Tag Archives: paranormal

Book Review: Spin the Shadows, by Cate Corvin

I borrowed an audio copy of Cate Corvin‘s Spin the Shadows through Hoopla. It was narrated by Amy Melissa Bentley.

I ate six seeds. Now I owe six months of debt to a dangerously sexy Fae hitman.

I’d had everything a dryad could want- a job, an apartment, and a scandalous human boyfriend-
Until I stole the wrong fruit from the wrong Fae.
Dragged into the Seelie underworld of deception and lies, I do anything he commands: steal, spy, even fight as we hunt down a notorious Fae fugitive.
Not exactly the fun I was looking for, despite the intense attraction between us.
But when the mission ends, I may not want to leave.

Dark and Wicked Fae is a Hades and Persephone-inspired Fae reverse harem romance, with high steam and a harem that builds over time. For mature readers only.

This was a big bucket of Meh for me. I wouldn’t call the writing or the narration bad. It’s just that nothing about the book—not the characters, not the world, not the supposed romance, hell, not even the one sex scene—lit me up. I felt pretty flat about the whole thing, the whole way through.

I said “supposed romance” because, despite being a slow-burn reverse harem, there is no romance here. The main character has sex with one man, kisses another, and is obviously open to a third who hasn’t made a move yet. But there is no romance going on, not even before the sex scene. So, meh.

But worst of all, for me, was that the entire method to her investigation is to dress like a whore and walk into arenas where men disrespect, disparage and abuse women. And while I understood that punishing such men was part of her motivation, it meant I had to sit through the disrespect, disparagement, and abuse of women. I don’t enjoy that. At. All. What’s more, I’ve read such plots so many times that I’ve come to consider them the lazy, low-hanging fruit of the plotting world. So, meh.

All in all, Cate Corvin may be a fine writer. I might try another of her series. But I have no desire to continue this one.

Other Reviews:

Tracy’s Book Reviews: Spin the Shadows

Book Review: Soothing Monsters, by M. Sinclair

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I received a copy of Soothing Monsters, by M. Sinclair in one of the Supernatural Book Crate boxes I ordered. It’s the “special edition” cover. Annoyingly, they/she also changed the title of the book for this edition. So, elsewhere this is called Soothing Nightmares. That makes reviewing is a bit of a nightmare for me, actually. I’m the sort that gets annoyed if things don’t match. There’s always the underlying anxiety of “the ISBNs line up, but is it actually the same book,” “am I really cross-posting my review in the right place,” etc. It’s a cool cover though.

I didn’t fear my nightmares. I loved them… and they loved me.

I had never been afraid of the dark. Abandoned on the front step of ISS, I’d spent my entire life thriving in the realm of darkness that most humans avoided.
I was a woman living among monsters.

Arabella was abandoned at the front steps of INSTITUTUM SEQUUNTUR SOMNIA (ISS) one stormy night, only to be found and brought in by the monsters that lived there. An institute of nightmares that housed the most dangerous creatures that walked the plane of humanity. A place that trained and harnessed those abilities for their own use, while defending against the humans that were constantly attacking them.

But what happens when a young human woman grows up among the nightmares? Feeling no fear but instead taking comfort in her team that she surrounded herself by? By all regards, Arabella shouldn’t have fit in at the institute. Nothing like the warrior-like creatures around her, the 5’1’’ young woman with pink hair and a vision impairment was absolutely fundamental to her team. Not just for her strategic brilliance but her soothing lack of fear that seemed to tame the nightmares around her. Arabella is bound and determined to keep her monstrous men safe while they are on their missions.

What happens when their most recent mission attracts the wrong type of attention? What happens when ISS comes under attack and everything that she values is destroyed?

I think there is definitely going to be a ‘you love it or you hate it’ divide with readers of this book. Because I’ll be honest, it’s totally over the top bonkers. There is no taking this thing seriously. It’s reverse harem in which the heroine has 7, yes, seven supernatural mates. None of which are just monsters, no, among them are princes of hell (two even) and Death himself. She’s playing with the big boys apparently (literally and figuratively for a 5′ 1″ woman). There’s surprisingly little sex (or plot for that matter), but a whole lot of in your face sexual tension. But it’s a lot of silly fun. I also appreciate the glasses wearing woman with a significant facial scar as the main lust interest, especially the fact that there’s no angst about it. I’m on the love it side…or at least really liked it side and will hunt up book number two. I always appreciate a sexy laugh.