Welcome to our new feature – THE MONSTER BOTHERER!

We are thrilled to welcome back our new reviewer Emma Penman, who exclusively reviews monster romance, and has returned for another week of Monster Bothering. We decided that as all her reviews have a specific aim, we’ll house them all in one handy feature-cage!

Whilst not necessarily bothering many monsters herself, Emma will be letting us know which monster romance books are worth bothering with…

Content warning: These books are explicit. 

There is something irrevocably sexy about demons. You don’t really know what you’re getting yourself in for, and that can be frightening, which is all a part of the fun when you’re reading monster romance.

Lila, our female main character, is newly divorced and ready for a fresh start. After moving to a new town, she decides to celebrate, not with champagne and caviar, but with books and coffee. My kinda gal. If there was no spice in this book, I would still be incredibly invested, due to the bookshop. Housed in an old church, more books than one could read in a lifetime, coffee shop and a whole section devoted to monster romance, I’ve got a new fantasy here, minotaurs just got pushed down the list.

Ordering a decaf and a sweet treat, Lila settles down to take in her surroundings when she meets the owner of her new favourite establishment, a charming older man by the name of Azrael. As they chat and get to know each other he reveals he’s a demon, her new home is full of monsters and he’d like to offer her a deal. A lot to swallow in a short amount of time, but this is a short book, so I’ll forgive the exposition explosion.

As demon deals usually go, he offers her whatever she wants in exchange for her soul. As tempting as it would be, she refuses, and they go their separate ways, until she finds out she does need a miracle, and she may as well ask her bookish demon for help but the deal is off the table. Azrael want’s something a little different in exchange, a date.

The rest of the book focuses fully on their date, so not really a plot heavy tome here, but that’s ok. It’s a quick fun read, full of spice and warmth. Despite the “demons are scary” thoughts that have been hardwired into her, Lila realises Azrael is quite the cinnamon roll type of guy. Peppered between lustful tension and devilish deeds, there’s a nice amount of worldbuilding. We meet some of the other inhabitants of Mistwood, get a bit of a tour, and some incredibly wholesome moments like when Azrael fulfils his side of the deal.

The spice is well written, some daddy demon dom comes through which is always a treat and Lila is enjoying every minute of it. Azrael teases a bit, edging can be cruel when you’re just getting hot and heavy with the sexiest man you’ve ever seen, but he makes up for it by letting her go for a shopping spree in his bookshop. All she wants is hers. Swoon. She of course heads straight for monster romance, but don’t worry, we get back to the monster-fucking part of the programme quickly enough.

The fun really starts when they get to his bedroom, conveniently just upstairs from all those delicious books. We have claws, forked tongues, horns, you know, traditional demon stuff, then there’s tail play. If I didn’t know I wanted to be spanked by a tail, I do now. There’s also a bit of religious play, which, if this wasn’t included, would have felt like a missed opportunity. Come on now, a demon who lives in an old church and we don’t get some worship and some light scolding whenever she mentions “god? That would be a sin, plus the line “My name will be the only one on your lips tonight, understood?” made me feel all sorts of things. Mostly horny. This book is probably about 60% smut but it doesn’t get dull for one second. Crowe has an obvious talent when it comes to writing the spicy side of things and while I usually like a bit more plot, I couldn’t tear my eyes from the page.

What could be assumed as just a spicy story does have some hidden depth as well. Throughout, Azrael keeps reminding Lila to just do what she wants, say what she wants, start living for herself, and when she does, she finds herself really shining. It’s satisfying to see her grow from someone somewhat damaged to living life on her terms.

If you’re here for the spice, I would definitely bother or if you’re just here for a short fun read, would bother too. This is the first book in a relatively new series and I’m looking forward to future releases.

Available on Waterstones