edgybutfemme's reviews
132 reviews

As always, Katee Roberts continues to be the person I turn to when I want a comfort read, something I know will be a good time. This is an incredibly sweet little romance! I have a feeling that some others in this series will have couples I am even more compelled by, but I still found myself utterly charmed by Sol and Briar's romance.

I highly recommend this for anyone looking to try a monsterfucking book for the first time! For me, a veteran monsterfucker book enjoyer, this was extremely tame, but in a way I think would make it very accessible. For people who want their monsterfucking to be weirder and wilder, I have no doubt that Katee Robert will deliver that further into the series, but this one is a very sweet romance with very little that should challenge anyone who usually doesn't read this type of romance (like, yeah, he's a dragon but other than the dragon head he just has two otherwise normal dicks). Their dynamic is compelling though, and I love the way that Katee Roberts writes trauma healing. I am extremely excited to read the rest of this series, especially knowing that I'll eventually get to read both Ramanu and Azazel's romances! For now, onto the kraken romance!

Holy fuck this is EXCELLENT and I have never been more devestated to discover that what I just read was an author's debut! Do you like dark romance? Are you looking for actually good polyamory rep?? Do you want to read something deliciously fucked up with a trans main character and an MMM relationship? READ THIS RIGHT NOW! BUY A MILLION COPIES SO SERA QUIM CAN WRITE ME MORE CONTENT ASAP!!! 

Okay, to set you up for success, I think you will like this if you are into: mafia romance, a lot of smut along with your romance, and love interests who will kill anyone who threatens the people they love. There is something so delicious about a main character who expects to be treated roughly and abandoned but is instead treated with devotion and tenderness by hands that kill. Truly no one is out here writing romance like queer dark romance authors. Sera Quim you are my new fav!! Jude, Ash and Beau live rent free in my brain now and I hope we get to see more of them if Sera Quim decides to write more stories in the same setting. I want only good things for these wonderful men 🥺🤲

Definitely mind the trigger warnings on this one folks! This one is not for people who dislike age gaps or struggle with messy trauma coping mechanisms and recovery. The author's content warnings are super thorough though, so I included them all in the content warning section of the review. Also worth noting that the sexual assault is off screen and not between the main character and love interests. However, it SUPER affects the plot and relationships and the abuse is ongoing. This is firmly a HEA where (ending spoiler):

Jude and his new partners get to kill his abusers which we always love to see.

The Smut Includes: Oral sex, frottage, somnophilia (undiscussed), facesitting, anal sex, vaginal sex, cum eating, rimming, fisting, voyeurism, aftercare

This just wasn't really for me, which is a shame, because there are so few books with good polyam rep!

What I liked: 
Okay, so, the polyamory in this book did feel fairly realistically depicted as a polyam person myself. The more people you add to a dynamic, the more complicated the emotions and situations get, and these characters start out super bad at communicating and as such things feel very realistically messy. This has it's pros and cons! If you are into a complex relationship dynamic between three people in a historical setting where it's okay to be gay, this may be for you. I also really liked that one of the love interests is a painter and I did enjoy the portryal of that within the historical setting.

What I didn't like:
This book feels very contemporary even though it was technically historically set. Unfortunately, if I am going to read something that is historically set and has queer characters, I want the worldbuild to feel consistent. I am totally down for either choosing to make being gay okay, or dealing with period typical homophobia and the ways gay people have always still found ways to be together and thrive. The thing I struggled the most with is the mix of societal expectations depicted here that didn't feel consistent. These rich people are out here arranging marriages between gay people (with no real insight into WHY, which is disappointing when I 've seen some good worldbuilding in this area in other novels), but everyone is still going to be REALLY shitty and hate on and ostracize this one guy for *checks notes* hanging out at a gentleman's club (something presumably a lot of high society men do?) and also (spoiler warning)

for running off before his arranged marriage the night before the wedding (and then getting married to his original betrothed later)

Like, don't get me wrong, rich people are shitty! But they moved AWAY to escape him being mistreated but for some reason didn't move far enough away? And why does the rest of this whole new town care 5 years into the marriage between these two? Why is this man still so isolated and ostracized? And why does he insist on putting himself and his husband through miserable socialization when not doing that seemingly would have no actual consequences? I just really couldn't move past some of the inconsistency in the worldbuilding and characterization, especially because it felt like the historical setting and the characters ability to communicate would change based on the needs of the plot/relationship direction rather than feeling consisten or growing in a way that felt earned. They were all really bad at communicating, but then it was like a switch flipped and one of them just got good at it overnight. At the end of the day a lot of the book's character dynamics and plot hinged on stuff that happened years before off screen and you don't find out Why Their Marriage Is Like That until a significant way through the book.

Okay, I talked a lot about what I didn't like, but if that isn't a stumbling block for your enjoyment you might like this if you want some poly rep! They do have a very sweet ending and the triad has a very interesting dynamics. It's unfortunately just one of those books I felt perfectly fine about when I was reading it, but the second I put it down I was plagued with questions the second I gave it deeper thought and since it's been a minute since I finished it I've had a LOT more time to think. 

I really enjoyed this second book! Honestly, this book gets A Lot Done. The first book is a lot of setup and the plot is really chugging along in this one. I was worried with the set up to the first book that the main characters would spend the whole book apart, but that isn't the case at all! Also, you get lonan's perspective in this one, so even while they are apart you are getting to see what is happening with each of them and also getting a lot of additional context on lonan and what was happening for him in book 1. Also, memory shenanigans! I love a plot that involves one half of a romance forgetting the other and this book executed on it deliciously. The smut continues to be good as well if that's what you are here for!

I also really like that the unseelie and seelie are both distinctly fae and their rulers each are their own type of monstrous that fits their court's vibe. I read a lot of bad books as a teenager where the unseelie were "evil" and the seelie were "good" and that isn't at all the case here. Lily Mayne's worldbuilding is one of my favorite parts of her books I've read so far. She always makes non-human societies still feel like fully alive cultures and it deeply compels me. I also love watching Ash become more and more fae and lose his humanity. I always love when fae operate on more of an orange/blue rather than black/white morality system. It's just a completely different set of rules and morals and worldview and I find that fun!

I was braced for another cliffhanger, but this book ends satisfyingly on a HFN situation. I'm looking forward to the last book, but not feeling the urgent need to stay up till an ill advised hour to jump right into it which is nice! I continue to be deeply invested in Ash and Lonan and look forward to reading the conclusion of their story!

I absolutely love this book and this couple, and I immediately rolled directly into the next book! If you are looking for a mm fae romance, you should seriously check this out. This book deserves a longer review, but I don't have it in me at the moment. I really enjoy Lily Mayne's writing! The character dynamics are compelling, the smut is good, and the worldbuilding is interesting. 

Honestly, this would have been rated even higher but there is a rough cliffhanger ending. It left me eager to roll into the next book and glad the whole series was out! It's a very effective cliffhanger, just something to be aware of going in, as well as the fact that this book does a lot of set up for the characters and relationships, with the plot of the series really gearing up at the end of this book and into the next book. A good first book and I'm sure this series over all will be rated even higher! I am very invested in lonan and ash's relationship and can't wait to see them get their HEA.

I absolutely adored this book! I have so many feelings and I've been really bad at writing reviews lately but I absolutely need to share how awesome this book is!

I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a MF monster romance that is both sweet and spicy with an adorable and socially anxious 7 foot tall monster submissive and his confident 5 foot tall gentle domme girlfriend.

Greid is maybe one of my favorite MMCs I've ever read. He is sweet and dorky and anxious and deeply lonely at the start. I love that even though his relationship with Beryl pushes him to grow as well, the core of their romance is about finding someone you can be 100% yourself with. He is a introverted jewelry maker whose perfect night is curling up under a dozen blankets, getting high on shade (their version of weed), eating lots of snacks, and rewatching his favorite sitcoms with his definitely platonic new roomate. Beryl's story of cult recovery and learning that it's never too late to leave your comfort zone and become your own person is so wonderfully executed.

To be honest, I have no complaints about this book. Both love interests are amazing! They have a very sweet and domestic romance that unfolds very organically. The book is long but felt well paced. The worldbuilding and monster lore are some of my favorite bits. The smut is top tier and features a sweet submissive monster boy! Also, Beryl is the first character I've ever read with vaginismus / an aversion to penetration and it's so well handled! This is going to be a top competitor for my favorite monsterfucking book of the year and I also read and loved A Bone In His Teeth recently.

Go read this book! 

This is exactly what I was hoping it would be, which was an extremely fun sapphic pirate x princess romance! I would describe this as a fun romp and suggest it for anyone who wants a sapphic pirate romance that feels like it has princess bride vibes!

I've actually read the two books out in the Crimson Tides series that this is a prequel for, and it was so fun to see how well this sets up the world! Also, the only major antogonist (other than Maura standing in her own way) in this book is Bowen, the love interest of the next book which is very fun!

My favorite thing about Katee's shorter books is how well crafted they are and how they don't over commit or under deliver. This has just enough plot, just enough romance, and just enough worldbuilding to come together in a satisfting way. It sets the scene for the series without getting too bogged down in the more intricate worldbuilding details that you get to delve into in the next two (longer length length) novels! The main couple having a pre-established dynamic and bond helped make the romance feel well paced. They had some misunderstandings and relationship tension that might be frustrating if you hate miscommunication plotlines, but not too much to make it drag or frustrate me. The smut, as always, was good and always hit just right! As usual, Katee Roberts has left me delighted and reminded me why I consider her to be one of my favorite authors 💜 I will say I might not have enjoyed the novella as much if I hadn't come in with preexisting love for the worldbuild, so I'd actually recommend reading the full length novels first and coming to this like I did as a fun prequel later!

This book is everything to me! It made me feel SO many things. Every single beat hits from the horror to the mystery to the romance to the monsterfucking. I am absolutely obsessed with Alba and Eridanys. They have incredible chemistry and they bicker from minute one. Both are too stubborn for their own good, but they have a beautiful relationship arc. I believe in their deep and devout love for each other, and every minute of the HEA is absolutely painstakingly earned. The smut in this is also absolutely peak and does a good job with the monsterfucking elements. Also, if you like a relationship between a human and a monster where the VERY sweet human is actually the one with the higher on screen body count, this story is absolutely for you!

Oh wowsa! Jinshi backstory! This one is a doozy folks, but I am so glad we finally have the Deep Lore on Jinshi (even if it is even more horrifying than I thought)! We love a boy with trauma. I'm glad even though Jinshi and Maomao haven't realized their feelings for each other, literally everyone else has. I hope we get some more development in their relationship soon, but regardless this always keeps me coming back with the mysteries and court intrigue.

I am obsessed with moon goddess Jinshi and I think maomao should get to dress her boyfriend up more often. I hope Consort Lihua gets to fully clean house after this volume, because she certainly deserves more trustworthy ladies in waiting. Also, obsessed whenever the emperor asks maomao for help and she is so aggressively like "my curiosity WILL be the death of me why do all these people in power keep paying attention to me" it's so funny.