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Augury University #2
Sweet Summer Serpentine
Adeib Ali is a man with the personality of a thorn and the lower-body of a snake. As Head of the Botanical Magic Department, he’s busy. Too busy to be dealing with an amateur medicinal mage who doesn’t meet expectations. Or follow protocols. Or do literally anything by the book, and yet…
Iris Watson is sure of one thing and one thing she has no idea what she’s doing. After a chaotic and successful start to her career, she’s been assigned to complete a research project at Augury University—the same university where her sister works.
Although working at Augury was Iris’ worst nightmare, what really keeps her up at night is her new partner. Adeib might be a constrictor serpentine, but his words spit like venom, breaking down the pieces of Iris’ already fractured sense of self.
Can Iris find the beauty blooming beneath Adeib’s prickly exterior? Will Adeib be able to nurture the new growth Iris finds at Augury?
Iris Watson is sure of one thing and one thing she has no idea what she’s doing. After a chaotic and successful start to her career, she’s been assigned to complete a research project at Augury University—the same university where her sister works.
Although working at Augury was Iris’ worst nightmare, what really keeps her up at night is her new partner. Adeib might be a constrictor serpentine, but his words spit like venom, breaking down the pieces of Iris’ already fractured sense of self.
Can Iris find the beauty blooming beneath Adeib’s prickly exterior? Will Adeib be able to nurture the new growth Iris finds at Augury?
202 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 20, 2024
30 people are currently reading
381 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
June 9, 2024
This was a short and sweet cozy romance with a HUGE age gap. Iris was self-absorbed, chaotic, and fun, but trapped in a role she never wanted to play in her life. Adeib was grumpy, isolated, and utterly devoted to botany. Iris gave back as good as she got from him, and that led to him opening up bit by bit. They fit together surprisingly well.
Spice: 4/5
Triggers: grief, mention of death of parent, mentions of missing siblings, mentions of emotional abuse, toxic parent
Spice: 4/5
Triggers: grief, mention of death of parent, mentions of missing siblings, mentions of emotional abuse, toxic parent
June 24, 2024
“You said I was half naked and begging, is that a position you often think of me in?”
Iris is such a little terror (in the best ways) an accidental cure to cancer makes her a beacon of hope sending her off to Augury University to work with the esteemed Dr. Adeib. Of course he's WAY older than her and a total grump but that forked tongue and tail though *eyebrows eyebrows*. Iris likes to push his buttons and Adeib likes to take care of his beautifully obnoxious research assistant (Iris would like you to know it's research PARTNER though. This story has culture, world building (light and fun), unique animal companions (familiars) like a moss sheep and leopard geckfly, pop culture references, spice and so many laughs. Definitely a fun story I would reread. Serpentine monsters just made the roster. 4.5 stars.
Iris is such a little terror (in the best ways) an accidental cure to cancer makes her a beacon of hope sending her off to Augury University to work with the esteemed Dr. Adeib. Of course he's WAY older than her and a total grump but that forked tongue and tail though *eyebrows eyebrows*. Iris likes to push his buttons and Adeib likes to take care of his beautifully obnoxious research assistant (Iris would like you to know it's research PARTNER though. This story has culture, world building (light and fun), unique animal companions (familiars) like a moss sheep and leopard geckfly, pop culture references, spice and so many laughs. Definitely a fun story I would reread. Serpentine monsters just made the roster. 4.5 stars.
June 7, 2024
Ok so I now find snakes hot lol.
In all seriousness, I love Rose’s monster romances. They’re cozy, spicy, full of heart, and honestly feel like a safe place to visit for a while. I adore them.
This book follows Iris as she is assigned to work on a project with the Head of the Botanical Magic Department, Adeib. These two bicker initially, but the way he immediately became concerned about her not eating?? PLEASE. Food as a love language is my weakness lol. Also the humor in this was so good, I was cackling!!
“Book boyfriend?” “
“It’s like a fictional crush. I’ve got book girlfriends too.”“You have a boyfriend?”
“No. Adeib, just shut the fuck up and trust me.”
“I am going to look it up.”
In all seriousness, I love Rose’s monster romances. They’re cozy, spicy, full of heart, and honestly feel like a safe place to visit for a while. I adore them.
This book follows Iris as she is assigned to work on a project with the Head of the Botanical Magic Department, Adeib. These two bicker initially, but the way he immediately became concerned about her not eating?? PLEASE. Food as a love language is my weakness lol. Also the humor in this was so good, I was cackling!!
“Book boyfriend?” “
“It’s like a fictional crush. I’ve got book girlfriends too.”“You have a boyfriend?”
“No. Adeib, just shut the fuck up and trust me.”
“I am going to look it up.”
February 15, 2025
Things I loved:
* M/F but queer romance
* Grumpy/Sunshine
* ADHD representation
* Forced proximity
* Monsters in a queer normative world
* Tail Play!
Review: Gosh I really do love this world, the way this author writes and the characters. The grumpy sunshine aspect of this book had me kicking my feet and twirling my hair, it made for such good tension. I love that these characters are and feel like adults. They aren’t kids in college they are researches and professors and I feel like it shows. I related alot to Iris and her adhd brain, bless her. Also I completely understood her fear of letting everyone around her down, but I loved that at the end she took accountability for her actions. I enjoyed how Adeib was so professional, so focused on his work and bless him such a dick. But Iris got under his scales *wink* and he found himself wanting to care for her. I loved the way their tension grew and I loved the forced proximity aspect to this (the stuck in the storm part, iykyk). The smut was interesting, the constricting was new and I enjoyed it and the double peen with knotting was something fun to read about! I liked that there was consent and aftercare. Considering these are novella length the author does a pretty good job of including important details even with how fast paced they are. It’s a cozy comforting world full of characters I am loving! Also enjoyed the tail play. I loved their familiars and florp stole my heart, so cute and sassy and funny.
✨
* M/F but queer romance
* Grumpy/Sunshine
* ADHD representation
* Forced proximity
* Monsters in a queer normative world
* Tail Play!
Review: Gosh I really do love this world, the way this author writes and the characters. The grumpy sunshine aspect of this book had me kicking my feet and twirling my hair, it made for such good tension. I love that these characters are and feel like adults. They aren’t kids in college they are researches and professors and I feel like it shows. I related alot to Iris and her adhd brain, bless her. Also I completely understood her fear of letting everyone around her down, but I loved that at the end she took accountability for her actions. I enjoyed how Adeib was so professional, so focused on his work and bless him such a dick. But Iris got under his scales *wink* and he found himself wanting to care for her. I loved the way their tension grew and I loved the forced proximity aspect to this (the stuck in the storm part, iykyk). The smut was interesting, the constricting was new and I enjoyed it and the double peen with knotting was something fun to read about! I liked that there was consent and aftercare. Considering these are novella length the author does a pretty good job of including important details even with how fast paced they are. It’s a cozy comforting world full of characters I am loving! Also enjoyed the tail play. I loved their familiars and florp stole my heart, so cute and sassy and funny.
✨
June 20, 2024
This was a cute and steamy time. Iris is such a fun character!
Very grumpy/sunshine these 2.
It's always the most mundane things that make me swoon too. (Acts of service might be a love language of mine lol) BUT she says she always forgets to pack lunch so old grump over here brings 2 forks the next day and the meal is bigger than before?! Like SWOON
All in all v queer and I will be picking up Indigo and Vega's story very soon.
I was sent an e-arc by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Very grumpy/sunshine these 2.
It's always the most mundane things that make me swoon too. (Acts of service might be a love language of mine lol) BUT she says she always forgets to pack lunch so old grump over here brings 2 forks the next day and the meal is bigger than before?! Like SWOON
All in all v queer and I will be picking up Indigo and Vega's story very soon.
I was sent an e-arc by the author in exchange for an honest review.
December 13, 2025
2.5 Stars rounded down
This was a grumpy x sunshine monster romance. Although it was a short novella, I still had trouble getting through it.
Both main characters were unlikeable to certain degrees. The MMC, Adeib, was incredibly toxic and controlling. The FMC, Iris, was very annoying, immature, and would not take accountability for her actions.
Not only was Iris snarky, but most of the time she was completely inappropriate and unprofessional to peers and higher ups.
This was also my first foray into monster romance, so I would've appreciated some terms being explained...
This was a grumpy x sunshine monster romance. Although it was a short novella, I still had trouble getting through it.
Both main characters were unlikeable to certain degrees. The MMC, Adeib, was incredibly toxic and controlling. The FMC, Iris, was very annoying, immature, and would not take accountability for her actions.
Not only was Iris snarky, but most of the time she was completely inappropriate and unprofessional to peers and higher ups.
This was also my first foray into monster romance, so I would've appreciated some terms being explained...
July 27, 2024
I loved book 1. This one was so bad I'm wondering if I really did like the first one or I convinced myself I did.
June 16, 2024
I devoured this! I loved the world from the first page and found Iris to be very relatable. I have so many highlights of her internal dialogue that I connected with. Then there is her research partner Adeib Ali! Catch me because I am swooning! Iris often forgets to eat and take her multivitamin, Adeib doesn’t like this and takes it upon himself to bring her lunch everyday. We love a man that cooks and the care for her general well being was so sweet. Their banter is 🤌🏻 and I couldn’t stop laughing while reading and then there is the spice. Adeib has quite the snake of his own if you catch my meaning, two peens, frills, a knot. Iris even has the thought that dreams really do come true. All I can say after this is take care of me snake daddy!!! Almost forgot to mention they have two of the most adorable familiars and I love an animal companion.
June 18, 2024
I want to start by saying… first sentence in this story had me hooked and laughing as it was all too relatable.
Aside from that I also want to thank Rose Santoriello for an ARC of this novella. I loved the first book in the Augury University world and couldn’t wait to read this one. I was so happy to see Vega and Indigo once again.
Sweet Summer Serpentine was cute, funny, relatable, fun, and spicy! Though it was a quick read (I could not put it down) there was still so much character growth for the FMC Iris which I really loved to see. I’m a sucker for a grumpy x sunshine couple and they were completely swoon-worthy! A special shout out to Florp I think I need to name my next dog after them!
Thank you again to Rose for the ARC, absolutely loved this one!
Aside from that I also want to thank Rose Santoriello for an ARC of this novella. I loved the first book in the Augury University world and couldn’t wait to read this one. I was so happy to see Vega and Indigo once again.
Sweet Summer Serpentine was cute, funny, relatable, fun, and spicy! Though it was a quick read (I could not put it down) there was still so much character growth for the FMC Iris which I really loved to see. I’m a sucker for a grumpy x sunshine couple and they were completely swoon-worthy! A special shout out to Florp I think I need to name my next dog after them!
Thank you again to Rose for the ARC, absolutely loved this one!
dnf
March 4, 2025DNF @42%
The FMC is getting on my nerves I can’t take it anymore
He asked her to collect different flowers for samples for a experiment, and she puts all the samples in one bag instead of putting them each in their own bag individually and then gets mad when he tells her to go and do it right…
And then she shows up in a crop top and shorts to work where they’re doing experiments and then want to get upset when he tells her that she needs to wear something more appropriate for her safety…. Like girl, you are working with experiments, you need to be covered head to toe
The FMC is getting on my nerves I can’t take it anymore
He asked her to collect different flowers for samples for a experiment, and she puts all the samples in one bag instead of putting them each in their own bag individually and then gets mad when he tells her to go and do it right…
And then she shows up in a crop top and shorts to work where they’re doing experiments and then want to get upset when he tells her that she needs to wear something more appropriate for her safety…. Like girl, you are working with experiments, you need to be covered head to toe
March 5, 2025
4.5 rounded up for the review
This was a really cute book. It follows Iris to a new position where she has to work with (for) a grump, called Adeib, who says he couldn’t care less about her but that quickly changes when she turns his whole world around and he falls tail over scale for her
I want to read more of the series now, from the beginning, because I really enjoyed the world building that was also being slipped into the story
This was a really cute book. It follows Iris to a new position where she has to work with (for) a grump, called Adeib, who says he couldn’t care less about her but that quickly changes when she turns his whole world around and he falls tail over scale for her
I want to read more of the series now, from the beginning, because I really enjoyed the world building that was also being slipped into the story
January 30, 2025
This was a sweet monster romcom set in an interesting world populated with magic and monstrous creatures. I liked the alternating viewpoints, world building, disability representation, queer representation and way that the characters doted on each other. The transitions between scenes even within the same chapters felt choppy leaving me disoriented several times.
February 13, 2025
Continuing on the momentum of book 1 we get two different characters. I love how the author is mixing up pairings in each book. Iris and Adeib were amazing. I loved them and how obsessed they were with each other. Another great story wrapped up in a small package. These little novellas are amazing so far! Each group in this world was so well done and are so unique. This is great for monster loving readers.
December 29, 2025
Stuff your kindle find. I liked this - took a bit to get into the story because there isn't a lot of world building (second book in a series) and the world is... complex. Cute couple, I liked the caretaking and the spice was very spicy. The family pressure/sister story line job situation was actually really interesting.
August 29, 2024
guys they're so cute😭😭
October 25, 2024
Hehehehehehe I love monster romances
June 29, 2024
Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶🌶🌶
I don't know what it is about these books, but they are just sweet and easy. Nothing overly crazy dramatic, and the spice is GREAT without being overly graphic (if that chafs you). I always love the diversity depicted in sexuality and also mental health awareness.
In this book we get a look into Iris's life! She struggles with ADHD and lots of imposter syndrome. I really loved the -plot twist- I didn't see coming about Iris and her previous accolades. Adeib is the perfect grump that Iris gets to crack. Also I mean ...he has two 🍆 !!! 👀👀
I really loved how Adeib opened up to Iris because she asked genuinely about him and his life, it also made me a bit sad because really, has no one asked him such things before?!?! But I guess that's accurate for how unsubstantial and surface level many conversations can be.
Spice: 🌶🌶🌶
I don't know what it is about these books, but they are just sweet and easy. Nothing overly crazy dramatic, and the spice is GREAT without being overly graphic (if that chafs you). I always love the diversity depicted in sexuality and also mental health awareness.
In this book we get a look into Iris's life! She struggles with ADHD and lots of imposter syndrome. I really loved the -plot twist- I didn't see coming about Iris and her previous accolades. Adeib is the perfect grump that Iris gets to crack. Also I mean ...he has two 🍆 !!! 👀👀
I really loved how Adeib opened up to Iris because she asked genuinely about him and his life, it also made me a bit sad because really, has no one asked him such things before?!?! But I guess that's accurate for how unsubstantial and surface level many conversations can be.
December 29, 2024
"I think I'm in love. Not with Adeib, but with his tabbouleh"
⭐⭐⭐.5
Iris takes on a summer research job and has to work with Adeib, a grumpy serpentine who has the personality of a thorn.
This was a sweet book. My notes below:
🐍 He cooks her lunch 🥹
🐍 I love that the year is 6004 but Nintendo has still somehow survived a giant black hole.
🐍 Double the fun AND throw in a knot? I don't blame Iris I couldn't say no either
🐍 Iris is such a menace and I love her.
I loved reading about the relationship blossoming between these two and the spice was 🤌🤌.
I wish it had been longer as the story felt a bit rushed. But I adore the world it's set in and I will be reading the next book as well.
⭐⭐⭐.5
Iris takes on a summer research job and has to work with Adeib, a grumpy serpentine who has the personality of a thorn.
This was a sweet book. My notes below:
🐍 He cooks her lunch 🥹
🐍 I love that the year is 6004 but Nintendo has still somehow survived a giant black hole.
🐍 Double the fun AND throw in a knot? I don't blame Iris I couldn't say no either
🐍 Iris is such a menace and I love her.
I loved reading about the relationship blossoming between these two and the spice was 🤌🤌.
I wish it had been longer as the story felt a bit rushed. But I adore the world it's set in and I will be reading the next book as well.
June 30, 2024
The pacing was okay but there were zero transitions between a scenes; everything was snippets of interactions and it felt incomplete. It’s touted as a grumpy/sassy trope between the mains but is really more two different approaches of rude. I didn’t like either character. A lot of their interactions were quite juvenile. Overall I thought the writing to be amateur so I DNFd at 35% as the technical aspects are not going to change so I’m moving on. But I do think a lot of people will find it quite cute.
June 20, 2024
Adeib… the man (serpentine) that you are…
Book two in this interconnected series DID NOT DISAPPOINT. I was worried about switching to Iris’ pov after book one, because she didn’t read as someone I would want to hear more about. And boyyyy was I wrong.
The banter between Iris and Adeib had me kicking the person in front of me on my plane ride, and also turn my kindle away from the people next to me. Love, love, love!
Another winner 🏆
In all seriousness, this book was fun and flirty and I can’t wait to see more of the lives of other characters mentioned in the world!
#auguryuniversity
Book two in this interconnected series DID NOT DISAPPOINT. I was worried about switching to Iris’ pov after book one, because she didn’t read as someone I would want to hear more about. And boyyyy was I wrong.
The banter between Iris and Adeib had me kicking the person in front of me on my plane ride, and also turn my kindle away from the people next to me. Love, love, love!
Another winner 🏆
In all seriousness, this book was fun and flirty and I can’t wait to see more of the lives of other characters mentioned in the world!
#auguryuniversity
June 11, 2024
“Am I something to you?” I ask, unsure of if I want an answer.
“What do you mean?”
I sigh. “Am I … a girlfriend, a friend? What am I to you?”
“You are whatever you want to be, farfora.”
🥹🥹🥹
A sample of thoughts that went through my mind as I was reading Sweet Summer Serpentine over the last few days: “Omg cute!” “Ugh so sweet” “Awwww” “Hot” “Perfect summer read” “Again, hot”
Which is to say, Rose Santoriello’s latest is both very aptly named and also a great time. IRL, I’m definitely afraid of snakes, but apparently that doesn’t apply to Serpentines, it turns out.
What to expect:
- Multiple appendage MMC
- Plant daddy dom vibes
- Giant age gap
- ADHD rep
- Bisexual main characters!
- Workplace romance
- Low angst
What I liked:
- I don’t know that I’ve read many—if any—other books with a pronunciation guide at the beginning. But I really appreciated it. Especially when you have characters with different cultural backgrounds, it’s so nice to know how to say everyone’s names correctly.
- I loved Iris. I loved that we got to have such a complicated main character.
- What a fun world Santoriello has built! I love the mix of magic with modern technology. It’s my favorite sort of fantasy world.
- Adeib had plant daddy dom vibes and I was into it.
- The familiars are so cute omg I want one!
What didn’t work as well for me:
- I feel like we got too much before the book began. The pronunciation guide and content warnings were thoughtful and inclusive. The glossary was… a lot. Maybe it’s because the ebook starts you before all of that, so it felt like a lot to page through. Maybe it would have been better for the glossary to be at the end of the book. But also I’m unsure we needed the glossary at all. I certainly didn’t need to read it to understand enough, because I felt like the world building is sprinkled into the prose well.
- There were a lot of different plot lines that I didn’t feel fully got their justice. This is bound to happen in a novella. But I feel like some things——could have either been expanded on or cut altogether.
-
Overall, this was such a cute, fun monster romance read perfect for the (northern hemisphere) season ahead. We got good ADHD rep, and I’ll be happy to read more in this series in the future!
Thank you to Rose Santoriello for the eARC. It was a pleasure to read!!
June 13, 2024
Sweet Summer Serpentine
RELEASE DATE: 20th June 2024
━━ † ━━
⭐️ overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📚 plot intensity: 📚📚📚
🔥 burn: 🔥🔥🔥
💋 spice: 💋💋💋
🍬 sweetness: 🍬🍬
🩵 the feels: 🩵🩵🩵
🤣 humour: 🤣🤣
🍆 peen uniqueness: 🍆🍆🍆🍆
👤 POV: 1st person — dual POV
━━ † ━━
‘Sweet Summer Serpentine’ was another delightful addition to the world of Augury University! This time with the addition of a grumpy serpentine and a sunshine of an elfling with undiagnosed ADHD and major anxiety—a match made in heaven, really! haha
This book can be read as a standalone, but I would recommend reading the previous novels to get the best out of the characters and storyline.
Adeib and Iris make a wonderful pair and I adored how their strengths and weaknesses only make them stronger together in the end, even through a few pit falls along the way. Adeib is so caring of her, despite his instinct to keep his walls closed and heart protected (and shows that love with making her food and taking care of her) and Iris hit home with me (as someone who also struggles with ADHD, crippling anxiety and imposter syndrome) where I wanted to just reach into the book to give her a hug. Her chaos is somewhat controlled by his sense of structure and it was a perfect pairing. Even their ADORABLE familiars are so cute together!
The story was a mixture of cozy, sweet, spicy and relatable. The writing flowed lovely, like it always does with Rose’s work and moved at a steady, but not overly rushed, pace. I also loved the cameos of some familiar characters from the previous books in the series as well as some new and playful new characters. As always, the queer inclusion in this book was BEAUTIFUL.
There is some spice in this book and to add on to it, the MMC also has some unique monster anatomy (two peens with some interesting features!) which I LOVED. The spice was spicy and loving at the same time—even if some of the time it was also filthy, just like I love it!
If you’re looking for a cozy and spicy read that features some; age gap romance, grumpy/sunshine, ADHD & anxiety representation and unique monster peen all wrapped up with a lovely romance and plot then I would highly recommend ‘Sweet Summer Serpentine’. 5/5 stars!!
━━ † ━━
❗️I received this ARC via sign up and every part of this review is written willingly and genuinely with my own personal feelings/thoughts and is under no conditions or obligations❗️
RELEASE DATE: 20th June 2024
━━ † ━━
⭐️ overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📚 plot intensity: 📚📚📚
🔥 burn: 🔥🔥🔥
💋 spice: 💋💋💋
🍬 sweetness: 🍬🍬
🩵 the feels: 🩵🩵🩵
🤣 humour: 🤣🤣
🍆 peen uniqueness: 🍆🍆🍆🍆
👤 POV: 1st person — dual POV
━━ † ━━
‘Sweet Summer Serpentine’ was another delightful addition to the world of Augury University! This time with the addition of a grumpy serpentine and a sunshine of an elfling with undiagnosed ADHD and major anxiety—a match made in heaven, really! haha
This book can be read as a standalone, but I would recommend reading the previous novels to get the best out of the characters and storyline.
Adeib and Iris make a wonderful pair and I adored how their strengths and weaknesses only make them stronger together in the end, even through a few pit falls along the way. Adeib is so caring of her, despite his instinct to keep his walls closed and heart protected (and shows that love with making her food and taking care of her) and Iris hit home with me (as someone who also struggles with ADHD, crippling anxiety and imposter syndrome) where I wanted to just reach into the book to give her a hug. Her chaos is somewhat controlled by his sense of structure and it was a perfect pairing. Even their ADORABLE familiars are so cute together!
The story was a mixture of cozy, sweet, spicy and relatable. The writing flowed lovely, like it always does with Rose’s work and moved at a steady, but not overly rushed, pace. I also loved the cameos of some familiar characters from the previous books in the series as well as some new and playful new characters. As always, the queer inclusion in this book was BEAUTIFUL.
There is some spice in this book and to add on to it, the MMC also has some unique monster anatomy (two peens with some interesting features!) which I LOVED. The spice was spicy and loving at the same time—even if some of the time it was also filthy, just like I love it!
If you’re looking for a cozy and spicy read that features some; age gap romance, grumpy/sunshine, ADHD & anxiety representation and unique monster peen all wrapped up with a lovely romance and plot then I would highly recommend ‘Sweet Summer Serpentine’. 5/5 stars!!
━━ † ━━
❗️I received this ARC via sign up and every part of this review is written willingly and genuinely with my own personal feelings/thoughts and is under no conditions or obligations❗️
May 14, 2025
This was a short and sweet, cozy monster romance that I enjoyed reading. It was giving protective grump x chaos demon and I was so here for it the whole time.
We follow the story of Iris Watson, a girl who's way in over her head after accidentally discovering a potential cure to cancer through messing around with some potions. Now she's gotten herself a nice fancy job and an assignment at a prestigious university where she's to work with Dr. Adeib Ali, an established researcher in his field. Of course as soon as they start working together, they're butting heads and not getting along whatsoever - but there's also some tension underneath the surface...
I think that this book was really well done. The worldbuilding was detailed and informative, but given to us throughout the book without info dumping. The characters were fun, the banter was great, and I was rooting for Iris and Adeib the whole time. I was drawn to this book when I saw that the MMC was a man of color, cause I really do think that there needs to be more diversity in romance - and this book absolutely delivered on that front. The representation was well done and respectful.
While the book gave us the whimsy that comes with a cozy monster romance, it also delivered on more serious topics like grief, imposter syndrome, and so on.
The tension between these two protagonists was *chefs kiss*. Some of the lines absolutely sent me. And I loved Adeib as an MMC- he was a great combo of grumpy and savage. (When I saw "ya hayati in there??? omg -- and when I saw that he also speaks Farsi??? i basically ascended into another plane thank you)
I would've loved to see this book as a full-length novel and to have things fleshed out a little more, as I thought that the pacing went by rather quickly. The plot and conflict (both external and internal) was solid enough for it to be fleshed out into a longer piece. Other than that, I think that this was a fun read that I would recommend to folks looking for something in this genre.
We follow the story of Iris Watson, a girl who's way in over her head after accidentally discovering a potential cure to cancer through messing around with some potions. Now she's gotten herself a nice fancy job and an assignment at a prestigious university where she's to work with Dr. Adeib Ali, an established researcher in his field. Of course as soon as they start working together, they're butting heads and not getting along whatsoever - but there's also some tension underneath the surface...
I think that this book was really well done. The worldbuilding was detailed and informative, but given to us throughout the book without info dumping. The characters were fun, the banter was great, and I was rooting for Iris and Adeib the whole time. I was drawn to this book when I saw that the MMC was a man of color, cause I really do think that there needs to be more diversity in romance - and this book absolutely delivered on that front. The representation was well done and respectful.
While the book gave us the whimsy that comes with a cozy monster romance, it also delivered on more serious topics like grief, imposter syndrome, and so on.
The tension between these two protagonists was *chefs kiss*. Some of the lines absolutely sent me. And I loved Adeib as an MMC- he was a great combo of grumpy and savage. (When I saw "ya hayati in there??? omg -- and when I saw that he also speaks Farsi??? i basically ascended into another plane thank you)
I would've loved to see this book as a full-length novel and to have things fleshed out a little more, as I thought that the pacing went by rather quickly. The plot and conflict (both external and internal) was solid enough for it to be fleshed out into a longer piece. Other than that, I think that this was a fun read that I would recommend to folks looking for something in this genre.
June 21, 2024
📖 - 202 pages (Novella)
Format - ARC Ebook
Publication date - June 20, 2024
2.0 🌶️ on the spice scale.
Genre: Monster Romance
POV: Duel but mostly Iris' POV
Ending: HEA
Book 2 of 2 Augury University
Review - Grumpy/Sunshine, Age-gap, insta-lust Monster romance with massive ADHD rep.
We follow Iris as she's people pleased her way into a massive lie and somehow landing a job at a pharmaceutical company asking her to help make magical cure for cancer based on her amazing research, only she has zero experience and the research was really a joke gone...well right? How can she let down her Mother, family and job by telling them she has no idea what she's doing? Her ADHD struggles are super relatable and watching Adeib slowly let his guard down and begin to take care of her in such simple and easy wasy was so sweet. The fight with her Sister Indigo was very emotional so if you have a past of familial trauma especially with competition between siblings and hard to please parents it might be a bit rough towards the end, but it all comes together In a very sweet ending.
TW/CW - family trauma, guilt, possible manic episodes, sexual content, injury on page (minor), loss of a family member (off page), alcohol over consumption, exhibitionism, knotting, fancy equipment 🍆
My Spice Rating - 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
1 🌶️- May include hands, more kissing, "fade to black" scenes. No open door spice.
2 🌶️🌶️ - Spice happens, but it isn't often. May include open door scenes but they're infrequent or rare.
3 🌶️🌶️🌶️ - Spice happens more often and it is more detailed, Spice is part of the plot, or the book is 50/50 spice to plot.
4 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ - More spice than plot, may contain kinky themes.
5 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ - Absolute smut. Very little plot, sex heavy. The spicy scenes are very explicit, may contain triggering or dangerous themes, Dark romances and erotica.
You can find more of my reviews on all social platforms under the username ThisCryptidReads.
Format - ARC Ebook
Publication date - June 20, 2024
2.0 🌶️ on the spice scale.
Genre: Monster Romance
POV: Duel but mostly Iris' POV
Ending: HEA
Book 2 of 2 Augury University
Review - Grumpy/Sunshine, Age-gap, insta-lust Monster romance with massive ADHD rep.
We follow Iris as she's people pleased her way into a massive lie and somehow landing a job at a pharmaceutical company asking her to help make magical cure for cancer based on her amazing research, only she has zero experience and the research was really a joke gone...well right? How can she let down her Mother, family and job by telling them she has no idea what she's doing? Her ADHD struggles are super relatable and watching Adeib slowly let his guard down and begin to take care of her in such simple and easy wasy was so sweet. The fight with her Sister Indigo was very emotional so if you have a past of familial trauma especially with competition between siblings and hard to please parents it might be a bit rough towards the end, but it all comes together In a very sweet ending.
TW/CW - family trauma, guilt, possible manic episodes, sexual content, injury on page (minor), loss of a family member (off page), alcohol over consumption, exhibitionism, knotting, fancy equipment 🍆
My Spice Rating - 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
1 🌶️- May include hands, more kissing, "fade to black" scenes. No open door spice.
2 🌶️🌶️ - Spice happens, but it isn't often. May include open door scenes but they're infrequent or rare.
3 🌶️🌶️🌶️ - Spice happens more often and it is more detailed, Spice is part of the plot, or the book is 50/50 spice to plot.
4 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ - More spice than plot, may contain kinky themes.
5 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ - Absolute smut. Very little plot, sex heavy. The spicy scenes are very explicit, may contain triggering or dangerous themes, Dark romances and erotica.
You can find more of my reviews on all social platforms under the username ThisCryptidReads.
June 21, 2024
FMC: Iris
MMC(s): Adeib
Tropes: Grumpy/Sassy Sunshine, Cooking as a love language, professor x researcher, lots of banter, Spicy Library Times, Constriction as a kink. Tail play
> Reviewer add: She Has a Secret
Perspective: Dual, First
Plot or character driven: Mostly character
Spicy scenes breakdown:
> Present? Yes
> Detailed? Yes
> With only one character? Yes
> Multiple, with both/multiple characters? Yes
> Personal favorite? The tail play.
> State of the joystick? Two, one has a knot. Red, with texture and dextrous fins, and in a pocket.
> Anything else to note? I highlighted the passage describing his package. Yeah, that’s where we’re at.
Burn speed: Medium
Can this be read as a stand-alone: Yes.
Re-Readability: High, this was a short, light read.
Monster level: 3
Content Notes: (These are neither tropes nor warnings.) Queer, Middle Eastern MMC, ADHD Rep
Content/Trigger Warnings/Enticements: In beginning of book.
I received an advanced reader copy of this book, and this is my voluntary, honest review.
“You said I was half naked and begging, is that a position you often think of me in?”
Iris gets recruited to Augury University to work with Adeib, who insists she’s his assistant, she insists otherwise. Sparks fly.
This was a short, easy read. There is some lead up to their sex, and I wish there was more tension proceeding it, but that’s a personal preference. I really enjoyed their banter, and I really liked the characters and how they approached things that were going on, as well as each other. And the spice was spicin’.
This was a new to me author, and I’m so glad I got a chance to read this. Thank you Rose Santoriello for a chance to ARC this!
MMC(s): Adeib
Tropes: Grumpy/Sassy Sunshine, Cooking as a love language, professor x researcher, lots of banter, Spicy Library Times, Constriction as a kink. Tail play
> Reviewer add: She Has a Secret
Perspective: Dual, First
Plot or character driven: Mostly character
Spicy scenes breakdown:
> Present? Yes
> Detailed? Yes
> With only one character? Yes
> Multiple, with both/multiple characters? Yes
> Personal favorite? The tail play.
> State of the joystick? Two, one has a knot. Red, with texture and dextrous fins, and in a pocket.
> Anything else to note? I highlighted the passage describing his package. Yeah, that’s where we’re at.
Burn speed: Medium
Can this be read as a stand-alone: Yes.
Re-Readability: High, this was a short, light read.
Monster level: 3
Content Notes: (These are neither tropes nor warnings.) Queer, Middle Eastern MMC, ADHD Rep
Content/Trigger Warnings/Enticements: In beginning of book.
I received an advanced reader copy of this book, and this is my voluntary, honest review.
“You said I was half naked and begging, is that a position you often think of me in?”
Iris gets recruited to Augury University to work with Adeib, who insists she’s his assistant, she insists otherwise. Sparks fly.
This was a short, easy read. There is some lead up to their sex, and I wish there was more tension proceeding it, but that’s a personal preference. I really enjoyed their banter, and I really liked the characters and how they approached things that were going on, as well as each other. And the spice was spicin’.
This was a new to me author, and I’m so glad I got a chance to read this. Thank you Rose Santoriello for a chance to ARC this!
June 11, 2024
3.5/5 stars
Thank you to Rose Santoriello for the ARC!
Sweet Summer Serpentine is a monster romance between Adeib, a grumpy naga botany professor, and Iris, an elfborn with ADHD and a serious case of impostor syndrome (except she actually is an impostor).
Now, I truly wish this had been longer, both in a good and a bad way. It’s only a 150-ish pages (digital), but there was so much happening between the characters and nothing felt like it got the time that it deserved.
The ADHD rep in this story is excellent. It's a central part of the elfborn’s character, and Santoriello does a great job at portraying it.
I thought the characters had so much potential and there were so many hints at interesting quirks, but ultimately nothing came of it. I also didn’t feel like there was enough to get emotionally connected to the characters.
The main issue for me was the jealousy. I don’t mind a possessive character, especially in a spicy romance, but there were several times where it bordered on toxic jealousy and I was not comfortable reading about it.
CW: ADHD struggles; jealousy; grief; sexual content
Thank you to Rose Santoriello for the ARC!
Sweet Summer Serpentine is a monster romance between Adeib, a grumpy naga botany professor, and Iris, an elfborn with ADHD and a serious case of impostor syndrome (except she actually is an impostor).
Now, I truly wish this had been longer, both in a good and a bad way. It’s only a 150-ish pages (digital), but there was so much happening between the characters and nothing felt like it got the time that it deserved.
The ADHD rep in this story is excellent. It's a central part of the elfborn’s character, and Santoriello does a great job at portraying it.
I thought the characters had so much potential and there were so many hints at interesting quirks, but ultimately nothing came of it. I also didn’t feel like there was enough to get emotionally connected to the characters.
The main issue for me was the jealousy. I don’t mind a possessive character, especially in a spicy romance, but there were several times where it bordered on toxic jealousy and I was not comfortable reading about it.
CW: ADHD struggles; jealousy; grief; sexual content
June 20, 2024
This was a grumpy character done right! Adeib was usually cranky and very strait laced but when it came to Iris, he really melted. Making her lunches, designing her lab coat, taking care of her while she was sick or hurt, it was all so adorable and really endeared me to him. And when he finally lost control and pounced on Iris, the spice was perfect and well built up. I’m glad we got to see Iris and her sister Indigo hash it out more, and Iris finally dealing with all the stuff in her life. It was like she was growing up and realizing who she really wanted to be, which was great to see since it isn’t always an easy road.
Overall, the story was fast paced but in a good way. Even though it was a quick read, it didn’t feel that way. The relationship build up, the spice and the plot were all so interesting and I love the magic system in this universe. The familiars were so cute and I love their connections to the main characters. I have no complaints! Highly recommend reading the first book before this one!
Overall, the story was fast paced but in a good way. Even though it was a quick read, it didn’t feel that way. The relationship build up, the spice and the plot were all so interesting and I love the magic system in this universe. The familiars were so cute and I love their connections to the main characters. I have no complaints! Highly recommend reading the first book before this one!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 21, 2024
4.5 Stars
Sweet Summer Serpentine is the second in an interconnected series, which can be read as standalones. After accidentally creating a potion that can cure cancer, Iris feels like an imposter. She is thrust into a role she doesn’t feel capable of doing. Joining a research project she finds herself working alongside botanist Adeib. With the lower body of a snake, Adeib is known for his frosty personality across the University.
Iris’s struggles with her undiagnosed ADHD forms a large part of her personality, and as an Own Voices book, this was written so incredibly well on Rose’s part.
Rose also knows her characters inside out, giving Adeib a subplot involving his home planet and this missing sister. Unfortunately, as a novella, we couldn’t dive too much into the subplot, which intrigued me. Overall though, the worldbuilding was handled very well in such few pages, and I really felt like I knew enough to not question anything! I am picking up Hook-Up to Holidate immediately.
Sweet Summer Serpentine is the second in an interconnected series, which can be read as standalones. After accidentally creating a potion that can cure cancer, Iris feels like an imposter. She is thrust into a role she doesn’t feel capable of doing. Joining a research project she finds herself working alongside botanist Adeib. With the lower body of a snake, Adeib is known for his frosty personality across the University.
Iris’s struggles with her undiagnosed ADHD forms a large part of her personality, and as an Own Voices book, this was written so incredibly well on Rose’s part.
Rose also knows her characters inside out, giving Adeib a subplot involving his home planet and this missing sister. Unfortunately, as a novella, we couldn’t dive too much into the subplot, which intrigued me. Overall though, the worldbuilding was handled very well in such few pages, and I really felt like I knew enough to not question anything! I am picking up Hook-Up to Holidate immediately.
June 30, 2024
Welcome back to Augury University!
The second novel continues with Iris, Indigo’s sister and overnight potions sensation, and Adeib, her research partner at Augury U. Iris is a whole lot of chaos (ADHD! *waves*) and sass which (IMO) she uses to deflect others and protect herself, hiding a major secret that would blow up her life if it got out. And then there’s Dr. Adeib Ali, the hot grumpy serpentine that “puts up” with her… although neither can deny the insane attraction between the two of them.
There were moments where I wanted to *scream* at Iris for her childish actions but the spice DEFINITELY made up for it! Be ready for massive age gap (he’s ancient and she’s in her 20s), constriction, knotting, and tail play.
Also, we get to see the turbulent but overall sweet relationship between Iris and Indigo which I’ve been waiting for!
The second novel continues with Iris, Indigo’s sister and overnight potions sensation, and Adeib, her research partner at Augury U. Iris is a whole lot of chaos (ADHD! *waves*) and sass which (IMO) she uses to deflect others and protect herself, hiding a major secret that would blow up her life if it got out. And then there’s Dr. Adeib Ali, the hot grumpy serpentine that “puts up” with her… although neither can deny the insane attraction between the two of them.
There were moments where I wanted to *scream* at Iris for her childish actions but the spice DEFINITELY made up for it! Be ready for massive age gap (he’s ancient and she’s in her 20s), constriction, knotting, and tail play.
Also, we get to see the turbulent but overall sweet relationship between Iris and Indigo which I’ve been waiting for!
June 14, 2024
Arc Review: I really enjoyed my time with this book. Going in I already knew that I have a thing for serpent men, but I was actually more pleasantly surprised by how much I clicked with the FMC. Like her I suffer with ADHD and can be rather impulsive. I also grew up in a family where I was always pushed to be more. Be the one who didn't mess up. The perfect child ( I'm the oldest child so). I related to her sense of dread and the pressure you can feel from parents overbearing expectations. The spicy scenes were a nice touch but I felt like I moreso enjoyed the interactions and the dynamic of the 2 leads. Also Florp had me laughing so hard, where can I find one for myself? Haha. Overall it was a fun, short read and I enjoyed myself!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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