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Reviews From This Past Week
Moth Pit (Contemporary Cryptids Book 1) by Amara Lynn
Release Date: 26 September 2022
Content Notes
Friends-to-Lovers
Nonbinary MC
Fake dating
Poly parents
College Student MCs
Nerdy MCs
Moth Pit is a charming novella by Amara Lynn for those looking for a steamy HEA that explores an enby relationship. The moth world, though given a brief glimpse, is complex and creative. Despite its paranormal premise, the characters can be plucked from any college campus in real life.
Truly the NBMC and MMC are absolutely in their early twenties. Lynn nails the awkwardness and immaturity of that age perfectly. I think I needed more shepherding on the author’s part to better understand some of the motivations of our main couple. The NBMC seriously does not like Ren. Later in the story, I absolutely get it. However, at the top of the story, there’s little hint of that antagonism on Ren’s part. So the NBMC and MMC somehow come across as flippant and rude even though later we learn that’s not really what’s happening.
I think Ren could have been used for so much more. He’s a haunting presence for the NBMC and perhaps that can mean something almost symbolic for their character development as they accept and embrace their feelings for Sol.
Overall though, I enjoyed the world Lynn created and think this novella is a cute, light thing to read.
ARC provided and voluntarily reviewed.
How to Claim a Human Mate: A Monsterly Yours Romance by S.J. Sanders
Release Date: 8 October 2021
Content Notes
Divorcee
Older MCs
Fated mates
Harvest Festival
Girls Trip
SJ Sander’s How to Claim a Human Mate is a feel-good story about a recently divorced woman who realizes her dreams by opening a coffee shop in a new town she fell in love with on vacation. At the same time, she is part of a cute love story. It’s like one of those Hallmark films. Only you get to this town via a magic portal. Oh, and it’s an orc village.
I’m a sucker for good world-crafting. That’s why I keep coming back to Sanders as an author. Part of her approach is exploring different, but fundamental questions people, in general, need to know to function in a given society. So we can look at questions like “how does money work between portal-connected worlds?” or “do humans move into the newly accessible fantasy world and how?” Then Sanders makes those questions directly a part of the plot’s events. It is an efficient and effective technique for world-building and plot event creation that I recommend for anyone as I love reading that stuff.
I think it is made all the better with Trick or Orc paired with it in almost the same sitting. It is what I did and it was the right call.
Trick or Orc: A Monsterly Yours Romance by S.J. Sanders
Release Date: 17 October 2021
Content Notes
Divorcee
Single Mom
Older MCs
Fated mates
Work Romance
Halloween
Male upgrade
If you enjoyed How to Claim a Human Mate, you’ll love Trick or Orc, which is also by S. J. Sanders. Once again we have an older FMC, but she’s also a single mom who needs a male upgrade. Plus, there are Halloween baked goods and hot cocoa, which is one of my favorite love languages.
How to Claim a Human Mate Sets up a lot of the story for this book. So reading both books is recommended. The MMC is first introduced in that story. He is a cinnamon roll who can kill you, a perennially perfect orc character type.
I thought this was while reading How to Claim a Human Mate but I will say it again. Someone needs to make Sanders a lead writer for a series of Halloween season monster rom-coms. Hallmark, stop being cowards, and DO IT. Of course, if Hallmark made their movies occasionally smutty I’d bet their viewership would explode.
It will be interesting where and if Sanders goes any further with the Monsterly Yours series. I am fond of it, but aware that it isn’t her most popular series. Just as she does aliens well, Sanders does about any non-human persons well. So she can go about anywhere in her writing and I’ll still happily check it out.
Currently Reading
Release Date: 29 September 2022
To Be Read
Release Date: 17 June 2022
Release Date: 30 January 2022
Release Date: 23 June 2022
Release Date: 21 April 2022
Housekeeping
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