Tag: Ashton Abbott

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Review Revisited

Review Revisited: Holly’s Take on By the Moon We Fall by Ashton Abbott

Holly

Raedan Warrior Series, Book 1

So, Ingrid read this book a few years ago, back when it was called Necromancer Rising. Abbott recently re-released it with a new title; it’s possible that the text was also updated, but if so, the changes weren’t significant, because everything Ingrid wrote in her review is still true.

However, as someone who has likely read more paranormal romance than Ingrid had when she first reviewed this book, I have a few additional notes for potential readers.

  1. When Ingrid said this book is dark, she wasn’t kidding. It’s not just the villains who are decapitating people. Both the hero and the heroine kill people in cold blood—and not just in battle. In fact, a central internal conflict for Adeline is what her relationship with dark magic will be. 
  2. This is a fated mates book, with the twist that William was not *entirely* honest with Adeline about why her powers weren’t working. So we’ve got a bit of dishonest beginnings here to spice up the fate, which was a fun twist. Also a fun twist: both William and Adeline can sense that they are uniquely attuned to each other.
  3. I would also call this an age-gap romance. William is 500, give or take a century. Adeline is 21 (plus the fourteen years she was dead). While this is fairly standard in paranormal romance, Adeline’s youth and naïvité were really played up here.
  4. The worldbuilding is somewhat uneven. Ingrid noted that she relied on the author to explain who actually died and who didn’t; part of that is that there seemed to be inconsistencies in how to kill an immortal. Some vampires die when you break their necks, and some don’t. On a bigger picture, there are a LOT of characters representing a LOT of different kinds of creatures, so there’s not really space to flesh them all out. Even creatures who appear frequently in paranormal romance—such as werewolves and vampires—don’t seem to follow standard genre formulas for how they should behave.
  5. A corollary to #4: Some of the characterization is uneven. Part of this is, I think, a feature of having so many characters, but I couldn’t really get a bead on William or Adeline either.
  6. With that said, the plot moves at a brisk pace and kept my attention. And some of the secondary characters were just weirdly delightful. 

As a sidenote, the villain here is the Morrigan, and Abbott also wrote/is writing a trilogy all about this particular triple goddess from her/their perspective—which would be a fun companion piece to read in parallel with this story and its sequels, if you decide you like gore and antiheroes. (I reviewed the second part of that trilogy here.)

Anyways, read on for Ingrid’s original review, which covers thoughtful things like tension and pacing.

Continue reading “Review Revisited: Holly’s Take on By the Moon We Fall by Ashton Abbott” →
Review

Review: Drawn in Shadow by Ashton Abbott (2020)

Holly

The Goddesses of the Morrigan Series, Book 2

Heat Factor: I’m covered in the blood of my enemies! It’s a perfect time to bone!

Character Chemistry: Macha is pretty self contained

Plot: Battle Goddess experiences several lifetimes, learns some stuff, kills a bunch of people

Overall: This is not in any way a romance, but it was an entertaining read

Continue reading “Review: Drawn in Shadow by Ashton Abbott (2020)” →
Listicle

Saturday Smutty Six: Halloweekend

smutreportteam

It’s Halloweekend! We had a fun few minutes talking vampires and witches and demons (oh my!) on our text chat, so we thought we’d share some fun, possibly suspenseful, probably delightful, definitely a little bit ridiculous, but not especially spooky books today. If you’re in the mood to read for the holiday, we present The Smut Report’s 2020 Halloween recommendations without further ado.

As usual, clicking the title will take you to the Amazon page…

The Demon Always Wins by Jeanne Oates Estridge

Belial knows that he’d be a natural as the Chief Executive Demon of Hell…all he has to do to prove his worth to Satan is sway God’s chosen one to the path of darkness. Easy, right? Wrong. Dara immediately knows that Belial is not really a sexy doctor. The back and forth between Belial and Dara as they navigate the path between good and evil makes for a really satisfying romance. Bonus points for a hilarious depiction of hell as the worst corporation ever.

Necromancer Rising by Ashton Abbott

This is a classic, sexy fated mates but with lots of corpses and limbs being torn off and blood squirting and stuff. There’s a sort of mystical world being built here with plenty of interwoven backstory and darkness, but there’s also a lot of rebirth and love. If you like everything paranormal and adore your happily ever after with a side of despair and a sprinkling of neck snapping, you’ll love this spooky, sexy story.

Soulless by Gail Carriger

Alexia Tarabotti’s lack of a soul has always been a real trial to her, in no small part because it keeps her under the eye of Lord Maccon, gruff and messy alpha of the local werewolf pack and head of BUR (Bureau of Unnatural Registry). When a vampire tries to bite her without consent, violating all the rules of appropriate vampire etiquette, Alexia finds herself in the middle of a BUR mystery. Read for the most nonsensical and entertaining voice in a steampunk Victorian world. 

The Warlord Wants Forever by Kresley Cole

If you’re curious about the Immortals After Dark series but aren’t ready to commit to a full-length book, start with this one! It’s book .5 in the series and features a vampire who really wants to find his bride (who will start his heart beating again) and a valkyrie who kills vampires as a hobby, so she’s got no problem getting all the sexytimes she needs from him and then ending him (maybe literally?) when the time comes. Things get spicy when immortal takes on immortal.

Riley Thorn and the Dead Guy Next Door by Lucy Score

So this one isn’t your usual ghosts and goblins type fare, but we do have a book packed full of absurdity and steamy scenes. Riley is divorced (and completely screwed over), living in a house with a bunch of elderly roommates. Plus, one of her elderly roommates gets murdered, and here’s where it gets absurd–she’s psychic, and because she tried to warn the guy AND the police, she’s now on the murderer’s radar. Enter Nick Santiago, private investigator. (I so want to make a joke here, but I’m a very strong woman.) Nick’s job is to solve the case, but he can’t really do it without Riley’s help–and he ONLY works solo. This book is absolutely hilarious, and so well done…it’s a completely fresh and sexy romance packed full of wild capers, perfect for a stress-free Halloween.

Tall, Dark, and Kilted by Allie Mackay

This book is utterly ridiculous. The hero is a ghost named…HARDWICK DE STUDLY. And he makes a deal with the devil that means he can finally rest from his hundreds of years of haunting the earth, if and only if he can manage to not get a single boner for a year and a day. Too bad Cilla shows up at the castle he has decided to haunt. Is this book very silly? Yes. Are there glaring plot holes and bits of complete nonsense? Yes again. Has Holly been using it as an in-joke with her husband for the past five years because it is just that delightful? Yes, yes, YES!

Recommended Read, Review

Review: Lovers Lost by Ashton Abbott (2020)

Ingrid

A Raedan Warrior Novella

Review of Raedan Warrior Series, Book 1

Heat Factor: There’s a lot of steam in this novella.

Character Chemistry: You would think that with these two being separated by a whole consciousness and constant injuries it wouldn’t be this hot but these two could light a glass of water on fire.

Plot: This is a supporting novella that can be standalone, but it does tie into the Raedan Warrior Series and delves into the saving of Vanya from her imprisonment and recovery.

Overall: This is a really well-paced, dark and steamy paranormal novella and I highly recommend reading it as part of the series.

Continue reading “Review: Lovers Lost by Ashton Abbott (2020)” →
My First Smut

My First Smut: “My teenage mind threatened to break under such rapture”

smutreportteam

My First Smut is a recurring feature where we talk about our formative smut experiences. These short confessionals may include such details as: What book did you read? How old were you? Were there other people involved? What made the experience special? What role does smut play in your life?

This week, romance author Ashton Abbott talks about discovering romance novels AND reverse harem stories at the same time. And also about losing the shame of being sexually active. (Smut is amazing, y’all.)

First romance novel you read:

Seduced by Moonlight by Laurell K Hamilton

How old were you?

16, just a dorky girl without a clue of what actual romance entailed.

How’d you get your hands on the book?

I found it in a bookstore I used to frequent. It was on display at an endcap. The cover with the crescent moon navel ring caught my eye.

What was the reading experience like?

So…. yeah. To say this book blew my mind would be an understatement. I was 16 and this was my first romance novel. It is a reverse harem with enough steam to power a locomotive across the country. Not only was I floored to learn about the ‘brooding/sexy type’ but also about the art of foreplay. (My teenage-self had yet to be acquainted with such magic). Oh and as if that weren’t enough, this lady has a treasure trove on men at her sexual disposal. My little teenage mind threatened to break under such rapture. Life was never the same after that first reading.

What made the experience special?

Well besides the glory of finding out that reverse harem existed… it would have to be the character connection and treatment of sex in general. Merry Gentry is very relatable in the sense that she is struggling and is looking for a way to overcome her problems while taking care of everyone else. I felt that. I was also introduced to the idea that one can be open about being sexually confident and sexually active while maintaining respect from others. At this point I wasn’t a virgin and had been somewhat ashamed of that fact. This ‘smut awakening’ taught me that I not only deserved respect… I didn’t have to be sorry about my carnal side.

What role does smut play in your life?

Well, I write paranormal romance and sexy-times-laden dark fantasy. I also inhale smut like expensive perfume on an even more expensive…. gah, I ran out of metaphors… I read a lot of smut, ok?

Connect with Ashton: Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Website

Thanks Ashton! We love hearing smut stories that are intertwined with self-respect and sexiness and all the good things.

If you’re interested in checking out Ashton’s work, her novella “Lovers Lost” is currently on sale for 99 cents (until Aug 30, 2020). AND her latest book, Drawn in Shadow just released on Aug 20. And finally, here’s Ingrid’s review of Ashton’s debut, Necromancer Rising.

Have an early smut experience you’d like to share with us? If you’d like to see your story featured, send us an email or fill out our questionnaire and we’ll post it in an upcoming week.