Book Info
Pretty Little Monster by AJ MerlinSeries: Pretty Obsessions #3
Genres: New Adult Romance, Dark Romance
Pages: 313
ASIN: B0CFJZ1MJH
Published: 15/03/2024
Available on
Purchase at: Amazon | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon AU
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I thought Iโd feel broken after what happened.
Turns out killing the man who hurt me changed that.
When Iโm back at school for my last few weeks of college, I find normalcy for the first time in months. Despite getting comfortable, I canโt give Rook and Oliver the answer they so clearly want, even if itโs not the one they want to hear.
They have to understand itโs not that easy.
Donโt they?
But following them across the country brings more than just new house problems and adjusting to their lifestyle. Issues from not so long ago come to light, and I realize Iโm not as normal as Iโd hoped to be, after killing my professor for what he did to me.
With Oliver dealing with a past of his own, and someone Rook used to know prowling around for a chance heโs waited for, itโs hard to rely on them for answers. Especially when old urges creep up my spine and I start looking for reasons to hurt someone for what Iโve seen him do.
When Iโm no longer able to attribute my urges to an external predator, Iโm forced to confront a terrifying possibility.
Maybe Iโve always been more like them than I thought
Pretty Little Monster is the third and final book in the pretty obsessions trilogy. It includes MMF, MFM, MM, and mature, murderous content.
Pretty Little Monster - My Review
Have I been patiently waiting to get my hands on the final book in the Pretty Obsessions series? No. I’ve been absolutely itching to read it. Was it worth the nine-month wait? 100%. Although Pretty Little Monster sees a bit of a shift from Pretty Little Tease and Pretty Little Killer it’s perfectly on point with the other books and perhaps even a little more sinister.
The first part of the book sees Blair finishing up her time at college and graduating. After the end of Killer saw the trio “playing” in their victim’s blood, things could have been easy for Blair. Instead, she’s plagued with doubts about her new identity as a killer and losing who she was. She also fears that when Oliver and Rook move after graduation they’ll leave her behind. Although Blair does discuss her identity crisis with the two men, she never examines why she thinks they’ll leave her and instead comes to the conclusion that she can’t be without them and agrees to move with them.
This oversight follows the book into its second part as the trio moves to Nashville. During the journey, they stop at a gas station and Blair unexpectedly murders a homeless man. When Rook takes care of the cleanup without teaching Blair how to deal with her mess, it sows another seed of doubt in her mind; what if he doesn’t trust her to remain uncaught? The situation is compounded when Oliver gives into his killer urges and again Rook cleans up without involving the pair.
Blair’s descent into mistrust continues as she meets another serial killer, Elijah. He’s sly and manipulative and soon shows Blair how much Rook and Oliver are keeping from her. Her fears about their trust and the permanence of their relationship spur her towards spending time with Elijah to enable her to learn the skills she’s failing to acquire from her lovers.
This part of the book was a hard one for me to read because Blair’s actions felt like cheating. Okay, she isn’t sleeping with Elijah but she is essentially killing with him instead of with her killer lovers, and dancing around the truth of it when it comes to telling Rook and Oliver. The further she goes with Elijah, the more difficult it is for her to admit what she’s up to and express her feelings with her men. At the same time Elijah is skilful in his scheming and directs Blair to convince herself that although the men may love her, they do not trust her.
Elijah has a hidden side that would be revealed if only Blair would talk about her new friend. When Blair and Rook clash dramatically and come to realise that neither of them is communicating properly, it gives Elijah the perfect opportunity to move in and strike. Blair’s only hope is that her relationship with Rook and Oliver isn’t so damaged that they won’t find and rescue her from her predicament.
I found Blair less likeable a character in this book compared to the previous ones. In my view, this was because of her inability to sit down with Rook and Oliver and talk to them about her feelings and the resulting secrecy around her actions. That said, it didn’t make the book any less enjoyable; it was just a little different a read to the one I’d expected.
I’ll be honest, I’m waiting for another sneak attack from AJ Merlin. In this book, we meet cute bookstore owner Alice and her abusive ass of a boyfriend Carl. I was pretty surprised that neither Blair nor Elijah took him out during the story. As the final chapter comes to a close the tale is set up perfectly for another story. Will we see Blair and Alice again in another book? I certainly hope so.
About AJ Merlin
AJ merlin is an author, crazy bird lady, and rampant horror movie enthusiast. Her debut novel, A Little Wicked, is the product of being enamoured with the paranormal and the need to hunt down all things that go bump in the night. Born and raised in the midwest United States, AJ is lucky to be right in the middle of people who support her and a menagerie of animals to keep her somewhat sane. Connect with her on Facebook or social media to see updates, giveaways, and be bombarded with dog, cat, and pigeon pictures.
