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Pretty Little Monster
Ollie
It started with a curiosity. I watched him, followed him around, wondered why he did the things he did. He just looked so heartbroken all the time.
Then he moved away, and I distracted myself with other stuff. Because why would my dad's best friend notice me? The boy he used to babysit and who wasn't even allowed to buy his own drink yet.
But one crazy day, things changed between us. He did look at me differently. And my desire for him turned into an obsession. That was when I decided that Leo was mine, and he wasn't allowed to tell me otherwise. It was incredible, the way he calmed the storm inside me without even knowing it. His love was addictive, and I became a junkie.
But the monster messed it all up. It made me do something really bad. Everything turned into a fucking nightmare and Leo thought it was all my fault.
I didn't know how to make him understand that it wasn't. And I couldn't handle the pain anymore. It was too hard...fighting the monster all the time.
Letting it destroy me was easier.
...
Note: This is a dark, agegap MM psychological fiction and contains heavy themes and triggers. Content warning for graphic descriptions of self-harm, assault, murder, recurring theme of mental illness, ow/om scenes, homophobic slurs, misogynistic language, mentions of rape, age play, dub con, younger MC is still in high school (17) when story begins.
Read at your own risk.
It started with a curiosity. I watched him, followed him around, wondered why he did the things he did. He just looked so heartbroken all the time.
Then he moved away, and I distracted myself with other stuff. Because why would my dad's best friend notice me? The boy he used to babysit and who wasn't even allowed to buy his own drink yet.
But one crazy day, things changed between us. He did look at me differently. And my desire for him turned into an obsession. That was when I decided that Leo was mine, and he wasn't allowed to tell me otherwise. It was incredible, the way he calmed the storm inside me without even knowing it. His love was addictive, and I became a junkie.
But the monster messed it all up. It made me do something really bad. Everything turned into a fucking nightmare and Leo thought it was all my fault.
I didn't know how to make him understand that it wasn't. And I couldn't handle the pain anymore. It was too hard...fighting the monster all the time.
Letting it destroy me was easier.
...
Note: This is a dark, agegap MM psychological fiction and contains heavy themes and triggers. Content warning for graphic descriptions of self-harm, assault, murder, recurring theme of mental illness, ow/om scenes, homophobic slurs, misogynistic language, mentions of rape, age play, dub con, younger MC is still in high school (17) when story begins.
Read at your own risk.
295 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 26, 2022
About the author
Z.S. Storm
26 books221 followersZ. S. STORM writes in different genres so please check the pen names, author's notes, categories and book descriptions properly before deciding if you want to read any of his works. You'll most likely reach him on Instagram: @z.s.storm (Zayn), but be warned, he tends to get a little too personal on his socials. Hit the website link in bio to subscribe to his monthly newsletter if you want a more formal connection with this author. If you have any questions, please feel free to post them here on Goodreads.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
April 21, 2024
The manner in which the novel opens is quite jarring.
But the development is mostly positive after that. There's a double taboo nature of the relationship between Leo and Ollie. Interesting portrayals of mental illness, ASPD, teenage love, and demisexuality.
The sex is a strong point. Accurate with versatility, bareback, talking about testing and status, thorough array of acts, sweet and tender, rough…and wearing the mask is…exciting.
Apparently there are other books by this author that explain some of the wild backstory. But they’re straight romances...
Nevertheless, some exposition of the past is necessary here—Ollie’s troubled and difficult childhood, imprisonment, false murder charges, inheritance, the constantly-referred-to island—all of the topics are referenced, some multiple times, but the feel is nebulous at best when the reader has no clue what is being alluded to.
Both guys are a bit cruel and manipulative, but once they set all the cards on the table, the balance of the book largely flows.
Leo is so lonely and broken; Ollie is strong and brave.
I loved this guy. I wanted to be everything he needed and didn’t know he needed.
But the development is mostly positive after that. There's a double taboo nature of the relationship between Leo and Ollie. Interesting portrayals of mental illness, ASPD, teenage love, and demisexuality.
The sex is a strong point. Accurate with versatility, bareback, talking about testing and status, thorough array of acts, sweet and tender, rough…and wearing the mask is…exciting.
Apparently there are other books by this author that explain some of the wild backstory. But they’re straight romances...
Nevertheless, some exposition of the past is necessary here—Ollie’s troubled and difficult childhood, imprisonment, false murder charges, inheritance, the constantly-referred-to island—all of the topics are referenced, some multiple times, but the feel is nebulous at best when the reader has no clue what is being alluded to.
Both guys are a bit cruel and manipulative, but once they set all the cards on the table, the balance of the book largely flows.
Leo is so lonely and broken; Ollie is strong and brave.
I loved this guy. I wanted to be everything he needed and didn’t know he needed.
March 4, 2022
3 “I want you,” [...] “Want me back, damn it.” stars
“Oliver, I love you. I thought I knew what love was before but… being with you, whether we’re fucking or not, it showed me just how much deeper I can fall.”
Trigger warnings I just want to emphasize that for most of the book, Ollie is 17 years old and Leo is 29 years old. The rest of the trigger warnings are listed in the book, but they include things like dub-con, self-harm, murder, ableist language and assault.
First things first, this book is a standalone and I'm sure it would work fine if you read it as such, but it's heavily connected to the Dreamhaven Duet (which is MF, btw) and both characters are introduced in that one, so reading the duet enhances the experience of this book. But this one still works just fine as a standalone.
Z.S. Storm is probably my favourite author that I have discovered in the last year, I enjoyed every book of his that I have read and he always writes tropes that just speak to me, so when he announced he was coming out with a dark romance including the father’s best friend trope and a stalker as the main character, I was so here for it, I’ve been itching to read this book since it was announced a couple of months ago. In fact, this book is set in the same universe as the Dreamhaven Duet, which a MF duology and before that, I had read one MF book in the last 5 years (on the like 400 books I read during that time), and I read those two books before the release of this one to get to know the world, this is how excited I was for this book.
So I’m just sad that while I enjoyed this book it didn’t end up being one of my favourite books of the year, but I think we can blame that on me having too high expectations for the book, I really should learn to keep my expectations in check because I always build up books so high in my head that there is nothing the book can do but not live up to my way too expectations, so I’m really sorry for that book.
Brief summary
Leo is in love with his best friend Oliver, and has been for years. But Oliver is happily married to a girl named Paige and together they have a son, Ollie. Ollie has been pining for Leo (who's his uncle) for a while and he starts stalking Leo and doing really dubious things to convince Leo that they would be good together.
First, I really enjoyed the stalking part of this book. I loved how they got together because Ollie was relentless and he kept stalking Leo until Leo finally accept to get with him. I love when the main character has to chase his love interest until he gives in and decides to get with him. It's just on the right side of a dark romance for me and I love it so much. And I loved how it was done in this book because Leo was so reluctant and really didn't want to be with Ollie at first so I loved how Ollie had to work on breaking Leo until Leo surrended. Ollie definitely was really stalkerish and toxic in the way that he kept pursuing Leo until Leo agreed to date him but this was a dark romance so I loved every second of that and it really worked for me.
“I’m tired of this, Uncle Leo,” [...] “I’m tired of waiting for you to get it. Waiting for you to understand how I feel. To see me. To stop fucking looking at me like I’m a kid. Like don’t you get it?
Second, I loved how possessive this book was. I loved how Ollie set his sight on Leo and decided that Leo would be his and how he made sure that no one could get to Leo before Ollie had him.
Third, I liked every moment that Leo and Ollie spent together. They were really well matched and I liked how they took care of each other. They had a lot of really fun interactions that were a breeze to read and they made for such a good time while I was reading the book. My favourite part of this book was all the small moments that Ollie and Leo spent together and how they got to know each other.
Fourth, I really loved Ollie's character and how he was shown. He was a teenager who has been through a lot and who had a really bad and scary childhood and I loved how that reflected through his character and through his every action. I loved how the way he acted was just a reflection of all the pain he went through, that felt so realistic to me and I loved it. Leo was a fine character too but I just wish that he was developed more, he didn't have enough character traits for me to really get behind his character, he was a fine presence but I just wanted more from him.
Fifth, The sex scenes in this book were super hot and absolutely lovely and I enjoyed all of them. They were perfect to me and really fit the characters and their role in the relationship. The sex scenes in this book just really worked for me.
Sixth, I said it before and I just want to say it again, Z.S. Storm has some of the best writing I have ever read. I love how easy his books are to read and how they all flow together so nicely. His books are always so much fun to read and I always enjoy the time I spend reading them and it definitely was the case for this book.
Seventh, I just want to talk about the dark romance part of this book, because I think that's one of my issues here. Ollie has a mental illness where he has a demon inside of him that controls him and makes him do bad things in order to defend the people he loves or himself. He is in therapy but he's still having a really hard time suppressing that part of himself. I have no problem with how the mental illness was shown and I did enjoy that part of the book a lot, I think my issue is that mental illness was the one of the only thing that made this book a dark romance, most of the dark aspects of this book was because of Ollie's mental illness and I just don't really enjoy the implication that the book is a dark romance because the main character has a mental illness. To me, a dark romance is because the main character is an evil guy and not because he has a mental illness that makes him do bad things. I just wish that the dark romance elements came from other actions than the ones he did because of his mental illness. Or I wish this wasn't called a dark romance because yeah he did bad things but it was because of a mental illness and not because he is a bad human being, which isn't a dark thing to me. And yes the book has a lot of harder to read moments and I can see why it would be classified as dark, it just kind of irks me how it's dark because of a mental illness because that just does not seem like the best rep to me, I just don't like how the mental illness is what makes the book dark. I don't know, I might be the one who's wrong here, but I just don't like the implications of a character having a mental illness being called a dark romance when all of his actions are dictated by a mental illness and not the fact that the character is actually a bad guy.
Eight, I just didn't really enjoy the last 25% of this book. I really loved the first 75% and I was vibing along and I was really loving it, but the last 25% just kind of lost me. I just didn't like where the story went and how the characters did actions that didn't seem like them at all. I just felt like there was a huge disconnect from the rest of the book and I just didn't really like the way the story went in that part of the book. It was all fine, it just wasn't my favourite thing in the world and that part of the book really impacted my enjoyment of the entire book. And I don't mean the actual ending of the book because I did really enjoy that, I meant the actions that happened before that, they felt very out of character to me and they just weren't my favourite.
I had a really good time reading this one and trust me no one is sadder than me that it didn't end up being a favourite book of mine because this was one of my most anticipated releases of the entire year. I still enjoyed a lot of this book and I love Z.S Storm's writing and the way he creates a lively world with lovely characters, reading his books is always a good time and a very good distraction from real life.
I received an ARC of this book and this is my honest opinion
“Oliver, I love you. I thought I knew what love was before but… being with you, whether we’re fucking or not, it showed me just how much deeper I can fall.”
Trigger warnings I just want to emphasize that for most of the book, Ollie is 17 years old and Leo is 29 years old. The rest of the trigger warnings are listed in the book, but they include things like dub-con, self-harm, murder, ableist language and assault.
First things first, this book is a standalone and I'm sure it would work fine if you read it as such, but it's heavily connected to the Dreamhaven Duet (which is MF, btw) and both characters are introduced in that one, so reading the duet enhances the experience of this book. But this one still works just fine as a standalone.
Z.S. Storm is probably my favourite author that I have discovered in the last year, I enjoyed every book of his that I have read and he always writes tropes that just speak to me, so when he announced he was coming out with a dark romance including the father’s best friend trope and a stalker as the main character, I was so here for it, I’ve been itching to read this book since it was announced a couple of months ago. In fact, this book is set in the same universe as the Dreamhaven Duet, which a MF duology and before that, I had read one MF book in the last 5 years (on the like 400 books I read during that time), and I read those two books before the release of this one to get to know the world, this is how excited I was for this book.
So I’m just sad that while I enjoyed this book it didn’t end up being one of my favourite books of the year, but I think we can blame that on me having too high expectations for the book, I really should learn to keep my expectations in check because I always build up books so high in my head that there is nothing the book can do but not live up to my way too expectations, so I’m really sorry for that book.
Brief summary
Leo is in love with his best friend Oliver, and has been for years. But Oliver is happily married to a girl named Paige and together they have a son, Ollie. Ollie has been pining for Leo (who's his uncle) for a while and he starts stalking Leo and doing really dubious things to convince Leo that they would be good together.
First, I really enjoyed the stalking part of this book. I loved how they got together because Ollie was relentless and he kept stalking Leo until Leo finally accept to get with him. I love when the main character has to chase his love interest until he gives in and decides to get with him. It's just on the right side of a dark romance for me and I love it so much. And I loved how it was done in this book because Leo was so reluctant and really didn't want to be with Ollie at first so I loved how Ollie had to work on breaking Leo until Leo surrended. Ollie definitely was really stalkerish and toxic in the way that he kept pursuing Leo until Leo agreed to date him but this was a dark romance so I loved every second of that and it really worked for me.
“I’m tired of this, Uncle Leo,” [...] “I’m tired of waiting for you to get it. Waiting for you to understand how I feel. To see me. To stop fucking looking at me like I’m a kid. Like don’t you get it?
Second, I loved how possessive this book was. I loved how Ollie set his sight on Leo and decided that Leo would be his and how he made sure that no one could get to Leo before Ollie had him.
Third, I liked every moment that Leo and Ollie spent together. They were really well matched and I liked how they took care of each other. They had a lot of really fun interactions that were a breeze to read and they made for such a good time while I was reading the book. My favourite part of this book was all the small moments that Ollie and Leo spent together and how they got to know each other.
Fourth, I really loved Ollie's character and how he was shown. He was a teenager who has been through a lot and who had a really bad and scary childhood and I loved how that reflected through his character and through his every action. I loved how the way he acted was just a reflection of all the pain he went through, that felt so realistic to me and I loved it. Leo was a fine character too but I just wish that he was developed more, he didn't have enough character traits for me to really get behind his character, he was a fine presence but I just wanted more from him.
Fifth, The sex scenes in this book were super hot and absolutely lovely and I enjoyed all of them. They were perfect to me and really fit the characters and their role in the relationship. The sex scenes in this book just really worked for me.
Sixth, I said it before and I just want to say it again, Z.S. Storm has some of the best writing I have ever read. I love how easy his books are to read and how they all flow together so nicely. His books are always so much fun to read and I always enjoy the time I spend reading them and it definitely was the case for this book.
Seventh, I just want to talk about the dark romance part of this book, because I think that's one of my issues here. Ollie has a mental illness where he has a demon inside of him that controls him and makes him do bad things in order to defend the people he loves or himself. He is in therapy but he's still having a really hard time suppressing that part of himself. I have no problem with how the mental illness was shown and I did enjoy that part of the book a lot, I think my issue is that mental illness was the one of the only thing that made this book a dark romance, most of the dark aspects of this book was because of Ollie's mental illness and I just don't really enjoy the implication that the book is a dark romance because the main character has a mental illness. To me, a dark romance is because the main character is an evil guy and not because he has a mental illness that makes him do bad things. I just wish that the dark romance elements came from other actions than the ones he did because of his mental illness. Or I wish this wasn't called a dark romance because yeah he did bad things but it was because of a mental illness and not because he is a bad human being, which isn't a dark thing to me. And yes the book has a lot of harder to read moments and I can see why it would be classified as dark, it just kind of irks me how it's dark because of a mental illness because that just does not seem like the best rep to me, I just don't like how the mental illness is what makes the book dark. I don't know, I might be the one who's wrong here, but I just don't like the implications of a character having a mental illness being called a dark romance when all of his actions are dictated by a mental illness and not the fact that the character is actually a bad guy.
Eight, I just didn't really enjoy the last 25% of this book. I really loved the first 75% and I was vibing along and I was really loving it, but the last 25% just kind of lost me. I just didn't like where the story went and how the characters did actions that didn't seem like them at all. I just felt like there was a huge disconnect from the rest of the book and I just didn't really like the way the story went in that part of the book. It was all fine, it just wasn't my favourite thing in the world and that part of the book really impacted my enjoyment of the entire book. And I don't mean the actual ending of the book because I did really enjoy that, I meant the actions that happened before that, they felt very out of character to me and they just weren't my favourite.
I had a really good time reading this one and trust me no one is sadder than me that it didn't end up being a favourite book of mine because this was one of my most anticipated releases of the entire year. I still enjoyed a lot of this book and I love Z.S Storm's writing and the way he creates a lively world with lovely characters, reading his books is always a good time and a very good distraction from real life.
I received an ARC of this book and this is my honest opinion
August 12, 2022
What is it about toxic fucked up relationships that always draw me in? Judge me all you want because I thoroughly enjoyed this and wish it was longer.
Ollie, being the charming yet spoiled psychopath that he was, had his parents and Leo wrapped around his finger. I was both shocked and in awe at how effortlessly he manipulated them. He got away with damn near everything. And his attachment to his dad's best friend, Leo, was so unhealthy. Pair that with his propensity to use violence in response to even the smallest threat to him or their eventual relationship and you have the foundation of a great story for me.
Also, let me take a minute to appreciate just how good the smut was. Leo had a mouth on him and knew exactly what to say to turn Leo on and drive him crazy. All of their anguish, guilt, frustration, and fears bled into their lovemaking and it was hot af. 🥵
If you decide to read this make sure to pay attention to the content warning. It's a crossover from the Dreamhaven duet but can be read as a standalone. I didn't read the duet and had no problem following the story. Seeing how much power Ollie's father had did make me a bit curious. It was the only thing that wasn't explained. If there ever was a mf story I'd want to read, it'd be that. 5 stars
Ollie, being the charming yet spoiled psychopath that he was, had his parents and Leo wrapped around his finger. I was both shocked and in awe at how effortlessly he manipulated them. He got away with damn near everything. And his attachment to his dad's best friend, Leo, was so unhealthy. Pair that with his propensity to use violence in response to even the smallest threat to him or their eventual relationship and you have the foundation of a great story for me.
Also, let me take a minute to appreciate just how good the smut was. Leo had a mouth on him and knew exactly what to say to turn Leo on and drive him crazy. All of their anguish, guilt, frustration, and fears bled into their lovemaking and it was hot af. 🥵
If you decide to read this make sure to pay attention to the content warning. It's a crossover from the Dreamhaven duet but can be read as a standalone. I didn't read the duet and had no problem following the story. Seeing how much power Ollie's father had did make me a bit curious. It was the only thing that wasn't explained. If there ever was a mf story I'd want to read, it'd be that. 5 stars
Shelved as 'dnf'
July 4, 2022dnf 42% I can't get passed the lack of editing.
February 25, 2022
"Slowly, I lay back in bed and tried to shake off the feeling of finding his behaviour weird. He was bound to be a little weird after that childhood he had mostly had. But his spying was getting a little out of control."
I loved returning to Dreamhaven for Ollie and Leo's story. Whilst this is a standalone, it does fall within the Dreamhaven universe and as such, some understanding of the previous two books would definitely be beneficial.
This is a story of desire and obsession and addiction. Some readers will find it pretty dark at times and there are several triggers, so please do read and note the author's TWs, because he's very open and up front about them.
Ollie and Leo are both damaged characters, for very different reasons and it did take me a while to warm to them and their dynamic. But how can you fail to warm to flawed main characters who love so desperately and so hard?
You will definitely enjoy this if you love:
🌶 MM (dark) romance
🌶 Age gap
🌶 Daddy/boy dynamic
🌶 Medium Steam
4 ✨✨✨✨
I loved returning to Dreamhaven for Ollie and Leo's story. Whilst this is a standalone, it does fall within the Dreamhaven universe and as such, some understanding of the previous two books would definitely be beneficial.
This is a story of desire and obsession and addiction. Some readers will find it pretty dark at times and there are several triggers, so please do read and note the author's TWs, because he's very open and up front about them.
Ollie and Leo are both damaged characters, for very different reasons and it did take me a while to warm to them and their dynamic. But how can you fail to warm to flawed main characters who love so desperately and so hard?
You will definitely enjoy this if you love:
🌶 MM (dark) romance
🌶 Age gap
🌶 Daddy/boy dynamic
🌶 Medium Steam
4 ✨✨✨✨
March 6, 2022
Toxic but I could not stop reading.
In the end something was a little bit out of character but in the complex a captivating story
In the end something was a little bit out of character but in the complex a captivating story
March 29, 2022
I fucking loved this book!!!!! I need more dark reads like this!! Loved how Ollie pursued the hell out of Leo. I loved his neediness, his possessiveness, and obsession of Leo! I hope the author continues to write more MMRs like this. 💞💞💞😍😍😍😍
April 19, 2022
I am giving this book 4 stars for its sheer entertainment value and definitely not because it was an artful piece of fiction. It was actually nonsensical in places. Also, I am obviously aware that it deals with a plethora of very dark and heavy issues, but I could not stop laughing - it was unintentionally hilarious in places. I couldn't put it down.
It's a story about a deranged teenage boy who basically manipulates his father's best friend into a sexual relationship. And what a sexual relationship it is. It was so dirty it made me quite uncomfortable because this was essentially a child, and this particular child definitely had an underdeveloped prefrontal cortex and a serious lack of impulse control. Ollie is written as a person with psychopathy (or sociopathy? I've never really understood the difference) and he is just the worst. The shit this boy gets up to is WILD. Then Leo is his dad's best friend and is a person who is also quite damaged and has massive issues of his own. There is also some murky backstory that's explained in some MF books the author has written before that I will never read.
I actually am not really sure how I feel about this book. It felt exploitative in places, but also it was trying to deal with mental health issues fairly in some ways. It was really filthy too, which would have been more appreciated in a different setting but as it was it just icked me out a bit. But as I said - it was entertaining as hell and ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, although I don't know that there are any plans to serialize it. Problematic or not, I'd still read it though.
It's a story about a deranged teenage boy who basically manipulates his father's best friend into a sexual relationship. And what a sexual relationship it is. It was so dirty it made me quite uncomfortable because this was essentially a child, and this particular child definitely had an underdeveloped prefrontal cortex and a serious lack of impulse control. Ollie is written as a person with psychopathy (or sociopathy? I've never really understood the difference) and he is just the worst. The shit this boy gets up to is WILD. Then Leo is his dad's best friend and is a person who is also quite damaged and has massive issues of his own. There is also some murky backstory that's explained in some MF books the author has written before that I will never read.
I actually am not really sure how I feel about this book. It felt exploitative in places, but also it was trying to deal with mental health issues fairly in some ways. It was really filthy too, which would have been more appreciated in a different setting but as it was it just icked me out a bit. But as I said - it was entertaining as hell and ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, although I don't know that there are any plans to serialize it. Problematic or not, I'd still read it though.
March 7, 2022
"This isn't right," Leo whispered, still cupping my face and watching me intently, his handsome face shadowed by something which I hoped to hell was lust.
"It doesn't matter," I told him urgently, lifting my chin and lowering my eyelids as our lips almost touched. "I still want it."
And fuck did I want it. I wanted it so bad, I was prepared to kill for it. Just fucking kiss me. Kiss me, please.
Alexa, play highway to hell while I go buy a bus ticket because it is exactly where I'm going for having this much fun reading such a book😈
Now, I could have read this in a single day but I dragged it out to two, miserably, and regretted it because WHAT WERE THOSE LAST FEW CHAPTERS??! But ANYHOW, that's how much I liked it. I wanted to drag it out because I know what rabbit hole I'm going to wind up in now.
The crazy dynamic between Ollie and "Uncle Leo" worked for me even if I was questioning my morals, the author's morals and that of some reviewers😗 *whispers* it's totally fine guys, I'm not judging or anything👀
I really enjoyed this ride... Reluctantly... Begrudgingly... But the cover was cute and it just called to the monster in me so I had to have it! And I gotta say, for a first read by this author I am anything but turned off!
March 25, 2022
Toxic, captivating, stunning!!!
Devastatingly beautiful.
This was perfectly dark. Olli is soooo fucking psycho. I loved him so much. He is also so sexy, sweet, possessive and mature in his thinking though. He knows what he wants and he knows how to get it.
Why would a monster in him bother me? We all have our demons. Olli's monster is just a little more independent minded. And yes, he is evil, but what is the definition of evil? The monster protects him and Leo too, so what.
I would have preferred more insights into Olli's head. The narration from Leo's point of view I found partly too naive. He is understandably so overwhelmed by his feelings that he doesn't see through Olli's scheming.
A little more darkness, more depth to Olli's sinisterness would have been good for the book.
All in all beautifully and lovingly written.
Devastatingly beautiful.
This was perfectly dark. Olli is soooo fucking psycho. I loved him so much. He is also so sexy, sweet, possessive and mature in his thinking though. He knows what he wants and he knows how to get it.
Why would a monster in him bother me? We all have our demons. Olli's monster is just a little more independent minded. And yes, he is evil, but what is the definition of evil? The monster protects him and Leo too, so what.
I would have preferred more insights into Olli's head. The narration from Leo's point of view I found partly too naive. He is understandably so overwhelmed by his feelings that he doesn't see through Olli's scheming.
A little more darkness, more depth to Olli's sinisterness would have been good for the book.
All in all beautifully and lovingly written.
April 20, 2022
What a wonderfully disturbing read this was.
March 7, 2022
Is there a sequel to this? I felt like things were left a bit unexplored there at the end.
I loved it. Not that I was expecting not to but authors just cannot write psychopathic characters accurately I've seen and it's nice that I finally found an author that does.
Still felt like Leo got forgiven way too soon and the thing with him choosing politeness over potentially making his psycho murderer boyfriend jealous is a bit offputting and just a bit unbelievable. So as you can see Leo wasn't a favorite character but I loved Ollie soooo much.
I loved it. Not that I was expecting not to but authors just cannot write psychopathic characters accurately I've seen and it's nice that I finally found an author that does.
Still felt like Leo got forgiven way too soon and the thing with him choosing politeness over potentially making his psycho murderer boyfriend jealous is a bit offputting and just a bit unbelievable. So as you can see Leo wasn't a favorite character but I loved Ollie soooo much.
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December 13, 2023dnf 40% : no rating because I’m in a book slump
February 20, 2022
Let me just start by saying that this book will not be for everyone. Pretty Little Monster by Z.S. Storm is a dark, MM, age gap romance with a hefty trigger warning. While the triggers are real with this one, I didn't find this book as dark as I was expecting. I've definitely read darker. That being said, there are some parts of this book that were a tad disturbing, and I'm not honestly sure how I really feel about some of it.
If you've read The Dreamhaven duet by this author (and if you haven't, I highly recommend it!), then you'll recognize Leo as Oliver's best friend, and Ollie is Oliver and Paige's son. Ollie is a very troubled 17 year old who develops an unhealthy obsession with his "Uncle" Leo, and their relationship becomes very complicated as Leo develops new feelings for Ollie and as Ollie's mental illness becomes even more apparent.
Oliver and Paige's story will forever be one of my favorites (although I personally found it to be much more dark and disturbing than Ollie's tale), but I really do have mixed feelings about Ollie and Leo's romance. I honestly had no issues with the age gap even though Ollie was 17 when this relationship started. I truly wasn't bothered, in the beginning, by Ollie's violent tendencies. This is fiction after all. The most disturbing part of this story for me was Ollie's mental illness and the way that the story ended. I liked these characters, and I felt for these characters, but as I turned the last page...I just wanted a different ending for them.
Again, this book will not be for everyone. Personally, I liked it. Yes, there are some scenes that in real life would definitely be beyond disturbing, but like I said before, this is fiction. With this book, Z.S. Storm has written another story that pulls you in from the beginning and keeps you turning the pages. He has given us another glimpse at Oliver and Paige (and I didn't realize how much I missed them!), and I'm ready to see what comes next.
If you've read The Dreamhaven duet by this author (and if you haven't, I highly recommend it!), then you'll recognize Leo as Oliver's best friend, and Ollie is Oliver and Paige's son. Ollie is a very troubled 17 year old who develops an unhealthy obsession with his "Uncle" Leo, and their relationship becomes very complicated as Leo develops new feelings for Ollie and as Ollie's mental illness becomes even more apparent.
Oliver and Paige's story will forever be one of my favorites (although I personally found it to be much more dark and disturbing than Ollie's tale), but I really do have mixed feelings about Ollie and Leo's romance. I honestly had no issues with the age gap even though Ollie was 17 when this relationship started. I truly wasn't bothered, in the beginning, by Ollie's violent tendencies. This is fiction after all. The most disturbing part of this story for me was Ollie's mental illness and the way that the story ended. I liked these characters, and I felt for these characters, but as I turned the last page...I just wanted a different ending for them.
Again, this book will not be for everyone. Personally, I liked it. Yes, there are some scenes that in real life would definitely be beyond disturbing, but like I said before, this is fiction. With this book, Z.S. Storm has written another story that pulls you in from the beginning and keeps you turning the pages. He has given us another glimpse at Oliver and Paige (and I didn't realize how much I missed them!), and I'm ready to see what comes next.
November 20, 2022
3,5..almost 4.
I have mixed feelings about it..
up till 70% it was a full 5 star but then they both did some stuffs out of character and to be honest i was almost DNF it on the spot...but i was so invested that i had a need to finish it, and i don't mind, i'm happy i got till the end.
The stuffs they did on that time apart luckily weren't that bad but still left me bothered :(
They didn't have a ''real'' break up so i was upset when they both had OM, mostly Leo... at least they didn't sleep with OP but still..i was blindsided by this.. i needed Leo to fight more , maybe visit him or something? and i'm really surprised by Ollie, how out of character was for him when he meet Xan there. just weird.
Another reason i didn't give the last star was because Leo was in love for so long with Ollie's father. sigh. whatever, i knew it because i tried to read Oliver's and Paige story but i DNF it because i hate Paige and she doesn't deserve Oliver at all. Leo anyway find out pretty soon that what he feels for Ollie it's different, and wholesome .
Anyway i loved Ollie, and what he did with Leo. Love his crazy xD he was really funny even with his tendencies ...what's up with that epilogue? jeez i want more of that ASAP .
Over all? i did enjoy their story, a lot.
There were also a few stuffs that needed to be more discussed , they were left like that.
I have mixed feelings about it..
up till 70% it was a full 5 star but then they both did some stuffs out of character and to be honest i was almost DNF it on the spot...but i was so invested that i had a need to finish it, and i don't mind, i'm happy i got till the end.
The stuffs they did on that time apart luckily weren't that bad but still left me bothered :(
They didn't have a ''real'' break up so i was upset when they both had OM, mostly Leo... at least they didn't sleep with OP but still..i was blindsided by this.. i needed Leo to fight more , maybe visit him or something? and i'm really surprised by Ollie, how out of character was for him when he meet Xan there. just weird.
Another reason i didn't give the last star was because Leo was in love for so long with Ollie's father. sigh. whatever, i knew it because i tried to read Oliver's and Paige story but i DNF it because i hate Paige and she doesn't deserve Oliver at all. Leo anyway find out pretty soon that what he feels for Ollie it's different, and wholesome .
Anyway i loved Ollie, and what he did with Leo. Love his crazy xD he was really funny even with his tendencies ...what's up with that epilogue? jeez i want more of that ASAP .
Over all? i did enjoy their story, a lot.
There were also a few stuffs that needed to be more discussed , they were left like that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 19, 2022
The Pretty Little Monster
ARC review 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
Ever since I discovered Zee’s books I got hooked on his writing. And as soon as this one hit my kindle I was done with everything else and devoured this one in one setting.
This story is dark and could be a little disturbing however it was beautiful. I loved Leo and Ollie and their story and their epic relationship.
Zee is one of my favourite MM writer’s and I will absolutely highly recommend this book to all who are not afraid of little darkness in the story.
I can’t wait to see what’s next to come 🖤
ARC review 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
Ever since I discovered Zee’s books I got hooked on his writing. And as soon as this one hit my kindle I was done with everything else and devoured this one in one setting.
This story is dark and could be a little disturbing however it was beautiful. I loved Leo and Ollie and their story and their epic relationship.
Zee is one of my favourite MM writer’s and I will absolutely highly recommend this book to all who are not afraid of little darkness in the story.
I can’t wait to see what’s next to come 🖤
March 31, 2022
It was very poorly written.
March 13, 2022
A dark romance? Shocker, I know. LOL. This is my first Z. S. Storm book and while it is a standalone ( and read just fine as is) it is a spin off of the Dreamhaven series. I didn't read that series and I wasn't lost reading this one at all.
Let us hit you with the trigger warnings first and this is the note on the Goodreads page
Note: This is a dark, agegap MM psychological fiction and contains heavy themes and triggers. Content warning for graphic descriptions of self-harm, assault, murder, recurring theme of mental illness, ow/om scenes, homophobic slurs, misogynistic language, mentions of rape, age play, dub con, younger MC is still in high school (17) when story begins.
If any of that up there isn't your jam, then this would be where you stop reading my review. If you can't tell the book was pretty heavy (in feelings, not in size). There were certain moments where I absolutely did have to put the book down and step away for a second. And that hasn't happened for some time now whilst reading a dark romance so that was great (I don't mean that sarcastically at all).
I've never read the father's best friend trope...and I feel like I'm missing out LOL.
March 2, 2022
4.5 stars - I really liked it!
Z. S. Storm never fails to write an interesting story!
I am very much in a slump now because this book was just so fascinating, intriguing, albeit weird but in the best ways possible. I'm all for the weird stuff, bring it on!
This book is definitely a dark romance with lots of TWs that the author mentions right before the book starts so I highly recommend checking those out first. But this book is just so interesting that it just sucks you in and grabs hold of you. I couldn't put it down, just like every other book by this author! I know that every time I pick up a Z. S. Storm book, I'll get an amazing story with some deep and well thought out and interesting characters that you just don't see coming, and that's the best part of it!
Something that really stood out for me in this book is how mental health was portrayed. I've never read anything like it before and it felt like an entire new perspective was opened up to me that I'm grateful for.
This book is a spin off from the author's Stable Boy series so I recommend reading that duet first! Again, check TWs friends!
Z. S. Storm never fails to write an interesting story!
I am very much in a slump now because this book was just so fascinating, intriguing, albeit weird but in the best ways possible. I'm all for the weird stuff, bring it on!
This book is definitely a dark romance with lots of TWs that the author mentions right before the book starts so I highly recommend checking those out first. But this book is just so interesting that it just sucks you in and grabs hold of you. I couldn't put it down, just like every other book by this author! I know that every time I pick up a Z. S. Storm book, I'll get an amazing story with some deep and well thought out and interesting characters that you just don't see coming, and that's the best part of it!
Something that really stood out for me in this book is how mental health was portrayed. I've never read anything like it before and it felt like an entire new perspective was opened up to me that I'm grateful for.
This book is a spin off from the author's Stable Boy series so I recommend reading that duet first! Again, check TWs friends!
February 22, 2022
Where do I even begin with how obsessed I am with this book??
This is a dark MM age-gap romance and it definitely delivers. This was my first standalone MM( usually I read them in reverse harems). This book definitely won't be for everyone, but if it's for you, you will be as obsessed with it as Ollie is with Leo.
Ollie is 17 when this book starts, but there is a time jump to the future when he is older. The relationship between Ollie and Leo is really not healthy, but it has that toxic love that keeps you addicted to it. I want more of them together so bad 😭. I do wish that we got a little bit more of them just being together and exploring their relationship emotionally. I'm a sucker for psycho love and that's exactly how I would describe this book. If you like your books a little forbidden, with some morally grey characters who have a passion for threatening and acting on their murderous tendencies. Especially if it involves protecting our other MMC, this book is for you.
“I want you to need me. To crave me like I crave you. I want you to tell me that you can’t go a single day without seeing my face!"
Stars: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5
Spice: 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶/5
Make sure to check TW before reading!
*I was provided with an ARC in exchange for a honest review*
This is a dark MM age-gap romance and it definitely delivers. This was my first standalone MM( usually I read them in reverse harems). This book definitely won't be for everyone, but if it's for you, you will be as obsessed with it as Ollie is with Leo.
Ollie is 17 when this book starts, but there is a time jump to the future when he is older. The relationship between Ollie and Leo is really not healthy, but it has that toxic love that keeps you addicted to it. I want more of them together so bad 😭. I do wish that we got a little bit more of them just being together and exploring their relationship emotionally. I'm a sucker for psycho love and that's exactly how I would describe this book. If you like your books a little forbidden, with some morally grey characters who have a passion for threatening and acting on their murderous tendencies. Especially if it involves protecting our other MMC, this book is for you.
“I want you to need me. To crave me like I crave you. I want you to tell me that you can’t go a single day without seeing my face!"
Stars: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5
Spice: 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶/5
Make sure to check TW before reading!
*I was provided with an ARC in exchange for a honest review*
March 2, 2022
Can I rate it 6 stars please? Not for everyone but GODDAMN it was for me. I loved this book, Zee did such a fantastic job!!!
February 20, 2022
This not your usual forbidden age gap romance. Leo is in love with his best friend Oliver, but Oliver is straight and married to a woman. While Leo is staying with them, he notices Oliver’s son pays him a lot of extra attention, but he’s young and has struggles so Leo doesn’t worry. As Ollie grows up, his mental health gets worse, as does his obsession with Leo. Ollie goes to great lengths to get Leo to see him as a man and not a little kid. Ollie is manipulative and violent at times, due to the “monster” in him. Leo does start to see him as a man, and an attractive one, but Ollie is still struggling and Leo doesn’t know how good he is for Ollie. Both men have gone through trauma in their lives, and it very much shapes their relationship. Leo has many concerns about them being together, but Ollie won’t take no for an answer.
February 24, 2022
This book is a deep dive into an age gap - taboo MM relationship that suffers and fights it’s way through trauma and mental illness. It’s dark, be sure to check TW, but I loved that it was authentic and serious; giving the reader a glimpse into the darkness that people struggle with everyday.
February 28, 2022
Arc provided in exchange for an honest review.
Good concept, poorly executed.
At this point I've read a lot of dark romance books and have ventured into taboo themes as well so, this book having those does not impact my rating or feelings on this. When I read the blurb I was excited to read this one because I love a forbidden romance but this book just slightly missed the mark.
Considering the characters involved clearly had some mental health issues and the basis for one characters actions is soley from a mental health issue, I would of loved if the author had taken more time to explore those themes on the page by letting situations breathe and really reflect the reality that mental health issues have. Exploring what was really going on in Ollie's head, his diagnosis and even the backstory that brought all this on would have made the story a lot richer.
Everything in that way felt slightly unfinished? None of the characters really felt fully fleshed out and the whole book felt a bit rushed in that sense. There were time jumps that felt clunky, relationship issues that were mentioned but never really explored or resolved (Leo loving his best friend and the suddenly getting over it, Leo hating his best friends wife etc), the relationship between Leo and Ollie also came around super quick, the dialog between characters was flat and made them all feel like stereotypes of people and it felt like we rushed to the ending with a random murder and Leo and Ollie deciding to be together.
Good concept, poorly executed.
At this point I've read a lot of dark romance books and have ventured into taboo themes as well so, this book having those does not impact my rating or feelings on this. When I read the blurb I was excited to read this one because I love a forbidden romance but this book just slightly missed the mark.
Considering the characters involved clearly had some mental health issues and the basis for one characters actions is soley from a mental health issue, I would of loved if the author had taken more time to explore those themes on the page by letting situations breathe and really reflect the reality that mental health issues have. Exploring what was really going on in Ollie's head, his diagnosis and even the backstory that brought all this on would have made the story a lot richer.
Everything in that way felt slightly unfinished? None of the characters really felt fully fleshed out and the whole book felt a bit rushed in that sense. There were time jumps that felt clunky, relationship issues that were mentioned but never really explored or resolved (Leo loving his best friend and the suddenly getting over it, Leo hating his best friends wife etc), the relationship between Leo and Ollie also came around super quick, the dialog between characters was flat and made them all feel like stereotypes of people and it felt like we rushed to the ending with a random murder and Leo and Ollie deciding to be together.
February 19, 2022
So, this book was insane! I literally could not put it down. It's seven in the morning here in the UK, have I slept? Nope! Is it Z.S. Storms fault? Yep,
I'll be sending my therapy bill in the post!
This was absolutely amazing.
This book definitely isn't going to be for everybody, please pay attention to trigger warnings, this book is heavy. Ollie is 100% psychotic but I bloody loved him! Think Patrick Bateman in American psycho but with teenage hormones.
If I could give it more than 5 stars I would! Highly recommended
I'll be sending my therapy bill in the post!
This was absolutely amazing.
This book definitely isn't going to be for everybody, please pay attention to trigger warnings, this book is heavy. Ollie is 100% psychotic but I bloody loved him! Think Patrick Bateman in American psycho but with teenage hormones.
If I could give it more than 5 stars I would! Highly recommended
February 28, 2022
The story: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The heat: 🔥🔥🔥
This was a very intriguing story. I picked up this book because I wanted to start reading more MM fiction and this book caught my attention immediately. I was pulled in by the gritty rawness that the author connects to emotions with, and the hint that there is something darker lurking in the shadows of these seemingly normal families.
We start the story with a very interesting set up. Leo is in love with his best friend Oliver and needs distance to get over those feelings. He takes time away from Oliver's family, where Oliver's son Ollie starts to grow up a bit... differently.
Ollie has what he calls a monster inside of him, and his monster easily becomes obsessed with someone. When Leo returns, Ollie's obsession takes over quickly.
Considering one of these MMC's is a psychopath, it's amazing the depth of emotion you feel in this story. Even when it wasn't the characters own POV, I felt Leo's pain at loving someone forbidden, and his love for this family. And I felt the cold intensity that is Ollie.
I was pleasantly surprised and entertained by the role reversal of this story. I haven't run across a story where the younger, inexperienced character is the pursuer, now I wish it was more common! Ollie trying to break Leo's resolve to get what he wants was endlessly entertaining.
The heat: 🔥🔥🔥
This was a very intriguing story. I picked up this book because I wanted to start reading more MM fiction and this book caught my attention immediately. I was pulled in by the gritty rawness that the author connects to emotions with, and the hint that there is something darker lurking in the shadows of these seemingly normal families.
We start the story with a very interesting set up. Leo is in love with his best friend Oliver and needs distance to get over those feelings. He takes time away from Oliver's family, where Oliver's son Ollie starts to grow up a bit... differently.
Ollie has what he calls a monster inside of him, and his monster easily becomes obsessed with someone. When Leo returns, Ollie's obsession takes over quickly.
Considering one of these MMC's is a psychopath, it's amazing the depth of emotion you feel in this story. Even when it wasn't the characters own POV, I felt Leo's pain at loving someone forbidden, and his love for this family. And I felt the cold intensity that is Ollie.
I was pleasantly surprised and entertained by the role reversal of this story. I haven't run across a story where the younger, inexperienced character is the pursuer, now I wish it was more common! Ollie trying to break Leo's resolve to get what he wants was endlessly entertaining.
August 30, 2022
I usually love this type of crazy but unfortunately, I couldn't here. Ollie was so overtly, childishly manipulative (in the most teenage monologue voice ever) that I just couldn't find myself liking him and I tried real hard cuz I loved "girl obsessed" by Z.
Also, the fact that Leo very easily feel for that manipulation annoyed me.
The smut, however, was super fucking hot so 2 stars for that.
Also, the fact that Leo very easily feel for that manipulation annoyed me.
The smut, however, was super fucking hot so 2 stars for that.
February 21, 2022
I like the book I'm not gonna lie. I just thought the Leo was a little bit of a pushover for him to be the oldest. I felt like Olli was a little brat likea child if he didn't have it his way he'll throw a tantrum.
February 27, 2022
Pretty Little Monster is a dark, mm, age gap that deals with mental health.
Super fast paced, spicy read. I loved Leo & Ollie.
“The thing with Ollie was that he didn’t know how to keep those demons in. He didn’t know how to fight them. He sometimes let them all out, forgetting that there was no place for them in this world.”
The snippets from the past made me want to go add the duet that came before it. I can’t wait to see more from Oliver & Paige.
Super fast paced, spicy read. I loved Leo & Ollie.
“The thing with Ollie was that he didn’t know how to keep those demons in. He didn’t know how to fight them. He sometimes let them all out, forgetting that there was no place for them in this world.”
The snippets from the past made me want to go add the duet that came before it. I can’t wait to see more from Oliver & Paige.
February 22, 2022
Firstly please please please read the trigger warnings that come with this book
This was my first book I’ve read by Z.S Storm . But my god it’s made me crave more.
I only recently started reading dark romances but the blurb and the teasers made me apply for the arc and I don’t regret it one bit.
This was utterly twisted in all the best ways. Ollie is 100% psychotic and a spoilt brat. Leo is loveable but a total pushover when it comes to Ollie.
Is some of it a little unrealistic….. yes but that’s fiction baby. It doesn’t need to make sense in the real world.
The sex is something else and something I found to be so freaking hot…..
In places my heart broke for Ollie. I love how the ugly side of mental health has been shown. His inner monster and his battle with himself were perfect. The ugliness and evilness of it all wasn’t sugarcoated at all and I love Z S Storm for that.
I like that is an open ending and not a H.E.A. Although I hope this means they’ll be more Leo and Ollie at some point in the future.
While you can read this as a stand-alone without reading the dream haven duet (like I did). I felt like I was missing parts of the back story (between Leo and Ollies dad) you do get little explanations but I think I’d of understood more if I’d of read these first and have now added them to my tbr.
Was it sick in places? Yes was it twisted? Yes. did I love it? 100% yes. Would i recommend it? Hell yes!
This was my first book I’ve read by Z.S Storm . But my god it’s made me crave more.
I only recently started reading dark romances but the blurb and the teasers made me apply for the arc and I don’t regret it one bit.
This was utterly twisted in all the best ways. Ollie is 100% psychotic and a spoilt brat. Leo is loveable but a total pushover when it comes to Ollie.
Is some of it a little unrealistic….. yes but that’s fiction baby. It doesn’t need to make sense in the real world.
The sex is something else and something I found to be so freaking hot…..
In places my heart broke for Ollie. I love how the ugly side of mental health has been shown. His inner monster and his battle with himself were perfect. The ugliness and evilness of it all wasn’t sugarcoated at all and I love Z S Storm for that.
I like that is an open ending and not a H.E.A. Although I hope this means they’ll be more Leo and Ollie at some point in the future.
While you can read this as a stand-alone without reading the dream haven duet (like I did). I felt like I was missing parts of the back story (between Leo and Ollies dad) you do get little explanations but I think I’d of understood more if I’d of read these first and have now added them to my tbr.
Was it sick in places? Yes was it twisted? Yes. did I love it? 100% yes. Would i recommend it? Hell yes!
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