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jayceejarvis's review
4.0
Super hot monster romance with serious fated mates vibes. I really liked the characters and the struggle between what is expected, verses what they really want, and how they learn to trust each other. The side characters and subplot were fun too, and I look forward to reading more books set in the Love bathhouse. This story wasn't particularly deep or surprising, but the characters were well drawn and easy to root for, with just enough conflict to keep the story moving. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a wider range of creatures in a paranormal setting.
lizjohnsons's review
5.0
took me a while to finish this book because of a reading slump but it was, as always, cute. thank you lillian. big fan of the way you write romance
savaburry's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Truthfully I don’t know how you can make a kraken monster shifter romance boring af but Lillian Lark succeeded!
For a monster romance this had ENTIRELY too much plot?? Like why tf is there a money laundering paranormal human trafficking plot (not even sub plot) in this story?? A short story at that? Like girl I do not care about this and it made the pacing of the whole story off kilter.
Also, Rose was annoying. For someone who was a matchmaker she seemed to be both bad at her job and bad at recognizing romance. It was so obvious that Gideon was down bad for her and like sure, he could’ve spoken up more and told her what he was thinking but she jumped to conclusions for every interaction they had and it was exhausting. Talking is acceptable!
The sex was boring too. Like again, this man is a kraken shifter and this had to be the most vanilla monster romance ever. The only reason any of us are reading this is to see some out of pocket crazy stuff!! Which this wasn’t giving!
To me, this read like a historical romance overall and really the monster stuff felt like it was secondary which was unfortunate for me because I was bored out of my mind reading this.
Will I read the other ones?? TBD. Maybe. But I’m not in a rush to like I was before starting this one.
For a monster romance this had ENTIRELY too much plot?? Like why tf is there a money laundering paranormal human trafficking plot (not even sub plot) in this story?? A short story at that? Like girl I do not care about this and it made the pacing of the whole story off kilter.
Also, Rose was annoying. For someone who was a matchmaker she seemed to be both bad at her job and bad at recognizing romance. It was so obvious that Gideon was down bad for her and like sure, he could’ve spoken up more and told her what he was thinking but she jumped to conclusions for every interaction they had and it was exhausting. Talking is acceptable!
The sex was boring too. Like again, this man is a kraken shifter and this had to be the most vanilla monster romance ever. The only reason any of us are reading this is to see some out of pocket crazy stuff!! Which this wasn’t giving!
To me, this read like a historical romance overall and really the monster stuff felt like it was secondary which was unfortunate for me because I was bored out of my mind reading this.
Will I read the other ones?? TBD. Maybe. But I’m not in a rush to like I was before starting this one.
chibishichan1x2's review against another edition
4.0
Honestly I’m surprised by how much I enjoyed this. It’s very sweet but also appropriately spicy. 4.5
bookglow's review
4.0
4-4.5 stars
This is a sweet read with a great portrayal of healing. Rose had been hurt by the one she thought was her perfect match. It's so realistic in the sense that the negative words of others got in her head, and she couldn't find her way past them. This is something many people, myself included, struggle with. It affected everything, her love life, her matchmaking work, and even her friendships because she withdrew from it all. Her confidence was strangled. In comes Gideon, who, along with his Kraken creature, sets his sights on her. His "stalking" is cute and not in any way creepy. He simply wants to be close to her and watch her live her life, studying how to infiltrate her wall of defenses. I admired Rose's willingness to see beyond her own hurt, to open herself to Gideon, and his persistence to show her how special she was makes this delightfully romantic. Gideon had things to overcome too, not really hurts, but allowing himself to be vulnerable in a way he'd never been with anyone else. They both opened themselves up and found, in Rose's words, not the perfect match, but the match that was perfect for each other.
This is a sweet read with a great portrayal of healing. Rose had been hurt by the one she thought was her perfect match. It's so realistic in the sense that the negative words of others got in her head, and she couldn't find her way past them. This is something many people, myself included, struggle with. It affected everything, her love life, her matchmaking work, and even her friendships because she withdrew from it all. Her confidence was strangled. In comes Gideon, who, along with his Kraken creature, sets his sights on her. His "stalking" is cute and not in any way creepy. He simply wants to be close to her and watch her live her life, studying how to infiltrate her wall of defenses. I admired Rose's willingness to see beyond her own hurt, to open herself to Gideon, and his persistence to show her how special she was makes this delightfully romantic. Gideon had things to overcome too, not really hurts, but allowing himself to be vulnerable in a way he'd never been with anyone else. They both opened themselves up and found, in Rose's words, not the perfect match, but the match that was perfect for each other.
varlor's review
5.0
4,5 slithery stars for all the tentacle lovers out there
read this one after "deceived by the gargoyles" and personally didn't like this one quite as much since some of the kinks are not up my alley but i love how Lark always! makes sure to mention triggers and tags at the start of her books. wish more authors would be so thoughtful!
read this one after "deceived by the gargoyles" and personally didn't like this one quite as much since some of the kinks are not up my alley but i love how Lark always! makes sure to mention triggers and tags at the start of her books. wish more authors would be so thoughtful!
dancingterracephantom's review
3.0
Monster romance. Tentacles. Mates and a little stalking and a bathhouse that bottles magic generated by the intimacy of its patrons. It's all a little out there, but it was still a quick, fun read.
randinicole_reads's review
5.0
Please give me more tentacle recommendations.
That was so good.
I’ll be reading all of Lillian larks books.
5 ⭐️ 3.5
That was so good.
I’ll be reading all of Lillian larks books.
5 ⭐️ 3.5
lavender_air's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0