Imagine, if you will, that your kind of happy life ended one Halloween two years ago with the death of the one person who really cared about you, and his friends. Now you’re a laughingstock in your town, mothers and their children cross the streets rather than walk on the same sidewalk with you, and the only thing that used to give you some enjoyment in your life was ripped away from you the same night your brother died but you can’t tell anyone about it because no one would believe you…
Harlow did a whole lot of things that she isn’t proud of in the light of day, but she doesn’t understand why she has to be alone and unwanted, uncared for in this life. She feels so depressed and burdened by the past, that she plans to visit the one place where she and her bother had visited on Halloween together, and had some great memories there. She didn’t plan to survive the night. One way or another, she was going to end her suffering before life found a new way to make her endure more pain.
Unknown to Harlow, the place she has chosen to end her pitiful existence houses three spirits who have a lot of pent up resentment towards her and unfinished business to conduct with the young woman. They also do not plan to allow Harlow to leave the abandoned mansion alive. Somehow they have it in their undead brains that if she died by their hands, then they would in some manner be released from the curse that keeps them locked inside the haunted house, unable to leave or rest in peace. Instead of just letting Harlow kill herself, they put her through their own brand of punishments, purging her spirit and their own of the hatered and bitterness of the past.
I have to say, this book is not for the faint of heart or the less mature. Seriously, this is one twisted as heck kinky romp though some traumatizing memories. What Harlow endured is not sweet and gentle. What happened to her three spirits (Jack, Caden, and Silas) was torture as well, especially Silas. I cannot say this loud enough that the reader should definitely take me seriously and read through the author’s provided Trigger Warnings before reading this book. Some subjects within this book will mess with your mind and cause secondary trauma.
Horror wise, this one sits at around a 4 of five stars, because these guys are not nice and cuddly, even with Harlow. They intend to scare the life out of her, and very nearly do. The Ookie Spookie meter was decidedly redlined during some of the chapters. Yet this was not exactly a horror story.
Romance wise, the story was on the BDSM Kinky side, without actually stating that it was BDSM overtly. The primal chases though the house (more than one), the Dom/sub language, and the control wielded by one over the rest of the party of characters is very evident. If the Romance meter were a Kink meter, then this book would have a decided 10 out of 5 stars. However, there are romantic elements. Caden and Silas are devoted lovers before their untimely deaths. Jack was in love with Harlow, but fought the idea because he was concerned about her brother’s feelings — Jack and Harlow’s brother were 6 years older than she is. In the end, the four of them learn to traverse the restraints of conventional love for their own definition.
The Spice factor is huge and varied. There is literally something for everyone in this book. MM, MFM, MMFM… yeah… one happy family of love fest. At least there is not one boring moment in the reading! If someone tells you there is, they lied.
So, I picked this one up on a whim. I often do, but I fell in love with Harlow. Poor Harlow, who just wanted to be loved for who she was, and who unknowingly caused the chain of events that caused her brother’s death and her three loves to be trapped in a haunted house for two years. The romp was just extra. I don’t know if I will read this one again or not, but I am putting it in my reread pile anyway.
Don’t be afraid of the weird ones, as they can sometimes surprise you the most.
Dia
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