Bump in the Night by Nikole Knight & Lily Mayne (Black Oasis book #2)

TITLE: ⟫ Bump in the Night

AUTHOR: ⟫ Nikole Knight & Lily Mayne

SERIES: ⟫ Black Oasis #2

RATING: ⟫ 4/5

BLURB: ⟫ You never know what’s hiding in your closet…

At twenty-six, Ivy has their life figured out. They have a decent paying job at the London office of Somnus Entertainment--the gaming company behind the wildly popular game Black Oasis--a draughty flat they inherited from their wild great aunt, and a few select friends to pass the time. They’re a responsible adult, thank you very much, and while they might get lonely at times, they know better than to put too much stock into that fanciful notion known as love.

But when a skeevy encounter during a fun night at the pub devolves into a violent hate crime, their life changes forever.

Waking up in a demon dimension, beaten within an inch of their life, is bad enough. But add a snarky, haughty healer with the universe's worst bedside manner, and Ivy knows they’re in for a long, excruciating recovery. Lau the Dreamwraith is prickly, arrogant, and entirely infuriating, but for some strange reason, he seems hell-bent on nursing Ivy back to health. Despite Lau’s whinging over their “inferior human qualities,” there is a heat building between them that neither are able to fight. Like a match meeting kerosene, their chemistry ignites, but Ivy’s stay in the demon world is temporary and fire always burns out eventually.

Love is a dream, after all; it has no business in nightmares. Right?

Join Ivy and Lau as they nurture the sparks between them until they explode into an unexpected passion that crosses dimensions in Bump in the Night, the second book in Knight and Mayne’s co-authored queer, monster romance series, Black Oasis.

Bump in the Night is an M/X monster romance full of hurt/comfort, angst, humor, and a sweet, spicy love between a fiery Brit and their arrogant sleep demon. This love story contains explicit content and is not suitable for young readers. Be sure to check the Trigger Warnings at the beginning of the book for more details

REVIEW: ⟫ The monster hiding in the closet is a childhood nightmare and is most definitely not meant to be you knight in hefty boots, complete with horns and claws, but then Ivy is not your typical person. So waking up in a nightmare scape to discover that he has been attacked and left for dead and is currently being tended by the world’s most grumpy, annoying and kind demon is something that he pretty quickly learns to roll with. I loved Lau in the first book, so finding out more about him and him gaining his happy ever after was always going to be a winner. I loved the way these two characters interacted with each other, bounced banter and smack-talk back and forth, and were generally both their best and worst selves with each other.

There is the expected heat between them as the authors are known to do, and this book is very sexy. But the thing I am taking away from it is how kind, loving and there for each other Ivy and Lau became – they didn’t need each other but they wanted to need each other which for some reason resonated so hard with me and made me very happy inside.

Catching up with Cody and Nor was brilliant – Nor was such an absolute sweetheart – but Vari cracked me up every single time he turned up on-page. A very enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more in the Black Oasis world.

I received an ARC from GRR.

Whispers in the Dark by Nikole Knight & Lily Mayne (Black Oasis Book #1)

TITLE: ⟫ Whispers in the Dark (Black Oasis Book #1)

AUTHOR: ⟫ Nikole Knight and Lily Mayne

RATING: ⟫ 4/5

BLURB: ⟫ You never know what’s hiding under your bed…

At twenty-four, Cody has already lost hope of having a life of his own. All his time is spent playing nurse to a dying, spiteful step-father and maid to his bully half-brother. His only escapes are playing his favorite online fantasy game, Black Oasis, and talking to the strange, unearthly presence under his bed that may or may not actually exist.

But everything changes when his nightly visitor, who introduces himself as Nor, starts talking back.

As their connection deepens, Nor invites Cody into the surreal world existing just beyond his nightmares, filled with haughty demons, passion-killing pet bugs named Gef, and a dark landscape that is oddly familiar. With his sweet but monstrous companion by his side, Cody might finally gain the life of freedom and adventure that he’s always wanted.

Join Nor and Cody as they unearth the true meaning of hope, passion, and a love of endless depths that spans between worlds in Whispers in the Dark, the first book in Knight and Mayne’s co-authored queer, monster romance series, Black Oasis.

Whispers in the Dark is an M/M monster romance full of hurt/comfort, angst, humor, and a sweet, spicy love between a redheaded Texan and his precious, six-fingered Deepdweller. This love story contains explicit content and is not suitable for young readers. Be sure to check the Trigger Warnings at the beginning of the book for more details.

REVIEW: ⟫ I went into this with vaguely high hopes and I wasn’t disappointed.

Cody’s life is just so sad, empty yet full of pain that it’s no wonder he begins talking to the darkness beneath his bed – even knowing it’s most likely either a monster or a figment of his imagination, it’s still the best thing to happen to him. It doesn’t take far into the book to realise that Cody is living in a dangerous situation – between the verbal abuse of his stepfather, the emotional damage being caused by his absent mother and the physical abuse he suffers fro his half-brother, it’s a wonder that Cody is the kind, caring individual that he is.

Nor is just amazing. I adore the fact that he rumbles and purrs encouragement at Cody; is terrified of a Pomeranian and thinks comparing something to dirt is a compliment. I giggled more than once at their interactions, but more than anything it was so sweet as these two began to trust each other and their relationship grew until it became sexual. Lily Mayne has a knack for writing hot monsters and she definitely achieved that with Nor,as well as creatures that I imagine will feature in their own story in the future.

Black Oasis as part of the world building was an excellent move and I’m intrigued as to how there are so many similarities, although I suspect a certain curly haired ghost might have something to do with that.

The story doesn’t shy away from the less pleasant aspects of looking after someone who is bed-bound, especially someone who treats their carer with such little respect and regard. The underlying subtext from Cody’s brother, as well as hints given elsewhere, gave the story some urgency and after visiting Nor’s home, I did wonder if it would be possible for Cody to get his happy ever after with Nor.

This book has some laugh out loud moments (Lau’s brother and his mischievous gifts comes to mind) meant that there was some levity to what could quite easily have been an angst-filled story and I appreciated that. Even when things got dark, there was always light and the authors did a great job of ensuring that you knew there was going to be a way through. I felt that the joint-writing was almost seamless and that the authors seemed to work well together and produce something more than worthy of an afternoon’s read.

Lor by Lily Mayne (Monstrous Book #7)

Title: ⟫ Lor

Author: ⟫ Lily Mayne

Rating: ⟫ 4.5/5

Blurb: ⟫ My role as Moric—ruler of a small and prosperous fiefdom in a quiet corner of the world—has always been painfully dull and stifling.

Until a beautiful, otherworldly creature with pink skin and a mane of golden hair falls through a strange void that has appeared in my guest-room.

And I am instantly captivated by him.

I have never seen anything like him. I have no idea where he came from, and what else is through that unsettling void—another world filled with soft-skinned, defenceless creatures like him? No tails, no horns, no claws, no sharp teeth. Tiny clothing, rounded ears, bright blue eyes. He is fascinating. And I want to keep him.

But I have no idea how my citizens and councillors will react to his presence—to the knowledge that a whole other world exists, and there is a portal to it in my guest-room. As much as I try to keep him my secret, the truth starts to slip out.

And those in my fiefdom who cling desperately onto power do their best to tear us apart. To take him from me.

I won’t let them.

Lor is Book Seven of the Monstrous series, a post-apocalyptic m/m fantasy series that features monsters and human men falling in love. It is best to read the series in order.

Warning: This m/m love story contains explicit sexual content and is not suitable for young readers. It also contains non-human genitalia, mentions of a past familial death, grief, depression, attempted murder, depictions of death and violence.

Review: ⟫ Oh I don’t think people are ready for this one – not by a long shot. Initially, I was very confused by what was happening. This is the first time that we have begun a story on the ‘monster’ side and it was a brain-shift that took me a while (I’m old – sue me!) Jugs was hysterical, as was the translation between him and Lor initially. The beer can still makes me giggle because I’m a child like that. However, we were about 45% of the way through the book, I was madly in love with Lor and Jugs, and wondering how things were going to work out when I realised – there was no way the next part was going to be nice.

The sheer angst in this book blew me away – like, I was sniffling constantly and wishing harm on Lily Mayne for the cruelty of what happened. And it was worse because of the ‘battle’ that was under way – this wasn’t a matter of fighting with weapons – this was something else entirely. I’m trying so hard not to spoil any of the book but if you have enjoyed reading the previous Monstrous books, then rest assured, you will love this one.

The way that we meet familiar characters was genius – Wyn was so Wyn in this book, I cackled for ages. And the surprise at the end – I knew, I absolutely KNEW who it was as soon as a certain character returned and I was so HYPED for it.

This gets a 4.5 rounded up for me and I am seriously pleased that I pushed through my mood to finish reading this book.

Death's Bloom: A Bluebeard Retelling by Lily Mayne

Title: ⟫ Death’s Bloom: A Bluebeard Retelling

Author: ⟫ Lily Mayne

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ He’s the most perfect man I’ve ever met, but something is… wrong.

I don’t see it at first. All I see is the gorgeous man with dark eyes and long hair and that unusual blue beard. The piercings and the tattoos, the beautiful smile. All I can focus on is the way he touches me, the sound of his voice in my ear, the perfect life he draws me into.

I hide it from him at first. The fact that… I think I’m losing my mind. That I keep seeing something lurking in the corners of rooms, keep hearing a terrible voice mumbling in the dead of night, keep seeing white eyes watching me in the dark.

Something is haunting me. Tormenting me. Trying to ruin this perfect life I now have with Theo, so I do my best to pretend that everything is fine. That I’m not terrified I’m losing my mind, or that a demon is stalking the halls every night trying to… get me.

Until I can’t pretend anymore. Until I realise… the monster in my nightmares and my perfect, loving boyfriend are not so different after all.

Death’s Bloom is an MM horror retelling of Bluebeard, as part of the collaboration Monsters & Mayhem: An MM Horror Collection, adapting some of your favourite classic horror stories with an MM romance twist.

Warning: This m/m love story contains explicit sexual content and is not suitable for young readers. It includes mild BDSM, including restraint and breath play, and MMM elements as well as graphic depictions of death, gore and violence, a somewhat toxic relationship and morally reprehensible characters.

Review: ⟫ This was juicy and dark and I was all the way here for it!!

It helps that I had forgotten the basis of the Bluebeard story, so as it unfolded it was all new to me. Ari and Theo were a match made in heaven – or hell, depending on how you look at it – and from the time they actually met, the chemistry was off the charts. Their relationship happened thick and fast, and was kinky as all heck. And I loved it. The consequences were vaguely terrifying – I mean, I read what was happening and it sent a shiver down my spine. I completely understood Ari’’s reaction – who the heck would you tell? And it was made even more fascinating when we got Theo’s side of things.

I really and truly loved this – it was very much a fairytale retelling, but with a demonic twist. Lily Mayne has a very distinctive style and I have very much enjoyed reading her Monstrous series This isn’t quite in the same vein, but the style is there so if you like that series, and you’re happy to go darker (and I don’t mean a little darker but a LOT), then you should really enjoy this!

A Monstrous Christmas Time in the Camp by Lily Mayne

Title: ⟫ A Monstrous Christmas in the Camp

Author: ⟫ Lily Mayne

Rating: ⟫ 5/5

Blurb: ⟫ A 34.5k word short for Christmas 2022! This short sees the Nebraska camp celebrating a (late) Christmas, with lots of food and gift-giving and *ahem* other stuff.

It features every POV of the Monstrous lads so far! (Plus Anchor!)

I hope you enjoy, and, if you celebrate it, have a lovely Christmas. Otherwise, have a restful winter break.

Content warnings: Oh boy here we go: Explicit sexual content, 18+ only, mentions of death and grief, alcohol consumption, pimple popping, blood and pus (Wyn hates pus!), groping in public (Charlie you bastard), restraint, use of sex toys, very brief mention of Moth’s past abuse, mentions of anxiety, squirrel, Edin flashes everyone, Hunter has unique feelings about Mrs Claus, chastity, lingerie, Wyn being a filthy old man, my poor sweet Danny goes through some things, graphic description of death, mentions of nausea and an instance of vomiting, inhuman genitalia

Spoiler warning: Set after the events of Seraph (Monstrous: Book Six)

Review: ⟫ Oh Lord, this was so much fun to read!! If you’ve enjoyed the Monstrous series by Lily Mayne, then you will love this Christmas catch up with our monsters and their humans!

This is a fun look at Christmas in the camp, with the monsters all determined to make it a wonderful time for their humans before things get heavy in the next part of their journey. We get POV from nearly all of our monsters (I don’t think Aury has a chapter) as well as scenes of a domestic nature that will make you go aww.

The laughs come thick and fast – who knew that Wyn was a sporner?! – as well as seeing how well the monsters have integrated into the camp. Edin needs to come with a warning because the imagery I got from this story keeps making me giggle at inappropriate times – there is actually art on Lily’s website that shows the outfit!

I think Seraph may well be my favourite monster simply because of how sweet he is and the fact that I adore Lilac, but it was brilliant to catch up with them all, This is available on Lily Mayne’s website/newsletter.

Moth by Lily Mayne (Monstrous #5)

Title: ⟫ Moth 

Author: ⟫ Lily Mayne 

Blurb: ⟫ When I—along with my best friend and his big purple monster boyfriend—come across a fortress-like raider camp while journeying across the monster-infested Wastes, we stop to deliver a message. 

Somehow, that simple pit stop turns into a seemingly impossible quest to get this camp’s missing leader out of the prison where he’s being held and forced to fight monsters and other humans. And I know exactly where it is, because I’ve been there. 

 Problem is, I’m making this journey with the prickliest and most arrogant guy I’ve ever met, who seems to immediately hate me on sight. 

Oh, and he’s also half monster. 

So there’s that. 

And he’s in love with a raider who definitely does not love him back, and he seems determined to take it out on me. So there’s also that. But I’m not going to rise to his childish insults and barbed words. I’m not. 

I’m also going to try very hard to ignore how mind-numbingly beautiful he is, even when he’s scowling at me. 

But the longer we’re out here together, the more I learn about my prickly half monster companion Moth. I realise there’s a reason he’s so closed off and angry. There’s a reason he hates everyone. There are secrets he’s been keeping, and when I find out what they are, I want to do everything in my power to help him—even though he’s telling me he can’t be helped. 

Moth is Book Five of the Monstrous series, a post-apocalyptic m/m fantasy series that features monsters and human men falling in love. It is best to read the series in order. 

Warning: This m/m love story contains explicit sexual content and is not suitable for young readers. It also contains graphic depictions of death and violence. 

Review: ⟫ Oh Moth!! 

My heart broke for this half-monster – I knew there had to be a good reason for what had happened in previous books, but I never imagined this. 

Lily Mayne pulled out the stops with this one – all of her monsters are beautiful, alien and scary in their own way, but Moth with his vulnerabilities, differences and awful childhood just about broke my heart. 

I devoured this in one sitting, then re-read it immediately to pick up all of the things that I might have missed, and I will probably re-read it again. This is another one of those series where each subsequent book somehow manages to replace your current ‘favourite’ couple, and Moth and Charlie most definitely did that. 

I loved Charlie. I loved how affable he was, how kind and understanding, how strong and unflinching. His loyalty to the people he cares about was palpable and what he did for Moth – building him up, listening, understanding and ultimately loving him – was just beautiful. 

More world building, catching up with our previous favourites and Cat – this was just such a brilliant book. I cannot wait for Lilac’s book, if only so we can finally see him wield that machete! An easy 5/5 from me.

Seraph by Lily Mayne (Monstrous Book #6)

Title: ⟫ Seraph (Monstrous Book #6) 

Author: ⟫ Lily Mayne 

Rating: ⟫ 5/5 

Blurb: ⟫ I’ve already mentally prepared myself to kill the screaming, murderous monster in the cage outside our camp. 

I’m used to it. It’s what I do here. Kill monsters and other people. And this monster, Seraph, is particularly unstable—has been since the moment he arrived from Collector Mary’s monster menagerie to the west, where the military stashed him away. 

He’s in pain. I can see it. But he’s not a mindless beast. Not like some of the others think. 

When I start guarding him in his cage every night, I begin to see the person beneath the agony that tortures his every waking moment. I begin to see who Seraph could have been if he hadn’t been twisted into this monstrous creature. I realise that I wouldn’t be able to bring myself to kill him, even for his own sake, but it doesn’t matter anyway. He’s already dying, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. Not even when new visitors at our raider camp bring with them secrets about Seraph. 

Secrets the military has tried to hide. 

Secrets that reveal the true extent of the horror he’s been put through. 

And now… 

Now, I will kill anyone who tries to hurt him again. 

Seraph is Book Six of the Monstrous series, a post-apocalyptic m/m fantasy series that features monsters and human men falling in love. It is best to read the series in order. 

Warning: This m/m love story contains explicit sexual content and is not suitable for young readers. It also contains non-human genitalia, depictions of violence, serious injury, death, and one instance of violence between the MCs. 

Review: ⟫ I cried a lot with this one. I didn’t expect to – I have loved Lilac from the first time we met him, and I wanted him to have an epic love-story and an epic monster, but I didn’t expect Seraph. In fact, I don’t think anyone could ever really prepare themselves for Seraph – all I can say is to have the tissues ready. 

We got to spend a lot more time with our previous monster-human couples, with a heavy dose of humour incorporating Wyn of all people. And I hadn’t expected Gloam to be such a ‘dad’! 

There is so much that happens in this book, but even talking about my favourite bits feels like too much of a spoiler so I won’t say much. I will say that the monster-sex in this was hot in the extreme – not quite tentacles but very close! Rig is still a complete and utter sweetheart, and my love for him has not dwindled. But then, in each of these books it has been easy to fall in love with the protagonists. 

This is more than Lilac and Seraph’s love story – this is once again more about learning that humans can be far more monstrous than anything that should be terrifying as it swoops down! Once again, the monsters show more compassion and caring than the humans themselves do. I don’t envy Anchor her job of keeping the camp happy – the raiders do have the right to feel safe, and living with monsters is not what they signed up for. But the monsters who have joined the Raiders camp bring so much with them that surely they should be considered on their own merits? 

Sorry, this is meant to be a review, not a debate. I have been looking forward to his book for so long and it more than satisfied me – I sniffled through the ending and shed a few tears of happiness at the end. The path is set up for what is happening next, and I look forward to the next two books in the series that Lily Mayne mentions in her author notes at the back.

Wyn by Lily Mayne

Title: ⟫ Wyn 

Author: ⟫ Lily Mayne 

Blurb: ⟫ I am a monster. 

 A ghoul. A demon. The bogeyman. I have been called all of them. Most creatures fear me, but humans are repulsed by me. They are terrified of me. They have created legends about me, ever since they became aware of my existence when the tear between our worlds grew and we—the monsters from their nightmares—flooded through in our droves. 

 There is only one human who isn’t afraid of me. The only one who matters. And I will destroy anyone who tries to hurt him or take him from me. Danny is mine. For the first time in my unfathomably long life, I know what it means to want another so much that the thought of losing him threatens to ruin me. I will do anything to keep Danny with me for as long as I can have him—for as long as he is willing to stay by the side of an ancient, scarred creature with a voice so inhuman it has sent some mad. 

 For some reason, Danny loves my voice. For some reason, Danny loves me. And when we both decide that his natural human life is nowhere near enough time for us to have together, we go on a journey between worlds to the one place where we can do what it takes for us to be together forever. 

  Wyn is a sweet, low-angst novella that is part of the Monstrous series, a post-apocalyptic m/m fantasy series that features monsters and human men falling in love. It is best to read this series in order—if you haven’t read books one to three already, there are big spoilers in this! 

  Review ⟫ Wyn is a closet Romantic! 

 This novella was long-awaited (okay maybe not long but I have no patience!) and I wish it had been a full novel because I'm greedy! Wyn and Danny make a perilous journey to a place within the Tear that may offer them a chance to be together longer than Danny's natural lifespan. 

 Mainly told from Wyn's POV, it was a beautiful insight into how a monster feels about his human and all that he is prepared to give up for the chance of eternity. 

 We see the Monster world, meet 'Gods' and spend time with our original favourites and I devoured this in just over an hour. Hot sex scenes, great banter and true love - you can't ask for more than that!