Chaos: A Paranormal Reverse Harem Romance

The Library of the Profane #1

by J.B. Trepagnier

The Library of the Profane has everything your black heart desires. But we don't just allow anyone to get a library card.
Need to summon a demon? Raise the dead? A clan of vampires bothering you? Do you like the really nasty werewolf erotica? The Library of the Profane has all of that, but not everyone can handle the contents (Some people can't handle their werewolf erotica). I've been a librarian here for five years and when I say I killed to get this job, I'm not being facetious.
You can't check out our books. Some of the books are sentient and don't like it. We have rooms to perform the spells in or hell, we do have a copy machine (copies are extra). When a witch came in and said they needed to do a little necromancy, I didn't question it. They wouldn't have been given a library card if they were going to raise someone really bad. I helped with the necromancy because it's just my job as a librarian.
Except it wasn't a normal resurrection. It was the physical embodiment of Chaos and when he woke up, he saw me first and now he's attached. Chaos personified is a horrible library guest and he won't leave with the witch who raised him. He's constantly getting into things he's not supposed to and he's really into the werewolf erotica.
It's not like I can let him out because the Library of the Profane is meant to contain Chaos. The rest of the world isn't. He's awful about keeping his identity secret too. A warlock, a Hellhound, and a vampire know he's here and they are bugging me to let Chaos have a little fun.
I just want a normal day of summoning demons, cursing people, and telling people to be quiet in my library. This is too much.

Genres: Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Magic, Demons, Urban Fantasy, Vampires

242 pages, Paperback

First published January 7, 2021

About the author

USA Today Bestselling Author JB Trepagnier is secretly 30 feral cats in a trench coat and combat boots writing romance with a shared feral cat hive mind.

Reviews

[Andrea]

DNF 75%

Put this one down quite a while ago and really don't see myself going back to pick it up.

Also, looking back at a few of my notes and highlights make me think I made a good choice....

She wasn’t falling at my feet like literally every other woman on this planet I’d bedded before.

I was starting to think Ripley was different.

And I’d never met a witch like Ripley before in my entire life.

Yes, yes- we get it shes nOt LiKe OthEr wiTchEs~

[Ciru · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to give this book a 2.5

It wasn't all shit, it started off great, but in the middle it muddled through then in the end it tanked.

We have Ripley, the librarian. She has her rules for the library, if you don't follow them, she will kick your ass. But she really actually doesn't. She is more talk than action. The repetitive wolf dick jokes and how Professor Krauss is a legend paragraphs were exhausting! They start of being funny, then evolve into if-you-mention-this-one-more-time....

Reyson. Aka the god of Chaos. Is on a constant 24/7 sugar high and at times acts like a stereotypical gay diva and others he is just a brat.

Felix. Familiar turned back to Warlock. He was amongst the male characters I could actually stand, but like English tea, he was steeped way into English people stereotypes.

Gabriel. Relative of Lucifier. Basically shunned Warlock. I wanted him to step into the light and show everyone who was basically shunning him what he was capable of. But he basically just faded into the background.

Balthazar. Vampire. Hacker. I will give him props coz he reminded me that I am actually waiting for Balthazar, the tv show, season 3 to be out internationally.

He had confusing perspectives, coz he starts of as this macho, typical vampire. Then he gets put into the stereotypical gay/bi guy role and the tv version of a hacker. Click, clack he has all your info and ooh, he knows all about the dark web.

Then we have Bram. Slight intro at the start, gets relegated to the background, then poof, he is back again at the end.

Then we have the cast of bad guys.

The funniest scene was Hettie "getting dealt with".

The story started off strong. At some point I wasn't even interested in the characters fucking or setting themselves up in the harem. I wanted to see where the story was going. Then, all the guys are getting some alone time with Ripley. But it wasn't actually going anywhere constructive. Like, if there was a disclaimer that this was a no burn, instead of a slow burn reverse harem, I would have been fine with that as opposed to some guys ending up getting freaky with her and others just getting the "sweetest cuddles".

Then, plot wise, started off good, got to the middle part where everything seems to just be stagnating and barely moving, then finally at the end where it is more of like what sort of cliff hanger is this? Had they not checked all their bases to ensure that their come up plan was atleast do-able?

So, not continuing with subsequent books. I felt largely let down by the ending.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This synopsis made me think this was going to be a strong novel but it was weaker than the author’s others. Library+mythology = my type of book. It started off pretty great. The resurrection of the chaos god was cool. I adored Felix (the cat) Ripley’s familiar. They frame Ripley a kind of badass librarian that if you fuck with her library she’ll kick your ass but she doesn’t. Either the library does it literally by itself or the men in her life do it for her. Random crude jokes aren’t my cup of tea. Sex scenes are fine but don’t be a teen boy in how you talk and narrate your book.

The guys.

Reyson. God of Chaos. Way over the top… obsessed with oreos and spontaneously declares Ripley his bride.

Felix. Cat turned into a warlock. He was the only love interest that I liked. Very best friend turned lover's vibes. I am not going to overthink the sketch relationship between witch and familiar. I like characters being from different places but dude was a walking (or should I say tea drinking/fish and chips devouring) British stereotype.

Gabriel. A descendant of Lucifer so he is shunned by the Witch/Warlock community. That I have no community became his entire angsty personality. He needed to step up and prove what he was capable of but instead he faded into the background of the narrative in favor of other love interests.

Balthazar. The vampire. The techy/Hacker one because every book series needs a tech savvy bestfriend or f*ck buddy who knows his way around the internet. Tracking perps and crushing organizations from the dark web. Tech plus wanting a threesome with Reyson and Ripley became his entire personality so… yeah not great.

The plot just wasn't built for the story, it was simply harem building. Simultaneously this feels like a no burn reverse harem because one guy gets in her pants but the others just hug a lot and eat popcorn. Stagnant but I will continue to see if Trepagnier can turn this b*tch around. Out of respect for my love for her other books. 2.5 stars can round to 3 on Goodreads.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not good

Dnf @56%. I can't put my finger on just one thing, it seemed the whole entire read just was turning me off. I got really bored really fast. For some reason the author seems to repeat events we've already read. I've read it and now know this has happened?!! I don't need the characters to keep bringing up the same chain of events over and over. I also didn't like this RH, it was weird, we were just collecting strange men out of nowhere. the first sex scene was so out of left field I couldn't even wrap my mind around why it was happening? chaos was probably the only cool expect of this book, but that was really about it, this story? I just wasn't getting it. It was slop thrown together.

[Paula Valadez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es un libro muy entretenido y raro, nunca espere encontrarme con este personaje clásico y más siendo villano.

En cuanto a la trama, si hubieran tomado las cosas en serio y no pensarán tanto en sexo, yo creo que no habría ventaja alguna.
Hicieron de todo menos pensar en un plan para encontrar información o más sospechosos, mucha calma y pensamientos lujuriosos de su parte😪.
Eran todos contra la bibliotecaria (y no hablo de pelear 🙂).

Tal vez y más adelante continúe con los demás.

[Alex(Books-In-A-Storm) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just loved this one.
It was really different from other books that I've read.
I love how the library has it's own system and life to it and Ripley the librarian is just amazing.
Chaos it a hoot and I just can't wait to read more.

[SnooRegrets]

No rating.

DNF at 15 %. I don‘t even know, why I bother anymore. I am a bit miffed, because the premise could have been so good. But I just can‘t bear the choppy writing and pacing.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Riley works as the sole librarian in the world's paranormal library headquarters. When she winds up accidentally assisting someone to resurrect an old god, she's pretty cranky they lied. Especially once he declares she'll be his wife and nothing she does changes his mind. Riley is a great MC to follow. She’s a little snarky (but not a completely immature and ridiculous type), who is very serious about protecting her library.
This is one of those RH books that is more about collecting her men than anything else, and makes a lot of D jokes. All the characters were fun, and we didn't even have a resident grump in the group. Their personalities were distinct enough to tell them apart, even if some were a little cookie cutter for now.
It was amusing and there is some plot in there as the team assembles, ready to save the world from demons and evil warlocks, but it's mostly just harem building. There's only one she does anything with, and it's the most taboo of them all, but I don't think it's pushing too many boundaries that people need a content warning or anything. It ends a little abruptly (on my kindle I thought the file was cut off kind of abrupt, but at least on the app there was a last page note from the author) and is more like the beginning and start of a middle of a book, as opposed to a whole one on its own. I know it's a series, but it doesn't have a conflict or big anything at the end, just the lead up to a potential one on its way. So I guess binge it all together for a complete story, because it doesn't really stand on its own with just this part.

[Princess J. Antoinette · Rating 3 out of 5]

So Hoping!

Okay, first, I did enjoy this storyline and I think this series has potential to be a great read, but we need more character development and in depth look into the background stories for our heroes. I'm hoping this isn't some insta- love kinda thing with these heroes either because that's just straight up boring... Second, please, oh please J. B. can you please ease up on the repetitive internal monologues especially with the heroine? It causes the storyline to lag and becomes boring... I want to read a story that I just can't put the book down. That I have to take to the kitchen with me to eat , or read in the bathroom, or waiting in line. That is what I look for when I chose a book or series to read... So now I will continue on with series and I just hope it gets better from this point on..

Overall Rating:
3* ~ Okay/ Has Potential!

[Karin Dirksen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the world created, especially the concept of a sentient library. I also appreciated how the mystery slowly unravelled when more and more of the key pieces are introduced. The characters and their interactions were average in the sense that there is potential but it didn't really come alive.

[Christy Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!!

Wow, I have been missing out when since I waited so long to read this! Such a fantastic start to this series! I can not wait to see what happens next!!!

[❀ Crystal ✿ - PEACE ☮ LOVE ♥ BOOKS · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off the audio for this book was really great with a full cast and I was done in a few hours. I swear whoever reads Felix’s part sounds like the narrator on the They Will Kill You YouTube channel, it’s such a distinct and awesome voice I’d be shocked as shit to learn there’s more than one person with such a lyrical and accented voice. As for the book itself, things move extremely fast and if you blink you may miss it all. The heroine Ripley is a librarian at the Library of the Profane, often granting library cards to supernaturals of all varieties. When a witch shows up seeking assistance in performing a necromancy spell Ripley rolls up her sleeves and dives right in. Only the person she resurrected isn’t just an old relative of this unknown witch, no he’s the God of Chaos and also the God partly responsible for creation of the world-someone you don’t want to fuck with. No one can figure out who is responsible for bringing him back and for what purpose. Luckily one right after the other, men just start strolling through the library’s doors. Men who are not only all connected to Ripley but somehow brought together to stop some crazy force going on in the universe. It was a quick read and I’m off to book 2…

[Shari-amor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started off really strong then it faded by the end. The ending itself was weak. I was expecting something significant to happen and nothing. The plot came to a stand still mid way through the story and never peaked again. There is no confrontation, meeting or otherwise with the villains. They literally stay in the background of the story for 99.5% of the book. The fact that Ripley and crew were able to figure out so much without tipping anyone off is....disappointing. Im interested enough to find out how the villains are going to go about their plans with Chaos in the next book tho.

[Chrissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and Intelligent RH

Ripley is a witch, a pretty powerful one. She’s also the librarian at The Library of The Profane, the place where all the books about the supernatural are kept. She had to fight for her life to get the job, and she loves it. She’s not a typical librarian with her leather clothes and healthy sex-positive attitude, but when they have a werewolf erotica section in your library then you have to expect your librarian to be a bit open-minded.

Ripley is minding her own business, hanging with her familiar Felix when a hedge witch requests some help with some necromancy. She helps raise the corpse only to find it’s actually the physical embodiment of the god of Chaos, who is not only gorgeous but expects Ripley to become his wife. Someone wants Chaos returned to Earth for nefarious purposes and neither he nor Ripley are inclined to help them. The Library itself also seems to be helping out by drawing together a team of gorgeous supernaturals who happen to be excellent at problem-solving, to give them a hand.

There is some pretty juvenile humour in this book, but it’s also pretty funny. I love the banter between the main characters and there is also some real tenderness there too, with genuine affection. There are lots of references to sex, but not masses of actual sex scenes. The plot is more important, as is building the relationships and the tension between the characters.

The world-building is really interesting and I love how the magic systems were slowly revealed throughout the book. There is still a lot we don’t know about the world in which the Library is situated, but are getting to slowly know the characters within its walls.

I really enjoyed this book and it has lots of potential to form the basis of a good solid anchor book to start this series. I can’t wait to see how the author builds on what she has written here.

[Nic · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had super huge expectations from this book. The synopsis seemed hilarious and the premise seemed fun. The book definitely had hints of what it could be but this one definitely disappointed me a little.

It began with a bang and suck me in since page one. But once half way through, nothing really happened in the book.

This book is just a textbook example of a build up. This entire book was written to be a build up for book 2.

Its definitely hyped the second book at the cost of loosing it charm.

The book kept dragging at places and not going anywhere at all for the most part.

However not everything was bad.

First of all..It was a reverse harem which completely makes sense. I loved how all the boys were okay with it being a reverse harem as well.

The icing on the cake for me was how the boys low-key were interested in each other as well. Many reverse harem books make the female the centre of their affection but I definitely don't see this series going in that direction and that is a huge win for me.

The characters were fine as well. They weren't very complex or layered but they weren't dry and boring as well.

It was fun to see Reyson trying to give Ripley her space and understanding what the boundaries are instead of being overbearing and overstepping.

It was a breath of fresh air that Ripley - our female protagonist - was absolutely cool with her sexuality. On many occasions it was mentioned that she had a very healthy sex life and it was never frowned about in the books. The boys in fact encouraged her to explore all her options.

Saying that, not much happened 'sexually' in this book. And I was glad! If the author had given up valuable story space for smut I would have been disappointed considering how little the story really was.
I enjoyed the book for what it was but I definitely didn't find it a complete book but a step towards the actual story.

[Klizbet · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Stars

For the most part I didn’t like this book because of the writing. Maybe it was because all the characters spent so much time in their heads. They all thought about their opinions and their history, they thought about what was happening, they thought about each other…but there was a distinct lack of talking or action.

Also, the author jumped between POV’s so often that I felt like I didn’t even have the chance to enjoy the story. The chapters were like this: two pages in Ripley’s POV, three pages in Balthazar’s POV, three pages in Chaos’ POV…each person was doing and thinking about something drastically different. Half the time they weren’t even in the same location. There was just no cohesion to this story.

Furthermore, because there wasn’t any cohesion to the chapters or storyline, it felt like the plot was just floating around without a tether.

So far this book isn’t a slow burn, it’s a no burn…or at least it would have been better that way. The characters never even talk to each other, they just watch and think lusty thoughts. It’s creepy. But not the FMC, I’m pretty sure she hates everyone. At least she’s mean to everyone anyways.

I DNF’d this story at 75%
- 4 guys in prospective harem…maybe more
- at 75% there was no sex, but everyone was thinking about it
- No relationship building or emotions present, just lust
- there will probably be a lot of MM, if there wasn’t already
- FMC is a witch
- Chaos/Rayden is a God, Balthazar is a vampire, Felix is a warlock and FMC’s cat familiar, Gabriel is a warlock
- world building 2/5 stars
- character development: 3.5 - 4/5 stars

[Danielle (Danniegurl) · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok start

Honestly I do like the book, I think it’s a little different a little quirky but not enough to keep me engaged. My mind kept wandering due to the type of writing. The writing is decent but could be tweaked a bit more to be more polished. I felt like there were many sentences which were missing minor words but I’d still get tripped up by them.

On top of this the book is glossed over, and too much monologuing and not enough dialogue. I liked the different povs, but there were times I didn’t know exactly what happened or the transition from one scene to another was off. Not only that but there were times there would be random paragraph breaks and usually that’s to indicate a new scene in the same chapter, but in this case I’m not sure why it was done bc the majority of the time it was the same scene. I’d mentally transition to be ready for a new scene and nope same one.

The ending was not good. The book ended abruptly. It was not a place I would stop, it is not a place I would pause a book. We don’t have enough information and nothing has been resolved. Something though should have been tied up in this book before ending it like it did.

The sex scene, and there’s only one although there is a lot of talk about various anatomy, was detailed and not. It was glossed over in such a way I didn’t know when the actual act started and when it was finished.

The book does have some humor elements to it, but overall it’s an ok story. I’m not certain I’ll be reading the next one.

[Cat H · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.
This was a really interesting start to the trilogy.
Everything got set up really well with this introduction.
All the guys have been found or recruited to the team, each of them at varying levels of building their relationship with Ridley and becoming her harem. The plot was completely set up and the quest has been laid out enough to know their end goal.
I’m super intrigued.
All of the characters bring their own unique ‘thing’ to the group. They’re all super interesting and have their own skills and personalities.
There’s plenty of humor and adorable things happening with the men.
The sex was hot, though brief. I’m not mad at it though, since I have faith that there’ll be plenty more steamy bits in the next two books. This author always brings it with the steam.

I can’t wait to see how things move forward.
Plus I’m excited to see them all get dirty together. There’s a lot of interesting things going on with all the different types of paranormal they are and how their anatomy is reflected by that.
…cocks. I’m excited to see all the different cocks, okay? Don’t judge me.*sniff*

Anyway.
Imma just go read the next book now.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started off good but started to fizzle out halfway through. It isn’t very spicy, they are all obsessed with shifter peen though.

[T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

I was given this ARC for free in exchange for an honest review. As I’ve said before, I always give honest reviews whether people appreciate them or not.

Ripley is a witch who runs the Library of the Profane. It’s a heckuva library, full of magical books, sentient ones and a rather large Erotica and werewolf porn section. Yes, you read that correctly. Anyway, to get a library card you have to bleed into a magicked bowl that will tell Ripley where you are allowed to go. Ripley’s familiar is Felix, a black cat with an English accent. Apparently, Felix has a similar voice to the late actor Alan Rickman. The two of them seem to think there’s something magically going on, but they aren’t sure what it is. A bunch of hedge witches come in wanting to do some kind of necromancy thing or other and that’s when everything seems to hit the fan!

So Ripley has helped raise a god as well as collected a warlock and a vampire. There’s a ton of snuggle time, lots of attraction and some serious demon energy. This story never really stops. I only stopped at the halfway point because I was afraid I would be up all night re-hashing the story in my mind. I will now admit that I am obsessed with Ms. Trepagnier’s stories and her series. This was such a fun read and it kept me on the edge of my seat! Can’t wait for the next one to come out!

[Ellice · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine. It was a book. Quick read, not total garbage but not a work of art by any stretch of the imagination. The author works hard to make Ripley not your stereotypical librarian. It’s kind of cringe actually. All tits, leather, and tattoos which don’t get me wrong IS great but it really just felt like a man was writing a ‘sexy librarian’ description. It also ended so abruptly. Like mid paragraph, It was almost like it was part a larger piece then they noticed it was too long and split it at a random area.

[Holly's Bookshelf · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was not good at all. I wanted to DNF but needed this for my reading goal. World building was non existent. Characters made no sense, magic made no sense, nothing made sense. You have a god who can see every possible ending someone can have but he cant tell the future? They worried about killing a dark warlock and him becoming a ghost but they already killed a witch in the library with no mention of her being a ghost there too? No idea what was going on with this one.

[L T · Rating 1 out of 5]

confusing

I have to say this is a difficult book to review because it reads like a rough draft of “possibilities “. It is repetitive. The same words and phrases are said over and over. There is no character or world building. The characters are one dimensional. I cannot tell you what one person looked like. The audio is terrible. Some narrators are louder than others. Sentences cut off. Delays in the audio. I cannot recommend this book based on poor story telling and poor audio.

[Samantha F · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was completely unique to any other reverse harem I have ever read. I was completely hooked from the first page to the last. I can't wait for next book in this series. Highly recommend.

[Anne Dwyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ripley is the librarian at The Library of the Profane - and libray cards that allow their holders access to all parts of the library are few and far between - so why are there suddenly so many being issued? When she is tricked into resurrecting Chaos, she has no idea how it is going to affect her life - and the wheels it will set in motion - I cant wait for the next book!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kathy L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a change to most I have read recently. It's definitely a slow burn, but the story is intriguing and keeps you on your toes. So far it's been interesting and I can tell the next book will pick up speed and leave a few scrapes, burns, and bruises.

[Romancegirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like this could have so much potential .. that being said idk if I want to read the rest of the trilogy 😬

[Victor · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is oddly really good.

[Hannah Wenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t get enough!!

I love love love loved this!! Is that enough love probably not... one more love for prosperity... but seriously this is amazing I couldn’t stop laughing and I have so many highlighted spots because it was just so epic! If you ever watched the librarian it has those vibes... so so good def worth the read

[Az]

Dnf at 39%

I'm just not into it. It feels forced and boring.