Untethering Dark by Desiree M. Niccoli | Monster Romance Fiction Review

This is a great horror/romance/dark fantasy blend.

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Untethering Dark by Desirée M. Niccoli

Released February 2026

Source: Netgalley

See more @ Goodreads

This was a lovely monster romance that was genuinely horrific, but also slightly cozy and even a little sweet without ever feeling cheesy. That’s the combo I’m always looking for in a horrormance/monster romance but it’s a hard balancing act and this author managed to do it.

The plot is also well plotted. I know, I have a way with words, haha. A lot of these types of stories tend to lack a substantial plot in lieu of the characters getting together and then it’s usually dropped once the romance gets going but that doesn’t happen here. It reads like a dark fairytale with some splashes of horror, and it might not be for everyone because it does get gory, the characters are morally gray and there is some animal brutality. Fortunately, the animal deaths are not tossed in for shock value and make a lot of sense in this story. I hate that it happened, but it wasn't for naught.

So, what’s it about? Astrid is a forest witch who is on the cusp of becoming a full blown nearly immortal winter hag witch. She’s going to take over the Krampus-like duties for the woman who raised her (who I found hilarious) and she cannot wait! She gets to hand out warnings and slayings to abusive parents one night a year. It’s a lot of work but it’s a rewarding job and she’s thrilled and honored to be next in line for the “position” she’s been apprenticing for almost all of her life.

But in the meantime, she’s biding her time baking goodies, knitting, tending her goats and leaving bloody offerings for the ancient godlike beast who stalks the forest. She’s never him but he’s universally feared by people with brains. Unfortunately, quite a few hikers refuse to heed the warnings clearly stated on signs and get torn to bits. You get what you get when you act like an idiot. Anyhow, one night a bunch of dimwits destroy her protective boundaries, and she meets the forest god in the flesh and bone. Turns out he’s kind of sexy and not quite so scary even if his face is a bit, uh, bony. The two get friendlier as poachers and an even greater danger infiltrate their beloved forest and that’s all I’m going to say about the plot.

I listened to this book as an unabridged audio narrated by Kimberly M. Wetherell who does a fantastic job with the story. The German accents add so much to the atmosphere of the story and unlike one I’ve listened to recently are never dropped or distracting. The characters, even the secondary characters, are distinct, consistent and the emotions always feel real. If you like audio, this is the way to go with this one.

I definitely recommend Untethering Dark if you like a dark fantasy/slightly spicy monster romance with a real plot driving it instead of pure lust (though it has that too). My only minor caveat is all of the nightgown ripping. Damn, she’s going to have to learn how to sew too! There’s also a villain who appears and acts in a hysterical over the top manner but, I mean, some villains truly are just like that, so I guess that’s not a real complaint.

There has also never been a truer quote than this one:

“Give humans enough time and they sour, poisoning everything they touch.”

Anyhow, 4 1/2 stars. If you like any of this stuff you don’t need me to tell you, just go read it.

Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Publisher Plot Synopsis 

In the shadows of the forest, he waits…

A bloody and bewitching monster romance from Desirée M. Niccoli.

A winter hag in training, Astrid spends her days in the Black Forest sharpening her spell craft and flinging axes at tourists, and her nights leaving offerings to the ancient eldritch monster that guards the woods. She’s one sex ritual away from leaving the last trace of her unwanted humanity behind and stepping into her full power.

It’s the perfect life. Until a group of unruly humans brings that same deadly monster to her doorstep. Now, her only hope for survival is a plate of poisoned cookies.

Gudarīks has roamed the Black Forest since it sprouted its first trees, consuming any who violate his beloved land. Lured to the witch’s gate, he is amused at her attempt to poison him with sweets…but spending time with her awakens millennia of repressed desire. Astrid doesn’t shy away from the gentle caress of his claws or his most ravenous attentions.

As witch and monster find long-buried heat in the wintery landscape they call home, signs of a dark, lost magic begin to appear in the forest. When a rising supernatural threat has them questioning not only their ability to protect the forest, but Gudarīks’s own immortality, their only solution may be to share their strength and create a union beyond mortal comprehension.