Lydia hadn’t planned to spend the summer poolside. She was supposed to get an internship in the city and spend nights with her girlfriend. Instead she’s single and making minimum wage as a country club lifeguard. Chlorine might dry out her scales, but it’s not all bad.
At least she can flirt on company time.
Stephanie is a bombshell mom with a fortune five-hundred job but without a wedding ring. She might have baggage, but it’s designer–and she’s happy to share the wealth with Lydia in exchange for some lessons in fishfolk biology.
Lydia isn’t sure she’s ready to navigate exes, kids, or even a proper relationship. But summers never last forever. Will this situationship be any different?
Arin was born and raised along the American east coast and has called the city, the shore, and the country their home. They've come a long way from writing anime fanfiction in their bedroom and even have a BA in creative writing. When they're not writing Arin enjoys playing tabletop games, drinking coffee, and collecting bits and bobbles. They currently live in Stephen King's backyard with their partner, cat, and lizard.
Where is the connection? The chemistry? The details?!
The only thing this book did a decent job of is sex and even that wasn't good enough to make this one id recommend.
I was SO looking forward to a sugar mommy romance because I haven't read many and add on top that it's a monster romance?! I was here for it. But it was actually super boring.
So there's Lydia who is a fishfolk lifeguard working for the summer at a country club and then there's Steph a hot divorced mom looking for a little fun. There is 20+ years between them.
When Lydia basically jumps Steph in the locker room the two jump into a situationship for the summer. Not only was there almost no discussion about consent or boundaries or the fact that they had public sex first, everything was just so BLAND.
Steph is a rich high power exec and Lydia is looking for an internship. Steph proposes a sugar mommy relationship dynamic (after their public sex might I add) where she'll help Lydia get some connections and buy her stuff and Lydia will give Steph attention and great sex.
The worst part about this is that there's nothing inherently super problematic or off-putting but I just didn't feel any chemistry between the characters. Of course they were sexually attracted to each other and that was clear I suppose, but beyond that, we learn almost nothing about either of them. I was actually more invested in the friendship will they won't they that Lydia's roommates had going on.
Unfortunately this one was the very definition of mediocre for me.
This was a sweet lil cozy romance that challenged relationship labels. I enjoyed the creative anatomy, cuz y’all know I’m a slut for that shit. Steph is the mommy I wish I had. She was sweet, sexy, and intelligent. Lydia was generally kind, a bit introverted, and very aware of what she wanted from life. Their chemistry was great. I would have loved seeing them learn more about each other, but their romance progressed the way that made the most sense for them.
Spice: 5/5
Triggers: negative encounters with ex partners, fatphobia from side characters, internalized ageism
This was…different 🤣 not in a bad way, I’ve just clearly not read enough monster romances! So I may need to try some more. I will say I wasn’t a huge name of all the pet names but that was totally a personal preference.
Written in First Person with a single POV. Narrated by Robin Amanda. Sapphic Monster Romance, Age Gap (22 years), Monster/Human, Single Mum, Sugar Mummy. 6x Spicy Scenes.
lydia’s summer is not going as planned. as a business major about to enter her senior year, she was supposed to spend the summer interning in the city and spending nights with her girlfriend. now, though, she’s lifeguarding at a country club and sleeping in her friend’s bathtub. things at her pool job heat up, though, when a divorced mom named stephanie catches her eye. stephanie is more than happy to share her wealth with lydia in exchange for lessons in lydia’s fish biology. as fall creeps closer and closer, so too does the end of their situationship—though lydia starts to hope for something that lasts.
i heard “sapphic sugar baby monster romance” and knew i needed to read this ASAP! i loved how this book didn’t shy away from discussing class inequality or the glass ceiling. i adored lydia and stephanie’s relationship. they were so different (personality- and anatomy-wise) but made it work. overall, this was a great summer read. i’ll be reading more from a.a. fairview in the future!
Writing wasn’t very good and I didn’t really like the characters. It was hard to stay interested. The steamy scenes could have potentially been hot, but I didn’t think the MCs connected-at all-and the sex just came out of no where. Zero build up.
This was so so sweet! I didn't know how much I needed a sapphic sugar baby romance in my life (and it sure had some other tropes/k*nks I really love too!) <3
Steph and Lydia are such versatile characters and I really liked seeing their thought process and their dynamic shift throughout their scenes. It was so fun to see Lydia grow into herself a bit as well!
P.S. If anyone knows any books with similar tropes, please give me those recs! <3
Single 1st Person POV. 4🌟 3🌶️. 198 pages 6 Spicy Scenes
I’ve been on my mermaid kick for the past couple days and that’s what I assumed this book was, I was wrong and I’m not mad about it!
Mother of Pearl follows Lydia a 21 year business major, working a summer lifeguard job. When she spies a hot mom who’s a regular and can’t take her eyes off her. Steph has never been with a woman before but she has an arrangement proposal for Lydia. It’s a summer fling, with high heat!
I enjoyed this book, it was a fun and easy read filled with so much spice for such a short story. My absolute favourite part though was the description of Steph, the appreciation of her soft tummy, stretch marks, thick thighs, larger heavy breasts that don’t stand to attention, the fact she’s a grown woman with body hair and the love of her grey hair. As soon as I know an author has an appreciation for fuller figured woman I’m going to devour the book, because same! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, muscles are great, but thick thighs and a soft tummy will win every time!
The only issue I had was that the relationship between the two characters remains casual the entire time, even in the epilogue. I’m more of a HEA, ride into the sunset type of girl, but I do appreciate that Fairview highlighted the many forms love can take.
Love a monster romance? Crave an age gap with a MILF? Have a mommy kink? Then I’d definitely recommend giving this book a read.
Things to LOVE: 📚Monster Romance 💞Age Gap (21 + 43) 🐟Fishfolk + Human 🫠MILF 🥵40+ FMC 🍬Sugar Baby 🤱Mommy Kink 🥚Tentacles & Ovi
Took way to long time for me to write a review on it. Loved it so much. Got the happy romance feeling while reading, living them together. The ending chapters made me want to bite my nails but it was worth it. Want to read my sapphic romances from the author
WOW. My first sapphic monster romance, and it did not disappoint. I love how Lydia talks about Stephs body, how she admires all the beauty in her realness - her stretch marks and chubb, she sounds so soft, so beautiful. Lydia clearly loves her so much. Ive never read oviposition before and going in I wasnt sure what to think, but I actually enjoyed it more than i thought i would...
For 70% of this, I was having a great time!! The banter was hilarious, the smut creative, it was unexpectedly body positive in a way that never felt forced, and the summer setting was on point. The lifeguard shenanigans and Steph and Lydia having to sneak around on the clock were easily my favorite parts, ha. So was the strange, not quite professional dynamic with the rest of the employees. I wish Carl got some more page time.
Despite that, I also enjoyed the balance between Lydia and Steph’s duties and leisure. I liked seeing them navigate living around the other, as opposed to upending their entire lives to continue this relationship dynamic. It created some interesting conflict and character insight.
Once it started to pivot away from that, though, it started to feel more fluffy than I would have liked. (At least, until that bombshell of an ending.) While I appreciate the slight subversion of expectations for the reveal of why Steph divorced Roman, Roman himself was an incredibly dull character. There were some flimsy attempts to give him complexity and lift him of the villain role. Steph also seemed careless during the third act conflict, I didn’t like what the narrative’s takeaway was.
Also, the side characters felt very… nothingburger to me. They felt like occasional comic relief, or an obstacle whenever the plot warranted it. I really wanted to like Jess and Goldie more than I did (I felt neutral about them), but I couldn’t quite parse their closeness with Lydia.
And as interesting as this world was, the worldbuilding was kind of a mess? What kind of dynamic do monster people have in this society, are they a marginalized identity? (I kind of gathered that based on a couple lines about Lydia noticing few fish folk like her, and some of the human characters assuming stereotypical things about her?) What’s the implications of well-known horror media (such as Creature of the Black Lagoon) still existing?? A.A. Fairview explain😭
Also, the buildup was… nonexistent. Standard erotica pacing, I guess. There was 2 chapters AT MOST of flirting and then these two women just wanted to jump each other’s bones nonstop for the rest of the book🥴
I did get to listen to the audiobook, narrated by Robin Amanda. She was part of what made me enjoy a majority of my experience reading this!! Her comedic timing was great, she put her all into the spicier scenes, and I did really appreciate the life she brought into the dialogue especially. However, I do agree with one reviewer that she added a kind of emotional distance to Lydia that the romance was hindered by— Amanda might’ve focused too much on the witty and collected-ish parts of her character. Still, I might listen to another audiobook narrated by her. She has a unique voice and is clearly talented. (Though, the editor did make it obvious when they added in a retake.)
Not sure if I would recommend this, not only because of everything I’ve said but because I think its average reader would have to be cool with a lot of kinks😅 To be honest, none of them are my cup of tea aside from the light degradation. I was mostly curious about the oviposition. Regardless, I enjoyed myself. Mostly.
I was looking at a few samples I had downloaded during lunch and this one really grabbed my attention due ticking a few boxes. Older woman with a fuller figure? Check. Monster girl with mixed monster and human integration? Check. Age gap sugar mama/baby? Check. Just an interesting combination of ingredients.
The story itself is good, not great. The relationship between Lydia and Stephanie feels a bit rushed at the start, but I found it kinda cute watching the two of them figuring things out. They end up in what more or less works out as a Happily Ever After for them. What stood out the most is the spicy bits. Since Lydia is a fish folk monster girl, the sex incorporated those aspects of Lydia. Some folks might find the weirdness of that off putting, but I found it intriguing.
I would like to see the author write more in this setting. Wouldn’t need to be a direct sequel, but the world Fairview has created here seems to treat the monster folks - dragon folk, cyclops, harpies and more - as just “people” and that’s cool because we need more of the message that differences are okay and no big deal. Plus it creates all sorts of interesting opportunities.
I really was thinking off waiting with this review and rating just to let it sink in but the ADHD won.
I F***** loved this book to pieces... 6 stars for me, its quite simple and sweet and short, i think for some it would lack buildup but for me it took away so much of the tedious and boring parts that sometimes plague romances..
A society where monster people are just there and are living with humans peacefully?? Yes please! There isnt super much time gkven to side characters but i love that some of them got the time of day and there is mentioning of different races of monster here and there and thats really cool!
Now the main characters... GOOD GOD i love their chemistry and banter, and the book is mostly just them being hot, sexy, cute, adorable and not so much the problematic sides of things and thats really refreshing! And its an story with a unconventional releationship in focus! And its handled so cute! I can go on and on but this book did everything for me even if it had some tiny tiny things that i think was ultimately unecesarry but they dont take down the rating because they didnt bother me or decrease my enjoyment.
Oh this was real bad, only saved by effective utilisation of tentacles. I'm more embarrassed by the writing in this book than the fact that I've just given a shout out to tentacles on my public goodreads account - so that should say something.
3.5⭐️. Interesting premise. Age gap. Monster romance. Sapphic. Sugar Mommy. They were cute together. Definitely had chemistry. Spice was nicely done. I loved the side characters and would love to see more.
☆ Sugar Mommy x Sugar Baby ☆ Age Gap (20+ years) ☆ Monster Romance (fishfolk) ☆ Tentacles 👀 ☆ Summer Fling ☆ MILF FMC ☆ Sapphic romance ~~~~~~~ The story: I really liked this story! It was short, sweet, and had the perfect amount of humor, emotion, and spice. This is technically my first sugar baby romance, and I had a lot of fun reading it. Having it set in the summer and at a country club was fun, and I loved and enjoyed the countdown style plot. There were so many funny moments, wholesome scenes, scenes where both MCs were strong and brave, and plenty of innuendos that made me giggle 🤭 over all, it was a fun and lovely plot line!
The characters: Steph is an absolute MILF. I mean look at the cover!! She’s beautiful, authentic, honest, and so kind. She’s also 2 years divorced and has two little kids; Sophie and Steven:) But OH MY GOSHHHHHH I love the dynamic that Steph and Lydia have!! Lydia is the life guard btw hahaha! They’re both slightly obsessed with each other, but they had the perfect amount of space between each other that it almost seemed normal. Also- Goldie… Jess… we know:) Anyway! The fact that she just wanted to spoil someone and show her love to someone was just so sweet, and I love the fact that her love language is gift giving. Oh and Lydia is part fish! She has gills along her ribs, her skin is a light blue, and she has some scales showing on her collar bone and other parts of her body. She has tentacles that are almost sentient, and Steph loves them. JUST adorable!!
The spice: I rated this a 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 on the pepper scale. There were about 5 open door scenes with plenty of sexual innuendos throughout the book. It’s a sugar baby and sugar mommy arrangement, so I’m pretty sure that spice was practically inevitable! 😅 but let’s just say the content warnings were a little surprising… “sexually explicit content involving fish eggs.” I was flabbergasted. BUT JUST READDDDDD!! It was a fun and interesting experience but I enjoyed it! It’s not really my thing, the tentacles and eggs and stuff, but I was able to get through it perfectly fine:) Overall, just a cute storyline following two cute characters who just needed each other!!
Stars: 4 Stars Format: Digital Series: Stand Alone Steam Level: Steamy
I read this for the 2025 Sapphic Book Bingo Micro-Tropes reading challenge for the prompt Flirting via Text Messages.
Read all the content warnings for this one. A. A. Fairview does NOT pull any punches with the kink in this (which, to be completely honest, is a big part of the reason I got this.)
Quick Thoughts: - One thing not mentioned in the content warnings in this is there is Mommy play - If you are new to monster romance, I would not recommend this as a first foray into it but if you’re intrigued definitely go for it - From beginning to end this is one sexy book - I love that the object of Lydia’s desire, Stephanie, is not some skinny, unblemished model mom, she has curves and stretch marks and cellulite, and Lydia is HERE FOR IT - The roommates were adorable and it melted my heart to see two people who were relative strangers genuinely care about Lydia - Bringing the Sexy with a capital S in this book - Something that was such a joy to read in this is how much Stephanie LOVES spoiling Lydia and the gifts are not used as a way to control either partner. That line in the title “A Sapphic Sugar Baby Romance” was not kidding around - The author does not shy away from the Sugar Baby part of the story, but they inject so much caring and heart into the book that it avoids all those toxic pitfalls that come with this kind of story - So. Incredibly. Sexy. - “There’s fuck you money and then there’s fuck your whole bloodline money.” Hahahahahaha - As much as I enjoyed this and will absolutely read more of her work, this book needs another pass through with an editor. There were just too many mistakes for me to to give it the full five stars - This is a pitch perfect HFN (Happy For Now) story. It makes sense why it is and it doesn’t leave you feeling disappointed about it - The HFN ending only works because you know they honestly care about each other and make the characters make it absolutely clear to each other, and to the reader, their wants and expectations from this relationship. - Did I mention it is sexy?
Overall I enjoyed this far more than than I expected to. It’s a unique world, nuanced relationships, protagonists that act like adults with everything, and it’s smoking hot. It just needs some polishing typing/word wise, not story wise
Burn: 🔥🔥🔥🔥 Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 🌈Review: This was surprisingly good. I loved the idea of a sugar mommy (it’s not done nearly enough imo) and this delivered. It was insta lust and the characters get pretty into each other pretty quickly. Their dynamic was quite realistic which surprised me, there was discussions on how they would work together, clear expectations and open communication, clear consent with aftercare. Not to mention I loved the way Steph was described both personality wise and her body! I love the way Lydia just absolutely loved and adored her as she was. The eggs were uh, something new and I didn’t totally hate it (it kept me intrigued). Was this novella ground breaking? No. But I actually did enjoy both the story, the writing and the couple. I’d recommend for someone who just wants cute but smutty vibes.
Things I loved: Sapphic age gap romance Sugar mommy Body appreciation Unique monsters Breeding kink
‘She’s not a regular mom she’s a cool mom’ is the vibe for the whole book which I loved. I think the whole idea of a wealthy older woman taking a younger, fun sugar baby and exploring her sexuality is so interesting and A.A. Fairview really pulled it off. This was a really sweet, easy read and I loved the way it ended - it wasn’t some big grand gesture, it was perfect for them and what they wanted from a relationship.
I would recommend it if you like an age gap romance, monster romance or you want a quick, fun read that will definitely make you blush.
Amount of spice: 🔥🔥🔥🔥 Explicitness: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Open door, explicit and bolder than usual
Don't get me wrong, calling this a romance is a stretch, this is very much so erotica. But it was sexy erotica which was exactly what I wanted when I went into this.
This was honestly just the perfect book for what I needed when I picked this up. The writing is fairly basic, the plot very much so just sex and some sugar mommying and then a side of drama but if that's what you want, this book does it fairly well.
I did actually enjoy the characters – I thought their relationship had a fairly interesting conflict, although I wish the power dynamics had been explored a bit more. (I'm also always here for a tentacle vulva but this book could've been much freakier with it lol.)
Overall, this is very much so the kind of book you expect when going into a kindle book but I wasn't mad about it. Definitely a decent option for a light read.
I liked the idea of a female monster with creative anatomy, but this was a bit too sex focused for me - they have sex very early on and then just have lots more sex. Which isn't a problem if there's also emotional development. However, I didn't really feel a lot of connection between them. The characterisation was a bit all over the place as well. For example, Lydia is younger and not that confident, then suddenly she's spouting “good girl, choke on my tentacles”.
The writing could do with some polishing- quite a few typos like “champaign”, “kitty pool”, words missing or duplicated. I am a little more lenient on that sort of thing if the book is free, but this one is not on KU so they are asking for money upfront and personally I think it should at least have been proofread for obvious typos.