Of Monsters and Mazes

A Dark Romance Labyrinth Retelling (Vicious Wonders)

De: Leann Belle

Narrado por: Kate Fraser, Vic Fraser

The King of Devils stole my cat, now I'm going to take his head

My dating life was already hell before I was spirited away to this treacherous Labyrinth with pitfalls and traps around every turn. The King holds my best friend hostage, while the men in the maze play with my life like I'm a disposable toy.

The Minotaur hunts the twisted corridors, while a mischievous fox tempts me into dangerous trials, where each encounter is more terrifying than the last.

Theron, a handsome, black-horned Weaver of Nightmares, promises to be my guide, but I don't know if he's truly defying the King, or if his charming smile and playful banter are all a clever game. As these monsters work their way into my heart, I just hope I can trust them.

Of Monsters and Mazes is a reimagining of The Labyrinth. This darker, grittier version of a classic fairytale will keep you as on edge as our heroine with its mix of spice, horror, fantasy, and romance. You'll love it if you prefer your enemies to lovers romance with multiple possessive, morally gray love interests, who love to test the limits of their very, very "good girl."

©2024 Leann Belle (P)2025 Leann Belle

Surprisingly less smut than story

Decent story, writing, and multi POV narration. Interesting world building. I enjoyed the mixture of Greek mythology and The Labyrinth(David Bowie movie). The author did a great job of blending the movie plot with the traditional Minotaur legend as well as her own personal flair. I was surprised at the lack of over the top smut. Something you come to expect in these kinda of stories usually. That’s not to say there was no smut, just less smut to plot ratio than the norm. Personally I would have like to either have more smut( more details longer scenes etc) or more plot depth. This idea definitely could have been fleshed out more and made into a full length romantasy adventure. To me it felt stuck in the middle. The book is too long and seriously lacking on sex scenes to be a quick and dirty smut read. On the other hand there aren’t enough characters or depth to satisfy as a sexy fantasy adventure. Still it was interesting and it definitely took up some time. Her Alice in wonderland story was much better in my opinion. I don’t think I would buy this one again if I had the chance but I will definitely still be getting any others in this series.

Twisted fantasy

I thought the story was interesting and different than the first 2 books. My favorite book was the first one, Alice. This one, on the other hand could not get past the narration and the story line. Unfortunately I fast forward to the end. Not my type of story line.

Pumpkin

Story:
A dark, why-choose paranormal romance with some seriously good MM content.
What a hell of a list in the content warnings! So damn interesting... But to some it can be triggers, so you maybe want to check.
What to expect:
- Four MMCs that are more than just men- they're something else. So different from one another, yet with more in common than they realize.
- One fierce FMC who would do anything for her furry companion — and honestly, I totally get her! She’s a grown woman who's used to fighting for what she wants and proving her worth.
- A plot full of surprises — some better(ish) than others, but always engaging, with deep emotions, hidden truths, and second chances.
- Multiple POVs, which help us truly understand the characters’ feelings and motivations. I did find myself at times thinking, “What?”, “Hell NO!”, and “Why?!” — but that’s part of the fun! I'd absolutely read or listen to it all over again.
- Plenty of steamy, funny, and deliciously twisted moments that really make the story stand out.
It's perfect for Halloween season, but honestly? Any dark read by Leann is a win for me, anytime. She has an amazing talent for creating unique and immersive worlds.
And yes — it ends with a HEA that feels like it’s straight from another realm. Loved it!

Audio:
The narrators did an impeccable job. It was so easy to visualize the characters and get pulled into the story.
Their voices are fantastic, and they truly embodied the characters.
The duet narration is one of my favorite formats, and they nailed it.

This is the second book I read from this author, and I love her writing

So this book also may write a review which I normally don't do. I loved the characters in the story. I seen some comments about the main character always needing help, but she said herself in the book multiple times that she normally doesn't need help but the situation she does and she obviously did. I think there was one part that made me cringe a little bit, but I will not give away details, but other than that part i really loved this book!

Good

Pleasantly surprised by the uncommonly good writing of dark and smutty horror and gore, morally dark grey MMCs, and excellent narration.