Kissed By The Krampus

Monster in My Bed #1

by L. Eveland

I’ve always hated Christmas. With a name like Chris Kringle, it’s hard not to.
It’s only gotten worse since I’ve been back from the war. Christmas is supposed to be jolly, but for me, it’s a grim reminder of past failures.

I need to get away from it. To be somewhere quiet. To heal.

When I wake up in the South Pole after an accident to a Krampus tending my wounds, it feels like the perfect opportunity to get some much-needed R&R.

Yet this gentle giant is so achingly sweet, I can’t help but fall for him, even though he’s a monster.

But another, more sinister monster may be lurking much closer to home, and if we don’t hunt it down in time, this could be the last Christmas ever.

Kissed by the Krampus is a holiday MM monster romance for adults featuring a cinnamon roll monster and a veteran grappling with his PTSD.

Genres: M M Romance, Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Monsters, Monster Romance, Christmas

257 pages, ebook

Published November 22, 2022

Reviews

[Cassandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was looking forward to this new-to-me author and a naughty Christmas Krampus story. What I got was a reworking of Lily Mayne's Wyn. Frankly, I'm appalled! 🤬

The story starts well enough with the sullen and feeling sorry for himself Chris Kringle 🙄 getting rescued by the Krampus and nursed back to health. Chris has PTSD, has been seriously injured and alone with the Krampus in the South pole, feelings develop. This would have been all good for the Christmas story but....

then, the Krampus is actually on a mission to root out the alien creatures who take over human bodies, sucking the life out of them and he is tasked with rooting out this evil, including the egg nests and the queen. Sounding familiar? From here the story degenerates into a mish mash of Lily Mayne's monster series.

Now I get that plots in books aren't always that different and we are in it for the journey, not because every story is fresh and new. But this was SO similar it was embarrassing. I just really feel like this author should be ashamed of themselves, most especially because

SURPRISE!!!!!

This is a prequel to a new monster/human MM series.

Disgusting. 1⭐ only because I finished it and i only finished to see how similar it was to Monstrous.

[Lilly [Hiatus due to School] · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I decided to pick up this book, I was expecting a dark Christmas read with a twist since it involved Krampus, but instead we get a sweet action filled Monster love story!

We have a sweet lonely monster who finds an army veteran who has had his butt kicked around by life. They form a sweet bond and slowly fall in love. Despite their reputation in the human world, Krampus aren’t evil or here do harm. They are solitary creatures who, in the case of Ollie, find humans fascinating and protects them from other creatures.

This is definitely for people who enjoy monster x human pairings. The sex is hot, and I love the uniqueness of the placement and anatomy of Ollie. Also, his interesting biology and mating tail barb.

“I want to taste you again, and maybe next time, I’ll even let you taste me. Would you like that, my sweet human?”

Ollie has a TONGUE On him for sure and is well versed in how to satisfy a human man.

This did not feel like a Christmas story at all; rather, it was more of a story that happened to take place during the holiday season. Chris is dealing with trauma, loneliness, and feeling that he is unwanted since returning from the war. He is riddled with guilt and finds in Ollie someone who is also lonely but has love to give.

“Why would you only want half my heart? Christopher, you can have all my heart if you want it.”

Overall, Kissed By The Krampus ended up being a sweet monster love story and one I enjoyed a lot. It had great world-building and a wonderful love story! I am so glad it’s part of a series because I am already excited about the next book. L. Eveland is a new to me author and I look forward to reading their future works.

If you love monster romance with fascinating biology, a sweet, misunderstood monster, and a love comfort story with action, this is it.

[nark · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnf @ 60%

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is my first one star out of 800+ books, normally I’d consider myself a pretty generous reviewer. This is one of those times when I probably shouldn’t have impulsively chosen a book based on one 5 star review and a pretty cover and maybe read some more reviews.

This was very similar to Lily Mayne’s Monstrous series, in particular Soul Eater. Similar in a way that made me uncomfortable. This may well be because I have only just read the Monstrous series and it’s very fresh in my mind and it’s not a carbon copy but it truly felt more similar than it being “simply another monster book” (although it did have an interesting Harry Potter crossover with the Philosophers Stone storyline).

This intrigued me to the point of investigation. This author also writes under E.A Copen and their Lazarus Codex series has many reviews mentioning how similar it is to the Dresden Files. They also write under Eliza Eveland - A Dream of Flame and Shadow, which reviewers comment is a bisexual version of ACOTAR.

I actually started looking at this authors other works because there was so many rough reviews and I wanted to defend the author, give them the benefit of the doubt and discover that this was just a fluke coincidence. But it wasn’t. Now, I’m not the book police, but I do find it interesting to know things like that. I like to be informed and I’d appreciate knowing this kind of thing in advance, so hopefully others feel the same.

.

[martina (the life of a chaotic reader) · Rating 1 out of 5]

this starts really slow and the writing is kind of mediocre but i was there for monster sex so i kept going.

spoilers ahead
everything was (more or less) okay until i realized the many similarities between this and soul eater by lily mayne.
“taking inspiration” from a book is already bad enough, but i hated soul eater so this was like a nightmare. i never imagined that i would read bad soul eater 2.0.

i would like to list the similarities because i don’t think i’m imagining this: the monsters sexual anatomies are basically the same, both humans are involved in the military, there are very similar mall scenes where the humans collect things to take on their journeys with the monsters, the monsters hunt some sort of parasites that nest and infect humans and this leads people to believe that they’re bad when they’re actually helping them, the government is caging the monsters and is experimenting and they literally both call the monsters by numbers.

of course, there are different things, but i just can’t look past these things that are the same.

the rest of the book isn’t even that great: i enjoyed the smut but everything else was ridiculous. chris literally doesn’t care that his friends and family think that he’s dead, he just wants to stay with his monster. be for real, chris. then he literally brings this big ass monster to meet them and they’re like “cool, you’re happy.” like????? are you guys okay???

[Sarah]

Edit (Jan 11, 2024):

When I originally read Kissed By The Krampus, I noticed that a lot of reviews referenced that there were marked similarities between this book and another very popular MM book. Because I hadn't read the other book yet, I decided to just rate & review this one based on my genuine thoughts at the time, hoping that the similarities were an exaggeration; especially because I had nothing but good experiences with this author.

I have since read that other book and...oooooh boy. There are some major plot element similarities that can't be ignored. Listen, I'm not stupid enough to think that authors can't be influenced by other authors/books, but there's a line in the sand for every book that shouldn't be crossed and unfortunately, I think that line was crossed this time around.

I'm going to leave my original review & rating below just because that really is how I felt at the time, but I'm removing my official star rating because I don't think it's fair to give this book 5 stars and I don't have it in me to choose an alternate rating - I'd rather just remove it altogether.

I really enjoyed this book when I read it and I still very much value the parts that are different and unique, but I can't in good conscience rate just those parts and ignore the commonalities.

Big sad.



Original Review (Jan 01, 2023):

'Tis the season to get some Krampus dick.

This story had so much more to it than I thought it would!

What I thought I was getting: a quick, sweet, spicy read in which Chris Kringle gets his bells jingled.

What I got: all of that + an action-filled subplot with evil monsters, secret military bases, and fascinating creatures.

I also didn't expect how complex Chris and Ollie would be as characters. At first, I didn't know how I felt about all of the military stuff in the story but I ended up liking Eveland's approach to how they addressed it and how it affected Chris and his role in the story. I also really liked Ollie's backstory! Both Chris and Ollie spent their lives in perpetual loneliness and I thought it was so sweet that they found what they were looking for in each other.

I was truly expecting the plot to just be: hot guy + sexy monster holed up in the South Pole gettin' busy (which, like, yeah) so everything else in the story felt like a wonderful fringe benefit. I can't wait to see where the story takes us in the next one!

Rating: 4.5 rounded up to 5!

[Andi]

DNF @ 49%

This story is very similar to Soul Eater. Ollie is a likable hero...but I love my Soul Eater Wyn, so I'm not surprised that I enjoyed reading about Ollie. Despite me liking Ollie I couldn't get past the likeness between the two novels. Plus, I truly disliked Chris. *another hero similar to Ms. Mayne's hero in the second book Edin*

It just wasn't for me because I couldn't get past my issues with it. And, Ollie deserved better.

[Kat]

DNF @ 53%

I think this could have been good had it not been basically a Soul Eater ripoff. Unfortunately it came down to being completely distracted by that that made me stop. I love Soul Eater too much to ignore how VERY similar this book is.

And I will say, the characters personalities are different. And the creature himself. But…. Seriously. It was uncomfortable how very alike it was.

[Poppy || Monster Lover · Rating 3 out of 5]

So while this story was cute, it was like reading Soul Eater by Lily Mayne, which came out before this book.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Things that were the same:
- monster MC tasked with getting rid of insectoid parasites that invaded human hosts in such a way that they can still blend in to human society
- monster MC thousands of years old and still doing the same thing
- military cover up of said problem
- soldier MMC
- government facility where monsters are experimented on
- portal to other world
- Captain Hamish (same name and designation)

Differences:
- Monster MC fascinated by humans rather than disdainful
- Not post apocalypse
- human MC was discharged from military prior to story beginning

[Leo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay this one hurt a lot to read reviews of. I loved the audiobook and the couple and was very much wanting to read the rest of the books in the series. Unfortunately it turns out that this book is very similar, to similar to another authors work. Lily Mayne. I have not read that book but would rather buy that book or others by this author instead. Changed my rating from 5 stars to 2 stars. Might have been less if I read the original.

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

Sweet, horny, ridiculous, implausible.

Yes, it has many similarities with Lily Mayne's Monstrous series. At first I was denying it, but the whole "on a mission to save humans from unknowingly being bodyswapped by parasitic monsters" thing kinda sealed the deal for me.

Ending: cheesy AF.

Extra epilogue: ugh, knew it.

I'll probably read on though. What can I say, I like monsters and was definitely intrigued by the monster for the next book.

[Alix]

Audiobook narrated by Lance West - such good narration!!!

Chris Kringle has spent the past decade or so trying to figure out who he is now that he’s not a solider anymore and trying to make peace with his survivor's guilt. He's felt lonely and misunderstood and not valued for a long time. One night he encounters a furry creature from myth - a Krampus - and his life changes. He changes. The krampus, whom he names Ollie, takes really good care of him and his gentleness breaks down Chris' emotional defenses. I love how both of them are willing to be vulnerable for each in various ways. Can they make their different biology work for them? Well... I loved the spicy times (super hot!) but this also has a surprising amount of feels...tears. Can they make a relationship happen when they belong to different worlds and they have responsibilities there? I really enjoyed this so much - so hot but oh so sweet too. The narration was excellent too!

What to Expect:
*ex-soldier + Krampus
*Alien meets It's a Wonderful Life set in Antarctica vibes
*lonely MCs
*winter/holidayish monster romance
*size difference (8ft tall monster)
*names him Ollie
*caretaking/soup
*ginormous bathtub
*magic
*Truth or Dare
*retractable monster cock
*"good boy/bad boy"
*useful tail 👀
*self-lube
*marking
*"big guy," gentle giant
*sweet kisses
*spicy times
*possessive MC "mine"

[Shelba · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 54%.

First off, there was too many characters thrown at me in the first chapter. Second, I’m not really interested in the military background and nest hunting stuff. I was essentially just sticking around for the Krampus sex, but Chris thinking he wouldn’t mind having his jaw dislocated to suck off a fist-size Krampus dick just really deflated my interest. And I would have preferred a size-queen Chris to a never-bottomed Chris taking a fist-sized dick his first time, magic or no magic. But also, why was that extra long tongue not put extra far up Chris’ ass? Rude!

[Nonniereads · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I was rather reluctant to get into this because of the reviews saying that this book was a lot like the first book of the monstrous series by Lily Mayne, Soul Eater .

I really don't know what people are talking about. The only thing that is the same is an egg lay species that takes humans as hosts and the military as bad guys. But guess what, there are so many more books with tropes like that.
I've read Soul Eater for the third time next to this book to compare the books, and for real, the two aren't the same. At all. The characters aren't the same at all. The world building isn't the same.
If people really call this plagiarism, then I don't know what actual plagiarism is.

I find it an extremely unfair judgement of the people in the reviews to stamp this book as plagiarism. It isn't.

So, what did I actually think about the book? I found it an enjoyable book, with lovely characters. Christopher, the human main character, is a veteran and still deals with the aftermath of the horrors he had seen during the war in Afghanistan. He feels lost and useless, and it's eating him up.
Oliver, or Ollie for short, is a Krampus, living in Antarctica. He is very soft, literally and in manners.
The pacing of the book is fast, and in certain parts it felt rushed. Especially the transition between Christopher still healing from his injuries from the car crash, to the two of them looking for the Queen parasite creature.

There is definitely some character building in the story, as Christopher finally works out for himself what he wants and makes peace with the demons haunting him in his sleep.

I'm quite looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

[Bizzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a lot to like about this book, but unfortunately I just could not get past the many, many similarities to Soul Eater by Lily Mayne. This isn’t a copy, by any means—Eveland’s story has lots of original ideas. But there are enough similarities that I felt as though Eveland and Mayne both started from the same outline. I spent most of the book making comparisons instead of getting immersed in the story, and it didn’t help that Danny and Wyn in Soul Eater are one of the best pairings I’ve read all year, so Chris and Ollie were doomed to second place from the beginning.

I’m hoping the next book in this series will diverge more fully from the Monstrous series, because we saw intriguing glimpses of future characters in this book.

[Latecia Jennings · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Audiobook Review**

I really didn't know what to expect when I started this but it sure wasn't all the mystery, scary monsters, action and the emotional rollercoaster of feels. So many feels...

Christopher is literally a wreck of a man. He's named after the famous holiday and hates it along with his life. He has some serious PTSD going on and being saved by a Krampus he names Ollie...there is hope. I really loved Ollie...his big...scary...can be deadly but really a sweet cinnamon roll to the ones he cares for...he really cares for Ollie.

This was good...enjoyed it to the very end. The narrator did an awesome job on the voices and did a really good job on relaying the emotions on the characters...even the sinister ones...Very good job. I think I will continue on with the series. There are more monsters out there hidden waiting to come out...LOL

[Ronie Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got lost reading chapters 15 to 18 more than thrice

[The Word Nerd Reviews Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't really add anything that hasn't been mentioned in other reviews.

Although the events in this book centre around Christmas (past and present), I really wouldn't call it a 'Christmas Story', so it can be enjoyed at any time of the year!

If you're a fan of monster romance, and enjoy a bit of action with your spice and romance, then I'd recommend this book.

*edited to add: I've now read four books in this series, and they build beautifully from one to the other and just get better!

[Emmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️

Derpy monster romance with some holiday cheere to make us all cringe together 😂

I had a really fun time with this one, the MCs are adorable (would have loved to have Ollie's POV as well tho).

The "creative anathomy" is really well done in this one! I really appreciate it when aliens/monsters actually look like aliens/monsters with different anatomies instead of just being tall humans with red/blue/green skin and a tail! I like my monsters monstery x)

I recommend it for a chill and fun Christmas read 🥰

TW: PTSD + war related trauma

Narrator: Lance West

[Leigh Gaskill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe?

I felt like I was reading 3 different books at one point honestly. I love me a good monster story, but like others before me stated in the reviews, the parallels this one made to the Monstrous Series by Lily Mayne were too obvious to ignore. I found myself checking the reviews halfway to see if I was crazy for thinking this. Ending did get interesting. May continue series, undecided yet.

[Xiomara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story

I enjoyed the story the ending was not what I was expecting. I feel like the ending was a little rushed and I that there could had been more to write.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I initially put of reading this, because someone on here said that this book is a copy of Wyn from the Monstrous series. I read it and there aren't really similarities. The main characters have extremely different personalities, looks and their relationship is not at all like in Wyn.
It is a MM story, the monster man has the same genitalia as the monster in Wyn, the human man used to be a soldier and the monster man is hunting monster parasites that hide in humans. Those are the only similarities. The monster parasites and the plot around them is majorly different than in the Monstrous series. And the story does not take place in a post-apocalyptic world which makes for an entirely different setting.

Update: I'm at 73% of the second book and I have to say that the monster MC in that book is similar in mannerism and monster lore to Aury from Lily Maynes Monstrous series.
But the plot and the human side characters and main character are still very different. Though I find the plot of the second book weak.

[October O'Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

I think my favorite part of this book was the sexy times. The story itself dragged a bit. There was some action packed into the last few chapters but it was fairly predictable at that point, and I’d already started losing interest-momentum, you know? So even though the pace was picking up, it still felt like a bit of a slog.

However… there’s some great reasons to read this book:

1. Ollie (The Krampus). Adorbs. 🥰 so sweet, so filthy

2. Found family vibes. I love some lost souls taking care of each other

3. Magic baths. 🛁 Yes please

4. 🌶️ is nice. It is. It’s good. Although, all I’m saying is, if you’re gonna give a dude a tail…missed opportunity

[Erin Flanegin · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was hooked from the start, and the scene after they get back from the grocery store had me crying laughing 🤣🤣. The nicknames are absolutely wild in the best way, and lowkey… maybe I’m a freak, but I definitely wouldn’t have complained about more tail scenes. IYKYK. 👀

The way PTSD and mental health are represented feels honest and adds so much depth to the characters. As a monster-romance lover, I’m fully obsessed and planning to read the entire series. If you enjoy the Monstrous series by Lily Mayne, you’ll be all over this.

Also… still rooting for Hot Dog and Chappie to get their moment someday 🤭

[Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun enough for what it is but I had to subtract a star since Krampus doesn't spank anyone.

[peach · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I grabbed this book on a whim in a giveaway, I didn't expect more than a short holiday monster romance. I was surprised and delighted to discover just how much I had underestimated it! The romance itself was wonderful, I loved seeing the slow build of trust between them as Chris recovered from his injury, not to mention the caretaking, the bathing, the protectiveness! The story had lots of interesting world building with some twists and turns, and the action parts of the book had me the best kind of stressed since I'd gotten so invested in these characters. I had a couple of small nitpicks, but I overall I loved the sweet romance, the wild monster biology, the suspense and drama, and the potential of the world building. I look forward to seeing more from this author!

[Rebecca · Rating 1 out of 5]

lily Mayne is that you??

Okay here’s the thing, technically this is a decent book, HOWEVER, I can’t ignore the fact that it is a total rip off of the Monstrous series from Lily Mayne (which came out 2 years before this book) down to character names… and that just doesn’t sit right with me. This author is financially benefitting from someone else’s stories and I’m really not sure how they can do that with a good conscience. I can’t recommend this book based on the flagrant copying of someone else’s work.

[DLB2572 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Story I Didn't Know I Needed

The blurb for this one piqued my interest but the story I got wasn't at all what I was expecting. It was so much more. I could not put it down. I got very invested in Christopher & Ollie's relationship and their mission. I can't wait to get more from this series.

I received an ARC and this is my unbiased opinion

[Jess *lovetolovebooks* · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You want my cock, do you, Christopher?”
“You know I do.”
“Well, too bad. Bad boys don’t get what they want.”
Oh, fuck.

I went into Kissed By The Krampus expecting a short smut filled Christmas romance but this was so much more. Yes of course there’s romance and some hot hot monster loving but the plot that goes along with it was action packed, heart racing, and set up what will be a new MM monster romance series by this author.

Christopher has been through hell and still is if you ask him. He is a veteran who went through some very traumatic things while deployed overseas. And because of this he experiences PTSD, guilt, depression, and some anxiety. Talking to therapists aren’t helping, he’s trying his best to cope every day, and he doesn’t know what to do or where his life is going. He just knows it can’t get any worse. That is until on his drive back home from his grandma’s house, he see a massive figure standing in the snow covered roads. He swerves to stop himself from hitting it but that causes him to wreck. When he comes to, he’s in a fur lined nest in a house he’s never seen before. And in walks a Krampus. Turns out that Krampus is the only reason why Christopher is alive. He nurses him back to health and is a big softie. He fucking knits y’all. The Krampus knits him a sweater and it’s the most cutest damn thing ever. Krampus, aka Ollie, has a job to do. And that job? Hunt down and kill these other parasitic creatures that use humans as hosts. But more importantly, find and kill their queen. What follows is a crazy action packed story that’s perfectly blended into this sweet monster romance.

He looked at me, and he saw more than just the wounds from my car accident. He saw how deeply damaged I was, and being with him had healed me in ways I’d never thought possible.

TWs: discussion of war/military & memories of traumatic events, mental health/illness topics like depression/anxiety/PTSD, car crash, action scenes that involve shooting/blood/gore

What to expect:
-an 8ft tall cinnamon roll Krampus that knits
-a veteran dealing with PTSD
-truth or dare drinking game
-hurt/comfort
-“mine”
-voyeurism/exhibitionism
-prehensile tail that can inject horny venom
-clove flavored 🍆
-cock pocket
-super long tongue
-size difference
-monster hunting action
-the first in a new series of MM monster romances
-breeding

[Sarah Esmae Wolfe · Rating 4 out of 5]

no one is more surprised than I am at how much I enjoyed this