A review by bzliz
Luxuria by Colette Rhodes

funny lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I’m so pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this! Monster romance is not my typical genre but this had some real heart behind the spice. I loved seeing Ophelia grow more confident though I wish we’d seen more interactions between her and more of the Shades. Allerick fulfills the roles of “grump soft for sunshine” and “king in the streets, freak in the sheets” perfectly. I appreciate the setup for Astrid and Soren’s story and I really like Damen so I hope there’s a future book for him.

Be warned that there is miscommunication here. I wasn’t bothered by the first major occurrence (
Allerick and the Shades mistaking the scent of Ophelia’s lust for fear
) since that tracks with what they know about humans and it allows time for Ophelia to start making connections to the Shades around her. The second major occurrence (
Ophelia thinking Allerick wanted her the leave with the Hunter’s Council
) was more frustrating to me because it backtracked on some of the progress Ophelia had made. Of course, it led to the conclusion but I really would have liked to get there a different way. 

Content warnings:
Sexual content (on page):
Breeding kink, knotting, predator/prey dynamic. Vulgar language used. 3.5/5 for spice

Abandonment (off page):
Ophelia was outcast from Hunter society when she was 16 due to her attraction to Shades. She was left alone to make her way in the world. There is minor discussion of these feelings throughout.
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