The Monster Within (Mounting Darkness, #1)

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The Monster Within (Mounting Darkness #1)

by Lola Rayne (Goodreads Author)

3.67 of 5 stars 3.67 · rating details · 36 ratings · 17 reviews

Sometimes the monster that haunted you as a child truly is real...

All it took was one phone call to bring Nicole Jones's life crumbling down around her. Now a nightmare she thought she'd left in her past is back, and he's not exactly bringing her candy and flowers. While fleeing, in a non-terrified fashion, she meets a menacing man in a dark alley. Then promptly passes out...more

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Published October 2nd 2012 by Lola Rayne

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Oct 09, 2012 .þµŋψà. [Punya Reviews...] rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to .þµŋψà. [Punya Reviews...] by: Jena (Pure Textuality)

Shelves: erotica, requested-review, lola-rayne, angel-demon-vampire-fey-others, oh-honey-shag-me-silly, blog-tour, i-want-my-own-berserker

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. My review contains spoilers and they're are mostly my thoughts as I went with the book...

Prepare to be electrified by Lola Rayne’s debut novella, The Monster Within, along with some buck naked actions (and I don’t necessarily mean sex :p)!

You say, ‘whaaa..?’

Hmm, let’s have a stroll, shall we?

It’s the first novella of the series, Mounting Darkness; a thrilling paranormal, fantasy/erotic romance. The concept behind The Monster Within was interesting, to say the least. Personally, I haven’t read a...more

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Nov 13, 2012 Pure Textuality rated it 5 of 5 stars

I don’t read erotica. Every time someone asks me why I haven’t read the Fifty Shades of Poorly Written Crap trilogy and I say no, a little piece of me dies a horrible agonizing death when they give me “that look”. A few months ago, thanks to a challenge issued from one author friend to another over dinner and drinks, I accepted that I would be reading at least one smut novel in my life. Not only was I willing, I was looking forward to it! I was excited! As the novella got closer to being done, s...more I don’t read erotica. Every time someone asks me why I haven’t read the Fifty Shades of Poorly Written Crap trilogy and I say no, a little piece of me dies a horrible agonizing death when they give me “that look”. A few months ago, thanks to a challenge issued from one author friend to another over dinner and drinks, I accepted that I would be reading at least one smut novel in my life. Not only was I willing, I was looking forward to it! I was excited! As the novella got closer to being done, said writer decided to create a new pen name just for the smexier books that she writes. Thus, Lola Rayne was born!

As Lola was getting closer to finishing The Monster Within, she decided that not only would there be one dirty little urban fantasy-slash-paranormal romance-slash-erotica story, there would be a WHOLE SERIES. Now I was REALLY curious.

The day finally came when The Monster Within hit my inbox. I started reading it and life got in the way and I couldn’t finish right away. A week later, I picked it back up, finished it and was in LOVE!!!!

Yes, there are some sex scenes (shocking, I know) but the STORY is what really got me. The story is…….well, just incredible. From the very first page, I could hear my author friend in our main character. Nicole is snarky and sarcastic at heart and she will make you laugh on the very first page. Then, right away, shit gets REAL. The action drops on this little novella like an atomic bomb and it is non-stop from there. A seriously good and well-written plot line in a smut novel??? Who woulda thunk?!?!?!

For those of you out there that like the erotica side of it, don’t worry. The sex isn’t lacking or poorly written either! The dirty scenes flow well and are convincing. They also work for the story line. There are no scenes that are just crammed in there because it is expected of a smut novel. Everything works together. However, the scenes are “smutty” enough that you totally feel like a Peeping Tom after reading it. *wink wink*

Overall, I give The Monster Within 5……ok, I was going to say something really bad just then but I will edit it down because my MOM reads this site! I give The Monster Within 5 serious cases of girly wood! (that really is much cleaner than what I was going to say). This is a MUST READ and I cannot wait for the next installment in the series!!!!

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Oct 06, 2012 Liz at Fictional Candy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: erotic-romance, paranormal, romance, favorites

First, let me say that Lola Rayne definitely has a sense of humor, and its wicked. If you get the opportunity make sure you read her “Acknowledgements” and the “About the author” sections. The way she speaks in these sections makes me think I want to hang out with her and do shots until someone gets arrested.

I have a habit of only reading partial blurbs. I read until I find something I like, then I read the book. I often get surprised by the content inside. That’s I was with this book, surprised...more First, let me say that Lola Rayne definitely has a sense of humor, and its wicked. If you get the opportunity make sure you read her “Acknowledgements” and the “About the author” sections. The way she speaks in these sections makes me think I want to hang out with her and do shots until someone gets arrested.

I have a habit of only reading partial blurbs. I read until I find something I like, then I read the book. I often get surprised by the content inside. That’s I was with this book, surprised by the content. This book morphs into several things which I didn’t expect from the minute portion of the blurb I read. I didn’t expect the fantastic high heat, the action, or the awesome paranormal aspext. This story was full of terrific surprises that had me flying through the words at breakneck speed.

While at work Nicole gets a disturbing phone call. One that brings her horrifying past right to her present. Her body reacts and its only a moment before she takes off. But her body proves that it is not always her brain that is in control, and she passes out. Then we see that someone has been following her. Gideon.

Gideon postiviely gives me the creeps…but only until he gives me the shivers, and I mean that in a completely good way. This man has a lot more going on than what you’d expect just from looking at him. I think he is a fabulously interesting character, and I’m hoping we get to see more of him in the future.

“He might have howled her name. He might have let loose a string of profanity. Hell, he might have done something really stupid like shouting to the ceiling the he fucking loved her.”

I loved these two in action! I mean, if you read the book you will absolutely see why. There are more than sparks, there are damned electrical currents causing white hot fire. Even without all of the other great aspects of this story, the parts where Nicole and Gideon are together are worth the price of admission.

But then on top of that you get a great story that starts in the highlands of Scotland. There is a paranormal battle that includes changlings, magic, berserkers, and much more. The evil is clearly evil, and the steamy scenes will make you wish you were there. All in all, I’m impressed with this story, and I definitely think you should add it to your TBR!(less)

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Oct 04, 2012 Franjessca rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: blog-tour, october-blog-tour, books-read-in-2012, paranormal-romance

Review also posted on Book Lovin' Mamas

"The Monster Within" is the first book from Lola Rayne and after reading it, I'm ready for the second book already.
Nicole Jone's for years has been having a great life, trying to forget about her past, until one day, she gets a call from her worst nightmare. Someone she thought was dead is now out to get here.
She's all upset about it...and when she tries to go home the same day, she ends up passing out in front of a stranger, she thought could be the person...more Review also posted on Book Lovin' Mamas

"The Monster Within" is the first book from Lola Rayne and after reading it, I'm ready for the second book already.
Nicole Jone's for years has been having a great life, trying to forget about her past, until one day, she gets a call from her worst nightmare. Someone she thought was dead is now out to get here.
She's all upset about it...and when she tries to go home the same day, she ends up passing out in front of a stranger, she thought could be the person who wants her. Instead, it is just someone she bumped into by accident and he was following her to make she was not in danger and to keep an eye on her.
Gideon, never thought he would run into his beautiful woman and follow her. When she passes out in front of him, she knows something is wrong with her, so he takes her home to keep her safe.
Gideon is not your normal person though because inside of him, is a monster that wants to claim Nicole as his and keep her safe with him. He knows that Nicole is his mate and his other self recognized her from the beginning when he followed her. He is determine find out what made Nicole all upset that day she passed out in front him and he will do anything to protect her.
What Gideon does not realize though is, he will have to protect himself as well, when it comes to Nicole's past coming back to haunt her.
My thoughts on "Monster Within" was it was a really great start to Lola Rayne's Mounting Darkness Series. The characters she created had great chemistry and I was able to click with them very well.
Nicole kicked butt and Gideon kind of scared the crap out of me when I found out what he really was and what he was made to do.
There was some very steamy, erotic moments between Nicole and Gideon in the book, so be prepared to maybe take a cold shower afterwards. (Yes...Lola wrote some sexy, steamy scenes)
It was a short novella and only had touched a little bit and I felt it could have been more...but in the end I was really happy with what happened.
Lola did leave me hanging at the end. I definitely want to know what will happen next, especially since Nicole and Gideon found out something else that I'm really curious about.
I recommend this book to paranormal romance readers out there and for readers who loves reading short novellas.
"The Monster Within" definitely was a great start to one amazing, sexy, paranormal romance series.
Currently the book is only $0.99 at Amazon. =)
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Mar 18, 2013 Amanda (Hootie) Clark rated it 4 of 5 stars

I wouldn't say I am a huge fan of Paranormal Romance but I do enjoy a good story with some crazy characters and sexy situations. Lola Rayne definitely brings both to the table in this short yet steamy novella. This story starts off with Nicole Jones doing her everyday job of working at a high end Fine Goods store working the reception desk. All seems fine until she gets a call from someone she thought was dead. She doesn't know whether to shit or go blind.. well actually she barfs on herself and...more
I wouldn't say I am a huge fan of Paranormal Romance but I do enjoy a good story with some crazy characters and sexy situations. Lola Rayne definitely brings both to the table in this short yet steamy novella. This story starts off with Nicole Jones doing her everyday job of working at a high end Fine Goods store working the reception desk. All seems fine until she gets a call from someone she thought was dead. She doesn't know whether to shit or go blind.. well actually she barfs on herself and runs off leaving the store behind not even locking it in her haste to get away from that voice. She is starting to panic hardcore and her vision is getting spotty when she sees a big man in dark clothing approaching and wigs out even more until she realizes it's not who she is running from but the stress of the "Freak Out" is too much and she passes out. When she wakes up she is BUTT ASS NAKED in a strange bed, in a strange building with a man she doesn't know but is oddly attracted to. Enter Gideon. A big oaf with a fucked up honker and not really drop dead gorgeous but you wouldn't kick him outta bed either with his broad shoulders and warm brown eyes. She manages to pull herself out of her lust filled thoughts of this strange man and cleans herself up in the bathroom where she sneaks in a phone call for help.

When she comes out from the bathroom freshly showered she finds out why she ended up in Gideons apartment naked. They end up in a heated moment when his door bursts open and her help comes busting in the door. She assures her friends she is fine and tries to get them to leave but they don't want to leave her with Gideon, fearing for her safety. When she calls forth her power she proves to them she is fine and forces them to go. Gideon explains how he was changed into a "Beast" and shows her a picture of the man who created him to be the way he is and Nicole recognizes him as the man she had been running from. They gather his friends and hers and make out a plan to try and bring down this man known as Slaine. She explains how she thought she killed him years ago and has tried to start her life over not using her magic. They are given amulets to wear to protect them from his power but when Gideon loses his in the heat of passion with Nicole he becomes a tool used by Slaine to kill Nicole. The entire time Gideon is being treated to mental images of of Nicole's torture and can do nothing to stop it, while Nicole and Slaine are in a fierce battle using their powers. Nicole digs deeper inside herself than she ever has and calls forth a tremendous power she didn't know she had and sends Slaine flying out of the window four stories to his death but he once again proves he can't be killed as easily as thought.

This was a pretty intense little novella for me. It almost had an X-men sort of feel to it in the way the character's "power" was described. Gideon was a "beast" but not in the change into a werewolf sense, and Nicole could channel Fire and Wind almost like Storm. I love the X-men series so this was right up my alley in terms of story line and paranormal aspect. The story itself was well written to be so short and I am hoping there will be another one so we can find out what happens with this dick head Slaine. Seeing a small snippet from his perspective in this book was both sick and exciting. He has a serious attachment to Nicole having snatched her as a young child and when she was older the bitch tried to make her his lover. EW! Sounds like someone has a pedophile fetish LOL!

As for Gideon, well he isn't how most male characters are described. Strong jaw, chiseled handsome features, NO! Gideon is just average, with a sort of Craggy face a bent up honker but his personality and the way he cares for Nicole is what makes him special. From the moment he finds her passed out he is attentive and gentle seeing her as his mate. I loved his internal dialogue with himself when he ends up at her apartment and sees it's a damn mess. It's like that episode of Friends when Ross dates the messy girl and freaks out when his hand touches something nasty LOL! Love that show!

Nicole was such a strong character and I really loved how fierce she was. This girl lost her family at a young age and was held prisoner by a madman and still managed to survive growing up with him. When she was old enough for him to look at her in a different light she didn't become the victim but she gathered strength to actually try to kill him. That shit takes guts and I admired her for that as well as managing to start fresh with her life and move on. To be such a short read there was plenty of character development and dialogue to fill you in on some story aspects. The only thing I didn't understand is exactly what Slaine did to transform Gideon into the beast he became. Hopefully if there is another book after this we will get a little more info on Gideon's back story.

The Monster Within was a great little short novella packed with action, laughs and some amazing steamy scenes between the main characters that will make you lick your lips and want more!
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Oct 04, 2012 Natasha is a Book Junkie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, review-on-request

“... his lips descended on hers. There was simply no other way to describe the manner in which he kissed her. It was not gentle or sweet; it was raw and brutal. A statement of carnal intent.”

The paranormal genre is not my niche. I have enjoyed reading it in the past but as I grow older I need more and more scenarios I can easily identify with, and less and less make believe supernatural action. Very few series of this kind still go onto my reading list by default, but let me tell you, this one most definitely will.

In this first short novella-type instalment of the upcoming Mounting Darkness series, we are introduced to all the major characters. Our heroine is Nicole. We meet her at the instant when her painful past suddenly catches up with her, causing her to panic and flee from the scene. Nicole had hoped for her horrific nightmares to stay in the past, but they come back seeking her out, angry and hungry for vengeance. In this moment of distress, she is saved from her own panic attack by a stranger, Gideon, who comes to her rescue inexplicably drawn to her. What follows is a very speedy introduction between the two lead characters, in the Biblical sense as well, and the appearance of all the other secondary characters.

This is an incredibly enticing story of magic, supernatural creatures, a new world that Lola Rayne craftily weaves for us but only allows us to dip our toes in it. Her writing style is flawless. She can make you feel whatever she wishes you to feel. Her prose is elaborate and yet to the point, current but not overly slang-ish. It never distracts from the story itself and it draws you in from the very first sentence. It is laced with delightful humour, making even the more dramatic scenes quite entertaining and light-hearted.

“The fact that she’d actually forgotten that her main squeeze was lying unconscious on the floor caused her to flinch before she rushed to his side. She had always assumed she would make someone a very sh*tty girlfriend, and as far as she was concerned, this clinched it.
“Oh well, sweetheart, you’re stuck with me now.”
“Huh?”
“Nothing baby. How do you feel?”

Ms Rayne can also undoubtedly write good chemistry between characters, some of the scenes are so full of passion that you might need a glass of water afterwards. But the length of this book did not do the story any favours, especially when it comes to the natural development of the attachment between the lead characters. The pace with which bonds were forged felt slightly rushed to me, making me wish they had more time to explore the draw between them. I had no time to properly connect with the characters myself. I loved Nicole’s sharp-tongued sassiness and passion, I was weak at the knees from Gideon’s vulnerability and yet dominant alpha male tendencies, but I was left hoping for more pages to pace out a good thing. Their connection was solidified physically through some very sizzling hot lovin’ rather than through careful character compatibility and development and this was dissatisfying for me, a little less for Nicole and Gideon. They went from 0 to 100 in a matter of hours, almost whip-lashing the reader into a situation where we were told they were “mates” rather than shown the build-up of feelings between them.

I was left a bit uncertain as to why this book needed to be a novella rather than a full-length book. I believe it would have had a greater impact on the reader as a full instalment rather than just a teasing bite. This book only sets the scene for the rest of the series. It establishes the links between the characters, hints at some of their shared histories and makes sure the reader is sufficiently intrigued to keep on reading. It literally only puts the keys into the ignition, turns the car on but it never puts it into ‘drive’.

This genre might have not been my ‘natural habitat’ and it might have made me uneasy at first, but I very quickly found my bearings and never looked back. A great beginning to a tantalising new series.

~ N ♥

See this review on my blog! | Follow me on Facebook!(less)

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Sep 16, 2012 Zoe Crook rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, books-received-for-review, kindle

The Monster Within is an interesting novel which hooked me at the beginning but ... disturbed me during the middle. I had to give up read it because of this. I will go into further depth in that later on in the review.

The beginning is incredible, full of action and suspense. The mystery of who this man that Nicole didn't want to see was very suspenseful and made me want to read on. The unique and eerie ambience is brilliantly crafted and it is clear that Rayne is a confident writer. The descript...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Brandy Dorsch rated it 4 of 5 stars

A friend of mine has opened my eyes to more authors and genres then I can ever begin to thank her for. Insert gratuitous thank you to Jena here. :)

Anyway, when I discovered a story written by Lola Rayne I decided to give it a try. WOW, was I blown away. This is a story that got me hooked from the beginning. I know what it is like to think that the past is dead and buried and to have it reach up and bitchslap you. So, when that happened with Nicole, I was drawn into her life.

Gideon has a defini...more

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Oct 12, 2012 Jodie (Books for Company) rated it 4 of 5 stars

3.5/5
www.booksforcompany.com
In Short
- I loved the concept behind The Monster Within
- Both the main characters were characters which I liked.
- I was constantly on edge wondering what was going to happen next.
- It's a short read but still has so much happening.

In Long
The blurb for The Monster Within really intrigued me. I really wanted to find more out about Nicole, when I read ‘While fleeing, in a non-terrified fashion, she meets a menacing man in a dark alley.’ It made me ask myself so many qu...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Star (The Bibliophilic Book Blog) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

‘The Monster Within’ is a scintillating story of passion, magic, terror, evil, and the supernatural. Ms. Rayne will easily draw readers into the new world she’s created and leave you salivating for more! I loved the characters of Nicole and Gideon and the steamy chemistry between them as they band together to fight the nightmare which has plagued them both. The secondary characters give flesh to the world of Ms. Rayne’s creation. The dialogue and prose are modern without being easily dated. It’s...more

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May 17, 2013 artichoke8 rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a quick, steamy & interesting story. I liked the characters & development but I was left wanting more! Not that that is a bad thing...but I was just getting invested in the story when it ended.

I would rate this 3.5-4 stars for creativity, flawless editing, well crafted characters & some really, really smexy scenes.

I was given a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. I may expand on this review in time.

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Feb 18, 2013 Pereza rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was great read! There was just enough paranormal mixed with erotica to keep you wanting more. The plot grabbed me from the first word. The attraction between Nicole and Gideon was instant. There were a handful of other characters I'm hoping she'll elaborate on in further novellas *hint, hint*. I also look forward to learning more about Nicole's past and why it is coming back to haunt her. There is also a little well placed humor throughout. I give this 4.5 stars and anxiously await the next...more

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Oct 03, 2012 Scandal rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm actually giving this one 4.5 stars - I really enjoyed it.

Here's the link to my Scandalicious Book Review...and there's a giveaway, too! Click on over for your chance to win a copy!
http://www.scandaliciousbookreviews.c...

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Oct 03, 2012 Mandi rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. My only complaint is that I want to read more. It wasn't long enough for me :) I had the whole thing read in 5 hours straight. The plot is really interesting and I can't wait to read more!

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Oct 18, 2012 Nette rated it 3 of 5 stars

A good indication that the series will not disappoint! Action packed, highly sexual with a handful of colorful characters and a well imagined story, The Monster Within was a satisfying read.

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Oct 29, 2012 Jennifer (a.k.a The Book Nympho) rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars.
Review to come

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Jan 23, 2013 Samantha rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: sexy-times, what-the-eff-just-happened

1.5?

I mean, the story could maybe have potential to be a good one, but it's kind of hard to tell when there is only a little over 100 pages and 85% of that is sex scenes.

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May 18, 2013 Nicole marked it as to-read

May 01, 2013 Therese of the Rose marked it as considering-reading

Shelves: general-fantasy, mainly-romance

May 01, 2013 Crystal marked it as to-read

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Shelves: 2013, now, nu, tooo, wanttoread

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Jan 03, 2013 J.M. Gregoire rated it 5 of 5 stars

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Shelves: own

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About Lola Rayne

...I'm really starting to hate these with a never ending passion...

Born the only daughter of a pirate and a gypsy, Lola discovered the secret of time travel... and in doing so accidentally caused the destruction of the Roanoke Colony. When asked, her response was "Oops, my bad." She now maintains the flow of time with her hyper-intelligent Raptor side-kick (Fabian), a phone booth than can travel s...more

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