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Peculiar Tastes #1
The Death God’s Sacrifice
I was a monster so they didn't have to be...
Stheno the Fierce is the most feared of slayers, a Gorgon assassin sent to hunt terrifying beasts, but when her sister is kidnapped, she's forced to hunt a monster even she fears in order to get her back. The Dark Druid is a mysterious and powerful recluse who demands a human sacrifice each year to perform a ritual that drops the veil between the realms for Samhain. Stheno volunteers to be his sacrifice to get close enough to slay him with her lethal curse, but finds he's harder to kill than she could've imagined.
***
The Death God's Sacrifice is a spicy standalone monster romance perfect for spooky season, set in the shared world of the Peculiar Tastes series. CWs can be found at the beginning of the book.
It's that time of year, friends. The moon is full and Samhain approaches. Your invitation to the Shadow Market is here. Three days of magic, drama, seduction, and maybe just a dash of human sacrifice! Come through the portal and meet witches, demons, gorgons, mermaids, the fae, and even the odd human who's gotten turned around and ended up somewhere they shouldn't.
Stheno the Fierce is the most feared of slayers, a Gorgon assassin sent to hunt terrifying beasts, but when her sister is kidnapped, she's forced to hunt a monster even she fears in order to get her back. The Dark Druid is a mysterious and powerful recluse who demands a human sacrifice each year to perform a ritual that drops the veil between the realms for Samhain. Stheno volunteers to be his sacrifice to get close enough to slay him with her lethal curse, but finds he's harder to kill than she could've imagined.
***
The Death God's Sacrifice is a spicy standalone monster romance perfect for spooky season, set in the shared world of the Peculiar Tastes series. CWs can be found at the beginning of the book.
It's that time of year, friends. The moon is full and Samhain approaches. Your invitation to the Shadow Market is here. Three days of magic, drama, seduction, and maybe just a dash of human sacrifice! Come through the portal and meet witches, demons, gorgons, mermaids, the fae, and even the odd human who's gotten turned around and ended up somewhere they shouldn't.
148 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 4, 2022
274 people are currently reading
4948 people want to read
About the author
Jenny Nordbak
11 books310 followersJenny Nordbak is an author, retired dominatrix, and former archaeologist. When she isn't writing romance novels, she cohosts two podcasts centered on the romance genre, and delights in narrating the steamiest of audiobooks. Jenny is an advocate for sex positivity and intersectional feminism. She lives in Southern California with her handsome Viking husband and two adorably feral children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 241 reviews
August 30, 2022
Was shocked that the stone finger was not put in someone’s ass, but the stone c*ck at the end surely made up for it. Five stars.
September 6, 2022
3.5 stars
This has an interesting enough storyline and great smut but i wasn’t overly invested in the plot, im excited for this series though and I loved the monster vibes of it.
This has an interesting enough storyline and great smut but i wasn’t overly invested in the plot, im excited for this series though and I loved the monster vibes of it.
August 30, 2022
To save her sister, Stheno must assassinate the god who drops the veil between the worlds every year - but he is remarkably difficult to kill, and she increasingly does not want to do it.
Well, that was a great start to the series! Stheno and Gregor are likable characters with a really enjoyable dynamic - I liked how playful they could be with each other, and how it contrasted with how deadly they were. I also enjoyed the drips and drops of world-building, and the mixing of world mythologies. The convergence of sex/death magic really added to the dark fantasy feel of the book.
There was a bit of insta-love, which I don't always love, but I could accept it in the context of the story. The twists and turns of the plot were kind of abrupt, though, and I wished the story didn't end on such a cliffhanger regarding certain side characters! I suppose I'll have to keep an eye out for any future work that wraps up those loose ends.
Well, that was a great start to the series! Stheno and Gregor are likable characters with a really enjoyable dynamic - I liked how playful they could be with each other, and how it contrasted with how deadly they were. I also enjoyed the drips and drops of world-building, and the mixing of world mythologies. The convergence of sex/death magic really added to the dark fantasy feel of the book.
There was a bit of insta-love, which I don't always love, but I could accept it in the context of the story. The twists and turns of the plot were kind of abrupt, though, and I wished the story didn't end on such a cliffhanger regarding certain side characters! I suppose I'll have to keep an eye out for any future work that wraps up those loose ends.
October 27, 2022
3 ⭐️
4 🌶
🚨 CW Author Provided 🚨
* 🍑 play
* tail
*breeding/pregnancy
* 👅 🐱
Didn’t love the plot. Here for the smut. Not mad about it.
4 🌶
🚨 CW Author Provided 🚨
* 🍑 play
* tail
*breeding/pregnancy
* 👅 🐱
Didn’t love the plot. Here for the smut. Not mad about it.
April 6, 2023
3.5⭐️
The story was interesting but this would probably be better if it's longer. A lot is happening for a short book and it feels a little overwhelming. Smut is great and I love the characters too eventhough it's an insta-lust/love.
The story was interesting but this would probably be better if it's longer. A lot is happening for a short book and it feels a little overwhelming. Smut is great and I love the characters too eventhough it's an insta-lust/love.
October 12, 2022
3.5⭐️ this was fun and steamy. But it felt like a few too many plot threads were crammed into few pages
September 9, 2022
There's something about an antlered God of Death that just tickles my fancy. Throw in a sassy Gorgon with eldest child syndrome and I'm over the moon
October 10, 2022
Oh. My. Gods. This book!!! I'm not even sure where to start with a review because it's so good I want to just shout "IT'S SO GOOD!" and my brain won't make more words than that.
I love Stheno so much. She's such a badass. And then who doesn't love a god of death?! (I sure can't resist.) I definitely fell for Gregor from moment one, and the chemistry between him and Stheno is fiiiiiirrrreeeee. So hot. *fans self* And at the same time there's some vulnerability there, which was really lovely. If you're into the type of romance where the MC is dripping blood and surrounded by bodies because someone threatened their love interest so the MC rips all their heads off, this is the romance for you!
This was the first book I've read by Jenny Nordbak, but I definitely plan to check out more of her work. The way this one ends, I'm DEFINITELY hoping for a sequel/spin-off!
This is the first book in the multi-author Peculiar Tastes universe. They're all stand-alones and can be read in any order (uh... I think).
I love Stheno so much. She's such a badass. And then who doesn't love a god of death?! (I sure can't resist.) I definitely fell for Gregor from moment one, and the chemistry between him and Stheno is fiiiiiirrrreeeee. So hot. *fans self* And at the same time there's some vulnerability there, which was really lovely. If you're into the type of romance where the MC is dripping blood and surrounded by bodies because someone threatened their love interest so the MC rips all their heads off, this is the romance for you!
This was the first book I've read by Jenny Nordbak, but I definitely plan to check out more of her work. The way this one ends, I'm DEFINITELY hoping for a sequel/spin-off!
This is the first book in the multi-author Peculiar Tastes universe. They're all stand-alones and can be read in any order (uh... I think).
November 12, 2022
The idea of this book was interesting, but I didn’t like the way it was written.
Everything was very rushed so there was no development, character, relationship, or plot. The druid and Stheno never get to know each other and their relationship, if you can call it that, comes out of nowhere. Also, they didn’t really have personalities. Their ‘scary’ reputations were talked about, but their personalities were never shown.
The plot was dramatic, especially with the crazy ending where it turns out that nothing is as it seems. I didn’t really understand anything about this world as nothing was explained clearly. There were gods and it seemed to take place in Scotland, but they had to go through a portal (I think?) to get there which made it seem like a fantasy world.
This book wasn’t for me as I didn’t understand the plot or the world at all, and the characters and relationships weren’t developed. I still want to continue with this series as each book is written by a different author so hopefully the next book will be better.
Everything was very rushed so there was no development, character, relationship, or plot. The druid and Stheno never get to know each other and their relationship, if you can call it that, comes out of nowhere. Also, they didn’t really have personalities. Their ‘scary’ reputations were talked about, but their personalities were never shown.
The plot was dramatic, especially with the crazy ending where it turns out that nothing is as it seems. I didn’t really understand anything about this world as nothing was explained clearly. There were gods and it seemed to take place in Scotland, but they had to go through a portal (I think?) to get there which made it seem like a fantasy world.
This book wasn’t for me as I didn’t understand the plot or the world at all, and the characters and relationships weren’t developed. I still want to continue with this series as each book is written by a different author so hopefully the next book will be better.
October 27, 2022
legit the only good part about this was the smut. i didn’t understand the plot at all and the scottish accent was hell to read, literal hell, i couldn’t even tell what half of the words were supposed to be with how they were written out
November 13, 2022
3.5
Gorgon Stheno, sister of the late Medusa, is hired to assassinate the Druid responsible for dropping the veil between the human and supernatural realms on Samhain.
Gorgon Stheno, sister of the late Medusa, is hired to assassinate the Druid responsible for dropping the veil between the human and supernatural realms on Samhain.
August 30, 2022
Honestly, this is the Gorgon story I've always deserved and I adored it. Best spin on this idea I've ever encountered. I hope Nordbak doesn't wait long to write more for the side characters.
August 28, 2022
ayyye this is finally on goodreads! v soon I'll write an official review but i just gotta say this was fucking delicious, my favorite* of the six Peculiar Taste books!!! immaculate💅🏻
*defs should disclose that Jenny and I are friends, tho I maintain that its the greatest!!
*defs should disclose that Jenny and I are friends, tho I maintain that its the greatest!!
October 6, 2022
Definitely would have preferred this as a full length book. But still, even though the plot was kind of a lot for a novella, and it was chaotic at the beginning with who wanted the veil up or down and why and to what end, once I settled in it was SUCH a fun ride! Loved both main characters - they were whole, well rounded people with complex inner lives and pasts and it showed in all of their actions and interactions how they'd been formed by their pasts and the book didn't rely on just telling us this was how they were, which is a pitfall of a lot of shorter books. So yeah, now I'm definitely doing a gorgon theme for my bathroom!
December 15, 2025
This was a really fun, quick read! It reminded me why I’ve loved monster romances so much. They’re so chaotic in the best ways & they find such fun ways to be creative when it comes to the spice. It’s very insta-lovey but I still had a fun time with it!
October 12, 2022
3.75 stars
Read
August 4, 2023This novella has a surprisingly interesting plot and great amount of spice, but I won’t be rating it. Apparently, I don’t enjoy smut anymore, and that’s a me problem, not the book’s
September 18, 2022
My favorite version of enemies-to-lovers is where they’re trying to kill each other but can't quite follow through. In this instance, Stheno the Gorgon is ready to take the Dark Druid out and can’t understand why she hasn’t killed him already. The Dark Druid is fine with keeping her around, once he figures out she's more than a willing sacrifice. Crucially, her ability to turn him to stone is only temporary. This was such a fun, steamy read! I always appreciate monster romances that put extra appendages and abilities to good use. Plus, the pile of enemy eyeballs as a token of affection made me giggle. Clearly influenced by IAD in both content and tone.
Characters: Stheno is a Gorgon and a slayer. The Dark Druid aka is Scottish and Cernunnos, the god of death. He’s part stag, part wolf when he’s in his other form.
Content notes: , murder, attempted murder, imprisonment, physical assault, snake bites as defense, arrow wound, sister is imprisoned, threat of sexual assault, aphrodisiac powder, sexism, ableism (around mental illness), Mentally Ill Villain trope, past murder of sister Medusa , on page sex, primal play, pain play, tail sex, snake as cock ring, stone dildo, orgasm denial, edging, bondage, masturbation, alcohol, inebriation (secondary character), gendered pejoratives, gender essentialism, ableist language
Disclosure: I’m friends with the author.
Characters: Stheno is a Gorgon and a slayer. The Dark Druid aka is Scottish and Cernunnos, the god of death. He’s part stag, part wolf when he’s in his other form.
Content notes: , murder, attempted murder, imprisonment, physical assault, snake bites as defense, arrow wound, sister is imprisoned, threat of sexual assault, aphrodisiac powder, sexism, ableism (around mental illness), Mentally Ill Villain trope, past murder of sister Medusa , on page sex, primal play, pain play, tail sex, snake as cock ring, stone dildo, orgasm denial, edging, bondage, masturbation, alcohol, inebriation (secondary character), gendered pejoratives, gender essentialism, ableist language
Disclosure: I’m friends with the author.
April 21, 2024
This book was so good! It started out quite slow for such a short book, but it picked up at about 55/60%. Didn't see the little twist coming.
June 6, 2023
"I, Cernunnos, give ye the power tae create life with my seed…if or when we’re ready for such a thing. With the turning of the Wheel, now begins yer time of light, but my darkness will fall again, my love.”
"The dawn will bring a new day and a chance tae make a new world for all like us.”
¡Fue un gran comienzo para la serie! Con una gorgona asesina y un dios escocés atractivo del sexo y la muerte con un lado tierno. Stheno y Gregor son personajes simpáticos con una dinámica realmente agradable: me gustó lo juguetones que podían ser entre ellos y cómo contrastaba con lo letales que eran.
Me encantó este romance Gorgon. Cuando pensamos en las Gorgonas, solemos pensar en Medusa, así que me emocioné mucho cuando me di cuenta de que Nordbak centraba su historia en torno a una de las hermanas de Medusa.
Cuando leí el primer capítulo me sentí un poco perdida y sentí que debería tener más antecedentes sobre los personajes. A medida que avanzaba el libro, se proporciona la información que era realmente necesaria para la historia y realmente no sentí que me faltaba nada. La historia tuvo lugar en los tiempos modernos con los dioses, diosas y otras criaturas viviendo en un mundo paralelo al nuestro.
Combinando algunas partes menos conocidas de la mitología griega con algo de acción muy picante, la autora escribió una excelente introducción al Mercado de las Sombras y toda la diversión que podemos esperar del resto de la serie.
"The dawn will bring a new day and a chance tae make a new world for all like us.”
¡Fue un gran comienzo para la serie! Con una gorgona asesina y un dios escocés atractivo del sexo y la muerte con un lado tierno. Stheno y Gregor son personajes simpáticos con una dinámica realmente agradable: me gustó lo juguetones que podían ser entre ellos y cómo contrastaba con lo letales que eran.
Me encantó este romance Gorgon. Cuando pensamos en las Gorgonas, solemos pensar en Medusa, así que me emocioné mucho cuando me di cuenta de que Nordbak centraba su historia en torno a una de las hermanas de Medusa.
Cuando leí el primer capítulo me sentí un poco perdida y sentí que debería tener más antecedentes sobre los personajes. A medida que avanzaba el libro, se proporciona la información que era realmente necesaria para la historia y realmente no sentí que me faltaba nada. La historia tuvo lugar en los tiempos modernos con los dioses, diosas y otras criaturas viviendo en un mundo paralelo al nuestro.
Combinando algunas partes menos conocidas de la mitología griega con algo de acción muy picante, la autora escribió una excelente introducción al Mercado de las Sombras y toda la diversión que podemos esperar del resto de la serie.
June 15, 2023
CW (from author): incidental injuries during sex, violence, murder (of baddies), blood, explicit sex
I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)
-m/f fantasy romance
-monster romance
-I was supposed to kill you whoops
-he falls first and goes feral for her
-insta love
-soft one and the hard one
This was a great introduction to the series that I've been hyped for since the Kickstarter was announced. A soft monster with a Scottish brogue falling for a hard assassin trying to save her family. I loved their back and forth, their immediate chemistry, HIS TAIL, and how they both sacrificed for their relationship.
Steam: 4
I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)
-m/f fantasy romance
-monster romance
-I was supposed to kill you whoops
-he falls first and goes feral for her
-insta love
-soft one and the hard one
This was a great introduction to the series that I've been hyped for since the Kickstarter was announced. A soft monster with a Scottish brogue falling for a hard assassin trying to save her family. I loved their back and forth, their immediate chemistry, HIS TAIL, and how they both sacrificed for their relationship.
Steam: 4
February 13, 2023
I’m genuinely upset I read this book lmao
March 12, 2024
2.5 - the Scottish accent writing killed me lol
October 3, 2022
Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars
The Death God's Sacrifice by Jenny Nordback is the first book in the Peculiar Taste series which was released initially on Kickstarter and officially released on October 4, 2022. This book follows a gorgon who is enlisted to kill a death god but gets more than she bargained for.
The heavy sigh you are hearing is me realizing that I now have an even bigger TBR because Jenny Nordback has made her way onto it. I really enjoyed this book!
I haven't read anything by Jenny Nordback before so I was excited to try this book out. I had backed the Kickstarter for the hardcover books and the e-books which were delivered first. I thought this was such a solid start to a series of novellas written by different authors.
First off, our hero is Scottish! I was already happy knowing that the Shadow Market was in Scotland but to have a Scottish hero made this even better! I really loved seeing his accent and learning more about him.
Now this book is spicy with a capital S. I loved it so much. I know Jenny Nordback is an ex-dominatrix which means she knew how to describe these scenes so perfectly. I was absolutely loving all the scenes but the spicy ones were extra enjoyable.
I love that this book was a full story. I find with novellas sometimes that it isn't wrapped up as well or ends abruptly. This book, however, was perfectly paced and told the story in a way that it was able ot introduce conflict and wrap it up. I also loved that this book had a twist I didn't see coming! I can see that Jenny Nordback kept this open for other books to be written, possibly about Medusa.
Overall, I absolutely enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more from Jenny Nordback. I am so excited to read the other author's books and to ready more from Jenny Nordback.
The Death God's Sacrifice by Jenny Nordback is the first book in the Peculiar Taste series which was released initially on Kickstarter and officially released on October 4, 2022. This book follows a gorgon who is enlisted to kill a death god but gets more than she bargained for.
The heavy sigh you are hearing is me realizing that I now have an even bigger TBR because Jenny Nordback has made her way onto it. I really enjoyed this book!
I haven't read anything by Jenny Nordback before so I was excited to try this book out. I had backed the Kickstarter for the hardcover books and the e-books which were delivered first. I thought this was such a solid start to a series of novellas written by different authors.
First off, our hero is Scottish! I was already happy knowing that the Shadow Market was in Scotland but to have a Scottish hero made this even better! I really loved seeing his accent and learning more about him.
Now this book is spicy with a capital S. I loved it so much. I know Jenny Nordback is an ex-dominatrix which means she knew how to describe these scenes so perfectly. I was absolutely loving all the scenes but the spicy ones were extra enjoyable.
I love that this book was a full story. I find with novellas sometimes that it isn't wrapped up as well or ends abruptly. This book, however, was perfectly paced and told the story in a way that it was able ot introduce conflict and wrap it up. I also loved that this book had a twist I didn't see coming! I can see that Jenny Nordback kept this open for other books to be written, possibly about Medusa.
Overall, I absolutely enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more from Jenny Nordback. I am so excited to read the other author's books and to ready more from Jenny Nordback.
July 13, 2025
3.5💫 İlgimi çeken, okuması eğlenceli, kısa bir kitaptı. Konu olarak farklı ama işleniş açısından çok etkili değildi bence. Yine de karakterleri okumak güzeldi. Yunan mitolojisinden esinlenilmiş. Kadın karakterimiz Medusa’nın kardeşi. Kız kardeşlerini korumak için kendisini bir savaşçı olarak eğitmiş, güçlü ve herkesçe korkulan biri. Kitabın başında diğer kız kardeşini kurtarmak için, Kral’ın emrettiği canlıları öldürmekle görevli. Son bir görevi de kadın karakterimizin bile korktuğu, ismi bile çok anılmayan Dark Druid’in kurbanı olarak yaklaşıp onu öldürmek. Druid, yılda bir kez Samhain gecesinde, kurbanıyla birlikte olarak dünyayla öbür dünyayı birbirinden ayıran tülü indiriyor. Bu ayinin bu yılki kurbanı da, başka bir amacı olan kadın karakterimiz Stheno. Ancak ikisinin birbirlerine olan çekimi kimsenin hesaba katmadığı bir durum. Kitap kısa olduğu için çok ayrıntılı ve açıklayıcı bir dünya oluşturmamış yazar. Aslında uzun uzun yazsa baya ilgi çekici bir konusu var ve gayet güzel bir fantastik olurmuş. Karakterlerimizin ikisi de oldukça güçlü ve etkileyici. Genel olarak okuması güzeldi. Hızlıca okuyup bitti.
April 11, 2023
The heroine in this one is particularly kick-ass - she’s a gorgon assassin. And she’s up against The Dark Druid. Of course, they fall in love. And it’s a fun one.
I had little idea of what to expect from this book. I found the logic of why he wasn’t a god, why he was, why she was, who died and was released from the vow, etc convoluted. I really enjoyed the hero and heroine - two ‘monsters’ who have lead difficult and very different lives. I loved that they found love with each other, and saw all of the other person, not just their ‘monstrous’ form.
Bought from kickstarter
I had little idea of what to expect from this book. I found the logic of why he wasn’t a god, why he was, why she was, who died and was released from the vow, etc convoluted. I really enjoyed the hero and heroine - two ‘monsters’ who have lead difficult and very different lives. I loved that they found love with each other, and saw all of the other person, not just their ‘monstrous’ form.
Bought from kickstarter
March 3, 2023
A spicy monster romance novella. I am living for this! And whoa 🥵 The Druid can get it. The mouth of this man deserves a spot in the hall of fame. The Scottish accent 😮💨Book boyfriend who truly gets the heroine, Stheno.
She’s a gorgon who is bent on fulfilling her task to save her sister. But he’s the only thing standing in her way. Truly, what is better than that?!
5 🌶
4.5 ⭐️
Tropes: monster
TW: violence, murder, 🩸, explicit
She’s a gorgon who is bent on fulfilling her task to save her sister. But he’s the only thing standing in her way. Truly, what is better than that?!
5 🌶
4.5 ⭐️
Tropes: monster
TW: violence, murder, 🩸, explicit
March 5, 2023
Heavy fantasy novella with spice!!
Stheno is a gorgon trying to find her sister. By making a deal with the wrong man, she is forced to try and kill the dark Druid. Little does she know, he’s not as easy to kill as she thought.
I enjoyed this spicy fantasy novella. I will say I did have a hard time connecting to our fmc but I am excited to continue the rest of the series.
Tropes: fantasy, novella, gorgons and druids, primal play, edging, tails? Lol
⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Stheno is a gorgon trying to find her sister. By making a deal with the wrong man, she is forced to try and kill the dark Druid. Little does she know, he’s not as easy to kill as she thought.
I enjoyed this spicy fantasy novella. I will say I did have a hard time connecting to our fmc but I am excited to continue the rest of the series.
Tropes: fantasy, novella, gorgons and druids, primal play, edging, tails? Lol
⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 🌶️🌶️🌶️
October 6, 2022
TW: sacrifice, kidnapping, death of loved ones, murder, death, alcohol consumption, drugging, blood, physical assault, threat of sexual assault (past), dubious consent, torture, eye horror (graphic), corpse depictions, grief/loss,
Tropes: protective possessive, they're feral for each other, monster romance
Tropes: protective possessive, they're feral for each other, monster romance
Displaying 1 - 30 of 241 reviews