Imaginary Benevolent Monarchy

Heart and Hand, Book #3

Heat Factor: She’s a slowwwww burn folks

Character Chemistry: They’re fated mates, but they spend the majority of the book at odds

Plot: Princess Anwyl is on a quest to bring pijala trees and pihaberries to different lords in order to protect the people from brainwashing. She’s also on a quest to find a husband—but she’s already learned that she’s destined to be with a dark haired man with blue eyes who affects her like no other. Warin is that man, she’s pretty sure; but he acts like he can’t stand her. Plus, a LOT of other stuff.

Overall: This book is an epic quest in a series, and it is LONG and complex.

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Review: The Dragon Prince’s Magic by Elva Birch (2022)

January 11, 2023January 11, 2023 Erin

Royal Dragons of Alaska, Book #5

Reviews of previous books in the Royal Dragons of Alaska series: Book #1, Book #2, Book #3, Book #4

Heat Factor: They’re in bed before 30%, but it’s not detailed

Character Chemistry: She jumps in feet first, and he does, too, but he’s not at first convinced it’s real

Plot: Katy is…hired… to teach the children rescued by the palace, but the Compact actually wants Katy to be Raval’s mate. And then the children disappear.

Overall: This book was fabulous

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Review

Review: So This Is Christmas by Jenny Holiday (2022)

October 7, 2022 Holly

A Princess for Christmas, Book #3

Review of A Princess for Christmas Book #1, Book #2

Heat Factor: Two encounters toward the end of the book

Character Chemistry: Two obviously compatible people working against each other because of external circumstances

Plot: Modernization vs tradition, fought out against a backdrop of twee mountain villages.

Overall: Do you like competence porn? If so, this is the book for you

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Dueling Review

Dueling Review: Wish Out of Water by Holley Trent (2022)

February 26, 2022 smutreportteam

Hooked, Book #1

Holly’s Take

Heat Factor: The two sex scenes are pretty detailed, but there are only two of them

Character Chemistry: Her magic doesn’t suck his happiness away. It’s fate!

Plot: Cooper doesn’t want to be king, so he asks Brook to do a marriage of convenience with him. Apparently marrying an American means he automatically abdicates. (???) Plot twist: Brook is a mermaid and discovers she’s the real heir to the throne.

Overall: The pacing was off…it was like: solid start, slow, slow, slow, INTRIGUE!, denouement.

Ingrid’s Take

Heat Factor: It had moments of heat but was largely pretty mild.

Character Chemistry: They’re fated mates and I guess fated rulers.

Plot: He’s supposed to be king. She’s supposed to be a human nobody. But actually she’s a mermaid with royal lineage and it’s enough to throw everything into chaos.

Overall: It feels like a very long start to something and that didn’t actually develop into its cohesive, finished result.

Erin’s Take

Heat Factor: There’s a bit of dissonance between the perfection of their coming together and, like, everything else about their relationship.

Character Chemistry: They’re basically fated mates.

Plot: She’s a nobody, except she just has no idea that she’s not a nobody, and he’s a bastard prince who grew up outside the kingdom but is somehow inheriting the throne because of Reasons, which she is supposed to fix but doesn’t.

Overall: I was extremely confused. Also this relationship contains most of the “I’m leaving now” drama that I actively dislike.

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