Welcome to THE MONSTER BOTHERER!

We are thrilled to welcome back Emma Penman, who exclusively reviews monster romance, and has returned for another week of Monster Bothering. We decided that as all her reviews have a specific aim, we’ll house them all in one handy feature-cage!

Whilst not necessarily bothering many monsters herself, Emma will be letting us know which monster romance books are worth bothering with…

Content warning: These books are usually explicit unless stated otherwise

Just three little words can make everything better. What are those words I hear you ask? Well I’ll tell you, I’m nice like that. Pumpkin. Spice. Dick

Layla is lonely and when she hears of the town of Blackmoor’s offer of $1000 and one wish to whoever manages to spend three nights in the local spooky forest, she figures she may as well, her life is a bit of a dead end, she doesn’t have much to lose. Chosen out of the many applicants for her red hair, she’s left in the forest to her own devices.

This story is definitely more smut than substance. Layla being open to new sexual experiences and having the mindset of “when in Rome” helps her immensely through her stay in the forest, especially when she gets to spend that time getting laid instead of being chased and eaten (not in the fun way) by other monsters. Being tag teamed by werewolves who are definitely more beast than human and then brought to the elusive “Jack” for more of a gentile foray into erotic experiences gives the story a nice balance, a why choose on both monsters and methods.

Werewolves are well known to fellow monster enjoyers, but what I enjoyed most was the figure of Jack. When we are introduced to him, he is fully cloaked, his face hidden. I spent a bit of time trying to figure out what he was, while also hoping he wasn’t the “pumpkin king” of a certain movie. I like bone daddies, but he’s not my type. Too whiny. Turns out Trick or Beasts Jack is all of the Jacks. Jack Spratt, Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack and Jill, Jack Frost and so on. When he reveals his face, it is constantly changing, and that’s actually quite cool, something different from the usual monster fodder we get. Other than a constantly changing face, his body stays the same, though his cock has a strange orange tint to it, and he smells like pumpkin pie. The perfect Halloween guy.

Turns out Layla is Jack’s fated mate, but also the mate of his pets, the werewolves Alpha and Beta. They’ve been waiting for her and she is offered the chance to stay with them forever, but she will only see Jack for Halloween. Seeing as there’s nothing holding her back she agrees, committing herself to a lifetime of being railed (and loved in the wholesome way I suppose) by three spooky guys. To be so was her wish afterall. I do love a Happy Ever After.

Would I bother with Trick or Beast? Absolutely. It’s short, yes, but well written, funny and very spicy. Despite being so chock full of smut there’s an underlying charm there that can’t be ignored but don’t get me wrong, it’s not in any way cosy. While the ultimate goal of the protagonist is not really heroic or world changing, it’s something I think most of us want, to love and be loved in return. If Layla can find that with two grunting wolf men and a guy with a million faces then I’m all in favour of that, and I think it’s worth facing a forest of unknown terrors to find that. It’s not a trick, it’s a treat.