Heller: Has knows my love of stories with weird peen. (Don’t judge people!) She asked if I wanted to review this collection for Halloween. How could I Heller: Has knows my love of stories with weird peen. (Don’t judge people!) She asked if I wanted to review this collection for Halloween. How could I resist?
First of all let me say that I was really impressed by the stories here. I was expecting down and dirty monster erotica but got instead pretty clever and tightly written stories that I actually wouldn’t mind seeing expanded on. The sex was well written but so were the characters and the story lines. I liked this quite a bit.
Has: I was also taken by surprise by how much I liked these stories and I was expecting something really horrific in terms of its themes and from previous experience when Heller has recommended me dickterrifying books which I would then respond back with similar books. But Brides of the Monsters had some pretty good stories even if the bridegrooms were facially or bodily challenged and gigantically endowed.
The first story Bride of the Alien Beast stood out for me and became one of my favourites although a latter story ended up as the best story in the collection. However, I knew I was going to enjoy this collection because it was well written and I wished that a few stories ended up as a novella or even a full story. The opening story featured a captured alien being who was huge all over and with four arms which becomes very useful during mating! I also liked the heroine who is tricked into mating with him for scientific experiments but ends up turning the tables at the end.
Heller: I definitely agree. The first story here was a standout. I really liked the set up and that the female soldier was a bit badass. She was up for court martial but given the choice to take part in the top secret military project. This one, like all of them, was short but packed full of detail with, I thought, some very natural dialogue and interesting stories. I thought the alien beast, Zeke, was VERY alien but wow, that sex scene was amazingly hot. I could have definitely read a longer story with these characters.
Has: I definitely agree! The Bride of the Swamp Beast also had a similar feel and premise to the first story, again I wished it was longer because the action scenes was well done. I also never thought that a swamp man could actually be sexy or sweet or intense sex.
Nonetheless, I think my favourite story of the entire collection was Bride of the Sea Monster. It is very romantic and sweeter in tone compared to most of the stories in this book, and it also features what every favourite lover of the weird and wonderful world of unusual penises. Tentacles! Which Heller knows is our favourite requirement for erotic stories like these! I thought this story was really sweet although I had an uh oh moment when the bridegroom’s parents were into the fishing industry. And the wedding ceremony at the end of the story was rather interesting although I have to disagree with the title calling him a sea monster when he was anything of the sort.
Heller: The Swamp beast story was sweet! How unexpected was that? I really got a kick out how the author managed to make all the monsters very unique. I liked that they were all different and were more than just interesting peen.
Yes, can I say the tentacles story was quite an eye-opener? I loved the set up but I’m laughing because, like Has, when I saw he was from a family of lobster fisherman I was all…uh oh. This one was oddly sweet as well with some great tentacle sex. Not that I’m an aficionado or anything. ;)
Has: LOL that is what I liked about these stories, the humour was sometimes subtle, or other times tongue in cheek with the in-jokes which cracked me up. It was definitely better than what I expected and I ended up enjoying the stories much more despite the wtfery set up or premises.
I also liked the Bride of the Storm God which has the heroine sacrificed to a god to help produce rain during a drought and a good theme of this collection if it doesn’t have claws, scales or tentacles then it will have horns. I liked this story compared to one later in this omnibus which didn’t really appeal to me. I found the first half of this collection to be much stronger than the second half which was more sex focused or darker in tone which didn’t really appeal to me. But it was well written even though I wasn’t keen on these second set of stories.
Heller: I think one of the things I really enjoyed out of these stories was that all the monsters got their HEA! It wasn’t just a quick screw but there were interesting transformations that happened that I found gave the collection a fun and dare I say romantic twist to than regular old monster porn.
Has: Yes! And despite the crazy setting and plots it worked. The Bride of the Demon Beast though was not my favourite story. I just couldn’t warm up to the story and it was darker in tone. I was also not keen on The Horned God or the Alien Warlord which became porny and really surreal with a weird semi orgy and worship sex scene with the former and a crazy take on exhibition and dominance with the latter. Also I could not believe or want the image in my head of the president of America would embark on full on monkey sex in front of the cameras after being conquered by her alien warlord. Although the premise cracked me up because it was so all out there and hilarious.
Heller: I didn’t mind the darker stories so the Demon Beast, Horned God and Werewolf King were good reads for me. I actually liked the twist that the Demon Beast had and how the tables were turned on the townspeople. The Alien Warlord was super cheesy and my least favorite of the bunch. My eyes rolled more than a few times at the dialogue and situation with this one. I could have done without it and I’d almost say just skip it because it’s the weakest of the bunch. I also found the last story, which was written by different author, to be more straight up erotica than the others. Not a bad thing, and honestly more like how I was expecting the collection to be initially, but when comparing it to the others I found it a bit lacking in a unique spin on the monster theme. It did have tentacles though so a win there!
All in all this was an unexpectedly fun and sexy read for me. Great Halloween pick, Has!
Has: I also agree about the final few stories especially the last one despite it featuring tentacles, it didn’t gel well with the rest of the stories but I do think this was a fun sexy read for this Halloween. If you fancy something quick, sexy and even funny with a monster mash edge and weird peens then go for this anthology! I also found this collection as good value for money with the quality and amount of stories, especially when each story as a single cost almost as much, so it was well worth it. I am glad my book radar pinged on a good choice this time because I was thoroughly entertained with this collection.
Heller: Yay for Has’ book radar! This was a complete surprise. What a treat! ...more
Kind of if Linda Howard's Now You See Her and Nora's Hidden Riches screwed and had a book baby. I'm done with Nora's PNR books and I still feel the coKind of if Linda Howard's Now You See Her and Nora's Hidden Riches screwed and had a book baby. I'm done with Nora's PNR books and I still feel the contemps are more than a bit hit and miss. This was readable but I actually preferred the romance between the best friends: baker Luke and art gallery manager Julie. Their story was sweet and sexy and I'm laughing because even though we only got a few snippets I was more invested in their HEA. ...more
This is spin off from Rivera's Her Russian Protector series and while you don't have to read those books to enjoy this one I'd recommend it because3.5
This is spin off from Rivera's Her Russian Protector series and while you don't have to read those books to enjoy this one I'd recommend it because there is quite a bit of character crossover.
This has one of my favourite tropes, guy falling for his best friend's sibling, and it's always a winner for me. Kelly's family owns a gym/training facility that's in jeopardy because his father has a gambling addiction and now owes money to loan sharks and the mob.
In order to save the gym and their father Kelly agrees to do an underground fight tournament for the mob. He's a former marine and his brothers are also ex-military but they're still recovering from injuries. Add into the mix, Kelly is trying to protect Beatrice, his best friend Jeb's younger sister, from a stalker.
I enjoy Rivera's writing. This is more erotica and she does a great job with the sex scenes but as a result some of the plot suffers. The stalker storyline is pretty transparent, although the Jeb twist did surprise me. I would have enjoyed more details about the tournament but it was glossed over. Still I found what we did get with the training and the brief fight mentions very interesting.
There is a TSTL moment by Kelly and Bee's bodyguards which had me shaking my head at how easily manipulated they were by the bad guy. I like the Connollys. I'm looking forward to Jack's story and especially Finn's because I'm hoping it will be an M/M, I have my suspicions! :D
A good erotic read. Heavy on the sex and light on plot but with strong, interesting characters that have all very distinct personalities. Not quite a standalone but you're not inundated with other characters to the point where you're swimming in confusion....more
This was fucking delightful. Great flow, natural dialogue, witty and fun with some interesting side characters. I love the band so can't wait for m4.5
This was fucking delightful. Great flow, natural dialogue, witty and fun with some interesting side characters. I love the band so can't wait for more. I really enjoyed where this story went. The characters are young she's 21 and he's 26 and I could see their reactions reflect that and I wasn't sure it was going to work for me but I ate it up.
The start of their relationship is summed up in the book by one of the lyrics in the song Jackson. "We got married in a fever." Check out Johnny Cash and June Carter singing it.
Do you love your rock gods? Do yourself a favor and read this book.
I love all the comic book and pop culture references peppered throughout this book. This is all about teenage aMadelyne Jean Summers? Logan Scott? :D
I love all the comic book and pop culture references peppered throughout this book. This is all about teenage angst as Maddie keeps her nerd self hidden due to a traumatizing incident when she was younger. She presents a superficial facade to people outside her family, afraid that she'll be made fun of if her friends really knew what she liked.
I'm glad that there was this incident that Maddie focused on that caused all this trauma. It made sense to how she was acting and why she was so afraid. I liked Maddie's voice here, she was sweet and kind and so screwed up and her inner voice read her age, she seemed a very naive seventeen and I liked that about this story. I liked that she didn't have all the answers. I could see where her missteps were coming and I cringed for her but I rooted for her as well to find the courage to be herself. I wanted her to embrace her nerdiness and be happy.
This is an adorable read. YA books have never been a go to for me but as I said in my status report, nerds are my people and my kryptonite. I love to read about them and I love a sweet, gentle romance where the girl is brave enough to take a chance and go for what she really wants. I liked this story a lot. It made me smile and it made me want to go read a comic book after I finished it. I love being a nerd and I love books that encourage characters to embrace their quirks with no excuses. Recommended.
As with all Carla Kelly books this is skillfully written and loaded with historical fact, this one centers around Fort Laramie during the times of 3.5
As with all Carla Kelly books this is skillfully written and loaded with historical fact, this one centers around Fort Laramie during the times of the Great Sioux War and (view spoiler)[the Battle of Little Big Horn. (hide spoiler)] The romance revolves around an Army surgeon and a divorced teacher. Lots of really grim historical medical accounts and the ending is super ambiguous, not for Joe and Suzie who actually have quite a lovely HEA but for all (view spoiler)[who left Fort Laramie and were caught up in the events of Custer's last stand. (hide spoiler)]
There's a really strong build up of the romance of Major Joseph Randolph and Susanna Hopkins which is good, they both needed it as their background stories were quite horrendous:
(view spoiler)[Joseph's wife was burned almost to death when her dress caught fire on the trail as the Army was travelling in Texas. He had to kill her with a overdose of morphine to end her suffering. Susanna became a pariah when she was beaten by her drunken husband and lost sight in one eye. Her husband sued her for divorce and denied her access to their son when she sought medical attention. She was forced to move west to start her life over. (hide spoiler)]
Kelly never holds back. She's really a stellar writer who can just sink you into history so you just feel like you're living in the reality of it. No rose coloured glasses here for the time period but the relationships and interactions are tremendously layered. No one is a hero and people are just people who make mistakes but who also find love and redemption where they can.
Always a great read with this author but the end was brutal. I guess it was better to stop things on the satisfying HEA note but it made it feel a bit unfinished for me.
Love the concept. These kind of alien invasion stories are fun reads for me but this one didn't engage with either the characters or the story line. ILove the concept. These kind of alien invasion stories are fun reads for me but this one didn't engage with either the characters or the story line. I read about half then skimmed the rest to get to the end. ...more
For me this was just a mess. Way too many character cameos from previous books and too many new characters introduced as well. Three or f1.5
I'm done.
For me this was just a mess. Way too many character cameos from previous books and too many new characters introduced as well. Three or four different storylines to navigate. Some meshed and some didn't. There was the classic pride humour but I found that grating and repetitive. ...more
Oh Zach. That's a long time to carry a torch, my friend, a long time.
Best friends and former child actors Abby and Zach are made for each other. 3.75
Oh Zach. That's a long time to carry a torch, my friend, a long time.
Best friends and former child actors Abby and Zach are made for each other. Too bad only one of them realizes that, it's hard to see the pain and heartache that Zach has been putting himself through for years. Some great characters here and the sex scenes are smoking hot. Like whew, hot.
About Zach: (view spoiler)[I loved Zach but man, 17 years and then going to walk her down the aisle to marry another man? O_o Glad things worked out for you. (hide spoiler)]
I don't really know how I can review this and add to the great reviews out there for this one, so I'll keep this short.
I'm really enjoying the trend I don't really know how I can review this and add to the great reviews out there for this one, so I'll keep this short.
I'm really enjoying the trend of the badass anti-hero protagonists that we're getting recently. It's fascinating reading about these guys who make no apologies about being grade A alphaholes. That being said, it's a fine line between alphahole and asshole and Horse walked it like a circus tightrope pro.
Horse and Marie are funny and sexy as hell. This was a hot read with an interesting storyline and I really liked how Marie didn't let Horse walk all over her. Looking forward to the next one in the series....more
I wasn't quite sure what to expect with this story. It was an enjoyable read but ultimately a bit forgettable. Oddly enough I kind of wanted to go andI wasn't quite sure what to expect with this story. It was an enjoyable read but ultimately a bit forgettable. Oddly enough I kind of wanted to go and reread Knight after I finished this because of similar stories and characters. I felt that Ashley took a stronger stance so this was almost an appetizer for that one.
We have a young downtrodden but feisty woman who catches the eye of an older edgier man. There's mutual smittenness and hijinks ensue.
There were a few loose ends here that had me scratching my head: (view spoiler)[So Jake screwed his best friend's girl BEFORE she was his best friend's girl?? What the hell? Why was Dale being such a dick to everyone? Why did Caitlin give up her cat? Who does that? Why would Marianne ignore the hot chief of police and give her number to some other cop? (hide spoiler)]
If you like Kristen Ashley you'd get a kick out this one. It had some sweet moments and some hot moments but I found the thriller aspect a bit thin and unbelievable. Still I'll probably check out the second in the series to see if Marianne gets with the hot chief of police. Not sure if she deserves him though. ;)
While I enjoyed Hanna's quirks and Raiden's alphaholeness they just seemed to me to have a hard time connecting. I didn't get the feeling that Hann2.5
While I enjoyed Hanna's quirks and Raiden's alphaholeness they just seemed to me to have a hard time connecting. I didn't get the feeling that Hanna wasn't as comfortably into this relationship as Raid wanted her to be, despite how (view spoiler)[sexually she got her freak on ;) (hide spoiler)] Definitely not as cracky as Knight but it worked better for me than Creed.
This was probably the shortest KA book that I've read and because of that I think it suffers in a few things. The main problem for me is that I really felt a lot of important information was dropped. I definitely could have used another Raid POV near the end:
(view spoiler)[It could be because I read it so quickly but it was pretty ambiguous about Raid getting the bad guy. It just seemed for such a pivotal moment to be glossed over. (hide spoiler)]
Also, I do expect a lot of time jumps in a KA novel. This had quite a few really short ones that me frustrated. A week, 3 weeks, a month, etc.
Not a bad book but it felt forced in a lot of ways so that made for an okay read for me.
A nice story with nice characters. Nothing ground-breaking here. If you're a Nora fan you know what you're getting: semi-alpha males, strong women,2.5
A nice story with nice characters. Nothing ground-breaking here. If you're a Nora fan you know what you're getting: semi-alpha males, strong women, some nice banter with a coherent storyline and solid sex scenes.
I'm taking this one down a half-star for the transparent thriller aspect. I'm not expecting to have to put on a Holmesian deerstalker cap to figure things out but still I called the murderer and the intruder really early on in the read.
If you're sitting down and looking for a cozy romantic HEA, you'll enjoy this one. ...more
A cute Christmas freebie about the characters from Lumberjack in Love. There's some nice wish fulfillment as Ami's ex gets what's coming to him and shA cute Christmas freebie about the characters from Lumberjack in Love. There's some nice wish fulfillment as Ami's ex gets what's coming to him and she has a few sexy moments with her hot burly lumberjack husband. Fun and frivous....more
I think I watch too many zombie movies and read too many zombie books. I have very little patience for characters that take their safety for granted bI think I watch too many zombie movies and read too many zombie books. I have very little patience for characters that take their safety for granted by acting foolishly in perilous times. The first half of this book had me not enjoying Roslyn, the kidnapped librarian.
Dear Ros, If you want to escape then do it smartly. Why run out of a well fortified cabin with no shoes, no plan, no clue? You're pretty damn lucky you made it out that fiasco without getting your brains liberated from your melon. Love, Heller
That being said, this book has some clever, amusing lines. Scott writes a well balanced banter between characters and the sex scenes are hot. I enjoyed Ros much better in the second half when she began to take agency for herself and do it with panache. It was just frustrating that it took over half the book to get her to that point.
I liked the call back to the other characters from the first book and I really liked how the book ended and what happened to them all. I'm curious to see where things go next and I hope that Sean is still alive. ...more
I think the best thing about post-apocalyptic stories is how they make me feel. Scared. Freaked out. Disturbed. Angry. Hopeful. This book gives me allI think the best thing about post-apocalyptic stories is how they make me feel. Scared. Freaked out. Disturbed. Angry. Hopeful. This book gives me all that.
99.9% of the world has been wiped out by a virus. The remaining infected are being used as bloodhounds by the immune and sustained through the blood and flesh of the immune. There is no transference of the plague, you were either immune or you were dead and the last of humanity is battling it out to see who comes out on top. The insane, the messiah complexes, the loners, the killers, the rapists.
There's an interesting take on celebrity obsessed culture here as well and how being famous causes the survivors to look at you as a more special human being. This is the story of Rhiannon, the world's top box office actress, she's an immune and she's being hunted/stalked by "The Boss" he wants her and her face is on magazines and billboards everywhere so it's hard to hide. Rhiannon is incredibly tough, she uses the knowledge gleaned from her various roles and movie sets to escape and get as far away from the city as possible.
She meets up with Will. Will is a former NFL quarterback who has his own kind of fame to deal with in this new world. He's an upright, moral man living in times where that is a pretty unique thing to be. He's a loner and has been cleaning up a small town, clearing the dead away. In his travels he finds a young 9 year old girl, she doesn't speak but he names her Snickers for the chocolate bars she's eating when he finds her. He makes a home for her and invites Rhiannon and her rotweiller companion to join them.
They create a rather sweet little family but the peace doesn't last long as Rhiannon's past catches up with her and Snickers gets caught up in the crossfire.
There's an interesting structure to this book. The chapters flip from Rhiannon's perspective to Will's and we follow them on their journeys. I enjoyed that about this read quite a bit. One thing that I didn't like: (view spoiler)[ that the villians in this piece all turned out to be people that Rhiannon knew from before the plague. Too much of a coincidence for me. Mandy I could see, but "The Boss" I would have preferred him to be a complete stranger. (hide spoiler)]
This was a really interesting read for me. Compelling characters with an intruiguing concept. A recommended read for fans of post-apocalyptic fiction.
This is a short story about Natalie, a woman on holiday at a resort when the apocalpse arrives. People being hit with infection are dying andZombies!
This is a short story about Natalie, a woman on holiday at a resort when the apocalpse arrives. People being hit with infection are dying and turning into zombies attacking and turning other people. She's been hiding out and manages to connect with another survivor, Angus, a much younger Australian Football League player. Yum.
Some nice zombie action mixed in with the sexy times. Ends a bit abruptly and it's more of an erotica short than anything else. I'll be picking up the longer zombie book she has out which has unrelated characters but set in the same post-apocalyptic world of Australia. I love the concept.