#lillian lark

[bookaddict24-7]

“They gave me a library. Consider me seduced.”

―Deceived by the Gargoyles by Lillian Lark

[eli-zab3th]

I love it when I pick up a book and within the first few chapters go 'yes, there's the autism'. It's not always canon but I'm certainly attracted to books that suddenly have characters with autistic traits.

[blkgrlsread2]

There are many things in life that we lie to ourselves that we are the ones who are in control, but when it comes to children, we discover how much that is a lie. Parenthood humbles everyone.

Lillian Lark, Hoarded by the Dragon

[deadrayg2mf]

Entranced by the Basilisks (Monstrous Matches #3) by Lillian Lark

I know I've said it many times about many authors... But Lillian Lark is for real one of my favorites. I think she is my final addition to my top five, so I'll have to start saying top ten after this. Her writing? Immaculate. Her characters? Interesting, funny, relatable. Her plots? Full of depth, romance, and a little bit of angst. Not to worry, we always get our happy ending. The world she has built around this love bathhouse universe is one that I am deeply in love with. Of the three books I've gotten to read (que me desperately figuring out how to get my hands on the lake monster and werewolf ones) not one has left me wanting for anything but more, more, more!

This is the third of the monstrous matches series in the love bathhouse universe. It follows Emilia, who we first met in the second book Deceived by the Gargoyles, the restoration expert of the library that holds the supernatural worlds Archive. Following the traumatic incident of her being kidnapped, Emilia is now aware of the supernatural world that her best friend, Grace, is a part of. If it's not enough to find out that the things that go bump in the night are real and your best friend is a witch, Emilia gets thrown into dealing with her own supernatural troubles as an innocent touch to a serpent kin book leads to her getting cursed. Now with snakes for hair and a stony stare, she is desperate to find out how to get back to normal.

Luckily for Emilia, her boss just so happens to be a basilisk. Limited but capable due to his bloodline, Jasper, who has always had an eye for Emilia is there to help immediately when Emilia accidentally turns her coworker to stone. Jasper decides, despite the rejection he slapped on him the other night, to request help from his long-time fling, Ari. After another incident with Emilia's mother, we end up with Emilia, Jasper, and Ari all living under the same roof so that Ari can help Emilia train her new powers while they all search for ways to try and reverse her "chosen" condition, as Ari calls it.

Of course, with a chosen around now, Ari is determined to lock them into a triad as he knows this is exactly what he needs to get Jasper willing to mate with him... falling in love with Emilia is just a step along the way. Though charismatic and fun, Ari is a skilled player when it comes to manipulating the game board to get what he wants, which is why his tight lips and strategic plan is exactly what ends up getting the triad into trouble when Emilia finds out he has been lying to her.

The romance is delightful, I have to say, I think this is absolutely my favorite in the series so far. Each character had their own unique qualities and inner conflict which had me binging the whole book in a day. Emilia with her anxious yet quiet determination trying to figure out if she's okay with what she's become and the world she lives in. Jasper with his cold aloofness but underneath desiring nothing but to be wanted and needed. Finally, Ari, who desperately wants to keep those he loves but internally doesn't know if he can do so without lying to them yet also knowing that keeping his secrets will lead him to nothing but trouble, hurt, and regret.

The smut is... by far my favorite of anything I've read... Is that crazy? Well, then call me nuts. And it's plentiful... Like, really plentiful for 370 pages. It's basically full of every single way these three could have gotten down and dirty. Plus... snake men. (Sue me, I've got a thing for the scaly guys... but then, you pry do too if you're here :))

This is a fun and flirty romance embroidered with a little manipulation, some angst, one happy ending, and a whole lot of three-way positions. Lillian Lark is an excellent writer who brings her world to life through her relatable (sans being anything but human) main characters and their struggles in life and love. I highly recommend the love bathhouse universe and hope you enjoy it as much as I do. 9/10

Also, if you were wondering, between when I saved this draft at my lunch break and finished it off after work <(￣︶￣)> I got the lake monster and werewolf paperback books ordered.

Would I read again? Yes, and I already want to, and I just finished it a couple days ago!

Would I recommend? 100%, please check out this series it deserves all the love

[wbtym-pod]

In our special Pre-Season Halloween Episode we discuss Stalked by the Kraken by Lillian Lark ...and it awakens something in Roxie🐙 We also enjoy The Kraken; you can find the episode link and instructions for the Cocktail and Mocktail on our Patreon (for free)! https://www.patreon.com/posts/s2e0-5-i-thought-91051400

[readtilyoudie]

“Cheer up, little Medusa, I’ll fix this.”

And he does before Emilia can snarl at him for the nickname. Ari grasps one of Mrs. Rivera’s outstretched hands, and in an instant, the gray and cold stone disappears.

“Mrs. Rivera, I presume? My name is Ari, and I have the pleasure of healing you today. Where did you get bit? Oh, never mind, I see it. May I?”

Now Ari waits for Emilia’s mother to catch up to the world around her. Including the sight of Ari in front of her. After a second, she nods. “Yes.”

Entranced by the Basilisks (Monstrous Matches, #3) by Lillian Lark

[ladyofparchments]

Mid-Year Book Freak Out-Monster Romance

This has been going around various socials all over the place, so I thought why not add my share with my own special take? Namely “Mid-Year Book Freak Out--Monster Romance Edition.” Especially since that’s most of what novels and novellas I’ve read this year. 

Overall, my reading this year has been really pleasant and enjoyable, and I’ve already had to raise my original number of books to read this year from 50 to 75. That’s happened the past couple of years, so this is nothing new. We’ll see if I have to raise it to 100 before getting close to year’s end.

Below, I’ll be answering a set of given questions from a tag, but some of them I really can’t answer as nothing for my reading year applies to those questions. On to those that I can answer (though if you know me or chat with me regularly, you’ll already know about my selections and their reasons)!

Best Book Read So Far in 2022

If we’re going by star rating, there’s no contest as my only 5-star book for 2022 is The Maid and the Orcs by Finley Fenn (I’ve been told I’m “particular” with my reading and I don’t know how to feel about that 😅). It’s a bit of a cheat since this book wouldn’t have been such a favorite were it not for all of the build-up from the previous books, but that’s what makes this one such a favorite. Especially concerning a certain Skai Shadow. #IYKYK.

Best Sequel Read So Far in 2022

I haven’t really read much in the way of actual “sequels” since I tend to read more “companion” series. However, these two actually introduced their MMCs in the first books of their series. Enthralling the Orc by Tracy Lauren was a great follow-up of The Perished Woods and Contagion by Amanda Milo just brought on even more laughs from our poor MMC’s hypochondria. 

New Release You Haven’t Read But Want To

I’ve started reading Monsters in Love: Lost in the Labyrinth, but I haven’t yet finished it. So far the 3 stories I’ve read have been great and very intriguing. Sadly, this was a limited release so it’s no longer available for purchase. 😢 However, take heart as there will be at least 2 or more volumes in the same Monsters in Love anthology series! If you’re interested in a post about more of these, leave me a comment to tag you. Found by the Lake Monster is a novella part of the Love Bathhouse series by the delightful Lillian Lark, and after reading (AND LOVING) the following book featuring a trio of gargoyles, I am eager to read the other Love Bathhouse books. 

After reading the first Tempting Monsters book last year, there was no way I’d miss out on The Company of Fiends by Kathryn Moon. Company features a different leading lady along with her cadre of monstrous men, and I can’t wait to get my hands on a signed paperback.

Most Anticipated Release for the Second Half of the Year

Going in order of release (as far as I know), I’m very eager to read Thane’s story in The Kraken’s Sacrifice by Katee Robert. I enjoyed her first book in the series, The Dragon’s Bride, and I’ll definitely continue with our next tormented, tentacled hero.

Do I really need to say why I’m bouncing in my seat for the next Orc Sworn book? We’ve got our first leading lady of color, a long-missing orc brother, and a scheme concocted between the two in order to return to Orc Mountain. If I’m lucky, The Governess and the Orc by Finley Fenn will release around my birthday. If ALL Fenngirls and Fennguys are lucky, it will release earlier. No pressure though on the wonderful Finley Fenn. 😘

Another series continuation comes in the form of Entranced by the Basilisks by Lillian Lark, the next book in the Love Bathhouse series. This title follows a young library lady who may have bitten off more than she can chew by... reading a book. Evie from The Mummy she isn’t (or maybe she is? 😏), but it will be exciting to see how these basilisks will come to her aid.

Biggest Surprise

I never imagined that I could feel so much emotion from such a compact story, yet here’s Deal With the Demon by Chace Verity. While I may get worked up over books (usually it’s anger), tears are rarely shed and full-on crying is like once in a blue-blue moon. When I say I shed tears over this novelette, you know that has to mean something. 

On a sheer whim, I bought the paperback of Deceived by the Gargoyles by Lillian Lark. Little did I know that I would start and finish it in a single day, which considering how busy life can get, is a rare occurrence. I started it and then devoured it pausing only to eat and use facilities before returning right to it. This is one of the best examples of a polycule that I think I’ve read. Also spicy to boot!

If you don’t know who Ruby Dixon is, there’s a chance that you’ve been living under a rock or in a place on the planet that has no WiFi or access to bookstores. The Half-Orc’s Maiden Bride was a real surprise since I’d never read anything by Ruby Dixon and had been intimidated about reading her work given how much Ice Planet Barbarians had been pumped, especially at present. I’m so glad to say that this was such a warm and spicy story between an unlikely heroine and her orcish betrothed. 

Newest Fictional Crush

Too many to count, but I’ll just fire these off: 💕Daskh from Serpents of the Abyss by SJ Sanders (I’ve heard on good authority that we’re going to get more of him in the second book.💕)

💕Drafli from The Maid and the Orcs by Finley Fenn (He’s joined the top rank with Simon from Duchess, these Skai boys just make me melt. 💕)

💕Drystan from Deal With the Demon by Chace Verity (TEARS, y’all! I shed TEARS because of this guy! 💕)

💕Sol from The Dragon’s Bride by Katee Robert (He’s a dragon and a doting husband to Briar. What’s not to love? 💕)

💕Alasdair from Deceived by the Gargoyles by Lillian Lark (While he wasn’t the first gargoyle we meet, he certainly left the biggest impact. 💕)

Wow, such a long post! If you made it this far, let me know what books have left an impact on you this year. What do y’all think about these books? If you’ve read any of them, let me know in the comments! 

[lunar-goodness]

Gonna take a moment to rave about my favorite monster romance authors at the moment. Lillian Lark and C.M. Nascosta! Pretty sure they lace their books with crack cause I can’t get enough of them! The romance is perfect, there’s fluff and filth, angst, action, sweetness and plenty of smut. And the monsters!!!!!! So many monsters! Kraken, witches, harpies, demons, lake monsters, werewolves, mothmen, minotaurs, elves, orcs, shadow kind, gargoyles, krampus, arachnes… it’s just…