Monsters--gills, wings, fur, and creatures not resembling a human at all. Things that I didn’t know existed crave me… and they’ve been hoping I’d find them.
From the dark, haunted cave comes a man's plea. He’s a stuck climber in a hidden chamber inside the mountain. But as we travel to his rescue, things continue to deteriorate.
Sick, hurt, and now deep underground, my worst nightmare is finally here. I’m trapped with the dead lurking everywhere.
Who can save me from ghosts? Who can heal my broken body? Who can make me never be defenseless again?
Something in the dark can. Something inhuman. Something that wants to live in me, corrupting who I am.
If I want to survive, I have to let this monster live in my body. I have to let him talk in my head. He’s unhinged, abnormal… and now he’s part of me. Amorphous tentacles and all.
If you enjoyed the first novel, this one is more of the same. We follow our depraved cast of characters as they slog through the backcountry in search of a lost hiker. When they find it, things unravel, things get weird, and things get unsettled. It's a wild ride, but definitely not for the faint of heart.
*Spoiler Free Review* I’ll be brief, but this book is just as good as the first! There’s so much suspense, and we meet a new “monster” that is so delightfully psychotic and, like the others, very unique. The overall plotline just plows along, and we start to finally understand what’s really going on in the woods. I can’t wait to read the final instalment! HEA? Triggers:
Who knew monsters could be sexy? I devoured this book just like the first one. Now I’ll be impatiently waiting for book 3 to come out.
Beatrix does an amazing job of combining mystery with horror. In this book everything starts to come together. I won’t spoil it but I was genuinely surprised by the end.
Holy. Fucking. Shiznuts. Someone please lend me their brain because mine can’t process what it just read! Beatrix Hollow broke it! Oh my gawd, Hide & Seek was NEXT LEVEL!
I can’t, I simply can’t, I don’t even know what I can’t because of how scrambled my brain is right now. You best believe that when I tell you those sex scenes were ghost pepper hot I fucking mean it! Lordy I think I need about a dozen cold showers after finishing this book.
Words cannot express how much I loved Hide & Seek. Mainly because I’m having trouble forming sentences right now… I probably should’ve given myself a three day mourning period before writing this review. Not because anyone dies but because it ended way faster than I wanted it to and now I feel like a sack of lifeless potatoes. Maybe I should do bullet points of my favorite parts… I’ve never done bullet points in a review before. Looks like actually reading the sex scenes and not skimming isn’t going to be my only first when it comes to Hide & Seek haha!
•Those sex scenes. I know I already said this but dayuuuumn they deserve a freaking trophy they were so hot! •The “eggplants”. Dude there’s just something about a monster D that shatters every brain cell I have left. •The spooky factor. Am I an absolute wimp who feels the need to sage her apartment after reading Hide & Seek? Yes. Do I still love every terrifying image Beatrix paints with her words when describing the ghosts? Also yes. •The harem. Holy shiznuts y’all that harem is so deliciously twisted. It’s hard to even pick a favorite! •The constant surprises. I never had any idea where this book was going AND I LOVED IT! It was fun coming up with theories about each thing that was happening. It was even more fun to be surprised when my theories were FAR from what happened haha!
In conclusion you need to buy this book, but please note that Brandon and Makwa are mine. I’m claiming them both until I can figure out which one I love the most.
I hate to say it but I wasn't overly impressed with this book. They spend about 40% continuing to search for the mysterious and injured climber in the caves. It just was not all that exciting.
Ava continues to get horny at the worst and most awkward times. If there's one thing the book does not lack it's dirty monster sex.
At this point I'm surprised Caspian and Mothman have been able to remain incognito until now because they both (and actually Ava too) make the dumbest of mistakes and ignore their every instinct. I think that's what disappoints me the most when they are overcome by measly humans. Mothman in particular throws me for a loop as he's God knows how old and has been around for centuries. On that note I was hoping to get more background on each of the guys as well and I didn't feel we got the full picture on that either.
Hopefully the final book will wrap up loose ends and deliver more of a satisfying end for me and all involved.
almost everything that happened in this book pissed me off. and how was brandon the only one with any sense????? how was he the only one to think something suspicious was going on?? and all the fighting was annoying. also the whole brandon and ava thing just came out of nowhere and i don’t like it 🙄
I DNF this book no matter how many times I tried. I COULD not move further than 50% in fact.
The first 14% was over and over about finding the voice in the cave. Nothing happened at all in that repetitive 14%. Then the major bone killer was reading Caspian telling his kind tends to become too obsessed to the point of abusive and always, the relation turns into toxic and not happy ending. Well, talk about a major mood killer ? that was what I loved about Caspian in the last book but at that point, I don't feel anything about him anymore.
One more thing that really disturbed me was, in the last book, I was given the impression that the other guy got killed was Brandon 's love of his life ,or they did love each other a lot. But in this book, he was downplayed to "just someone Brandon fucked from time to time". That was a bad turn and I couldn't help but think, maybe that was changed because there need to be a hot male body for Makwa to use which has to be Brandon.
I am absolutely disappointed at this book because I have had high expectations and was so excited about it .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I’m a little obsessed with The Mothman. I absolutely love the humor he brings to the story. Then the ghost sigh, Beatrix and I are now on a quest to see just how big of a monster slut she can turn me into! I don’t know how I feel about her breaking my heart like she did but my biggest issue is that I just wish she would have gone the communicate things but we’re still screwed route, instead of the keeping secrets way.
The pace for this one felt a little different maybe less action, I’m not sure, it wasn’t bad just different. I’m still not a fan of Ava but this type of fmc has always been one of my least favorites. I just like badass over the soft and sweet one. Thankfully it’s not enough of issues to hinder my overall enjoyment of this awesome series.
This one picks up right where book 1 ended and this series has been good different than I have read in a while. I have been loving the mix of characters that are now added in this series with Makwa and Brandon. The banter is getting hilariously fun between Mothman (Pollux) and Caspian. It was interesting seeing Ava being cursed/possessed and the splinter in her body. A lot of the story is focused on Ava, Caspian, Mothman (Pollux) and Brandon who are trapped in caves and are trying to locate a climber. Boy was this one spicy good. Cliffy I'll be back for the last book! Highly recommend the audios.
Narrated by: Michelle Price, Gregory Salinas, Jay Alder are even more excellent this round for adding more characters for their voices.
I received this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I'm obsessed, Beatrix Hollow has quickly become one of my favorite authors for many reasons, but this book and the way she showcases Ava and her men (well monsters) is amazing. The development we see between Caspian, Mothman, Makwa, and Brandon is amazing. And that twist at the end! I did not see it coming! Book 3 will be absolutely amazing!
There’s only so much stupidity one can take. I’ll spin back for the third but I won’t be finishing this one.
Let’s start with Ava(💠)
🔹 In the first book her apprehension made sense. Her fear and her incessant need to ignore the supernatural, 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲. Now… not too much
🔹 After going through trauma after trauma, you’d assume that you’d become more privy to signs of danger. Why in the hell would you spend 2hrs chasing after a voice?? In a dark suffocating cave—you know nothing about, to save someone unknown?!🙄
🔹 Then what really did it, was when they passed by the body that clearly had the same name of the “climber” they were chasing. Yet they continued on because “we have to save him, it could be a coincidence” WHY?!
🔹 There’s just too many suspicious factors to that entire ordeal, that it just didn’t make sense for someone who’s now made it their goal to stop hiding from their heritage, and actually acknowledge the weird and suspicious activities around them.
But noooo…. We 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝘁 continue on because “someone is hurt and they need our help” GIRL😳. You’re 𝗗𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴. Fuck that “climber”. Now you lured into a trap and all types of fucked up, all because you couldn’t just leave this one thing be. 🤦🏾♀️ Everything else you ignore, so why not this one?! 😒
That just leads me into Caspian🔱 and Pollux🚭. Imma start with Pollux, since everyone loves him so much.
🚭 Pollux has gotten better this book, for sure. He’s still useless though. That’s also for sure.
🔺 In my review of the first book, I asked “what’s his purpose in the Harem?” The question was answered by Caspian. In short, he keeps Caspian in control, so he doesn’t become overbearing towards Ava. Which granted is a cool little thing to have, but what other purpose does he serve?
🔺Ava has been in danger multiple times within his presence and he’s barely helped her. - He’s noticed there’s something wrong with Ava and he still hasn’t been of use - He was literally assigned as her guardian and Ava still managed to not only become sicker—because he wouldn’t turn around unless she told him to, completely disregarding Caspian’s rule—but she also suffered multiple head wounds and trauma. The only thing he could do was run to get Caspian and Brandon.
Which he should’ve been done once she got sicker and they both acknowledged that there was another being in the cave. But apparently Pollux and Ava share the same brain cell.
🔺Now, I could give him a Bligh for not being able to fight a ghost, but 𝘯𝘰𝘵 for barely being of use. What’s the point of having a monster that can sense auras, if they can’t ever do anything about it? Like what can you do to protect Ava, really? Pout? Give her head? Rub her head? What could Pollux actually be of use for? At least Brandon can do a lil something something.
🔺 You know, I wouldn’t have a problem with Pollux being a softy and just being there for moral support, if it wasn’t for this kickass exterior he puts on. It’s like the author is trying to make him out to be something more than what he is. Like just be the teddy bear you are and just get Caspian and Brandon to sort the other stuff out. 😭
On to Caspian🔱
🔸 He showed out in this book. I thought he was smarter than this? Why does it seem like he just got dumber so that Brandon could seem smarter? In hind sight, he might be😭.
🔸I’ll give it to him about the cave. He was the only one seeing how stupid and dangerous the mission was, while also speaking out about it. Meanwhile, everyone else either just went along with it or were adamant about doing it. He even came up with ground rules. Love that for him
🔸What I didn’t like was when he suddenly became dunce once Ben showed up. Now I can see why he wasn’t as privy to the suspiciousness of Ben’s actions. But, I feel like the phone situation, when he got Ben alone, should’ve been the ultimate red flag.
🔸I can get the whole “Humans aren’t a threat…people have always been so interested in me” thing. But it was entirely frustrating reading the whole thing going down, and he couldn’t piece it together. It just felt glaringly obvious. At least to me.
Brandon’s🥁 a new one and I kind of like him here—just a lil bit 🤏🏾
▪️ I liked how he fit more into the dynamic in this book. Last book I couldn’t stand him. Him and his band mates just did too much for me. But in this book, he isn’t as unbearable. He’s just unfamiliar with everything
▪️I am aware that he turns into something at the end of the book. Unfortunately I will not be reading the whole book to see what it is. I’ll just see in the third book.
It’s something about reading characters do blatantly stupid things for pages on end, that just don’t do it for me. I suffer from second hand embarrassment to the max. It’s just not gon for me.
Good thing the author does little summaries in the beginning of the book, or I’d be shit outta luck.
Toodles yah. Until the next book✌🏾
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I don’t know if it’s just the hype for me wasn’t reached, or if I wasn’t enthralled by the plot a year later.
It picks up where we left off in the first book and I was into the plot up until page 40 something and it just lost me. I don’t know if it felt outrageous for a monster plot, but it just lost its spark for me and I kind of never picked it back up.
So, even though I finish this and it did make me curious about what’s going to happen in the next book I don’t know if I want to read the next book yet because this one kind of let me down. but I also don’t want to wait so long and then this happens again with the third book.
I think that it was the possession that made me lose the spark I had for this series. There were instances where I was really into it for a short period of time like when we find out why her boss was in the forest, trying to find her and then obviously the ending.
I’m gonna think about this and see if maybe next week I’ll just finish the series.
Wow, what a compelling and great sequel to Run & Hide. We were left on a cliffhanger and this book picks up right where we left off. This book definitely brings out more horror into the plot, which makes the story even more intriguing and exciting. Some scenes did absolutely creep me out, but in the best way possible. The author did an amazing job at drawing out the suspense and creepiness with just the right amount of bonkers; painting it vividly in my head. It definitely kept me on me on the edge of my seat.
The love interests/MMC’s are even more lovable in their own way and it’s easy to part them individually against their personalities and features. I truly love them all, but Pollux is so far my #1. The banter between Pollux and Caspian was absolutely hilarious and I love their overall dynamic. The ending left me once again with a cliffhanger and also very much anxious. Can’t wait to read Seek & Find.
4.6 stars. Ok. The creep factor has not subsided. A plus, in this instance.
The relationships are a bit confusing and not wholly settled yet, but I like them and all their differences. The sex is a little bit of the same. Sort of confusing, but still hot and dangerous and wholly monstrous.
That ending was definitely a problem. I mean, it was good, and it fit, but that cliffhanger was harsh and I for sure want to know how the ever living hell they’re gonna get out of all of that.
Ava’s curse attracts monsters and ghosts. Her attraction now has her mated to three monsters. Caspian, Pollux, and Brandon who I’m curious to find out what kind of monster Ben created him to be! She also made a deal with a witch/ghost who is now in her.
#1. Every character in this book is a complete idiot. Stop following the voice! It's fucking leading you deep into an abandoned mine! Are you even keeping track of where you're going?!
#2. The smut is just meh. Also, Mothman, you're cute, but if someone was drawing incredibly graphic porn of me before we'd ever met, that would be creepy, not attractive.
#3. THE BIG ONE. I immediately DNFed at about the 1/3 to 3/4 mark. (I legitimately deleted the book off my phone, so I can't look up the exact spot. You'll know it when you read it. For the non-spoiler readers, let's just say there's some dubcon that I could not even stomach reading. It's not sexy. It's not okay. And it's probably the end of me reading any more of this author's writing.
Wow. I'm left in a weird, but strangely good place after reading this book. So many thoughts to put out there in this review. I really enjoyed book 1 in this series with the Stepbrother angle and Mothman. Honestly, I was here for Mothman's whole vibes. Book 2 did not disappoint and ratched it up to a whole new level.
Book 2 brings strong horror movie vibes to the scene. I'm not one who ever chooses to get scared, so it's actually a bit of a treat that this book turned out the way it did. You see I had no idea where things were going to go after the pandemonium of book one. Like where can you really go in a cave and from there what then... Well, hot damn was I wrong. Beatrix is a master at drawing out the suspense here to just the right amount of crazy before you're yelling at your kindle to find out what's going to happen next.
I'm here for the monster tropes going around the RH community at the minute - which is why I'm here for this book. You wouldn't think monsters = romance, but again Beatrix has done a fantastic job at weaving the romance and relationship building in here. Plus the angst of a harem learning how to live with each other.
I would 100% read the trigger warnings on this bad boy before you dive in because it does go to some weird places, not bad places, but let's say untraditional places. I'm here for it, but make sure you know what you're signing up to before you read this. It's spicey as all get out so prepare yourself.
I came back to edit this because I think about this story all the time and when I’m in a better headspace I really want to come back to it and finish it. Especially now that I’ve gotten some spoilers & reassurances from both a trusted friend & the author herself.
Despite being outside the realm of what I would normally read I genuinely enjoyed the book up until the last few chapters when a certain creature was revealed — my knee jerk reaction to that creature was unfair & I’ve edited it because of that. There were elements I could take or leave, but nothing that would completely turn me off from the story. I really did like Caspian (very unique creature that I haven’t seen any other monsterfudger writers do yet), Pollux (I am admittedly OBSESSED with gunslinger mothman, 10/10 character no notes), and even HumanBrandon … not Makwa, even though he reminded me of Hexxus at times which I kinda loved but he was too dub/non-con for me.
I am curious about what happens in the next book and if they somehow get their HEA and what that will look like. Beatrix writes these really wild stories that I could never come up with on my own and I kinda love the way she challenges my brain.
The author took this book in a turn I was definitely not expecting and now I’m practically salivating for more 🤤🤤.
Caspian. Mothman aka Pollux. Brandon. Makwa.
I am ready to see where all the guys takes Ava on this wild ride. As they all fight for their lives in this twisted turn of events, can they make it out together?
Also the little ghost girl scared the crap out of me! Lol. 👻
I absolutely love how the author doesn’t portray Ava as this bada$$ character who isn’t afraid of anything. That entire aspect is what makes this whole thing so much better as it is the very things she’s terrified of are the only thing drawing her in and making her feel loved.
This book is great! I’m so down for more Monsters and can’t wait for more!
*Overall 5/5 *Heat? 4/5 *First person POV (all main characters) *No triggers *RH MFMM?M? (No MM) *Ends on mild cliffhanger
Beatrix is SOOO freaking talented. I don't know how else to possibly put that into words. This series literally has me by the throat, no lie.
There were SO many twists in Hide & Seek that I sincerely did NOT see coming, and I'm honestly still trying to wrap my mind around it all, haha.
For one, BRANDON?! Those who have read this will completely understand what I mean by that. But for those who have not finished reading it yet, I will not spoil it for you. Just know that your mind will be legit blown.
I cannot wait for book three. I really can't. I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!!!!!
With the exception of Ava, I loved everything about this second installment!
The plot development was a lot of fun and the MMC’s are all so likeable in their own ways. But, as I already mentioned, I did not enjoy Ava. However, my dislike of her character was overshadowed by the creative horror elements that Beatrix brought to this installment. And I really enjoyed the whole Horror-Cult vibes that this book focused on. This book did ramp up on the Erotic elements which was fine, but I did want to point out that it was heavy handed.
Not sure if the author hasn’t don’t research but honestly if they replaced all the w words with leshen I’d like this a lot more. Native Americans have been saying for ages to stop using their folklore for clicks horror and pretty much everything. Other than this detail, I’m not sure if there was on the first book but it should be flagged for noncon visibly since it happens so often 🤷🏻 “misunderstood” intentions means she didn’t consent.
Everyone is such an interesting character...except Ava. She reminds me of Bella Swan from Twilight- bland, boring and useless, with the supernatural gift being literally the only thing she has going for her. I kept waiting for her to stop being a scared baby deer about everything and it never happened. At one point she was all "No one else is going to save me! I have to do it!" and I was all...yeah ok, I'll believe that when I see it. And surprise, she did 'nothing' and someone did all the work.
The parts where she's not in the book are my favorite. Again, LITERALLY EVERY SINGLE OTHER CHRACTER is super neat, I don't know what happened with her.
Aside from Ava's...Avaness, it's a good book! Some of the smut scenes seem a bit...out of place tho. I was like, really? Is now really the best time? ARE YOU SURE?
I wasn't really as invested in this book as I was hoping that I would have been. I felt like not much really happened in this book until we got close to the end. About 40% of the story is focused on trying to find the mysterious climber that is lost in the caves which I was starting to find really boring. I just felt like that event did not need to take up that much time in the story.
I also wished that more plot was involved in this story and it wasn't just about sex. I felt like the sex scenes were at the most worst and awkward times. It was starting to get annoying because instead of Ava and her harem trying to solve the problems that they were facing they just chose to have sex instead when I was more interested in the plot point that was still unsolved.
Towards the end of the story was when I started to get invested. After reading the ending of this book I'm very curious to see what happens to Ava and her harem in book 3 and how they will handle the situation that they are now put in.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This series keeps getting better and better. The narration was perfect as I’ve said before they do an exceptional job making the characters come alive. So excited with how things are turning out with Ava being possessed with a male witch . I thought she was done for until she made the pact I would say. Omg the steam in this story was top notch and again the narrators did a spectacular job when these scenes came about. I can’t believe what happens to Brandon ! But hey one more monster in the mix isn’t so bad . I can’t wait to listen to the next story.
Monster why choose romance Lost underground Ghosts Curses Possession Monster sex MFM ASL rep Cliffhanger
If you enjoyed the weirdness of book one, this sequel delivers more of the same. only creepier. Our cryptid crew, led by Ava, makes the questionable decision to venture deeper into the cave system in search of a lost hiker. The farther they go, the darker and stranger things become, until it’s downright unsettling. And just when they finally find the hiker and make it back to the surface? They’re thrown straight into another round of backwoods horror-level nightmares. This crew just cannot catch a break.
I’ll be honest: this book lost two stars for me because of how much I dislike Ava. If you read my review of book one, you’ll know she’s my least favorite part of this trilogy. A small, petty part of me even wishes she’d died instead of making her deal, leaving the three males to end up together... I would have read the hell out of that, with the rest of the plot staying the same. She’s so dumb, with zero survival instincts, despite having enough general awareness from her family and all the trauma she’s gone through to act smarter. I completely lost respect for her when she guilted everyone into searching for the lost hiker, even though it was very obviously a trap. She ignored the advice of two predatory males with enhanced senses and honed instincts, who clearly wanted to turn back, all to save some random human—who, in turn, never overruled her because they were too whipped by Ava to do so (and yes, that made me lose a bit of respect for them too). I know I struggle with this type of female character (that's soft in a hard setting) but jesus, all of Beatrix's other books have such strong, smart females and I just wanted Ava to at least have a brain.
That said, Beatrix Hollow did a fantastic job creating multiple terrifying settings, between the haunted cave system, the ghosts, and the ritualistic murder and cult scene. Caves and ghosts are two of my least favorite things, so I was a total chicken reading this portion of the story. I even begged a friend to read the trilogy so she could be creeped out with me. The descriptions are genuinely unsettling, and that alone earns the story a solid star back in its favor. I’m now legitimately worried about splinters and haunted houses.
I love the theme that humans are often worse than the monsters themselves, and yet I simultaneously hate how easily these monsters were tricked by humans. Still, the creepy descriptions, constant surprises, and fantastic monster smut make this book worth the hassle of reading Ava’s POV. I had no idea where the story was going, and it did not disappoint as this crew leaves one nightmare only to be trapped in another. All of it set in backwoods West Virginia, which is its own kind of nightmare.
I’m very, very curious to see how book three will shape up. But I’ll have to gird my loins for more of Ava’s nonsense. Here’s hoping Makwa has a positive influence on her.
Wow, this book y’all. I was actually creeped out! It’s been a hot minute since I read a book that made me question the quiet creaks in my room. The vibes of this book are similar to those of creepy campfire stories you hear at a young age that make you super wary of the dark woods and any rustling noises. The characters in this book feel like classic creatures and almost primal. And yes, I could NOT stop reading.
Hide and Seek is the second book after Run and Hide. I feel like a lot more events happen in this one than in the last. Ava, Caspian, Mothman (who we later learn is called Pollux) and Brandon are trapped in caves and are trying to locate a climber who calls out to them around cave bends. New characters are introduced and creepy events unfold!
That ending tho! I did not see that one coming. I think the final few chapters, if not the final chapter is what made the story even more great for me. I am always here for character building and development. I love when the readers get to learn more about each character and in Hide and Seek, we get to learn more about Pollux and our new pal, Makwa. Plus the growing relationship between Caspian and Pollux. I love that Caspian knows himself and how he reacts to Ava to understand that he needs Pollux to help balance him out. He is not hella possessive enough to not share *chef’s kiss*. So many things about this book! The slow Reverse Harem build up another *chef’s kiss*. This is my first time reading a RH where the guys are not already a group but slowly thrown together. And those steamy scenes, tho! Wow, so glad I was introduced to Beatrix Hollow’s works. I am definitely going to have to read more!