Smutember Wrap Up

 

We made it. We finished Smutember!! And Boy oh Boy was it a hot September. We had some great drool worthy thirst traps but we also had  some major turn offs. 

 So just a fresh reminder : at the beginning of September I was on booktok and a group was doing smutember. I decided to join but since I’m not a TikToker I would just let you know my thoughts here and probably also on bookstagram. I decided to read 9 of the most popular smut books you see on booktok. In the beginning of September I did a post on the reads and their synopsis so please check it out if you want to know more about them other then just my thoughts. 

They were 

Savage lands by Stacey Marie Brown

Flock by Kate Stewart

Credence by Penelope Douglas

Corrupt by Penelope Douglas

Den of Vipers by K.A, Knight

Desperate Measures by Katee Robert

Zodiac Academy by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti

Pestilence by Laura Thalassa

A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair

There were two that I didn’t get to and I’m gonna switch them out with other ones that I did read. Now lets get to the reads.

The first one I want to talk about is Zodiac Academy.  This is a 8 book series with the 7th one being release soon. I have to say I’m really enjoying this series. I’m just about to finish book 4. It is a bully romance so please check for trigger warnings. I was told this is like the adult version of Harry Potter. I can see that but it is definitely way more. I’m enjoying the plot so its isn’t just a smut read there is background and then some spice sprinkled in between. So if you enjoy fae, werecreatures, vampires, and whole bunch of other super natural creatures that also have magic system weaved into it then it is definitely a must read. On the thirst scale I would say it probably starts off at 🍹🍹🍹 for book one but as the series continues so does the 🍹. 

Since we are on the topic of fantasy bully romance reads. Savage lands is another one up that ally. It also seems to have a whole bunch of creatures though we are learning what our main female character is and why she is mysteriously connected to a scary male. This would also be another 🍹🍹🍹on the thirst scale. It’s a lot of world building, character building and story telling in the beginning before any thirst traps make an appearance. Haven’t gotten into book 2 yet so not sure if the scale would increase but what I’ve read so far I’m sure it’ll make it into another thirsty Thursday. So keep your eyes out. 

We are still on the topic of bully romances but no more fantasy intertwined. Corrupt would be the third bully romance I read making me realize that yes I enjoy bully romances and as long as certain things (like permission) are asked then I’m down for any kind of bully situation these authors want to throw at me. This one had a bit of a twist to it. There was something not right and making you want to figure out why certain things were happening to her and so it kept me entertained. this was the first on I read for smutember so I don’t remember the thirst begin to heavy so I will also place this one at a 🍹🍹🍹. There are four books in this series though I believe they are all stand-alones that just have character connections. So I do plan to read the others and I will let you know if the thirst varies in the others. 

Desperate Measures was a DNF for me. Or well its one I started stop cuz it was just eh and I just don’t know if I will spend time trying to finish it in the future when there are other books calling my name that are better then eh.

A Touch of Darkness… well I finished it but I had a hard time connecting with both main characters and I found this version of persephone hella annoying. So I gave the book a 2 star rating but thirst level was probably at a 🍹🍹🍹🍹. I think I enjoy a plot in my smut.

 

Both Den of Vipers and Credence were DNF’s for me. I will not be picking them up again. They DNF for different reasons but its because they each hit one of my do not cross tropes. I know I have talked about my least favorite trope multiple times but just in case you need a reminder. I personally hate the I’m related or proxy related (incest) Trope. Credence is the one I DNF on this trope. She went to live with her dads step brother and I quite before I could figure out if she was going to screw the proxy uncle or one or both the proxy cousins. In what I was reading and the way it seemed to lead she was going to wind up doing each on just at different times. So I stopped before I found out and lost my lunch. Den of Vipers on the other hand was DNF on the fact there were multiple time she was telling them no (to the point she was crawling away) and they still decided it was ok to fuck her. I think I need consent or to me its rape. I know once they started she was like oh gosh they feel so great and are so hot so I guess its fine. I personally wasn’t a fan of that.  

 

I started Pestilence but for some reason I was no longer into smut reads. So I put it aside and will probably come back to it here in the next coming weeks. Flock I never got to on two reason. One was I ran out of credits for audio books, two it wasn’t a book I was dying to buy so it was placed on the if I get time I’ll pick it up. But now September is over and smutember is done and I never got to it. I have heard good things of it so probably in the future but I have so many smut series that I need to finish before I start another. I’m one who likes to read series but if all the books are out so I can binge read them and then I can move on to the next and only think about them if I want to reread or if they are that good that they need to live in my mind which then begs me to reread them. 

I did get to the misadventures of a curvy girl. Which I know isn’t as popular on booktok but it has gotten some love. Mainly cuz its a great smut read about you not so average size heroin. This one not only had one thirst trap but two and it was sooo cute. A 🍹🍹🍹🍹🍹on my thirsty scale. I’ll drop the synopsis below since this one wasn’t one of my original smut reads.

Synopsis: 

For the first time in her life, Ireland Mills is happy with her body. No more fad diets, no more hiding from every camera in the room, no more low self-esteem. She’d rather be alone than with someone who’ll only love her if she’s skinny.

Caleb Carpenter and Ben Weber are everything Ireland and the Kansas Chamber of Commerce dreamed of when conceptualizing the “Real Kansas” promotional campaign. They’re handsome, young, educated, and totally dedicated to their small prairie town.

When Ireland’s Prius gets stuck on a Kansas dirt road and a massive storm rips through town, she’s left stranded with nowhere to turn but to Caleb and Ben. These two hunky country boys are impossible to ignore, but could they ever be interested in her as well?

Caleb and Ben are more than interested…and they’re willing to share. After their first night together, they know this has to be more than a one-time thing. They need to make her theirs forever. But can they convince Ireland they love her, curves and all?

Misadventures is a romantic series of spicy standalone novels, each written or co-written by some of the best names in romance. The stories are scandalous, refreshing, and, of course, incredibly sexy. They’re the p

 

I was on a book tour for The Feral Princess series

I was gifted book one and two for my honest review. Book one was ok and Book two really killed it. I can’t wait for book three to find out what happens to my man and see more of blacks character development. If your interested on knowing what I thought check out my instagram @thisbindinglife. Book one is 🍹🍹🍹🍹 on the thirst scale while book two jumped to 🍹🍹🍹🍹🍹on the thirst scale. Man those scenes. 

Also included is the synopsis since this also wasn’t an original read

Synopsis:

In shifter life, what's more important? Your human mind? Or your wolf's?

Elena

When my wolf appears for the first time, I’m so overjoyed that I don’t think, I just run into the forest…and smack into Black Maddox, the leader of my pack. Only…he doesn’t believe that I’m what I say I am. He insists that I’m part of a rival pack and locks me up in his basement.
Black’s twice my age, insanely powerful, and has a streak of darkness running through him a mile wide and an ocean deep.
He’s exactly the type of man that I always swore I’d stay far away from. I should stick with Jonah, the beta I know and trust, the man who’ll give me everything I ask for.
But what if there are things I didn’t know I ever wanted before? Things I don’t know how to ask for?
The shadow Black casts drenches me, his depravity soaking into my skin.
He’s going to destroy me if I don’t escape him.

Black

I discover pretty little Elena helpless in disputed territory.
At first, I want to crack her open, this wide-eyed temptation who derails me. I want to shatter her and those who sent her into tiny pieces. I will not be manipulated or deceived by her false innocence.
That’s what I tell myself. But even as I say it aloud, my obsession grows and the spell she weaves leaves my wolf and I both panting.
But once I realize Elena’s a special type of shifter, the rarest of the rare, and the most precious of them all… I don’t want to crush her. I want to chain and keep her. I want to make her beg for mercy, but not because she’s broken.
Because she’s mine.
I want her desperate and aching for me in ways she’s never been before.
My wolf and I will claim her, mark her, marry her and keep her.
Only one thing’s stopping me.
The entire shifter world wants her too.

Author’s Note: This is a dark ménage romance. Please read the author's note at the beginning of this book before you dive in.