Sci-Fi Romance à la Suspense
Alexa, Play Rihanna’s “We Found Love”
Despite offering a curated list of the absolute fuzziest-feeling stuff I have on my tablet last week, I am a reader and full of paradoxes. Here be content warnings.
Both of these books share at least two things: the stakes are high and the journey past them is fraught with legitimate danger. This is a Romance so at least we can assume an HEA of some kind!
Cottonmouth by Naoni Lucas
Release Date: August 24, 2024
Content Notes
Virgin MCs
Breeding
Forced Proximity
Knotting
Sexual Abuse
Captivity
Sexual Assault
Torture
Gore
While this could be said for a lot of the Naga Brides series, I felt like Naomi Lucas really pushed the boundaries on a lot of conventions in Cottonmouth. On more than one occasion, I questioned how this book was supposed to have an HEA. That is how much Lucas held me in suspense.
I think the key to enjoying this book is being aware that this story has violence. I recommend reading the content warnings if this sends up a flag.
For those who can work with the content warnings, I thought the story was seriously thrilling once I reached the halfway point. Before then, I foolishly thought it was going to be relatively low-key. Once the time-constrained danger started going, I demanded to be left alone to read and didn’t relent until I completed the book entirely.
Trench Tactics by Dalia Davies
Release Date: September 15, 2024
Content Notes
Size Difference
Mars Needs Women
Forced Proximity
Nerdy MCs
Knotting
Anatomical “Research”
Rejection Recovery
Predator Hunting
Dissecting Specimens
Attempted Murder/Kidnapping
I don’t know what draws me into Dalia Davies’s stories like Trench Tactics more. Is it the tension-laden spicy scenes? Is it the suspenseful mystery lying in hiding in an unforgiving tundra? Both. It is both.
I strongly recommend reading this series in order. It was key to why I was excited about Trench. She does not give the reader many bland side characters. About everyone could have their own story. An enormous plot building also makes every installment of this series part of a long-running serial.
Also, because of that overarching plot, I recommend that potential readers consider the content warnings. The stakes are high. Lives are on the line. People are being hunted. Predators of different kinds lurk behind the bushes. I have a fun time in this world.
Housekeeping
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