The Kraken Games

Motham City Monsters #5

by Lilith Stone

She’s about to get tangled in tentacles!
Luna has lived on her wits in the Motham marshes since her sea-faring family were lost at sea after a kraken attack.
Now she’s hatched a plan to force the elusive Kraken clan to tell her what really happened to her parents and baby brother.
And it all rests on her winning the Kraken Games this year.
Kai didn’t expect to be chosen to compete in the games. Disabled as a youngling after an explosion damaged two of his tentacles, the kraken elders have decided the games need a new look and Kai has what it takes. After years of hoping to compete, Kai is determined nothing will stop him winning the games this year.
And certainly not a pint-sized human with a mighty grudge against kraken… even if something about her pulls wildly on his heart strings.
As for Luna, the last thing she needs is to find herself attracted to a kraken, least of all the one she’s determined to bring down…
Find out if love conquers hate in this steamy, sweet monster romance, book 5 in Motham City Monsters. It is designed for mature readers.

Genres: Monster Romance, Romance, Monsters, Fantasy, Enemies To Lovers, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

292 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 28, 2024

About the author

Lilith Stone spent her childhood checking for monsters under the bed. Now she writes sweet and steamy romances for grown-ups who’d prefer a monster in their bed than under it.
She suffers from an over-active imagination which means she’s constantly anxious unless making up stories in her head. She wrote and illustrated her first gothic novel at age 12 and hasn’t really stopped since.
English by birth, she now lives in Australia and keeps out of the sea where there are too many real life monsters.

Reviews

[Kate V · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars!

The Kraken Games is the next installment in the Motham City Monsters series and features Kai and Luna. Both Kai and Luna have trauma from their past and use the Kraken games for their own personal ends. Luna for answers and Kai for confidence. But these two go head to head in and out of the bedroom.

Quite honestly in my personal opinion, Luna was awful. I know she had something horrible happen to her but she was just such a closed off and cruel heroine. Some of the things she said to Kai just bothered me immensely. I don’t think she deserved Kai and I didn’t find her redeemable in the least.

Kai was such a sweet hero that needed a bit more backbone. I really loved him but I hate that he was fated to someone that judged him and his kind hardcore before getting real answers. I love my heroes more dominant and he just fell flat in regard to that. I wasn’t sure how Luna and Kai really got from point A to point B in terms of hate to love and I didn’t feel it either. Maybe that’s partly due to my dislike of Luna but they just didn’t match right for me.

Anyway, I liked this alright but I have enjoyed the other stories in this series much better. Overall, a steamy enemies-to-lovers monster romance that had suspense, angst and a HEA.

ARC provided for an honest review.

[my_throne_of_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have absolutely loved this series so far and this one did not disappoint. So far this series has had a minotaur, gargoyle, orc, dragon and now a kraken.
Luna's story is not quite what I expected but that's what made it so good. She is competing in the kraken games as a human. When she was little something happened to her parents and little brother and she is determent to find out what. So she needs to win the games. What she didn't expect was Kai the competitor of the krakens this year. They are know for winning their own games and never has a human entered. Meeting each other changes things as they feel a traction.
It was really intriguing to see them both interact as they both knew what was at risk with Luna wanting the truth and Kai's need to make make his family proud.
If you are looking for a cute and steamy monster romance this one is for you! All books in this series can be read as stand alone.
Thanks to Lilith Stone for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Lora · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been the best one yet of this series. I LOVED Kai and Luna's story. Guh... there was a part in here that even had me tearing up a bit. How I would love to live in Merinda... making jewelry out of pearls and spreading the make love not war attitude. Although I always appreciate and enjoy the spice in these stories the plot outside of that in this one really sucked me in.


I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you Lilith Stone!

[Miriam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every year in Motham City they hold The Kraken Games, a fighting tournament that anyone can enter. The Krakens ALWAYS win, but what will happen when a human woman enters the games?

I’m always so excited when a new Motham City book comes out, and I couldn’t wait to learn more about the kraken since we haven’t seen much about them in the previous books.

This story was so full of emotion and growth! Both characters have reasons to hate each other, and I loved watching them work through their biases and grow as people. The spice was excellent as always (tentacle play, anyone?), but the emotional build made it even better.

This is definitely one of my new favorites!!

Read this if you like:
✨Enemies to Lovers
✨Tentacle Play
✨Chronic Pain Rep
✨He Falls First
✨Badass FMC

Thank you so much to Lilith and Book Sirens for letting me read this for an honest review 🩵

[Kims.reading.nook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book by Lilith Stone! I enjoyed the idea of the Kraken games and it was fun to see this new perspective of the Motham story explored. I really enjoyed Kai's character, and appreciated his motives and decisions. Luna was an interesting character too, a human raised in poverty in Motham itself, but I was hoping for just a little bit more from her. Ultimately, another fun and spicy monster x human romance & I'll happily read the next book on publication!

[Elizabeth DeSalvo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I deeply enjoyed Luna's journey throughout this book. My heart hurt every time she had to recount her side of the kraken attack when she was little. Oh and the tentacle play was fantastic, great spice had me fanning myself. Absolutley love Stone's monster romances.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great enemies to lovers story. I really liked both characters. The ending felt a bit over done, but all in all it was a good journey.

[Claire Louisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have really been enjoying the Motham City Monsters series. While The Kraken Games wasn't my favourite in the series it was still enjoyable and added another bit of the monster history to the picture of this great world Lilith Stone has created.

[Gleeful Goblin Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gleeful Goblin Review: This was such a unique story I couldn't put it down! There are elements of mystery and intrigue in our FMC's background that drive her to enter into the Kraken Games and that in equal measure push her away from our MMC, Kai. Both of them are extremely driven people, focused on winning the Games but for dramatically different reasons of course. They're also both flummoxed by their instantaneous and strong attraction to each other from their first chance meeting and that tension only builds as the story goes on. I loved Luna especially because she's dedicated to her goal of winning the games and getting closure on a big personal trauma and she's SO SURE that love just isn't for her that seeing it creep up on her throughout the story is just infinitely satisfying. I also absolutely adore how Kai describes Luna after their first real meeting before the Games: "But this year, as The Chosen, he had to keep it firmly inside his pants. So why was he even thinking about her, and why had he been so cut at seeing her embracing that big orc? He should have paid more attention to Marrick. The orc could well compete again, even though word was he didn’t intend to. But instead, Kai’s attention had been drawn to that petite human. She was slender, muscular in build, like she worked out—a lot. Her features were foxy, almost sharp, the wily intelligence of her pointed face accentuated by her blonde bob. Her eyes were large, but wary. The color of a harvest moon. There was nothing particularly special about her. She certainly wasn’t trying to charm, that was for sure. And yet, she exuded some kind of sèxual energy, a scent, something… so different from any other female he’d met. There was a fierce independence about her. She reminded him of a sea urchin on the outside, but inside… Kai sensed vulnerability, suffering. Maybe he recognized them as the same qualities that lay in him." I feel like that bit right there sums up both of these two stubborn and loveable knuckleheads perfectly and seeing their journey to connect with each other was delicious. 5/5 Stars

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of all the previous titles in the Motham City Monsters series, I was not expecting this fifth book to be so steamy! This is definitely the spiciest romance in the series, and with a kraken as the main character, it's easy to see why.

There was so much more to this story than just a monster romance, and I thought Stone did a wonderful job at balancing Luna and Kai's backstories with their present circumstances and their romantic plot. There was plenty of actual substance in this story; it was far from just spice for spice's sake.

I loved how complex both Luna and Kai were. Luna was seeking answers and retribution from the kraken; Kai, likewise, had his reasons to be distrustful of humans. They were natural enemies with different endgames, but their chemistry sizzled on the page from their very first interaction. I enjoyed their journey before, during, and after the Kraken Games tournament, and truly loved how their lives came together. After spending fifteen years searching, both Kai and Luna were able to find the answers they needed as well as their happily ever after.

Obviously, with Kai's tentacles involved, this was a spicy read. Stone didn't hold back, and this book ended up being a lot faster of a burn than the previous books in this series. I thought the spicy scenes between Luna and Kai were well done; even with tentacles involved, there was too much character development for these scenes to ever come across as over-the-top fan service.

With lots of character development, The Kraken Games turned out to be one of my favorite romances from the Motham City Monsters series so far. Stone really expanded on her plot and spice, and it made for a fun and meaningful read.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Kraken Games is book 5 in Lilith Stone’s fabulous paranormal romance series Motham City Monsters and while it wasn't my favourite in the series, it was an enjoyable read.

Luna is a young human whose parents were killed by a group of Kraken when she was just 8 years old, and her brother seemingly kidnapped by them. She is in search of answers as to where her brother was taken, and why her parents were killed.

Kai is a young Kraken who was injured as a child when humans bombed his school, killing some of his friends. He has overcome his injuries in an effort to become the next champion of the Kraken games.

While overall I enjoyed Luna and Kai's story, as I stated at the beginning of this review, it was not my favourite of this series. Mostly I could not connect with Luna. I realize that a lot of her personality was formed from the traumas she experienced as a child, but I found her cold, calculating, and manipulative throughout most of the book. It made it really hard to root for her. It wasn't until after the games that I felt she softened and became more likeable, which made the rest of the story more enjoyable for me.

As usual, the author does a great job of world building, and expanding even more on the history of Motham and the relationships between humans and monsters. I really do love this world and even though I didn't enjoy it as much as the other novels in the series, it was still a good read.

As with the other novels, this may be read as a standalone novel, but you will understand more of the relationships between the various groups of monsters and humans if you have read the previous books first.

I would recommend this to other lovers of paranormal romance and will be looking to read further books in the series.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

MFC Luna is the first human and a female to enter the Kraken games an event that has kept the treaty between the species in place for the past twenty years.

Before that time the hostilities were fierce between them and the Krakens in fear of an attack on their underwater city of Thedaka had acquiesced to the annual display of strength amongst them and the Motham City residents to keep the peace.

Kraken MMC Kai will be representing his people for the first time in the competition after being selected by his Kraken elders, despite the injuries he received as a child during those times.

Luna’s parents and baby brother at been lost at sea as a child with her as the only survivor and she is determined to win the games, and with this as leverage force the Krakens into revealing what happened to her family.

This was such an engaging fifth book in the series and pulls the reader into an imaginatively created world as Luna and Kai discover an attraction and passion for each other that becomes overshadowed by Luna’s bitterness towards the Kraken, and Kai’s duty to his people.

Well written, with emotion, steam, sweetness, family, drama, and revelations, interlaced through the pages of a story which consistently holds the reader entranced.

I enjoyed this newest release to the fullest as what may seem to be impossible odds for this couple morphs into an entertaining read that has me looking forward to future stories set within the Motham City universe. HEA

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Tara | Mangoes and Mayhem · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 rounded up

I’ve read the first two books in this series and couldn’t resist this one… because tentacles!
One of my favorite things about this series is the world-building; the backdrop of a monster city filled with a wide variety of monsters in conflict with the surrounding human cities. I enjoyed learning more about the kraken, their society (the positive and the negative), and their place at the fringe of monster society.

Kraken Kai was my favorite part of the story. He is a humble sweetheart, and I loved his backstory about working with his disability and achieving the great honor of being the kraken competitor in the Kraken Games. I LOVED his physiology. Every author interprets tentacles differently, and this one was fabulous with full-kraken mode, half-shift, and humanoid.

Luna was not my favorite character, but I could empathize with her tragic backstory and kept turning pages to find out what had happened to her family.

I was happy with where the story ended up, but certain elements felt like they happened too quickly, and I wish the shift from “no no no” to “you’re right” could have been more gradual. Also, multiple aspects of the story challenged my ability to suspend disbelief.

Overall, this was a fun addition to the Motham City Monsters universe, and I hope we get to see more Mer in future books.

~Special thanks to Lilith Stone and Book Sirens for an ARC in exchange for an honest review~

[Have you seen Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Kraken Games is another fantastic addition to the Motham City Monsters series. I love that each book in this series shows us a completely different side of Motham city, while still providing a similar and interconnected vibe throughout. I always enjoy seeing mentions of past characters and with each new story we find out the links between them.

Lilith always creates strong and complex characters that bring the story to life.
It did take me a while to warm up to Luna as the FMC because of some of her behavior towards the other characters but that just meant that I had to work a bit harder to understand her point of view. Sometimes as a reader it's good to be challenged in this way. Luna has definitely been through enough hardships in her life to warrant a hardened exterior but I appreciated her growth and willingness to change as we went through the story.
Kai is a sweet thing who wears his hearts on his sleeve. Having endured his own share of difficulties, he just wants to fit in and be accepted for who he is. I liked that Kai was willing to demand answers from Luna and call her out at times, but he was also gentle and understanding when it was needed.
I was a bit concerned about how we were going to make it to a HEA, but turns out I had no reason to worry. Kai and Luna's story is a character driven monster romance about trauma healing and the importance of family in all forms.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kai is swimming up from the deep of Motham Bay. He is enjoying the energy of both his kraken and human halves. He's on his way to meet with his grandfather. On his way he meets up with his oldest friend, Torqua, the leader of the dolphin school. When he gets to his grandfather he's told he will compete in the kraken games. After his meeting he heads to the surface but spies what he thinks is his friend but discovers it's a female, human. There is a pull towards her but he will stay tethered to the water and seek her after his uncle calls him to train in the city.

Luna is practicing with the orc winner from last year. She is entered into the games… a small female human. She wants to win so she can renounce the title and money and get information on the deaths of her parents. Kai makes it to the city and starts training with his uncle. He meets her on his first day out. The next night they spend together. Then he finds out she's competing. How will he be with her as competition? Will the two figure out what they are to each other? Who will win the games?

A fascinating tale of krakens and humans and other paranormals.

[Booklover83 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The whole Motham City Monsters series has its hooks in me. When I started The Kraken Games I thought this was going to be the one that didn’t really interest me but I’m glad I kept going because I was wrong. Luna, is headstrong, extremely closed off, determined, and has one goal in life, to find out what happened on the night she lost her family fifteen years ago. Kai was an interesting character as well who had overcome his own hardships, but ended up being such a sweet, compassionate, and strong male lead. The whole back story with Luna’s family was so devastating and took almost the whole book to discover the full story, it really kept me engaged.

There were so many times throughout this book where I was just so disappointed with Luna and how she treated Kia and her hatred for a whole race. I could fully understand where her feelings came from but I just didn’t like it, in the end though she definitely grew as a person and turned her perspective around.

All in all I enjoyed Kia and Luna’s story and I hope Lilith Stone continues this series. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always eager to return to Motham City and this latest installment didn't disappoint! Enemies to lovers Kai the Kraken and Luna the Human, are both searching for something to heal traumatic pasts. Will competing in The Kraken Games bring the answers and fulfillment they both need?

What I really like about Lilith's series is the lore and world building. It's rich and well interwovern and just makes me go a bit nerdy to know more. The spice is always hot and fun and with a new species represented every book it always feels fresh and interesting, love all the 'extras' we get. Tenticle play was great and lived up to the hype. You can't help but route for Lilith's characters and I'm always left beaming and satisfied. Already excited for our next monster and the traditions and perspective they'll add to Motham City.

Thanks to Book Sirens and Lilith Stone for the free arc all thoughts are my own and left voluntarily.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lilith Stone is very good at writing spice, and very talented at writing spice with monsters! This novel is no exception to that front. I know this series is a bit of light hearted fun, but this novel moves into almost too light-hearted for me. The conflicts between the kraken seemed a bit superficial and amatuer. I feel I would've enjoyed this novel a bit more if the world was a bit more fleshed out. This includes the romance feeling a bit insta-love for me.

I have only managed to read book one in this series and I wonder if this novel tries to stretch a bit far with the underwater world. I would definitely read more books in this series but this one just didn't tickle me the way I hoped.

[kymagirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kai (H), a young kraken warrior, has spent years preparing for his chance to compete in the legendary Kraken Games and is ready to prove himself despite past injuries as he represents his clan's honor. Luna (h), a fiercely independent woman, harbors a deep-seated vendetta against the krakens who destroyed her family and after years of secret training, she enters the games intent on uncovering the truth about her brother's fate. As Kai and Luna cross paths in the games arena of Motham City, their mutual attraction complicates their goals. Amidst the competition, they have to navigate their growing connection while staying focused on their ultimate goals. Hot and steamy human-kraken enemies to lovers romance exploring determination, secrets, and unexpected connections.

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series so much! One of my favorite things about the Motham City Monsters series is seeing the world expand with each book. It was so interesting learning about the Kraken culture, the oceans surrounding Motham, and about some areas outside of Motham that were new to this book.

Kai and Luna were so fun to read about. My heart broke for Luna and her past. She’s on a mission to meet the Kraken elders and find out what happened to her baby brother and this hope pushes her to join The Kraken Games. This same drive pushes her away from Kai even though they find themselves drawn to each other. Once they overcome this Kai and Luna are explosive together and I loved seeing their relationship. I’m highly anticipating the next book! I can’t wait for more!

[JaywhyGee Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️/5
2.5 🌶️/5

If you like kraken romance and tentacle play, get this and devour it! Motham City has beings of all kind (mer, minotaur, orc, gargoyles, etc.) and this book features a human and a kraken. There’s some cringe dialogue but it’s cute overall, some hot spicy moments. I like the throwaway references to previous characters of the series.

If you have fear of being trapped deep underwater or scuba diving I’d say skip this one, 😅 or if you have an aversion to tentacles and multiple appendages this might not be for you.

▪️Rivals to lovers
▪️Forbidden romance
▪️Black cat/golden retriever energy
▪️Tentacle play

Thank you to BookSirens for the ARC. All thoughts/opinions are my own and my review is voluntary.

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every year in Motham City they hold The Kraken Games, a fighting tournament that anyone can enter. The Krakens ALWAYS win, but what will happen when a human woman enters the games?

I’m always so excited when a new Motham City book comes out, and I couldn’t wait to learn more about the kraken since we haven’t seen much about them in the previous books.

This story was so full of emotion and growth! Both characters have reasons to hate each other, and I loved watching them work through their biases and grow as people. The spice was excellent as always (tentacle play, anyone?), but the emotional build made it even better.

This is definitely one of my new favorites. Lilith has done it again.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am loving this series and this one is no exception. I loved how Kai and Luna have a chance meeting that shows the connection they have before the drama starts to get in the way.

Luna and Kai both need to with the Kraken game for their own reasons. That doesn't keep them apart and sets up the chilling moment when they face each other.

The character are multi-faceted, with conflicting desires and needs. Story pulled me in and delivered a few twist and turns along the way. Couldn't help rooting for them both to win.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the other books in the Motham City Monsters series so I was excited to get my hands on this one. Unfortunately, I didn't click with this storyline or either character. There wasn't much focus on the worldbuilding of the city which I enjoyed in the other books. The plot felt somewhat disjointed, and I struggled to engage with the story. While I understand that a certain degree of predictability is typical for this genre, the rapid resolution of conflicts made me less excited to keep picking this one up. I'm still interested in new stories from Motham City, this one just was not my favorite.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book takes us away from Motham City proper and out to the fringes, in terms of both where the heroine lives and the place she occupies in society, and the Kraken involvement in Motham City. They sure are full of themselves! Thankfully Kai is a sweetie who's just trying to live up to expectations, and Luna pushes him to take a closer look at how the Kraken live - just as he pushes her to re-examine her prejudice against them.

There's more angst in the romance in this book, but also some more details on the history of human-monster interaction. Another good entry in this series and I'm eager to read the next one!

[Alia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author and publisher for this ARC. What a wonderful story. Kia and Luna really had to overcome a lot to get their HEA and it was perfect. I do love it when one character already knows they have a special connection and the other takes some time. This to me was a reverse grumpy sunshine, Kia is just so wonderful and Luna has grumpy and very goal orientated.

If you like grumpy sunshine, found family monster spice this checks all the boxes. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Alise · Rating 4 out of 5]

it took me longer than usual to read this book. Maybe it’s just my mood or I couldn’t concentrate. I was skip reading at the beginning, ge chapters at the beginning, few at the end, then I started again and certainly it was better and better after that. It’s simple in a way and then complex and very emotional. The story and background is strong and charming and I felt a deep sympathy for both characters. At the end I really enjoyed their story and how everything led to their happy ever after.

BookSiren ARC - all my thoughts are my own of this arc.

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that each book in this series just keeps getting even more unique as they go along. This one is definitely no exception. Great book! Easily one of my top favorites in this series. Kai was such an absolute sweetheart. You just can't help but adore him from the very start. I also really liked Luna and her strength. Both of their life experiences and history were quite sad at some points but I'm so glad they both found their happily ever afters and even a lost loved one and a home that they can thrive in together. Also, loved the spice in this book!

[Chaotic Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Kracken Games is book 5 of the Motham City Monster series, a series of sweet and cozy monster romances. The Kracken games follows Kai the Kracken and Luna the human who are both competing in the Kracken Games.

I have really been enjoying the Motham City Monsters series and you had me sold at tentacles.
First of all I loved Kai, he was such a sweetheart, I enjoyed his backstory.
And I really don’t like saying this, but I didn’t really like Luna, I totally empathise with her backstory and why she was the way she was and I tried really hard to like her but I just couldn’t. But in saying that I know some readers will love her, this is just my personal opinion.
Overall the story was good, a quick, fun, sweet and cozy read with some sensitive topics, so be mindful of that.

If you love cozy monsters romances you will enjoy this, did I mention TENTACLES!

[Lulu Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love loved this book. Oh boy the tentacle play and all that spice melted my kindle lol . I loved that he didn’t give up on her and he kept trying .this book definitely had me in the feels especially when we find out things from her past. This was a definite page turner, action, mystery, steamy filled book. I can’t wait for the next addition.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.