Haunting Goats

I went into this with high hopes because of the reviews and the premise sounded right up my alley, a chubby AuDHD heroine in what looked like a dark, twisty story and with great reviews. The beginning was promising and I was on board with the concept. Everything up until the point where she realizes she’s dead worked well enough for me. Unfortunately, that’s where it started to lose me. For such a short book I expected things to feel a bit rushed, but the relationships still felt underdeveloped. The drama with her BFF and the intense bond with Attie after only a few hours together didn’t land for me. I never really got a clear sense of the characters or their dynamic and they felt inconsistent, and I struggled to understand and/or care about them. I enjoy dark and spicy romances, but the shift from detailed descriptions of dead bodies (maggots included) straight into sexy time was not for me in my headspace. It pulled me out of the story rather than adding to the darkness in a way that worked. I ended up only reading about a third properly before skimming the rest to see where it was going (after reading that there was a plot twist). The twist that some characters were dead was something I hadn’t fully caught, and I did enjoy that reveal. The ending was interesting, but it didn’t make up for the lack of character and relationship development earlier on. I would have preferred more time spent establishing the characters and their connections and less focus on the murder aspects. The idea and the twists had potential, but it didn’t quite click for me. I read an ARC copy, and this is my honest review.

When the main character escapes a abusive relationship/family and moves in with her childhood best friend she takes a trip to the library where she meet a hot guy things move a little quick and they go on a date where she learns she dead he's dead and so is her bestie Whats a couple got but time on there hands so they go on a hunting spree and get revenge hoping it take then to the other side well its complicated thats for sure Also didn't expect horny demons in hell I like how one simple joke made me understand the book tile they all faint and drop like goats 🐐 I was not expecting to cry over the ending well played didn't see that coming Thank you for a chance to arc was a wonderful time

New to me author and I will be reading more. Dark romance, trauma, death. Read your triggers. Can't wait for book 2.

.·:*¨ “I’m so proud of you, Lyr.” That one little sentence makes me come undone. All the feelings I’ve been suppressing my whole life come to the surface, and I let out a croaky sob. ARC Review Haunting Goats by Decay B. @decayb_author 248 pages Published October 13, 2026 👻Dark & Twisty 👻OBSESSIVE/PROTECTIVE MMC 👻TOUCH HER AND DIE 👻FORCED PROXIMITY 👻HE FALLS FIRST 👻PLUS SIZE FMC 👻”WHO DID THIS TO YOU?” 👻Lots of spice ☠️My rating 4.25 ☠️Do I recommend? Yes* But, you’ve gotta be the right audience. It’s a debut book and I probably give those novels some lead way but that doesn’t take away from the fact I enjoyed it. There was some filler but that happens and I’m letting that slide a bit. Overall, I thought this was a really good debut piece from a new author. I think some elements could potentially be polarizing for some readers- but, it’s always important to remember there’s a difference between paranormal & 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹. It leans dark for sure. (And I know that’s subjective like everything else in reading) I straight up wanted to throw my kindle at the end- and that’s not a bad thing… it just shows that I was invested versus indifferent. ☠️ I primarily think the target audience will eat this up. I enjoyed it. There was smut, depth and delivery. ⚠️𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐜𝐰 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 & 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐢l𝐞𝐫𝐬⚠️ 𝗧𝗬 @decayb_author 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗢𝗣𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗧𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗧𝗢 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 & 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 --- 𝗜 𝗔𝗟𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗬 𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗔 𝗣𝗛𝗬𝗦𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗖𝗢𝗣𝗬 /𝗕𝗢𝗫 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 @willowanddagger ☠️ 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗕𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀. ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗘𝗥 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗥 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗙𝗔𝗧 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗥 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗗𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗘 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗥 ✨🌈✨

So where do I start At first I felt like the relationship with Atticus and Lyric was a bit rushed even for my tastes however as I continued to read it didn’t matter. I genuinely love Lyric as an FMC. She’s so damn strong and such an amazing character. I truly felt for her the whole time I read the book. Atticus? Def gives off touch her and die vibes. I really enjoyed how unhinged he was regarding Lyric and because of this the rushed feeling I got from the beginning didn’t really matter to me in the slightest. I’m so glad I got to read this book and I’m very excited to see what next is in store.

Please read trigger and content warnings as contains dark themes If you enjoy dark romance in a paranormal setting, then you’ll enjoy this book. Initially when I started reading this story, I hadn’t quite put 2 and 2 together yet however there is a point where she’s talking about finding a long-lost friend and you go ……. Oooohhhh, here is where things are gonna get real because she hasn’t realised yet, she in the in-between. I honestly felt for Lyric (FMC), what that poor girl had gone through and endured while she was alive from an abusive boyfriend and stepfather to a mother who showed her no love, only to now face life in the in-between. There is honestly no wonder she suffered from anxiety and lack of confidence. While she’s in the in-between, some secrets also come to light, and you think yes this is the point she breaks but instead she shows a resilience and steel to try and find her way ‘home’ but this also comes from the help she receives from Atticus (MMC). Atticus, has a dark side but with Lyric, he falls first and hard. He wants Lyric to see herself the way he sees her and will do anything to help her. He is the reason she finds out that she’s dead and helps her come to terms with it. This story definitely brings out the emotions because it covers topics of love, loss, compromise and sacrifice. I actually had to re-read the ending twice, once because I was like what….wait….no!!! But then the 2nd time was because I actually loved how the author decided to end the book

So glad to see both characters being morally grey to get their revenge! I received a free advance copy of this book from the author.

Story 5 ⭐ Spice 4 🌶️ Lots of banter, lots of spice, and lots of revenge-based action. Be sure to check the warnings if need as there are scenes that are not for the faint(ing goats). Lyric gets revenge on those who wronged her in life thanks to her quite literal soul-mate Atticus. Be sure to check this book out of you want a dark romance with plenty of laugh out loud moments and lots of spice. This was very enjoyable and I want more. Thank you Decay B. for the ARC!

Overall this book was good. I loved that Attie was there to help guide Lyric through the In-Between. He not only guided her but empowered her to stick up for herself and see her worth. I love when a tortured FMC gets to thrive and prove everyone that hurt her wrong and this was that story. The only thing I was not a fan of was the ending. And yes technically this was a happy ending and Lyric got everything she deserved but what about Attie? I was shocked when I got to the acknowledgments and Attie didn’t get his happy ending.

Honestly don't even know where to start.... The beginning of the book I was kind of turned off when reading the word "yeet", ugh... I must be getting old....it's weird having that feeling of how my parents felt when any slang was used! Oh how the tables have turned on me. Anywhoo besides the slang.... There was a comparison towards the beginning that just gave me the ick, I almost didn't want to keep reading. Probably just a personal preference, but as a mom, I don't think I'd ever compare anything like that to a baby.....I mean out of everything in the world.....that's what was picked. Just not a fan of that.😕 Again maybe it's just me, but I also could not for the life of me get that part out of my head with how much it bothered me, being the chosen comparison. The relationship between the two main characters seems very rushed, I had started out feeling like I was missing Important information. Atticus fell first, fast and hard if I do say so myself. He was persistent on making her, his, which I am all for a dominant man! This just felt very rushed. I feel like they only knew each other for not even a week and he slept with her...and the fact that he was still hung up on Ellie.....well....that made it difficult for me to think that he truly wanted Lyr. I felt sorry for Lyric, she is self conscious due to her size, and her past, but in no way did she need to be. That was basically her personality, having every thought geared at not being thin enough, or light enough. I have nothing against plus size, I for one am not in the skinny department, but I defense don't make it my personality as I know there is more to me than that. Her past, well basically whole life, was nothing but a mess. The one she called Mom was....how would you say it nicely...a bitch?? Ugh and how could family treat their child that way and let them get hurt the way they did without a care in the world!?!?!? I hate them for her! And the boyfriend, oh don't even get me started. Atticus, I wish I could say I liked him but the truth of the matter is....I did not, he was just a little too.....much? Almost bipolar in a sense with how he treated Lyric. Like he wanted to claim her and be the one to help her, but was also an asshole when he chose to be? He was selfish in not letting Lyr go because he wanted her, but also because everyone leaves him.....yet in the end......I just.....I need more answers..... I did have a really hard time getting into this book. I definitely was determined to finish it and be able to give an honest review, I do wish I could have given a better one. This book in particular is just not for me. Thank you Decay for giving me the opportunity to read your book, I seriously wish I could give a different rating, but again this is my personal rating.