Horror and romance aren’t two things that go together very often. At least not the hide-behind-your-pillow-and-hope-the-bad-thing-goes-away kind of horror. But...
Horror and romance aren’t two things that go together very often. At least not the hide-behind-your-pillow-and-hope-the-bad-thing-goes-away kind of horror. But Karina Halle has managed to marry together some genuinely terrifying story lines with an angsty will-they-won’t-they romance in the Experiment in Terror series. It’s birthed something both beautiful and horrifying: the horror romance. A happily ever after where you need to change your knickers for two very different reasons.
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The Experiment in Terror Series by Karina Halle
In this guide the Experiment in Terror series we are going to cover everything you need to know no matter where you are in the reading process. Perhaps you’ve read it already and want to see who we imagine as the key character. If so, check out our fantasy cast. Uncertain whether it’s your cup of tea? Have a quick peek at the series synopsis, it will give you the jist of the series without giving anything away. Or perhaps you aren’t sure which novella or book comes next? Well, we have the Experiment in Terror series reading order laid out for you.
Experiment in Terror Series Synopsis
A (very) mature new adult urban fantasy series that is scary, sexy and relatable, filled with the supernatural and things that go bump in the night.
In a large, flaky nutshell, the Experiment in Terror series is an eight-part sci-fi/fantasy/horror series that revolves around a pair of ghost hunters. Well, aspiring ghost hunters, anyway. After filming a creepy experience in her uncle’s dilapidated lighthouse, 22-year old Perry Palomino becomes a YouTube and internet star overnight. She attracts the attention of Dex Foray, a producer and cameraman for a site that specializes in various webisodes, who convinces her to be a host for a low-budget ghost hunting series. The only problem is, neither Perry or Dex are entirely “with it” — I mean, they see ghosts, after all.
And when the duo isn’t wrestling with their very notion of reality, they’re grappling with a working relationship that’s deep-cut with sexual tension. As the series moves on, leading Perry and Dex to new locales and supernatural situations, their lives become more and more intertwined, where they discover that ghosts aren’t the only things that can haunt them.
Excerpt from Karina Halle’s Experiment in Terror series website.
Read Experiment in Terror series if you like…
The Horror
I now consider myself properly seduced by Karina Halle. She did a fantastic job of wrapping horror and romance together in a terrifying and sexy package. Then daring her readers to step into this surreal and scary world. There are some genuinely tense and creepy moments in these books. I know studios have a habit of picking up book series to translate into TV shows, if this happened with EIT I am not sure I would have the wherewithal to watch it. Like I said, I am big ol’ scardy cat.
The Romance
But, lets move on to the romance. The at times:
Wait, did I mention frustrating…romance between Dex and Perry our hero and heroine. This series keeps you on the edge of exasperation and desperation and I know, I know, it sounds awful (and dare I say…frustrating?)! But it isn’t. It’s wonderful. I loved it. I had to keep reading. Sometimes it was because of what was happening in the story line. Sometimes it was because I wanted to get beyond the scary bit. And sometimes it was because I needed to know what the hell the situation was between Dex and Perry.
My Horror Romance Confession
I’ve been reading for a long time. Over that time I have read books from every genre. So, although I experimented in my youth with what all those genres had to offer, I am now well and truly settled into the romance genre. My days of dallying with non-fiction and having hot steamy nights with a saucy little classic number are (more less) over. Horror wasn’t ever a genre I got that into and for one and only one reason. I am a scardy cat.
Then Karina Halle came strolling into my life with her Experiment in Terror series. Bewitching me with her murmurs of a steamy, yet angst ridden romance. With a plus sized heroine. With a dog called Rabbit. A girl only has so much willpower. Plus, the first book was free.
Our thoughts on the Experiment in Terror series
The month of August 2013 will forever remain the month that the Experiment in Terror series by Karina Halle took over our lives’. We couldn’t rest until we had consumed every single book in the series; we were women possessed. The whole month went by with all our texts focussed entirely on the Experiment in Terror series. To give a flavour of the texts in question…
“OMG have you gotten to this part yet…”
“I can’t BELIEVE Dex/Perry did that…”
“Hands off bitch, Dex is mine!”
We couldn’t help it! Karina Halle has done a fantastic job of wrapping horror and romance together in a terrifying and sexy package then throwing it at us for our delight and enjoyment. There are some genuinely scary and creepy moments in these books. In fact, there were points in these books where I had to put them down, take a deep breath, remind myself that ghosts aren’t real, then go back in.
Then there were moments when our hero or heroine, Dex or Perry, had done something that made me wanna sigh like a teenager or throttle them for acting like teenagers. I had to put the book down and take a few moments to calm myself down for that as well! The Experiment in Terror series engages your attention and sucks you in. Even when you are annoyed at the characters, you still have to read on! And I loved it. Dex and Perry are human and make very human mistakes making them feel real and relatable.
The races you’ll find in the series
Every book is so unique. You never know what kind of horrifying mystery Dex and Perry will be looking into next.
There is so much to look forward to in the series. As well more sexual tension than you can shake a stick at, brilliant one liners and emotional moments that rip your tear ducts wide open there are also the monsters. Lots and lots of monsters. Don’t be fooled into thinking that the Experiment in Terror series is fully of the evil-Casper types, although they appear in terrifying and twisted abundance. Karina Halle also explores other monsters that may lurk under our covers (hehe see what I did there?!). So here is a glimpse of the creatures you can expect to pop up in the series ready to scare you into sleeping with the lights on.
Experiment in Terror Series Reading Order
- Darkhouse (Experiment in Terror #1)
- Red Fox (Experiment in Terror #2)
- The Benson (Experiment in Terror #2.5)
- Dead Sky Morning (Experiment in Terror #3)
- Lying Season (Experiment in Terror #4)
- On Demon Wings (Experiment in Terror #5)
- Old Blood (Experiment in Terror #5.5)
- And With Madness Comes the Light (Experiment in Terror #5.7)
- Into the Hollow (Experiment in Terror #6)
- The Dex Files (Experiment in Terror #6.5)
- Come Alive (Experiment in Terror #7)
- Ashes to Ashes (Experiment in Terror #8)
- Dust to Dust (Experiment in Terror #9)
- Veiled (Ada Palomino #1)
- The Devil’s Metal (Devils #1)
- The Devil’s Reprise (Devils #2)
- Ghosted (Experiment in Terror #9.5)
- Came Back Haunted (Experiment in Terror #10)
- Song for the Dead (Ada Palomino #2)
Experiment in Terror Playlist
The playlist was taken from author Karina Halle’s website.
Experiment in Terror Book List and Reviews
Dive into Experiment in Terror for a series that’s as much about hauntings as it is about the messy, magnetic pull between Perry Palomino and Dex Foray. From haunted lighthouses to eerie caves, their ghost-hunting missions are just the start. But it’s their complex, fiery relationship that truly keeps the pages turning. Curious to see how they handle the supernatural—and each other? Keep on reading to dive deep into each book and check out our reviews to see why this series is a must-read for any thrill-seeker with a soft spot for romance.
Darkhouse
For a something a little bit creepy try Darkhouse by Karina Halle, a new adult horror romance. It’s the start of the Experiment in Terror series, so strap in for some ghosts, romantic drama and prepare to be scared!
read this is you want:
There’s always been something a bit off about Perry Palomino. Though she’s been dealing with a quarter-life crisis and post-college syndrome like any other twenty-something, she’s still not what you would call “ordinary.” For one thing, there’s her past which she likes to pretend never happened, and then there’s the fact that she sees ghosts.
Luckily for her, that all comes in handy when she stumbles across Dex Foray, an eccentric producer for an upcoming webcast on ghost hunters. Even though the show’s budget is non-existent and Dex himself is a maddening enigma, Perry is instantly drawn into a world that both threatens her life and seduces her with a sense of importance.
Her uncle’s haunted lighthouse provides the perfect catalyst and backdrop for a horrific mystery that unravels the threads of Perry’s fragile sanity and causes her to fall for a man, who, like the most dangerous of ghosts, may not be all that he seems.
initial thoughts
I’ve been hearing praises for this series ever since I finished reading The Artists Trilogy. I’ve fallen in love with Karina Halle’s writing over the last few months and I couldn’t wait to read more from her.
Darkhouse by Karina Halle had a lot of the feel I found in The Devil’s Metal. Obviously this was written before so it was the original, and it’s set in today’s world instead of the past. But a lot of the same elements and “scare tactics” appear in both books.
synopsis
Darkhouse is the story of Perry. A 22 year old who has confidence issues because she’s a bit overweight and well…she sees things. Her entire life she’s had episodes where she can see and talk to people, when to everyone else no body was there. She still lives at home with her parents and younger sister and is trying to move up at her company and get a better job. Even though she hates it. Did I also mention that she drives a motorbike? Anyway, I fell in love with Perry from the very beginning. She has a silent strength to her and a core that needs to come out. What she experiences in this book are bound to do that and I can’t wait to see it all happen.
review
But Darkhouse is not all about Perry. This book really begins when Perry goes on a family trip to visit her uncle who just happens to have an unused lighthouse on his land. Feeling reckless and curious Perry goes off in the night, alone and drunk, to explore the lighthouse. Things quickly turn creepy in there. But it turns out she’s not alone. There’s also a cute guy with a camera there trying to document any paranormal activity. This is where we meet Dex for the first time.
Dex is a little scraggly and, frankly, a little psycho. But he does offer Perry an opportunity to be the star of the paranormal web-show he was trying to pitch to his boss. For that, they have to go back to the lighthouse and shoot some good footage.
Going back to the lighthouse is when things really get creepy. I’m not going to lie, I was reading this at night and kept looking over my shoulder until finally I flipped on my back and made sure my feet and hands were under the covers as I read. Karina Halle doesn’t pull any punches and she doesn’t leave you wondering about what might be there. You get the full on terrifying, technicolor detail.
But, this is just the beginning of Perry and Dex working together and I’m very excited to see what other trouble they get into next.
For the romance lovers, there is a connection between Perry and Dex and I’m sure we’ll see more of that in the future. In this book, Dex is unavailable, however, the tension and chemistry between them is off the scales. But, I’m happy the author kept things the way she did as it also shows respect between the characters, doing it any other way would have been complicated would have hurt other people.
in conclusion
If you want a book that is refreshingly creepy with a dash of scary, then this is the one for you. Karina Halle’s writing made this story and this book totally unputdownable. Literally.
Reviewed by Francesca on Under the Covers Book Blog on April 15, 2013
Red Fox
Red Fox by Karina Halle is a new adult horror romance and the second in the Experiment in Terror series. If you want something filled with tension, of both the sexual and terrifying kind, then this is the book for you!
read this is you want:
With Book Two of the Experiment in Terror Series, Perry Palomino and Dex Foray trade in the stormy Oregon coast for the unforgiving deserts of New Mexico.
In the forgotten town of Red Fox, New Mexico, a Navajo couple is tortured by things unseen and by motives unknown. Wild animals slink through their house in the dark, a barrage of stones pound their roof nightly, and mutilated sheep carcasses are turning up on their property. Armed with a camera and just enough to go on, Perry and Dex travel to the desolate locale, hoping to film the supernatural occurrences and add credibility to their flailing webcast. Only their show has a lot more working against them than just growing pains. Tested by dubious ranch hands, a ghost from Dex’s past, and shapeshifting deception, the amateur ghost hunters must learn to trust each other in order to fight the most ancient of myths…or die trying.
synopsis
Perry and Dex now have a chance at filming their show with a bit more support from their Internet TV Network. Dex’s old friend and ex-bandmate Maximus, is a sort of ghost whisperer and has ran into a “haunted house” situation that he thinks would be perfect for Dex’s show. But because the couple that owns the so-called haunted house is religious, Dex and Perry have to pretend to be married to stay with them.
review
I’m not sure why I waited so long to get back into reading this series. Well, I do know I was trying to be responsible and read my review books but…I was missing out!
Red Fox escalates the level of creepy horror just a notch from what we experienced in Darkhouse by mixing in Native American legends and skinwalkers. No ghosts here.
The weirdness starts from the beginning in this book. Foxes are found on Dex and Perry’s bed in the middle of the night and rocks and birds are mysteriously attacking them. On top of this we also have Perry’s ominous dreams painting a very grim future. Add all of this together and you have the recipe for a cr
