The best short monster romances that are doing things differently

Why am I passionate about this?

Monsters intrigue me. I’ve always enjoyed the weird and obscure – the creatures who are recognizably not human. Being a queer, autistic person, I’ve often felt as if I didn’t understand the world…or the world didn’t understand me. Reading and writing about monsters sheds a new light on the parts of myself that I was taught are undesirable. By conventional standards, the monsters in these stories are horrifying, yet they find people who love them and their monstrosity. Monsters get their happy endings – and I can get mine, too.


I wrote...

Book cover of Feed

What is my book about?

Avirin has a dirty little secret. She hates her fae coworker – but that’s no surprise. Not when Pye’s tattoos and easy-going attitude clash with her pencil skirts and rigid expectations. Those strict rules help her maintain a corporate appearance so no one catches onto the truth of what she is...

A succubus, secretly scheduling the feedings she needs to survive. Imagine her shock to find Pye on her doorstep offering their services. Avirin should refuse, but the need to feed is growing stronger...and once she gets a taste of him, she’s not sure her hunger will be sated by anything less than his body against hers.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of A Strip of Velvet

Aveda Vice Why did I love this book?

There's nothing like the pairing of a prickly woman and a gender-nebulous forest god.

Rien Gray always hooks me with their intriguing characters, but combine that with this story’s spiritual atmosphere and Norse mythos? It felt less like I was reading a book and more like I was wandering into the seductive dark of the woods myself.

Although this story is short enough to read in one sitting, its gorgeous prose and immaculate intimacy still pack a major punch.

By Rien Gray,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Strip of Velvet as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Katla Elínsdóttir has always believed in the old ways. She grew up in a rural village worshipping Heimr, an ever-changing and seductive god of the hunt. Offering blood to make the crops grow is second nature, but part of Katla fears a darker side of her nature that longs for prey. 

Abandoning her worship for a normal life in the city seems to tame that thirst, until Heimr appears in Katla's dreams and calls her back to the wild. They offer her everything she desires, but at a price her body and soul might not survive.

This story contains explicit…


Book cover of The Ecstasy of Cornelia Day

Aveda Vice Why did I love this book?

When it comes to monster romances off the beaten path, Magen Cubed is not afraid to play with more macabre themes. I enjoy all of their shorts, but The Ecstasy of Cornelia Day really sold me. When Cordelia moves into a new house, she realizes there are still spirits within its walls, and she starts to feel more than fear for the specters that haunt her. If you’re a fan of the pottery scene in Ghost and aren’t afraid to get a spooky and ethereal…try this. You’ll thank me.

By Magen Cubed,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Ecstasy of Cornelia Day as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Seated at her table, Cornelia squeezed her thighs together under her dress. She found she could no longer restrain her impulses at the thought. For now, however, Cornelia was content to listen to the old house whisper."

Let love take you to dark places in THE ECSTASY OF CORNELIA DAY from Magen Cubed (FLESHTRAP, A MONSTROUS LOVE, and THE SOUTHERN GOTHIC SERIES). In this erotic supernatural romance, a woman falls in love with the nine spirits who haunt her home -- and the man who killed them, known as the Master.

Sensuous, dream-like, and strange, this 4,200-word short story is…


Book cover of The Devil's Bargain

Aveda Vice Why did I love this book?

We all know the story: someone messes around with magic and ends up indebted to a demon. In this short, however, our main character is a queer Black man, and the devil that finds him won’t take no for an answer. For fans of Omegaverse, dubcon, and monsters that look like monsters, definitely check this out!

By Rian Fox,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Devil's Bargain as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The last thing Silas Cromwell expected was for a book to change his life. When a rare first edition book from a famous 19th-century Occultist ends up in Silas's lap at an auction, life as he knows it suddenly changes. Pressured into performing one of the rituals from the book by a friend, Silas gets a tease of regret. Now Silas can’t sleep, is having nightmares that end with him waking up terrified. Something obscene, dark and deadly wants Silas and he isn’t human. Bazaduil lusts for Silas and won’t take no for an answer, even if it means tricking…


Book cover of Sing Me to Sleep: A Series of Sacrilegious Events Novel

Aveda Vice Why did I love this book?

What I wouldn’t give for my sleep hallucinations to fuck me instead of terrifying me. Even in this novella-sized package, Sing Me to Sleep has tons of world building to kick off the upcoming series in this universe. If you struggle with nightmares or just want to read about an Indian American woman overcoming trauma and falling for her monstrous sleep paralysis demon, do yourself a favor! (There’s tail action.)

By RM Virtues,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Sing Me to Sleep as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Penelope has lost so much in six months.

Her father, her sense of security, her ability — and willingness— to sleep. Her family is most concerned about the latter at the moment, and when her sister Jenna leaves her alone in their shared home for the first time since The Incident, Penelope finally accepts some help. The only problem? There are side effects. Well, one: sleep paralysis.

And the demon who came for her fear.

Fear is the only thing that matters to the demons of the Somni Dae, and as long as they deliver it back to Hell, they…


Book cover of The Witch's Wolves

Aveda Vice Why did I love this book?

What would happen if Little Red Riding Hood ran into the woods – and came across a cottage inhabited by wolf-men (fur and all)? I love stories where a couple adds another partner to their relationship, and The Witch’s Wolves gives us a sweet glimpse of that. If you understand the sex appeal of Stanley Tucci, you will get why this cozy queer story delivers heat.

By Ellie Mae MacGregor,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Witch's Wolves as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Little Red Riding Hood is all grown up- and she’s queer. Manon has been caught in one scandalous situation too many, now she’s on the run. When she finally sees a lone cottage in the woods she thinks she’s found her salvation, only to find that she’s stumbled into a den of wolves. But she soon finds that these wolf-men are much more interested in pleasure than they are in pain.

This is a 18,000~ word soft and very steamy MMF romance novella with a guaranteed HEA.




You might also like...

Ferry to Cooperation Island

By Carol Newman Cronin,

Book cover of Ferry to Cooperation Island

Carol Newman Cronin Author Of Ferry to Cooperation Island

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Sailor Olympian Editor New Englander Rum drinker

Carol's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

James Malloy is a ferry captain--or used to be, until he was unceremoniously fired and replaced by a "girl" named Courtney Farris. Now, instead of piloting Brenton Island’s daily lifeline to the glitzy docks of Newport, Rhode Island, James spends his days beached, bitter, and bored.

When he discovers a plan for a private golf course on wilderness sacred to his dying best friend, James is determined to stop such "improvements." But despite Brenton's nickname as "Cooperation Island," he's used to working solo. To keep historic trees and ocean shoreline open to all, he'll have to learn to cooperate with other islanders--including Captain Courtney, who might just morph from irritant to irresistible once James learns a secret that's been kept from him for years.

Ferry to Cooperation Island

By Carol Newman Cronin,

What is this book about?

Loner James Malloy is a ferry captain-or used to be, until he was unceremoniously fired and replaced by a girl named Courtney Farris. Now, instead of piloting Brenton Island's daily lifeline to the glitzy docks of Newport, Rhode Island, James spends his days beached, bitter, and bored.

When he discovers a private golf course staked out across wilderness sacred to his dying best friend, a Narragansett Indian, James is determined to stop such "improvements." But despite Brenton's nickname as "Cooperation Island," he's used to working solo. To keep rocky bluffs, historic trees, and ocean shoreline open to all, he'll have…


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