This book re-wrote my brain chemistry.

When I opened it and saw that the content warnings included (among other things): fem-dom top, FMC with vaginismus and aversion to penetration, pegging, etc. I thought “idk about this..”

It was certainly like nothing I’ve read before, but I loved it. LOVED it!! I highly recommend it, even if (or maybe especially if) it doesn’t sound like “your thing.” I didn’t think it would be mine either, but these characters are so sweet and desperately lovable.

I really really appreciated that Lily Mayne wrote an FMC with vaginismus, because that’s something that doesn’t get enough representation in romance/erotica considering how common it is in real life. Not only that, but she chose to make that character someone who isn’t interested in penetration anyway, because she didn’t want to make the FMC’s condition something that needed to be “solved.” I respect that decision so much! It was absolutely the right call. There is no limit to the ways sexual intimacy can look between consenting adults, and heterosexual sex that doesn’t involve p-in-v penetration is so valid!!

I also really really cannot stress enough how much I thought the soft fem-dom/sub-bottom dynamic not only fit perfectly with these characters, but also how important it is to include that sort of representation in monster romances specifically. 

I think one of my biggest complaints about monster romances that I’ve read, is that they tend to fall into this trap of gender essentialism (the masculine-presenting character must be, by nature, the dominant one in the pairing), since you usually have an MMC who is big and strong and could crush the FMC if he wanted. (I understand that primal kink typically has a large role in these types of stories, which, by its nature, leans into gender essentialism quite a bit.)

But including an MMC who is soft-spoken, anxious, tender-hearted, and whose primary desire is to get high, watch tv, and eat takeout—who is not only sexually submissive, but who struggles with a lot of shame over his desires because society as a whole as well as previous partners have made him feel lesser for it?? How IMPORTANT that representation is, specifically within the context of a monster romance.

Not to mention the book itself is well-written and the pacing is perfect. The narrative doesn’t get bogged down by unnecessary, tedious scenes like work shifts (which, a book this long, easily could have), and instead focuses mostly on the relationship. There’s  very low stakes, no third-act breakup, just a lot of warm fuzzy feelings and sweetness.