Weeks after the breakup of her six-year relationship, Callie and her friends are heading to a free, all-inclusive retreat planned six months ago. Unfortunately for her, her ex-boyfriend, Spencer, shows up after having promised to stay home, as he was the one who cheated on her.
The stone exterior, sophisticated decorative details, and beautiful landscaping seem at odds with the debauchery to take place under Carnal Manor’s roof for the week.
In between taking classes and workshops on sex and sex-adjacent subjects, Callie struggles to avoid her persistent ex-boyfriend. Luckily, Spencer’s friend and coworker, Hawk, is all too willing to keep her mind off things.
Despite enjoying her time with Hawk, Callie can’t ignore the feeling that something is very wrong at this sex retreat. At first, it’s only stuff she personally notices. Chunks of missing time, an exhaustion she just can’t seem to shake, and the addictive nature of those around her put her on edge. But when people start to go missing, including those in her own party, she begins to worry.
Not everything is as it seems at Carnal Manor, and as more damning evidence begins to pile up, Callie wonders what hand Hawk has in all of this. He was, after all, the one who invited them.
Tropes: what happens at the sex retreat says at the sex retreat, spicy intinerary/programming, body worship, people start to go missing, he can go into her dreams, fuck me in front of him so he understands we’re over, cinnamon roll demon MMC, incubus x nephilim
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Content Warnings
Persistent Nuisance Ex-Boyfriend- The FMC has recently broken up with her ex-boyfriend. He refuses to respect boundaries, trying to argue his way into keeping the room with her and to retry the relationship. FMC notices him watching her often; it’s a looming unwanted presence. He corners her on multiple occasions.
BDSM- There are several workshops and activities at the retreat that involve BDSM and kink education. I have taken liberties with the depth and nuance of those teachings and practices. This is not an instruction manual.
General Demon Activities- The demons in this book are deceptive and without human morals. They use powers to deceive through glamour magic. They are harvesting souls and siphoning sexual energy from the retreat attendees. They can put victims into trance-like states as they siphon, leading to the victim having time loss. They plan to use the FMC at one point as a bribe/leverage because what they are doing is not sanctioned by Hell. They have an entire day’s worth of activities lambasting and mocking religion, specifically Christianity. Lots of liberties are taken with Christian mythology and demon mythology.
Death of Side Characters- All human retreat attendees die. They are drained of energy and pass in a state of euphoria.
Weight/Body Image Issues- The FMC struggles with body image due to parental body shaming while growing up. There is a reference to a period when she was very underweight during a time of high stress and how that body shape is similar to the body shape of the person her ex cheated on her with. These parts are most often discussed alongside the Body Worship workshop.
Sexual Coercion/Dubcon- The demons have an aphrodisiacal touch, which makes the victims’ arousal more intense, leading to them maybe doing things they might not normally do under situations where that was not present. One of the demons glamours himself to look like the FMC’s love interest to claim her soul. He then uses the mark he puts on her soul to control her mind and actions, often in a sexual or affection stealing way. The demons are, at times, persistent in urging the victims to join them.
Violence- The FMC’s love interest is beaten by the other demons after he tries to escape the manor with her. The demons involved with the retreat are, at the end, punished by incineration and torture pits. The angel father of the FMC attempts to murder her in an effort to prevent her from going to Hell.
Slut Shaming, Degradation- Degrading names and comments are made to the FMC. Sometimes they are playful, and sometimes they are insulting.
Infidelity- The ex-boyfriend of the FMC cheated on her several weeks before the retreat. He shows up and behaves as if their breakup is a temporary thing, despite the person he cheated with also being present. There is speculation over whether the assumed person was cheating partner and whether she knew he was with someone. Later, it is confirmed to be her, but she was not told he had a partner. The actual cheating happens off-page and is historical.
Explicit Sex & Monsterfucking – This story takes place at a sex retreat. There is an obnoxious amount of sex in this book. Some of it is public sex. The FMC has a good bit of sex with different people throughout the retreat. The love interest is a demon, and she has sex with him in demon form on multiple occasions.
Shonna Preston 