Attending The Monster's Ball
Buckle into your carriage seats because this is just part 1, people
Yep, I’m binging this Bridgerton-Meets-Monster-Romance series! For my review on the first installment, check out my review of How to Marry a Marble Marquis by C.M. Nascosta.
The Monstrous Duke and I by Dee St. Holm
Release Date: February 28, 2023
Content Notes
Fake Courting
Marriage of Convenience
Childhood friends to lovers
Slow burn
Fire play
Bookish FMC
Dee St Holm nailed a lot about The Monstrous Duke and I. The MCs were adorable, hopeless, and people I could root for. The fire play was creative and fun. Much of the plot was so cheesy, but I seriously wanted the best for these two that I sincerely did not care.
It would have been Penelope’s father if I could have tweaked anything. He seemed like nothing more than a dim sociopath, but sometimes that’s all there is to folks. So I wasn’t that turned off.
Overall, this story was a lovely addition to the series and enjoyable!
Beguiled by the Beastly Baron by Y.D. La Mar
Release Date: March 28, 2023
Content Notes
Older FMC
Brazilian FMC
Unseelie MMC
Pre-arranged marriage
Fated mates
Tentacles/Vines
YD La Mar will explore those shadowy, problematic corners of dark romance, and Beguiled by the Beastly Baron is no exception. I love that stuff. She took two main characters I found interesting and sometimes problematic and fit them together well.
Some specific parts of the story kept me from giving a higher rating but did not stop me from enjoying myself. I would have liked more of the Baron’s POV in the beginning as much as in the end. I also think there was room for more apparent character development for Antonia. She seemed willing to be more vulnerable the longer she was with the Baron, but I am also not entirely sure.
By the end of the book, I really enjoyed the gothic fairytale vibes I felt La Mar was putting out there. Would love more of that.
Romancing the Monstrous Earl by Saranna DeWylde
Release Date: April 11, 2023
Content Notes
Tomboy FMC
Two 🍆🍆
Marriage of Convenience
Stalker Antagonist
Spicy dance
Marriage of Convenience
Fated Mates
Saranna DeWylde has some good bits of Romancing the Monstrous Earl that only left me wanting her to have really milked them for all they were worth. The characters were interesting and likable. She can write a sexy-as-hell dance scene. It wrapped too quickly for what I think was needed.
I have to say the best part was the dance scene. I loved it. I needed it. It helped me believe that these two were obsessed with one another. The MCs deserved the chance to fight harder for their ending, though, in my view.
As much as one can find an excellent individual scene, stringing them together made me want to rebuild the plot. I wondered, especially at the story's pacing halfway through. It felt like the characters were thinking aloud about different options for the plot's possible direction, and they went with the quickest path to a resolution. I felt rushed by them, and it was too bad! I was really enjoying myself!
Wanton for the Wolven King by Kristen Strassel
Release Date: March 28, 2023
Content Notes
Runaway Groom
Enemy-to-lover
Knotting
Controlling Mother
Self-Acceptance Journey
Strong-willed FMC
Wanton for the Wolven King is a lovely story premise that Kristen Strassel offers that I love. Here, we have a loving couple torn apart by fear and misunderstanding and finding reconciliation and healing to be better than before. My ultimate complaint is the impression that the plot got in its own way as it accomplished this goal.
Given a chance for a rewrite, the fairy side plot and Stone Henge felt like extra fluff. The mother’s reluctance, likely connected with whatever was going on with that priest, was woefully under-explored. I wanted more from the story, which is a good sign that I liked a lot about it. I just wanted more for it.
Housekeeping
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