pancakes-bookclub

[pancakes-bookclub]

(shhh it was @finleyfenn)

when one of my favorite authors of all time follows me back on social media

(pssst it was Naomi Lucas, snakeman-fucking extraordinaire)

[pancakes-bookclub]

Pinned post

, or whatever.

Hi, I'm Pancake. My main blog is @aro-pancake.

I'm reading and reviewing books here, because I want to find other people who also have read them and are willing to discuss them books! It will be very biased to my own personal opinions, but I always try to see the bright side even on the ones that made me want to throw the book across the room in rage.

I'll usually filter out the ones that made me feel "meh", and only post about the Extreme Joy or Unspeakable Rage ones, as they're the ones that make me want to talk about them, but I'll eventually get to the meh ones. Someday.

Mostly, I read romance, but I'm always open to any books. As long as it's not slow burn.

Got an Amazon Wishlist for eBooks, as I no longer have the room for physical ones. And Ko-fi, if you wanna help me get more books!

Currently trying to find a good version of the Odyssey (Thanks, Jay 😑) that doesn't mix up Greek and Roman terms to keep me confused, as it's already a heavy reading material.

Anyway, enjoy your reading. And share the tea!

[pancakes-bookclub]

Ya know... It's kinda depressing when I finally get a book worth writing about and it's to say how bad it irked me.

Just read Sold to the Alien Gladiators, by Corn Cain.

What? I'm sorry. WHAT? THE? FUCK?

Ok, like, I know it's a DarkRom, and most of my MonRom is in the fringes of it, but...

WHAT? WAS? THAT?

Look. I'm kinky. I like kinky stuff. But... I just gotta...

Ok. I'm back.

Like, Jasmine was captured and sold as a slave to 3 alien soldiers that were also captured and made to fight in a coliseum. They're fated mates, all that.

It had promise, yk? The overall story is good and the universe seems really interesting.

But.

There's a lack of... Conversation. Of discussing the boundaries. Of them actually explaining shit to her.

"but Pancake, they don't need to discuss boundaries when they have a mental link and it's a 1st person pov book!"

It's still important to talk about it! Even if through the link thingamajig! She was caught by surprise. And their BDSM part is not just a sex thing. They expect her to bow her head and obey on every single thing without questioning, just because they like it. And they don't explain anything to her. Just expect her to know because of the bond.

And where are my aftercare scenes? I've read even darker Dom stuff that had the loveliest aftercare scenes! It's important to care for and love your partner after a session!

"But Pancake, it's a porn book! What were you expecting?"

Tosses Finley Fenn's Orc Sworn series in your face.

The minimum! That's what I was expecting! The bare. Fucking. Minimum.

Also throwing Black Bear Clan by Zoe Ashwood and aiming for a headshot.

Fated mates aren't just about physical compatibility. There's real love there, even if Fate herself is giving them a hand. I didn't see any of that there, only lust.

And don't, please don't, get me started on his she just... Lost her whole personality. She could have been a brat, but no. I've seen wet cardboard with more personality. I've held octopi with more backbone (if you've ever held an octopus, you know what I'm talking about). But no. She started out the book defiant, claiming to hate their species because they're conquerors in all but name, ruthless, lawful to a t. But then by the moment she sees them, in the second chapter by her POV, she's just... Gone.

Also, about that 1st person POV thing? We have 4 main characters and a reader with Demigod levels of ADHD (Athena or Hephaestus, I'm still waiting!). Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep track of who is narrating this chapter? Hers are easier, but the other 3? I have to keep going back all the time to double or triple check.

So, yeah. Go on at your own risk. I'm not gonna stop ya if that's your cup of tea.

But don't come crying back to me if it isn't!

[pancakes-bookclub]

Fangs? That's all? That's, like, the minimum!

[pancakes-bookclub]

Ok. Fine.

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

Look, I love Ursa's writing, ok? 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.