Death on the Table

Holly, once a confident pole-dancing instructor and bartender, is now a tortured experiment in a secret lab. Strapped to a table, her body is a patchwork of monstrous DNA—succubus, harpy, chameleon, siren, squid—each giving her new, terrifying abilities. Her captors, obsessed with her transformation, treat her as both specimen and object of desire. Holly's will to live is nearly gone, but her hatred for her abusers burns bright. In her final moments, she uses her tentacles to break her tormentor's wrist, savoring a fleeting taste of vengeance before her heart gives out. As she dies, she feels a strange peace, her spirit finally free from pain.

Becoming the Monster

Holly's soul leaves her body, and she meets Trovian, a skeletal reaper. He guides her to Purgatory, a liminal realm for paranormals. There, Holly is introduced to a world of monsters, rules, and new possibilities. She meets Lorcan, another reaper, and learns that her monstrous form is now her true self. Though she mourns her lost humanity, she senses that her journey is not over. In Purgatory, she finds a strange camaraderie among outcasts, but her longing for freedom and self-acceptance grows.

Escape from Purgatory

Holly discovers a way to escape Purgatory by following others through a tear in reality. She emerges, reborn, clawing her way out of a grave. Alone in the woods, she tests her new powers—chameleon skin, wings, tentacles—and feels the primal hunger of her beasts. She debates revenge on her captors but is drawn instead by a mysterious pull, a sense of destiny. Holly is determined to survive, no matter the cost, and to claim the life she was denied.

Resurrection and Revenge

Holly's instincts lead her to a camper in the woods. She kills the woman, discovering she can mimic her appearance. Rummaging through the van, Holly finds money stolen from a bank and adopts the van as her own. She experiments with her new shapeshifting ability, realizing it will help her blend in among humans. As she drives toward the source of her mysterious pull, she feels the growing need to find and claim her mate.

The Pull of the Mate

Flying over the landscape, Holly is struck by visions of a man she's never met—Fitz, a mechanic with a gentle soul and a body she craves. Her monstrous instincts scream that he is her mate. The desire is overwhelming, bordering on violent. Holly's beasts want to claim, own, and protect him at all costs. She follows his scent to a small town, her obsession growing with every mile.

Stalking Snapdragons

A chance meeting on the roadside brings Holly and Fitz face to face. Fitz is immediately drawn to her, sensing something unusual beneath her human disguise. Holly, in turn, is consumed by possessiveness and lust. She eliminates a rival, using her siren voice to drive a woman to suicide, and marks her territory with violence. Holly's actions are ruthless, but in her mind, justified by the need to protect her mate.

Claiming Doe Eyes

Holly moves in next door to Fitz, using her shapeshifting to maintain her cover. She stalks him, watching his every move, and invades his dreams as a succubus. In his sleep, Fitz is seduced by the monster he secretly desires, unaware that the dream is real. Holly marks him with her ink, a supernatural claim that begins to manifest on his body. Fitz is confused by the changes, but increasingly obsessed with the monster in his dreams.

The Mark of Ink

Fitz wakes to find black marks spreading over his body and tongue, the result of Holly's nightly visitations. He seeks medical help, but the doctor is powerless—and becomes another victim of Holly's jealousy. Fitz's friends, themselves monsters, sense the supernatural claim and warn him of the dangers. Fitz, however, is more intrigued than afraid, longing for the love and obsession he sees in his friends' fated mates.

Family Ties and Threats

Fitz's estranged, abusive family reappears, threatening him and his sister unless he returns to the family business. The family's fortune is revealed to be tied to the funding of the monster experiments. Fitz's sense of guilt and responsibility deepens, but Holly's protective instincts are triggered. She vows to kill anyone who threatens him, including his own father.

Blood on the Asphalt

Holly's violent protection escalates as she kills Fitz's enemies—rival monsters, his doctor, and eventually his parents. The town is shaken by unexplained deaths, but Holly feels no remorse. For her, love is violence, and violence is love. Fitz, far from horrified, is aroused and grateful, finally feeling truly protected and claimed.

Dream Invasions

Holly's nightly dream invasions become more intense, culminating in a moment where Fitz wakes during the act. The line between fantasy and reality shatters as they consummate their bond in both worlds. Fitz embraces Holly's monstrous form, and she, in turn, surrenders to his acceptance. Their love is wild, obsessive, and all-consuming.

The Truth Unveiled

Holly confesses her crimes and her true nature. Fitz, instead of recoiling, is fascinated and supportive. He learns that his family's money funded the experiments that created Holly and his friends. Wracked with guilt, he vows to dismantle the family business and protect Holly at all costs. Together, they face the consequences of their actions and the threat of further violence.

The Monster's Embrace

Fitz and Holly's relationship deepens as they navigate the complexities of their monstrous world. Holly's pregnancy is revealed, and Fitz is overjoyed. They find acceptance among other monsters, forming a new family of outcasts and survivors. Holly's violent instincts are tempered by Fitz's kindness, and Fitz's loneliness is healed by Holly's fierce devotion.

The Price of Protection

The couple, with the help of other monsters and supernatural beings, confront the remaining scientists and facilities responsible for the experiments. The Four Horsemen, supernatural enforcers, become involved, seeking to maintain order. Holly and Fitz must balance their desire for vengeance with the need to protect their new family and future child.

The Past That Haunts

Both Holly and Fitz are haunted by their pasts—her torture and transformation, his abuse and guilt. Through mutual support and understanding, they begin to heal. Holly learns to accept her monstrous self, and Fitz finds peace in being loved for who he is. Their bond is tested by external threats, but their commitment to each other never wavers.

The Wild Future

With their enemies defeated and their family safe, Holly and Fitz look to the future. They plant hollyhocks—a symbol of rebirth and healing—in their yard, a testament to their journey. Their love, wild and uncontainable, becomes a force for good in a world that once sought to destroy them. Together, they embrace the chaos and beauty of their new life, forever changed and forever wild.

Characters

Holly

Holly is the protagonist, a woman transformed against her will into a hybrid monster through brutal scientific experimentation. Her psyche is fractured by trauma, but her core is defined by fierce independence, sexual hunger, and a need to protect and claim what is hers. Holly's relationship with Fitz is both possessive and redemptive—she stalks, seduces, and even kills for him, but also finds in him the acceptance and love she craves. Her development is a journey from victim to empowered monster, learning to balance her violent instincts with the possibility of healing and family.

Fitz

Fitz is a kind-hearted, self-sacrificing man marked by childhood abuse and a lifetime of loneliness. He is drawn to monsters, both literally and metaphorically, seeking the all-consuming love he sees in others. Fitz's relationship with Holly is transformative—he is both her prey and her partner, finding strength in her obsession and protection. His arc is one of self-acceptance, as he learns to embrace his own needs and desires, and to forgive himself for the sins of his family.

Glasses (The Scientist)

Glasses is the primary antagonist in Holly's origin, a sadistic scientist obsessed with the power and beauty of his creations. He represents the dehumanizing force of unchecked ambition and the violation of bodily autonomy. His fascination with Holly is both sexual and scientific, making him a symbol of all that she must overcome.

Trovian

Trovian is a skeletal reaper who escorts Holly's soul to Purgatory. He is both a harbinger of death and a facilitator of new beginnings, representing the possibility of transformation after trauma. His role is to help Holly accept her new identity and to introduce her to the wider world of monsters.

Lorcan

Lorcan is another reaper, responsible for collecting souls and maintaining the balance between life and death. He provides guidance and occasional levity, but also serves as a reminder of the consequences of violence in the supernatural world.

Rhett

Rhett is Fitz's best friend and a fellow monster DNA experiment. He represents the possibility of finding love and family after trauma, serving as a role model for Fitz. Rhett's relationship with his own mate, and his support for Fitz, highlight the importance of community and chosen family.

Creed

Creed is another monster, more violent and less restrained than Rhett. He serves as a foil to Holly, showing what happens when monstrous instincts are left unchecked. Creed's presence is both a warning and a source of dark humor.

Heather

Heather is Fitz's beloved sister, a survivor of their parents' abuse. Her relationship with Fitz is one of mutual support and sacrifice. She represents the importance of family bonds and the possibility of breaking cycles of harm.

Fitz's Father

Fitz's father is the source of much of the novel's pain and conflict. His abuse, manipulation, and involvement in the monster experiments make him a target for Holly's vengeance and Fitz's guilt. His death is both a climax and a catharsis.

The Four Horsemen

The Four Horsemen are powerful beings who intervene to maintain order in the supernatural world. They represent the limits of personal vengeance and the need for a higher justice. Their involvement signals the broader consequences of Holly and Fitz's actions.

Plot Devices

DNA Splicing and Monstrous Transformation

The central device is the forced transformation of humans into monsters through DNA splicing. This serves as both literal horror and metaphor for trauma, violation, and the struggle for self-acceptance. Holly's hybrid nature allows for exploration of power, desire, and the limits of humanity.

Dream Invasion and Succubus Powers

Holly's ability to invade dreams and feed on desire is both a source of eroticism and a commentary on agency. The dream sequences allow for the exploration of subconscious fears and wishes, and the eventual merging of dream and reality symbolizes the integration of self.

Marking and Claiming

The act of marking—through ink, scent, and violence—serves as a recurring motif. It represents both the dangers of obsession and the human need to be seen, wanted, and protected. The marks on Fitz's body are both a supernatural claim and a metaphor for the scars of love and trauma.

Foreshadowing and Visions

Holly's harpy DNA gives her glimpses of the future, foreshadowing threats and shaping her actions. This device heightens tension and explores the tension between destiny and free will.

Found Family and Chosen Community

The relationships among monsters, outcasts, and survivors form a counterpoint to the violence and abuse of the past. The creation of a new family is both a plot resolution and a thematic statement about the possibility of healing.

Violence as Love, Love as Violence

The novel repeatedly equates love with violence—Holly kills for Fitz, and he is aroused by her brutality. This device challenges traditional notions of romance, asking whether obsession can be redemptive, and whether monstrosity can be a form of care.

Analysis

Hollyhocks is a bold, unflinching exploration of what it means to survive and to love after profound violation. Through the lens of paranormal romance, the novel interrogates the boundaries between victim and monster, protector and predator, fantasy and reality. Holly's journey from tortured subject to empowered monster is both a revenge fantasy and a meditation on self-acceptance. Fitz's arc, from wounded caretaker to willing prey, subverts traditional gender and power dynamics, offering a vision of love that is mutual, obsessive, and healing. The novel's violence is both literal and metaphorical, a way of reclaiming agency in a world that seeks to destroy difference. Ultimately, Hollyhocks suggests that true belonging is found not in conformity, but in the wild embrace of one's own monstrosity—and in the arms of those who can love us, scars and all. The lesson is clear: healing is possible, but only when we are brave enough to be both wild and loved.

Last updated: April 28, 2025