Set in a modern magical world where monsters and humans coexist…
32-year-old Sloane Connelly has a rare and coveted gift. She can manipulate emotions and turn them into raw energy. Needing an escape from her horrible boss and manipulative father, Sloane takes a long overdue beach vacation to the Outer Banks for her birthday. Her trip is derailed when she runs into her ex, Tāne, the man who broke her teenage heart.
When plant elemental, Tāne, bumps into his first love running errands for his new bar, it feels like a second chance. Determined not to waste it, Tāne takes her out for her birthday, which turns into an offer for a fresh: to work at his new magic friendly bar and give their love another shot.
It was a sign from the fates, shouting at Sloane to do it. To finally break free from her father's influence and find joy in her life again. What Sloane hadn't expected were the adjustments of dating polyamorous boyfriend. How and where did she fit into the family he'd built in the years apart?
When snow leopard shifter Nivya meets her boyfriend's new partner, she's determined to be a supportive friend and metamour. But the more they work together at the bar, the more Nivya wants to be with her. And knows that Sloane wants her, too.
After years of being told by her father how disappointing and unworthy Sloane is, does she deserve the opportunity for two loves? And when her father demands more from her than ever before, can Sloane finally take back control of her life?
This book is for readers 18+ with explicit detailed spice, dark themes, violence, and monster fudging elements. There are scenes with monster-shaped parts and a cat-shaped woman. The story features an interracial polycule of both men and women, which means the love interests couple up with characters who aren't the FMC, and include FF, MM, and group spice scenes.
Amelia Lascaux is a bisexual plus-size author writing paranormal and monster romance that delves into the darker side of the human condition. Amelia has a MFA in Fiction and a writing style that blends the readability of romance, descriptive spice, and themes of trauma healing. Expect to find bisexual/queer MCs, monster love Interests, inclusive body types, and pleasure as a way of life.
Disclaimer: I was a beta reader for this book, and later received a copy of the ebook from the author. My opinions are my own.
YES PLEASE. MORE BOOKS WITH ATTENTION TO DETAIL LIKE THIS! Upfront, it can feel pretty information-heavy to start, but don't let that deter you from enjoying the vibe. This is a book that is meant to be read slowly, savored, completely immersed in for a long time to be fully appreciated. This isn't a casual pick-up/put-down; this is a commitment to diving into a world.
The combination of magics and elements, with the diversity of representations---mental health, LGBTQIA+, abilities, body shapes, cultures, the list goes on---was intriguing and vivid. I have lots of questions about different types of magic, people, and how they all work in the world Lascaux has created. This was a pretty long book, and honestly I still wanted more about certain characters. While there was a solid happy ending, I got the sense that there is more coming, that not everything is totally settled in this magical polycule, but I still trust that the characters will work it all out. I will definitely check out the next book in the series.
Minus a star only because I don't have the impulse to reread again, which is my usual standard for 5-stars.
Overall, this was a solid debut, a great way to launch a complex world. I hope it is also a soothing balm to a lot of hurt hearts in our world, who will read this and see their story can have all kinds of happy endings that only feel like distant dreams right now.
As a polyamorous woman I often find that there's nowhere near enough representation of how it really works when done healthily.
This book captures the fear, joy, and troubles of not only discovering that you are polyamorous but also does a great job of showing poly dynamics and what it can be like joining an existing polycule. 5/5, 10/10 thank you so much for this.
A beautiful story of polyamorous love, second chances, and fighting for yourself (and your loved ones)! I love how realistic the relationships are within the polycule, where they discuss things with each other and set boundaries, mixed with the magical world and characters. It’s impossible to pick a favorite character, they’re all so unique and interesting! And the spice is 10/10! So excited for future installments of Sloane and the crew!
The premise of the book was good. The reason for the stars was solely the errors. Many sentences that only had a word or two then just stopped without being finished,like they were backspaced but the thought was lost. There were also many other grammatical errors. This book needs done SERIOUS editing.
So, I'll preface this review with the fact that I'm not usually a monster romance reader. For no reason other than I edit and arc read so much dark romance that I don't have time to explore other options 🤣.
Sloane and plant elemental Tāne, are long-lost lovers. Having not seen each other for many years, when Sloane tries to escape the clutches of her father for a birthday vacation, all of a sudden, a sequence of events begins that brings Tāne back into her life with a bang.
While Tāne is currently in a relationship with 3 others; Lorne, Nivya & Kia, can Tāne convince the others that Sloane is a perfect addition to their family?
In this epic tale of parental trauma, and love long forgotten, will things come full circle for Sloane, and will she rid herself of the hold her father has on her? Or will she wish she'd never taken the birthday vacation?
This is Amelia's debut novel, and what a novel it was. I'm so proud of you, girl!
For 90% of this book it was more of a contemporary erotic romance with magical people which contemporary romance is not really my jam so I struggled but that's a me thing and not anything to do with this book in particular. I really liked the world building and how queer the book was. Like holy shit it was super queer. I'm excited to see where the story goes from here and I hope it leads back into the fae world but I am a ho for fae so that's a given (is it a surprise I like the emo fae prince best? because it shouldn't be). My one issue with the book was that there were enough missing words and half finished sentences that it kept taking me out of the story, which was unfortunate but fixable.
I appreciated the nuanced portrayal of a polycule within a romance novel setting! There were lots of real moments in there, with family table conversations, conflicts between metas, and settling into a larger dynamic. Definately recommend for those who love spice! My only complaint is that I wish it had been a bit more focused- I would have loved to have some of the other themed explored first in other, smaller books, had it chunked up more with more room to flesh other stuff out. But that's personal preference only.
Absolutly loved it! This book is so full of love! The characters are all amazing, love the diverse magical creatures. Nivya the leopard shifter is definitely my favourite though! All the bi/pan love and found family is amazing!!
There is so much healing in this book. And a lot of very hot otherworldy spice with more love and healing!
The world is like ours but filled with magical creatures living among humans and there are other worlds to.
THE HEALTHY COMMUNICATION THE CHARACTERS THE SPICE SCENES I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!
I need book 2 like yesterday! The dedication immediately stole my heart🥰 I genuinely think everyone should read this book it’s so good. I’m even still a bit shocked at the healthy communication because most books I read don’t have that and honestly it has my kicking my feet like a love struck teenager. This author has become and auto-buy for me for sure! That is all! Read this book 🔫
I loved this book! The blending of fantastical elements with real world issues and problem was perfect. The spice is indeed spicy and definitely is not my normal cuppa but this had me hot 🥵
I also appreciate the way that polyamory is portrayed. While I did think Partner [redacted] needed a chill pill, I understand their stance.
——- Also, Garrett Connelly can take a long walk off an exceptionally short pier.
Loved the bisexual and polyamory representation. The spicy scenes were written beautifully. But did this book really need to be over 600 pages long? In my opinion it didn't. Would I still recommend this book to anyone? Yess. Will I read the other books? 1000% yes.
The book was good. Good character development good plot to s!it ratio. My biggest problem with the book is Nivya 3rd form. I'm not judging, it's just not what I'm into. To each to their own.
“There was nothing more freeing than knowing you were being loved without condition or expectation.”
This contemporary, second-chance romance is a beautiful journey of healing. I loved visiting the fae taverns and the magical, complex world-building. The characters within the story are diverse.