Last week, Colorado Springs had that perfect fall weather where the mornings are crisp enough for a jacket but the afternoons warm up to the sixties. I was sitting on my back porch with a blanket wrapped around my shoulders, scrolling through my Kindle library for something dark to match the October vibes. My neighbor called over the fence to ask if I was okay because apparently I gasped out loud three times in the span of ten minutes. I held up my Kindle and said, "Just reading about psychos at a haunted academy." She laughed and went back inside, but I wasn't joking. Pretty Little Psycho by M. Violet is the kind of dark romance that makes you forget you're supposed to be breathing normally.
Plot Summary
Pretty Little Psycho by M. Violet is the first book in The Devils of Raven's Gate series. The story follows Maureen Blackwell, who enrolls at the elite and sinister Tenebrose Academy under her mother's maiden name to escape her dark family legacy. But hiding from her bloodline proves impossible when three dangerously beautiful psychos—Riot, Atlas, and Valentin—discover exactly who she is and decide to make her life a living hell. This isn't just a bully romance; it's a paranormal dark academia nightmare filled with secret societies, ancient curses, witchcraft, and three possessive men who are as obsessed with Maureen as they are intent on destroying her. The Devils of Raven's Gate are coming for her, and she'll have to decide whether to fight them, join them, or let them consume her completely. The book is connected to the author's Wickford Hollow duet and blends gothic romance with supernatural suspense.
Why I Love This Book
I love how M. Violet doesn't hold back with the darkness in this book. The atmosphere is thick with gothic dread, and Tenebrose Academy feels like a character itself—beautiful, haunted, and dangerous. Maureen is a strong protagonist who refuses to be a victim even when the odds are stacked impossibly against her. The three love interests are genuinely unhinged in the best way, and their obsession with her feels raw and consuming. The bully romance elements are brutal and intense, but there's also genuine emotion underneath the cruelty. I appreciate that the author leans into the paranormal aspects with curses, blood magic, and secret societies rather than keeping them as background decoration. The pacing is relentless, and the suspense kept me reading late into the night. The why-choose dynamic works beautifully here because each of the three men brings something different to Maureen's story—chaos, darkness, and twisted devotion.
Who Will Like This Book
If you enjoy dark bully romance, dark academia settings, paranormal romance with witchcraft and curses, why-choose/reverse harem relationships, and morally gray characters who blur every line, you'll likely love this story. This book is extremely dark and not for the faint of heart. It features graphic violence, intense bullying, psychological torture, obsessive behavior, and explicit sexual content. The romance is twisted and unconventional, and the men are genuinely dangerous. If you prefer lighthearted romance or need your heroes to be traditionally noble, this isn't the book for you. But if you love gothic atmospheres, secret societies, and heroes who are more villain than savior, Pretty Little Psycho delivers.
⚠️ Trigger warning: graphic violence, bullying, psychological and physical torture, blood and gore, dubious consent, explicit sexual content, dark themes including murder, manipulation, obsessive behavior, stalking, and morally corrupt characters. This book contains extremely dark content and is intended for mature readers who enjoy dark romance.
Tagged As
Dark romance, dark bully romance, paranormal romance, dark academia, why choose, reverse harem, gothic romance, witchcraft and magic, secret society, enemies to lovers, obsessive love, morally gray characters, psychological suspense, academy romance, supernatural thriller, cursed romance, first in series, indie romance, very dark, explicit content, twisted love, possessive heroes, psycho heroes
Steam Level
Pretty Little Psycho is extremely explicit with graphic sexual content throughout. The intimate scenes are raw, intense, and often dark, matching the overall tone of the book. There's no fade-to-black here—everything is on the page in vivid detail. The why-choose dynamic means multiple partners are involved, and the sexual content is integral to the obsessive, possessive relationships between Maureen and the three men. If you're looking for spice that matches the dark intensity of the plot, this book delivers in every way.
