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Devil's Serenade #1
Den of Monsters
I woke to the soothing sound of a peaceful serenade.
Except there’s nothing peaceful about being kidnapped after being sold to the Devils of Sin.
This never should have happened, because I did everything right. I accepted the invitation, attended the masquerade in the depth of the forsaken forest, and danced with whomever requested. The longer one remains, the more debt is cleared from the family name, so I danced through the night.
I survived to the final note — and let me emphasize the “survive” part — but I’m starting to realize where the real problem lies. I didn’t dance with one suitor...I danced with five Devils, and each immediately laid a claim on me.
Joaquin. Talon. Dagger. Croix. Creed.
Now here I am, kidnapped and held for ransom by sick men with bigger debts and troubles than my bankrupt family and their dark organization combined, but I’m no damsel in distress.
I’m actually stalling.
There’s a rumor that the Devils of Sin are dangerous men of royal stature during the day and ruthless monsters at the peak of the night. I want to see them again…to touch and enjoy the illusions that left me panting for more.
I’m willing to enter the den of monsters to escape the true demons lurking in the shadows of desperation.
All in exchange for my freedom.
DEN OF MONSTERS is a steamy 187,000+ words STANDALONE. This reverse harem monster romance is filled with possessive monsters with a hint of psychosis, a badass FMC who may be even crazier, and loads of "bump in the dark" heated scenes that will make one blush in public - literally. Note that these den of sinister monsters can do various "things" with their bodies, so be warned. All sexual encounters are consensual.
Except there’s nothing peaceful about being kidnapped after being sold to the Devils of Sin.
This never should have happened, because I did everything right. I accepted the invitation, attended the masquerade in the depth of the forsaken forest, and danced with whomever requested. The longer one remains, the more debt is cleared from the family name, so I danced through the night.
I survived to the final note — and let me emphasize the “survive” part — but I’m starting to realize where the real problem lies. I didn’t dance with one suitor...I danced with five Devils, and each immediately laid a claim on me.
Joaquin. Talon. Dagger. Croix. Creed.
Now here I am, kidnapped and held for ransom by sick men with bigger debts and troubles than my bankrupt family and their dark organization combined, but I’m no damsel in distress.
I’m actually stalling.
There’s a rumor that the Devils of Sin are dangerous men of royal stature during the day and ruthless monsters at the peak of the night. I want to see them again…to touch and enjoy the illusions that left me panting for more.
I’m willing to enter the den of monsters to escape the true demons lurking in the shadows of desperation.
All in exchange for my freedom.
DEN OF MONSTERS is a steamy 187,000+ words STANDALONE. This reverse harem monster romance is filled with possessive monsters with a hint of psychosis, a badass FMC who may be even crazier, and loads of "bump in the dark" heated scenes that will make one blush in public - literally. Note that these den of sinister monsters can do various "things" with their bodies, so be warned. All sexual encounters are consensual.
810 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 4, 2022
868 people are currently reading
1600 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 313 reviews
July 23, 2023
3.7 stars.
Ummmm…that ending was totally uncalled for. Right?!
Look.
I really enjoyed most of this book, even with its tendency to ramble and be a tiny bit confusing.
The intimate moments with the monsters were hot and most definitely monstrous.
And the plot was super interesting and complex.
But.
I feel like the last few chapters were super convoluted and confusing to no end.
Especially that ending that felt like it literally came out of nowhere.
Plus, we only got to experience Esme with Talon and Joaquin outside of her dreams. And the dreams were all sort of vague to add to the dreamlike quality.
I feel cheated to be honest.
That ending felt like a cop out.
I feel like I need a couple hundred more pages to make what happened at the end reasonable.
It felt like the author was done with the story so instead of giving everything its due she just slapped everything she wanted into one short chapter and called it good.
I was really enjoying it until all that bullshit happened.
We got zero build up to it and the tiny bit of foreshadowing we may have gotten was too vague and uninformative to make it feasible.
I mean, even Esme didn’t seem to know until that very last chapter! How the hell were we supposed to?
I’m sorry. But that ending just sort of made me angry and completely frustrated me.
I feel the beginnings of a slump coming on.
Just.
What the actual fuck was that?!
If you’re gonna read this, first off check TWs, and second, be prepared for immense disappointment.
Ummmm…that ending was totally uncalled for. Right?!
Look.
I really enjoyed most of this book, even with its tendency to ramble and be a tiny bit confusing.
The intimate moments with the monsters were hot and most definitely monstrous.
And the plot was super interesting and complex.
But.
I feel like the last few chapters were super convoluted and confusing to no end.
Especially that ending that felt like it literally came out of nowhere.
Plus, we only got to experience Esme with Talon and Joaquin outside of her dreams. And the dreams were all sort of vague to add to the dreamlike quality.
I feel cheated to be honest.
That ending felt like a cop out.
I feel like I need a couple hundred more pages to make what happened at the end reasonable.
It felt like the author was done with the story so instead of giving everything its due she just slapped everything she wanted into one short chapter and called it good.
I was really enjoying it until all that bullshit happened.
We got zero build up to it and the tiny bit of foreshadowing we may have gotten was too vague and uninformative to make it feasible.
I mean, even Esme didn’t seem to know until that very last chapter! How the hell were we supposed to?
I’m sorry. But that ending just sort of made me angry and completely frustrated me.
I feel the beginnings of a slump coming on.
Just.
What the actual fuck was that?!
If you’re gonna read this, first off check TWs, and second, be prepared for immense disappointment.
September 17, 2023
A bit disjointed!
The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙🖤💜
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗
World building: 🌏🌍🌎
Character development: 😠😘🤓
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Dual Narration
The heroine: Esmeralda (a.k.a. Esme) - she remembers legends from her younger years about the Loring Serenade, where you are kept captive while your body is touched in a number of ways (gentle touches, claws digging into you, and more intimate touches). She seems to be going through this Loring Serenade, though it might be some sort of dream state where it is all happening to a copy of herself. She yearned for the monsters to take her away from her life, especially the main monster who was directing the action. Though we find out later that it is just a recurring sex dream she has.
The Story: This book starts off quite weird, with the heroine going through this ceremony, it gets steamy quickly, but the reader doesn’t really know what is going on. I have to say, I wasn’t too fond of how it began. Also, I wasn’t too fond of the fact that the blurb states this is a standalone, but from the blurb on the next book, it doesn’t seem to be true. The same characters are in that book, and it looks to be continuation of this same story.
It turns out Esme is from a wealthy family; her father joined the mafia because he was bored. Though now they have to come up with seventy-five million dollars by the end of the year (9 days) or all their assets will be taken. Esme and her siblings can’t believe there are going to be poor. They grew up in a lavish lifestyle and don’t want that to end. They are definitely a weird family, including a half-brother Claude who had strange circumstances of his birth and is the same age as her older full brother Lucas.
Their father’s solution to their predicament is the Masquerade of Sin which is coming up shortly. Two types of men are invited, bidders and observers. Bidders can participate in the dances to which they have the option to claim a woman and observers bet on which women survives on the dance floor the longest. It happens in the shadowed depths of the forbidden forest. The invitation will go to the first daughter of the family, which is Esme’s sister Antoinette, whom nobody has ever wanted to dance with. It turns out this is not a fun and jovial even, but an event used by monsters against people who are in debt. It is known that a set of royal bidders with lots of money will be in attendance.
It turns out that the Masquerade had some oddball rules, which changed at the last minute and because of Esme’s father’s machinations to keep her safe, she needed up as one of the contestants, and she had to be in the top five of the women at the end of the night, if she wanted to save her father’s life. It was all very complex and the lead up to the masquerade was longer than I would have expected, but all that did set up Esme’s background quite nicely. We found out that she is very intelligent, wily and fierce.
The Heroes: Talon, Joaquin, Dagger, Croix, Creed - They are The Devils of Sin.
Talon - He is a 6’3” Korean prince, slim but with muscle mass and has teal colored hair. He is Sinful Night (his true monster trait) – the ruler of defense and power in the form of combat.
Joaquin - He is the Sinful King, the leader of their den of monsters (The Devils of Sin).
Dagger - he is a serial killer for fun. He likes to lead the police and FBI on a merry chase. He is the Sinful Assassin.
Croix - he is a prince and an identical twin to Creed. He is the Sinful Advocate.
Creed - he is a prince and an identical twin to Croix. He is the Sinful Negotiator.
It is a bit confusing on how the guys have a monster side. I wasn’t quite sure if they were some kind of shifters, or if they had glamour which hid their monster sides, or if they were only monsters in dreams at first and it wasn’t explained very well. Like everything in this book, it took a while to get it. Things weren’t explained all that clearly. I never really got a decent picture of what they looked like in their monster forms. Some had weird tails and crazy features. I also thought this was unnecessarily long, with a lot of filler where not much happened, and much could have been eliminated, since I found myself bored at times.
This audiobook was told in multiple points of view via dual narration. It was narrated by Keira Stevens and Gregory Salinas. Keira Stevens has done quite a few reverse harem audiobooks I have listened to before and I like her voice. She seems age appropriate for the heroine as well. Gregory Salinas has a deep pleasing voice, though I do wish there were different narrators for each of the Heroes. Although he does a good job at different voices for different characters.
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The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙🖤💜
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗
World building: 🌏🌍🌎
Character development: 😠😘🤓
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Dual Narration
The heroine: Esmeralda (a.k.a. Esme) - she remembers legends from her younger years about the Loring Serenade, where you are kept captive while your body is touched in a number of ways (gentle touches, claws digging into you, and more intimate touches). She seems to be going through this Loring Serenade, though it might be some sort of dream state where it is all happening to a copy of herself. She yearned for the monsters to take her away from her life, especially the main monster who was directing the action. Though we find out later that it is just a recurring sex dream she has.
The Story: This book starts off quite weird, with the heroine going through this ceremony, it gets steamy quickly, but the reader doesn’t really know what is going on. I have to say, I wasn’t too fond of how it began. Also, I wasn’t too fond of the fact that the blurb states this is a standalone, but from the blurb on the next book, it doesn’t seem to be true. The same characters are in that book, and it looks to be continuation of this same story.
It turns out Esme is from a wealthy family; her father joined the mafia because he was bored. Though now they have to come up with seventy-five million dollars by the end of the year (9 days) or all their assets will be taken. Esme and her siblings can’t believe there are going to be poor. They grew up in a lavish lifestyle and don’t want that to end. They are definitely a weird family, including a half-brother Claude who had strange circumstances of his birth and is the same age as her older full brother Lucas.
Their father’s solution to their predicament is the Masquerade of Sin which is coming up shortly. Two types of men are invited, bidders and observers. Bidders can participate in the dances to which they have the option to claim a woman and observers bet on which women survives on the dance floor the longest. It happens in the shadowed depths of the forbidden forest. The invitation will go to the first daughter of the family, which is Esme’s sister Antoinette, whom nobody has ever wanted to dance with. It turns out this is not a fun and jovial even, but an event used by monsters against people who are in debt. It is known that a set of royal bidders with lots of money will be in attendance.
It turns out that the Masquerade had some oddball rules, which changed at the last minute and because of Esme’s father’s machinations to keep her safe, she needed up as one of the contestants, and she had to be in the top five of the women at the end of the night, if she wanted to save her father’s life. It was all very complex and the lead up to the masquerade was longer than I would have expected, but all that did set up Esme’s background quite nicely. We found out that she is very intelligent, wily and fierce.
The Heroes: Talon, Joaquin, Dagger, Croix, Creed - They are The Devils of Sin.
Talon - He is a 6’3” Korean prince, slim but with muscle mass and has teal colored hair. He is Sinful Night (his true monster trait) – the ruler of defense and power in the form of combat.
Joaquin - He is the Sinful King, the leader of their den of monsters (The Devils of Sin).
Dagger - he is a serial killer for fun. He likes to lead the police and FBI on a merry chase. He is the Sinful Assassin.
Croix - he is a prince and an identical twin to Creed. He is the Sinful Advocate.
Creed - he is a prince and an identical twin to Croix. He is the Sinful Negotiator.
It is a bit confusing on how the guys have a monster side. I wasn’t quite sure if they were some kind of shifters, or if they had glamour which hid their monster sides, or if they were only monsters in dreams at first and it wasn’t explained very well. Like everything in this book, it took a while to get it. Things weren’t explained all that clearly. I never really got a decent picture of what they looked like in their monster forms. Some had weird tails and crazy features. I also thought this was unnecessarily long, with a lot of filler where not much happened, and much could have been eliminated, since I found myself bored at times.
This audiobook was told in multiple points of view via dual narration. It was narrated by Keira Stevens and Gregory Salinas. Keira Stevens has done quite a few reverse harem audiobooks I have listened to before and I like her voice. She seems age appropriate for the heroine as well. Gregory Salinas has a deep pleasing voice, though I do wish there were different narrators for each of the Heroes. Although he does a good job at different voices for different characters.
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February 12, 2022
. . . What??? WTH did I just read????
This book was just so . . .
Good gravey, this was bad! I'm at a loss to even explain how terrible it was. I try not to quit a book mid read. Thankfully, there were a few redeeming parts that kept me pep talking myself into completing it, but . . . wow! What a task!
This book is a mash-up of juvenile, jumbled thoughts with intermittent sexual encounters and strange anatomical descriptions, combined with massive editing faux pas and nonsensical drivel given book form. The story switched tempo and character so many times that it left me reeling. Overall, in many places, the book read like a teen/young adult self-published a dream they once had.
Then, after pushing through all that, there's the ending to deal with. Where on earth did that ending even come from??
This book was just so . . .
Good gravey, this was bad! I'm at a loss to even explain how terrible it was. I try not to quit a book mid read. Thankfully, there were a few redeeming parts that kept me pep talking myself into completing it, but . . . wow! What a task!
This book is a mash-up of juvenile, jumbled thoughts with intermittent sexual encounters and strange anatomical descriptions, combined with massive editing faux pas and nonsensical drivel given book form. The story switched tempo and character so many times that it left me reeling. Overall, in many places, the book read like a teen/young adult self-published a dream they once had.
Then, after pushing through all that, there's the ending to deal with. Where on earth did that ending even come from??
February 21, 2022
I read 657 pages to end with complete horseshit. Seriously. Fucking horseshit. It started off good, and then took a deep nose dive.
It’s like the author had a vision, and then lost it 1/3 of the way through the book. I was curious to where it was fucking going, so I kept up with it, to only end in fucking flaming disappointment. If the last 2/3 of the book weren’t weirdly put together enough (like new shit and scenarios popping up that didn’t really need to be in there), the last 15% really was like someone forgot what they wrote and just tried to cram everything into a 3 page ending because they couldn’t figure out how to end it. It is the weirdest stupidest ending. I’m fuming. My curiosity was never assuaged, instead I’m more mad. It literally went from them at the masquerade to some random weird plot where the book finishes. There is no closure. And you’re left going “what the fuck did I just spend hours of my life on!”
Gahhhhhhh!
It’s like the author had a vision, and then lost it 1/3 of the way through the book. I was curious to where it was fucking going, so I kept up with it, to only end in fucking flaming disappointment. If the last 2/3 of the book weren’t weirdly put together enough (like new shit and scenarios popping up that didn’t really need to be in there), the last 15% really was like someone forgot what they wrote and just tried to cram everything into a 3 page ending because they couldn’t figure out how to end it. It is the weirdest stupidest ending. I’m fuming. My curiosity was never assuaged, instead I’m more mad. It literally went from them at the masquerade to some random weird plot where the book finishes. There is no closure. And you’re left going “what the fuck did I just spend hours of my life on!”
Gahhhhhhh!
July 3, 2022
Den of Monsters initially introduced me to a character that I despised.
No, it's not the main character. I actually ended up liking her and the guys. Nope, it's the mother who I despised. The bonus point was the new addition to my hate pile towards the end of the book. Definitely not surprised with how it ended but I wanted some bloodshed. Lots of it. I guess in a weird way, I can be okay that they are uncomfortable and in hell (sort of).
Other than that, I enjoyed the twists and turns throughout. Some of the betrayal was easy to spot on because of certain characters being behind it. Others not so much but they got what they deserved. Now I just need to find Eloise's book because I have a feeling that one will also be good.
No, it's not the main character. I actually ended up liking her and the guys. Nope, it's the mother who I despised. The bonus point was the new addition to my hate pile towards the end of the book. Definitely not surprised with how it ended but I wanted some bloodshed. Lots of it. I guess in a weird way, I can be okay that they are uncomfortable and in hell (sort of).
Other than that, I enjoyed the twists and turns throughout. Some of the betrayal was easy to spot on because of certain characters being behind it. Others not so much but they got what they deserved. Now I just need to find Eloise's book because I have a feeling that one will also be good.
February 7, 2022
That was terrible and none of it made sense
June 8, 2022
the beginning was sooooo long and then the end was like BLIP.
February 13, 2022
confusing
I tried. I wanted to really like this. I know lots of people love it. Honestly it just left me confused and unenthusiastic. DNF
I tried. I wanted to really like this. I know lots of people love it. Honestly it just left me confused and unenthusiastic. DNF
February 10, 2022
⭐️⭐️.5
🌶🌶🌶
I..dont…get it? I just don’t get it. I read the whole book. And I am at a loss. None of this made sense. Okay..like 30% of it made sense. But there was so much plot that did NOTHING and it was SO LONG. I feel like this could’ve been done in 300 pages and had the same result. The ending was bad. It was just so bad. I kept being like “oh maybe it’ll all wrap up nicely” but NO. I wanted this to be a good read so bad.
🌶🌶🌶
I..dont…get it? I just don’t get it. I read the whole book. And I am at a loss. None of this made sense. Okay..like 30% of it made sense. But there was so much plot that did NOTHING and it was SO LONG. I feel like this could’ve been done in 300 pages and had the same result. The ending was bad. It was just so bad. I kept being like “oh maybe it’ll all wrap up nicely” but NO. I wanted this to be a good read so bad.
February 10, 2022
…what did I just read?
Plot holes
Sentences that ran on FAR too long
More plot holes
Bit of spice…
More over-exaggerated sentences
Random ending with no actual resolution
I struggled to finish this book. Every other book by Avery has been wonderful, but this was a massive disappointment.
Definitely WONT be reading the next book in this series.
Plot holes
Sentences that ran on FAR too long
More plot holes
Bit of spice…
More over-exaggerated sentences
Random ending with no actual resolution
I struggled to finish this book. Every other book by Avery has been wonderful, but this was a massive disappointment.
Definitely WONT be reading the next book in this series.
February 5, 2022
This story is one of deception, twists and turns, spice, and redemption. Esme is strong, slightly unhinged, smart, and loyal to a fault if it's learned. She has an amazing BFF in Eloise (so excited for her story). And her monsters are all traumatized, lethal, and in desperate need for an unconditional love.
The plot didn't end up anywhere close to where I thought it was going. The action was off the charts, and the masquerade was so original and creative. The twist at the end was so satisfying, and I'm very interested in what comes next.
The plot didn't end up anywhere close to where I thought it was going. The action was off the charts, and the masquerade was so original and creative. The twist at the end was so satisfying, and I'm very interested in what comes next.
February 10, 2022
What the f*ch is that????????
Honestly, I thought I would rate this book 5 stars because I love the universe, the mix between mafia and monsters, and all the complexity of the world building. But this end??? 😱👿👿👿👿 Is that a joke?
The plot twist is such irrealistic that it ruins everything!!! I hate when authors do that because it needs to be very accurate regarding all the information given during the read and the character's behaviour to make it realistic, and here it's not the case for me. All along the book, it felt like you were given wrong or twisted information and suddenly at the end, thank to farfetched twists, a new truth rises. I didn't believe it at all.
So I hated totally the end and worse, it's not even a HEA nor a HFN! The story just ended abruptely while the characters were in the middle of a very important moment. For me a part two is needed to but alas it's not the case🙄. Of course there will be a sequel with Eloise but we won't know more about Esméralda and her Sinful Monsters I guess.
It's a shame that the author completely f*cked up the end of this book because it could have been so good!
So angry to have lost my time...😡
Honestly, I thought I would rate this book 5 stars because I love the universe, the mix between mafia and monsters, and all the complexity of the world building. But this end??? 😱👿👿👿👿 Is that a joke?
The plot twist is such irrealistic that it ruins everything!!! I hate when authors do that because it needs to be very accurate regarding all the information given during the read and the character's behaviour to make it realistic, and here it's not the case for me. All along the book, it felt like you were given wrong or twisted information and suddenly at the end, thank to farfetched twists, a new truth rises. I didn't believe it at all.
So I hated totally the end and worse, it's not even a HEA nor a HFN! The story just ended abruptely while the characters were in the middle of a very important moment. For me a part two is needed to but alas it's not the case🙄. Of course there will be a sequel with Eloise but we won't know more about Esméralda and her Sinful Monsters I guess.
It's a shame that the author completely f*cked up the end of this book because it could have been so good!
So angry to have lost my time...😡
February 18, 2022
This book was a struggle to get through from the beginning. There is very little world building to help you understand where and when the characters are. Why are there princes and kings all over the place in Boston? I was completely lost.
I get the feeling the author had some good ideas for a RH meets Hitalia, but didn't plot out her storyline fully before hand. There were very childish rationalizations for every turn the story took. The expectation that the reader would just continue to be able to suspend their disbelief more and more as the book progressed was ridiculous. It was a little bit like catching a 4 year old in a lie and listening to the explanation for what "really happened". There's fiction, and then there's whatever this was.
There was about 80% too much exposition but thats OK, you don't need to read it because the author basically reverses it all at the last second with another confusing whirl of purple prose, miraculously IMPROBABLE AND POORLY EXPLAINED REVELATIONS, and bad grammar. Everything you thought you knew because that is what the author told you in the first place? Conveniently reversed or magically the opposite because REASONS.
The 1 star is for having a good premise and decent steamy scenes. Honestly it really needed a better outline of the story arc before being written, needs to be more consistent, and needs fewer adjectives. It also needs severe editing to fix grammar, word and tense usage, trim the story down by half and again, fix the childish continuity U-turns and explanations. This was not a fun read.
I get the feeling the author had some good ideas for a RH meets Hitalia, but didn't plot out her storyline fully before hand. There were very childish rationalizations for every turn the story took. The expectation that the reader would just continue to be able to suspend their disbelief more and more as the book progressed was ridiculous. It was a little bit like catching a 4 year old in a lie and listening to the explanation for what "really happened". There's fiction, and then there's whatever this was.
There was about 80% too much exposition but thats OK, you don't need to read it because the author basically reverses it all at the last second with another confusing whirl of purple prose, miraculously IMPROBABLE AND POORLY EXPLAINED REVELATIONS, and bad grammar. Everything you thought you knew because that is what the author told you in the first place? Conveniently reversed or magically the opposite because REASONS.
The 1 star is for having a good premise and decent steamy scenes. Honestly it really needed a better outline of the story arc before being written, needs to be more consistent, and needs fewer adjectives. It also needs severe editing to fix grammar, word and tense usage, trim the story down by half and again, fix the childish continuity U-turns and explanations. This was not a fun read.
February 10, 2022
DNF - quit at 10%
Ok, this was a bizarre story that absolutely made no sense to me. The characters- they just be nuts! I feel like ALL of them were created when the author was high, even the plot. I can’t even fathom any positive reviews on this let alone over a hundred. What book did they read, cause it sure wasn’t this one. Definitely not reading more from this author!
At my age (60), life is way too short & my time is too important to force myself to read a book I'm not enjoying, especially when there are so many other books out there waiting to be read.
Ok, this was a bizarre story that absolutely made no sense to me. The characters- they just be nuts! I feel like ALL of them were created when the author was high, even the plot. I can’t even fathom any positive reviews on this let alone over a hundred. What book did they read, cause it sure wasn’t this one. Definitely not reading more from this author!
At my age (60), life is way too short & my time is too important to force myself to read a book I'm not enjoying, especially when there are so many other books out there waiting to be read.
February 21, 2022
I have to say this book was one I could not put down! Go read it! The ending definitely was not what I was expecting and I loved it!
May 16, 2022
How on Earth did this book get such a high rating? It was terrible! The plot was confusing at times and the dialogue was so awful. It was MUCH too long. I've read (and enjoyed) reverse harem books before, but this one was too much. Very cheesy. I only liked one scene and wanted to give this book an extra star just for that, but by the time I'd finished I just couldn't.
March 25, 2022
This was interesting... Up until 95%
Had me captivated... right up until the end. The climax did not make sense and contradicted the first 95% of the massive book. It felt as though the end belonged to another book and even another main character. The MC supposedly had memory problems which suddenly vanished, trashing the believability of the story.
I checked with the other reviews and many were equally confused, so I didn’t personally miss something. The end needs a severe fix.
Such a damn shame since it was good until then. At that 95%, the reader is given whiplash. And not in a good way. It would've been five stars otherwise.
Had me captivated... right up until the end. The climax did not make sense and contradicted the first 95% of the massive book. It felt as though the end belonged to another book and even another main character. The MC supposedly had memory problems which suddenly vanished, trashing the believability of the story.
I checked with the other reviews and many were equally confused, so I didn’t personally miss something. The end needs a severe fix.
Such a damn shame since it was good until then. At that 95%, the reader is given whiplash. And not in a good way. It would've been five stars otherwise.
June 9, 2024
I guess now I need a tutorial on “how to unread a book“
May 23, 2022
Not going to finish! I was trying to give it a chance but yeah no.
I was really enjoying the plot even though at some points it was hard to follow the storyline. The MC was likable, strong and funny at points. I was getting excited to meet the guys. However when I started to read the book I decided to check the authors note, check GR and check the blurb to make sure I’m reading something I like and to no get surprises. But of course even doing that I still got m/m everywhere. I read a book a while ago that the second book mentioned that it was coming and I was very frustrated because it came out of nowhere. But this book is more than m/m it’s a love circle or heading that way. Which great if that what you like to read however in my opinion it doesn’t describe RH. The lines are getting a little blurred with RH because I see a lot of m/m which I have no problem as long as a I get a disclaimers, authors note or in the synopsis. If the relationships are open within a group shouldn’t that be called a poly relationship instead of RH. Especially if feelings are involved, prior relationship or that the focus isn’t the FMC? I guess I need to do some research.
However I left right before the masquerade and I was really interested to learn more so if you are into a love circle, dangerous monsters and a likable MC the go ahead and give it a try.
—— so I finished the book just to be sure and literally sooooo confused like what even happened???? How is there a next book with that ending ?
I was really enjoying the plot even though at some points it was hard to follow the storyline. The MC was likable, strong and funny at points. I was getting excited to meet the guys. However when I started to read the book I decided to check the authors note, check GR and check the blurb to make sure I’m reading something I like and to no get surprises. But of course even doing that I still got m/m everywhere. I read a book a while ago that the second book mentioned that it was coming and I was very frustrated because it came out of nowhere. But this book is more than m/m it’s a love circle or heading that way. Which great if that what you like to read however in my opinion it doesn’t describe RH. The lines are getting a little blurred with RH because I see a lot of m/m which I have no problem as long as a I get a disclaimers, authors note or in the synopsis. If the relationships are open within a group shouldn’t that be called a poly relationship instead of RH. Especially if feelings are involved, prior relationship or that the focus isn’t the FMC? I guess I need to do some research.
However I left right before the masquerade and I was really interested to learn more so if you are into a love circle, dangerous monsters and a likable MC the go ahead and give it a try.
—— so I finished the book just to be sure and literally sooooo confused like what even happened???? How is there a next book with that ending ?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 20, 2022
Where is the Rest???
The ending was so discombobulating. Like it literally made no sense and it’s like what kind of ending was that??? There are things that still have yet to be answered and some important details were just glossed over. The grammar wasn’t the best, but I could live with that if the story was amazing. Majority of the characters besides Talon don’t even get any or much development until the literal end of the story. Then what happens after the very horrible ending? Like that ending was a cop out and I really wanted to know what would happen with Esmeralda and her den. Also the entire Antoinette plot doesn’t make sense. If Antoinette was trying to protect Esme then why did she start hating her with the passion of a thousand suns and try to kill her at the beginning of the book? Like don’t get me wrong I understand her character but there are some plot holes. And also why was Lucas allowed to even live in the same house? Just so many plot holes and wtf moments
The ending was so discombobulating. Like it literally made no sense and it’s like what kind of ending was that??? There are things that still have yet to be answered and some important details were just glossed over. The grammar wasn’t the best, but I could live with that if the story was amazing. Majority of the characters besides Talon don’t even get any or much development until the literal end of the story. Then what happens after the very horrible ending? Like that ending was a cop out and I really wanted to know what would happen with Esmeralda and her den. Also the entire Antoinette plot doesn’t make sense. If Antoinette was trying to protect Esme then why did she start hating her with the passion of a thousand suns and try to kill her at the beginning of the book? Like don’t get me wrong I understand her character but there are some plot holes. And also why was Lucas allowed to even live in the same house? Just so many plot holes and wtf moments
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 7, 2022
Ok so, I freaking love the 97% of the book, I enjoy the story and the craziness but that ending tho… ugh
WHY say that it is standalone, when CLEARLY it is NOT? 🙄
WHY say that it is standalone, when CLEARLY it is NOT? 🙄
February 6, 2022
I really wanted to like this book but I couldn’t finish it. I feel like it still has the potential to be good after a massive amount of editing. It felt like too much information was being thrown out about what was going on to the point where it felt like word vomit and I couldn’t retain it all. I wasn’t attached enough to the main character to keep reading. I kept finding myself skipping whole paragraphs of unnecessary information or dialogue. Loved the cover artwork.
March 15, 2022
Dnft 36%
I feel very out the loop reading this, which annoys me anyway when I feel I'm missing something, but it's mostly monster porn. Things are described and stuff and I feel like it's only half mentioned as it's just spoken like it's Normal? Uhm.. no I have no idea what this is and what year and what happened etc.
I feel very out the loop reading this, which annoys me anyway when I feel I'm missing something, but it's mostly monster porn. Things are described and stuff and I feel like it's only half mentioned as it's just spoken like it's Normal? Uhm.. no I have no idea what this is and what year and what happened etc.
Read
March 25, 2022Wow… and not in a good way
I was really excited to read this book, the synopsis sounded interesting. It started out a little strangely with the doppelgänger dream sequence, which was a tad bit confusing. But I don’t like to give up on books so I kept reading, and often re-reading paragraphs and pages. The story was disjointed, convoluted and all over the place. The masquerade does not happen till 73% in to the book. Some of the men are such a background in the story, that I hardly have any grasp on any of their stories nor their personalities. Talon gets the most time, but is still a mystery. There is very little relationship evolution or relationships at all. I am all about new ideas in the realm of PNR, but this was a mess and I still have little clue what I was supposed to be reading about. I got really tired of re-reading to try to figure out what was going on, especially during and after the masquerade. And the ending… OMG! Seriously?!
Over 500 pages with questions after questions, and it ends in a few pages with very little explanation. I was flabbergasted, and that does not happen very often. I am an avid reader, and read several books a week. I rarely leave reviews and especially bad ones, but felt the need to warn others looking to start this book. Good luck!
I was really excited to read this book, the synopsis sounded interesting. It started out a little strangely with the doppelgänger dream sequence, which was a tad bit confusing. But I don’t like to give up on books so I kept reading, and often re-reading paragraphs and pages. The story was disjointed, convoluted and all over the place. The masquerade does not happen till 73% in to the book. Some of the men are such a background in the story, that I hardly have any grasp on any of their stories nor their personalities. Talon gets the most time, but is still a mystery. There is very little relationship evolution or relationships at all. I am all about new ideas in the realm of PNR, but this was a mess and I still have little clue what I was supposed to be reading about. I got really tired of re-reading to try to figure out what was going on, especially during and after the masquerade. And the ending… OMG! Seriously?!
Over 500 pages with questions after questions, and it ends in a few pages with very little explanation. I was flabbergasted, and that does not happen very often. I am an avid reader, and read several books a week. I rarely leave reviews and especially bad ones, but felt the need to warn others looking to start this book. Good luck!
May 10, 2022
Did not finish. Ugh.
Let me just wash out my brain first, shall I?
I try to give every book I read a fair shot, but sometimes they're so terrible that I just have to toss them aside and bleach my brain. Seriously. I couldn't stand anything about this book.
The writing was sloppy and uninteresting with blatant editing mistakes and misspellings, there was a half-assed plot that didn't make sense, and the combination of mafia/mob themes versus the fantasy monster theme clashed horrifically. All of the characters were annoying as hell, it switched POV's so often and so confusingly that it was hard to keep track of what was going on at any given time, and plot holes on plot holes.
Just an overall disappointment. Yikes.
Let me just wash out my brain first, shall I?
I try to give every book I read a fair shot, but sometimes they're so terrible that I just have to toss them aside and bleach my brain. Seriously. I couldn't stand anything about this book.
The writing was sloppy and uninteresting with blatant editing mistakes and misspellings, there was a half-assed plot that didn't make sense, and the combination of mafia/mob themes versus the fantasy monster theme clashed horrifically. All of the characters were annoying as hell, it switched POV's so often and so confusingly that it was hard to keep track of what was going on at any given time, and plot holes on plot holes.
Just an overall disappointment. Yikes.
December 24, 2022
This wasn't anything special, but it was entertaining enough until the end. The ending was awful. It was really poorly executed. If you're going to go the "we played you all along" route there needs to be a lot of foreshadowing that makes logical sense. There need to be clues and it needs to be set up so the reader is either clued in or clued in enough that it makes sense when the ending unfolds. This was.... bad. Hands down one of the worst book endings I've ever read.
November 21, 2024
2.5⭐️’s - everything felt a bit off in this book.
At some points, especially the beginning, the internal dialogue went on FOR SO LONG it almost felt like the scene was in real time… which, to me, was OBNOXIOUS. On and on and on… bleh!
Then, as soon as the events of the masquerade started, everything went SUPER FAST.
Then, we get to the end and it felt like I had a literary rock strike my head and wondered what the eff happened and where it came from. IT WAS WEIRD!
At some points, especially the beginning, the internal dialogue went on FOR SO LONG it almost felt like the scene was in real time… which, to me, was OBNOXIOUS. On and on and on… bleh!
Then, as soon as the events of the masquerade started, everything went SUPER FAST.
Then, we get to the end and it felt like I had a literary rock strike my head and wondered what the eff happened and where it came from. IT WAS WEIRD!
August 23, 2022
I had to dnf after chapter one. It’s like those pay by chapter books. The kind where you aren’t sure what language it was written in first because it’s for sure translated to English from something else. I spent the entire (long) first chapter just completely confused at all times. If I stop a book I ask myself “will I be disappointed jo knowing where this goes?” And the answer is no. No I won’t.
April 26, 2022
turd covered diamond
This book was a complete dumpster fire.
The idea behind the book is great it’s just sooo unpolished that it’s literally a turd hiding a diamond… but the diamond is so small and there’s too much excrement to wade through- it’s not worth it.
There were so many themes in this dumpster fire book and none of it made sense. Most of it is bogged down by wordy chatter. It was as if the author took a dictionary and pulled out a ton of random words and slew them together to make a book. Her visualizations were confusing and disjointed. It’s like listening to that kid in class who strings along big words making it sound like they’re so smart, but literally if you hear what they’re saying it’s the flowery version of saying I have no clue what is going on. If anything this book would’ve been better as a comic on WEBTOON instead of a book. The cover does this book no favors.
The characters are ill-defined and lack complete depth. There are a ton of twists and turns that make this book intriguing, however grammatical, sentence structure errors, plot inconsistencies drive down any intrigue that could come from this. The characters are inconsistent as well. It’s just a big confusing mess.
There is no real characterization just a ton of back and forth talking with scenes that don’t visually make sense.
I have read thousands of books in my time and this is honestly one of the worst I’ve read. This author needs honest alpha readers and an editing team, because it’s clear no editing went into this, and no one thought to be honest reviewers. It is a serious shame because under all of this absolute garbage fire there is a good book.
I am INCENSED that I chose to not fall asleep or take that nap to read this . That’s time I’ll never get back.
This book was a complete dumpster fire.
The idea behind the book is great it’s just sooo unpolished that it’s literally a turd hiding a diamond… but the diamond is so small and there’s too much excrement to wade through- it’s not worth it.
There were so many themes in this dumpster fire book and none of it made sense. Most of it is bogged down by wordy chatter. It was as if the author took a dictionary and pulled out a ton of random words and slew them together to make a book. Her visualizations were confusing and disjointed. It’s like listening to that kid in class who strings along big words making it sound like they’re so smart, but literally if you hear what they’re saying it’s the flowery version of saying I have no clue what is going on. If anything this book would’ve been better as a comic on WEBTOON instead of a book. The cover does this book no favors.
The characters are ill-defined and lack complete depth. There are a ton of twists and turns that make this book intriguing, however grammatical, sentence structure errors, plot inconsistencies drive down any intrigue that could come from this. The characters are inconsistent as well. It’s just a big confusing mess.
There is no real characterization just a ton of back and forth talking with scenes that don’t visually make sense.
I have read thousands of books in my time and this is honestly one of the worst I’ve read. This author needs honest alpha readers and an editing team, because it’s clear no editing went into this, and no one thought to be honest reviewers. It is a serious shame because under all of this absolute garbage fire there is a good book.
I am INCENSED that I chose to not fall asleep or take that nap to read this . That’s time I’ll never get back.
March 5, 2022
Holy freaking moly this was so freaking good!! Let me tell what I absolutely loved about this book! It was 800 pages of pure freaking awesomeness!!!! The FMC, Esmeralda, is blood thirsty, intelligent, a badass, and a mafia princess!
If you want to read a book about mafia, monsters, bloody killing, the underground, the elite, royalty, suspense, betrayal, masquerade, psychotic and possessive characters, some sassy tails 😉 during some scenes, then this book is for you to try.
Freaking spectacular! Loved the dialogue and the humor sprinkled within. The bad good guys win and the super evil and disgusting lose.
Harem: Talon, Joaquin, Dagger, Creed, and Croix (all monsters 😉)
Sexiness: 5 out 5 🔥🔥 holy moly! The scenes with Talon 🔥🔥🔥
Some MM involved in this book.
The only thing I will say is that ending felt rushed. And I actually had different thoughts on how it should have ended…don’t get me wrong. The big reveal on the secrets and the characters was spectacular. But the ending with Esmeralda and her monsters felt unfinished.
It was still a really good book.
This review is of my own opinion.
If you want to read a book about mafia, monsters, bloody killing, the underground, the elite, royalty, suspense, betrayal, masquerade, psychotic and possessive characters, some sassy tails 😉 during some scenes, then this book is for you to try.
Freaking spectacular! Loved the dialogue and the humor sprinkled within. The bad good guys win and the super evil and disgusting lose.
Harem: Talon, Joaquin, Dagger, Creed, and Croix (all monsters 😉)
Sexiness: 5 out 5 🔥🔥 holy moly! The scenes with Talon 🔥🔥🔥
Some MM involved in this book.
The only thing I will say is that ending felt rushed. And I actually had different thoughts on how it should have ended…don’t get me wrong. The big reveal on the secrets and the characters was spectacular. But the ending with Esmeralda and her monsters felt unfinished.
It was still a really good book.
This review is of my own opinion.
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