Curiosity

Monster Mates #1

by Samantha Wise

Arden is a curious woman--not in a strange way, but in the way that she must follow the lead of a lifetime, even if it takes her deep into the forest to find statues from an urban legend.
What she didn't bank on was finding her mate, a giant gargoyle that started his hibernation on the day of her birth and woke on the day that she found him.

The Monster Mates is a series of sweet and spicy reads. Each installation is a stand alone novel or novella with low angst, an easy-to-follow plot that takes a back seat to the spice, and mountains of monster smut. Every book features a different kind of monster (or monsters) and you can always bank on an HEA.

No book in this series is intended for young audiences. All readers should be 18+.

No AI was used in the creation of this book, nor will it ever be a part of the Monster Mates series (or any book written by Samantha Wise).

Genres: Monster Romance, Spicy

66 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 10, 2024

Reviews

[Stacey Roach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the writing in this story. Never read gargoyle romance before but thinking I might like to try others. Only 4 stars because I just wanted so much more of the story. The author does a fantastic job of creating a nice visual that seems very authentic. I would love to read more of this authors writing!

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

a nice and spicy monster novella with lots of gargoyle smut, what more could you want?

[Liora Lunis · Rating 5 out of 5]

such a sweet romantic story. if you love fated mates you'll love this!! quick read and worth your afternoon. great for a little escape to the jungle

[April Chin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw her ads on rednote. It was an okay book. Solid 2.5 story was fine but boring could have done with less mention of a lusty mate. Instalove isn’t for me.

[Shanna Robillard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Little Delight

Gargoyles have always been fascinating, but they’ve never been this tantalizing! Definitely a must read if you want a great, spicy monster romance novella!

[MrXDG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still riding my paranormal romance kick and decided to dive a little deeper into the monster side of things—and this one? Wild in the best way.

Curiosity is a fast-paced novella that doesn’t waste any time getting to the good stuff (both story-wise and smut-wise). It’s definitely short, but it doesn’t feel rushed in a bad way. Everything wrapped up nicely by the end, and the epilogue answered the few questions I had left rattling around in my head. That’s rare for a novella, so I’ve gotta give it credit for that.

The romance? Spicy and creative. If you're dipping your toes into monster smut, this is a solid place to start—fun, weird (in a good way), and doesn’t take itself too seriously. I’ll just say this: the tail scene lives rent-free in my brain now. Absolutely unforgettable.

The characters were likable, the pacing kept me interested, and the monster elements were just the right level of bizarre-meets-hot. I’d definitely keep going with the series and probably reread this one when I want a quick, fun hit of monster romance.

Final Score: 4 out of 5
Quick, wild, and entertaining—with a tail scene that’ll stick with you.

[Alex Silver · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.4/5

There was shifting/dual POV but not from chapter to chapter, but instead from one paragraph to another. I don’t enjoy that literary style much. Plus the FMC was a little self important and annoying for my taste. And if you’re going to have insta-love and a mate bond; then I sure as fuck don’t want to see one of them disrespecting that and leaving (unless it’s a grovel novel) and she chose leaving him for her work over staying. The only reason she eventually stayed was because he showed her a new rock to advance her career.



Monster (gargoyle). Age gap (200s to 30s). Size difference (he’s 10ft). Magic. Wings/horns/tail/claws. Biting off claws to finger fuck. Mate bond makes you horny. Mate mark (mutual) causing orgasm. Tail fucking. Massive cock. Stuffing/stretching. Knotting. Mate mark makes it fit. Cum painting. Virgin MMC. Mild somnophilia. Mate bond making leaving tough. Breeding kink. Tail in ass. Smut > plot. Epilogue 3 years later with 3 sons. Gargoyles only have sons.

[Bakingbookdragon (Kinsey) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, hear me out; this is a monster romance. It is a very short book with a HEA ending. This book will only take a couple hours to read. If you are looking for very well-written spice with a dash of story, this is it. This book is monster smut at its finest. It is HOT and has just enough story not to be just straight spice.

Will the story change your life? No. Will I continue to marinate in this story, the character tension, or the world it is set in? No. Did I like it? Yes. There just isn't enough story to earn that fifth star.

If you want a spicy read about human and monster relations that will turn you on, then read this. If you want a journey with a developing romance, this is not that.

[Cassie]

Yes, please!

Arden is a geologist looking for a special stone thought to be nothing more than a campfire story, traveling to a remote area hoping to have something to set off her career and open doors for her in the science world. Little does shoe know, she'll find a lot more than she could've bargained for.

This novella has spice, sweetness, AND substance. There's size difference, knotting, instalove/fated mates, and a fat white cat named Taco. If you want to read something that's clearly had a lot of thought put into and is a low-angst quick read, you won't regret reading this one.

[Runa Hyde · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t read a ton of gargoyle romance, which is silly because I love them, but this little novella stood out in a way others haven’t. I really liked the premise - it felt unique and made me want to live longer in the story’s world to learn more. The lore around how the gargoyles and their mates find one another was intriguing and the characters were interesting. I just wish it had been longer! But in my opinion that’s a sign of a good storyteller. I can’t wait for Samantha to come out with the next book in this series and I will for sure be one of the first readers!

[Dean Robert Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet and steamy little story. Love to see a leading woman in STEM, and Gunter is just as mysterious and alluring as one would hope. Between his stunning appearance and his gentle regard for Arden’s boundaries, Gunter makes for the ideal monster mate. My favorite parts of the narrative were the descriptions of Gunter’s family home, now I want a piece of Gunterite for myself! Also, I loved how the author wove the gargoyle lore into the modern world. Highly recommended this enticing tale for all the monster f*ckers out there!

[Katie Yeckley · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is short, sweet, and spicy. A professional, strong, independent woman goes out on a solo mission to make a finding after hearing a story around a campfire. Her goal is to find something to grow in her career as a geologist. She makes her finding but it isn’t exactly what she was expecting, it is more. It gets very spicy in a way I was not expecting.

[Jessica M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novella. It was so different than what I’m used to reading and I wanted to try something new! I finished it in one afternoon and it flew by. It was well written and enjoyable from start to finish! Can’t wait to read the second one.

[Katelyn M ChaosBookReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the perfect palate cleanser book! Packed full of *extremely well written* gargoyle smut! If you love monster romance, smut, gargoyles, fated mates, etc, then this is definitely the book for you! The thing with his tail 👀… and the “magic lotion”…

[Kerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not finish

I made it to 19%. Dense tranches of backstory and internal monologue weigh this piece down. My suspension of disbelief was overly strained when the FMC licked a random statue.

[Matt Stpier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

I am so happy when there is a happy ending. Excellent story, and finishes well. Looking forward to her next book!

[Emmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet gargoyle romance

This is a quick and sweet monster romance with some good spicy scenes. Perfect for getting comfortable and losing yourself for an hour or two.

[Heather Walker · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I couldn't get past the format of the writing/novella. Just too much bulk writing with very few paragraphs.

[cara · Rating 2 out of 5]

what the ever loving fuck was that

[Jordan | inthebookishhour · Rating 4 out of 5]

I see what you did there and I’m here for it 😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨 Cute, spicy gargoyle book with a man that’s about that consent and communication!?!? I will take 10 more please. Expeditiously!

[Taylor Mutchler · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first gargoyle romance and I’d say I enjoyed it. Short, smutty, and surprisingly sweet 🥰
- mate bond
- knotting
- magic required for him to ✨fit✨