Some people claim they're haunted by their pasts, but me? I'm actually haunted by mine, by a ghost who trips people when they flirt with me, gets me fired, and is trying to get me to go back home to Hallowtide. And then there's Nox. Beautiful, tattooed, powerful, and exists only in my dreams. The sex is great, but I can't hold onto that forever. When he starts trying to get me to go home too, lines blur, and I have to face the possibility that they're one and the same. But what will going home bring me other than pain? And what does my ghost have to do with any of it?
I saw some tepid reviews on this one, but I liked it. The story made the most out of its 120 page length, and had demons, rough sex, some gross visuals, and somehow acted a dark romance, too. And it all worked fairly well. So brownie points to the author for making this so unique. Nox and October had some really good chemistry together and acted as the focus on the book. There were a few sections that I wanted to see some more development on, which would have reduced the last portion of the book feeling like an information dump. But beyond that, this was a fun, naughty, and surprisingly good supernatural thriller.
Ever wondered what's like to be haunted by a possessive horny ghost? Go no further. Here you have a girl who's grateful to have a guardian of a supernatural kind that haunted everywhere she went.
A male stranger asking you out for a date? The ghost is there to prevent you from saying yes. Did you hook up with a football player that one time? Obsolete. He'll break that guy's wrist. Have any dildos laying around? Gone. He's the only one who gets to make you come.
It's a pretty decent creepy romance for this Halloween season. The idea itself was novel, and honestly, if I wasn't in such a crappy mood, I might love this more than I did. I just think it was okay.
Absolutely devoured this book! I loved the plot and the spice was sensational. The fmc has gone through some serious trauma with thinking there has been a ghost haunting her during the majority of her life…. Then things take a turn.
TW - murder, violence, manipulation, foster system, death of a (foster) parent, predatory foster parent, death of a parent (murder, somewhat recounted, plot point), fear of the dark (mentioned), murder (mentioned)
Tropes - paranormal, novella, small town, age gap, possessive / protective
October (FMC) has what she thinks is a ghost that protects her but also punishes anyone who flirts with her or gets too close. They meet in her dreams which are very spicy in true Kady Ash fashion and he (Nox, MMC) reveals that he needs October to go back to her home town. At first she is reluctant but she does go back where the town remember her from when she was a child and rally together to support her return and get her settled back in - I genuinely found that so sweet
We find out about some town secrets and what happens under the veil of darkness in the woods before shit hits the fan and it was a very enjoyable read. I liked the characters, especially Nox' vibe and would defo read more from this world... maybe even a Lucian MM story 👀👀👀
Scale: ⭐️ - would've DNF'ed / continued out of spite ⭐️⭐️ - shit, but whatever ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - meh, could've been better ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - lit 👅 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - loved it, inject this shit into my veins 🤪
🫑 - no smut 🌶 - no point 🌶🌶 - mediocre at best 🌶🌶🌶 - standard smut, hot 🌶🌶🌶🌶 - 🥵 okay, some CW 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶 - fuck me 🥵🥵 CWs / filthy with a side of filth - see Poison / Room Twenty-Two: Hide and Seek/ The Naughty List
I need to make a couple things explicitly clear before I get into this review. I like Kady Ash. They wrote one of my favorite books this year, His Little Toy. I love dark books. I love when they balance the darkness with the humor and I love when they go "so dark and messed up you seriously question why you're into it". Dark PNR is probably in my top three favorite subgenres of romance, I am the audience. But I didn't love this and my reasons for not loving it are almost entirely my fault.
Mild spoilers ahead but really you can guess how this book is going to go from like chapter three.
Based on the blurb and the cover and the little bit I know about Kady Ash, I thought this was going to go dark dark. Maybe there be a slight occult mystery but for the most part a pretty straightforward dark PNR. And for a short time that's definitely the direction the book goes. But once October reaches the island, it kind of falls off. The mystery is still there but it's not at the forefront. We end up spending a lot of time getting to know the town and its people and for a good 60 pages the most interesting thing happening is the smut. And when a book is only 120 pages, that's not good.
Once we get into Halloween, the book picks back up again. And y'all, when I tell you I was so excited and so hyped when Nox (good lord these names) showed up. I said "yes, this is what I want, let's go". And then it doesn't go in the direction I desperately want it to. I'm not going to spoil the ending but I will say that if you are expecting a typical dark romance ending, don't. The ending is very romancelandia. By that I mean it's more of a traditional HEA. Not a HEA for the characters even if it is still kind of messed up. That might not make a whole lot of sense but if you read a lot of dark romance you'll know what I'm talking about. Basically I thought this was going to be a really effed up ending with Nox and October living their best slightly kinky lives. They do just not in the way I wanted.
This book is far from bad and if you're looking for a spooky read, this is definitely it. It fits the definition of a dark romance but it doesn't tick all the boxes for a dark romance lover such as myself. Three stars because I'm not mad I read this, it'll fill a box on my bingo card spooky bingo card, but I wanted more. That's all.
So this was a really fun, quick read! After October Bennett’s guardian kicks her out and she loses her job, she has no choice but to return to her hometown of Hallowtide. But things in that small town are more than they seem, as she soon discovers. I really liked this book for a variety of reasons: it was well written, the smut was amazing, the characters were likable, and while it was short, that didn’t make it rushed. October was such a sweetheart, and I loved that she had a bit of brat in her as well, at least when it came to Nox. As for Nox, I was intrigued by him from the start, and I loved how their story ended up playing out. All in all, another fabulous read by Kady Ash! I highly recommend!
From the blurb of this book I thought I knew what to expect when i went in but, it soon became apparent I was wrong and I loved it! If you are looking for a quick read that has a storyline packed full of mystery, twists and spice with a dark romance theme then give this a go and it is a perfect read for this time of year too (approaching Halloween). I just want to say that I need my own Nox!
I really wish it had been full length cause this story would have been awesome had it been a little more drawn out. But For what it was I really enjoyed this.
Oh my gods I adored this book! I am extremely lucky to be an arc reader, I literally got this in my email earlier today and didn’t want to put it down! It was so addictive! October was a great main character and her love interest Nox was so hot. The book had Halloween town mixed with Addams Family vibes but for adults who love smut. I hope that made sense, I loved the demon and human relationship. I just loved this book! Go read it as soon as it is out! You won’t regret! Such a good spooky and smutty read! Check triggers if you want to check it out!
I was selected as an ARC reader for this book. I would say this was a 3.75 rating for me, but I rounded up to a 4. This was a lot of story in a short read, but it was definitely worth it. If you're teetering on it, I would say give it a shot. The story starts off strong so you'll easily know within the first 2 chapters if this is something for you.
Things to note for triggers: - If you're not a fan of The Bargainer by Laura Thalassa because you feel there is some grooming that takes place, you may get similar vibes from this. If that doesn't bother you in The Bargainer, you will likely be completely unphased by the background and experiences in this book. (No children are harmed in this book. If you've read The Bargainer, you'll know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, no worries, go ahead and read this.)
Things I loved: - The plot and concept of the story. I felt this was unique and different to everything else that's out there right now. - The community vibes at Hallowtide. - Solid banter; Very accepting people.
Things I feel could improve this book: - I'm a huge fan of a double POV. This book is only from the perspective of October [Main character] and the world is really only seen through her eyes. I think if we had Nox's perspective as well, there would be so much more depth and understanding to the story. - I have an affinity for descriptive story telling and I felt this didn't necessarily hit that mark. If you're a fan of Sarah J Maas's style of writing, this book will be lacking when it comes to some of the details. - October can be a little...immature...but, hey, who isn't at 18, right?
This book isn’t that long and I’m not complaining about it. It’s an amazing book. Wish it was longer, but still not complaining. It’s about a girl named October and she has all kinds of stuff happen around her that she thinks she is cursed. Every time she dreams Nox comes to her and she is left satisfied every single time.
She is at work at a dentist office when a guy comes in and starts flirting with her, well she spills coffee on him, trips and tackles him to the floor and then above them the fluorescent light shatters, was it coincidence this all happen? No, it was not, it was Nox and he didn’t like it one single bit. And if that wasn’t worse porn started playing on the monitors and when the doctor came out she knew she was immediately fired. So the next day she gets up and goes into the kitchen when she sees her guardian Lester. Tells Lester that she got fired and he wasn’t to happy about that.
Nox tells her that she has to go home to Hollowtide. So she does. What will happen when she goes back to her hometown? You will just have to guess unless you want to read if for yourself. Go follow and support this amazing and creative author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This dark story is perfect for Halloween. October is cursed, or maybe haunted. Everywhere she goes bad things happen. So when her ghost friend visits her in her dreams after getting fired from her latest job and tells her to go home she decides to listen to him. Suddenly everything gets better. Her old town welcomes her with open arms, ready to help her. But when questions are asked October is put in danger. And is her friend really a ghost or something more. This is a spicy book with fun scenes and some interesting ways of communicating between Nox and October.
3.50 stars I wasn’t sure how to rate this book. Despite the mystery element, there wasn’t a whole lot going on besides copious amounts of sex between the two MCs. Sadly, I didn’t care for October. Other than her insatiable lust for Nox, and her inappropriately vulgar mouth, her character was pretty wooden. Nox was more interesting, not just for the sex, but for the intrigue as to why he chose to ‘haunt’ October in the first place. I’m not gonna lie…the sex was hot, made further so by the fact that he’d come to her in her dreams. Who wouldn’t want a phantom lover that would sex the hell out of them anytime they wanted, as long as they were asleep. Sign me up!
This is a short paranormal romance involving ghosts and hidden secrets in dark spooky woods. This seemed like the perfect read for Spooky season, and it is, but it isn't.
⚠️ Spoilers
The mehs: 👻 the FMmC isn't horrible 👻 the MMC is obsessive and protective
The ok then: 🤔 the plot pacing was odd for a short story. We spend the majority of the book trying to reach the conclusion. The story official starts when Nox shows up, and that takes a while. Side characters who pop up but then not mentioned. Side characters with relationships that just .... fizzle 🤔 kind of a supernatural plot, but things just kind of happen 🤔scenes were spicy but so unserious
Probably the easiest five stars I could give a book. I was provided an ARC of When it Comes and I finished it in less than a day. If it wasn’t for work, I would have finished in a couple of hours. I was that hooked. From beginning to the end. This is my first book by this author and definitely will not be my last. Her writing kept my attention and those steamy scenes were just 🔥🥵🔥🥵. The only complaint I have is I want more. I hope we get more from these characters.
This book was a little different then any I have read before. I was hooked from the very start of the book. “He also happens to be the best sex of my life, so I’d prefer it if he were someone from my past. At least that way, I’d be able to hunt him down and make him fuck me the way he does when I’m asleep.” That right there hooked me on the book. Box is so possessive in all ways but I love it. The spice starts almost from the first page and the plot is spot on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
3.5 stars. The overall premise of the story is good but the execution could’ve been done better. The story was quite rushed, resulting in the characters not being fleshed out very well and the conflict being solved relatively quickly.
That being said, the smut and spice is pretty good. And I really enjoy Nox and October’s relationship. Overall a decent short novel with good smut. Also the cover art is really great, props to whoever designed it!
First half of this mainly spice book was great fun to read. The problem was when more and more plot was introduced it just didn’t make sense. Would of been great as mainly spice and a dash of plot but the second half was just awful. Things were revealed which didn’t make sense and characters making dumb decisions just to up the angst made for a poor read overall
Yall Kady just knows how to write a bomb ass story!!
I haven't read anything by her that I haven't liked. I loved reading this dark romance, I had read a dark romance that had no TWs ans there was something that was strictly not it for me and it had thrown me off my dark game! BUT baby the spooky witch is back and ready for the dark 😈😈😈
I seriously couldn't stop reading this book it hit ALL the spooky boxes!!!
This book was a slight step outside of my regular reads and I’ve got to say it was really good! Never thought a demon romance novel would pull me in and consume it as much as this one did! And the amount of hot steamy scenes are perfect! If you like the “touch her and die” trope you will definitely like this story!
Looking for a fast-paced, spicy, and a little bit spooky read? Read this! I was provided with an ARC of When It Comes and finished it in less than a day. It wasn’t a super involved or complicated story line, but the spice was great. Key words: dark romance, possessive vibes, spice, demons, shadows, small town
I was lucky enough to be provided an ARC of this book, and wow what a fast paced ride. It's a quick read, great for spooky season (check your TW though). It's not super dark but definitely has some dark but 🔥🔥🔥 themes (those dreams 🥵). I haven't read a book with this story line, so for me it was pretty unique. Loved the characters and the Halloween Town vibes from the town. 👌
What a perfect little spicy, spicy 🌶 🥵 spooky season read. A whole lot of spice, alittle mystery, demons , ghosts and other things that go bump in the night make this a page turner. As always be sure your comfortable with what your reading. Check for warnings. Definitely super spicy dark monster rom. Enjoy your journey to Hallowtide🎃🖤😈 Happy Reading Book Besties💙
The first half was great. The second half felt extremely rushed. Honestly it was a great premise, but it just felt half done and like there was a lot missing or just glossed over. I was especially disappointed because of how incredible Kady's first book was. Unfortunately this wasn't even remotely in the same realm as Pretty Little Toy.
Love this story, its dark gothic style. Who doesn’t love a Halloween town?? No seriously if you don’t then you should. Nox is delicious, Lucian is delicious. Didn’t want to put it down could have read a thousand pages and still not sure it would have been enough of this little town.
I heard great things about this off booktok, but it just honestly wasn’t for me. The story line moves at such a fast pace with little explanation, almost no world building, the spice was pretty cringy. The only thing that I liked about this book was that it had an unique plot, but it could have been so much more.
Was a good plot and story. Just seemed really rushed. The plot themes moved really fast and the spicy scenes seemed rushed. Wasn't a whole lot of room for chemistry to build between the main love interests or any real suspense. But over all idea was really good.
This was surprisingly a really fun time. I really enjoyed it and the spice was nice, it didn't overwhelm the rest of the plot either. My only drawback was the, "yes Nox" and the "like this Nox" thing, the heroine's replies were a little cringe at times but overall I enjoyed it. Would recommend.