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Book Review: Blood Feud, by Moira Kane

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I picked up a copy of Moira Kane‘s Blood Feud as an Amazon freebie.
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Sophia is a bored and lonely princess, more content to live out her days locked away in her chambers than facing the increasingly grotesque suitors her father forces on her. With her younger brother destined for the throne, there isn’t much value to her but in a marriage alliance. And so, she is destined to live out her days as the trophy wife of some fat merchant or lecherous lord, occasionally bearing children to bolster the ranks of the wealthy and powerful.

But trouble is brewing in the crumbling streets of Calos. While the future king sits pretty on his throne and dines on fancy foods, there are whispers of rebellion among the poor and downtrodden people. At the same time a dragon has taken up residence in Calos Valley—the first in fifty years.

With no valiant hero like her famous grandfather, Saint George the dragon slayer, Sophia’s father turns to the old way to ward off the beast—a maiden sacrifice. What better choice than the daughter that threatens her brother’s reign?

Sophia is no trembling damsel, however, and the dragon is not at all who—or what—he appears to be.

my review

This was a book I kept seeing on TikTok until I finally gave in to the temptation to read it. But I have learned over time to approach such books with, at most, cautious optimism. The vast majority of books I come across through TikTok disappoint me in one manner or another. This, however, was a pleasant surprise.

It has a simple plot, a very straightforward romance, run-of-the-mill characters, a generic fantasy world, and pedestrian writing. But it was fun. I enjoyed the time I spent with it. And at the end of the day, that is more important to me (in the books I read for fun) than just about anything else. If you’re looking for excellence, this is not it. But if you just want a fluffy bit of fun, this is a good place to settle.

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Book Review: Married to the Mahr, by Delilah Dare

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I picked up a copy of Delilah Dare‘s Married to the Mahr as an Amazon freebie.

married to the mahr coverTraeyr’s favorite thing about being the demon that inspired the word nightmare is traveling the world. His second favorite thing is squeezing through the tightest possible holes to infiltrate his victims’ chambers.

When a delicious scent draws him to a sleeper’s room miles away, he only meant to imbibe the peculiar nightmare. He can’t explain why he licks the sweat from her brow instead, engorging his shadow power to nearly full mass. On the second night, he laps her tears as well as the nightmare clawing at her dreams.

On the third night, the dreamer wakes . . . and she can see him.

Addison never meant to bind Traeyr to her bedroom. She only wanted one dream that wasn’t a nightmare.

my review

I wanted to like this—I really did. It has a decent kernel of an idea. Unfortunately, it is clumsily executed, superfluously written (that’s a hint at the writing style), and poorly edited. I liked the character archetypes the author was aiming for, but she didn’t actually manage to capture them. There is sex, but it’s bland and repetitive. There are hints at an interesting world of supernaturals. Unfortunately, hints are all you ever get.

All in all, this was a failure for me. It feels like early work. So, maybe the author will improve with time.

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Book Review: Demon’s Mate, by Harper Dakota

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I purchased a signed copy of Harper Dakota‘s Demon’s Mate from the author (through TikTok).  

Viv had her job, her best friend, and a great apartment. So what if dating had been awful lately? When her best friend finds his forever person, it turns out that those paranormal romance books she liked to read had some truth to them. Unfortunately, she also learns that having a mate doesn’t mean happily ever after.

Mac wasn’t looking for a mate, especially a human one. He’s avoided humans as much as possible for hundreds of years after his first mate tried to kill him. To say he has trust issues would be an understatement. He’s happy his friend found his mate and they seemed to be doing well, but no one could make him accept the one suddenly thrust into his orbit. Who knew fate would give him another mate after all these years?

Will they be able to overcome Mac’s fears, or will an enemy lurking in the shadows take the choice from them?

my review

I had a fantasy while reading this book. It went like this: the author hires a really good developmental editor who sits her down and makes her read every chapter out loud. Then,  explain how the events of that chapter contribute to the plot. They discuss, and the editor brings the author around to realizing that a full third of the chapters (like the one where the reader follows a character to work while he investigates a crime not relevant to the plot in any way) do not, in fact, progress the plot in any fashion and should therefore be cut. Yes, that means the book would be a hundred or so pages shorter. But it would be a significantly better book for it. Similarly, the editor forces the author to tell them the plot and helps the author tighten it up so it doesn’t feel so much like a list of random events that pop up indiscriminately instead of a plot.

The simple fact of the matter is that I was bored out of my mind by this book. I liked the characters well enough. I appreciated the platonic cross-gender friendship, found family, and engaging sex scenes (even if they 100% do not fit the tone of the rest of the book). But, honestly, the story drags a lot. This isn’t helped by pedestrian writing and endless repetition. I lost count of how many times something happened or a character was told something and then turned around and told someone else the same thing. I do not need to read everything twice. I do not want to read everything twice! This got significantly worse past the halfway mark.

Lastly, a large personal complaint (and a spoiler): As a heavy reader of the romance genre, I suffer heavily from rape fatigue. I’m just so sick of reading it. So, I am really critical of rape (and attempted rape) in books. I don’t mean trigger warnings or what is or isn’t appropriate in a romance/dark romance. But every time an author throws it in as a cheap plot device (and it’s too often just a cheap plot device), I pause and put true thought into it if it was necessary to the story or not. I similarly side-eye the use of a scorned (or similar) woman as a villain. (There’s no shortage of internalized misogyny in a lot of this particular trope’s depictions.) Here we have a villainous woman using gang rape as revenge for the loss of her lover. It isn’t necessary to the plot at all. In fact, it feels tacked on and out of place, considering the character has been physically abused for days prior to this event. The escalation feels unnatural. The torture was demons mate photobad enough without needing to go the extra mile. I promise authors, readers know a villain is a villain even if you don’t sign-post it with rape.

There are those who will love this book, I am sure. I did not. I could see good bones in it, but I do not feel the author managed to pull it off, and I also do not think the author and I have the same ideas of what makes a good story.

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@angelg035rawr Review of Demon’s Mate by Harper Dakota. Overal a 3/5⭐️ for me. However character development is ✨✨. I do recommend this novel just go into it with the mindset of a lighter read. Support smaller authors as always. 🫶🏻 #paranormalromance #booktok #smut #bookreview #supportsmallauthors #reader ♬ original sound – Angel Lee