From the moment I stepped foot in Blackstone Academy I have been hunted.
I am not safe within these walls, not from the monsters living in the bodies of men, or from the demons in my nightmares. They don't want me here, or so they keep saying.
Their darkness feeds my soul, drawing me in and leaving me broken and bloody. They expect me to run, to fear them.
Instead, they are giving me all the things I crave. Pain. Excitement. Danger.
My life quite literally hangs in the balance whenever they are close and yet my body has never felt so alive.
Only it isn't just the boys of Blackstone after me or the demonic protector that forced his way into my life. Other sinister beings are out there hunting me, with orders much more deadly than the monsters who forced their way into my soul.
*The Blackstone Gates series is a dark paranormal romance series that is intended for readers who are over the age of 18. It is a why choose romance, where the main character ends up with more than one love interest. This book contains dark themes, so please read the content warnings before proceeding. ** Locked is book one in the series and does end on a slight cliffhanger.
Ohh I definitely had fun reading this Wynn was definitely bad ass character. You gonna say something to her and she be like Try me bitch! Haha which we love!
And oh my she does give me the Wednesday vibes haha burning down the school hilarious and now she gets sent to a school for misfits and it does give me gothic dark academia atmosphere. She meets the twins oh I love twins haha Bale and Luka. 🥵 Plus we have Pyro.
Biting, obsessive, overprotective, alphahole behavior, underwear thief, oof lawd the list goes on. They all just want to devour her. It’s perfect for Paranormal why choose romance lovers who lovvee extruhhh spice and dark romance.
💀dark academia 💀 why choose 💀 vampires demons and more 💀🩸 play, breath play, and more so check TW/CW 💀some bully 💀somniphilia
Um, excuse me... why did it end like that!? I'm going to need some more!!
I really enjoyed getting to know Wynn, Bale, Luka and Pyro and I need a lot of answers. This one has monsters and darkness and spice, oh my! But seriously, if I didn't have a million things to this week, I would have read it in one sitting.
To me, it doesn't read like a debut. There's just enough of the characters to keep you wanting more and to want to dig deeper into them. I want to know more about this world and what's going to happen.
Also, I don't read a ton of pnr, but monsters are my weakness 😅 and these three 🫠🫠🫠
Thank you @hannuuhhhh.reads for telling me to read this 😇
Okay, this book had a little bit of everything! With it being a novella (124 pages) I’m so surprised with how much I already know. KL Steele found a way to make this book short but added enough detail, spice, and connection to set us up for book two.
Locked is a dark paranormal romance. We have Wynn who is sent to a new school where she meets the twins - Bale and Luka. Their father is a prince of h3ll and their mother is a vampire so they get both bloodlines. Then Pyro enters the mix because his kind (h3llhounds) are after Wynn. During the story each person has a POV and I think that helped set up for book two too.
Wynn happens to get with all three so I’m sure you all will like that 😈
Some things to look forward to -kn!fe play -bl00d play -biting/marking -bre@th play -shared partners - fated mates
Holy sweet baby Jesus! What a read! Short, spicy, 3 delicious men/shifters that will incinerate your panties, and a cliffhanger to make you want to demand more ASAP! Though PNR isn’t my usual go-to and typically needs to sound realllly good for me to dive in, this one knocked it out of the park from the blurb to the tropes, to the execution of the story. Wynn & her guys are perfect. You get introductions to the characters, the setting, some of the plot/what it’s going to work towards, and then spicy scenes to put you into cardiac arrest, in the best way possible. I really enjoyed the FMC. She’s unhinged & can definitely hold her own. She won’t back down easily. This one’s not even released yet and I’m already impatiently awaiting the next one to see the guys go feral and for Wynn to hand some peoples a••es to them! All the stars!
This did not read like the first book in a series, but like an incomplete novella. Everything felt rushed. You can’t have all these mythological creatures and plots and cram them into so few pages. Not satisfactorily anyway. The sexy times left a lot to be desired too.
This honestly was just not it. It was some of the most shallow, confusing writing I've ever read. They just jump all over the place and you're expected to follow? Like what?
The FMC is insufferable and clearly has some sort of mental issue with how little she actually used her brain. She was just devoid of anything relateable at all and was all 🤪 omg such a tough quirky brat 🤪
The MMCs were probably supposed to be scary sexy men but did nothing actually frightening throughout the whole book other than leave a dead animal outside her door lmao it was kind of hilarious if I'm honest
The spice was some of the worst I've ever read too, and that's coming from someone who has read a basilisk romance that was hotter than this 😂 Like this woman would barely get touched and then suddenly "her release" would coat someone or something 🤢 also going from virgin to instant DP?? Yeah... right... OK, sure.
Like I love dark romance, I love all the tropes and triggers that were described to be in this book, I love a good why-choose fated mates spicy book, but this just wasn't it
I regret reading this book and I really could not ever recommend it
In this debut why choose series novella we meet the main characters. If you are looking for a new bully, paranormal why choose romance, search no more! This was so much fun to read! The characters are so good and Ij can't wait to see where the story is going to take me next.
K.L. Steele definitely has a vision and knows what the readers like as this was filled with yummy tropes.
This book is not for everyone, so check your trigger warnings before reading it.
This was short spicy and delicious! After that ending I need the next one imminently. If this is her ever first book… I can’t wait to see everything that comes after.
If you’re a fan of why-choose reverse harem books, Locked by K.L. Steel will pull you in from the first page! I was instantly captivated by the intense world-building, complete with vampires, demons, and even hellhounds—yes, please! The supernatural dynamics kept me glued, and the character interactions were intense and thrilling.
One of the most intriguing aspects was the mystery surrounding Wynn. What is she? As the story unravels, it keeps you guessing, and I couldn’t get enough of trying to figure it out. However, I will say the cliffhanger left me craving more. I hate when that happens! But, I suppose that’s a testament to how invested I became in the story.
If you’re into supernatural romance with plenty of action and an ensemble cast that makes you root for each relationship, this book is a must-read. Just be prepared for that cliffhanger—it’ll leave you hanging on, desperate for the next book.
I really enjoyed this book. K.L.Steele did a great job at creating angst in all the right places.
The characters were well written, and I liked how the story unfolded. The exciting parts were well written, and I was totally into it. The writing was great, and I especially liked the smutty parts. The story had surprises that kept me interested, and I liked how everything came together. I can't wait for the next part.
The writing style was really good. The author described things in a way that made it easy to imagine everything. I had a great time reading Locked and I would totally recommend it! Well done on a fantastic book!
Welcome to Blackstone Academy🖤 If you like Supernatural, why choose with dark k!nks, and bad ass FMC then you’ll love this. This was a fantastic novella! A story of the supernatural with plenty of twists and plenty of 🍆 to go around 😏 I absolutely loved this book. Well done Kayla on writing your first baby 😍 I cannot wait for the next one. Please take the trigger warnings seriously! Your mental health matters 🖤
It had such an amazing promising start but then it started to fall apart slowly.
I felt it started off out of nowhere and went to gazillion so fast I was confused out of my mind. It was easy to follow but the problem with short books are, they are just too much pressed into those few pages. I think if it would be like 200 pages longer it would have been really good.
Let’s put that aside and go straight to the characters. They felt cartoonish for me. h was just too loony for me to like her. I like crazy h but she’s like that weird cutting dirty emo in the corner who you want to pity but you know is a nasty not a nice human being.
My last straw was twin brothers fated to h , tied her up to the tree and let the villain maul her, claw her stomach open, sexually assault her ( licking her) and then after that to swoop in and calmly question him. Just no! Just no! They were so calm about it while knowing they are fated to her and she’s afraid and crying.
No No No No No Fuck no!
🔸h possibly is virgin 🔸 RH 🔸 fated mates 🔸 twin brothers 🔸 lot of kinks 🔸 self cutting 🔸 sexual assault ( no penetration, just licking in a beast form) 🔸no cheating 🔸no om/ow drama
This was certainly a quick little read, but it was great!
This book is a dark paranormal romance. And in it we follow Wynn, Bale, Luka and Pyro.
I love Wynn and her sass and smart mouth! If you tell her to do something, she is going to do the opposite. I swear, haha. She is amazing, and I can not wait to see her give the twins and Pyro hell, haha
The twins Bale and Luka, sons of Satan himself and their mother, is a vampire, so they are a crazy mix. But man is Bale possessive and I love it. Then we have Pyro, who is a hellhound who was sent to either kill her or take her back to the bad guy.
This book is fast-paced for how many pages there are, but this certainly sets up for the next book with that ending, and I can not wait to read it!
Please note that this book does end on a slight cliffhanger!
For a book that’s about 115 or so pages there was so much to it! The plot was there, the smut was there…the hot characters too don’t forget. I love how in this that the plot hasn’t been overpowered by the spice, it was like a perfect amount.
Also these boys…I’m gonna need more of them asap! Seriously such an easy read but also so interesting and mysterious and all kinds of dark fuckery that I just love.
So if you feel like reading a quick dark paranormal romance…here’s your book.
Came across this on tictok and it seemed interesting... it wasn't for me. it had no context as to why anything was going on there's no story build up, no real information and no world building. And the whole book so far has a span to two days if that. I struggled to read this and it was just over 100 pages.
4.5/5 ⭐️ i LOVED this book. i went into this as blind as i could (apart from seeing the character art) and im so glad i did. this was my first experience with fated mates and shifting but i am OBSESSED. so so excited for the release of book 2 next month. if you are going to read this book please check the content warnings prior 🫶
What a fantastic opener into the world of Wyn and her guys! Pyros my fav, you can’t change my mind 😂 it’s dark, hot and spicy af. Well worth the read and I can’t wait for the next one to come out 😍 congratulations darlin you did yourself proud 🫶🏼
First of all, I really like her writing style. It’s descriptive and keeps you going. At some points, I found it quite smart how she chose to proceed with particular scenarios (eg using the teacher to break up the fight, making it more natural and less cringey)
In terms of the characters, I feel like more context is needed, especially Wynn. I understand that this is a novella but it’s hard to relate to the characters when you are told they are like this but not given any explanation as to why. (Eg why does Wynn have a thing for pain? Why does she need to have something (like cutting her skin) to release herself?)
It’s hard to explain Wynn’s situation in the book. It’s like everything good comes too easy for her? Wynn’s vibe makes me feel like she’s borderline a pick-me girl but the plots also gives off the vibe “she’s not like other girls.” (Eg how she is mate with 3 different kinds because “she has something that no other girls have” even though there is no chemistry between them (yet?) and how the foreshadowing is their baby will be the first person to have the power of a vampire, demon, an unknown and human, which will control the world) Also, why would she get turned on by everything? Including several someones who she just met?
I like Bale and Luka. Their contrast personalities make things interesting. We get to see more into their family relationships which I like (eg Bale’s strained relationship with his father)
Pyro was a very side character in the story, but you can tell that he is a caring person. I would like to learn more about him.
The whole storyline feels rushed and crammed (maybe bc it’s a novella). When I first read, it felt like I was in the middle of an unfinished story instead of the beginning of a book. I had more questions as I went, like why did the twins want to get rid of Wynn? What’s dangerous about her being there?
Overall, this is a good debut book. There is a lot of potentials and finger crossed that the second book will be even better! ❤️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I’d say that this read like a wattpad fic but honestly that would be insulting to wattpad authors. Genuinely the worst thing I’ve ever read. I’m all for a strong FMC but my god girl this was the epitome of try too hard. The MMCs were genuinely atrocious and the one sex scene went from her being used as bait, sexually assaulted and then more or less straight to DP? Did I mention she was a virgin? Like come the fuck on. I don’t even know where to begin with the “plot” or lack thereof should I say. It was a shambles from start to finish. I’d nearly recommend it purely on the basis of needing others to see how truly awful it is. I’m convinced that anyone who has given this over 1 star is truly tripping balls.
Well damn… I saw the blurb, then the character art and I was already hooked! Now, I’ve read it and what a f***king start! I love a b*d*ss FMC that doesn’t take crap from no one and Wynn (the coolest name by the way) does it sooooo well! Her love of the dark and depraved. The way she leaned in to the danger and connection with her mates.
The start of such a crazy journey that I will be riding hard becaus K.L. you got another fan and im gonna a stalk hard 😂
THE GUYS!!!! Come on talk about about flaming hot 🥵🤤 Who doesn’t want 3 possessive supernatural beings fawning over you! I’m excited to folllow the adventure that is ahead. There is nothing dull that can come from Bale, Luka and Pyro 🧨
You tease me with knotting and then I don’t get it? The horror. I am super curious about Pyro and also super concerned for all of her holes. That was a lot to take if ya catch my drift.
I will circle back for a rating as I am not sure how I feel yet.
I like the story and want to see where it goes. I think the fact that this is a prequel novella is something I wasn’t vibing with at the time I read the book which is my bad. Nothing on the authors part. I feel like I will be more settled once. I have more context.
This book was so well written I absolutely loved this. This book is the book that deserves all the hype especially with its sequel coming out in just over a month!!! The smut in this book is so well written the character development and the way she built the scene for us readers with less than 125 pages. Phenomenal! JL Steele. Far out gurl!!!! And the ending. Farrrkkkk
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This was a quick but very intriguing read and makes me pine for the next part of the story! I love Wynn, she's got fire and isn't afraid of the twins. Their attempts to push her away excite her instead of frighten her. AND we get the added bonus of a hellhound too?! Bring it on! I'm dying to see expanded worldbuilding in the next one because the characters sucked me right into their world. Great debut that has me desperate for more!
Do you like paranormal, vampire, demon, hell hound/shifters, TWINS, and spice?
Giving that this read is only 100 pages, I can confidently say you are missing out if you do not read this. I was sucked in and completely invested in this read within the first few pages!
To say I’m obsessed with this story, and now this author is putting it mildly.