I just finished listening to the audiobook of Mate, by Ali Hazelwood. This was a much anticipated read for me this year, as I really enjoyed Bride, something that surprised me as I am not a big romance, or even a romantasy reader. I think my friends, I just like reading monster and alien romance and the themes that are so prevalent in the genre.

Oh yeah, that's right, I also really loved Ice Planet Barbarians, an alien romance series where a group of women are kidnapped out of their homes in order to serve nefarious purposes in the intergalactic human trafficking world, until the ship they are on crashes in a remote world that happens to have hot, eight foot tall aliens. This isn't the post to give more details on plot lines and character development, among other things, but I will say... I read the first 20 books in the series in 4 weeks. Its good, and there is actually a pretty solid sci-fi subplot in the midst of all of the romance, smut, and "interspecies mating" going on. You know... fun.

Give me a romance with a human man, though, and I usually can't be bothered. I've recently been thinking about why that is. The following line of thoughts are not exactly a new conversation. They've been happening for decades, but it is an ever evolving conversation, with the continued rise in violence against women and girls globally, and the current romantic recession.

Monster/Alien romances typically have similar themes to the typical romance genre, but are often a bit more magnified due to the "monstrous" or "animaltistic" elements of the MMCs in these books (more on that later as I am certainly NOT comparing men to animals). The main male protagonists often exhibit traits such as protectiveness and care for their "woman", showing high levels of self control (when they often fall fast and hard for the FMC), thoughtfulness, and even playfulness. Women are often drawn to these stories, including myself, because of these themes. This is not necessarily because of a lack of these traits in their personal lives with personal partners... though that certainly can be the case. These novels give women the opportunity to read, almost in a Y/N, self insert type of way, about another women being cherished, supported, lusted after and loved by their partners or the potential partners that they are interested in.

Monster romances often have plot lines that revolve around the male being territorial towards their partners (the FMC) and exhibiting "anyone else touches her and you die" type energy, while also simultaneously denying themselves their own wants until they are appropriately encouraged or interest is expressed by the FMC. We see these MMCs cherish and support the women whom they are entangled with, all while simultaneously fucking them into oblivion (consensually of course).

Actually, one of the biggest appeals of books like these are plot points where MMC falls hard and fast (often before the FMC). We get to see them wanting and needing her, but struggling to remain silent, to languish while waiting for her to express some slight level of interest to where he can express his want and interest appropriately. They hold back to ensure she is comfortable, before they make their "move". (Think of Anthony Bridgerton sniffing the air after Kate walks into the house before him, that level of want and need, you can see he is desperate for her).

Books like Mate and Ice Planet Barbarians offer escapes- scenarios which show women being treasured, cherished, protected, wanted and supported. These fantasies and stories offer and show people falling in love, going through completely impossible scenarios (which are fun! don't get me wrong) and yet the real payoff is in the relationships. We see FMCs falling in love with men who display character traits such as integrity, moral codes of conduct, kindness, protectiveness and supportiveness simultaneously, without taking away her agency, along with a myriad of other qualities that not only demand respect but are also just sexy. Which reminds me of those "monstrous" and "animalistic" traits I mentioned earlier and have touched on throughout this essay of sorts.

When talking about the monstrous and animalistic aspects of the MMCs in monster/alien romance books, what I am referencing has all to do with the instinctual characteristics of animals. Think of how wolves are protective of their pack... their mates. Take wolves for example. Wolves have been known to risk their own lives in order to protect pack members from danger. In a werewolf story, like Mate, this is a trait we see in Koen, the MMC of the story. At a certain point, Serena the FMC has a plan that puts herself at risk. We see Koen get extremely upset and protective over Serena (hot, he loves her and is trying to protect her), but Serena is pretty adamant that this is something she needs to do for the greater good. Koen doesn't like it but after a solid plan is in place he begrudgingly goes along with it and helps to implement the plan in the best and safest way, thereby not taking away Serena's agency and even deferring to her own choice in the matter (also hot).

Other "animalistic" behaviors include raw lust for their partner (mate) paired with an emphasis on consent, open communication, and ensuring their partners are comfortable with any physical and emotional milestones and progressions. Partners pay attention to each other, attuned to the others body language, and both what is said an is unsaid. This doesn't mean being a mind reader, in fact I've read some books where one character calls out another for the lack of communication or shutting them out for various reasons. Everyone has baggage. Part of the appeal is having someone willing to go through it with you when you are working on it as well.

I am often reminded of friends who are currently dating today, sharing stories with me of nightmare dates. Dates where they aren't asked a single question about themselves, or dates where there is an insinuation that they are owed something for the simple act of leaving their house and having dinner or drinks or what have you. In a time when often, as Vogue said, having a boyfriend is embarrassing.. when men often see women as something less than themselves, or when women are treated as prizes and then discarded, the conversation on romance books and the themes I've just laid out are only becoming more and more relevant.

October was a busy month for me, but the four books I WAS able to read an listen to were all excellent.

Rather than going in the order I read these books, I would like to highlight Local Heavens before continuing chronologically.

Local Heavens, by K.M Fajardo- 4.5 Stars

Local Heavens was one of the audio books I was able to select during the month of October through Libro's Audio Listening Copy (ALC) program, where I am able to select up to 10 select audiobooks each month. The premise of a cyberpunk take on The Great Gatsby interested me, and I was not disappointed. Also worth mentioning is that Local Heavens is one of Bindery's recently published books, through the Inky Phoenix Imprint!

Local Heavens was a slightly slow start, but it drew me in quickly after the set up. Anyone who has read The Great Gatsby will have some familiarity with the overall story, going in to this novel, but Fajardo takes the time to set up the world and time that Local Heavens is set in. 2075 to be specific. The novel captures, if not improves the readers understanding and perception of the yearning between characters, class division and frustration of working class people, and emphasizes and writes what were queer undertones in the original, into a fully realized beautiful and tragic queer romance. Elements of the tiptoeing and tension that are seen in Pride and Prejudice between Darcy and Elizabeth also are frequently called to my mind, between multiple characters, but especially in regards to Jordan Baker and Jay Gatsby.

I'd highly recommend reading Local Heavens. I came away feeling I understood The Great Gatsby itself better. Seeing the class divides and the corporate imperialism and power is easier to grasp in a futuristic setting than the that of the original set in the era of Prohibition. I'll be thinking of this book for a while.

Assassin's Apprentice, by Robin Hobb- 5 Stars

I have been hungry for a series like The Farseer Trilogy for a while. Hobb creates a world that moves slowly, though I never felt bored. Everything, every scene, every conversation, serves a purpose, even the seemingly mundane ones. I appreciate being able to sit with the characters and getting to watch the world expand organically at a pace that does not feel rushed, an issue that seems to be prevalent in much of modern fantasy today. The royal family politics, backstabbing (though not quite as harshly portrayed as GoT, thank god) court intrigue, and magic systems are all interesting and I've already started Royal Assassin.

A Steeping of Blood, by Hafsah Faizal- 4 Stars

This is the second book of The Blood and Tea Duology. There were so many things about this book that I really loved; the vampires OF COURSE, the continued themes of found/made family, especially a crime family. The yearning is excellent, the friendships are key foundations to the plot, fighting colonialism and imperialism. The book had me all the way to the end. I'm going to make some allusions to the end of the book and try to ensure that its not spoiled if you do read this series. Consider yourself forewarned, reader. I understand the final choice by the author and why it was made, but I can't say I like it or agree with it.

When the Tides Held the Moon, by Vanessa Vida Kelley- 4 Stars

This was a lovely historic Romantasy novel, following a young metalsmith from Puerto Rico who emigrated to New York, and later finds himself working at a "freakshow" on Coney Island in the early 1900's, after helping to unknowingly capture and imprison a merman. This novel shines a light on the experiences of immigrants, and people who are and have been "othered "in society. The found family, and romance were very moving and I could not stop listening to this audiobook. The romance between Benny and Rio could have felt like a prisoner/savior situation (in a bad way) but Vanessa wrote in a way that you can truly see that Benny was almost as much of a prisoner as Rio is, and he is determined to free Rio, even though he is terribly afraid. Both of losing him, and of the consequences from the perpetrators of Rio's capture. This was a delightful romantasy novel, and the cover art is incredible.

I am super happy with all of my reads of this month and would recommend all of them.

September was a long month for me, but, I read/listened to more books than I thought!

Here are the five books I read, what I rated them, and some thought's (which I usually input to Fable right after finishing them). I try to be as spoiler free, though there may be allusions to some plot points, for those that have read the book, or prior books (in some instances).

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil- 4.5 ⭐

By V.E Schwab

This book brings to life the feeling of feminine rage and pain and love and happiness, all in one. All three women (vampires?) in the book are very different from each other and yet all three have things I admire, dislike, and more, about each. Schwab always does an incredible job setting up the stories she writers, and finished with an incredible finale. The feeling of this book reminds me of Addie, but the pacing is faster. There are more things occurring, and the faster pace really had me pulled in much quicker. Big fan of the feelings felt along this read. I love the various settings, especially Boston. I also love the jaunt through time, from the perspectives of our vampiresses. The ending was not at all what I was expecting and I loved it.

The Last Graduate- 4.25 ⭐

By Naomi Novik

I can’t even begin to explain how fun this book is. Granted, it is also a dark book. Kids are dying left and right in a "eat or be eaten" world. Literally, book two ups the stakes in heart wrenching and exciting way. These kids are always looking out for themselves in order to survive. They kind of have to. The journey of getting a bunch of scared, powerful, witch/wizard kids to work together in a world where they only know to look out for themselves.. I could literally see it (the school, the kids, the training, everything) in my minds eye. I love the dynamics with El and Orion. This is a fun and exciting young crush/romance. Novak writes the feelings of being a teenager really well. I can’t say I didn’t see the ending coming. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The build up was intense and it was a solid pay-off.

The Golden Enclaves- 4.5 ⭐

By Naomi Novik

The final installation of the trilogy had me choking up and crying by the end of the book. I genuinely didn’t not know whether this book would have a happy or sad ending (I'm not telling you either, unless you really want to know, in which case, message me). Naomi captures what it feels like to have friends and community so well. Young love, found and made family, classism, power and using it for good... Ughhh I enjoyed this series so much. The ending was really well done and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the friendships that really are the star of the series. I really would love to see an adaptation someday.

James- 5 ⭐

By Percival Everett

An incredibly moving and powerful book. I would say this is all the more moving because of the connection so many of us have to the story of Huckleberry Finn, having read it multiple times growing up. Everett uses that history and connection to really make the reader feel the horror of the things that happen to James and his various companions. This should be required reading, alongside and right after The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, in every school in America. The visceral (though not overly graphic) horrors are upsetting and nausea inducing. I

It’s an incredible book. It makes you think, re-examine, think some more, feel deeply, and come away feeling angry, appalled, and upset. The story telling is masterful, truly allowing you to feel what James feels, and see things through his eyes and perspective. I can not recommend enough,

The Cat Who Saved Books- 3.75 ⭐

By Sosuke Natsukawa

A charming cozy little fantasy book about a boy, a girl, and a talking cat who go on four "trials" in order to save books. Each trial/journey acts as a parable for readers. I enjoyed them and the way they served as commentary on different observations made by the author.

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Well that's my September wrap-up. Currently working on a long form video on one of my favorite topics. I've discussed in the past but, I think its time for a re-do.