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The Monster Menagerie: An Anthology for Monster Lovers

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In the Monster Menagerie, all bets are off and everything is on the table.

This anthology features six original short stories by Lyonne Riley, author of the Trollkin Lovers series. Some are pure spice, while others spin a tale of love and romance around these fearsome monsters and their human mates. The anthology features creatures of all sorts, including mermen, orcs, and even dryads. There will be group encounters, twice-the-fun-in-one, wild rutting, and plenty of steam to suit the tastes of any monster-lover.

This is a super steamy short story collection (50k words) that features many different pairings with multiple characters. For a full list of stories included, tropes and content warnings, visit the author's website.

164 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 25, 2023

88 people are currently reading
565 people want to read

About the author

Lyonne Riley

31 books876 followers
Lyonne Riley writes super steamy monster romance, fantasy romance, and sci-fi romance. She lives in the middle of nowhere with her spouse and two dogs, writing spicy fairy tales.

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5 stars
163 (34%)
4 stars
167 (35%)
3 stars
115 (24%)
2 stars
21 (4%)
1 star
5 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
Profile Image for Brittanica Bold.
565 reviews70 followers
August 24, 2023
For my fellow smut lovers and sexual deviants, this one is probably right up your alley!

The Monster Menagerie – 3.5 Stars

Blurb: Molly works at the Monster Menagerie, a home for monsters with nowhere else to go. When she finds James the wolfman in his mating cycle, she’s eager to assist, until Vargokk the resident orc gets in the way.

- M/M/F
- Why choose
- Rutting
- Light anal play
- Breeding
- Sharing is caring

Review:
- Usually multiple partners isn’t my thing, but this worked well. I didn’t get confused with who was doing what or whose hands were where. My only difference in opinion is I would classify this as M/F/M rather than M/M/F given there was no interaction between the Ms.
- I liked the idea behind the menagerie itself. The author did a great job making the menagerie seem like a place for outcasts rather than a prison for monsters, which was great for the overall feel of the story.
- I didn’t love the whole ‘competing to breed her’ thing like that was all she was good for, especially since nothing came out of it. An epilogue would have been nice for this detail, perhaps with both baby pups and orcs playing around and the threesome as a happy family!
- Very sexy and spicy!

Date With A Dinosaur – 4 Stars

Blurb: Remy has always been stuck in dead-end jobs until Lester, a man who merged with a dinosaur, tries to rob her at gunpoint. Little does he know that Remy has a soft spot for monsters.

- M/F
- Enemies to lovers
- Second chance romance
- Mention of drug use
- Guns and light violence

Review:
- Ok, I know I’m a total nerd because I loved the backstory of the asteroid hitting the earth and altering some folks, known as the Affected. The fact that we had influencers who merged with their pet iguanas, a cousin that now has a beak and wings, and our MMC who merged with the dinosaur he was inspecting at a dig site, makes the nerd in me holler with glee!
- I liked that both of our MCs weren’t perfect beings by any stretch of the imagination.
I loved how the author filled the time between their first and second chance romances. It was quick but realistic.
- Didn’t love that the MMC reminded me of my ex, minus the dinosaur thing. Not exactly who I want to be thinking of during a spicy romance!

Lost in the Snow – 4.5 Stars

Blurb: Rena is a recruiter for the Monster Menagerie, called to respond to a situation out in the field: a yeti has been stealing livestock in a remote part of Alaska, and she needs to convince him to move to the Menagerie.

- M/F
- Hurt/Comfort
- Forced proximity
- Near frostbit

Review:
- Gosh, I’m such a sucker for one MC saving the other from death and it leading to romance. So, so good!
- I loved the emotional connection these two formed and how you could tell Rena was going to find a way to make it all work.
- Speaking of Rena, she was definitely the strongest FMC in this anthology yet. Not only was she the strongest though, she was a bona fide badass which is always a plus!
- I also loved the callback to the first story in this anthology!

The Deep Dive – 3 Stars

Blurb: Emma is a thrill-seeker, an adventurer. Her latest fascination? Deep-sea diving, where she comes upon a beautiful merman tied up in her tether.

- M/F
- Language barrier
- Two cocks
- Double penetration

Review:
- Probably my least favorite so far. And it really shouldn’t have been with a double cock.
- This came across as more predatory than sexy to me with the whole “let me take you to my cave for sex in exchange for taking you back to the surface” vibes
- I also don’t like stories that lack an emotional connection because I’m a hopeless romantic who is basically 90, your grandmother, and named Dolores.
- Still gets 3 stars because the writing is good, just not for me.

Office Werewolf – 5 Stars

Blurb: Raven comes to work every day with a secret vibe. It’s driving Connor, a coworker who also happens to be a werewolf, absolutely mad. It’s mating season and he needs to have her.

- M/F
- Rutting/mating
- Use of a sex toy at work
- Masturbation
- Transformed sex
- Cum inflation
- Knotting
- Breeding
- Pregnancy

Review:
- GAAAAAHHHHHHH, I loved this one! We had a great emotional connection, claiming during the act, and a werewolf!!! This fan of dirty little red riding hood was thoroughly satisfied!
- I loved the dual point of view. This was the only story with it in the anthology and it makes me want more! Hearing Connor’s dirty and loving thoughts just put the cherry on top of everything for me.
- The ending tied up in a perfect little bow was perfection.

The Last Dryad – 4 Stars

Blurb: Taki the dryad is living out the rest of his shortened life at the Monster Menagerie. Ana wants more for him and offers to take him to her grandparents’ cabin in the woods so he can enjoy nature again.

- M/F
- Sexy outdoor adventures
- Mid-sex transformation

Review:
- I had no clue what a Dryad was before I read this story, and now I have a new monster love!
- Sweet and romantic MMC who transforms during sex??? Yes, please!
- I really liked the FMC. She was sweet and actually wanted to help him live his best life, which was so nice to see.

Thank you to Lyonne Riley for providing me an ARC of this gem! The opinions expressed above are honest and my own.
Profile Image for Poetry Drive.
500 reviews14 followers
July 25, 2024
Smut. Pure, unadulterated, amazing smut. With all the monsters and there’s even a why-choose monster story in this!
Profile Image for Cia Petrichor.
Author 6 books109 followers
August 24, 2023
I love the Trollkin series and these short stories were different but still delightful! I only wish I could see even more of these couples! Riley can’t go wrong with monster romances.
Profile Image for Ra! 	ʕ •̀ ω •́ ʔ.
428 reviews341 followers
December 10, 2023
I'm still obsessed with Lyonne Riley so I'm continuing through all her works!

This book is an anthology series of six different monster romance pairings. Each story features a different type of monster. The setting for some of the stories involves a place called the Menagerie, a place where monsters can live and be themselves at.

The Good
The wolfman/orc story was my favorite. It was a chaotic start and really set the tone for the rest of the stories to come. There was one about a dinosaur man that had really interesting worldbuilding but I wasn't really into the couple. I also wasn't sure if this took place in the same world as the previous story but I rolled with it because it was a cool set up. I loved the Yeti one. It was sweet and cozy. It took place with someone who worked at the menagerie trying to get a yeti to go live there. There's a merman story and all I could think about is a salt water induced uti. If you like namor from black panther with all the underwater vibes there, you might like this one. This merman was an actual merman though. The workplace werewolf story was really fun! It might have been my favorite, tied with the first story. And the last story focused on a dryad who lived at the menagerie but needed more access to the forest and is taken on a trip with a worker there. It was a really sweet story as well.

Tropes:
— Monster Romance
— Anthology

Horn Level: 5/5🌶️
Format: Ebook

The Rating
I give this book a 4/5🌟 rating. This book was a lot of fun!

Check out my socials here for more reviews!
Profile Image for Mx. T *Chaotic Reader*.
622 reviews115 followers
August 26, 2023
I was the lucky recipient of an eARC and my first time reading this author. Now I can't wait to read more of her work!

These short stories made me wish I could have a single book of each of them. The author manages to make you fall for the MCs and their relationships even in the short expanse of each tale. This is a monster romance/smvt book through and through, so don't expect human-like people with the FMCs.

I also love the idea of the Monster Menagerie, a place where monsters of all kinds can live safely in exchange for a few hours of being shown to humans. They have a home and people to care for them but at times it made me feel bad for them, especially those who were the last of their kind.

Low on angst, high on spice, short and great writing. Orcs, wolves, mermen, woodland creatures, snow creatures... You name it, you get it.

Totally recommended. Enjoy the monster goodness
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Maaren.
1,446 reviews10 followers
August 25, 2023
I adored this anthology!

We got six different stories that range widely from one another but the anthology feels consistent while managing to keep a hold of that individuality. I didn’t struggle moving from one story to the next and each of them sucked me in.

I think my favorite one was the Yeti, since that was so soft and sweet (and I am a huge sucker for that “we gotta get naked to share body heat). I cooed over it so hard!

Time just flew past me as I was reading and I think I could’ve easily done even more rich short stories like this. Because that’s what they were, rich in storytelling and giving me that emotional connection. Love, love, love! ❤️
Profile Image for Olivia Gomersall.
11 reviews1 follower
August 28, 2023
Lyonne Riley is very quickly becoming one of my favourite authors! Six amazing monster romance stories and I honestly can’t tell which one was my favourite, my only qualm is that I wanted to read even more of all the couples. At this point I just cannot get enough of Riley’s writing and the adorable couples in all of her books. If you like monster romance or if you’re on the fence, try Riley’s writing and I can guarantee you’ll fall in love!
Profile Image for Crazy4bookscruz.
638 reviews42 followers
August 29, 2023
I loved all of the short stories!!!
Each was was unique in its own way with little tidbits of fun information about these awesome monsters.
I appreciated each quirky monster/s of the stories and the fluid way they all came together without feeling forced.
They were all flipping hot and I think we all may need the toy that Raven owned 😉
Profile Image for Andi Downs.
1,446 reviews14 followers
August 30, 2023
Yet another lovely new author to enjoy. I had already grabbed her first two books and then signed up as an ARC reader. This is a collection of stories that have 🌶🌶, ❤️❤️, angst, all emotions. 😁 It was a joy to read with interesting characters. I look forward to reading and enjoying more of works. 🙏
Profile Image for Anya Champagne.
453 reviews7 followers
February 24, 2024
excellent

Hot and spicy with a diverse menagerie of cryptids. Yetis, werewolves, mermen, dryads, and more. I highly recommend this book for all monster lovers.
Profile Image for Laura.
26 reviews
March 3, 2025
Es waren 6 gute Kurzgeschichten, die aber nicht über die viel zu großen Penisse und zu vielen und harten Bauchmuskeln hinaus gingen. Aber ich habe endlich gelernt, was "knotting" ist 💡
Profile Image for Pamela Contrera.
160 reviews
April 9, 2025
3.75⭐️
Me gustó mucho este concepto de antología, she kinda ate with the stories.
Profile Image for Moira Carn.
Author 3 books12 followers
August 24, 2023
Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the author

A collection of short erotic stories around different kinds of monsters that sucked me in the moment I started reading. These erotic stories are perfect bite-sized reads that cater to a few different tastes, and there's a little something for everyone. While I loved all of the stories, I did have my favorites in the dinosaur short and the yeti short. Beyond the spice, I enjoyed the world building of The Monster Menagerie setting and would love to see more stories revolve around that concept.
Profile Image for Between pages.
368 reviews7 followers
August 28, 2023
Holy shit!... This anthology started with a banger! I'm stunned. THIS! is a proper monster f🍒g.
Profile Image for Savannah.
300 reviews7 followers
August 26, 2023
Pure delight

Fun little romps with steamy encounters and some lovely little tales.
Profile Image for bunnireadsalot.
172 reviews17 followers
August 30, 2023
A sweet and steamy collection of humans and monsters :3 just how I like it!

My first time reading something by this author and I can say im definitely not disappointed! The stories were well thought out and even though they were short, they had much packed into them. The writing excellent and I LOVED meeting the many different characters and monsters, some that dont we dont often see in monster romances. I very much so enjoyed this and look forward to reading more by this author
Profile Image for Rae, shutupandbookup.
379 reviews2 followers
April 5, 2024
This is a fun monster romance, erotica, anthology with six different stories! Each featuring unique couples/throuples and plots. Some of the stories have a little more of a storyline while others basically jump right into the spicy scenes. The FMCs are all humans while the MMCs are monsters ranging anywhere from a werewolf to a merman!


I enjoyed all of the tales within the book, like most anthologies there were some stories I loved more than others. I prefer to have a bit more buildup and plot before the erotic moments come in. But I mean sometimes you just need a quick fix of monster smut!


I admired the fact that not all of the stories ended the same. Some of the stories ending with an HEA but a little open ended. A couple of them do end with children/want of children. I like that the MCs of each story are unique, and dynamics are changed up. We also get two stories later in the book that references the MCs from the first short!


My favorite stories and characters would have to be the ones from "Date with a Dinosaur" and "The Last Dryad". These two shorts have a bit more of a plot and the humor in "Date with a Dinosaur" was fantastic! I loved the banter between Remy and Lester. A comical, key moment happens later that had me laughing out loud and saying "Oh, Remy noooo!" The relationship the two formed was perfect and some of the things that were said/realized had me tearing up!


"The Last Dryad" was so sweet and wholesome! I loved how they each cared for one another in their own ways. It was a big comfort story! Ana respecting the monsters and wanting to know more about them! The descriptions around Taki and his abilities were interesting along with the little details showcasing just how much Ana helped him!


A lot of the stories are single POV, the POV being the FMCs. While a couple of them are dual POVS. There's language spread throughout. One story has scenes of someone trying to rob a place at gunpoint, I promise nothing bad happens! This anthology is very lighthearted and focused on couples coming together, pun intended! One does play on the heartstrings and the sickness caused by being away from their natural habitat, but it ends very well!


Every story includes spice! Some are extremely fast burn, the focus of the story being the spice. While others take a little more, but all the stories are extremely short! Some stories being longer than others but still fairly quick, I mean the entire book is less than two hundred pages! MMCs have unique physical attributes. . . Knotting, double peen, backdoor play or full use, size differences, and more.


This is the first book I've read from this author! I wouldn't mind reading another anthology, but I want to see what a full-length book is like from her! Excited to venture into more monster romances from Riley because the stories that had more of a plot were well written! Not saying the others were not well written!


Do enjoy the read with unique tales about humans and their interesting monster lovers! And don't forget to give the author some stars!


shutupandbookup.com
Profile Image for Kacy.
464 reviews13 followers
August 25, 2023
Over all rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 Stars
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 Spice

This is an anthology packed with six spicy original short stories from author Lyonne Riley. Each story has different main characters. This book releases today August 25th, head over to Amazon to grab your copy now!

The stories inside this anthology are:
The Monster Menagerie
Date with a Dinosaur
Lost in the Snow
The Deep Dive
Office Werewolf
The Last Dryad

I loved the wide verity of characters and monsters we got in these stories. Five of the stories are MF and one is a why choose MFM pairing.

First book stars James, Molly and Vargokk. A wolfman, human, and an orc. I loved the story. It’s listed as M/M/F however there isn’t any sexual interaction been the males so it’s actually a MFM story. I loved the primal vibes from James and the strength and confidence of Vargokk. 4 Stars ⭐️, 4 Spice 🌶️.

Book two stars Lester and Remy. Lester is a dinosaur affected and Remy is a human. This book was adorable and sweet. While this story is short it does a good job of introducing angst as well as love and acceptance. 4 Stars ⭐️, 2/5 Spice 🌶️.

Book three stars Morak and Rena. Morak is a yeti and Rena is a human women who works for the Menagerie we learn about in book one. I love the one bed rescued from a storm trope, this story was adorable. I also enjoyed the callback to the first story. 4 Stars ⭐️, and 3/5 Spice 🌶️.

Book four stars Emma and an unnamed male. This was my least favorite story but it was still a good read. It lacked any sort of emotional connection between the main characters but still had plenty of spice. 3 Stars ⭐️, and 2/5 Spice for me.

Book five stars Raven and Connor. I loved this one. Claiming, mating, and breeding oh my! 😉 I also loves that this particular story was tied up in a nice little bow at the end so you aren’t left wondering what is next for these characters. 4/5 Stars ⭐️, 4/5 Spice 🌶️.

Book six stars Meshisawataki and Ana. This was my favorite story out of all of them. Ana was so sweet and truly wanted what was best for Taki. I absolutely loved the characters and the story. 5/5 Stars ⭐️, and 4/5 spice.

This anthology was such a fun read. I’m incredibly thankful to author Lyonne Riley for trusting me with an arc of this upcoming book. I’ve already added the print copy to my Amazon shopping cart and will be adding it to my bookshelf soon. ❤️
Profile Image for Xiomy's Book Tales.
381 reviews25 followers
July 17, 2024
While I can't say that this anthology is my favorite, I am curious to continue to read more from the author. There were more misses than hits for me, which is unfortunate.

The Monster Menagerie: While I enjoyed the Monster Menagerie, the whole competing to breed Molly just made no sense to me because it felt like that was all she was good for.

Date With A Dinosaur: I really liked the backstory, especially how people managed to merge with certain animals to create the Affected. While it was an interesting read and how the two MCs found each other. I did want a little more from this story.

Lost in the Snow: Gotta admit I enjoyed the callback to the Monster Menagerie, and the being saved by the one she's set to protect and convince to return with her to the menagerie had a good vibe to it. But it wasn't a fav.

The Deep Dive: This one was a pure animalistic drive for the release of sexual tension. A merman with two cocks was aroused, who then took a female to a cave and please me now. Because language barrier, but I speak sex. Well, the female was open to it. Not a fan of sexual escapades without a safety hat regardless of being on birth control and all the FMCs mention of these side adventures.

Office Werewolf: We have a winner! Plus, loved the dual perspective. This one was my favorite aside from the whole sex toy at work, too much. The emotional connection was there, and I lived for it. Plus, Connor seemed like an adorably sweet guy! I genuinely wish we got more out of this one because I was so intrigued as to why he fought with his pack leader.

The Last Dryad: One of my least favs there was no emotional attachment just, yeah I want to save this dryad and take him as well. Because humans are the cause of his habitat destruction, but it's not her fault. I read too much into this one.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
323 reviews32 followers
August 28, 2023
This anthology has a little bit of everything for every monster lover out there.

The book is composed of six short stories, each featuring a human and monster pairing or throuple.

• The Monster Menagerie is a spicy read about a human doing her nightly monster patrol where she encounters a werewolf in mating season and an orc with a hero complex. 🐺🐺🐺🐺(4⭐️)
• Date with a Dinosaur is a fun little short about a world where an asteroid hit and only turned half the population into animals, or as they are better known, The Affected. Our FMC has a wildly weird meet-cute with the MMC who is an allosaurus. 🦖🦖🦖.🦴 (3.5⭐️)
• Lost in the Snow is about a yeti and a human who must use each other for warmth. While it is freezing outside, this short is full of heat. ❄️❄️❄️.🌨️ (3.5 ⭐️)
• The Deep Dive features a fearless deep sea diver and a cave dwelling merman. While these two can’t communicate, their bodies do all the talking in this enchanting story about the wonders of the sea. 🐚🐚🐚🐚(4⭐️)
• Office Werewolf is a short about a woman who needs a little extra vibration 😉 to get through her workday and her co-working werewolf who can focus on nothing but her delicious smell. This read is pure spice but still a quick and fun read. 🐺🐺🐺🐺 (4⭐️)
• The Last Dryad tells the story of a last of his kind dryad (forest fairy) and the menagerie worker who just wants to give him a little piece of home. She takes him to a cabin in the woods where he can connect with the forest and feed his fairy spirit. Can't think of a better way to connect with nature than to be in your natural state. 🌳🌳🌳.🧚🏽‍♂️ (3.5⭐️)

Overall, a delightful and delicious read with no angst and tons of heat. I highly recommend for all the monster lovers out there.

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.


360 reviews
July 5, 2025
One star off for how the second story pissed me off, but the others were great!

1. The Monster Menagerie: The story was great, full of steam and the guys were funny with their competitiveness. I'm just sad that we didn't get to know if Molly got fired or/and pregnant ;)
2. Date with a Dinosaur: Remy was too stupid for my liking ;) Who would risk their life to keep their shitty job in a convenience store? And I was waiting for Lester to correct her that he wasn't an archeologist. Why would an archeologist be digging for dinosaurs? That's paleontologist's job. I also couldn't believe that Remy had hots for a guy that tried to rob her at gunpoint pretty much instantly after that incident.
3. Lost in the Snow: Cute story! I liked the grumpy yeti, I'd be short with people too if they put me in a filthy cage. I imagine he had a secret relationship with Rena until they could bring it in the open, oh and after their adventure I think Morak would be anxious for her to go after other monsters ;)
4. The Deep Dive: I liked the story, but I'd have taken his number... well, maybe address of his cave if I were in Emma's place ;) It would be sad to go back to human men after the tender attentions of a merman.
5. Office Werewolf: That was so cute! From feeling awkward about the attraction to their coworker, through learning that he was the werewolf Raven was dreaming about to fucking him to seal the deal of their mating, it was a perfect short story with happily ever after.
6. The Last Dryad: I liked that one too, but hoped for a page or two more to learn more about the dryad ;) It was funny that they were both lusting after the other but kept a perfectly friendly relationship without letting the other know about their interest.
Profile Image for Violet.
166 reviews7 followers
April 5, 2024
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

👀Tropes: Nonhuman/human relationships, Forced Proximity, Rutting, Mating, Breeding Kink, Language Barrier

☠️CW: DP, Cum Inflation, Multiple Cocks,

📚Read Method: Kindle eBook

✨Initial Reaction: I read My Minotaur Husband by Lyonne Riley first and I was obsessed. So of course I had to read the anthology of 6 short stories in The Monster Menagerie. The Menagerie is a safe place for monsters to live, with payment being just living their lives in front of the public for a few short hours a day. Kind of like a zoo.
*The Monster Menagerie - The cover story, a great beginning story to this book.
*Date with a Dinosaur - Something bad has happened to the Earth causing humans to turn into non-humans. Some exciting beginning actions lead to a sweet ending <3
*Lost in the Snow - A woman is brought in to stop a yeti from causing more issues to farmers and keep the yeti safe. There is a language barrier and some big... appendages.
*The Deep Dive - Merman... need I say more?
*Office Werewolf - This is an ADORABLE story about an inner office relationship, a sex craving human woman, and an 'in-full-mating-season' werewolf who doesn't share with the world that he can shift and is obsessed with the FMC.
*The Last Dryad - My favorite story yet. So cozy and sweet and just all over super spicy.

✨Final Reaction: I'm obsessed with everything Lyonne writes. I can't get enough. All these stories were sweet, and cozy, and perfect.

💖Recommendation: HIGHLY Recommend. Very very good cozy reads.
Profile Image for Sandra Blasco.
203 reviews1 follower
August 24, 2023
ARC REVIEW ⭐4.5 🌶️4/5

This anthology is SO good! I have loved the characters so much that I would love to read a whole book about each one of them.

Although the stories are short, the world context in each one is very well detailed and explained. All the stories have a touch of urban fantasy where monsters are a social minority.

• The Monster Menagerie ~ MMF, Why Choose, Sharing is caring. Pure smut with some plot that I have LOVED, I have fallen in love with the characters in these few pages. ⭐5 🌶️5/5

• Date with a Dinosaur ~ MF, Enemies to Lovers, Second Chance romance. It's a funny and charming story. ⭐3.5 🌶️2/5

• Lost in the Snow ~ MF, Hurt/Comfort, Forced proximity, Fat rep, soaked→have to undress→cuddle to not die trope. This story is soo cute! ⭐4.25 🌶️2/5

• The Deep Dive ~ MF, Language barrier, 2🍆. Emma is so wild and the smut is so good🤭 ⭐3.75 🌶️3.5/5

• Office Werewolf ~ MF, Mating, Transformed s3x. This story is extremely hot. ⭐4 🌶️4/5

• The Last Dryad ~ MF, Sexy outdoor adventures, Kinda Friends to Lovers. I need everything and more about Ana and Taki. The scene in the forest: 🫠🥵 ⭐5 🌶️2/5
Profile Image for Audrey S.
880 reviews11 followers
September 2, 2023
actual rating: 2.5

I'm kinda bummed I didn't like this one more. I love the first two books in the Trollkin series and was excited to read more from this author, but this anthology didn't work for me. In the contemporary setting, the author used more juvenile words during sex that took me out of the moment, [which totally surprised me cause they were never used in the Trollkin series] and also used very... offputting [for me personally] situations to force the characters together quiockly. This is what you have to do when you're creating a short anthology, but none of the set ups worked for me in particular.

Also, I think the fact that it was very much human zoo with an uwu protagnost who the ostrasized monsters had to comfort their humans love interests by saying "it's okay, it's not you that's making us suffer" - felt very skeevy and felt very in line with putting the comfort of a white woman before the ostrasizede group.

I'm bummed that this one gave me icky vibes in the set ups. The smut was still decent though, minus the odd inclusion of some words. I might continue the Trollkin series, but I don't think this author's contemporary settings are for me.
Profile Image for soleil  .
65 reviews
November 18, 2024
At least I can always depend on a monster fucker book to get me out of a reading slump

Anyway, this will probably make me sound like a freak but I always get a bit disappointed when monster anatomies are too human. I just feel like it's a missed opportunity to get creative. Monster dicks can literally be anything, so it's a bit boring if the only thing that sets them apart is if they're larger or have ridges.

(Okay, fully aware that I sound totally crazy now but idc)

It's probably even weirder that I don't really even read this genre to get hot and bothered. I like it because when it's done well, it usually involves great lore and whatever the opposite of the miscommunication trope is. I mean it's two different species getting together and overlooking their incompatibility. It's inherently angsty and romantic. It's supposed to be full of chemistry because why else would these very dissimilar creatures even consider each other.

Sadly, I found that this anthology didn't have much of that. It mostly just goes straight into smut. Nothing wrong with that, just would've wanted the whole "monster" aspect to be more fleshed out.
Profile Image for Beth’s Book Collection.
379 reviews22 followers
September 19, 2023
All roads lead back to the menagerie.

I really enjoyed how all the stories in some way shape or form link back to the menagerie. It is a little touch that despite these stories all being quite different from each other in many ways, helps tie them all together.

Each of these individual stories are hot with varying levels of spice. You really get an absolute range with these stories, and if you’re in to monster romance there is something for everyone.

Even those there are a series of short stories Lyonne has managed to craft well fitting back stories despite the short word count. Each of these stories also have satisfying ending which I enjoyed, one door closes and then another door opens in a sense.
The stories don’t shy away from themselves, they are simply wholly what they are. Nothing felt awkward or forced

This is a refreshingly short read and packs an absolute punch. I get it if monster romance isn’t your thing, but if it is I 100% recommend you check this out.

I received an ARC copy of this book and can confirm that this is my honest opinion.
Profile Image for Jessica.
412 reviews12 followers
October 20, 2025
Im not sure how allowed or wanted this is, but this is actually my review for her novella:
~~~~~~~~~~The Halloween King~~~~~~~~~~
(It is not able to be on goodreads and I hate not tracking my reading, so this was my solution lol)

I enjoyed this!
Even though it was such a short story, it had enough depth to make it feel like a fully flushed out story.
The characters were deserving of love and I’m happy they found it with each other.
The comic relief throughout was good because I always enjoy that in my stories!
This was a new author to me, however this definitely will not be the last thing I read by her.
Profile Image for Amy Dale.
617 reviews18 followers
August 16, 2023
ARC Review
This anthology contains 6 contemporary romance stories with lots of different monsters. I liked the last 3 stories best about the merman, werewolf and dryad, I think the dryad was my favourite as he was the most romantic and gentlemanly hero in the book and he's vegetarian, it was very spicy too! The hottest story to me was the werewolf one.

Some of the stories have quite a bit of everyday happenings prior to the couple meeting which slowed them a bit for me, but there's all kinds of stories and adventures and surely something for every monster lover!
Profile Image for Yara flores.
711 reviews2 followers
February 23, 2024
-1) diooooos que spicy! Me ha encantado todo pero me he quedado con ganas de saber que pasa!!!
2) sinceramente… está bien, pero me falto un poco más de rabia, que entiendo que ella puso mal el filtro de búsqueda pero me dio rabia igual jajaja
El spice está muy bien
3) me esperaba un poco más al menos en la historia.. Que pasa después? Al menos un poco más, que el spicy tampoco fue bueno
4) me encanta la barrera del lenguaje y el spicy está muy muy bien
5) este es muy cozy y me gustó bastante
6) bueno creo que el más aburrido sin duda
Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews

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