After losing everything to a curse that struck the kingdom of Galoth, Sarya just wants the world to leave her alone. Yet when a demon begins hunting the people in the forest near her village, staying hidden isn't an option. Neither is avoiding the warrior who helped saved all of Galoth. Bannin the Blowhard has never said a serious word in his life . . . and yet the warrior claims that he intends to marry Sarya.
Now she's about to discover how serious Bannin can be when her happiness is at stake—and how completely devoted to her pleasure . . .
Kati Wilde is a tight-lipped, loose-hipped woman of indeterminate age and low breeding. Born into a very large family, she now has a very small family (no laws were broken in this transition), and she writes romantic fiction to assuage her darker urge to write Transformers erotica. She lives in Oregon, so most of you are safely far enough away, and has two old cats.
Kati writes the Hellfire Riders MC romance series and will be publishing her first New Adult novel, Going Nowhere Fast, with Berkley later this year.
About Our Series:
The Motorcycle Clubs series is for romance readers who want all the heat and emotion, but who don’t have all of the time. At this time, we are only publishing novellas — our intention is to provide readers with short (yet satisfying) MC romances. Sometimes we might continue one couple’s story over several novellas, but each individual novella will have a satisfying romantic resolution. Because they are short, we focus the stories on the eroticism and romance, and will be building the MC worlds as each series progresses.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me -- kati@katiwilde.com.
I adored this novella. It was sweet, funny, and badass. I liked the characters and their backstories. I liked that they had to deal with some things from their past to become healthier people and to be together. I liked that they tried to take care of each other and themselves, even during difficult times.
The Deadlands world is a favorite of mine. I love the people, the magic, and the monsters.
This is probably one of my favourite romance fantasy series of this kind- plainly because it's so consistently well-written, and overall just so much fun. The banter with each couple is so good.
It was really interesting to read about the repercussions of the curse from the previous book, but told from a normal civilian's POV. That mixed in with some monster hunting and courting? I'm sold.
The only reason I didn't rate this one higher, was because I did end up enjoying some of the other couples in this series more than Bannin & Sarya, despite still really liking them.
I feel like it is interesting to note though, that Bannin is one of my favoutire H's in this world 😭- I guess I just wasn't too big on the lost time and past love aspect to the story, although their relationship was really fun to read about, and I'm obsessed with how it ended.
Overall, I really enjoyed this, and again, am in loveee with this world. Bannin was everything, and I can't wait to see what comes next.
ੈ✩‧₊˚ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆。˚
“My only,” she murmured—and how she made his heart burst without killing him, Bannin still didn’t know.
2023 Fall Bingo (#FallInLoveBingo🍂): Autumn Leaves Falling Down
3.5 stars. Honestly miraculous how KW manages to pack a walloping and unique backstory in such a short novella... Poor Sarya! As an aside, it's funny how out of order I've been with this series; I'll get to the earlier installments eventually. 😅
In a fantasy world of monsters, two warriors find love. I feel like I missed a lot by reading this story before reading the ones that came before it. It doesn’t entirely stand ok enough on its own. I had an ongoing feeling of missing out on much of the history and world building and there was too much telling to fill in annoying people like me who jump in mid series. 😬 Both characters were a little wooden with their dialogue which didn’t help matters. There’s a lot going on; a curse, alcoholism, family pain and mention of previous encounters but it didn’t all come together and wasn’t resolved in such a short space because there was so much word count given to the sexy times. Which is FINE if the other bits don’t suffer and I felt they often did especially when it came to describing any of the monsters. I’d recommend not doing what I just did and maybe start at book one.
A 2.5 reading experience for me but I’ll bump it up to a 3 because I am partially to blame for jumping in like I did.
2.5 stars. Prob my least favorite of this series. The story is fairly simple, and their relationship felt very underdeveloped. It was love at first sight, but it happened three years prior, so many of those descriptions and initial interactions were missing. Also, a lot of the issues remained unresolved - like with the heroine’s parents and her former fiancé, it would have been nice to have some better closure. And she was described as basically being an alcoholic, but nothing ever came of it. I also didn’t love this hero’s character in book 3, so I wasn’t thrilled that he was the hero of this book in general.
Safe -No clue about heroine’s virginity or past, just that she was engaged to be married many years ago -Hero was made to sound like a manwhore prior to meeting the heroine, then he remained celibate for three years -no OM/OW drama or scenes - no cheating - too much sex for such a short novella.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
-Novella. -Warrior x warrior. -He fell first and hard. -Big brash hero x strong, sweet heroine. -KU, Safe and could be read as standalone. -Recommended🫶.
Imagine my confusion when I realised this is the first book in the Dead Lands I've read.
How did a whole series escaped me?
Anyway, it was such a delicate and sweet story. Brannin is such a powerhouse. Hell, the fact that the abridged version of this book didn't have his POVs is just very unfortunate. The man is such a sweetheart.
Sarya and Bannin’s story was perfection. The way they kept finding things about each other throughout was done perfectly. Like little gold nuggets of knowledge. Small pieces that made them whole. They were both such interesting characters. I would read all the books of their demon slaying adventures.
4.75 stars. Ahh- this was exactly what I needed right now. A short & sweet, well plotted out story with some spice and SHORT. Did I mention short? I am done with LOONNGG series for a while I think!
It also made me smile when I thought about it, so massive points for that alone.
I haven't read the most recent Deadlands stories but this was pretty well set as a standalone and easy to follow. Sarya and Bannin the Blowhard (who became Bannin the Only) make a great couple, he was the "battering ram" while she was the "dancer" and I really liked how they connected over violence :)
We meet Sarya: Sarya was in the forest often enough, no doubt that opportunity would come. And if she felt a thrill at the idea of putting her sword to use again…? Well, a woman had to find joy somewhere. She’d given up on love and cut back on ale, so slaying a demon was as fine a way as any to get her thrills in.
After 3 years of flirting, Bannin makes himself clear about courting and they finally start talking about their pasts as the hunt a demon in the realm: “How did she (your sister) know you’d see me?” “Because I mentioned that I was walking to your cottage.” Sarya threw him a perplexed glance. In three years, nobody had visited her cottage. “Why?” “So I could court you. Then marry you.” “All in one visit?” Couldn’t the man be serious for one moment? “After finding out what the tip of my tongue can do, I didn’t figure you’d want to waste time until our wedding night.” She grinned despite herself.
He finally has a breakthrough to Sarya and she has some about herself as we get to a sweet HEA: “Come with me, Sarya. I’ll find you a cottage like this and you can hide away all you like. I do not wish to leave you behind again.” His large, warm hand cupped her cheek. “I do not wish to leave my heart behind again.”
This was cute, not long enough for much to happen, but I liked the characters and it was an easy read. I’m a fan of this series/world so it’s nice to revisit.
Whenever I think I can’t love a Kati Wilde’s barbarian more, she proves me wrong. And of course, her heroines are always amazing women that try to resist but end up loving and fighting for our men as much as they fight for them.
This time around we have Bannin, who threw an unintentional wrench in Warrick and Elina's romance with his story of Warrick's plans, and Sarya, a former guardsman (guardswoman?) who is dealing with the aftermath of the curse that Warrick and Elina broke when they returned the goddess's jewels. Bannin is loud and, in his words, a battering ram when it comes to pretty much everything. He tells larger than life stories and always has a flirty word for Sarya when he sees her. Sarya is closed down and fierce in her own way even though she keeps to herself and rarely interacts with the people in town.
Quite frankly, she absolutely doesn't believe a word that comes out of Bannin's mouth. Then something terrible begins hunting in the forest and she starts to realize that there's more to Bannin than just big words. It isn't long before she comes to accept that the big guy has her back (unlike some people in her former life) and mayyyyybe she's ready to take things in the direction Bannin wants it to go.
On Bannin's end, he is a bit of a battering ram. He lives large and he comes to realize that the things Sarya went through before means she needs a softer touch. So he tries to give her that. Fortunately for him, Sarya doesn't think the battering ram approach is so bad, she just needed to come to terms with the events in her past before she could trust herself in a relationship.
A nasty demon, a whole lot of sparks, a man who knew what his heart wanted the moment he laid eyes on her, and a lady who wasn't afraid to fight. GOOD STUFF!
4.5 // another charming installment in this series. I’m forever enamored of authors who can give us a novella that feels wholly complete and not rushed. Great character and relationship development, deliciously steamy spice, fun world building that isn’t dense or heavy handed, and great pacing all wrapped up in a tight little package.
Bannon—side character in The Midsummer Bride—gets his HEA! He falls first, fast, and hard for Sarya who is wary of relationships after having lost so much post the stone sickness that plagued their lands in Midsummer Bride and Bannon is delightfully relentless in his pursuit. I loved it.
- 4 stars, very enjoyable and well paced novella - buddy read with A Seductive Cactus and Heather - Ch 1 - I really like how we got to hear Sarya’s thoughts on why ||she didn’t love her ex anymore: She hadn't thought love-strong and true love-could fade away like that. So maybe her love hadn't been as true or as strong as she'd thought. But if it hadn't been, would it have hurt so much? So maybe the pain she'd suffered had smothered it instead...or knowing that his love hadn't been as true and strong as she'd believed had killed it dead. Or maybe Sarya was no longer the girl she'd been then. She liked that explanation best. - Ch 1 - I also liked Bannin’s good communication skills "Not nothing." Expression dark, Bannin snagged her wrist, pulled her to a stop. Sarya turned on him furiously, though most of her anger deflated when he added, "Something I said hurt you and I don't know why. But I sure as stone know I don't want to hurt you again. So what was it?" - Ch 3 - oof her family adopted her ex-fiancé? Yikes - Ch 7 - loved that she was the one who slayed the demon - Ch 7 - “Do you have prevention powders on hand?” The wise woman looked up from the gaping wound on her side. “That is not the hole you ought to be worrying about at this moment, Captain Sarya.” - Overall, this was great for only 112 pages. Very well done, I enjoyed it. Perfect pacing. ❌ feels
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I was really hoping Brannin would get a story of his own! At this point in the series the world and magic has been sufficiently flushed out. I loved this spin off from the previous book with implications from the curse aftermath. This novella was perfectly self contained and not overly ambitious. I thought there was also sufficient backstory for both MCs and they had such FUN chemistry. I loved it! This series has really opened up as it progressed. I highly recommend!
I wasn't a fan of Bannin and his big mouth in Midsummer's Bride but his self-assureness in his persue of the reluctant heroine really worked for me. I love that we're exploring who got left behind because of the stone sickness.
I know insta-love is this author's thing, but dang these two just went for it. The heroine got over her years-long trauma in like one page.
Also didn't appreciate the constant concept that a man who believed his fiance to be dead and had moved on and later married was a coward and weak. He legit thought he was dead. Come on.
I liked this story, I love the world building in this series, I just didn't love this story as much as some of the others. While I understand where Sarya's feelings and concerns were coming from, I thought there was a little too much content dedicated to that for me (in such a short novella).
My reviews always contain spoilers, I write them so I can remember the story.
Sarya met Bannin three years ago, it was love at first sight for him. It was a different story for Sarya, she was dealing with a very harsh and complicated heartbreaking situation. When the stone curse hit Galoth she was one of the first victims, she slowly turned to stone and was eventually moved to her family crypt, where her stone statue stayed for ten years. When the curse was broken she found her fiancée had married another and her family counted him as their son, his wife as their daughter, and his children as their grandchildren, there was no place for Sarya in their new family. She also did not have a place with the Horse Guards, where she had once been a captain with the elite guards of Galoth. Heartbroken she left and relocated to a small cabin in the forest. Bannin known as Bannin the Blowhard always flirts with her and tells her tall tales of his travels and conquests. Sadly he always gets flustered around her and usually lets his mouth run away and act the fool. She never can take him seriously even though she has softened towards him recently. She is dealing with so much trauma from the curse she needs someone who she can rely on and she knows it is not Bannin. He comes to the village periodically and leaves for long periods of time. What she doesn’t know is that when he leaves he goes to the glass mountains and fights monsters with Warrick and Elina from Midsummer Bride. There are no conquests after either, he tells her that so she can know that he will please her in bed, he has been celibate since meeting her three years ago. When a monster who is like a flesh eating tree comes to their forest and starts to kill humans they team up to defeat it. As they get to know each other she finds herself intrigued by him and feels ready to pursue a romantic relationship, he meanwhile feels like a battering ram with her and decides to take a softer approach. They each should have just talked to each other about their feelings. It does get sorted out and in between looking for the monster they enjoy copious amounts of pleasuring each other orally, she needs to get pregnancy prevention powder from the village healer before actual sex. When the monster attacks she is hurt but is able to get her sword that can flame and kills the tree like monster with Bannin’s help. He rushes her to the healer who uses magic to heal her wound. Once healed she agrees to come fight monsters with him. Epilogues with I love yous, a wedding, and a proper wedding consummation. Five years later they are parents and still fight monsters together.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Today I was asking for a female mechanic because they are soo darn epic.
I didn’t know I would get a female warrior. It was amazing to see this strong confident, plus size woman take control of her passion and battles on her own terms. I know we talk about strong heroes but this was a much needed turn of events and the sexy scenes were amazing !!
This was very heavy on the fore play because they were worried about conception so this was not breeding kink heavy. See why I mean about the strong and confident. Sarya knows what she wants and she wanted Bannin to lick it like a lollipop 😛 and not stick it because he licked it !!
What I love is that he’s not only obliged but kept satisfying her and making her scream his name and didn’t stick the tip in even after a mid day massage 💆🏽♀️!! Y’all know the ones who you’re like yo I don’t even want to get my back blown today I just want a little tongue action sheesh 🙄!!
After a while, I even found myself getting a little jealous because I was like why isn’t this my life ?? I want to fight demons, ride a horse and a big hairy ginger man 👨🏻🦰!
But because I think y’all are soo fancy look at this little scene 🎬
Then any opportunity to stop Bannin from penetrating deeper into her heart was lost along with her every thought when he sank two thick fingers deep into her need-drenched sheath, stretching the slick walls therein. Her spine arched convulsively at this sudden invasion, as she was filled with him. Utterly and completely filled with him, from flesh to heart to mind. An incoherent noise gurgled from her throat and was choked into a thin scream when Bannin began sucking at her clit and lashing that swollen nub with side-to-side swipes of his tongue.
Go read this book everyone you will not regret it.
**Most of my reviews contain detailed Content Notes (including CW/TW) sections, which may include spoilers. I have tried to mark them appropriately, but please use caution.**
Ebook
3.5
When a frightening demonic creature begins terrorizing their small village, a former elite soldier and goofy vigilante hero band together to protect their homes.
HR/Fantasy, M/F, part of a series but stands alone fine, open door.
Notes: I enjoyed this - though reading out of order in the series might actually affect my enjoyment a little more than I thought it would. The backstory is just super compressed - I wish the FMC was a little older. I enjoyed the bouncy ball MMC, and the slight reversal in power/status, but I think it could have used more trimming in backstory and building in plot.