The Nightmare's Kiss

Monster Research Facility, Book 1

By: Skyla Gray

Narrated by: Rachel Leblang

How can a living nightmare bring such sweet dreams?

Mara Vance never thought her useless psychology degree would lead to studying an actual monster. Subject X-13, aka "The Nightmare," is armed with sharp teeth, claws, and a constantly shifting form… yet Mara finds the huge shadow creature as intriguing as he is terrifying.

As Mara studies him, she soon realizes that The Nightmare is far more intelligent than her shady superiors say he is. And every night, she indulges in twisted fantasies about the same monster. What happens in her dreams stays in her dreams—right?

Everyone says he's nothing more than a monster. But when dream and reality collide, Mara must decide how much she's willing to trust him—and herself. Will she risk setting him free, or will she lose him forever?

©2023 Skyla Gray (P)2024 Podium Audio

I’m not sure I’d call this a “romance”

The romance is more of a subplot - really just the motivation for the struggling FMC to stand up for herself and take control of her life. We never enter the Nightmare’s POV and barely talk to him until the last 1/3rd of the book. Even then, the communication is limited. It’s not a bad book, but it was marked as monster romance, and in then aspect it was disappointing.

Wonderfully Imaginative

The story was an easy, but imaginative and engaging monster-sci-fi-fantasy story all wrapped into one. And the voice performance simply brought it to life. great job 👏

It's Actually Good. Give it a Chance.

I agree with some of the points about the romance feeling more like a subplot, but honestly, I still thought it was very well written. I’m not usually a huge fan of contemporary settings either, yet the author did a fantastic job describing the sensations, emotions, and different scenarios. She painted such a vivid picture that it was easy to become immersed in the story.
My only real complaint is the lack of romance and the way the steamy scenes were handled. I wish there had been more buildup leading into them, along with a little more detail. I mean, if we’re reading a monster romance, we all know what comes with the territory. lol

Overall: 4.5/5 ⭐

Love love love!! 🖤

I’ll be honest. I read this at first because it was free, and seemed like a unique plot. I thought it would be fun. But I didn’t think it was consume me the way it did. Seeing Mara’s growth was beautiful!
Those comments saying this isn’t a romance are crazy. It’s DEFINITELY a romance. It’s just not “smut”. There were a few naughty scenes, and what was shown was sexy and fun. But there was so much more between Mara and the Nightmare, more within Mara finding herself, and more with the bigger plot of the research facility overall. I loved this story and its message.
READ THIS! 🖤🖤🖤

This could have been so much better!

I was a little disappointed in the storyline. I don't think they gave us enough back history or character development for the nightmare.