Overall: ⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖 (There were a lot of errors and mistakes, to the point that I – me, the typo queen – was bothered by it.)
Feels: 🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔 You know the bare minimum about these two, but it is a short story
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡
Romance: 💞 (I can LOVE dubcon and noncon but I didn’t find this book romantic at all. No feels. Only cringe.)
Sensuality: 💋💋💋 The actual sex was okay to me – it was explicit but missed a lot of that emotional pull I crave
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥 (It’s basically one extended scene for this short story)
Humor: Ummm no? Maybe? I didn’t find it funny but I think it’s there for some people
Perspective: first person from both hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? plot? Sex?
How did the speed of the story feel? fast
When mains are first on page together: It takes awhile, about 43% into this short story
Cliffhanger: Yes – this ends with an open ending...it’s not a happy for now but kind of implied there’s a possiblity of a continuation of the relationship...the ending does say ‘the end for now….’ so I’m not sure if there’s more coming.
Epilogue: There is a chapter listed as epilogue but it’s just a day or so in the future and very brief
Format: read this book through kindle unlimited in e-book form
Why I chose this book: I saw a post by @monsterlovers_bookclub on instagram and had to try it!

Should I read in order?
It’s fine to read this alone

Basic plot:
Hayden has to work the night of the Halloween carnival and meets her stalker

Give this a try if you want:
- contemporary erotic horror (not really a romance)
- shorter novel
- curvy heroine
- stalker hero
- ravishment fantasy
- you’re okay with nonconsensual acts
- mid to higher steam – there is basically one extended sex act, but it’s most of the story

Ages:
- didn’t see them mentioned

First line:
I stumble out of the house of mirrors, panting heavy and shaking.

My thoughts:
Oof, I struggled with this one! I was so excited to see another short, masked hero book, but this one didn’t do it for me at all.

If you are looking for pure ravishment fantasy with lots of noncon from the hero and a touch of darkness, I think you should give this one a go!

As for me, I didn’t connect with the writing. I am VERY forgiving of typos and errors. I know they happen (just look at literally anything I post). I know editors miss things and it’s human nature. But this one felt really raw and unedited to me. Multiple (like...every page) missing commas, punctuation, missing words in sentences...repetitive. It just wasn’t very readable to me. I am all for swearing in my reads, but ‘shit’ and ‘fuck’ were in like every sentences and it just started to feel juvenile to me.

The author portrays the heroine as overweight, which I was here for! But doesn’t really comment on the hero’s size in comparison so when it’s said that ‘her small body writhing beneath me’ I was like, why isn’t he admiring her curves??

This book was mostly cringe for me, not much I loved. Along with the overtones of religion I was just not feeling it.

Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: This is my first
Average rating: 2 stars
Favorite book: I guess this one?? I’m thinking I wouldn’t read this author again sadly.

Quotes So, usually I will own all typos and mistakes as my own because I make them constantly. But this one I did try to copy the text verbatim – there’s a lot of typos and errors in this one, missing commas and punctuation, etc

I struggled with the writing! Things like

“What are your weird senses tingling or some shit again?” She asks, rolling her eyes.
I sigh. “I’m not Spiderman. I don’t have spidey senses,”
---
Oh him. The preacher’s son whose so beautiful it should be a sin. His skin is the perfect shade of tan. His hair? Dark brown, almost black, long on top and short on the sides. His eyes were a beautiful blue that’ll hypnotize you. Jaw line that could slice and dice anything. Now I sound like a stalker. Fuck.
---
I live twenty minutes away, well if you’re driving. If you’re unlucky like me and walking, then I have no idea how long it takes. Can forever be the answer? Because the way my knees are feeling right now, it’s been forever.
---
I pop out of my hiding spot and run to where I hid my car. I jump in and start it up. The tires screeched as I pressed the pedal to the floor and accelerated onto the rain-soaked pavement. I slide a little when my tires hit the pavement.
“Shit, shit shit” I shout as I correct the steering wheel. I get my car under control and speed down the road, catching up to them. I follow them, but not too close.
I follow them until they turn on the street Hayden lives on. I keep driving until I find somewhere close to park.
Not finding anywhere, I say fuck it and park on the street in front of a random house.
---
“Say anything about what happened tonight, and I’ll make sure attend church every day. From the ground” I hiss, taking a step back, letting him scramble into his car.
---
He’s walking slowly. The orange light is from a mask. The eyes are X’s, and the mouth looks like it’s supposed to be sowed shut.
---
I can hear her running. Zigzagging between the mirrors. Sometimes a catch sight of her and the look on her face makes my cock grow harder.
---
“Why?” I choke out.
He laughs. Fucking laughs. “You know, I asked God that same exact thing. And you know what? He never answered, so here we are,”

---
I’m here for dubcon and even noncon! All this book did though was make me cringe and want it over.

Then he slams into me, breaking me open. I open my mouth and try to scream, but the grip Alec has around my throat silences me.
“Oh, fuck,” he groans, continuing to pound in and out of me. All I feel is pain. My stomach’s cramping and the burning gets worse.
He let’s up on the hold he has on my throat, and I take a deep breath. “That’s it, baby. Relax, breath through it. It’ll feel good soon,” he moans into my ear.
My body is too tired to fight, so I give in. All the way in.
----
“It’s too much, please,” I beg. What am I begging for? No fucking clue.


I think you’re begging for him to get his knife handle out from inside you???
 

Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.

- there are elements of religion here – mention of religious camps, the stalker hero is the preacher’s son
- forced piercing – the hero pierces the heroine’s nipple while he has her bound and gagged
- fatfobic comments from a side character I’d have to spend too much money on snacks and fast food,” I hear Adam say as I make my way to his car. I feel my anger rising. “She’s kinda big, bro. But she’s got a nice face and sexy pair of tits, so,” Adam says laughing.
- non-con (rape and other nonconsensual acts) – hero pursues the heroine and forces her to do multiple things she doesn’t want to do, including piercing, getting fingered, rape

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes, safe sex aspects, consent, pregnancy/child in the story:

 
Safe sex: 

Nope. 

 
Hows the consent? 

  Oh, it’s not there AT ALL. This is a total ravishment fantasy, so if you prefer consent in your books avoid this one. 

 
Pregnancy/children in story? (Please note this is the best to my memory/note taking. If you see something I missed please feel free to message!) 

  No children in this story or talk of pregnancy. 

 
58% - hero chases the heroine in the house of mirrors, then a corn maze. When he catches her, he undresses her with his knife. Penetration with the knife handle. Hero binds the heroine’s wrists with a rosary. Leads soon into a church scene, where the hero gags the heroine, hangs her by her rosary beads, and puts a nipple clamp on her boob then pierces her nipple. Sex (virginity loss for heroine), then the hero pulls out, retracts his knife and DPs the heroine with his cock and knife handle