Mountain Menace

Mountain Menace #1

by A.M. Proctor

Monsters come in all shapes and sizes. Some prefer to own you, some demand to chase you, others crave to destroy you in the most beautiful ways possible.
Hardley (Lee) Denim Walsh

When you’re the evil daughter of the notorious Everglades Serial Killer, raised on abuse and the dark deeds done to seventeen innocent victims, the last thing you want to do is look backwards.
I did my time, the therapy and was looking forward to a future where I could control my destiny. The misty peaks of the Appalachian Mountains seemed far enough removed for me to relax.

But my dreams are shattered when an afternoon hike with my real estate agent turned into a violent and bloody hunt for revenge. Too bad these good old boys of “back woods justice” underestimated this out-of-shape Florida foreigner.
Two of them fled wounded and bleeding, but my hand did not kill the third.

Rescued by three mysterious mountain men, they took my broken body to their remote homestead… and healed more than just my carcass.

Each obsessive, animalistic male filled the holes my treacherous upbringing gouged out of me.

Daddy Bear is the affectionate and approving authority my childhood lacked.
Caretaker Silas fills my soul the way my mother should have.
Femboy Cassius is hilarious, passionate chaos in a world I take too seriously.
Dominant Darius is… well, he’s the feral, punishing bully I secretly hunger for.

As dysfunctional as they are, they might be a dream I never dared to imagine. I’m a powerful survivor, but I’ll need to be a brave warrior to get what I want. Lowering a lifetime of guarded walls takes trust I don’t possess, especially when they harbor secrets more horrific than mine.

Dive into this paranormal “why choose” monster romance with dark and taboo themes today. Mature and adventurous readers who love a touch of murder and mystery with their steamy love scenes will devour Mountain Menace. Check the author’s website for specific trigger warnings and R rated content.

Genres: Paranormal, Shapeshifters, Dark, Dark Romance, Why Choose, M M Romance, Romance

418 pages, Paperback

Published March 7, 2022

About the author

https://amproctor.com/

I write dirty fae, vampire and monster romance. My males are dark and dominant. My females are flawed, sometimes hard to handle, and definitely grow throughout the series.

My fae world overlaps, as do some of my characters. Chaistolf was my first character and with him blossomed the Spark Bonded Series. It's a vast series of six big arse books. Starts all lovey dovey, but gets darker as the series goes on.

The more I wrote in the Spark Bonded Series, the more I explored the darkness of romance. Now, I live there.

MM? Usually.
MFM? Often.
MMF? More often than not.
Noncon? Happens.
Monster Porn? Got it.
I'm not afraid to take you down a path others might fear.

Sign up for my exclusive free content: http://eepurl.com/g9Wgx1

Visit me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAMProc...

Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/AMProctor

Reviews

[Audi♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I'm officially in a werewolf gang-bang"

HOLY COW! Dark, Taboo, and Delcious! This has been rotting in my library for months. I'm usually not an RH fan, but I'm glad I tried it. So juicy.
Our poor girl has been through it. Her father was a serial killer/ rapist. He used her to lure kids into their alligator farm. She thought she was making friends, her nasty fucking father had other plans with them.DARK.
Dad dies, she gets an inheritance and wants to start over.ALONE. So, she takes off to buy a remote cabin in the Appalachian mountains...BUT...NASTY FUCKING MEN ruin that for her. Ugh.. dw there's revenge.
Daddy Bear and his 3 sons find her near death. They take her and heal her physical and emotionally 🥹
Theres A bunch of TW. Read with caution.
My favorite part is how different the Werewolfs are in this book. They're called Wolvens. The author tells us not to humanize her werewolfs, and she's 100% right. These aren't shifters.

I loved that it's multiple POV.
She has 4 men obsessed with her. Ofc its spicy 🌶

Off to book 2.

[Shannon Thigpen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a ride! (No pun intended… cough, cough). Hardley was the perfect female for this book. She should have been shattered by her past, instead she patched herself up and decided to make it on her own in the wilderness. Mix that up with a mystery, a lot of heat, sexy mates and gory murder and you have this really great book.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[W · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just binged the 11 hours it took to read this book. As I got to the 85% mark I panicked because I didn’t want it to end - I fluffing loved every character. Every. Single. One. And thank gods I found out there’s going to be a 2nd book, because even though this book is a beast (pun intended), there’s still so much more story left in these characters. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 stars each for plot, kink, spice, and unique characters

[Taylor Z · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nope.

You wrote a fmc that lived through torture and abuse, watching her on necropheliac, mass murdering father kill under-aged girls and force her to be bait... and then you let her be found by a family of incestuous, abusive monsters. There is nothing appealing or okay about this book. It's creepy and gross that you've basically fetishized abuse, cannibalism and incest. 🤮🤮🤮🤮

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hesitant walking into this book, but oh man, I was sucked right in. We get POV’s from everyone, which is my favorite when it’s done right - I’ve found sometimes when theres to much going on, characters seem to get jumbled up and lost but that was not the case here! Each character stayed true to themselves while also having some growth throughout the book. Mountain Menace does touch on some dark topics, but I feel like it’s handled well. The book had great pacing and the plot was so unique I wasn’t sure what to expect next. The chemistry between the characters was OFF THE CHARTS. I loved the interactions they had separately and together. You could feel the chemistry, it didn’t feel forced or unbelievable. I loved how (mostly) honest these characters were with themselves but also with the others. Obviously there are some personal things they kept to themselves, but for the most part, it was refreshing to have characters that fully accepted how each was without really trying to change anything about that person. Usually you see some kind of drastic change in the relationship(s) and boom everything is rainbows and sunshine for everyone, and I appreciated that Mountain Menace didn’t do that. The relationship(s) didn’t jump from hot mess to settled and domesticated. The ending was believable and had me wanting more. This smashed all of my book buttons I love and then some, it even hit buttons I wasn’t even aware I had! When I finished this book (which I didn’t put down until I finished it!) all I could think was “Holy sh*t, did I already finish that?” I’m already so excited and impatient for the next book to be released. Sometimes I feel that authors prolong books when they can be condensed into one book, but honestly, with all the ground work, all the information and all the action that was covered in Mountain Menace, it makes 100% sense where and why it ended the way it did. This is definitely in my top 10, if not 5, of my all time favorite reads. I know this will be something I come back to frequently to reread!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Katie Goodson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, okay. I NEED THE SECOND BOOK YESTERDAY. This book does NOT end on a cliffhanger, but it was so hard to put down, and there were so many questions that I need answered!

This book is a dark reverse harem romance w/ some taboo elements.

Hardley is trying to start over in life after everything that happened in her childhood. But her father's prolific reputation has made that impossible. It put her in a sticky situation at the beginning of the book.

She is kidnapped, robbed, assaulted, and is on the verge of death when a different set of men find. They take her into their homestead and nurture her back to health.

Bear (the twins' father), the twins (Cassius & Darius), and Silas (Bear's adopted son) all live together in the mountains, off grid.

Hardley trusts no one, and knows that she shouldn't let her guard down. But with the time spent with each man, she not only learns to trust, but also how to love with true, unconditional love.

The men want Hardley to stay with them as their mate, but she wants the people who hurt her to be held accountable for their actions. Will she leave and seek her revenge or will she let her anger go and stay with her pack?

Check TW!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A.M. Proctor delivers with this one.

Hardley has had one terrible childhood. Abused by those who are supposed to care the most about her and a haunting backstory with her father, she's given up hope that she is meant to be with people. When her life goes from bad to worse, she's saved by the most unlikely of people. 3 brothers and a dad, with a secret of their own find her, save her and heal her wounds.

This book was medium burn in my opinion, but when the spice came into play, it came to play!

Definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a dark, spicy, shifter type romance.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kayte T · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC review: Completely obsessed - read the whole thing in one sitting.

For sure a taboo romance with pretty dark themes so check your trigger warnings, but I was obsessed with each of Hardleys guys and their different personalities.

Silas was by far my favorite of the bunch, but Bear and the twins? Helloooo 😍

Hardleys past was tough with her serial killer father and her pedo uncle - but I loved her strength and especially Bears willingness to help her overcome her traumas

I cannot wait for Mountain Murder to drive back into this series - is it October yet?

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy fudge! This book was spectacular! Hardley fled Florida to move into the wilderness of the Appalachian Trail after telling the police about her serial killer father. What she doesn't know is that the past has caught up with her and it seems that they take it too far and attempt to rape her and would like to murder her. But life has a way of working out, Darius, Cassius and Silas are out wandering when they come across a Fae stag that leads them to Hardley as she is bleeding out. Darius manages to save her and they take her back to the homestead and care for her. While there she meets Bear and everything that happens enhances the story. I can't get over how good this was, the spice was insane. The characters had substance to them and I loved seeing how their stories unfolded. I can't wait to read the second book! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Wendy Ihnat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness this was so far out of my box, but I am so very glad I read it. I can't even imagine what that poor girl went through at the hands of her father. This was disturbingly sensual for me. If you can't think outside the box, the story is not for you. Dark and intense, not for the faint of heart. Have tissues close by, you're going to need them.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Rachel Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! Some of it was a little out of the box for me, but in a good way. I loved each of the characters. Usually I have a favorite when it comes to RH, but not in this case. Each guy was so unique and offered something special to our FMC. This book had angst, spice and mystery! It didn't end on a cliffhanger, which I appreciate. I cannot wait for book 2 and I look forward to finding out more about Hardley. I feel like there is so much more to learn about her and each of the men in her life.

[Galina Sulaiman · Rating 5 out of 5]

New author and series for me and this may have some dark, dark subjects but what happened to Hardley defines her. In ways she's very nieve but others wow she's not. The way she accepts them as Lycans has some real funny moments. I adore how very protective they are and the way they played with prey oh yeah! Tiger purrs are needed! The way they are vividly described has my mind clearly picturing them. I am addicted already and awaiting the second book!

[sammiimarriiee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ebook copy from booksiren for an honest review.

This was a wild ride from start to finish. Reverse harem, step brothers, twins, daddy kink, weird dicks, etc. It's a dark book because of certain situations and topics discussed.

I loved the way the author was able to blend Hardley's back story into the book, it wasn't an info dump, information was slowly revealed. The plot was interesting, the spice was super spicey.

Editing needs some work but overall a good paranormal read that any dark reader will love.

[tattooedbooknerdgirl35 (Amanda Lynn) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book for free for an honest review. I have to say I really enjoyed this Reverse Harmen Monster Romance. I couldn't put it down til I ended the story. A lot of action, Sexy scenes and m/m and m/f/m actions.

A little blurb about the story:
Trigger warnings: Profanity, s*x, Abuse, Violence and Death

Hardley has had a hard life, She had to live with a dad who was mean to her mom and who kidnapped people and killed them and hurt them. She stopped her dad when she could. She is running away from that life and trying to just live her life. Some low life relator tries to hurt her with his two buddies and she get rescued by two "men" and they take her home and she has Cassium, Bear their dad and Darius all wanting her even the human brother Silas. Yeah these men aren't men but Lycans and they want her and protect her. It is a must read. To see how this foursome works out and to see how Hardley works through her past.

I gave this book 4 stars because I didn't think there was any dull parts of this story. The storyline flowed well and I always have like paranormal romances, only problem I had it ended on a cliff hanger can't wait til part two comes out.

[Consuela Rossetto · Rating 2 out of 5]

Premetto che il mio è un giudizio totalmente soggettivo, perché il romanzo è ben scritto e c'è anche una interessante trama suspance che lo rende interessante. Infatti sono arrivata fino in fondo, pur saltando alcune scene di sesso un po' troppo ..... 😖
Purtroppo ho male interpretato la sinossi, pensavo si trattasse di altro genere.
Comunque se amate il sesso sporco, rozzo e animalesco (letteralmente) questo romanzo fa per voi.

[bookish_sol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hardley is a strong female character who had a terrible childhood. Now at twenty-six, she thinks she can control her own destiny; only to have the person she thought was helping her secure a cabin in the woods was out to murder her. As she flees, she meets Cassius, Silas, and Darius who take her back to their homestead, where she meets their father, Bear. As she heals, she grows close to each man; learns to trust and how to love, and soon discovers that our guys are more than what they seem.

The men want Hardley to stay as their mate, but Hardley wants the people who hurt her to be held accountable. Will she seek her revenge or will she stay as their mate and finally be part of a family?

New author and series for me. I felt as if the story was a bit rushed and it could use some editing, but overall, this was a good paranormal romance and I would definitely recommend this book to any reader who enjoys dark, spicy, shifter romance.
———
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗠𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗰𝗲:

🖤 Multiple POV’s
🖤 Daddy kink
🖤 Praise kink
🖤 Breeding kink
🖤 Pred@tor/Prey K!nk
🖤 Age gap
🖤 Overprotective Alpha-hole
🖤 Dubious C0nsent
🖤 HFN (Happy For Now ending)
———
3.5 ⭐️
3.5 🌶
———
“Sometimes you have to lose everything to find the one thing you can’t live without.”
———
*** I received an advanced review copy from Book Sirens and I am leaving this review voluntarily.***

[Rachel Joi Maples · Rating 5 out of 5]

really enjoyable

[Kayleigh Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Where to begin on this book… read the triggers, this book have very dark elements, the harem has a father, twins and adopted brother.

I really enjoyed reading Hardley’s story and seeing her character develop through the book. I thought all of the men in the harem brought a different element of what Hardley needed.

I thought the monster version of the Lycans was a great adaptation to something more dark than your normal shifter romance.

I’m looking forward to more from Hardley and the men, this book ends with a happily for now ending.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[AvidRomanceReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Decent plot with lots of steam.

Hardley is a strong female character whose had a hard life, and in another difficult situation finds herself being saved by our guys.

However, as Hardley discovers - our guys are more than what they seem.

The book has a HFN ending in my opinion versus HEA. We get resolution but there is definitely room for this to turn into a series.

If you’re interested in spicy times, shifters that aren’t super typical, and a dark storyline this book is for you.

*I received an ARC copy of this book in a giveaway and this is my honest review*

[Stefanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like a dark and taboo read with a different plot then this is definitely for you, if you don't like spice or are easily shocked then this really might not be your thing.

A medium burn but wow when they get there, they make it count and the lead up is brilliant. I love that it dealt with themes that a lot of books wont.

I was gripped the whole way through and the suspense over what is going to happen to the characters throughout is thrilling.

I recieved an arc of this book and I am leaving a review voluntarily.

[Rebecca DeLeon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! The plot and characters were written well. There are so many emotions that you go thru with the main characters. Can't wait for book 2. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Destinee · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. READ ALL WARNINGS. Loved the storytelling and world-building in this book. The author didn't just write out Hardley's story and traumas in one go but allowed the readers to discover it as we went. I liked how each of her men (and beasts lol) was different and stayed true to themselves throughout the book. However, there was a clearer connection between her and some men over others. And as for the spice, I will give it 3 chilis.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Gladymar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness!!!!!

I started reading this book on Vella and it caught me. I couldn’t finish it there so… here I am. Already finish it and obsessed with it.

I never read something like that and I loved it.
The damage and strong woman, her “men” and their different qualities are just what she needs. Complementing her.

Love it!!!!

[cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

lovely read

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Someone recommended this book stating it was "extremely dark" It wasn't that dark IMO. I've read darker....it was a good read though and interesting take on the lycans and such.

[MN Book Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Author left it there?!?!?!?!?!

Hardly, once known as Lee, had a terrible childhood and now as a twenty-six, thinks she can make it on her own. Only to have the person she thought was helping her get a cabin in the woods was out to murder her.

So when she flees, she meets Cassius, Silas, and Darius who take her back to their home, which is off the grid. Where, when she comes to, she also meets their father, Bear. And she gets closer to all but Darius as she heals. But Hardly wants justice for what happened to her even if the guys don’t agree.

The story ends ever abruptly in a sort of happy place.

The tw that are presented at the beginning of the book needs to be read and heeded before proceeding with this book. There are very dark elements to this book that may be disturbing for some.

That being said, the family dynamic here was amazing. They all seemed to bring something different to help them succeed. And there were no gender norms conformed throughout and Hardly seemed to be the only one who saw where gender wasn’t conformed to and had any issues. And it was refreshing to see everyone just as accepting of this. Though Bear did mention they normally are naked all the time and were wearing clothes for her, so I wonder if this ever changed.

I received an advanced review copy for free from Book Sirens and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Alisha Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

#paranormal #darkthemes #taboofantasies #loadsofkink

No. Of Love Interests - 4 (Bear, Silas, Darius & Cassius)
Sexiness 🔥🔥🔥
MF, MM & MFMM
Story pace - 🏃‍♀️fast

No. Of Book in Series - 1st

A unique read, it has loads of scenes I’ve not come across so vividly before.
This is story of personal growth, a bit of mystery and loads of steam. I’m excited to continue this series.

[Brandy Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I give a huge five stars!! I cannot stress enough how much I loved this book. I think it is my favorite I've read this year so far. It has everything from danger, suspense, emotions, steamy bits and plenty of twists. Hardley is resilient, likable, bruised but never broken. Out of all of the characters I feel that she was the most powerful one considering everything she's lived through. I loved each of the male characters. They were very different from one another but all went together so well. The book is very well written with great character building. I lost so much sleep staying up to read and it was so worth it. Would definitely recommend reading this book. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Victoria · Rating 1 out of 5]

Her writing is decent don’t get me wrong but man was some of this just hella weird. There were so many incest/incestish story lines it was hard to look past. Like you’ve got the dad, his older adoptive son who acts like a mom to the dads kids and is currently fucking one of said kids and they consider each other brothers.
Whole lotta rapey scenes and sexual violence. This book screams woke misogynist. I couldn’t get past the half way mark. The plot itself is okay, but if you’re new to reverse harems and are more on the vanilla side I would NOT read this.

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very slow moving up until chapter 14 (around 55% mark). Then it got a bit weird and slowed down again until chapter 19.

Hardley got annoying and repetitive at times.

Best chapters:
14 - real steam
19 - all three guys in wolven form (the violence & steam) 😋