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A review by winter_is_reading
Berries and Greed by Lily Mayne
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
4.25 stars! I love my queen Lily Mayne, and this book is more of her magic. Beryl and Greid are another perfect couple that I absolutely loved. I was grinning my way through most of the pages! It was just so cute! The only reason it’s not 5 stars is because it’s a longer book for a low-stakes story. I enjoy Lily’s lengthy writing when there’s more conflict going on (ex: Lor), but this book is more about good vibes than plot.
I love the premise of a dominant woman with vaginismus becoming roommates with an unusually submissive monster. It’s the first book I’ve read with vaginismus representation, which is nice when so many M/F romance sex scenes seem to center around female penetration. This book is still stuffed with scorching spicy scenes and a lot of D/s play, and the vaginismus doesn’t detract from that one bit.
I feel personally attacked (in a positive way) by the “leaving the cult” storyline, since I’ve left a high-demand religion that has many cult-like attributes. Some of Beryl’s descriptions of her cult life and limitations felt right out of my experiences, and leaving that environment really can be a hard adjustment which we see Beryl go through. Introducing yourself can be hard too when your past details are very entwined in your “cult” upbringing. So I felt very seen by Beryl’s character.
I don’t know if readers will meet Beryl or Greid and think “this is a person I’d want to marry!” since they’re still very flawed, messy, goofy people, but you definitely end the book knowing they’re soulmates for each other. For Lily’s first M/F story, she did an excellent job. What a lovely story.
Spice: 4/5
4.25 stars! I love my queen Lily Mayne, and this book is more of her magic. Beryl and Greid are another perfect couple that I absolutely loved. I was grinning my way through most of the pages! It was just so cute! The only reason it’s not 5 stars is because it’s a longer book for a low-stakes story. I enjoy Lily’s lengthy writing when there’s more conflict going on (ex: Lor), but this book is more about good vibes than plot.
I love the premise of a dominant woman with vaginismus becoming roommates with an unusually submissive monster. It’s the first book I’ve read with vaginismus representation, which is nice when so many M/F romance sex scenes seem to center around female penetration. This book is still stuffed with scorching spicy scenes and a lot of D/s play, and the vaginismus doesn’t detract from that one bit.
I feel personally attacked (in a positive way) by the “leaving the cult” storyline, since I’ve left a high-demand religion that has many cult-like attributes. Some of Beryl’s descriptions of her cult life and limitations felt right out of my experiences, and leaving that environment really can be a hard adjustment which we see Beryl go through. Introducing yourself can be hard too when your past details are very entwined in your “cult” upbringing. So I felt very seen by Beryl’s character.
I don’t know if readers will meet Beryl or Greid and think “this is a person I’d want to marry!” since they’re still very flawed, messy, goofy people, but you definitely end the book knowing they’re soulmates for each other. For Lily’s first M/F story, she did an excellent job. What a lovely story.
Spice: 4/5