Beta Reader Group discussion

I am a practicing attorney that loves to read all genres of dark romance in my free time. Fantasy, paranormal, enemies to lovers, omegaverse, reverse harem, mafia, age-gap, etc.

Triggers don’t scare me away! The more the merrier.

Happy to provide any feedback as requested.

Xoxo - a twisted reader that loves a well earned HEA.

Hello, Erica!

I am seeking some free beta readers for my novel: Because the Demons Scream So Loudly. The novel is 117k words. It is literary fiction- it is a slow burn, introspective, pensive novel. It is an epistolary novel- it is written completely in journal/diary format. The novel is a mixed bag of religion/spirituality/romance/vampiric elements.

Excerpt: Entry 148- I still don't know how I managed it, Holy Sonom Soeht; the mind is indeed a powerful thing. My mind had already started to dissociate as the bleeder ran up to me, pinned me on the ground, and sunk his teeth into my neck. I fixed my eyes on the emerging moon as blood dripped down the back of my neck. The night lights blurred with tears but did not disappear. Not a single muscle of mine moved as he released my neck and stood up. To my shock, the bleeder spoke then as my gaze remained pinned on the sky. “It’s been quite a long time since I drew blood without a fight, and from a god woman to boot.” I heard him pick up my broken cleric chain off the ground. His foot pushed against my still frozen face as he stood over me, dangling my chain from his hand. “Such a shame that misery and naivety are not virtues,” he declared with blood still on his lips. The chain fell on the dirt beside me. As I listened to his footsteps turn and leave me, he hollered, “A word of advice, woman. If I can smell the insincerity on you, don’t you think your omniscient deity can?” I’m not sure how many minutes passed after he left, with me still paralyzed on the ground weeping.

I am looking for primarily developmental feedback- pacing, plot construction, character development, reader satisfaction, etc. If you are interested in beta reading for me, let me know here or through pm. Please feel free to ask me any additional questions. Thank you so very much for your valuable time in considering it!

Hello Erica, would you be open to Beta read a contemporary middle grade novel?

Hi there,

My name is Mary and I have a manuscript for a novel called "Mullo". I am looking for beta readers to read and critique it, and I saw your advertisement in a Goodreads "Beta Reader Group". I would describe "Mullo" as historical fiction, horror, romance. It goes back and forth between a story that takes place in the past and one that takes place in the present. Here is a blurb I wrote for it:

"THEN
In 19th century Romania, death is always just around the corner. Zorya, a Roma healer woman, knows this well. But when a stranger unexpectedly calls on her expertise, she, her husband, and her children, find themselves in a place they were once forbidden from entering. But even as their life becomes more stable and prosperous, it may only take one tragedy for things to fall apart."

"NOW
Nick Alicea isn’t having a bad day. He’s having a bad life. Stuck in a dead-end job, drowning in debt, and haunted by a tragedy from his past, he's struggling. So, when a chance encounter leads to a friendship with Mirza Durvari, a quiet doctor with a mysterious illness, Nick’s life starts to seem a little less bleak. But even as their relationship becomes more intimate, Nick is forced to ask himself: Who is Mirza Durvari"

The entire manuscript is 125,000 words. Let me know if you are interested in beta reading.

Looking forward to hearing from you..

~Mary

Erica is offering her services. If you aren't interested in her services, you should not be here.

Hello Erica.

I have a steamy dark romantasy with heavier themes and lush world-building. There is a content warning which I have included below.

Hook:
He says that I belong to him. That I'm his fated wife and that once I am bound to him, I will bring him untold power.

"Who am I to say no to the closing of the night? Who am I to push away these delicious shadows?"

Lost in a strange realm of Gods, Menials, and ancient lore. Aerilyn dreams of Earth and clings to a fading memory she knows she shouldn’t hold.

As secrets unravel and her forgotten past claws its way to the surface, she begins to suspect she’s not the mistake she once believed she was. She may be the key to the Gods’ salvation and the author of her own divine destiny.

Content Warning:
This book includes some themes that may be triggering to readers including: sexual assault, assault, dubious consent, rape, death & violence.

Please let me know of you would be interested in reading.

Thank you
Rebecca

Hi there! Not sure if you’re still offering your services but if so, I’d love to have you as a beta reader for my in-progress novel!

CW throughout: self harm, age gap, CNC, religious themes, sacrilegious themes, power imbalance, possibly more in the works.

I would like to offer my book to an interested beta reader. It is a CIA undercover thriller with an enemies-to-lovers subplot. 70,000 words

Revenge Doesn’t Sleep
He hunted a killer. But the lies hunted him.

Blurb
From the age of ten, Matt Cavallo lived for one thing—revenge. The man he called father died in a fiery car bombing, a brutal message from Sicilian crime lord Antonio Moretti, lashing out over the shame of a wife's affair. The explosion that killed them shattered two families. Matt was left an orphan. Sofia Moretti, Antonio’s daughter, was left without a mother.

From eighteen, Matt had been forged into a weapon inside the U.S. military’s elite special operations. When the CIA offered him an off-the-books mission to infiltrate Moretti’s fentanyl empire spanning the globe—he didn’t hesitate. This was the path to justice… or vengeance.

But Sofia complicates everything. Beautiful, intelligent, and unaware of her father’s criminal world, she may be Matt’s way in—or the only person who can undo him.

As Matt descends deeper into Moretti’s empire, he walks a razor’s edge between mission and obsession. Each step brings him closer to the truth and to a final reckoning with the man who orchestrated his father’s murder and drove his mother to suicide.

Perfect for fans of David Baldacci, Tom Wood, and James Patterson—Revenge Doesn’t Sleep is a pulse-pounding, emotionally charged thriller where truth is as slippery as the past it tries to bury.

Hi I’m looking for a beta reader for my dark romance novel

Title (working): The Senator’s Secret
Genre: Dark Romance (Book 1 of a planned trilogy)
Length: ~450 pages
Heat: Very slow burn, eventual spice
Status: First full draft, looking for reader impressions before professional editing

📖 Blurb
Jade has always been the opposite of her sister—reckless where her sister is perfect, defiant where she’s compliant. Broke and running from her past, she ends up in Brooke’s guesthouse, trapped in a world she doesn’t belong to. But Brooke’s fiancé, Senator Killian West, lives by control—and Jade’s presence threatens it.
But Senator Killian West isn’t what he seems. Beneath the surface is a man who bends everything to his will—and Jade finds herself caught between his secrets and the pull of her own self-destruction.
What begins as survival twists into a dangerous game of power, lies, and forbidden desire.

🔥 Tropes You’ll Find
Enemies to lovers


Power imbalance / age gap


Very slow burn romance


BDSM themes (control, punishment)


Kidnapping / forced proximity


Forbidden desire


Family drama



⚠️ Content Warnings
Manipulation & psychological control


Consensual BDSM elements (punishment, dominance/submission dynamics)


Mentions of rape / past assault (not graphic, not romanticized)


Alcohol use, toxic family dynamics, grief


👉 Important Note: This is not a cheating book. There are family and engagement dynamics, but no actual cheating takes place.

💌 What I’m Looking For in Betas
General pacing/flow feedback (does the story keep you hooked?)


Character voice consistency (especially Jade’s defiance vs. vulnerability)


Clarity: any confusing scenes, places where you wanted more/less detail


Emotional impact: did the tension/romance land?

Hi Megan, I just finished a beta read for another member of the group and really love a good deep read. She was happy with the comments i had for her book and I would love to beta read for you. I think you can email me here? Anyway, I am bookless at the moment, a fast reader, and a pretty good editor. Let me know. Also, I the person I Beta read for and I did a swap! Her comments helped so much. If you are open to doing an ARC read of my book, let me know. It’s a rom com. Thanks, Mari

I'm looking for a beta reader for my slow-burn shifter romance. Not so dark, but are you still interested?

It's 48 k. medieval fantasy set. FM. It has omegaverse influences
Possible trigger is past abuse.

Thanks!