Beautiful Nightmare by Katee Robert

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For one awkward sleep paralysis demon, scaring humans should be simple—except Gemma’s first solo haunting goes hilariously wrong in this tantalizing dream of a short story by New York Timesbestselling author Katee Robert.

When Gemma’s supposed to terrify her appointed victim, she ends up captivated instead. Caleb, a romantic who believes in all things supernatural, finds her adorably pink-skinned, horned form more alluring than alarming. But as their steamy night unfolds and unexpected feelings bloom, Gemma must choose between her demonic duties and the human who makes her feel anything but monstrous.

Katee Robert’s Beautiful Nightmare is part of Scared Sexy, a deliciously dark collection of Halloween romance where things that go bump in the night might just steal your heart. These seductive stand-alone stories blend chills and heat in the perfect Halloween treat—each designed to be devoured in one sitting.

Short, Spicy, and Super Creative

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💚💜💙❤️
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 😋🙂☺️😘
Narrator(s): 🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Solo Narration

🛡️ Audiobook Review: Beautiful Nightmare (Scared Sexy Collection)

Author: Katee Robert
Genre: Paranormal Romance Novella
Narrator: Andi Eloise

Characters and Plot

Gemma is a newly minted sleep paralysis demon whose entire job is to terrify humans into immobility. The problem? She’s spectacularly bad at it. After cycling through three trainers and spending far longer in demon boot camp than anyone else, she’s finally sent out on her first solo assignment—armed with zero confidence and a whole lot of self‑doubt.

As a shapeshifter, Gemma can morph into whatever form might best inspire fear, but even that doesn’t help when she encounters Caleb, the human she’s been assigned to haunt. Instead of recoiling in terror, Caleb stares at her with fascination… and then unmistakable desire. Gemma, starving for the fear she’s meant to feed on, panics and tries everything she can to frighten him. Nothing works. Instead, she ends up absorbing his lust—something she’s absolutely not trained for.

Because she’s at the bottom of the demon hierarchy, Gemma is stuck with a single human assignment, which means night after night with the same man who refuses to fear her and instead seems increasingly drawn to her. Their dynamic becomes a strange, funny, and unexpectedly tender push‑pull as Gemma tries to do her job while battling feelings she’s never supposed to have.

Highlights

• The premise is wonderfully fresh. A sleep paralysis demon creeping into a grown man’s bedroom is already unique, but turning that setup into a paranormal romance gives the story a quirky, irresistible charm.
• The gender flip works beautifully. Having the demon be the woman and the human be the man adds a fun twist to the usual paranormal romance dynamic and gives Gemma’s insecurities and awkwardness even more emotional weight.

Low Points

• This story practically begs to be expanded into a full‑length novel. There’s so much fertile ground left unexplored—Gemma’s demon hierarchy, her strained relationship with her superiors, the logistics of a demon–human romance, and the potential for a shared journey or external conflict. While the ending is satisfying, the world and characters are strong enough to support something bigger.

Narration

The audiobook uses a dual‑POV structure but is performed by a single narrator, Andi Eloise. Her soft, feminine tone fits Gemma perfectly, and she brings a natural, emotive quality to the performance. However, her male voice work isn’t as strong, and a dual‑narrator or duet format would have elevated the listening experience—especially given the romantic tension between Gemma and Caleb.

Final Assessment

This audiobook is a clever, charming, and refreshingly original paranormal romance that blends humor, vulnerability, and heat in a way that feels genuinely new. While the story could easily have been expanded, what’s here is engaging, imaginative, and unexpectedly sweet. If you’re looking for something offbeat, romantic, and delightfully weird—in the best way—this is absolutely worth the listen.

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