Scream for the Scarecrow

Darkly Depraved Monsters

by Violet Taylor

A Spicy Halloween Horror Short Story **This is a dark romance monster smut short story !** Scarlet has no idea that her encounter with a harmless scarecrow will soon change her life forever. When she ends up in the same pumpkin patch on the night of All Hallows' Eve, something has changed. A monster now roams the rows of pumpkins and gourds. And he hungers for more than just her blood.. This dark, twisted tale is sure to put you in the Halloween spirit! If you like your men monstrous and morally gray, look no further. But be warned, the Scarecrow is no knight in shining armor. He’s a monster. So don’t expect a happily ever after.. Scream for the Scarecrow contains graphic violence, dubcon, blood, and explicit sexual content, 18+
*Scream for the Scarecrow is a standalone short in the Darkly Depraved Monsters series*

Genres: Halloween, Novella, Dark Romance, Monsters, Monster Romance, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance

39 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 22, 2022

About the author

Violet Taylor is a crystal and candle shop owner by day and a paranormal romance novelist by night. She spends her free time fantasizing about living in an isolated mountain cabin with her wonderful husband and herd of fur babies. She prefers her books with magic, mates, and plenty of muscles.

Reviews

[D.L. Howe]

Typically I’m weary of these short stories but from page one I was impressed with the quality of the writing.

It started with a nice little romp through a pumpkin patch to find the perfect Halloween gourd. The reader is lured into comfort with corn mazes and apple cider and a promised trip to the beaches in Mexico.

Until Scarlet gets home and can’t find her purse. She eventually comes to realize she forgot it at the patch. So she heads back in the middle of the night to retrieve it.

And wouldn’t you know that sad scarecrow she saw during the day had come to life because it’s Samhain and the veil is thinned.

Typically he’s a bloodthirsty monster but damn he’s horny af but fortunately Scarlet’s into it. Thus begins a marathon of dirty monster sex.

I overly enjoyed this little read, the smut was on point and the legendary tale was great. I absolutely loved that ending.

[Анастасія ꒰⁠⑅⁠ᵕ⁠༚⁠ᵕ⁠꒱⁠˖⁠♡]

я більше люблю більш менш адекватні завершення, а не коли на початку було опудало та людина, а в кінці відьма прокляла ще й дівчину, яка потім стала опудалом і вони можуть бути разом тільки один день😑

[Peppa]

Okay, real talk, I’ve definitely read stronger books in this genre, but this was still such a filthy little snack!

At only 39 pages, it’s the perfect quick read between heavier books, light, fast and easy to digest.

And that ending?? HELLO?? I did NOT see that coming. Totally caught me off guard and left me low-key sad😭!!!

All in all? A short, poetic, surprisingly emotional ride. Not my top read ever, but definitely worth checking out if you’re in the mood for something quick with soul.

Trops/kinks/safety
🖤scarecrow/human
🖤no HEA
🖤rough sex
🖤primal play
🖤breath play
🖤dub con
🖤blood play
🖤biting/marking

[Bon]

Unfortunately I can barely stop laughing to write the review for this one. IT COULD HAVE BEEN SEXY! But the writing was so bad, so the smut was terrible too. Not much to be found in these 39 pages; a red-headed protagonist named Scarlet, of all things, and a cursed scarecrow who turns human again every Samhain. Yep, no straw man here, just some very unsexy rapey dialogue and a creepy, not quite HEA.

[Poppy || Monster Lover]

Mmmkay, calling this a romance when then HEA wasn’t very happy is a bit misleading. The spice was fun, but some of the verbiage felt… weird.

Spice: 5/5

Triggers: violence, blood, noncon/dubcon, description of past torture and murder with gore, isolation, locked in syndrome type curse, horror themes

[Harper Ashley]

For starters, it would be unfair not to acknowledge the poems on the first and last pages. Oftentimes when authors attempt to include a poem it falls short, but these were *chefs kiss*. I came across this spooky season quickie after I asked for something to get me out of my reading slump. I wanted something short and sexy, and it helped that it fit in with the Halloween vibes. The writing is good. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this! I didn't have high hopes for something that only had 39 pages to convince me a scarecrow could be hot... but here we are. In those 39 pages I felt sympathy for the creature and also (in a "I don't want to admit this out loud" kind of way) jealousy that Scarlet found herself in the right pumpkin patch at the right time. Give this one a shot, it's worth it.

My only complaint is that I wish it was longer, but that is no fault of the author. This was very clearly marked as a short story. I would love to see them pick it back up though. The concept was super intriguing and I think it’s a story that still has lots left to tell.

[Heather myfriendsdontread]

Fun, 40 page monster, Halloween themed romance.

Not my all time favorite, because there’s a few things about it I wish I could change, but it was entertaining.

The FMC goes back to the pumpkin patch at night when she realizes that she left her purse there. Once she’s there the scarecrow comes alive … and then it gets smutty.

The two things you’ll want to know ahead is time is that it’s an unhappy ending and there is consensual non consent as well.

[Jennifer]

Did I really just enjoy that?

You bet your bottom I did. What the frick man. That ending was a coming I didn’t anticipate. Great monster romance for Halloween.

[Taar]

happy halloween i guess😀

[Rae Richard]

When I say I FINALLY got to read a book about a scarecrow with spice… spooky? YES PLEASE. Sign me up because I’ll be there!

This book was SO damn good, and I genuinely enjoyed my time with it. It was quick, spicy, and exactly the kind of spooky monster romance I wanted.

This was my first time reading Violet Taylor, and let’s just say… I’m officially a fan!

I love that I’m kicking off spooky season with some spooky monster romance, and honestly… I couldn’t have asked for a better start.

[Kaley ❄️]

While I don't want to be that person, I am going to be that person and say I disliked this novella. I thought it was going to be a good pick me up to get me out of a slump and it just fell really flat. I finished it but also didn't care for anything that happened. I think the concept itself is cool and I think it could have been a good novel but the format it is in currently really left much to be desired. The smut was boring and not great.

Although I disliked this novella itself, I think the author has a lot of potential with writing in the future. I would pick something else up from them to see their progression.

[Evoli]

Pretty good, spicy and short Halloween novella.

I have definitely already read better ones, however, this one is definitely also something you might want to look into since it only has 39 pages of ✨funsies✨, which makes it a perfect quick read between bigger books.
Oh, also, I really have to give some credit to the author for all the poems included in this super short book!!
I think I enjoyed them the most out of the entire plot and they were actually well done, in my opinion!! Not many authors manage to do that in a smart way and they often don't fit the story, however, here it was a perfect match.
Also, WHAT WAS THAT ENDING HELLO??? I'd say that it's quite untypical for that genre (not in a bad way, I was just caught off guard and kinda sad lol).

[Jess]

This was fun and hot but I hated that ending!

[Shannon Foster]

Scarecrow porn. 💦🎃

[Lisbeth]

Una historia mal escrita con una idea central llena de agujeros, y personajes vacíos y espeluznantes. Sobra decir que detesté a los dos personajes principales.

[☾⋆⁺ Nurse After Dark]

His pole remained but the scarecrow itself was gone.

This had a great spooky atmosphere, it set the perfect mood for a dark, fall evening. I enjoyed the FMC's personality and for how short the story was, the pacing felt really good - we didn't spend too much time in the befores or afters, it felt nicely planned out.

One final scream tore free as the last of her blood and bones became figments of the past.

The ending was wholly unexpected and I loved the dark twist we got! I'll reread this story in future Octobers for sure!

[Kodi B.]

I loved this spicy short story! I'm such a sucker for Violets books, this one was no exception. Perfect Halloween read with a Scarecrow whose been lonely for sometime, rock hard muscle and scars, a mouthful of sharp teeth and a tongue that exceeds imagination. Scarlet, who loses her purse and finds herself in the night of her nightmares and just maybe her dreams, as a chase through a pumpkin patch ends in a twist of fate. Perfect for the smut lovers who love their monsters!!

[Alicia Ceasar]

Book number five in my trying to read the top erotic horror books in the kindle store. Erotic horror is the genre they are labeled under but I prefer calling them spooky smut. I am just having so much fun with these. This one actually has a couple of poems in it that are really good? Also the story went in a way I wasn’t expecting and I really enjoyed it.

[Jenn]

Spooky Beginning, Cursed Ending

This short Halloween story brings plenty of spooky and dread along with a heaping dose of taboo. It’s dark and monstrous, and I enjoyed it all, including the unexpected ending.

[Emely Martinez-Jones]

The writing was like weird.. then middle got decent and the end was just random and off putting… it felt like a way to wrap up the book without an explanation towards anything. Really odd.. really disappointing yet I wanna know if she ever made it to the wedding??? I assume it’s implied she didn’t sadly. Where were her friends??? It was like the most random book I’ve read in a long time.

[Kauthami]

A super super quick read! I honestly enjoyed it. The writing was good and the smut was smutting without being cringey. The backstory of how the scarecrow came to be was interesting and I absolutely loved the ending! It's giving a racy version of goosebumps/Mr Midnight!

[sherry]

Loved this short story 🖤 and was not expecting that ending!

[Tiffane]

Honestly, iconic 💀

[Megan]

I started off reading this as a joke, but I actually kinda liked it? 😂😂😂 Weird experience, but fitting for Halloween.

[B loves books]

WOW!

[Krysta Angotti]

This one shouldn’t have taken this long to read. I just couldn’t get into it. It wasn’t a bad book, just not 100% my interest. Wasn’t a huge fan of the ending but it did make sense.

[Jazzy]

i wish i was scarlet. this short story was so amazing. i wish it was longer. the ending was bitter sweet too.

[Freyja Thorn]

Buzzzz lightyear will be your friend for this

It's a short story. I wish there was more to it. Some type of adventure before what takes place in the end, or even after. But it was very.. SATISFYING to read lol. I definitely recommend. You will not be disappointed.

[Tiffany Lynn (thislilmama)]

I never realized I’d be into scarecrow smutt although they’re one of my favorite things about fall. This was perfect. I’m about to dress the hubby up as one just for shits and giggles lol that ending though! Omg I was not expecting that at all! This was such a fun read I’m so glad Violet decided to write it. I’d read more of it if I could. Definitely one of my fav fall reads. Couldn’t even stop reading between pages & I love that🖤

[Megan]

Spooky Scary Scarecrow

Uhm excuse me?! I was just chilling, reading a nice novella, and then that ending came out of nowhere! I was enjoying it but the ending literally made my jaw drop. Well frickin done to the author for that twist! I had so much fun with this and I would absolutely read more spicy novellas from Violet Taylor.