Summary
One heroic act damned me for eternity.
With a name like Tor, I should have been a hero, just like my father and twin. Turns out I’m not. Not even close.
Instead I’m the very thing we hunted. A depraved monster.
I thought there was no escaping the curse. No hope for a future.
And then I met my mate in the unlikeliest of places: Blackwood Asylum. A place for criminals. Power hungry madmen. Supernatural outcasts. And her, the curvaceous writer who sees ghosts.
I’m not the only one with a need to claim her though and I don’t know which of us she’ll choose.
The dragon
The pirate
The lost soul
or me…the beast.
Dahlia was my reason for holding on to the last shreds of my humanity, but with every passing day I lose more of myself. And I’m starting to think that’s for the best.
With threats closing in from all sides and a serial killer on the loose, maybe fate brought us together because she doesn’t need a hero.
Maybe what my beauty really needs is a villain.
Excerpt
Ball gowns are bullshit.
If I never had to squeeze myself into a formal gown and this much underwear again, it would be too soon. I was more of a yoga pants and oversized sweatshirts kind of gal. Messy buns and glasses. Mismatched fuzzy socks and two-day-old Cheeto stains. Not red silk numbers trimmed in black lace, with matching opera-length gloves and murder skis (a.k.a. stilettos).
Shifting in my seat as the limo pulled up to the line of cars dropping people off at the theater, I forced my mind off the way my ass was currently eating the shapewear keeping the jiggle at bay. Honestly, I liked the jiggle. I liked being soft and cozy.
“I look ridiculous,” I grumbled.
“You look hot. I’d fuck you,” my editor and best friend Kiki said, handing me the beaded clutch she’d let me borrow. It was only large enough for my phone and a tube of lipstick, but she insisted it completed the look.
She was so much better at all . . . this. Kiki walked through life as though the spotlight was meant to shine on her. But then, she was the extrovert in our pairing while I was the happy hermit. A bridge troll, if you will.
And I liked it that way. I was a recluse for a reason.
“I thought the whole point of a pseudonym was that I wouldn’t have to show up at these things.”
“That was before you went and got Twilight famous, Ms. Spector.”
“Don’t start,” I groaned, just like I always did when she referred to me by my other persona.
Kiki laughed, pulling out a compact and checking her perfectly powdered face. “I can’t help it if you’re a hotshot author, dollface. Rebel changed your life in basically every way. That means public appearances but also a fuck ton of money.”
She was right. I’d written Rebel and the Haunts with zero expectations and was met with a worldwide phenomenon. Traditional publishers had a bidding war over my sexy ghost smut after it had taken the indie publishing world by storm, then came the offers from producers for film rights. I’d gone from unknown to a household name in the blink of an eye. Well, Ruby Spector had. Most people didn’t realize I was actually boring old Dahlia Moore, daughter of Jacob Moore. Yes, that Jacob Moore. The infamous cult leader who murdered his flock.
If the world got wind of that little morsel, things would be drastically different—in a bad way. We wouldn’t be talking about my books anymore. I’d be splashed all over the news as the broken little girl who’d survived a terrifying ordeal instead.
Hard pass.
I’d take this kind of media circus over that one any day of the week.
Review
(audiobook) Those Mate Games series are really great, and each of them has a different setting–a supernatural college, a strange small town… And now an asylum, which was unexpected and interesting. Especially with various fairytales woven into the story.
Imagine thinking you’re a regular human, but ending up in an asylum for paranormal creatures after a tragic event, and discovering that you aren’t that normal after all. That’s what happens to Dahlia. I thought there was too little scepticism. I mean, you’re supposed to be surrounded by crazy people, and the ones you meet tell you they are all monsters of some sort, you would think they’re all imagining things. And yes, that happens, but Dahlia is quickly convinced. And strangely not worried at all. Of course, a lot of unexplainable things happen early in the story.
Also, she’s a writer and writes paranormal reverse harem. Ring a bell? I love mise en abyme. I’m curious about the artist’s craft, always, so if they talk about it through their art, I’m happy to peek behind the curtain. Here, Dahlia is the conduit of not one, but two authors, which makes it even more interesting. As Dahlia seems to use writing as a way to cope with her tragic past, I wonder how much of themselves the co-writers put into the character. And since Dahlia also writes about her fantasies, and unknowingly about her inner hidden–even to herself–self, they probably hint at their writing process. All very interesting things to explore.
The mise en abyme doesn’t stop there, as very well known fairytales are used, sometimes as metaphors, sometimes as themes, sometimes as character development. One of those fairytales being Beauty and the Beast–see the title–and books playing a big part in that particular story, is there even a mise en abyme in the mise en abyme? But you’ll find Peter Pan’s story referenced too, as one of the male characters is Hook. And bits of other tales here and there.
This is a story about stories. The ones we tell others, the ones we tell ourselves, the ones others try to sell us. There’s even a scene where the characters are watching a movie adaptation of a famous novel. So it makes perfect sense to have all those elements included.
But it’s also a perfectly crafted explicit–sometimes gruesome–reverse harem paranormal romance. There are multiple fantastic creatures, and unexplained events. I kind of enjoyed the general atmosphere. Since the setting is an asylum, and there’s a serial killer lurking around, it was a bit darker than the previous series, but I’m here for it. It was heavy on the sexy too, more than on the romantism, as it’s the very beginning of the series, but it’s okay. I don’t expect a slow burn in that kind of book.
The usual female narrator is back to play the main character, and I felt she fit perfectly. She’s also seconded by one of my favorite female narrators whose energy is a good complement. As for the male narrators, it sounds like the characters were written for them. It’s a perfect cast all around.
There are a lot of mysteries to unfold, and I can’t wait for the next book.
Quickie
- Series: The Mate Games: Death #1 (linked to the other Mate Games series, ends on a cliffhanger)
- Hashtags: #paranormal romance #reverse harem #fairytales #asylum #serial killer #ghosts #virgin #amnesia
- Triggers: violence and multiple deaths, mention of past cult activities
- Main “couple”: Dahlia Moore & (Tor Nordson/Caspian Hook/Malakai Nash/Cain Alexander)
- Hotness: 5/5
- Romance: 2/5
- + I loved the setting
- – for now it’s a lot more lust and fate than love
Stalker mode
You can subscribe to K Loraine/Kim Loraine’s newsletter on her website and to Meg Anne’s on hers.
Vero Ticker 