**3.5-stars rounded up**

Going into Their Monstrous Hearts, I knew nothing about it. I was sold by the cover and just had to have it, because against sound advice, I do judge books by their covers. I was therefore delighted when I discovered that the basic set-up of this novel is an inheritance story, one of my favorite tropes.

We're following Riccardo, a down on his luck author, who is estranged from his family and about a millimeter above rock bottom. Just as he ponders how he is going to get his life back on track, and deliver his agent the pages they're demanding, a mysterious stranger arrives to inform him that his Grandmother, Perihan, has passed away. Riccardo thinks, 'what's that got to do with me? I haven't spoken to the woman for years'. The stranger, maybe a solicitor of some sort, insists that he'll want to make his way to Milan to learn more about what he's been bequeathed.

Finally deciding he could use a change of scenery, Riccardo takes them up on the plane ticket, and it's off to Milan he goes. Once there, his Grandmother's estate house isn't quite as opulent as he remembered, but it's still better than the street corner he was 5-seconds away from sleeping on.

It's decrepit and definitely giving off an ominous vibe. Curious about the state of his house, his Grandmother's friends and everything else about the current situation he finds himself in, Riccardo starts poking around; as you do. He discovers a notebook of his Grandmother's writing. As he dives into it, it gets strange. Is this fact, or fiction? A confessional, or a woman's imagination gone wild?

This is a strange story, NGL. It's not going to be for everyone, as evidenced by the current overall rating, but I found myself captivated by the audiobook. First, the wonderful dual narration helped me to envision these characters perfectly. Mentioning the dual narration makes me think, I should also mention, that not only do we get Riccardo's perspective in the present, we also get all of his Grandmother Perihan's writings, that unfold a story of the past.

The way this rolled out, there was something so intriguing about it to me. Perihan's story, I wasn't sure what to think at times as far as was it true, or was it something she was creating. Either way, I needed to know the truth. If you're a Reader who can see the grotesque in things that are too beautiful, this book might be for you. And if you know what I mean by that, you are the Reader for this book.

I know the rating at this moment looks intimidating, but there's no way I'm gonna be the only Reader who is darkly intrigued by this story. It is weird. There are some things I'll admit I'm not sure if I'm understanding the way the author intended, but I really enjoyed the mystery, atmosphere and the more monstrous aspects of this storyline. In my opinion, this deserves some more attention.

Thank you to the publisher, MIRA and Harlequin Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I would absolutely recommend the audio if you are going to check this one out. As mentioned above, I feel the dual narrators brought this story to life!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Audio: The audio is a fine way to intake the book, no complaints!

Review: I really struggled with this book. I had a hard time getting into it and understanding what was happening/ what to pay attention to. That could have been due to it being on audio (nothing to do with the narration but rather my own personal intaking of information). The writing was decent, atmospheric, but also some aspects were a bit of telling instead of showing. Overall, this is a good dark tale with difficult family dynamics, buried secrets and an interesting ending.

I loved the concept behind this story, but it was just not engaging for me. The production of the audiobook was quality, but I struggled with some of the performance choices made by the narrator.

I will never be able to look at a butterfly the same way again.

This is one of those books that have you questioning everything. It was a very slow start… Seriously slow. But give it a chance because that last 25% of the book will have you gasping for air.

I did the audiobook, and the narrator truly brought this one to life.

This isn’t your normal horror novel, it’s more dark and eerie, even Gothic maybe. With a suspenseful mystery added to it.

Phenomenal job on the narration

This was a DNF for me. I think a lot of people will like this one. It just wasn’t for me. The narration was very well done though.

I really love horror genre books. I also really love how beautiful this book is. I really really was looking forward to this one, I thought deep withing my bones that THIS would be a horror book. Alas, it is not. It is more mystery/dark fantasy/ suspense. Still though, I was hopeful. But - it is falling flat for me. The pacing is too slow, and I couldn't get invested in the characters. I very very rarely DNF a book, but sadly, this one wasa DNF for me at 50%.

That being said, the narrator is great. Their voice is wonderful. Accents are done very well. They brought the story to life as much as they could, and hoenstly, they are the reason I made it halfway through.

Grief horror is one of my favorite subgenres of horror. I really enjoyed how the author used butterflies and flowers as symbols for different emotions and interactions with grief and death. I thought the story was told in a very unique way.

I unfortunately couldn't get through this one. I did not enjoy the narrators style at all which made it even more difficult. I do not have much of an opinion beyond this since I had to dnf. Thank you but this one was not for me.

It took me a while to get through this book, the buildup was terribly slow, but the ending was a good one. I did grab the e-book in hopes that it would be easier to follow than the audiobook, I was wrong. While the premise of this story was interesting; the execution just was not there for me.

Thank you to NetGalley & Harlequin Audio for the audiobook.

I have the beautiful special edition of this book, but I wanted to listen to the audiobook as well. Oh boy, I could listen to Luca's voice all day long.
This was such a unique, mystifying story that not old held mystery, but brought up a lot of feelings about my relationship with my gma, and just her strength as a person throughout her life. This was a beautifully written and narrated book.

Their Monstrous Hearts was a super interesting read. I loved the character study and the writing felt propulsive. I'd read more from the author.

I really tried with this book but I could not get in to it and it felt like it dragged along so much on each chapter and would not get to the point of the actual story.

The narrator was the reason I finished the book. It was his performance that captivated me the most. I can’t say quite the same thing about the story itself. Through symbolism, I knew exactly why horror was the grand theme of the story. I just felt like the execution into a full fledge novel was maybe not it for me? If this was a novella maybe my attention to the story would’ve been different but either way, I enjoyed the advance listening copy for this book.

THEIR MONSTROUS HEARTS, by Yiğit Turhan, is a gothic mystery with magical creatures and unlikely horrors. It is also rich with the themes of connection, memory, and individual sense of self.

Riccardo has writer’s block and is anxiously dodging his agent (or editor?) when a strange man appears on his doorstep. He claims to represent Riccardo’s recently deceased grandmother, Perihan, who has left him an inheritance. Hoping that this unusual bequest - a butterfly collection - could yield the funds to keep him afloat, he returns to what he remembers as a grand family estate in Milan.

The story is wonderfully atmospheric with Riccardo’s experiences becoming increasingly odd and Perihan’s servants and friends behave suspiciously. There are clearly secrets surrounding his grandmother and her death, but everyone seems determined to keep him in the dark. Adding to the dark mystery is Perihan’s journal, which tells her life story. These entries, interspersed with Riccardo’s plot line, are the real treat of the book.

Can I call this a pageturner when I listened to the audiobook? Because THEIR MONSTROUS HEARTS was wonderfully suspenseful as it built to the ending’s horrific climax. Both narrators, Luca John Filiz and Tina Nakhleh Falkenbury, did a fine job voicing Riccardo and Perihan.

My one criticism is that I didn’t feel Riccardo was an interesting character. He seemed disposable. That may have been the author’s intent, but I would have been even more drawn into the plot if I had been rooting for him.

Unfortunately, this book didn’t work for me. I gave the audio a good effort. I made it 60% in and found myself disinterested and disconnected. I feel like the writing was fine and it started out intriguing enough. But I lost interest about 20% in. I cared for the present storyline more than the past and I think that the past was an important factor. So that didn’t bode well for keeping me engaged. Sad to DNF this one.

Thank you Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for access this ALC.

So, yes, this cover is amazing, and it really fits the book. Riccardo is struggling and thinks an inheritance will help him -- I know from reading other horror books that the safest thing to do when you feel like you're at rock bottom is have an agent sell the property! Riccardo has inherited his grandmother's home and her butterfly collection, and there is also a manuscript...
The main points of view are Riccardo and his grandmother via the manuscript, and i found myself wishing I could warn him that he needed to be careful! This book had gothic overtones that helped build the suspense, and just keeps getting more and more tense.
Thanks to NetGalley, I got to listen to the audiobook, which was very well done. I especially enjoyed Riccardo's point of view.

Unfortunately, this book did not really hit for me. I had such high expectations for this as the reviews I was seeing were mostly positive. This was so very slow to get to any of the truly "horror" elements of the story and then when it did it just happened really fast and was over. I thoroughly enjoyed the story telling once it did hit the history, but felt this could have been explored a little bit more. All the 'action" therefore was left to about the last 20% of the book. The ending was not really a twist or horror either, as the telling of the history basically gave away what was to happen in the end. If you are a fan of The Skeleton Key (movie) you will see this coming.


Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the ALC.

👧🏻 A Mysterious Girl
🦋 Butterflies
🎉 A Party
📖 A Manuscript
🌳 The Immortal Forest

This is wonderfully creepy & interesting. Very unique. Dark. Mysterious. Great storytelling!

*I received an audiobook review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is my honest feedback about the book as an avid reader.*

Super grateful to the author, Harlequin Audio & NetGalley for letting me listen to & review this! 💜

I loved the creepy suspenseful world that Yigit Turhan created. Each of the characters had a level of desperation that took them beyond the limits of their comfort. My heart ached for Ricardo and all that he wanted out of his life. And his grandmother- I loved her character, until I didn't. At the close of this story I was reminded of the movie the Skeleton Key but only loosely. I wish I had gotten more answers around the monster his grandmother kept. All in all, it was a very dark, gothic read filled with troubled people and I was entertained throughout! I loved the narrators. Especially Perihan's. Her voice had the ability to pull me in and engross me in the story!

The overall concept for this book sounded amazing and the cover is fantastic! Unfortunately, I struggled to finish it though I am glad I did.