Trope
Heat Factor: It’s hot. There’s lots of booty.
Character Chemistry: This is fully established physically, but (likely due to length) the emotional chemistry is less developed.
Plot: Carmen and her ex, Matthew, end up stuck sharing their beach house for the summer. When both decide to punish the other through seduction, they cave almost instantly and rekindle their relationship.
Overall: It’s not fully fleshed out but there’s flesh out. (See what I did there?)
Runaway Ranch, Book #4
Heat Factor: An extremely slow and unusually chaste burn
Character Chemistry: That “enemies” to “in love” switch flipped pretty fast
Plot: Government assassins put the Christ back in Christmas romance
Overall: Well…this was a thing I read
Birmingham, Book #1
Heat Factor: “His warmth and passion” is “led on to his nest.”
Character Chemistry: Is it abuse or is it love? Hard to tell.
Plot: Brandon rapes Heather. They are forced to get married. And then Brandon takes Heather to South Carolina, where shenanigans occur and also they somehow decide they’re in love.
Overall: It’s all totally yikes or totally infuriating and sometimes both!
Please note: This book includes rape, abuse, chattel slavery, and ableism (among other things), which we discuss in this review.
Continue reading “Back to Old School: The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen Woodiwiss (1972)”Arcane Tales, Book #2
Heat Factor: Sex in the moonlight
Character Chemistry: I absolutely believed that they liked each other.
Plot: She wants to destroy his dad, but maybe he also kinda wants to destroy his dad?
Overall: The plot doesn’t always make sense, but I really enjoyed it anyways.
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 Smut Report 