tifany's review
5.0
This book. THIS BOOK. Definitely one of my favorites of 2022.
The perfect recipe for a lovely night in: a cinnamon roll god, mix in some forced proximity and steam, blend in a curse, and add a glass of wine (optional).
First off, I’ve discovered a new favorite: monster gods. And my new book boyfriend is most certainly Zerne.
Jordan Monroe penned a most enjoyable, page-turning read in Ill-Fated Mate. I highly recommend if you’re into steamy, monster romance, or think you might be!
I read this as an ARC, but my opinion is entirely my own.
The perfect recipe for a lovely night in: a cinnamon roll god, mix in some forced proximity and steam, blend in a curse, and add a glass of wine (optional).
First off, I’ve discovered a new favorite: monster gods. And my new book boyfriend is most certainly Zerne.
Jordan Monroe penned a most enjoyable, page-turning read in Ill-Fated Mate. I highly recommend if you’re into steamy, monster romance, or think you might be!
I read this as an ARC, but my opinion is entirely my own.
catalystnthefool's review
5.0
Now I understand the cinnamon roll reference to the mmc. The story was sweet & spicy and I can’t wait for the next one
valbella's review
5.0
this is my first romance novel with a monster. I liked reading this book and I really like the bond between both characters. the characters is well described and I loved having both POV
honkitslizziestrong's review
5.0
Fantastic, charming, Holy deep rabbit hole research batman. The amount of time and effort Jordan had to put into getting all the names, information, and tiny mythology Easter eggs, I commend you. This was so cute and I'm always a sucker for monster romances where he is an instant simp. The realism of surviving in a cave for a week, despite his magic and his things, was refreshing to see. Plus, everyone loves a generous man and Zerne was VERY generous. 10/10 Highly recommend, absolutely looking forward to reading about his brother's romance, can't wait.
shanaroszko1990's review
5.0
This is the first monster romance book that i've read and I loved all the spicy scenes in it. It is a really compelling story and different to what i normally read but absolutely loved it.
jamie_rc1977's review
5.0
This was definitely something different than what I've ever read before! it was such a good book! I love everything about it! first time ever reading anything from this author and won't be the last time! BTW where can I find one of these gods? he was such a sweet and caring god he was so devoted to her!. I'm anxiously waiting for the next book with Bjeloboch and Abbess and their book Hard-Won Prize!
nikki_reads789's review
3.0
Honestly I had a hard time getting into the book. This may have just been a me problem, but I found some of the sentence structure confusing. There was also a tiny instance in chapter three where the MC operated a vehicle while dunk and as someone who has lost a loved one at the hands of a drunk driver I found this pretty upsetting. Yes she just drove the truck over her engagement ring, but her friend gave her the keys thinking she was going to go hunt down her ex-fiancé. This stuck with me and probably skewed my perception of the book from there.
belgrave_belle's review
4.0
I received an ARC e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Zerne, God of Ill-Fate, is trapped in a mountain and cursed after angering a Goddess. The curse can only be broken by his Soul's mate. Centuries later, Zerne has a vision of Diana Antonov, which convinces him that she is the only one who can break the curse and set him free. He sets a plan in motion to bring her to his mountain, with steamy consequences!
At first glance, the synopsis, and indeed the first chapter gave off some "beauty and the beast" vibes for me. However, this story is anything but! This is advertised as a "steamy monster romance," and certainly ticks all the boxes in that regard.
What I have found with some books that are described as "steamy" is the author will rely on the steamy aspects, and the focus on the plot will lapse. This was not the case with this book. The plot was well thought out and easy to follow, with the steamy scenes only enhancing my enjoyment of the story.
Both characters were well written and developed, and the author expertly introduces both characters properly, with a decent back-story that fully explains their actions and thought processes. I liked that they were well-matched with each other, and especially in the more steamy scenes where Diana takes control. However, one aspect of the plot that I found unusual was the sexual inexperience of Zerne - given that he is a God, immortal and been around for millennia, I found it strange that he wasnt more experienced. This didn't stop him from being expertly skilled in the steam department - although I am given to believe that some people (read: Gods and Monsters) possess natural skills and abilities in this area!
From the first couple of chapters - I was expecting Zerne to be the popular "arrogant bad boy" that we see in many steamy romances - so was pleasantly surprised that his centuries of isolation had softened him somewhat. It was nice to read a story that didn't adhere to this common stereotype.
I did find a couple of the steamy scenes almost word-for-word repetitive - which I am sure is just an editing error!
The only negative for me (hence the 4 star rating), was the question marks around the Uncanny Society. From context I can only assume that it is meant to be some sort of supernatural researching secret society type thing - but this is not explicitly explained in the plot. Nor is it explained how or why Diana became involved with them. In fact, we don't hear of any sort of connection to this until at least 5 or 6 chapters into the book - too late, in my opinion! This should have come earlier when introducing the character in chapter 3!
Overall, I enjoyed this story and found it to be a quick read - having finished reading it in an afternoon.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a sweet romance, with added spice! However, if you like a bad boy, this is not the right book.
Zerne, God of Ill-Fate, is trapped in a mountain and cursed after angering a Goddess. The curse can only be broken by his Soul's mate. Centuries later, Zerne has a vision of Diana Antonov, which convinces him that she is the only one who can break the curse and set him free. He sets a plan in motion to bring her to his mountain, with steamy consequences!
At first glance, the synopsis, and indeed the first chapter gave off some "beauty and the beast" vibes for me. However, this story is anything but! This is advertised as a "steamy monster romance," and certainly ticks all the boxes in that regard.
What I have found with some books that are described as "steamy" is the author will rely on the steamy aspects, and the focus on the plot will lapse. This was not the case with this book. The plot was well thought out and easy to follow, with the steamy scenes only enhancing my enjoyment of the story.
Both characters were well written and developed, and the author expertly introduces both characters properly, with a decent back-story that fully explains their actions and thought processes. I liked that they were well-matched with each other, and especially in the more steamy scenes where Diana takes control. However, one aspect of the plot that I found unusual was the sexual inexperience of Zerne - given that he is a God, immortal and been around for millennia, I found it strange that he wasnt more experienced. This didn't stop him from being expertly skilled in the steam department - although I am given to believe that some people (read: Gods and Monsters) possess natural skills and abilities in this area!
From the first couple of chapters - I was expecting Zerne to be the popular "arrogant bad boy" that we see in many steamy romances - so was pleasantly surprised that his centuries of isolation had softened him somewhat. It was nice to read a story that didn't adhere to this common stereotype.
I did find a couple of the steamy scenes almost word-for-word repetitive - which I am sure is just an editing error!
The only negative for me (hence the 4 star rating), was the question marks around the Uncanny Society. From context I can only assume that it is meant to be some sort of supernatural researching secret society type thing - but this is not explicitly explained in the plot. Nor is it explained how or why Diana became involved with them. In fact, we don't hear of any sort of connection to this until at least 5 or 6 chapters into the book - too late, in my opinion! This should have come earlier when introducing the character in chapter 3!
Overall, I enjoyed this story and found it to be a quick read - having finished reading it in an afternoon.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a sweet romance, with added spice! However, if you like a bad boy, this is not the right book.
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