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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
No strong representations of diverse characters or minority identities.
Overall: 3.25/5 stars
RTC
Safety Rating: Safe
• No cheating
• No OW/OM drama
– Both Hero and Heroine are virgins
– However, Hero has kissed and messed around with OW before (just not sex)
• Does have the Heroine pushing the Hero away
• Does have 16-year separation from their first meeting (Hero was 8 years old, Heroine was 16 years old)
Possible Triggers:
• Death of loved ones (family members)
• 8+ year age gap between Hero and Heroine
Ending:HEA with Epilogue
Overall: 3.25/5 stars
RTC
Safety Rating: Safe
• No cheating
• No OW/OM drama
– Both Hero and Heroine are virgins
– However, Hero has kissed and messed around with OW before (just not sex)
• Does have the Heroine pushing the Hero away
• Does have 16-year separation from their first meeting (Hero was 8 years old, Heroine was 16 years old)
Possible Triggers:
• Death of loved ones (family members)
• 8+ year age gap between Hero and Heroine
Ending:
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
1.5 stars because Halla is an idiot and no matter how many times her love interest tells her she’s not too old him, she thinks she is it even in the epilogue.
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
The King's Spinster Bride is a campy barbarian romance novella that may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I found it to be immensely entertaining. Parts of it are a little out there, but it's very self-aware in those portions which made it work for me. A princess saves the life of the barbarian kings 8-year-old son. Now, 16 years later he's a grown man returning to claim her as his bride. But if they are to be married, she must undergo the barbarian wedding customs which are as follows:
Day 1: the groom publicly tears the clothes from his bride to show she is not hiding anything
Day 2: the groom must pleasure his bride with his mouth to prove he is worthy of her bed
Day 3: the marriage is consummated
So yeah, it's definitely over the top, but consent is always very clear and it's done in a campy and sometimes comedic way. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this and hope to pick up more from Ruby Dixon in the future!
The King's Spinster Bride is a campy barbarian romance novella that may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I found it to be immensely entertaining. Parts of it are a little out there, but it's very self-aware in those portions which made it work for me. A princess saves the life of the barbarian kings 8-year-old son. Now, 16 years later he's a grown man returning to claim her as his bride. But if they are to be married, she must undergo the barbarian wedding customs which are as follows:
Day 1: the groom publicly tears the clothes from his bride to show she is not hiding anything
Day 2: the groom must pleasure his bride with his mouth to prove he is worthy of her bed
Day 3: the marriage is consummated
So yeah, it's definitely over the top, but consent is always very clear and it's done in a campy and sometimes comedic way. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this and hope to pick up more from Ruby Dixon in the future!
fast-paced
this was.... meh. I think this book would have really been served well if it was triple to quadruple the length? It just felt like a weak outline rather than a fleshed out plot, characters and world. For example, something that was wild to me was during the "bearing of the bride" bit of the ceremony. Okay so we have two extremely different cultures coming together for this wedding and from what it seemed the female MC's culture seemed very prim proper and conservative soooooooo why was everyone, including the MC, totally okay with her being stripped down infront of the entire court????? This just seemed humiliating and degrading, especailly considering this is supposed to be a royal wedding. Also, the "conflict" was so weak and short lived and frankly ridiculous. Even if the MC wasn't in love with the king (which she magically becomes over the course of three (3) days) a strategic marraige would not be unreasonable or unheard of, even if the two parties had waged war against each (see all royal european marraiges since the forming of said countries). AND MOST AGGREGIOUS OF ALL - the use of the word "pussy", and so much at that. Please, for the love of God, do not use the word "pussy" in your medival fantasy romance. Not my particular cup of tea.
This is a cute and steamy novella. Mathior knows what he wants and he will not take no for an answer LOL
Tropes: Age gap, marriage of convenience
Tropes: Age gap, marriage of convenience
Not bad (anything higher 2.5 is above average for me) but it's a smutty novella and nothing more. The premise is what drew me in - the idea of a king returning to marry the enemy princess who saved his life sounded so good - but The King's Spinster Bride focused on the erotic potential of that idea rather than the dramatic potential. I was left wanting something different, but if you go in wanting that than you should have a grand time. And if you like possessive heroes, this is for you. I'm personally a bit lukewarm on them, but credit where credit is due, Mathior was very concerned with Halla's enthusiastic consent.
I will say that this novella did get a good (intentional) laugh from me during one scene (the first of the 3 wedding nights) and that's really hard to do. So kudos to Ruby Dixon.
I will say that this novella did get a good (intentional) laugh from me during one scene (the first of the 3 wedding nights) and that's really hard to do. So kudos to Ruby Dixon.
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Liked the idea but fell flat
This was not how I wanted my first book review of the year to go but I was not impressed with this book. I picked it up because the premise was interesting and it was also featured on kindle unlimited. The beginning was the best part but it fell apart after that for me. I did like that the heroine was older than the hero and that he needed to woe her. I wanted more plot and less sexy times.
This was not how I wanted my first book review of the year to go but I was not impressed with this book. I picked it up because the premise was interesting and it was also featured on kindle unlimited. The beginning was the best part but it fell apart after that for me. I did like that the heroine was older than the hero and that he needed to woe her. I wanted more plot and less sexy times.