| Title | : | Ravaged by Monsters (Dark Temptations, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 353 |
| Publication | : | First published May 27, 2022 |
There are two roles for a human—either you’re a monster’s pet or you’re dead.
When I’m ripped from my family and the resistance at the age of eighteen, I think my life is over.
One second, I’m fighting against the monsters who enslaved us for years, and the next, I’m on a stage, waiting to be bid on by the very beasts I hunted and killed.
Everything changes when I’m bought by four of the most terrifying monsters in all of existence and the kings of our world—The Four Terrors.
The Empty Man, who has no corporeal body of his own. As such, he possesses everything and everyone within his sights. He’s the light that flickers, the doll that speaks, the sink that bubbles over.
The Grotesque, someone I’ve never seen with my own two eyes before. Rumor has it, if you set sight upon his face, you’ll die a horrible and painful death. But he whispers to me, his seductive voice promising of all the sinful things he plans to do with me—and to me—if I open myself up.
The Devourer, who needs to feast on human flesh to survive. He has claws for hands, horns erupting from his head, and bright red eyes that lure me in.
And finally, The Creeper, who travels through portals in closets—the definition of the monster in the closet. Sometimes, he’ll sit in my room, a silent shadow, watching me. Wanting me.
I’m nothing but a pet to these dangerous, malicious beasts. But maybe…
Maybe I want to be ravaged by the monsters.
This is a reverse harem romance with protective, possessive, psychotic monsters and the female they all love. If you like your men a little deranged and one hundred percent monstrous, your female a badass, and panty-melting heat, then this is the book for you. The things these monsters can do with their tongues…and claws…and horns…and tails…
Ravaged by Monsters (Dark Temptations, #1) Reviews
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3.5 stars
Okay first of all what in the everlovingfuck is that ending?! I knew it was going to end on a cliffhanger but what. the. shitbucket.
I went into this book not knowing just how DARK it is, I'll admit that I didn't check any trigger warnings since I can usually somewhat handle a bunch of things, but either way - I was not prepared for something that was this dark and upsetting enough to lace itself through the entire experience of reading this book.
There is a real world dystopian setting in the beginning of this story - a genre of fiction I've stayed away from since I finished The Hunger Games trilogy ages ago (loved those books, cried a shit ton, figured I can't handle the pain, hence stayed a w a y). There is cannibalism soon after - something that haunted me throughout reading this, glued to the back of my mind, and was brought up casually in small bits and pieces throughout the book. There are some things that are too gross to repeat and I happened to be eating my dinner while reading those parts and I tell you, it's been a long time since I regretted reading a book while eating. The thing that bothered me THE MOST is human slavery, and human sexual slavery. This is a running theme throughout and is very hard to handle. So much so, that I couldn't turn off the thoughts of other background female characters that are barely introduced on page while being sold at an auction and then go off page where it's easy to assume they are being brutalised while the FMC was having mind blowing sex with her monsters. Some of her partners have also had one or two thoughts that are super misogynistic, and suddenly pulled me out of the book to be like hey imma punch uu fucker.
I went into this book expecting RH heaven and what I got is more world building and brutality than I bargained for. I'm not sure how I feel at the end of this. I will be reading the next installment now that I know what to expect, and also because excuse me - cliffhanger?!?!?
I like the effort the author put in though, I will say that. This isn't a fuckfest (which makes me sad on one hand because helloo RH?!?, but also proud of the authors for doing whatever they could to flesh the book out and give it something more), there are also many unanswered questions about the world she's in after her capture. It's not great as a book, but it's not the worst. There was some humor. Lol. Okay that's it. That's the review. I need something fluffy now.
Also hey look I finished my reading challenge! This is my hundredth book this year and I've NEVER read these many books in a single year ever. Feels divine but also ungodly. -
Final Review (7/25/2022): Katie May and Ann Denton are my ultimate auto click on KU duo. Whatever they put out I will read. Some things I like more than others but to be honest, I am completely on board with the monster romance trend. I’m not a huge fan of apocalyptic settings at this point in my reading life but I don’t feel like it took me too far out of the story.
This is a reverse harem between Aliana and the 4 baddest monsters in this world - the Terrors. The Devourer (traditional Harry Potter style wolfman), The Empty Man (a ghost. I chose to imagine him as a sexy version of Hotel Transylvania’s Griffin, the Invisible Man), the Grotesque (a Gargoyle) and The Creeper(the ever versatile monster under the bed who jumps through portals).
When I read the blurb, I was very concerned that this was gonna piss me off. I mean the “heroes” buying the “heroine” in a slave auction, just made me mad. I very nearly skipped this one. I decided I trusted the authors enough to try out a trope that I hate the idea of. I am glad I didn’t because this terrible way to start a relationship made for beautiful tension throughout the story.
Aliana doesn’t acknowledge or feel the mate bond like any of the guys. She is in denial and she hates their guts. This really provides for a juicy hate to love narrative that is still yet to be resolved in this book. As with any of Katie May book, this is smutty as fuck which I enjoyed. I did struggle with how abruptly
The emotions and connections between the characters were somewhat lacking. I wouldn’t characterize this as a romance but monster erotica. Most of the emotions Aliana feels well into the ending of the book is straight up fear towards her mates. Which will obviously change as the series progresses but for now… WTF was that ending.
No… I know what that ending was… it was brutally amazing and I am excited for book 2.
4 monstrous stars -
I am so intrigued by this world and the characters. I was expecting it to be just some monster smut but was pleasantly surprised by the world building and hierarchy system. But, this book is not for everyone. It has lots of gore and jarring moments.
I’m not sure how to feel. It’s very interesting but we didn’t get much out of this book. There was a lot of laying down the foundation and introductions and little of anything else. Not much has happened between Aliana and the monsters or anything else plot wise. There were only a couple scenes with the guys and her so it was hard to fully grasp them as individual characters and together. It’s hinting that there’s going to me a bigger plot outside of the character is the future though, we just didn’t get much in this one.
I can tell there’s a lot of thought put into this story with the history of the world, how the world works and how the story is going to play out. Everything feels like there is a point to it. There’s no random scenes for shock factor or completely out of the blue spice. There were also these little hints of what is to come.
I’m excited to see where this goes and glad I don’t have to wait too long for the next book! This one does end on a cliffhanger. -
Sadly not my favorite
Katie May is definitely a one-click author for me. I don't even need to read the book synopsis before I download it. With the variety of books she writes I guess it makes sense that not every single one will be a hit for me.
This book goes along the lines of the super popular monster romance trope that is taking the book world by storm at the moment. These monsters also do not shift into amazingly beautiful men like many others. They are true monsters.
The parts that kind of lost it for me were the 'my traitorous body' syndrome bits (my absolute least favorite words in a book ever) and the fated mates aspect. That's not to say I don't like fated mates books, because I do, it just felt like in this one it was a crutch to justify the monsters' behavior.
I will likely read the next installment of this, but I'm more excited to continue other Katie May stories before this one. -
This was amazing. It wasn't like anything I've ever read before. I can't wait to read the next book after that cliffhanger ending.
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You are the WORST!
Omg! As soon as that ended I cursed both your names!!!!
This book was amazing and wonderful and amazing....did I say that already?? Well it is.
If you like monsters and a strong FMC that fights with everything she has then you will LOVE this book. I finished it in 5 hours. Seriously so so so Fun*king good.
Oh man and that double action....just chefs kiss!!! Also I'm little pissed at one of them...he knows who his stony a** is!
Get this book. Get it now. -
Not quite 2 & 1/2 stars.
The cover art is great & suckered me right in. I have liked a few of the "monster" books out lately, so hoped this would be a good fit. But reading this, I don't know, it had this vibe, like rubber necking at the scene of a car accident, you can't help but look at it as you drive past. It did hold my attention, and I did stay up way to late to keep reading. But somehow, it was just such a shock value book, the connections without the "mate bond" just weren't there. A lot of Stockholm Syndrome feelings to it. I never felt the chemistry or the attraction between her & the monsters. It just wasn't there. I also had some trouble with the world building, there's a lot of at odd moments that didn't mesh well. . I think the book sacrificed too much to the shock & awe factor which in turn made me not care to continue with the series. -
lol, this was so dumb. I found myself laughing throughout, and not in a good way.
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We all have our kinks. We all have things we like in books and thinks we don't like in books. I have to admit that monsters aren't really my kink. I used to be terrified of monsters and I never made the transition to wanting those monsters in my bed. However, when it comes to Katie May and Ann Denton I have discovered that whether or not something is my kink doesn't matter anymore. I was therefore quite curious about this book.
And I can honestly say that I liked this book a lot more than I had thought based on some reviews and the summary. What I liked most is that the relationship between the characters is not an instant bond kind of thing. Yes, our monsters instantly feel that our leading lady is their mate, but our human leading lady has a very strong reason to not really like monsters in general and is not that aware of the bond either.
And that means that there is this constant tension in the book while the characters are figuring out how everything works. Our heroine has to learn that maybe the world of monsters isn't full of true monsters and that some monsters can be nice and gentle and funny and charming. And some of our monsters need to learn that humans have different needs and wants from monsters and might need a different approach when it comes to love.
Of course, there is still a lot of smut in this book. Our heroine might not really know that she is bonded to these monsters, but her body does recognize them as her fated. That means that she's having a constant inner conflict. A part of her wants to hate these monsters and wants to escape and then there's this part of her that longs for these monsters and wants to be with them. I also really really loved these monsters! They were complicated, layered and interesting! I can't wait for more! -
WOW!!! I never thought I would have a Kink for monsters. Aliana has been sold at an Auction to the 4 Terrors in a world ruled by monsters.
Unbeknownst to Aliana she is Mated to the 4 Monsters: The Devourer (12ft Wolf man), The Creeper (The Monster under your bed), The Grotesque (A Gargoyle type monster) and the Empty Man (A Ghost w/no Corporeal body). At the time of the bidding the auctioner announced the Devourer as the winner when all 4 Monsters ended up being tied during their bidding war.
Although Aliana is Mated to 4 Monsters who recognize her as their Fated Mate and is willing to do whatever it takes to take her and keep her safe. They never caused her any harm. Nor tried to hurt her in anyway.
Aliana is caught in the middle of a waging War where lower level monsters are on a killing spree to level up in power to take on the 4 Terrors. What could possibly go wrong?
4 Monster Mates, and an EPIC Battle amongst Monsters what will Aliana do especially when one of her Fated Mates is an actual ghost who wants her to join him in the afterlife?
Decision time: Fight or Flight.
I can't wait to read the next installment. -
3.5 ⭐️‘s
I enjoyed the book! I feel like there was a lot of slow burn and build up but then things happened too quickly at the end? I don’t know. There were parts I LOVED and parts I didn’t enjoy.
I definitely didn’t love the ending but 🤷🏻♀️
It was still good! -
Not what I was expecting ⭐⭐⭐3.5⭐⭐⭐
Ok, this monster romance was a bit different from your "classic" monster romance.
The setting is a dystopian world where monsters have taken power from humans for around 100 years. Humans are now chased by monsters, enslaved, devored, tortured or killed...well, not a place you wish to be born. 😱
But Aliana had not the privilege to choose. When she and her team got caught by monsters during a mission aimed to gather medicines, she found herself auctioned and sold to one of the four most powerful monster called the Terrors.
About the Terrors, let me say that there aren't definitely sexy monsters you lust about. There are quite hideous, cruel, and there are drawned to Aliana because she's their mate but love isn't at play here.
Of course Aliana rebelled about her captivity but what can do a human against four monsters determined to keep her? Well, you'll see...
Expect some gore🤮, cruelty, not feeling a real connection between the characters but more fear and disgust☹️ so, it's not a romantic monster romance but still interesting! -
I AM SO FREAKING STABBY RIGHT NOW! HOW DARE YOU PULL THAT CLIFFHANGER!! *angry scream cries* Fucking shit, give me a hot wine bottle fucking and then end with THAT scene! I am not okay!
I have a lot of thoughts, none of them are coherent tho. I love that Alaina is such a strong badass. Although I do have to admit there were times I was like “why is she being so unnecessarily cruel”…. Then I remembered that while the guys are total hotties and the staff are nice to her they’re still monsters that eat peoples fingers. Haha!
Definitely invested in this series and will be bouncing around while waiting to find out what happens next. -
That ending though 👀👀
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People kidnapped and starved start to eat her dead friend (that they did not kill)
Aliana: I feel sorry for people that give up on their morality in order to survive, I would rather die than do this
Aliana’s in her way to be sold to monsters
Aliana: I’ll fuck the beings I hate the most in order to survive
???????????? -
Holy heck! That cliffhanger is insane 🤯
I’ve read a lot of monster and for some reason this book is so different and unique. I’ve honestly never read anything like this.
I love how bad*ss Aliana is. I love how she can hold her own and isn’t an innocent blushing fmc.
The Empt Man is an interesting character. I’m definitely super curious about his past as I don’t know anything about him and why he’s super powerful, especially for a ghost.
The Creeper might seem like a flirty jokester, but underneath it all, he just wants someone to love him.. and hard.
The Grotesque is an enigma. On the outside he’s a cold blooded monster who can kill you with just one look. But he blushes. BLUSHES. And he’s just so freaking cute. Ugh. I need more of him.
The Devour is definitely all beast. He possesses, protects, and devours. But he’s also artistic and sees the world in a different light that others can’t see. He might seem like the bad guy, but he’s really not.
I’ve been in a massive book slump and nothing has caught my attention… until now. If you’ve been questioning weather you should read this book or not- don’t. READ IT!! -
OMG!
What in the world did I just read? There was just so much thrown at me. Lol! I loved the multiple POV’s, it was probably the highlight for me. There’s so much stereotyping happening in this book. Altho, the monsters did enslave and cripple the world of mankind. They also auction humans to monsters who a need of slaves. Or maybe it was the mate connection between 4 Terros while the fmc was on stage. This book had some hot and dirty scenes that surprised even me with how creative it got. That last sexual encounter, I knew he was the dominant one but the words that came out of her mouth made me laugh with opposite she really felt. There was a real plot going on as well as her getting to know her monsters. Which is why I loved this book so much. The plot, the action, the emotions written so flawlessly, it was perfectly balanced against the romance/lust side of the book. I can’t wait to see how the fmc gets outta this one. I’m also curious to see how Chase makes it out of this… will he turn into the idiot she saw him as, or will his character strengthen in the next book, making Em seek a new body to possess. Like I said, there was a lot thrown at the reader, and the only down side was the book had to come to an end. I can’t wait to read the next one! -
2 1/2 stars
Was not feeling this one.
This novel is set in a dystopian world where monsters have taken over the world - the protagonist, Aliana, has been kidnapped by monsters and is now being sold as a slave. She is technically bought by all four of the Terrors - monsters who are level 10s on the power scale (1 being the lowest, 10 being the highest) - though one of the monsters, the Devourer, didn't get that memo and takes her to his home.
The protagonist felt like a generic YA "badass female" - her parents were killed by monsters so she hates all monsters. She is beautiful, sassy and uses a crossbow... Nothing new or original here. The way the relationships developed was not natural or authentic, in my opinion. She hates the Devourer until, all of a sudden, she doesn't? Maybe that's the result of having two authors, I'm not sure.
I may continue on with the series since it ended on a cliff hanger and I'm vaguely curious about what happens next. But this was definitely one of the more disappointing monster romances I've read. -
Hot steamy monster romance
My oh my
This book is set in a world where monsters are real and they are ruling the world. Humans are in hiding planning a rebellion or they are slaves to the monsters. Aliana is a part of the rebellion, hating monsters to her core and killing them when she can.
Then she is caught and sold at a monster auction.
The four leaders of the monster world, called terrors want her. They all bid on her. And they all win.
Aliana is locked away struggling to come to terms with her new reality, her gaurd coming down with these monsters. And giving her body willingly to them and then hating herself for it.
There is so much that stands between them and I don't know how they'll ever move forward, if they can.
This book ends on a cliffhanger that truly confuses and terrify me. As I read this book I can't help but root for the monsters but be infuriated with them at the same time. Their head is in the right place but theit actions are plain stupid.
Aliana is such a force of nature I can't wait to see what she does next. -
This was very fun to read! I love a good monster romance as much as the next hoe, but the plot in this had me addicted and on the edge of my seat!
We have a FMC with an attitude and the fight of a high tier monster, even though she's just a little human.
We then have 4 level 10 monsters (the highest strength) who all want her.
The first is angry, possessive, and gives werewolf vibes
The second is standoff ish, is gray, has fangs, and lives behind a mask
The third is blue and the monster who lives under your bed
The fourth doesn't even have a body and lives in the objects around you
The plot isn't what I expected and oh my lawd, the cliffhanger drove me insane!
Check trigger warnings! I like the f*cked up stuff and can't wait to keep reading. -
Real Freaky Monsters. Cliffy
This was an absolutely awesome read. I definitely should have edge it a little longer because that cliffhanger was a dozy. I could have used a little less time with Aliana sitting in a room talking to herself and a little more from the monsters on what was going on. And I didn’t like that it took Dev the entire book to just talk to her instead of wolfing out but otherwise this was a really good and I’ll be getting into the author’s backlist for sure. -
My sincerest apologies, but I gotta hit this one with a DNF. If you enjoy the vague sensation of being hunted as a prey animal for sport, then boy do I have the book for you.
This book somehow gives you distant anxiety, but is also boring. I was expecting way more spice based on the blurb. I got more than halfway though and not much has happened. I'm bored and must move on now. I don't want to give it a super low rating because it is well written. It's just not for me. -
Wt....ff
This book people, I don't know what I expected but this wasn't it. And that ending *insert curse words here* how can I wait for the next one when that ending was so.... brutal!
Backtracking the words flow, the story is extremely put together and we don't see a strong kickass rebellion woman succumb to the monsters she has a really hard time coming to grips with everything and the question remains even at the end will she ever?
Amazing start though, here to hoping book 2 will be as good as this one. -
What the f is up with that ending!? Or should I say not-ending... This story isn't done yet, we're in the middle of a confrontation and it just comes to an abrupt end? Unacceptable. Just when things started to get interesting!! Honestly, I'm so frustrated that I'm taking a whole star off the rating. Two and a half stars.
-
Not a bad story, a bit too slow burn for my liking. Aliana could be very annoying at times, I just wanted to reach into the book and strangle hurt. Of course it would end on a cliff hanger like that, and the book isn't going to be out for another four months. Bah. Hopefully Aliana turns out better in the second book.
-
I skipped the dirty parts, but I loved the plotline of this book immensely. A world ruled by monsters that own and trade in humans. The terrors that rule, the power levels of the beasts, and the world-building were incredible.
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that cliffy tho
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dnf
Ok what did I read
I couldn’t finish this.
I have no triggers and read stuff similar to this,
BUT… this was bad like really bad sorry -
I just need to start this off by saying I did really enjoy this book. The world building was super cool and interesting to read about, I thought the plot was really well done, but with that said, I have a problem with the way some of these characters are described, specifically Aliana.
Aliana is described as this super strong and badass female lead character, but the reality is she would be the dumbass that would get killed first in a horror movie. She does know how to survive in a dystopian world and fight back against the monsters. She is resourceful but she also is the idiot who saw the flickering lights and sheets moving by themselves and was just like “Oh, I must have accidentally done that or I am seeing things.” And guess who got preyed on by a monster. She is very much a survivor character so she can certainly hold her own but she also just does things that make me think she’s a little bit of an idiot who lacks common sense. Like why would her little human self with no powers and no weapons jump into a fight with monsters that could kill her before she could say “Wow, I forked up.”
The ending I also had a little bit of an issue with mostly because it felt rushed and abrupt and just super in the middle of things in general. And also I’m salty that the next book doesn’t come out until the end of the year so I’m left stewing in an ending that wasn’t fully fleshed out or truly give me a sense of what I will be in for when the next book comes out.
Overall a good start but had a few minor issues that I was a little annoyed by, but I am highly anticipating book 2 when it tentatively comes out in December!
