Amanda's Reviews > The Bridal Hunt
The Bridal Hunt (Brides of the Hunt, #1)
by
by
2.5 stars
TW/CW: Kidnapping, drugging, partner violence, obsessive stalker ex
This older work of Lynn's is...okay. It's not great, but it's not as terrible as a lot of the lower ratings would have led me to believe. It is full of typos and grammar errors, to the point that it's distracting at times. This is certainly not her at her best or most shiny. And I realized I said something very similar about her other portal romance I read (Of Another Dimension), and have come to accept that maybe I will sit those out if a third proves that she has a formula for these and heroine type that isn't my jam. Shame on me if I keep coming back and expecting something different if there's a set pattern. But when I love her work, I really love it and keep looking for my next hit.
The first 25% of this book is the worst of it, full of cringe-worthy drama and ugly inner monologue that makes you question your choice to read this work, but if you can trudge through until conditions improve, the rest is quite a bit more enjoyable to read. I, strangely enough, kept thinking of Looney Tunes and specific characters when I read this one.
So, the elephant in the room: our heroine, Meanie—the most accurate name for her, since other than remorse for (view spoiler), she doesn't seem to have a sympathetic or kind bone in her body. Meanie's only true concern is Meanie. Everyone else is collateral. (view spoiler) Now, I really dislike saccharine, syrupy heroines, but I also like a heroine to be sharp if she can't have some other redeeming qualities. Meanie's insult game kept flashing me back to my younger years in the mid-80s and this guy in particular.
It can not be unheard. Every time she started with her, "Unhand me, you ____!" I kept hearing it in Daffy's annoying voice and cadence. You're welcome for that thought.
But.
Her mates are all pretty awesome and fun to read, and once Meanie is feeling less antagonistic, some of her banter with them is fun rather than just mean. I had a good chuckle every time one of them pulled a fast one on her and manipulated her into taking him on. I would have loved to know more about the actual culture and history of these puckish giants, since being sneaky and sly seems to be something they grow up learning. (And where are the women for their species? There didn't seem to be any.) She falls for it 3 times and never catches on or bothers educating herself to know better. The sex scenes are all steamy and fun to read, though once it started, that's mostly all there was.
The pacing for this story is done pretty well. It doesn't tarry too long and get bogged down, but it doesn't sprint either. The main story takes place over the course of months in the place she's taken—which is many times longer in our world—and while the males themselves are pretty instalovey, Meanie takes a bit longer but is actually mostly reasonable about it after she gets over her sourness and accepts she isn't going back to Earth. (With her first mate, anyway.) Those who hate the hours-to-days courtships might find this story more palatable, since two of the romances take months to really get going. I like the idea behind this story quite a lot, (view spoiler)
And lastly...was a villain named George an intentional joke in a story about abominable snowmen? Because...
If it was, I give that one a thumb's up for sneaking in a LT reference.
TW/CW: Kidnapping, drugging, partner violence, obsessive stalker ex
This older work of Lynn's is...okay. It's not great, but it's not as terrible as a lot of the lower ratings would have led me to believe. It is full of typos and grammar errors, to the point that it's distracting at times. This is certainly not her at her best or most shiny. And I realized I said something very similar about her other portal romance I read (Of Another Dimension), and have come to accept that maybe I will sit those out if a third proves that she has a formula for these and heroine type that isn't my jam. Shame on me if I keep coming back and expecting something different if there's a set pattern. But when I love her work, I really love it and keep looking for my next hit.
The first 25% of this book is the worst of it, full of cringe-worthy drama and ugly inner monologue that makes you question your choice to read this work, but if you can trudge through until conditions improve, the rest is quite a bit more enjoyable to read. I, strangely enough, kept thinking of Looney Tunes and specific characters when I read this one.
So, the elephant in the room: our heroine, Meanie—the most accurate name for her, since other than remorse for (view spoiler), she doesn't seem to have a sympathetic or kind bone in her body. Meanie's only true concern is Meanie. Everyone else is collateral. (view spoiler) Now, I really dislike saccharine, syrupy heroines, but I also like a heroine to be sharp if she can't have some other redeeming qualities. Meanie's insult game kept flashing me back to my younger years in the mid-80s and this guy in particular.
It can not be unheard. Every time she started with her, "Unhand me, you ____!" I kept hearing it in Daffy's annoying voice and cadence. You're welcome for that thought.
But.
Her mates are all pretty awesome and fun to read, and once Meanie is feeling less antagonistic, some of her banter with them is fun rather than just mean. I had a good chuckle every time one of them pulled a fast one on her and manipulated her into taking him on. I would have loved to know more about the actual culture and history of these puckish giants, since being sneaky and sly seems to be something they grow up learning. (And where are the women for their species? There didn't seem to be any.) She falls for it 3 times and never catches on or bothers educating herself to know better. The sex scenes are all steamy and fun to read, though once it started, that's mostly all there was.
The pacing for this story is done pretty well. It doesn't tarry too long and get bogged down, but it doesn't sprint either. The main story takes place over the course of months in the place she's taken—which is many times longer in our world—and while the males themselves are pretty instalovey, Meanie takes a bit longer but is actually mostly reasonable about it after she gets over her sourness and accepts she isn't going back to Earth. (With her first mate, anyway.) Those who hate the hours-to-days courtships might find this story more palatable, since two of the romances take months to really get going. I like the idea behind this story quite a lot, (view spoiler)
And lastly...was a villain named George an intentional joke in a story about abominable snowmen? Because...
If it was, I give that one a thumb's up for sneaking in a LT reference.
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Reading Progress
March 19, 2020
–
Started Reading
March 19, 2020
– Shelved
March 19, 2020
– Shelved as:
kindle
March 19, 2020
– Shelved as:
multiple-mates
March 20, 2020
– Shelved as:
tw-cw
March 20, 2020
–
Finished Reading
April 10, 2020
– Shelved as:
portal-romance