Hollow (Mayhem Manuscripts Season Two: Cryptids) by MN Bennet

Sleepy Hollow has their hands full with having a internet famous Horseless Headsmen and a "Deer Daddy" living amongst them... Pretending to be a cosplayer on social media keeps Jack's true monster identity hidden in plain sight. When he offers protection to a captive cryptid, he finds not only friendship, but something a lot more special with Dimitri.

From the blurb:

Jack lives his life on social media, cosplaying as the cryptid local legend. Sure, he is an actual monster, but that detail doesn’t really matter when he’s focused on trending posts. All is going well in Jack’s life until a group of hunters show up, intent on taking the famed monster’s head as a trophy.

Dimitri has been trapped by hunters for years, forced to use his abilities so their organization can track down other cryptids. When he encounters Jack, he learns that not all monsters are made the same way. Jack easily removes the threat at his doorstep, and Dimitri gains a chance at freedom.

Jack introduces Dimitri to the world and the many wonders he’s missed out on during his captivity. Dimitri follows Jack’s lead as he explores this new era. But the hunter’s organization doesn’t take their loss lightly, and they set out to reclaim Dimitri and behead Jack. These monsters will have to trust their hearts and each other if they want to put an end to this threat.

Hollow is a full-length MM dark (ish) monster romance as part of the Mayhem Manuscripts Cryptids shared world collaboration.


SNik's review:

Part of a multi-author series (Mayhem Manuscripts Season Two: Cryptids), but can be read as a standalone. Paranormal. Hurt/comfort. Dual POV. Heed content warnings. 

Jack is a local legend and social influencer that people believe is cosplaying as the town monster and he enjoys living in the open while being a true monster. When he rescues Dimitri, he invites him to stay in Sleepy Hollow and both monsters slowly fall into a companionship that turns romantic. 

Honestly I was surprised at how cute this story was as I was bracing for dark and instead got two immortal golden retriever monsters who are an extrovert/introvert couple and just sweetly falling in love. Of course they face danger together, take care of a faithful demon dog, and have some super spicy interactions. I enjoyed every moment they were on page together, their conversations, trust, protectiveness and the general fun they have together. This was entertaining and unique and I loved every moment.

Katriana Prey's review:

Who knew that a Horseless Headsmen could be do adorable?!? I loved the creativity that M.N. Bennet had with taking a classic character/story, and completely flipping it on its head and making something new that was entirely his own creation.

Jack might be rumored to be similar to the famous Headless Horsemen, but he is much different. For starters, he's an internet star! And he doesn't have a horse, rather, he has a demonic dog who has quite strong feelings about getting his daily walks. While he isn't the Headless Horsemen, there are nods to the classic character. Jack may not have a horse but when he uses his Shadows, the echoes of horse hooves sound around him, which I thought was a pretty cool detail to add! It is a nod to a classic tale we all are familiar with while staying true to the new character this author has created.

Now, while I love Jack, there is another character we must discuss, and that is Dimitri! Dimitri has been held captive by despicable humans for decades, but when he enters Jack's forest, his life changes in a way he could have never expected. I hate that he was forced against his will to do so many horrible things and that they wouldn't just leave him be, but it was adorable reading about how Jack was teaching him about things that existed in the modern world. Things that Dimitri had no idea existed.

I adored how these two learned and grew together, they met each other there they were at and went from there, which I thought was rather beautiful. While there is spice in this story there isn't a ton which I really appreciated. I loved "seeing" these two have their date nights, and going out to holiday festivities, it just added another layer of depth to their relationship and was honestly just a joy to read about!

All in all, another terrific book in this Multi-Author collab series, and I cannot wait to keep discovering new monsters!!

Hollow is currently available as an e-book, hardcover and paperback and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription