Tag Archives: erotica

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Book Review: Bite Marks, by Jenika Snow

I received a copy of Jenika Snow‘s Bite Marks in a monthly Supernatural Book Crate.
bite marks cover

Adryan

I was ruthless, brutal. A sociopath by all accounts. The leader of the American Vampire Clan, a male who all feared because I was merciless.

And then I found my mate. Kayla. So fragile. Breakable. So human.

I’d make her mine, and she’d hate me for it. I wanted to give her pain with pleasure, wanted to break her skin and lick up the blood I spilled… take Kayla into me like she’d take me into her.

I’d have her surrendering to my needs. I’d give her my body but wouldn’t be able to give her my heart.

How could I when it wasn’t something I had to offer, when I was nothing but a coldhearted killer?

So when the threats come to my front door, it’s time to show my female she’s mated to the most dangerous vampire in the world.

my review

Everyone seems to like Jenika Snow’s books. To each their own. But I bought several of them at some point and have yet to find a single one I particularly enjoyed. This was just drivel, as far as I’m concerned. You know how people say a nice guy won’t need to tell you he’s nice, a wealthy man won’t need to flash his cash, and a true hero doesn’t need to tell you he’s a hero? There are any number of such phrases. This is all I could think of as Adryan told everyone over and over and over again how merciless, strong, psycho, vicious, deadly, etc., he is. The lady doth protest too much, methinks. Or that’s how it felt. It was as if he had to keep insisting on the fact rather than just showing himself to be scary. It felt inflated and desperate. Meanwhile, Kayla had no personality at all.

The plot was a single predictable blip, and the writing itself is unimpressive. Plus, the villain turns out to be the only LGBTQ+ character, which is hella problematic, IMO. I think I still have one Snow book on my shelf somewhere. But I also think it’s time to just accept that her writing is not for me. bite marks photo


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Book Review: Jane and the Monster, by Sophia Smut

After seeing Sophia Smut‘s Jane and the Monster on TikTok, I picked up an Amazon freebie copy.

jane and the monster cover

Jane has always heard stories about giant monsters residing at the top of the Mount Moorhead. Any woman who dares trespass would disappear, becoming captive to the villainous creatures and never to be seen again. But instead of fear, Jane has always harbored fantasies of encountering a monster at the top of the mountain…

So one day, she puts on her hiking shoes and treks her way up, only to lose her way a few hours in. After she panics and passes out, regretting her crazy idea to venture out of her comfort zone, she wakes up to find herself chained to a bed in a cavernous room, an odd sensation between her legs… and a giant monster from her fantasy tales with enormous arms, a tail, and two horns.

Maybe fantasy and reality are not quite the same. Or maybe they are…

my review

Geez, I was totally pulled in by that great cover. This book is simply bad. It’s only January, but I’m fairly sure this will be on my short list of worst books of 2024. No one is likable. No one’s character is developed enough to be interesting or invested in. The heroine thinks about her ex-boyfriend for the whole book, but notably right in the middle of other scenes such that everything stalls. The sex scenes are bland, there are several consistency issues, the writing is amateurish, and the whole thing ends on a cliffhanger.

Honestly, I secretly suspect that Sophie Smut is actually a man with a female pen name or a woman who has so internalized the male pornographic gaze that she honestly thinks a money shot is the height of erotica. There is no emotion or feeling to any of them. I will not be reading anymore.

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Book Review: In Her Thrall, by Chloe Parker

I picked up a copy of Chloe Parker‘s In her Thrall as an Amazon freebie, over the summer.
in her thrall cover

Rumor has it there’s a beautiful beast stalking the English countryside.

For hundreds of years, the Van Helsing family has searched for the creature Dracula, a demon of the night that stalks the shadows for hapless prey. Freshly returned from service in the Great War, Van Helsing heir Jonathan Edgewood finds himself in the English countryside on a hunch that the creature has taken a new form: the Lady of Harker Heights, Bianca Ivyshade.

Each year on All Hollow’s Eve, Bianca hosts an extravagant ball, and Jonathan has landed an invitation. He brings with him two other vampire hunters and his Great War compatriots: shy scientist Marcus Ryder and charming occultist Edward Shelley.

When a storm confines the guests to the manor for the night, Jonathan, Marcus, and Edward find themselves irresistibly drawn to the beautiful Bianca. And they soon learn that there are secrets hidden at Harker Heights—and perhaps even a greater evil than the vampiress herself.

Will the men escape with their lives? Or will they fall under the vampire’s thrall?

my review

To begin with, the blurb is a little inaccurate about the setup of the plot of the book. While not devastatingly important, it is annoying. So, I figured I’d mention it.

More importantly, this is mostly smut, with just enough plot to string it all together in some sort of context. That’s not a criticism; just making sure we’re on the same page about what sort of book this is. It’s pretty good for what it is, too. The villain (and thus the challenge that gave the book what little plot it has) is pretty cliched; nothing new, original, or interesting there. The same could be said for Bianca. She challenges none of the norms for female characters of her ilk. But I liked her well enough.

I found Jon, Marcus, and Edward interesting. Perhaps not particularly well-developed since the book isn’t deep enough to allow for it. But I enjoyed them all the same. There is sword-crossing and a genuine pre-existing relationship between two of the men, and I liked that. However, by the end of the book, the relationship configuration felt like two couples who overlap rather than one polycule, which is perhaps a little disappointing. But, again, enjoyable enough.

I have book two of this series, which I intend to read. And honestly, the fact that I’m willing to continue the series says more about the book than any of the above.

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