Title: The Dragon’s Bride
Author: Katee Robert
Series: A Deal With a Demon, 1
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Self Published – Trinkets and Tales, LLC
Publication: 3/29/2022
Read: March 2022
Format: Digital via Patreon
Pages: 180
Rating: 3 Caffeinated Stars
Trigger Warnings: Off-page Domestic abuse, Off-page Murder, Monster/Human sex, size difference, cutting for blood magic, pregnancy, breeding, primal play
Goodreads Summary:
Briar Rose might have a name out of a storybook, but she learned at a very young age that no prince was coming to save her. She’ll have to save herself. Unfortunately, even that is an impossible task in her current situation—trapped in a terrifying marriage to a dangerous man.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, which is how she finds herself making a deal with a demon. Freedom from her husband…in return for seven years of service.
She expects the service to be backbreaking and harsh. She doesn’t expect to be put on an auction block in a room full of literal monsters and sold to the highest bidder.
To Sol.
A dragon.
He might seem kinder than his fearsome looks imply, but she knows better than to trust the way he wants to take care of her, or how invested he is in her pleasure. In her experience, if something seems too good to be true, it certainly is.
Falling for Sol is out of the question. She’s suffered enough, and she has no intention of staying in this realm…even if she leaves her heart behind when she returns to her normal life.
My Thoughts:
One of my guilty pleasures recently has been Monster romances. This is all thanks to my TikTok FYP and spicy #BookTok showing me all the authors I needed to read. I’ve read a few monster romances by now, so when I got my hands on Katee Robert’s The Dragon’s Bride (thanks, Patreon!), I was thrilled.
As you all know, I LOVE Katee’s books. When I need a quick, ultra steamy read, Katee is one of my go-to authors. Unfortunately, this book just didn’t hit right for me. Don’t get me wrong, The Dragon’s Bride is well written, and the world is fascinating, but I wasn’t the right reader for it. I tend to avoid books with breeding as a plot point, but it’s almost a given when you read monster romance. I didn’t mind it too much when it came to the Lillian Lark books that I read, but it didn’t work well for me with this book.
As much as I have enjoyed past monster romances, this book was just a meh book for me. I enjoyed the characters but never connected to Sol or Briar. I never rooted for them as a couple. I was glad to see Briar grow into herself more and heal from her past, but I felt like Sol fell flat. I was much more interested in Azazel as a character, so I’m hoping that we’ll learn more about him in the following books in the series.
As for the monster/human relationship, it was interesting. But, I will admit, the sex toed the line of what I was comfortable with. At times, I felt like I had a fever dream and had to go back and reread what had just happened. What gave me the most significant pause was the size difference not of his appendages (Yes, there are two) but of his mouth. I had to do mental gymnastics to understand where the teeth marks were and why.
All in all, this was a decent read, but I wasn’t the target reader. I am sure that plenty of people will eat this with a spoon and demand seconds. Katee is an incredible author that writes intriguing worlds. I’ll probably read the following books in the series, but they’re not going to be high up on my TBR.
Did my review leave you a bit curious? Here are the buy links!