Welcome to THE MONSTER BOTHERER!

That’s right, Emma Penman is back for another monster romance review – our resident Monster Botherer. 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 usually explicit unless stated otherwise

When I read the word “cock” on page one of a book I know I’ve made the right choice. Kiss of the Basilisk is 100% monster smut with some romantasy padding so if you want castles, political drama and cum you can turn into a sex toy, this may be the book for you.

Set in ye olden times Tem is a contender for the prince’s hand in marriage, but first she needs to be trained in the art of intimacy by a basilisk. Can’t have his royal highness have an inexperienced lover after all. While the other women all study hard to be top of the class, Tem finds her tutor, Caspen, a lot more captivating than she has any right to and once she starts learning, she strives to be a star pupil. As she falls for her basilisk, she also falls for the prince, making the whole situation messy, though very entertaining to read and you don’t really know who she’ll end up with until the last few pages. This delighted and bothered me in equal measure, I pride myself on guessing the outcome of romance books well before the finale and this one stumped me. I will say though, that I got the ending I wanted so yay for me.

This book is just pure smut. There is plot, yes, but when there’s already mutual masturbation before the end of chapter one you should know you’re in for a wild ride. There’s no stopping Tem once she gets a taste of her basilisk (Caspen), and we never get to forget the real intention of this book, to be as horny as possible. Reading between the wet panties and panting snake guys, it’s a stereotypical romance plot. Bad guys, betrayals, competition between women for the lofty position of wife (and Queen I suppose), you know, the usual. What breaks it apart is the sheer insanity of the romance side. It’s hot, it’s cold, there’s some taboo (but it’s tradition!) some ick and some yum. I got a slight case of whiplash as Tem bounces from Caspen to the prince and back again and that was somewhat refreshing. Usually with monster romances they bring out the ol’ “fated mates” and you know that regardless of the drama and danger, the lovebirds will get their happy ever after. There is nothing like that in Kiss of the Basilisk and there is no comfort zone to settle into either.

While Tem struggles to choose between Caspen and the Prince (Leo) the author is certainly not shy about leading the reader to who she prefers. While Tem and Caspen are fleshed out characters with personality and life, Leo reads more like a cardboard cut-out of what an arrogant prince would be. Sure, there’s character development but it’s weak and feels like he’s being used as a plot device for tension rather than as a legitimate part of the story, yet he lingers and is there til the bitter end. It’s easy to see why Tem fell for Caspen and a little confusing as to why Leo was ever an option.

One thing I dislike in my romance books is cheating, and Kiss is full of it. Spoiler alert, by the time Tem starts to fall for Leo, she and Caspen are in a pretty serious relationship, yet she has no qualms about kissing, teasing and playing with him, eventually sleeping with him too, catapulting herself from one bed to the other without much thought. If she was single I would have no issue with what she was doing but it really made me dislike her as a character and ended up feeling both Caspen and Leo could do better. You can feel the guys pain clearly and it’s not pretty, it has no purpose, and ultimately she faces no consequences for stringing them along. It’s a far cry from who she was at the beginning of the book and I’m not sure her growth has been completely positive.

We could look at it from an emotionless perspective and see a naive, bullied and desolate girl finding her power through her sexuality and wanting to wield that as much as possible, but it doesn’t seem to fit with her initial character. First half Tem and second half Tem are very different and as empowered as she feels, it’s not necessary to make others small, to trod on them and use them the way she does.

All in all though, I enjoyed Kiss of the Basilisk. I got my monster smut, a bit of romantasy and gosh the spice was plentiful, overflowing in fact. It kept me guessing with the twists and turns. While I may not be the biggest fan of the way some of the story went, it was well rounded and offered a satisfactory ending. It’s smutty, a bit unhinged and confident in it’s purpose. There are sequels, which personally I don’t think I’ll read. I was pleased with the ending and I don’t think my fragile heart can take more uncertainty, it was a bit exhausting, but if you do, let me know what you think of them. I want the gossip but don’t want to be a part of the drama.

Kiss of the Basilisk is available now, you can order your copy on Bookshop.org