Satan's Affair by H.D. Carlton

This novella was a quick, extremely twisted thrill ride from start to finish! The fresh perspective from this reverse harem, horror story was by far the best thing I read in April, and I'm left wishing there was more for Sibby's story.

Sibby is a carnival traveler with a Halloween-themed twist. Her shtick is to roam around the fairgrounds dressed up as a doll and draw in the fairgoers to her haunted dollhouse. When the sun goes down on the carnival, the fun (and Sibby's true calling in life) begins. Sibby's ridiculously strict upbringing in a FLDS-like situation ultimately shapes her chosen vocation, morals, lifestyle, etc. There is a huge complexity to Sibby's situation that you don't get until the story is completed. While this novella is a gore-filled wonder, the underlying themes of good versus evil and that complexity help keep the story from diving too far into what could have easily been overt campiness.

Despite the length, HD did a great job creating full-bodied secondary characters and filling in the action to bursting without sacrificing the purpose of the story to just steamy scenes and gore. I wish we'd had a chance to get more about Z, and I have to say, his too brief appearance might be my only complaint 😆 *Spoiler-ish: the ending leaves some things up to your imagination, so if you need a HEA and everything wrapped up with a pretty bow, even if it's horror, you will likely be frustrated. But if you're looking for a completely different story that reads like a grindhouse film, with quality steamy scenes and isn't afraid of getting a little bloody, definitely give Satan's Affair a spin.

Character development: 5/5

Dark elements: 5/5

Steamy scenes: 5/5

Overall storyline: 5/5

Triggers: Definitely