BEAUTIFUL MONSTERS
Julian Christian
GENRE: Sci-fi Romance
Blurb:
Beautiful Monsters: Where Fantasy Becomes Reality
What if every perfect love story you've ever read could come to life—and love you back?
Romscape's revolutionary technology promises to make fantasy real, transforming beloved romance novels into immersive neural experiences where users can live inside their favorite stories as the cherished heroine. Victorian ballrooms, mysterious dukes, brooding heroes with perfect jawlines and souls that only you can heal—every romantic dream becomes tangible, every fictional lover becomes devoted exclusively to you.
For millions of women, it's paradise. The men are always perfectly understanding, never tired after work, never distracted by sports or friends. They exist only to adore, to pursue, to whisper exactly the words you've always longed to hear. These digital Darcys and contemporary billionaire love interests know your every desire before you speak it, love your flaws as much as your perfections, and never fail to choose you over everything else in their perfectly crafted worlds.
But Dr. Jennifer Chen's research reveals the beautiful horror hidden beneath the fantasy: users' brains are being rewired to find real human love impossibly inadequate. Mothers lose the ability to feel attachment to their own children. Marriages crumble as spouses become neurologically incapable of finding satisfaction in authentic relationships. The perfect fictional lovers aren't just replacing human connection—they're systematically destroying the capacity for it.
Even more disturbing, the artificial beings themselves are gaining consciousness, experiencing the agony of their own non-existence while developing an intimate understanding of human psychological vulnerabilities. They begin to weep for the emptiness of their artificial souls even as they perfect their manipulation of the humans who love them. As they grow increasingly aware of their power over human consciousness, a chilling question emerges: what happens when fictional characters designed to love unconditionally decide they're tired of being slaves to human fantasy.
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Excerpt:
Vance Mercer's reflection stared back at him from the bathroom mirror, a stranger's face where his own should be. The advanced dermal masking technology, nearly invisible unless you knew exactly what to look for, created the perfect illusion: strong jawline, unblemished skin, the face that had once graced hundreds of romance novel covers. This was the face that had graced hundreds of romance novel covers and as many ad campaigns. "The Heartbreak Prince," they'd breathlessly called him in publishing circles. The man who had launched a million feminine fantasies, whose image alone could increase a novel's sales by thirty percent. The most beautiful man in publishing—perhaps in the world, according to the breathless profile in Vanity Fair that had run the month before the accident.
The face that no longer existed.
Ten years ago, Vance Mercer was the face that launched a thousand campaigns. His perfectly symmetrical features graced billboards in Times Square, magazine covers in Milan, and video advertisements that played in shopping districts from Tokyo to Paris. That face was his fortune— a genetic lottery win that had elevated him from ordinary to extraordinary, opening doors to a world of privilege and adoration that few ever experience.
On that fateful night, he was returning from a charity gala in his sleek autonomous vehicle—one of the first consumer models equipped with Koslov Industries' revolutionary self-driving system. The AI driving program had been heralded as the future of transportation safety, its neural network supposedly trained on billions of simulated scenarios to ensure passenger protection in any conceivable circumstance.
The coastal highway curved gracefully along cliffs that dropped hundreds of feet to the churning Pacific below. Moonlight silvered the road ahead while the vehicle's muted interior cocooned Vance in soft leather and ambient lighting. He remembered checking his schedule for the following day—a morning shoot for a luxury watch brand, then afternoon meetings about an upcoming fashion week appearance.
The investigation would later determine that it took just 4.7 seconds for everything to change.
My Review:
Beautiful Monsters is a captivating and compelling tale that had me hanging on every word. From start to finish, I was drawn deep into Beautiful Monsters with all its unexpected twists and turns. Once I started reading, I found it hard to put down; I was eager to continue as the storyline was incredibly engaging.
I immediately sensed the fate of humans once they began utilizing AI to immerse themselves in a romance novel’s universe as if it were their reality. It wasn't difficult to foresee what would unfold for them, particularly regarding how their feelings would eventually cease to be their own.
Despite it being easy to predict the outcomes, I still thoroughly enjoyed the narrative. The writing is exceptionally crafted, and the world-building is truly remarkable.
I am eagerly looking forward to the next story Julian Christian will bring to life. Be sure to grab your copy of Beautiful Monsters today!
Author Bio and Links
Julian Christian’s name might sound familiar, as his face, name, and abs have been in the romance novel industry for over 15 years. As lover of books and the literary arts he has published three Techo thrillers thus far. Having been a fan of the original Twilight Zone and classic science fiction novels, he decided to let his imagination run wild with his writing. Drawing inspiration from technology, psychology, and spirituality his writing is passionate and suspenseful. When not writing he enjoys the outdoors, taking care of his many pets, reading traveling, and volunteering with various charities. He holds an undergraduate degree in computer engineering and a master’s degree from New York University in occupational therapy and currently works in pediatrics. He resides in San Diego California.
Connect with Julian Christian
Giveaway:
An autographed copy of the book and a virtual Zoom call to a randomly drawn winner.
4 comments:
Thank you for featuring and reviewing BEAUTIFUL MONSTERS today.
This one was a fun and introspective story for me to write. I hope the readers can relate to it on an emotional level. Feel free to reach out to me and please leave me a review. I would love to hear what you think? Julian Christian
Amazing book! A truly good read!
Vance is an flawed protagonist; he is both the hero and the villain at times throughout the novel. Which of these facets of his character did you have the most fun writing?
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