Monstrous Series by Lily Mayne

M/M Fantasy Romance. Twenty years ago, monsters rose on earth and began a new age of civilization. One where humans live in military-controlled, cramped and dirty cities along the coasts, and the majority of the United States is known as the Wastes. A lawless, desolate and dangerous place, teeming with monsters that have claimed the land for their own. Including Wyn the Soul Eater... moreM/M Fantasy Romance. Twenty years ago, monsters rose on earth and began a new age of civilization. One where humans live in military-controlled, cramped and dirty cities along the coasts, and the majority of the United States is known as the Wastes. A lawless, desolate and dangerous place, teeming with monsters that have claimed the land for their own. Including Wyn the Soul Eater. He appears every three years, making his way across the country and slaughtering humans randomly, sucking them dry until they’re nothing but husks. I’ve only been in the military for six months, but now I’m part of a unit tasked with trying to stop and capture him. And when I’m the only soldier out of hundreds that the Soul Eater leaves alive, I realise that… something about me has intrigued him. But what is it? What could a twenty-three year old guy from the south, with no one and nothing in the world, have possibly done to capture the attention of a death monster with horns, blackened fingertips and a face hidden in the dark depths of his hood? Soul Eater is the debut novel of Lily Mayne. It is the first in a planned post-apocalyptic fantasy series featuring monsters and human men falling in love. This m/m love story contains explicit content and is not suitable for young readers. It also contains scenes of violence, but don’t worry—they get their happy ending. less

I was just a boy when the monsters rose on earth, forcing humans to flee to the coastlines and live in cramped, dirty, military-controlled cities. I enlisted as soon as I could to escape.Now, I’ve been in the military for twelve years and have the scars—and missing body parts—to prove it. As a hardened soldier who’s spent his fair share of time out in the Wastes—the dangerous place where monsters roam free—I didn’t think anything could surprise me anymore... moreI was just a boy when the monsters rose on earth, forcing humans to flee to the coastlines and live in cramped, dirty, military-controlled cities. I enlisted as soon as I could to escape.Now, I’ve been in the military for twelve years and have the scars—and missing body parts—to prove it. As a hardened soldier who’s spent his fair share of time out in the Wastes—the dangerous place where monsters roam free—I didn’t think anything could surprise me anymore.But then circumstance forced me together with a big, annoying purple monster who’s arrogant and bossy and pushes all my buttons in the worst—and best—ways. I need his help, and I hate needing anyone’s help. But the more time I spend with him, the more I realise that maybe there’s more from him that I need. And that he might need things from me too.But I’m still a soldier. I still have responsibilities. It doesn’t matter how I feel about Edin, because we can’t be together. It’s too dangerous.That doesn’t stop me wanting him, though.Edin is Book Two of the Monstrous series, a post-apocalyptic m/m fantasy series that focuses on monsters and human men falling in love. It is best to read the series in order. Warning: This m/m love story contains explicit content and is not suitable for young readers. It also contains graphic depictions of torture and violence, and mentions PTSD. less

Bonus short story. Available on the author's website: lily-mayne.com

Life as a raider in the Wastes, where monsters roam and the military lurks, is as easy as it sounds.I’ve been out here for a long time, and the fear that courses through my blood every time I have to step outside our camp walls to scavenge never fades. No matter how many monsters you face—and have to run for your life from—it doesn’t ever get easier.But when I come across a bound and injured monster in an abandoned military base, I can’t leave him behind... moreLife as a raider in the Wastes, where monsters roam and the military lurks, is as easy as it sounds.I’ve been out here for a long time, and the fear that courses through my blood every time I have to step outside our camp walls to scavenge never fades. No matter how many monsters you face—and have to run for your life from—it doesn’t ever get easier.But when I come across a bound and injured monster in an abandoned military base, I can’t leave him behind. His presence in our camp is causing tension, but I can’t bring myself to care when I get to see a different side to him—when he starts to show me who he is, beneath the pain and lingering trauma.But despite his gentle nature, I soon discover why others are so desperate to own him. Why the military, and now this stranger lurking outside our camp, want to put him back in chains and take him away from me.There’s something hiding under his skin. Something that threatens to upend my entire life, the one I’ve spent my years carefully protecting out here.There’s a reason why all other monsters fear him.The Rycke is Book Three of the Monstrous series, a post-apocalyptic m/m fantasy series that features monsters and human men falling in love. It is best to read the series in order. Warning: This m/m love story contains explicit sexual content and is not suitable for young readers. It also contains graphic depictions of torture and violence, and deals with PTSD. less

I am a monster.A ghoul. A demon. The bogeyman. I have been called all of them. Most creatures fear me, but humans are repulsed by me. They are terrified of me. They have created legends about me, ever since they became aware of my existence when the tear between our worlds grew and we—the monsters from their nightmares—flooded through in our droves.There is only one human who isn’t afraid of me. The only one who matters. And I will destroy anyone who tries to hurt him or take him from me... moreI am a monster.A ghoul. A demon. The bogeyman. I have been called all of them. Most creatures fear me, but humans are repulsed by me. They are terrified of me. They have created legends about me, ever since they became aware of my existence when the tear between our worlds grew and we—the monsters from their nightmares—flooded through in our droves.There is only one human who isn’t afraid of me. The only one who matters. And I will destroy anyone who tries to hurt him or take him from me. Danny is mine.For the first time in my unfathomably long life, I know what it means to want another so much that the thought of losing him threatens to ruin me. I will do anything to keep Danny with me for as long as I can have him—for as long as he is willing to stay by the side of an ancient, scarred creature with a voice so inhuman it has sent some mad.For some reason, Danny loves my voice. For some reason, Danny loves me. And when we both decide that his natural human life is nowhere near enough time for us to have together, we go on a journey between worlds to the one place where we can do what it takes for us to be together forever.Wyn is a sweet, low-angst novella that is part of the Monstrous series, a post-apocalyptic m/m fantasy series that features monsters and human men falling in love. It is best to read this series in order—if you haven’t read books one to three already, there are big spoilers in this!Warning: This m/m love story contains explicit sexual content and is not suitable for young readers. It also contains graphic depictions of torture and violence, and very briefly mentions the lingering effects of PTSD less

When a strange woman shows up outside our camp in the Wastes with monsters chained up to her RV, it feels like I’m the only one who actually wants to help them.That big, grey-skinned monster with the cage on his head and the chain hanging from his back—something is telling me I need to help him. I need to free him. But I have absolutely no idea how I’m supposed to do that, especially when he can’t even talk to me to tell me how... moreWhen a strange woman shows up outside our camp in the Wastes with monsters chained up to her RV, it feels like I’m the only one who actually wants to help them.That big, grey-skinned monster with the cage on his head and the chain hanging from his back—something is telling me I need to help him. I need to free him. But I have absolutely no idea how I’m supposed to do that, especially when he can’t even talk to me to tell me how.Collector Mary is finally leaving our camp to head back to her monster menagerie, so I do the only thing I can think of to help him. I go with her.Now, this big beastie and I are traveling companions for the foreseeable future. Now I just have to think of a way to get that cage off his head, which seems like an impossible task. But I’m not giving up. He has no one else, and when I start to discover who he is beneath the cage, my motivation to free him becomes far more than just a desire to help.This is so dangerous. The military is lurking. Vicious monsters are lurking. And when Mary turns out to be even worse than we could have ever imagined, my desperate bid to save this monster turns into a deadly game of cat and mouse.I’m pretty sure I’m going to die out here.Gloam is Book Four of the Monstrous series, a post-apocalyptic m/m fantasy series that features monsters and human men falling in love. It is best to read the series in order. Warning: This m/m love story contains explicit sexual content and is not suitable for young readers. It also contains graphic depictions of torture and violence. less

When I—along with my best friend and his big purple monster boyfriend—come across a fortress-like raider camp while journeying across the monster-infested Wastes, we stop to deliver a message.Somehow, that simple pit stop turns into a seemingly impossible quest to get this camp’s missing leader out of the prison where he’s being held and forced to fight monsters and other humans. And I know exactly where it is, because I’ve been there... moreWhen I—along with my best friend and his big purple monster boyfriend—come across a fortress-like raider camp while journeying across the monster-infested Wastes, we stop to deliver a message.Somehow, that simple pit stop turns into a seemingly impossible quest to get this camp’s missing leader out of the prison where he’s being held and forced to fight monsters and other humans. And I know exactly where it is, because I’ve been there.Problem is, I’m making this journey with the prickliest and most arrogant guy I’ve ever met, who seems to immediately hate me on sight. Oh, and he’s also half monster. So there’s that. And he’s in love with a raider who definitely does not love him back, and he seems determined to take it out on me. So there’s also that.But I’m not going to rise to his childish insults and barbed words. I’m not.I’m also going to try very hard to ignore how mindnumbingly beautiful he is, even when he’s scowling at me.But the longer we’re out here together, the more I learn about my prickly half monster companion Moth. I realise there’s a reason he’s so closed off and angry. There’s a reason he hates everyone.There are secrets he’s been keeping, and when I find out what they are, I want to do everything in my power to help him—even though he’s telling me he can’t be helped.Moth is Book Five of the Monstrous series, a post-apocalyptic m/m fantasy series that features monsters and human men falling in love. It is best to read the series in order. Warning:This m/m love story contains explicit sexual content and is not suitable for young readers. It also contains graphic depictions of death and violence. less

I’ve already mentally prepared myself to kill the screaming, murderous monster in the cage outside our camp.I’m used to it. It’s what I do here. Kill monsters and other people. And this monster, Seraph, is particularly unstable—has been since the moment he arrived from Collector Mary’s monster menagerie to the west, where the military stashed him away.He’s in pain. I can see it. But he’s not a mindless beast. Not like some of the others think... moreI’ve already mentally prepared myself to kill the screaming, murderous monster in the cage outside our camp.I’m used to it. It’s what I do here. Kill monsters and other people. And this monster, Seraph, is particularly unstable—has been since the moment he arrived from Collector Mary’s monster menagerie to the west, where the military stashed him away.He’s in pain. I can see it. But he’s not a mindless beast. Not like some of the others think.When I start guarding him in his cage every night, I begin to see the person beneath the agony that tortures his every waking moment. I begin to see who Seraph could have been if he hadn’t been twisted into this monstrous creature.I realise that I wouldn’t be able to bring myself to kill him, even for his own sake, but it doesn’t matter anyway. He’s already dying, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. Not even when new visitors at our raider camp bring with them secrets about Seraph. Secrets the military has tried to hide.Secrets that reveal the true extent of the horror he’s been put through.And now… Now, I will kill anyone who tries to hurt him again. less

This short sees the Nebraska camp celebrating a (late) Christmas, with lots of food and gift-giving and *ahem* other stuff.Christmas novella featuring the POV of every Monstrous lad so far.

Bonus Short, available here: https://lily-mayne.com/bonus-shorts/bonus-short-seraph-and-lilac-throw-a-dinner-party/

My role as Moric—ruler of a small and prosperous fiefdom in a quiet corner of the world—has always been painfully dull and stifling.Until a beautiful, otherworldly creature with pink skin and a mane of golden hair falls through a strange void that has appeared in my guestroom.And I am instantly captivated by him.I have never seen anything like him... moreMy role as Moric—ruler of a small and prosperous fiefdom in a quiet corner of the world—has always been painfully dull and stifling.Until a beautiful, otherworldly creature with pink skin and a mane of golden hair falls through a strange void that has appeared in my guestroom.And I am instantly captivated by him.I have never seen anything like him. I have no idea where he came from, and what else is through that unsettling void—another world filled with soft-skinned, defenceless creatures like him? No tails, no horns, no claws, no sharp teeth. Tiny clothing, rounded ears, bright blue eyes. He is fascinating. And I want to keep him.But I have no idea how my citizens and councillors will react to his presence—to the knowledge that a whole other world exists, and there is a portal to it in my guestroom. As much as I try to keep him my secret, the truth starts to slip out.And those in my fiefdom who cling desperately onto power do their best to tear us apart. To take him from me.I won’t let them.Lor is Book Seven of the Monstrous series, a post-apocalyptic m/m fantasy series that features monsters and human men falling in love. It is best to read the series in order.Warning: This m/m love story contains explicit sexual content and is not suitable for young readers. It also contains non-human genitalia, mentions of a past familial death, grief, depression, attempted murder, depictions of death and violence. less

Revisit the Monstrous couples from the first seven novels of the series in this collection of sixteen short stories. Plus, meet a new Monstrous couple in a brand new 20k-word novella, Ruke... moreRevisit the Monstrous couples from the first seven novels of the series in this collection of sixteen short stories. Plus, meet a new Monstrous couple in a brand new 20k-word novella, Ruke.Catch up with the original monster-human couple, Danny and Wyn, in their Wastes-style adventures; witness Moth and Wyn’s blossoming and potentially concerning friendship; find out all the new ways Edin has been frustrating Hunter (lovingly) since their story ended; and join Lor and Jugs in welcoming a new furry addition to their monster-world family.Want to find out more about Wyn’s ex Orlith? In this collection, you can take a peek at some very old letters between the two telyths, read Orlith’s historic (pre-Danny) attempts to seduce our favourite grumpy Soul Eater, and meet his uptight and righteous older sibling.Ruke (A Monstrous Novella)In the brand new novella Ruke, human Jamie finally finds the one being he can trust after a lifetime of loneliness…I was born the night monsters rose on earth. I’m a true child of the new world. I’ve never met a single other soul except for my dad, who decided to keep us out here in the Wastes when he escaped with me from the hospital that catastrophic night.But now Dad’s gone, and I’m alone. Completely alone. I don’t trust humans—not raiders, not the military, not all the people living in those big dirty coastal cities—so I find the most remote spot I can to settle down and live out the rest of my life on my own, just like my dad always taught me was safest.But I’m not on my own out here. Something is here with me—someone is leaving me strange gifts by my campfire every night. And suddenly, I realise that I don’t want to be alone anymore. I don’t want them to go.When he finally shows himself to me, I realise that my mystery companion out here isn’t human.And that suits me just fine.This is a collection of short stories set within the Monstrous universe, a post-apocalyptic m/m fantasy series that features monsters and human men falling in love. It is best to read the series in order.Warning: These stories contain explicit sexual content and are not suitable for young readers. The introduction for each short story contains content and spoiler warnings specific to that story. Main content warnings include explicit sexual content, non-human genitalia, mentions of death, injury and violence, restraint and mentions of past trauma, but please check the warnings specific to each short story. less

Lyri and Cat's story.