Summary
Violet is a typical, down-on-her-luck millennial: mid-twenties, over-educated and drowning in debt, on the verge of moving into her parents’ basement. When a lifeline appears in the form of a very unconventional job in neighboring Cambric Creek, she has no choice but to grab at it with both hands.
Morning Glory Farm offers full-time hours, full benefits, and generous pay with no experience needed . . . there’s only one catch. The clientele is Grade A certified prime beef, with the manly, meaty endowments to match. Hands-on work with minotaurs isn’t something Violet ever considered as a career option, but she’s determined to turn the opportunity into a reversal of fortune.
When a stern, deep-voiced client begins to specially request her for his sessions at the farm, maintaining her professionalism and keeping him out of her dreams is easier said than done. Violet is resolved to make a dent in her student loans and afford name-brand orange juice, and a one-sided crush on an out-of-her-league minotaur is not a part of her plan—unless her feelings aren’t so one-sided after all.
Excerpt
“The goal for every client is a plentiful, speedy collection. That is the expectation with which you will approach every shift—getting our clients in and out and on with their day, all while maintaining our quality protocols. A plentiful, speedy collection makes for happy clients and a productive farm!”
The fox-like woman’s beaming, sharp-edged smile froze, her glinting canines transformed into something sinister and vaguely threatening as Violet tapped the laptop, pausing the video for the third time that morning.She’d not yet made it past the introduction today, needing to repeatedly remind herself to breathe and stay upright and that she was home, so bolting out into the hallway and making a break for the elevator would make little sense, particularly if she wanted to avoid the uncomfortable scenario of her elderly neighbors hearing the sound of the video coming from her apartment and discovering what she was watching.
She thought of little old Mrs. Muehlstein from down the hall, a withered, hunched crone with the beginnings of dementia, accidentally wandering into the wrong apartment, catching sight of the instructional video, and having a stroke right there in the middle of the living room. Is that what you want? For the last thing that sweet old woman sees is some minotaur getting a tug job? Get a fucking grip and make up your mind!
Her portal access was only good for another eight hours; eight hours in which to decide whether or not she’d be a good fit for the team at Morning Glory Farm; if her jangling nerves and ever-present anxiety would allow her to take the plunge and click accept. The implication of her words and what exactly she’d be gripping if she took the job occurred to her then, and she moaned in mortification. It wasn’t the first preposterous mental image she’d concocted since leaving Cambric Creek the previous afternoon, and Violet was certain, as she clicked play once more, that it wouldn’t be the last.
Review
After reading the blurb, I expected erotica with monsters in a urban fantasy setting. And it was that! But also so much more. I really enjoyed this book way more than I thought I would.
The book is written only through Violet’s point of view. As an outsider in Cambric Creek, she was perfect. The reader can experience the novelty of a world filled with creatures at the same time as Violet. Besides that aspect, I didn’t find her extremely compelling. I couldn’t relate to her struggles, which are an important part of her character, and influence most of her decisions. Different generations and cultures, I guess.
We meet with monsters of various species, but besides Rourke, they’re mostly peripheral. Yet, they’re interesting, because they give a better taste of the world this book is set in. I loved that most of Violet’s interactions with monsters had nothing to do with the romance. Like this is the story of Violet’s personal journey, and the love story is only a small part of it.
The romance was unexpectedly sweet and drama free. It starts as very sexual in nature, but it wasn’t instalove. There’s attraction, then seduction–although the context of it is unique, but that was part of the book’s charm. And it’s erotica because of that context, not because of the romance. I admit, though, that the attraction coming from Violet’s hands and Rourke’s appendage didn’t do it for me. Of course, they don’t see much of each other at first, I get it.
Was it hot? That’s a big yes. And what made it even better–in my opinion–is that, even though we follow the main female character, the book was mostly about male pleasure. And not just from Rourke, but from several minor characters too. How to please them, what makes them tick, the variations in pleasure’s intensity, their reactions… Everything is on the page. I really liked that it wasn’t about the woman’s sex life for once.
Finally, there was an unexpected little treat. This book isn’t a social commentary by any stretch, but it isn’t dumb or out of touch either. The author knew that, by creating the kind of society she describes in this book, she had to acknowledge some obvious resulting problems. So there are some paragraphs about the place of monsters in a mainly human society, and human privileges; about the exploitation of minorities for the privileged; about double standards. It isn’t exactly subtle, but it isn’t the main focus of the book either.
As an entryway to monster romance, it was the perfect book.
Quickie
- Series: Cambric Creek #1 (can be read as a standalone)
- Hashtags: #paranormal romance #monster romance #interspecies relationship #age gap #minotaur #erotica
- Triggers: hard to say… it isn’t sex work, but can be considered one?
- Main couple: Violet & Rourke
- Hotness: 5+++/5
- Romance: 4/5
- + male pleasure at the center of the story, nice
- – after the magic pussy, the magic hands? Dubious
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