths cross again years later.
Includes: (M/F) Human x Skinwalker, Death/Murder
The writing was messy and didn’t have a good flow. The story was a bit hard to follow and it felt like details were missing, also the timeline in the story didn’t make sense. Ended on a cliffhanger.
Songs of Wrath (c. 57 pages) by Lea Jade.
A Prequel Ancient Monsters novella
Rating: 4 / 5 ⭐
Spice: 2.5 / 5 🔥
Me’line goes to Crete and find a mysterious statue.
Includes: (M/F) Human x Minotaur, Death/murder
Loved this story! A few questions still unanswered and I didn’t quite understand everything that happened in the end but Minotaurs have a special place in my heart and yeah, I really enjoyed this one. I’m trying to find the next book in this series but haven’t been successful yet.
The Crimson Throne (c. 75 pages) by L.K. Reid.
Rating: 2.5 / 5 ⭐
Spice: 2 / 5 🔥
Kaelin goes to search for her brother but finds herself in a situation.
Includes: (M/F) Human x Vampire/Elf
Kind of a version of the Beauty and the Beast. But, unfortunately, it didn’t work for me. You could guess everything that happened beforehand but also, a lot of details and situations were so unnecessary and did not fit in. It was just pages after pages that did not fit together.
The Hunger of Thieves (c. 63 pages) by YD La Mar.
Rating: 3 / 5 ⭐
Spice: 2.5 / 5 🔥
Agatha lives by herself in a cabin out in the woods but one day, something dark finds her.
Includes: (M/F) Human x Demon, Mentioning of death/murder
I wanted to like it a lot but it was a bit hard to follow the plot and storyline. But it was an okay, entertaining read.
GENRE: Paranormal, Monster Romance
TYPE: Anthology
STORIES: 10 stories (500+ pages)
Will I re-read it? Maybe some.
This anthology was read on Kindle and hence, number of pages might differ from other versions/readers.
Overall an okay read. The quality of these stories varied and a lot of them were lacking but a few were quite good. There were a lot of misspellings and editorial misses in almost all of these stories which could have easily been avoided if someone just read it once. Not the best monster anthology out there but definitely an entertaining read (I do love monsters).
Short review for each story below.
Bad to the Bone (c. 30 pages) by Salem Sinclair.
Rating: 3.5 / 5 ⭐
Spice: 3 / 5 🔥
Callahan celebrates a three day long Samhain celebration.
Includes: (M/F) Human x Lich & Orcs, Watersports, Triple fun
Short and spicy. I would really enjoy a longer version of this story to see the characters get what they deserve. The only down part was that there were a bit of editorial misses/misspellings.
Delectable Soul (c. 49 pages) by Maggie Bennet.
Rating: 1.5 / 5 ⭐
Spice: 2.5 / 5 🔥
Fiadh moves out to a cabin but the forest around her is not as peaceful as she expects.
Includes: (M/F) Human x Sluagh, Grief
This is a story that contains way too many details. It takes too much time to read and gets cheesy when the author writes about books and authors (feels like commercials). The ongoing mentioning of the character's dead spouse is way too repeated and boring.
Hexed and Hellbound (c. 35 pages) by January Rayne.
Rating: 2.5 / 5 ⭐
Spice: 2.5 / 5 🔥
When Madison turns 21, a fire starts in her apartment, bringing with it a monster from hell.
Includes: (M/F) Human x Hellhound, Insta-love
It started well but kind of went downhill. The hellhounds were described as unfeeling and harsh but suddenly Hex (our main hellhound character) had tears in his eyes all the time. Also a bit too much insta-love. If the story hadn’t gotten so sweet, it would have been better.
Monsters Captivated (c. 24 pages) by Quirah Casey, writing as Scorpia KC.
Connected to Monster Associated Series
Rating: 4.5 / 5 ⭐
Spice: 3 / 5 🔥
Celeste needs money and accept a new, mysterious job.
Includes: (M/F/M) Human x Demonlike monster, Sex work, Trickery
A little bit darker story and I loved it! I want a longer version now so I can get to know the characters more. I’m trying to find more from this author/series but haven't been successful yet.
My Monster (c. 24 pages) by Maeve Black.
Rating: 2.5 / 5 ⭐
Spice: 2 / 5 🔥
A’ngel takes an evening swim without knowing that there is someone watching him.
Includes: (M/M) Human x Cthilios, Oviposition, Insta-love
An okay read. Mainly just smut. But It felt like the two last chapters were in the wrong order.
Once Upon A Slither (c. 69 pages) by Dani Carr & Tia Fanning.
Rating: 3 / 5 ⭐
Spice: 3 / 5 🔥
Sabina gets dragged through her dryer into another realm.
Includes: (M/F) Human x Naga, Getting drugged
It had potential, it really did. But, there weren’t any lovable feelings between the characters and none developed during the read, so the relationship between them felt forced. It also ended on a cliffhanger which was quite unnecessary. It was also sometimes hard to follow the story because descriptions weren’t detailed enough. And, a bit too much back and forth which made the story unnecessarily long (or other fun stuff could have been in the plot instead).
Ruthless Monster (c. 69 pages) by Selena Michaels.
Rating: 2.5 / 5 ⭐
Spice: 3 / 5 🔥
Carlton saves a little girl in a shooting and their paths cross again years later.
Includes: (M/F) Human x Skinwalker, Death/Murder
The writing was messy and didn’t have a good flow. The story was a bit hard to follow and it felt like details were missing, also the timeline in the story didn’t make sense. Ended on a cliffhanger.
Songs of Wrath (c. 57 pages) by Lea Jade.
A Prequel Ancient Monsters novella
Rating: 4 / 5 ⭐
Spice: 2.5 / 5 🔥
Me’line goes to Crete and find a mysterious statue.
Includes: (M/F) Human x Minotaur, Death/murder
Loved this story! A few questions still unanswered and I didn’t quite understand everything that happened in the end but Minotaurs have a special place in my heart and yeah, I really enjoyed this one. I’m trying to find the next book in this series but haven’t been successful yet.
The Crimson Throne (c. 75 pages) by L.K. Reid.
Rating: 2.5 / 5 ⭐
Spice: 2 / 5 🔥
Kaelin goes to search for her brother but finds herself in a situation.
Includes: (M/F) Human x Vampire/Elf
Kind of a version of the Beauty and the Beast. But, unfortunately, it didn’t work for me. You could guess everything that happened beforehand but also, a lot of details and situations were so unnecessary and did not fit in. It was just pages after pages that did not fit together.
The Hunger of Thieves (c. 63 pages) by YD La Mar.
Rating: 3 / 5 ⭐
Spice: 2.5 / 5 🔥
Agatha lives by herself in a cabin out in the woods but one day, something dark finds her.
Includes: (M/F) Human x Demon, Mentioning of death/murder
I wanted to like it a lot but it was a bit hard to follow the plot and storyline. But it was an okay, entertaining read.
December 22, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When I first pre-ordered this book, I truly wasn't sure about it but there was so much about it, I decided I needed to give it a try. I am so very glad that I did.
The authors in this anthology did such a wonderful job of bringing each story to life, making you scared for the human but wanting so much to be them. Every fantasy, every encounter was so very hot, you couldn't help but want to be a part of that fantasy too.
There was romance, steamy scenes, odd characters and amazing stories. Looking for something fun, different and a little strange to read, this is one you need to check out. There wasn't a story that I didn't absolutely love, I just hope some of the stories get another part to them.
Please be aware that there are some triggers, so check those before reading each story.
Author Salem Sinclair, Maggie Bonnet, January Rayne, Quirah Casey, Maeve Black, Dani Carr, Tia Fanning, Selena Michaels, Lea Jade, L.K. Reid and YD La Mar
#onceuponanightmare #MultipleAuthors #readers #BookReview #bookmom #books #booksbooksbooks #lovedit #bookrecs #FantasyComeTrue #booksformom #novemberreads #catchingup #moretocome
When I first pre-ordered this book, I truly wasn't sure about it but there was so much about it, I decided I needed to give it a try. I am so very glad that I did.
The authors in this anthology did such a wonderful job of bringing each story to life, making you scared for the human but wanting so much to be them. Every fantasy, every encounter was so very hot, you couldn't help but want to be a part of that fantasy too.
There was romance, steamy scenes, odd characters and amazing stories. Looking for something fun, different and a little strange to read, this is one you need to check out. There wasn't a story that I didn't absolutely love, I just hope some of the stories get another part to them.
Please be aware that there are some triggers, so check those before reading each story.
Author Salem Sinclair, Maggie Bonnet, January Rayne, Quirah Casey, Maeve Black, Dani Carr, Tia Fanning, Selena Michaels, Lea Jade, L.K. Reid and YD La Mar
#onceuponanightmare #MultipleAuthors #readers #BookReview #bookmom #books #booksbooksbooks #lovedit #bookrecs #FantasyComeTrue #booksformom #novemberreads #catchingup #moretocome
December 23, 2023
🅡🅔🅥🅘🅔🅦 🅕🅞🅡
🇧 🇦 🇩 🇹 🇴 🇹 🇭 🇪 🇧 🇴 🇳 🇪
🅑🅨 🅢🅐🅛🅔🅜 🅢🅘🅝🅒🅛🅐🅘🅡
“𝑫𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒇𝒆𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏’𝒕 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅, 𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏. 𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒐 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒆𝒔.”
𝖂𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖙𝖔 𝖊𝖝𝖕𝖊𝖈𝖙:
🫦 𝘓𝘪𝘤𝘩
🫦 𝘚𝘮𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘵
🫦 𝘖𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘴𝘮 𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘭
🫦 𝘉𝘭00𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘴
🫦 $𝘦𝘹 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳
🫦 𝘉𝘭00𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺
🫦 𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨
🫦 𝘎𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘴
🫦 𝘉𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘴
🫦 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨
🫦 𝘒𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨
🫦 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴
“𝑰’𝒎 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔, 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒖𝒃𝒎𝒊𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐. 𝑬𝒂𝒕. 𝒀𝒐𝒖. 𝑼𝒑.”
Holly friking monster smut was that!!! I can't even writte full sentences right now. Wow!!!! That was HOT AS F*CK!!! I need a cold shower after this one. It was sooo frikin hot and steamy... And now I want to have my own fun at the Grimlakes Samhain celebration. F*ck was this H. O. T. !!!!!!
“𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒖𝒔, 𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏. 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒄𝟎𝒐𝒌𝒔. 𝑮𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒄.”
🇵 . 🇸 . When I read more stories from this anthology I will add on to the review.
🇧 🇦 🇩 🇹 🇴 🇹 🇭 🇪 🇧 🇴 🇳 🇪
🅑🅨 🅢🅐🅛🅔🅜 🅢🅘🅝🅒🅛🅐🅘🅡
“𝑫𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒇𝒆𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏’𝒕 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅, 𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏. 𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒐 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒆𝒔.”
𝖂𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖙𝖔 𝖊𝖝𝖕𝖊𝖈𝖙:
🫦 𝘓𝘪𝘤𝘩
🫦 𝘚𝘮𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘵
🫦 𝘖𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘴𝘮 𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘭
🫦 𝘉𝘭00𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘴
🫦 $𝘦𝘹 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳
🫦 𝘉𝘭00𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺
🫦 𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨
🫦 𝘎𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘴
🫦 𝘉𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘴
🫦 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨
🫦 𝘒𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨
🫦 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴
“𝑰’𝒎 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔, 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒖𝒃𝒎𝒊𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐. 𝑬𝒂𝒕. 𝒀𝒐𝒖. 𝑼𝒑.”
Holly friking monster smut was that!!! I can't even writte full sentences right now. Wow!!!! That was HOT AS F*CK!!! I need a cold shower after this one. It was sooo frikin hot and steamy... And now I want to have my own fun at the Grimlakes Samhain celebration. F*ck was this H. O. T. !!!!!!
“𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒖𝒔, 𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏. 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒄𝟎𝒐𝒌𝒔. 𝑮𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒄.”
🇵 . 🇸 . When I read more stories from this anthology I will add on to the review.
November 30, 2022
Like another reviewer, I got this book for a couple of reasons. One, the book cover grabbed me, especially with the whole nightmare theme. And, two, it was available on KU. This is an anthology, with several short stories with a monster theme. All of the stores are quick, easy reads and a good. Some are better than others. A couple of my favorites were Hexed and Hellhound by January Rayne and The Hunger of Thieves by YD LaMar.
November 26, 2022
Once Upon a Nightmare: A Monster Anthology is full of great Supernatural short stories. Lot's of great steamy scenes and Supernatural hotties to drool over! This is definitely a dark read but if you are into dark, twisted and wicked monster stories, this is the book for you! I can't wait for more!
Read
December 28, 2022Bad to the Bone by Salem Sinclair - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - really liked this fun quick Halloweeny read. I loved both main characters and the lore of Samhain. I adore all of these Monsters of Grimlake stories. First Orc smut that I've read too and ugh it was amazing.
July 4, 2023
I read this for Salem Sinclairs story and probably should have left it at that? I didn’t enjoy the majority of the stories and I feel bad about… and at the same time kept having hope it would get better? I think this just wasn’t for me.
October 21, 2022
GIVE MORE IMMEDIATELY
October 27, 2022
A wonderfull collection of stories fitting for this time of the year, many wonderfull authors who keep us quivering for hours as we di e into their monstrous worlds.
February 24, 2023
monsterific
So much monster smutty deliciousness in one little package.
That is all. That’s the review. You definitely should read it.
So much monster smutty deliciousness in one little package.
That is all. That’s the review. You definitely should read it.
Read
December 29, 2024Short stories are full of vivid descriptions, some have more plot, others less. I especially in ally enjoyed the ones that had bits of folklore in them.
March 3, 2023
Read Bad to the Bone by Salem Sinclair, which I enjoyed.
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