Tag Archives: Sophie Avett

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Super Short Novella Clear-Out

I’m making a real effort this year to clear out any book clutter. I’m focusing on quantity, which means knocking out some of the shorter books on my shelves in order to reduce the actual number of books I scroll through, etc. So, here I’m focusing on short novellas, books that are over 100 pages, but not by much. Technically, by my own blog rules, I could give them their own post. (100 pages is my unofficial minimum page count for a blog post.) However, for the sake of expediency, I’m combining several into one post, and I may return later to add to the list.

So, here we go. I read:


novella covers


Reviews:

Black Briar, by Sophie Avett

Honestly, just florid and confusing. Half the time, I didn’t know if whatever was happening (if I could figure out what was happening at all) was happening in real life or some dream realm. I’m generally pretty tolerant of purple prose, so long as it doesn’t get in the way of the story. But the prose here isn’t just purple, it’s luridly so. To say I was confused is an understatement.

There is no character development or worldbuilding to speak of. Plus, there isn’t much of a plot, which would be fine if this were erotica, where the sex was the point. But despite starting the story with a sex swing, there is one singular sex scene in the book. And it’s overly long and full of purple descriptions of a whole lot of not-sex. Somewhere in the middle of it, the FMC had a personality shift that made all of the resistance and fight of the previous pages pointless.

Essentially, the reader is dropped into the middle of a scene with no context. The story continues from there, before the FMC undergoes a personality transformation, and we’re told they lived happily ever after. (I still know nothing about the MMC, least of all why he was so interested in the FMC.)I may be being too generous in giving this two stars.

Leather and Lace, by Rebel Carter

Very sweet. It’s clearly part of a series, all but instalove, the town is so accepting as to be fantastical, and the narcissistically cruel mother is pretty cliched. But Minnie and Alex are sweet characters who make an endearing pair. If you’re looking for a light and fluffy quick read, you could do a lot worse than this one.

To Run with the Wild Hunt, by Mallory Dunlin

Meh. I’ve read several of the Monsters of Faery books, and I can confidently say that this was my least favorite. Which is a shame because I liked Lexi, and Key is just adorable. Their fem-dommy relationship was wonderful and sweet. I wish we had gotten an equivalent for Hunt. Obviously, there’d be little sweetness there, but there could have been a little something of relationship growth before the sex. And don’t get me wrong. I picked up a spicy book for the sex. But by the time we got to it here, I just didn’t particularly care. I’ll continue the series. I liked the other books a lot more. I suppose this was just a dud for me.

Shared Veins, by Emily Elder

Not horrible, but pretty mediocre. The FMC is a doormat, though she does have a pretty drastic attitude shift at some point and grows the beginning of a spine. The men are not given equal attention, and I don’t feel I really know them as anything more than caricatures (the sunny one, the brooding one, the brainy one, the leader, etc). Also, it is heavily in need of further editing. There are several super obvious errors that a basic spellcheck should have caught.

The Good Body, by Eve Ensler (V)

This was an interesting read. I think a lot of women will find something to relate to in it. However, I also think that others will find it fails to say anything new or noteworthy on an old and well-trodden path. I suppose both can be true.

Entangled with an Elf Prince, by Amanda Ferreira

This was really sweet. Honestly, I often didn’t know exactly what was happening outside of the very tight focus on the two characters (and there are only the two characters). But watching them discover one another was lovely.

Treasure, by Marleigh Kassidy

Meh, I mean, it is what it is, right? It’s an erotic short; sex pretty much is the point. The sex is fine; a little rushed in the v to dp journey, but ok, whatever. I mean, it’s not great, but again, it is what it is. My only real complaint is that it’s lopsided. Too much time passes as she tries to escape, and what remains after she is finished being scared isn’t enough to balance it out. Oh, and it ends on a cliffhanger, FYI.

A Monster In The Dark, by R.K. Pierce

Erotic horror(ish) that isn’t particularly spicy. There’s a whole lot more talk of what he wants to do to her than them actually doing anything. He is appropriately obsessive for a demon (though he has a relatively sudden personality shift toward the end). She is understandably panicked and scared, although she got over it remarkably quickly. All in all, it’s an amusing enough read for what it is.

Finding Her Minotaur, by Evangeline Priest

Meh. This was an entertaining enough read for the evening. But I read it last night before bed, and this morning, writing a review, it’s already fading from memory. Nothing of note stood out as worth remembering. Despite its cover and Minotaur MMC, it’s not particularly spicy. And while I realize, of course, that it is a novella, it’s exceptionally shallow. (Plus, it could use an editing pass to shore up the past/present tenses.)

It feels very, very much like it is part of something bigger. People are given titles, honorifics, or social standing, while world and galactic politics are referenced, and a mystery surrounding the FMC’s origins is hinted at; however, none of these elements are explained or contextualized.

The MMC seems sweet, noble, and loyal, but you don’t get to know him at all. You get even less of a read on the FFC. Priest gives you her circumstances, but basically nothing of her as a person.

All in all, I don’t regret reading it. But I honestly won’t remember I did by tomorrow. So, it’s not a winner either.

Thrum, by Meg Smitherman

Perhaps I misunderstood the brief, or the marketing of this book is off the mark. But I expected a monstery romance involving a deep space edlrich horror. This has a light sex scene or two, but sex scenes do not a romance make. This is horror, maybe gothic horror if you’re willing to stretch it far enough to encompass space. That’s not to say I didn’t like it. It’s atmospheric, and the reader truly feels the main character’s crumbling reality and fear. But it’s not what I was led to believe it would be. I was left with questions, and the sudden reveal and wrap-up at the end felt rushed. But generally, I enjoyed this.

Matched to the Mafia, by Jenika Snow

I’ve tried several of Snow’s books now. (I bought several all at one time, at some point.) And I think she just isn’t for me. I thought this was pretty trash. We get ‘he’s a bad guy and wants her’ in 15 variations, and that’s honestly about it. I know it’s a novella. But it’s not a very good one, IMO.

Starbinder, by Mark Timmony

Very clearly just a small taste of something larger, Starbinder is an intriguing teaser to the series as a whole. The writing is clear, and the world seems interesting. But I do think it was a bit too big to squeeze into a novella.

marching two by two

Soooo, since I still have a broken wrist and still don’t want to write long reviews, I’m still working my way through all the novelettes on my bookshelves. This is the fifth such post. Surely these things multiply in the cloud. I can’t honestly believe I downloaded so many, especially since I generally only do so when I’ve not thought to check the page length of a work and one-click thinking the story is a full novel.

I’ve mostly just been working my way through the list, shortest to longest. I’m up to 70-79 pages long. But I’m bored by so many short pieces. I much prefer to sink into something more substantial. So, I’m doing something a little different here. I went through and picked out all of the pairs. That would be any true duologies, a series that may be longer but only two books are currently out, or a longer series that I only have the first two books of. There weren’t as many as I expected there would be and it was entirely accidental that they all happened to be erotic.


two by two


Mission Xby Kim Alan

Mission: X: Basically ok, but nothing exceptional. I thought it was nice to see the dom as the one pining for a change, but I bore easily of the common, apparently scripted dom role and speech. The use of ‘boy’ seems to especially make me groan, “not again.” (Maybe it mimics some real-world play or something, but it shows up so regularly that it’s essentially been stripped of impact for me.) There were some hot bits and sweet bits and I found it generally enjoyable, but that’s about it.

The Bigger They Are: Meh, basically just one long, overwrought and unrealistic sex scene. Entertaining but not much more.

Monster Farm Saga/New Gotham Fairy Tales), by Sophie Avett

Cry Wolf: It’s utterly ridiculous. It is. It’s a mash-up of several myths and fairy tales (I think that’s the series schtick). But despite being strung together, just this side of too much and minimally developed, I did enjoy it (probably more than it warranted). It’s also, surprisingly, a pretty clean read.

Cry Wolf: The Hunt: Much like the first one, I enjoyed it more than I think the skill of the writing deserves. But I prioritize enjoying myself, so, whatever. I did have a huge problem with the fact that the initial problem that caused discord was one character started pushing for sex and the other felt he was being forced and had no expectation that the other would respect his wishes (essentially raping him if he didn’t leave), but by the end, the problem they solved was the first finally agreeing to have sex. Ummm, seems the bigger issue got dropped in there somewhere!

Wiccan-Were-Bear, by R.E. Butler

A Curve of Claw: I suppose my dislike of this book might just be a matter of taste. I dislike slut shaming and you would think that the fact that this MC was sleeping with 7 men and standing up for her right do so would be a good thing, but it wasn’t. It rubbed me wrong for a couple reasons. First, they were the 7 most powerful men in the area, all fighting for her attention (the old she’s so special for some unknown reason trope). Second, they bought her expensive gifts, like cars, and sent her the clothing they wanted her to wear on their ‘dates.’ By 25% I’d decided she read like a high class prostitute instead of a sexually liberated woman, like she was the cliche sexually available woman who therefore must be available to all powerful men. Third, she’d described as 18+3, so basically 18 (this is stressed that she’s 18), making her a sexually promiscuous girl instead of woman. Fourth, the antagonist of the story is one of her jilted lovers and it’s suggested that her sexual activity was to blame for the coven’s problems (basically shaming her past activities). All this countered by five, after one good f_ck she settles down into marital bliss and it’s ever so much better than playing the field. So the whole story is basically framed around how much better being in a committed relationship is than not. Maybe not slut shaming, but at the least admonishing. Then we have the oddity of it being stressed that bears DO NOT SHARE, therefore her sexual behavior would have to stop when she mated. Then she mated two bears who SHARE her. The MC’s personality is only as deep as her bed sheets and the mates have none at all.

A Flash of Fang: Better than the first, but very much an intermediate book—half a lead-in to book 3 and half wrapping up book one (and maybe setting up a future/second generation book). I was irritated that she had to give up her life and position in order to have a happy future. How cliche that a woman can’t be powerful, have a happy marriage and children.

Ward of the Vampire, by Kallysten

Ward of the Vampire: An interesting start to a series, with a first person narrative I didn’t find too horrendously annoying. (I am not generally a first person POV fan.) Flawed however, as so many serials are, by just randomly ending without accomplishing anything notable.

My Reluctant WardenFar, far too little progression for almost 100 pages and part of a serial; no where near enough to tempt me into the next installment. I forgave the ‘it only happened in a dream’ once, in the first episode, pulling it a second time was cheap and unsatisfying. Not to mention how very very jarring it was to go from the two of them clashing to the two of them being polite and flirtatious. I thought the woo-her-with-your-wealth trope was distasteful and again with the random endings.

Sons of Thunder MC by Deva Long

Alpha Heat: A @#$&* cliffy! I cannot stress strongly enough how much I hate the influx of serials and the apparent acceptance of breaking a SINGLE story into several chunks that don’t have endings. Beyond that, this is standard erotica. A sexually exploratory and nympho-like virgin (of course and that’s not at all a contradiction apparently) gets kidnapped and then rescued. Sex ensues almost immediately, full of pointless bondage (the day after she’s been kidnaped, tied up and traumatized to boot) and sudden paranormal elements are thrown in at the last second. Oh, and her internal angle/devil talking to her all the time was horrendously intrusive to the narrative. Nothing in this was anything but bog standard.

Alpha Howl: On Amazon this book’s title reads like this: BBW Billionaire Shifter Werewolf Romance: Alpha Howl (Sons of Thunder MC Book 2). Let’s break that down. It has a big beautiful woman. It’s paranormal, has a billionaire alpha-asshole, who’s also in a motorcycle club. (It also happens to have BDSM in it.) It’s like the author Googled what was hot in erotica at the time of publication and wrote a series that had ALL of it in it. The fact that some of them make no sense together, let alone ALL of them, seems to have been irrelevant, especially since most of them are actually irrelevant. The shifter? He gets furry when he climaxes. That’s about it. The MC? One guy road a motorcycle for about two sentences in the last book and the last 3 or so pages here have some others show up on bikes. That’s about it. The billionaire aspect? He has a black card. That’s it. The whole thing is a chaotic mash-up of half ideas. Plus, it’s cheesy sex.

Eagle’s Honor: Banished (the serial), by Sandra Schwab

Part 1 & 2: I’m afraid this taught me that, even when written well (which it is), I’m just not in to Roman slave/centurion erotica.

Blood Genies, by Sheri Whitefeather

The Vampire Pendant: Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope. Flat, overly simplistic writing, no tension—not even in the sex scenes (since they held conversations throughout them)—no chemistry, predictable, no character development or world-building, boring. I really wish I didn’t have the next one in the series to read.

The Vampire BraceletWell, if you ever wanted to know what BDSM erotica written by a giggling school girl who thinks french kissing the height of hot, dirty, naughty sex might be like, now is your chance. This was better than the first in the series, though it repeated all the same info-dumps, but still not good.