pancakes-bookclub

[pancakes-bookclub]

Ok. Fine.

I read Alien Orc's Prize, by Ursa Dax, from the Starlight Bride series...

Look, I live Ursa's worrying, on? But...

This is a good book and a good story. Definitely better than the werewolf.

I just don't like that the whole book takes, like, a week.

"but Pancake, weren't you shitting on slow burns just a few posts back"

Deep breath

Slow burn ≠ fast paced romance ≠ quick burn

One thing is the story not keeping us on the "omg, he looked my way"/will-they-won't-they for 5011 books. Another is going from "who tf are you" to "love of my life and my one and only" in less than a week! If we had at least a couple weeks time gap there, I'd be ok with it.

Have mercy on me!

But, overall, a good book, a great quick read, and Ursa's writing is still very captivating.

[pancakes-bookclub]

Do you like enemies to lovers because it’s hot or do you like enemies to lovers because you think of yourself as unlovable & unworthy of love and therefore like the idea of someone seeing all the worst in you right away and still falling in love with you anyways

[pancakes-bookclub]

I'm baaaack!

And just read books 2 and 3 from the series I mentioned on my last post!

Not much to say, except that:

Book 2, King Cobra, was decent. Answered some questions, gave us some new questions, we saw new and old characters... It's a decent book 2.

Book 3, Blue Coral? Gurl, we gotta talk!

The biggest question was answered, but not enough! Not completely! I still have questions (and book 4)!

I'll be back when I'm done with that one!

[pancakes-bookclub]

What? Two updates in a row?

Yup! Because I spent 10h on a trans Atlantic plane and 14h on a bus ride that should have taken 10, so I had a lot of time to read.

And, I had to clean the taste of Slow Burn from my eyes.

So, I read Viper, by Naomi Lucas.

Story: uhm... I wanna say... 7/10? It's ok for the first book in a series, and we're still unaware of much about the world.

World building: 8/10. It's an interesting world, and I'd like to see more beyond.

Characters: 5/10. Could get more development.

Spice: 3/🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Earth was abandoned some 1500 years ago, after becoming so irritated that it's impossible to live there. And now, a ship is sent back to search for some list technology, only to find that the little piece of land that is habitable is occupied by Nagas.

Gemma is sold by her colleagues in exchange for technology to those Nagas, and she now has to find a way to survive her new mate.

Thoughts? A few.

We have some mistakes to solve, like, where did the Nagas come from. And what exactly happened all those centuries ago.

But overall? A good first book for a series.

We have other named characters. Gemma has agency and understanding of her situation, she knows when it's time to fight and time to run. There are some cultural barriers that actually make sense. The questions being made are logical and make me even more curious for the answer.

I'd say it's an overall 7/10. Not bad, but not many notes that I don't feel like they won't be answered in the coming books.

[pancakes-bookclub]

I'm back! Travel, family issues and a slump kept me from reading recently, but I'm home and on 220v! Also, I got to read this one while away, so I couldn't stop and post about it until now.

And...

Kindle is like a drug dealer.

I got A Book to Kill For, by Harper Lin, for free recently. Gonna have to buy the rest...

So, Maggie works on a bookshop, the old small town kind of bookstore that has old volumes. One day, the owner of the bookshop dies and his son, Joshua, comes back from out of town to take care of business, which opens a sequence of people trying to get their hands on a specific copy of Sierra Madre Heights, even killing for it.

There are... So many thoughts.

First of, Maggie would be better if she wasn't so... High and mighty. Josh wants to renovate the bookshop and bring in new books because it wasn't turning a profit, and she... Fights him at every step of the process. Because... She doesn't like the new books being written. She thinks romance books are dumb. She thinks the people in the town hate her.

She looks down on the people of the town because they don't go into the bookshop and assumes that's because they don't like to read (as if Amazon isn't a thing where people could order the books they want).

If she... Kept a bit of an open mind and like, "oh well, people like what they like, who am I to yuck someone's yum?" instead of "ugh, dumb romance books 🙄" at all the new books being delivered to them, I'd like her a bit more.

She would have a thing if she was to read the book she's in. Can't wait to see her being knocked down a peg or two. Or three. Or all of them. She needs some humility tea.

Josh is a sweetheart who's still grieving his father's death and trying to make something he actually enjoys, by turning the abandoned store next to the bookshop into a cafe.

2, it's a murder mystery, but the main characters are mostly involved by getting in trouble and trapping the bad guy in the end. Although I enjoyed the read, I didn't like the solution. The killer was barely there. They were mentioned once and then dismissed completely.

3, something tells me, it's gonna be a hell of a slow burn. I'm curious about the next books, but I'm completely disconnected from the romance part of the story. They didn't even touch pinkies! (What? What do you mean I don't like Slow burns? No! I just avoid it like... Well, we know people don't avoid the plague.)

Would I continue to read if I could get the other books? Yes, because I'm curious and I gotta finish what I started. Do I care about the main characters being together? Nope.

So, yeah. If you like slow burns, go for it. Have fun. It's a fun, light read, if you get the patience to deal with Maggie's high horse.

[pancakes-bookclub]

Ok. Fine. I'll say it:

If something has no value for a story, if it could be removed and nothing would change, it shouldn't be there.

I got a few books of the Coveted Prey series, by LV Lane, and...

It's omegaverse.

And it could have not been, and the stories would be the same.

Same thing. Exactly.

So why is it like that? Why is that world mechanic there? I see no point.

Ok. Fine, I haven't read all the books, and probably won't. But if you remove a "key" aspect of a world, and it has no impact on the story, then why does it exist?

If the author is going out of their way to explain a detail that makes no difference in the story, not like lore and world exposition (as understanding the world around us is important), it probably shouldn't be there.

I feel like those books are only in Omegaverse for the knotting. However!

a) it's monsterfucking. Many of them do have knots by default.

b) it's monsterfucking. You can just make them all have knots if that's what you want!

[pancakes-bookclub]

A small ETA:

I don't think much would change if he was a lighter DarkRom normal guy™. Maybe a sorcerer or something, but Conventionally Attractive Guy™, and I would honestly see no difference.

Big, scary, powerful. But the impact of the physical differences, and the pacing of the story make it so that the fact that he's a Lich could be... Left out, and we'd still have a very similar story.

I just finished reading Love, Laugh, Lich by Kate Prior, and

Guuuuuuuys! I have thoughts.

The story is... Ok? I guess? Doesn't stand out, nor is it bad. It just exists.

Anatomy is interesting, but kinda standard for MonRom.

The world building got me curious, but it's a short book, so we don't really explore it!

And, as to plot... I honestly found it rather standard for a romance book. Sure, you can't go wrong with a good ol' Classic, adding in your own twists to fit the theme, but seriously? dating your CEO boss (who also happens to be a Lich)?

Lilly, our leading lady, is... Kinda... Meh? I don't think we even get a proper physical description of her? She exists, she's an overall good and helpful person, but she's also kinda passive in her story.

Sure, it's a 100 page book (more like a leaflet compared to the other books I read), and it's a decent story, but, Katey, please! Longer! I wanna know more about the world outside that office!

Funny bit, tho, is her friend.

Book 1 epilogue: "Oh, I could never do what you do!"

Book 2 (The Orc from the Office): she does exactly that.

Not a great book, but not bad either, I'll give it a... 7/10. I'm feeling generous. And I never read on Lichs before, so idk.

[pancakes-bookclub]

I just finished reading Love, Laugh, Lich by Kate Prior, and

Guuuuuuuys! I have thoughts.

The story is... Ok? I guess? Doesn't stand out, nor is it bad. It just exists.

Anatomy is interesting, but kinda standard for MonRom.

The world building got me curious, but it's a short book, so we don't really explore it!

And, as to plot... I honestly found it rather standard for a romance book. Sure, you can't go wrong with a good ol' Classic, adding in your own twists to fit the theme, but seriously? dating your CEO boss (who also happens to be a Lich)?

Lilly, our leading lady, is... Kinda... Meh? I don't think we even get a proper physical description of her? She exists, she's an overall good and helpful person, but she's also kinda passive in her story.

Sure, it's a 100 page book (more like a leaflet compared to the other books I read), and it's a decent story, but, Katey, please! Longer! I wanna know more about the world outside that office!

Funny bit, tho, is her friend.

Book 1 epilogue: "Oh, I could never do what you do!"

Book 2 (The Orc from the Office): she does exactly that.

Not a great book, but not bad either, I'll give it a... 7/10. I'm feeling generous. And I never read on Lichs before, so idk.

[pancakes-bookclub]

The problem with commercial F/M romance is that it's written by the most heterosexual women alive and reading it you feel yourself slowly suffocating from the Gender of it all like a fish in a eutrophying lake. And what we actually need as a culture is F/M written by insane bisexuals violently allergic to heteronormativity

[pancakes-bookclub]

Long time, no see!

So so so! I finished reading the available books of Starlight Brides, and...

It's Alien Tritons Bride, by Lynnea Lee.

Story: 6/10, pretty generic, textbook romance story.

World building: 9/10. We have sea critters, an interesting new planet to explore, a cool underwater city with a well developed culture.

Characters: 8/10, they have lives, jobs, friends and passions outside of eachother.

Spice: 2/🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️. Could do without, tbh, but incheresting anatomy is always welcome.

It's a Triton.

They found a way to make surface dwelling species be able to live underwater.

Incheresting anatomy... 👀

Cool underwater cities!

But

Interesting social dynamics!

He's not a standard hot guy with fangs!

Did we need the unhinged jealous character who wants our girl for himself and doesn't do it by the proper channels?

They're having a lack of females, and so they're paying top money for mail order brides. The females on that species are only interested in the money they can get off a "breeding contract" or whatever they call it (been a week and I've read other stuff since)

Once again, it's not on my top 10, not even my top 20. Could be better written, especially the spice, but it's not bad either

Overall, 7/10? Above average, for sure, but doesn't exactly stands out to me.

Next one comes out this month, and it's by Ursa Dax, so let's see how it goes!

[pancakes-bookclub]

I’m at my wits fucking end

[pancakes-bookclub]

someone on my tiktok video about Bred by the Dragon told me to "go back to tumblr where you came from" and honestly, for a hater, they really saw me

[pancakes-bookclub]

So... Deep breaths.

I'm starting on the Starlight Brides series, and... Oh boi. We have some issues.

So, the first book, Alien Minotaur Prize, by Hattie Jacks, is actually good. It's not on my top 10 books, but it's an ok and even fun read.

Again, it's a Mail Order bride, because you read one book like that and now Kindle thinks it's the only kind of book I like/want to read. At least until I actively look for another kind.

So, Ginny is being threatened, and has to sign up to the Starlight Lotteries, that no one really knows it's a Mail Order Bride program, thinking it will get her off the ship Brittania. So, baby girl ends up getting married to an Alien Minotaur king.

From scrubbing air vents for a living to a queen? I wouldn't complain either.

It's a good book. Some scenes could be taken off, as they're only there for the spice, but they're well written, and there are some time gaps that could be filled with some character and relationship development but I understand that it's just them falling into a routine so it doesn't really make sense.

Now, we get to book 2, Aliens Werewolf Prize, by January Bell, and... I couldn't write about this one without having something else as a reference, so I decided to put them both together.

Aileen works on the shittiest possible job at [Unnamed Space Station] where humans are the lowest of the low, cleaning a perv brain in a jar and caring for a sentient tentacle in an exhibit. She and her best friend registered for Starlight Lotteries years ago in search of better options, and they just got accepted! Now, she's going off to marry a Werewolf clan leader (they all have political agendas to look for a bride), and y'all know the rest.

However!

Ok, the Minotaur is not one of my top 10 books, but it's a good read.

The werewolf? Girl, we got some issues to work out here!

So, Book 1, we have many named characters, even if they don't even talk, we see that the characters have a relationship, respect and understanding for the people around them. Ginny got a full Entourage just so she wouldn't feel lonely!

Book 2? I think we have, like, 5 or 6 named characters, and most of them don't show up for most of the book. Like, my girl spent time in the kitchen, the chef made her food, and not a single word was exchanged in the whole scene! And we clearly see that time passed because the chef had to make her food from scratch! That was some wasted potential on world building and character development just... Defenestrated!

And he showed up to her with a FULL ON 50 SHADES SHIT ASS SEX CONTRACT! Like, I know that they're mail order brides, and that comes with a contract about their safety, a trial period, some money/dowry they'll get if things don't go as planned... And that's understandable. They're being thrown in a whole new situation and need a safety net.

But a sex contract? To establish their boundaries? No. That's a big ass no no and a red flag if I've ever seen one. Boundaries should be talked about and respected. There's no need for it to be written down on a healthy relationship.

Also, book 1? Ginny goes out. She spends time knowing the people, the cities, she pulls her weight for the position she now holds. She even spends some time with her new husband before getting officially married.

Book 2, is... Rushed. She gets the job, spends a day at a Starlight Hub Station Thingy to get prepared, gets in a shuttle to his homeworld, gets married, he takes her to a vacation house or whatever, they fuck and... That's it?

Also, darling, this is a werewolf romance book. Why the fuck is it that the only time we "see" his wolf form is when she's going back to the main home, and she vaguely mentions a) hearing distant wolf howls in the night when he's not in bed with her, and b) having his furry form cuddling her. Where's the fear/excitement that comes with seeing your werewolf partner change for the first time? Trying to comfort them because the change hurts? Bring unsure if you should tuck tail and run, or jump them?

And, as much as I don't really like it when a book is just sex scene after sex scene for bulk, shock value or "the horneez", we have one scene, that keeps jumping from POv, which is extremely annoying and breaks the immersion in the scene.

Ok, fine, the biggest sin this book committed is being too short. I want to know more about those wolves. I want to see them better, understand their lore and story.

"but Pancake, it's a romance book! Why are you complaining that they focused on the romance?"

Deep breath

That's not the point. The romance, although a bit rushed, is ok. It's not a bad romance (gaga ooh lala aah 🎵🎶)

But it lacks what makes it a good romance to me. And it has one red flag too many for my taste. Not even Dark Romances are that level with Boundaries!

Overall, book one is a 6/10. Not bad but could be better, I have a couple notes, but I understand that using them would make it into all but a slow burn series. And book 2 is a 4/10. Could definitely be better. Hell, could be 10 pages longer.

[pancakes-bookclub]

Ok. Just finished book 2 of Cowboy Colony Mail Order Brides, and...

I love it.

Wrangled by the Alien Rancher had now officially put this series on my top 10.

MDNI, spoilers, etc.

Story: 8/10. Still some things to work out, but well developed.

World building: 9/10. We learn more about the other terran colony! \o/

Characters: 10/10. Fallon is a sweetheart and Darcy is so traumatised... Also, since now they're not as isolated, especially on the beginning, we can see them taking with other people and I just love it.

Spice: 4/🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️, for the same reason as the previous book.

Darcy is running away from her severe NPD mother who trained her all her life to be a "perfect bride", only for the fiance her mother chose to be a misogynistic prick. So, she joined the mail order bride program, and found out that her husband doesn't give a damn about any of that.

Fallon just wants some company and someone to take care of! His innocence is almost child like (tbh, they have been on that gods forsaken world since a very young age, and haven't had much contact with the outside world). And he has a puppy! He's my precious baby boy, and no one's allowed to hurry him.

I don't care that we still have more books coming out. They're officially my favourite couple.

Also, I could never be one of those girls, as the moment they said anything I'd be like...

Because it's just so cute!

Anyway, an overall 9/10. Great comedy, heavy feels, I can't wait for the next book on the series.

[pancakes-bookclub]

Dialogues I have with myself on every book I read:

The girls, seeing their partner for the first time: damn! What does he do all day to get this big and muscular? [Insert thirsty comment here]

Me: uhm, have you checked his work? That's usually what he does all day.

Their work is usually: Farmer, Warrior, Blacksmith, Hunter, Scout/Ranger...

[pancakes-bookclub]

So, apparently, I have a new author on my top 10.

Ursa Dax.

I just finished reading Married to the Alien Cowboy, first book on the Cowboy Colony Mail Order Brides series, and it's pure gold.

(screenshot from Kindle because I'm lazy)

Spoilers and MDNI as it is an 18+ book

Story: a 7/10. First book in the series, so still figuring out a lot about setting and all that.

Would building: 8/10. It's set. There's more to the world than what we're seeing here, and it's mentioned. There's lore, there's social issues, there's political intrigue... I just love it.

Characters: I'd say a 6/10, but only because they're a bit isolated from contract with other people, so we mostly see the couple together.

Spice: 4/🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️. There's one scene, rather close to the end of the story, but it is well written and has character development.

So, what happens when you send girls who are used to high tech worlds to a penal agricultural colony in Fucksville, Nowhere as a "mail order bride" program?

This book. This is what happens. They're now married to overprotective space cowboys with anger issues.

Cherry? Our main girl? She's running away from a loan shark after hitting one of his goons with a cast iron pan (best self defense tool), and what better way than to join a mail order bride program, with all expenses paid?

So, she goes to marry Silar, but! She doesn't know that it's a penal colony! She thinks it's a normal agricultural colony for a culture that doesn't think highly of agriculture, and that's why they had to look for humans in a mail order bride program.

Also, prehensile tails. Those are... Fun! I've read about lizard tails, snake tails, wolf/lion tails... But prehensile is officially my favourite kind now. And not, like "fun times" fun. They're fully functional limbs! And they're treated as a natural part of their bodies by the story. There's not much thought put into it (by the characters). They just exist.

(it's a peeve of mine when the monster part of the relationship thinks too much about the non-human things about themselves, like tails, teeth, ears, fangs, claws... Unless their partners are touching with awe, I don't want them thinking about it in any way other than we'd think about normal things in our bodies.)

So, it's an overall 8/10 for me. I was laughing through most of it. Worth the read. Will read again. Book 2 is already out and book 3 comes out on November 30th. Can't wait for it!

[pancakes-bookclub]

So, in the spirit of starting a new blog for writing book reviews and all that, let's go with my favourite monster romance series!

18+, as most of my books, so MDNI

Orc Sworn, by Finley Fenn.

It starts with The Lady and the Orc, and it progresses from there

They're all available on Kindle Unlimited, as will be most of my books here, since it's my main source of books.

It's my opinion and views on this series overall, and I will make reviews on each book independently afterwards.

Minor spoilers ahead.

Story: overall, 8/10. Finn knows what she's writing, and there's a clear rise as the books progress.

World building: 10/10. It's an amazing and well developed world, with deep lore and mythology.

Characters: 9/10. They're real. They're deep. They're actually relatable.

Spice: 5/🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

My attempt to sum up the first book:

The world is divided in men and orcs, with the orcs living in Orc Mountain and always at war with the humans. The humans, live in fear. Of their crops being sacked, their towns raided, and their women taken.

For a woman, there's nothing worse than an orc raid, as it would ruin her reputation and ability to find a proper husband someday. It's not until a new orc captain rises to power that peace can be achieved.

So, why is it my favourite series?

Well, the characters are real people, with flaws and qualities, a proper personality, and real feelings, to begin with. The spicy scenes actually make sense in the story by moving it forward and giving us character development.

Then, my favourite thing about when a story skips straight to the spice: is not a slow burn! Characters don't spend 5011 books to touch pinkies and look at each other. So, by consequence, she doesn't spend 5011 books thinking if he likes her or not, giving us actual character development and room for world building. And not just Main Character™ development. We have amazing secondary characters. Every book has actually 2 couples, one that is the main one, and one she helped get together by the power of friendship and "get your shit together!". Those girls are not afraid of getting their hands dirty to get things going. They gotta stop a war, remove human prejudice against orcs, stop whatever warmongering human lord is plotting whatever to get the war started again, and manage whatever job they were given in their new homes.

They have friends too! They're not pushing whatever friends they have away because they're in a relationship. They have female and male friends, they talk, they go shopping, they keep in touch and go out of their way to help their friends! And those are genuine friendships, with no backstabbing or underlying jealousy. They just want to hang out for the sake of hanging out! They do their best to get the new girl used to their new home in the mountain, to explain the culture to her, and make sure she's feeling welcome.

The only forgettable main character is from the second book, The Heiress and the Orc, who I haven't seen in a while, as she lives somewhere else and didn't have much impact on the overall story, but her book is still a good read.

The Librarian is one of my favourite, along with the Maid, the Governess and the Widow. But all the girls, all the books, do something to improve the lives of everyone in that mountain. Be it by taking over the maintenance or running a shop, they know what they're doing and will not back down as long as it means that they're getting the job done.

We currently have 9 books, with one more coming out this year. And, yes, since each book is a different couple, it doesn't get boring or repetitive (side glare to Slow Burn Romance)

So, yes. I could talk about it for days.