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A review by sueread2030
The Dark Side: Books 1&2 by Kristy Cunning
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"So if you were a boy band, you'd be One Erection"
The world has lost the Queen of the One-line Burn. RIP C.M Owens
I have read this way back in 2018 and decided to give it a reread through audio. BEST. DECISION. EVER because the narrator, Hollie Jackson, did so well, she brought each character to life, especially Keyla (let's just call her that for now) and her sense of humor and fetish kinks.
"Four Psychos" is a four-book series that takes you on a rollercoaster ride through the paranormal, which is about as stable as a ghost on a diet of ectoplasmic popcorn. And I want to state a very clear statement here
I am 100% against one-person POV when it comes to any romance genre. EXCEPT here.
This is a review for the first 2 books of the series
⚜Genre: Paranormal Romance
⚜Theme: RH Paranormal Romance
⚜Targeted audience: Adults
⚜Characters: Keyla your friendly horny ghost, Four yummy Surface Guardian Men
⚜Representation: non
⚜TW: Violence
⚜ tropes: slow-burn, amnesia,
⚜ POV: One-sided first person - Keyla
⚜ spice 🌶: book 1 🌶 🌶🌶: book 2
⚜ rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
⚜standalone: No
⚜Ending: setting the mood for the next 2 books
Keyla (or so called by the men) is an invisible specter with a penchant for haunting four hunky roommates and a to-do list that's less 'bucket' and more 'sex dreams.' Her goals range from becoming tangible (because being a ghost gets old, even if you don't age) to munching on popcorn (because "priorities").
The four men she's been haunting? They're about as thrilled to see her as a vampire at a garlic festival. But when they start seeing her, it's a toss-up between calling the Ghostbusters and inviting her to their next game night. However, I could not blame them because having been living for decades not knowing who they really are, being manipulated by the underworld, and betrayed relationship-wise so many times, it is no wonder they are apprehensive of a ghost girl suddenly appearing and saying she was watching them for five years
I am not a fan of One-sided POV in romances, but I found that it was necessary here because of all the plot twists that are slowly revealed. The men are as clueless as she is so their POV was irrelevant at this point, though I wished we had theirs at the end of book 2 after that climatic event
I loved Keyla (a name given by the men because she doesn't know who she is). She may appear "clingy" and "needy" and a "pick-me" girl in the beginning with how much desperate she is for the men, but as the story goes on, you come to the realization of why.
She is smart, resourceful, cunning, unapologetic, sexy and beautiful. She is not afraid to state what she wants and gives the boys the lashing they deserve when they disregard her.
Lamar, a character in the book, describes her as such (no spoilers)
"She'll go to the ends of the earth to save you four, and she'll always be serious when it counts because while she distracts you from the intensity of the situation, she is cataloguing each new piece of information, filing it away, recording it for later, then she puts it all together with the most reasonable way to approach a situation. Though to us, we often find it maddening or just crazy but we don't have the same ability to reason as she does"
The situation of the Four Dark Guardians is both hilarious and intriguing. 500 years ago, each of them came to be not knowing who they were or their aim. They met and an instant strong bond formed between them. They became Surface Guardians of the Underworld. Immortals, but not Dead. Something never heard of in the realm of Lucifer. They can have sex or sexual experience unless they are all together in the same room, so they decided to share women.
Cunning is the master of Slow Burn because even though Keyla was all on board for diving head-first in with the men, they weren't. They are very suspicious of her and the reason she came to be. Although they desired her physically, they did not open to her up until much later.
The book and the story draw so much from Biblical mythology of the Underworld with characters such as Lucifer, Lillith, Cain, the Four Horsemen and such. Cunning masterfully put together a spectacular love story for all eternity.
With a dash of dark humor and a sprinkle of reverse harem spice, this book is perfect for those who like their romance with a side of supernatural snark. So, if you're looking for a read that's as quirky as a poltergeist playing pranks in a pottery class, "Four Psychos" might just be your next favorite haunt. Just be warned, it's got more twists than a ghost trying to do the limbo.
The world has lost the Queen of the One-line Burn. RIP C.M Owens
I have read this way back in 2018 and decided to give it a reread through audio. BEST. DECISION. EVER because the narrator, Hollie Jackson, did so well, she brought each character to life, especially Keyla (let's just call her that for now) and her sense of humor and fetish kinks.
"Four Psychos" is a four-book series that takes you on a rollercoaster ride through the paranormal, which is about as stable as a ghost on a diet of ectoplasmic popcorn. And I want to state a very clear statement here
I am 100% against one-person POV when it comes to any romance genre. EXCEPT here.
This is a review for the first 2 books of the series
⚜Genre: Paranormal Romance
⚜Theme: RH Paranormal Romance
⚜Targeted audience: Adults
⚜Characters: Keyla your friendly horny ghost, Four yummy Surface Guardian Men
⚜Representation: non
⚜TW: Violence
⚜ tropes: slow-burn, amnesia,
⚜ POV: One-sided first person - Keyla
⚜ spice 🌶: book 1 🌶 🌶🌶: book 2
⚜ rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
⚜standalone: No
⚜Ending: setting the mood for the next 2 books
Keyla (or so called by the men) is an invisible specter with a penchant for haunting four hunky roommates and a to-do list that's less 'bucket' and more 'sex dreams.' Her goals range from becoming tangible (because being a ghost gets old, even if you don't age) to munching on popcorn (because "priorities").
The four men she's been haunting? They're about as thrilled to see her as a vampire at a garlic festival. But when they start seeing her, it's a toss-up between calling the Ghostbusters and inviting her to their next game night. However, I could not blame them because having been living for decades not knowing who they really are, being manipulated by the underworld, and betrayed relationship-wise so many times, it is no wonder they are apprehensive of a ghost girl suddenly appearing and saying she was watching them for five years
I am not a fan of One-sided POV in romances, but I found that it was necessary here because of all the plot twists that are slowly revealed. The men are as clueless as she is so their POV was irrelevant at this point, though I wished we had theirs at the end of book 2 after that climatic event
I loved Keyla (a name given by the men because she doesn't know who she is). She may appear "clingy" and "needy" and a "pick-me" girl in the beginning with how much desperate she is for the men, but as the story goes on, you come to the realization of why.
She is smart, resourceful, cunning, unapologetic, sexy and beautiful. She is not afraid to state what she wants and gives the boys the lashing they deserve when they disregard her.
Lamar, a character in the book, describes her as such (no spoilers)
"She'll go to the ends of the earth to save you four, and she'll always be serious when it counts because while she distracts you from the intensity of the situation, she is cataloguing each new piece of information, filing it away, recording it for later, then she puts it all together with the most reasonable way to approach a situation. Though to us, we often find it maddening or just crazy but we don't have the same ability to reason as she does"
The situation of the Four Dark Guardians is both hilarious and intriguing. 500 years ago, each of them came to be not knowing who they were or their aim. They met and an instant strong bond formed between them. They became Surface Guardians of the Underworld. Immortals, but not Dead. Something never heard of in the realm of Lucifer. They can have sex or sexual experience unless they are all together in the same room, so they decided to share women.
Cunning is the master of Slow Burn because even though Keyla was all on board for diving head-first in with the men, they weren't. They are very suspicious of her and the reason she came to be. Although they desired her physically, they did not open to her up until much later.
The book and the story draw so much from Biblical mythology of the Underworld with characters such as Lucifer, Lillith, Cain, the Four Horsemen and such. Cunning masterfully put together a spectacular love story for all eternity.
With a dash of dark humor and a sprinkle of reverse harem spice, this book is perfect for those who like their romance with a side of supernatural snark. So, if you're looking for a read that's as quirky as a poltergeist playing pranks in a pottery class, "Four Psychos" might just be your next favorite haunt. Just be warned, it's got more twists than a ghost trying to do the limbo.