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Peculiar Tastes #3
The Hellmouth Guardian's Lover
She swore the next time, she’d kill him…
Ariadne Dosmundos does not forgive and forget. Five years after being betrayed by the serpent demon she trusted with her heart, she still wants revenge. But when he comes to her monster bacchanalia seeking aid, her old feelings rise to the surface, turning bloodlust...into pure lust.
Augustus Custo knows it’s a mistake to seek out Ariadne, but she's his last resort if he wants to rescue the Hellmouth guardian. From the moment he sees her again he knows that this time he can’t—won’t—walk away. He vows to do right by her if only they can stop a Hellmouth breach of disastrous proportions.
Ariadne thought having Augustus one more time would extinguish the flames of her lust, but Augustus has always been her weakness. When he finally reveals the truth of why he left her, Ariadne begins to see that this demon’s heart has always belonged to her.
Ariadne Dosmundos does not forgive and forget. Five years after being betrayed by the serpent demon she trusted with her heart, she still wants revenge. But when he comes to her monster bacchanalia seeking aid, her old feelings rise to the surface, turning bloodlust...into pure lust.
Augustus Custo knows it’s a mistake to seek out Ariadne, but she's his last resort if he wants to rescue the Hellmouth guardian. From the moment he sees her again he knows that this time he can’t—won’t—walk away. He vows to do right by her if only they can stop a Hellmouth breach of disastrous proportions.
Ariadne thought having Augustus one more time would extinguish the flames of her lust, but Augustus has always been her weakness. When he finally reveals the truth of why he left her, Ariadne begins to see that this demon’s heart has always belonged to her.
124 pages, Paperback
First published October 4, 2022
114 people are currently reading
2074 people want to read
About the author
Adriana Herrera
46 books1,661 followersUSA Today bestselling author ADRIANA HERRERA was born and raised in the Caribbean, but for the last 15 years has let her job (and her spouse) take her all over the world. She loves writing stories about people who look and sound like her people, getting unapologetic happy endings.
Her debut Dreamers, has been featured on Entertainment Weekly, NPR, the TODAY Show on NBC, The New York Times, The Washington Post and Oprah Magazine.
When she's not dreaming up love stories, planning logistically complex vacations with her family or hunting for discount Broadway tickets, she’s a social worker in New York City, working with survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
Her debut Dreamers, has been featured on Entertainment Weekly, NPR, the TODAY Show on NBC, The New York Times, The Washington Post and Oprah Magazine.
When she's not dreaming up love stories, planning logistically complex vacations with her family or hunting for discount Broadway tickets, she’s a social worker in New York City, working with survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
September 15, 2022
The Hellmouth’s Guardian Lover by Adriana Herrera
Paranormal erotic romance novella. Connected to 4 other authors but can be read as stand-alone novellas.
Augustus needs Ariadne’s help to rescue a hostage. She swore she would kill him the next time she sees him. He’s willing to take the chance to get her help because he’s regretful that he walked away from her.
The Monster Smash orgies causes August to growl in jealousy because Ariadne is right in the middle of them. She agrees to help him on the condition that they be together as they prepare for the rescue.
Steamy and x-rated and suspenseful. And sexy.
Paranormal erotic romance novella. Connected to 4 other authors but can be read as stand-alone novellas.
Augustus needs Ariadne’s help to rescue a hostage. She swore she would kill him the next time she sees him. He’s willing to take the chance to get her help because he’s regretful that he walked away from her.
The Monster Smash orgies causes August to growl in jealousy because Ariadne is right in the middle of them. She agrees to help him on the condition that they be together as they prepare for the rescue.
Steamy and x-rated and suspenseful. And sexy.
August 31, 2022
Years ago, Ariadne and August were partners and lovers - until he turned his back on her for the sake of duty. Now he needs her help to prevent a breach of the local hellmouth.
Right off the bat, I knew I was going to have trouble with this book through no fault of its own. It's a second chance romance, and I only very occasionally like these. And it was also a mentor/mentee romance, which is a trope I really don't enjoy at all. Still, I was interested in the premise and curious to see how the pair would manage to seal their breach and rescue Alicia.
Ariadne and August were compelling leads with plenty of interesting backstory between them. August recruited Ariadne as a hellmouth guardian, and served by her side as her sentinel, but when it was discovered at they were in a relationship, he left her to keep his role. Though he did not precisely grovel, the changes in his outlook convinced me that this relationship would work out this time round.
However, I found the plot to be very thin, which I wouldn't have minded if I bought into the romance more. Ariadne and August certainly had a strong connection, but what was depicted on the page felt very obsessive and physical. There's a point where it's referenced that August's emissions are an aphrodisiac (what a sentence) and I actually sat there wondering if there was going to be a big reveal that it was what caused the over-the-top preoccupation with each other.
Overall, an well-written and entertaining read, but I wished the romance were stronger.
Right off the bat, I knew I was going to have trouble with this book through no fault of its own. It's a second chance romance, and I only very occasionally like these. And it was also a mentor/mentee romance, which is a trope I really don't enjoy at all. Still, I was interested in the premise and curious to see how the pair would manage to seal their breach and rescue Alicia.
Ariadne and August were compelling leads with plenty of interesting backstory between them. August recruited Ariadne as a hellmouth guardian, and served by her side as her sentinel, but when it was discovered at they were in a relationship, he left her to keep his role. Though he did not precisely grovel, the changes in his outlook convinced me that this relationship would work out this time round.
However, I found the plot to be very thin, which I wouldn't have minded if I bought into the romance more. Ariadne and August certainly had a strong connection, but what was depicted on the page felt very obsessive and physical. There's a point where it's referenced that August's emissions are an aphrodisiac (what a sentence) and I actually sat there wondering if there was going to be a big reveal that it was what caused the over-the-top preoccupation with each other.
Overall, an well-written and entertaining read, but I wished the romance were stronger.
November 10, 2022
Second chance romance between a serpent demon and his formerly assigned Hellmouth guardian. He broke her heart and she hates him, but he needs her help to close a dangerous hellmouth. Steamy & creative monster romance with a reasonably interesting plot and characters I enjoyed. I never have a bad time with Adriana Herrera.
September 5, 2022
Well.. this was 2 times the spice cock goodness. Fun stuff.
There was some second chance and a dash of grovel. Good time for everyone.
3.5 stars
4 on the spice scale
There was some second chance and a dash of grovel. Good time for everyone.
3.5 stars
4 on the spice scale
October 14, 2022
Interesting second chance story. I loved how much he groveled. I loved how much she listened. I loved how much they loved each other.
February 19, 2023
Hire an editor for fucks sake
November 9, 2022
DNF 50%
Oh my god I just can't reeeeead second chance romances, I don'ttt like themm.
Oh my god I just can't reeeeead second chance romances, I don'ttt like themm.
October 18, 2022
I reeeaaally wanted to like this. It had a cool premise and a cool mythology and magic system and whatever series this came from sounds like the world building is really cool.... but THIS short story was kind of a mess. I mean, they stopped to have the equivalent of a demon blood fueled liege swearing hand fasting ceremony thing DURING A TIME CRUNCH TO SAVE SOMEONE AND KEEP A HELLMOUTH FROM OPENING. Like, I'm not saying the bad guy was right when he fired them from their job, but objectively the way they get around to it is not ideal.
August 28, 2022
ahhhh another incredible installment in the Peculiar Tastes series, one of my faves!
October 16, 2022
The best, most unhinged smut I've ever read.
dnf
October 4, 2022DNF at 65%
CW: past intimate partner violence
Normally I really enjoy Adriana Herrera’s writing but this was missing the underpinning of why her writing works well for me: the emotional arc. This was pure external conflict and characters reacting in ways that made no sense to me. The biggest one is why Ariadne would demand August have sex with her in order for her to agree to help him with the hellmouth when she’s still devastated by what he did to her five years ago and this is the first time they’ve seen each other since then. Like…my body could never LOL. Now just because I would never do something doesn’t mean I can’t read about characters who do but I would at least like to understand their motivation. Ariadne’s demand really came out of nowhere.
I tried to roll with it but the more I read, the more this relationship feels toxic to me. Ariadne is caught up in her anger and hurt without recognizing the toll on August or how she hurt him. Somehow the onus and blame is all on him, even though she never let him explain his reasons and she’s the one who cut his face afterward to make it bleed “like his betrayal had done to her heart.” That’s straight up intimate partner violence, a choice I wasn’t expecting from this author since that’s the population she works with as a social worker. There’s no justification for Ariadne’s actions, no matter how much August hurt her. He has a large facial scar as a result. She hasn’t apologized and it’s not clear that the book recognizes what she did was wrong. Your mileage may vary but I can’t root for them to be together.
Characters: August is a snake demon and retired sentinel who looks like he’s 29, even though he’s a few centuries old. Ariadne is a 31 year old Latina Hellmouth Guardian and monster bacchanalia proprietress with a clit piercing.
Content notes: past intimate partner violence , monster attack, past near-death experience (FMC almost died after she was attacked by a demon), physical assault, biting, past death of FMC’s parents (flood), sex work, orgy (in background), on page sex, D/s, exhibitionism, impact play, MMC has aphrodisiac serum in his glands, alcohol, gendered pejoratives, gender essentialist language, ableist language, mentions of past parental infidelity (MMC)
CW: past intimate partner violence
Normally I really enjoy Adriana Herrera’s writing but this was missing the underpinning of why her writing works well for me: the emotional arc. This was pure external conflict and characters reacting in ways that made no sense to me. The biggest one is why Ariadne would demand August have sex with her in order for her to agree to help him with the hellmouth when she’s still devastated by what he did to her five years ago and this is the first time they’ve seen each other since then. Like…my body could never LOL. Now just because I would never do something doesn’t mean I can’t read about characters who do but I would at least like to understand their motivation. Ariadne’s demand really came out of nowhere.
I tried to roll with it but the more I read, the more this relationship feels toxic to me. Ariadne is caught up in her anger and hurt without recognizing the toll on August or how she hurt him. Somehow the onus and blame is all on him, even though she never let him explain his reasons and she’s the one who cut his face afterward to make it bleed “like his betrayal had done to her heart.” That’s straight up intimate partner violence, a choice I wasn’t expecting from this author since that’s the population she works with as a social worker. There’s no justification for Ariadne’s actions, no matter how much August hurt her. He has a large facial scar as a result. She hasn’t apologized and it’s not clear that the book recognizes what she did was wrong. Your mileage may vary but I can’t root for them to be together.
Characters: August is a snake demon and retired sentinel who looks like he’s 29, even though he’s a few centuries old. Ariadne is a 31 year old Latina Hellmouth Guardian and monster bacchanalia proprietress with a clit piercing.
Content notes: past intimate partner violence , monster attack, past near-death experience (FMC almost died after she was attacked by a demon), physical assault, biting, past death of FMC’s parents (flood), sex work, orgy (in background), on page sex, D/s, exhibitionism, impact play, MMC has aphrodisiac serum in his glands, alcohol, gendered pejoratives, gender essentialist language, ableist language, mentions of past parental infidelity (MMC)
November 10, 2022
oh my good lord. this is the filthiest n smuttiest book i’ve read to date. the amount of times i had to put the book down and catch my breath, holy crap. i’m normally not a fan of second chance romance but DAMN can august and ariadne pull it off
Read
June 7, 2023⛲️
October 15, 2022
This was absolutely ridiculous (them stopping mid battle to bang it out 🤣) but like... somehow it's my favorite of the series so far 🤷🏼♀️
October 25, 2022
didn’t think i’d be into this but here we are
September 7, 2022
RATING:
3.5 STARS
My tastes must definitely be peculiar because I'm really enjoying the books Bonkers Romance recently released through their Shadow Market Kickstarter. The latest book I finished in the series is Adrianna Herrera's The Hellmouth Guardian's Lover, and you should read this book if you enjoy monster romances with a second chance romance, badass heroines, and lots of action (in more ways than one).
Five years ago, Hellmouth Guardian Ariadne was betrayed by her sentinel and exiled from the order. She’s since built herself a home and a business (‘a traveling monster bacchanalia named the Monster Smash’). But when that same sentinel comes knocking on her doorstep asking for her help, she will have to face all the emotions she tried to bury and the serpent demon that broke her heart.
There’s a lot of history between Ariadne and Augustus, and the tension between them is evident. The moment they gave into said tension was spicy and very fun for me as a reader. On the surface, their love story in this book is a second-chance romance. It’s also a mentor/mentee relationship as August was the one to recruit Ariadne into her role as a guardian. Admittedly, the plot is a bit sparse (even for a book this length), but I didn’t have much issue with that given that this is a very character-driven narrative. Potential readers should be aware that this is very much an adult romance, bordering on erotic romance, especially given the orgies and other sexual activities Augustus and Ariadne like to partake in.
There is shared worldbuilding between the different Peculiar Tastes/Shadow Market books, but there is little to no crossover between characters. I did enjoy the tiny Easter egg-Esque nods to the other books. For example, Augustus notes very on in the book that there “Fae queens, death gods, and powerful witches all running amok looking to settle their scores” (referencing The Fae Queen’s Captive, The Death God’s Sacrifice, and The Demon’s Bargain, respectively)
Overall, The Hellmouth Guardian’s Lover was another short, enjoyable paranormal romance/fantasy tale. It didn’t quite have the plot twists that the other books did, but it was an entertaining read nonetheless. I’m so excited that the Shadow Market books have introduced me to some new authors I’d never heard of before (I was previously only familiar with Katee Robert), and I’m looking forward to checking out Adriana’s backlist titles in the future.
Content Warnings (Courtesy of the Author): Some Incidental Injuries during sex, violence, murder (of baddies), blood, explicit sex, mention of parental death
My tastes must definitely be peculiar because I'm really enjoying the books Bonkers Romance recently released through their Shadow Market Kickstarter. The latest book I finished in the series is Adrianna Herrera's The Hellmouth Guardian's Lover, and you should read this book if you enjoy monster romances with a second chance romance, badass heroines, and lots of action (in more ways than one).
Five years ago, Hellmouth Guardian Ariadne was betrayed by her sentinel and exiled from the order. She’s since built herself a home and a business (‘a traveling monster bacchanalia named the Monster Smash’). But when that same sentinel comes knocking on her doorstep asking for her help, she will have to face all the emotions she tried to bury and the serpent demon that broke her heart.
There’s a lot of history between Ariadne and Augustus, and the tension between them is evident. The moment they gave into said tension was spicy and very fun for me as a reader. On the surface, their love story in this book is a second-chance romance. It’s also a mentor/mentee relationship as August was the one to recruit Ariadne into her role as a guardian. Admittedly, the plot is a bit sparse (even for a book this length), but I didn’t have much issue with that given that this is a very character-driven narrative. Potential readers should be aware that this is very much an adult romance, bordering on erotic romance, especially given the orgies and other sexual activities Augustus and Ariadne like to partake in.
There is shared worldbuilding between the different Peculiar Tastes/Shadow Market books, but there is little to no crossover between characters. I did enjoy the tiny Easter egg-Esque nods to the other books. For example, Augustus notes very on in the book that there “Fae queens, death gods, and powerful witches all running amok looking to settle their scores” (referencing The Fae Queen’s Captive, The Death God’s Sacrifice, and The Demon’s Bargain, respectively)
Overall, The Hellmouth Guardian’s Lover was another short, enjoyable paranormal romance/fantasy tale. It didn’t quite have the plot twists that the other books did, but it was an entertaining read nonetheless. I’m so excited that the Shadow Market books have introduced me to some new authors I’d never heard of before (I was previously only familiar with Katee Robert), and I’m looking forward to checking out Adriana’s backlist titles in the future.
Content Warnings (Courtesy of the Author): Some Incidental Injuries during sex, violence, murder (of baddies), blood, explicit sex, mention of parental death
November 25, 2025
Fun quick read about second chance with a monster twist! Badass FMC who is going to bring bell for her Ex Lover! The tension between them was hot!! I love the concept of Warrior and Guardian. The monster world that needs protection and how evil is trying to escape. This was my first read from Adriana. Her writing is fun and romantic and hot! Really enjoyed this short story.
October 10, 2022
This was an interesting story and I really enjoyed these characters. Ari & August were once lovers and guardians & Sentinel but were torn apart. Now together again August will do anything too win her back. Great story that I really enjoyed.
October 17, 2022
3.5 stars
May 10, 2023
so far they have the most connection and that connection was GOOOOODDD
May 28, 2023
Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌗
August 9, 2024
Second chance monster romance between a serpent demon sentinel and his previous mentee-turned-bacchanalia-proprietress. There was simultaneously a lot of plot in this one while not having enough. I also do wish it was edited more but I still was quite entertained reading this. (+) bisexual MCs
October 30, 2022
Review originally posted at https://smexybooks.com/2022/10/angela...
This is a second chance, enemies to lovers romance between a Sentinel and his former Hellmouth Guardian. Things happened during their former relationship to tear them apart, but now August has come to ask for Adriane’s help sealing a breach and rescuing August’s current Guardian.
August stayed with the order FOR REASONS and after being exiled Adriane built a new life and a thriving business. Her Monster Smash sex extravaganza brings all the monsters to her yard and she gets to indulge while also driving the memory of August and what she thought they shared out of her mind.
There is a lot of backstory between these two and a world of pain and hatred, but there are also pages and pages of hate sex, making up sex, double penis sex, and figuring out what when wrong conversations. This book is probably the filthiest I’ve read in the series so far.
Quick read and beyond sexy.
This is a second chance, enemies to lovers romance between a Sentinel and his former Hellmouth Guardian. Things happened during their former relationship to tear them apart, but now August has come to ask for Adriane’s help sealing a breach and rescuing August’s current Guardian.
August stayed with the order FOR REASONS and after being exiled Adriane built a new life and a thriving business. Her Monster Smash sex extravaganza brings all the monsters to her yard and she gets to indulge while also driving the memory of August and what she thought they shared out of her mind.
There is a lot of backstory between these two and a world of pain and hatred, but there are also pages and pages of hate sex, making up sex, double penis sex, and figuring out what when wrong conversations. This book is probably the filthiest I’ve read in the series so far.
Quick read and beyond sexy.
September 5, 2022
CWs: past betrayal, explicit sexual content, violence, murder, parent death (past)
Tropes: second chance, forbidden, monster fcking, grovelling, sex dungeon, extra *parts*, special *piercings*
This is kind of like Buffy if Buffy was latinx and Giles was Buffy’s ex who was also a snake demon shifter who visibly appeared much closer to Buffy’s age and who eventually (and rightfully) rejected the bureaucratic nonsense that being the slayer entailed. As you might have guessed, the premise of this story is very fun and right up my alley. Despite some consistent typos and slightly off kilter pacing, the writing style is also very charming and boasts a main couple with sass and soul deep obsession that is almost Talia Hibbert-esque in execution. Overall, this was a delightful story that makes me excited to read more of Herrera’s work as she further develops on her author journey.
Tropes: second chance, forbidden, monster fcking, grovelling, sex dungeon, extra *parts*, special *piercings*
This is kind of like Buffy if Buffy was latinx and Giles was Buffy’s ex who was also a snake demon shifter who visibly appeared much closer to Buffy’s age and who eventually (and rightfully) rejected the bureaucratic nonsense that being the slayer entailed. As you might have guessed, the premise of this story is very fun and right up my alley. Despite some consistent typos and slightly off kilter pacing, the writing style is also very charming and boasts a main couple with sass and soul deep obsession that is almost Talia Hibbert-esque in execution. Overall, this was a delightful story that makes me excited to read more of Herrera’s work as she further develops on her author journey.
April 8, 2023
The story is a little confusing for me but I think I understand what is happening halfway through. Not so much going on though but the smut is “twice” the fun, if you get what I mean. This is a second chance romance and I didn't mind that a bit as I found the character's history interesting. I would've liked it if they are not too preoccupied with each other especially in the middle of what they are supposed to be doing. And a little edit too since I noticed some typos.
October 11, 2022
This was 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
I just wish it was a full length book! It's a second chance romance between mentor/mentee. And the mentor is a serpent demon 👀 If this wasn't a novella and had more time to flesh out the world and romance, it could've been AMAZING.
I just wish it was a full length book! It's a second chance romance between mentor/mentee. And the mentor is a serpent demon 👀 If this wasn't a novella and had more time to flesh out the world and romance, it could've been AMAZING.
December 13, 2022
So good
I love this new series. Demons and angels all the bad added you could think of plus hot steamy sex!! Just my cup of tea!!
I love this new series. Demons and angels all the bad added you could think of plus hot steamy sex!! Just my cup of tea!!
March 23, 2024
honestly, there was too much plot in this one, and all that snake lore had more potential!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews