Trope
Dark Olympus, Book #2
Review of Dark Olympus, Book #1
Heat Factor: There’s a lot of sex, but I wouldn’t call it spicy
Character Chemistry: If you say so
Plot: Eros is supposed to kill Psyche, and marries her instead
Overall: Decidedly meh
Thank you to Kay of Miss Bates Reads Romance for the recommendation!
Heat Factor: A few open-door scenes where the focus is more on the emotions than the moving pieces.
Character Chemistry: They have some serious trust issues, but that’s the whole point.
Plot: Guttersnipe + Rake in a Marriage of Convenience
Overall: The emotional beats in this book are PERFECTION.
Heat Factor: Y’all remember when Khal Drogo needed to be taught how to do it face to face by Khaleesi and then their marriage did a 180?
Character Chemistry: “You may look weird, but I find you oddly attractive.”
Plot: Benevolent colonialism + how to start seeds + sexytimes
Overall: We have some THOUGHTS about the politics of this book.
Heat Factor: “Let’s start this whole marriage thing slow.” *sees giant alien penis with alien penis accoutrements* “Just kidding, let’s bone against the wall.”
Character Chemistry: Fully 30% of the book is him embracing her with his wings.
Plot: Jewel thief agrees to be a mail order bride to get out of jail and ends up married to a gargoyle-alien cop. Freak outs and boning ensue.
Overall: Fresh and fun, but you’ll never look at spaghetti the same way again.
Both of these books feature the same basic premise: a human woman agrees to be a mail-order bride to an alien, sight unseen. She is not entirely honest with her spouse about her background and/or motivations. Her apex predator partner is a giant cinnamon roll who wants nothing more than to please his new bride. And while both books end with love and alien babies, there are some glaring differences between how these books present the alien Other. Let’s dive in!
Continue reading “Monster Mash Smashdown: Non-Humanoid Alien Week”A Gathering of Dragons, Book #1
Heat Factor: ✋🩸🍆
Character Chemistry: Maddek wants to hate Yvenne, but he can’t
Plot: Epic fantasy revenge marriage of convenience road trip
Overall: Holy shit
The Bishop Brothers, Book #2
Review of The Bishop Brothers, Book #1
Heat Factor: Considering how much they’re into each other, it’s a pretty slow burn (but with some intermediate stuff going on)
Character Chemistry: I was a little worried because Serena started out determined to show Archer how much she’s worth marrying, but they sorted themselves out
Plot: Serena was supposed to marry Archer’s brother in book one but ended up jilted at the altar, so Archer stepped in to save the day and the business deal
Overall: This book was very chill (except I wanted to rage at Archer’s dad), but also very awesome
The Smut Report 