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djinnduffy's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I put off reading this for a long time because I thought it was going to be a mess. I couldn’t imagine this kind of monster in a romance being compelling, which was incredibly stupid of me. This book was wonderful.
This was a well-crafted story that focused on plot and character over spice. While I am not saying this makes it a more valuable book, it does make it much more enjoyable for me. I liked Ketahn and Ivy a lot. I loved the worldbuilding present. I appreciated the side characters. I went into this books thinking, how the fuck are these two going to make it? And by the halfway point, I was completely sold. Their relationship made sense.
I absolutely will read more from Tiffany Roberts, and I wholeheartedly recommend this book to others. It might be a bit much for a monster romance newbie, because envisioning Ketahn as someone worth boning takes a little more work, in my opinion, than a Minotaur or orc. But it’s well worth a read.
This was a well-crafted story that focused on plot and character over spice. While I am not saying this makes it a more valuable book, it does make it much more enjoyable for me. I liked Ketahn and Ivy a lot. I loved the worldbuilding present. I appreciated the side characters. I went into this books thinking, how the fuck are these two going to make it? And by the halfway point, I was completely sold. Their relationship made sense.
I absolutely will read more from Tiffany Roberts, and I wholeheartedly recommend this book to others. It might be a bit much for a monster romance newbie, because envisioning Ketahn as someone worth boning takes a little more work, in my opinion, than a Minotaur or orc. But it’s well worth a read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Violence and Sexual assault
Ketahn technically kidnaps Ivy before he realizes her level of intelligence and feeling as a human. They don’t speak the same language and neither has seen an alien before, so there’s some initial confusion and conflict about him taking her from her ship. The assault CW refers to a past relationship with Ivy and to some touching from Ketahn, again before he understands what he’s doing, and Ivy does not experience his touching overly traumatically, but it is there.doahdancer's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Sexual content, Violence, Death, and Murder
mel_c_bell's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
What did I just read and why was it the cutest damn thing ever?! Who am I?
Not once in my reading journey did I ever consider spider romance having a spot on my shelf. Yet, here we are.
Ketahn, Mr. Spider, is living away from his 'people' in the super scary and dangerous jungle because there's clearly so sus history between him and the queen. After an expected less-than-enjoyable interaction with that queen, Ketahn finds himself being all moody in the jungle and falls down a sacred hole where - of course - he finds Ivy, and cute lil blonde and preserved in a cryo-sleep tube. Surprise! Ketahn just knows he can't leave without her, she's too...intriguing.
Anyways, he does what you'd expect any hot-blooded male in a romance novel to do and takes her with him. Of course she wakes up and is in total shock - but we are then tucked in by Tiffany Roberts and gifted with a forced-proximity, one-bed, touch-her-and-die masterpiece. *chef's kiss*
Ends on a lil bit of a cliffhanger, nothing crazy but definitely enough to make you pick up book 2 immediately.
Not once in my reading journey did I ever consider spider romance having a spot on my shelf. Yet, here we are.
Ketahn, Mr. Spider, is living away from his 'people' in the super scary and dangerous jungle because there's clearly so sus history between him and the queen. After an expected less-than-enjoyable interaction with that queen, Ketahn finds himself being all moody in the jungle and falls down a sacred hole where - of course - he finds Ivy, and cute lil blonde and preserved in a cryo-sleep tube. Surprise! Ketahn just knows he can't leave without her, she's too...intriguing.
Anyways, he does what you'd expect any hot-blooded male in a romance novel to do and takes her with him. Of course she wakes up and is in total shock - but we are then tucked in by Tiffany Roberts and gifted with a forced-proximity, one-bed, touch-her-and-die masterpiece. *chef's kiss*
Ends on a lil bit of a cliffhanger, nothing crazy but definitely enough to make you pick up book 2 immediately.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Confinement and Violence
flor3nce17's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Violence, Body horror, and Death
hellxriver's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death
sienasummerrreads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
“The days I’ve spent with you are my happiest, too.”
This follows Ketahn who is the strongest alien/spider in the land of Takarahl. He lives off grid as a hunter to provide for Takarahl in the Tangle. He is the strongest Vrix known to the queen and has wanted him for many years but he keeps refusing her. After offering day on his way home he falls into the hole no one has explored or ever gone and finds these creatures he has never seen before. This creature is a human, in a cryo chamber sent to a new world to start a new life. Then Ketahn accidentally wakes her up… will they get along?
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I have only read a handful of monster romances but don’t worry I’m getting into it more. Ketahn and Ivy are great with trying to learn from each other the language while Ketahn teaches her how to survive and provide in the tangle. One of my favourite things was when Ketahn would “Chitter” at Ivy which is laughing but the word chitter was used and it’s honestly the cutest thing. I’m obsessed with that word! Find me a Ketahn because what he would do for her and take care of her was beautiful. Especially due to Ivy’s past and how she was treated back on earth I was shocked. Give me five minutes in a room with Tanner that man made me angry once we started to understand why Ivy left Earth.
The audiobook was great and enhanced my experience. Also, this is told in third person which I don’t mind.
Lastly, the only thing is at the start I struggled to wrap my head around Ketahn’s world and what was happening. I understood it if I dumbed it down to my level of understanding. I hope iv done justice with the little blurb I put above. I’m just one who doesn’t want to think too hard about world-building and I appreciated when Ivy asked questions about his world which helped me understand.
If you love:
🔹Dark Monster
🔹Alien & Spider
🔹New World
🔹Slow Burn
🔹Learning One Another
🔹Great Spice With Some Light BDSM
Genre/Type: Dark Monster Romance 18+
APK: Kindle & Audiobook
Pages: 354
Audiobook Length: 11hrs 24mins
Narrators: Macie Miller & Marcus Rayne - Duet
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spice: 🌶️🌶️.5
Series or Stand Alone: Book 1 In The Spider Mates Series
Tropes or Themes: Monster, Slowburn, Alien, Spider, Hunter, Human, Past Memories, Language Barrier, Abandonment, Cryochamber, Off Grid, Violence, Sexual Content, Light BDSM, Cliff Hanger & Third Person
Check Triggers ⚠️ 💫
All Round Romance Reader
Sienasummerrreads 💕📚
TikTok | Instagram | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Scribd | Amazon | Audible Reviews 💫
This follows Ketahn who is the strongest alien/spider in the land of Takarahl. He lives off grid as a hunter to provide for Takarahl in the Tangle. He is the strongest Vrix known to the queen and has wanted him for many years but he keeps refusing her. After offering day on his way home he falls into the hole no one has explored or ever gone and finds these creatures he has never seen before. This creature is a human, in a cryo chamber sent to a new world to start a new life. Then Ketahn accidentally wakes her up… will they get along?
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I have only read a handful of monster romances but don’t worry I’m getting into it more. Ketahn and Ivy are great with trying to learn from each other the language while Ketahn teaches her how to survive and provide in the tangle. One of my favourite things was when Ketahn would “Chitter” at Ivy which is laughing but the word chitter was used and it’s honestly the cutest thing. I’m obsessed with that word! Find me a Ketahn because what he would do for her and take care of her was beautiful. Especially due to Ivy’s past and how she was treated back on earth I was shocked. Give me five minutes in a room with Tanner that man made me angry once we started to understand why Ivy left Earth.
The audiobook was great and enhanced my experience. Also, this is told in third person which I don’t mind.
Lastly, the only thing is at the start I struggled to wrap my head around Ketahn’s world and what was happening. I understood it if I dumbed it down to my level of understanding. I hope iv done justice with the little blurb I put above. I’m just one who doesn’t want to think too hard about world-building and I appreciated when Ivy asked questions about his world which helped me understand.
If you love:
🔹Dark Monster
🔹Alien & Spider
🔹New World
🔹Slow Burn
🔹Learning One Another
🔹Great Spice With Some Light BDSM
Genre/Type: Dark Monster Romance 18+
APK: Kindle & Audiobook
Pages: 354
Audiobook Length: 11hrs 24mins
Narrators: Macie Miller & Marcus Rayne - Duet
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spice: 🌶️🌶️.5
Series or Stand Alone: Book 1 In The Spider Mates Series
Tropes or Themes: Monster, Slowburn, Alien, Spider, Hunter, Human, Past Memories, Language Barrier, Abandonment, Cryochamber, Off Grid, Violence, Sexual Content, Light BDSM, Cliff Hanger & Third Person
Check Triggers ⚠️ 💫
All Round Romance Reader
Sienasummerrreads 💕📚
TikTok | Instagram | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Scribd | Amazon | Audible Reviews 💫
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content
shinyfox's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Animal death, Violence, Murder, Blood, Gore, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Vomit, Death of parent, Grief, War, and Abandonment
inkdrinkers's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
"Not vrix, not animal, not spirit... what was she? His. If nothing else, she was his."
Ketahn is a vrix hunter, used to living in the tangle outside the stone halls his people call home. He brings back meat for the rest of his people every month, at the behest of a queen who's motives seem more and more unclear each day. When Ketahn falls through a pit during a hunt, he discovers a strange metallic beast - and inside it's a belly is something he's never seen before. When Ivy wakes up in the arms of a beast who's half man, half spider, she doesn't know what to think or do - but as time passes in his care and they grow to communicate with each other, she begins to question if the fates have tugged on a thread and brought them together.
I have been SO eager to dive into this series. I've heard good things about it not only from the monster romance community, but for fans of sci-fi, and it DELIVERS. Ensnared is the kind of sci-fi book that clearly cares about it's lore and world-building, and while it's heavy-handed in the beginning, the info dump is absolutely necessary by the time you reach the end. The Vrix world is fascinating, with its own monarchy and different class levels, and figuring out where Ketahn both fits and doesn't is a great way to orient yourself with the world.
By far my favorite part of this is how sci-fi it feels. It's like if you took the Predator films and combined it with Tarzan. The "lost in space" trope of a human having to adjust to alien life will always be one of my favorites, especially as the reader begins to learn the vrix words for familiar things as Ivy does. This is just overall a really, really fun book and perfect for anyone who loves science fiction with a little sprinkling of smut. I can't wait to read the next two!
Content Warnings: Sexual content (between human and alien), Violence/Death (overall), Sexual harassment/Sexual assault/Sexual violence (heavily featured in both Ivy and Ketahn's stories, both past and present. It's noteworthy to say Ketahn and Ivy also explore each other's physical differences multiple times, in varying degrees of description), War (past), Murder, Abandonment (in past)
Ketahn is a vrix hunter, used to living in the tangle outside the stone halls his people call home. He brings back meat for the rest of his people every month, at the behest of a queen who's motives seem more and more unclear each day. When Ketahn falls through a pit during a hunt, he discovers a strange metallic beast - and inside it's a belly is something he's never seen before. When Ivy wakes up in the arms of a beast who's half man, half spider, she doesn't know what to think or do - but as time passes in his care and they grow to communicate with each other, she begins to question if the fates have tugged on a thread and brought them together.
I have been SO eager to dive into this series. I've heard good things about it not only from the monster romance community, but for fans of sci-fi, and it DELIVERS. Ensnared is the kind of sci-fi book that clearly cares about it's lore and world-building, and while it's heavy-handed in the beginning, the info dump is absolutely necessary by the time you reach the end. The Vrix world is fascinating, with its own monarchy and different class levels, and figuring out where Ketahn both fits and doesn't is a great way to orient yourself with the world.
By far my favorite part of this is how sci-fi it feels. It's like if you took the Predator films and combined it with Tarzan. The "lost in space" trope of a human having to adjust to alien life will always be one of my favorites, especially as the reader begins to learn the vrix words for familiar things as Ivy does. This is just overall a really, really fun book and perfect for anyone who loves science fiction with a little sprinkling of smut. I can't wait to read the next two!
Content Warnings: Sexual content (between human and alien), Violence/Death (overall), Sexual harassment/Sexual assault/Sexual violence (heavily featured in both Ivy and Ketahn's stories, both past and present. It's noteworthy to say Ketahn and Ivy also explore each other's physical differences multiple times, in varying degrees of description), War (past), Murder, Abandonment (in past)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Murder, Abandonment, and War
littlewishling's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I’m kind of mad I enjoyed this so much. Roberts made me enjoy a spider romance…. A SPIDER romance!! Horrified. But the world building was so intriguing and the characters felt so real (if very alien). So I guess I recommend it 😬😬
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Violence, and Death
Minor: War
greystory's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
I got talked into finally digging into this one by Opal Reyne's new discord. Overall, enjoyed, and especially loved the worldbuilding and the way we eventually come to meet the female main character, Ivy.
I liked Ivy quite a bit. While her story was sad, she was still determined and strong and doing her best in a really shit situation, both prior to meeting Ketahn and afterwards.
Ketahn. Man, I really wanted to like Ketahn more. In general he was alright and there were times I could really dig him but then he'd go and do something pretty dub-con-y with Ivy and I'd be very displeased with him again.
Although Ivy is ultimately always OK with whatever bullshit he pulls, it's clear it's not always immediately consensual or wanted. I was always hoping they'd at least address it afterwards or something but nope, they never do.
The closest they get is actually the worst offense when they first mate and she tries to talk about it. He reiterates that she's been claimed and when she tries to say "you can't just decide that!" he becomes threatening. Instead of it turning into sex (and only sex), I would have really loved a moment of them connecting on another level and communicating better. Why couldn't he just explain what a claiming is and how it works instead of insisting on his own way?Like why did he never actually say the dress he made was supposed to be a wedding dress?? That alone could have made the tone of the initial claiming way different and maybe Ivy wouldn't have been so scared? (WHY was she even written as scared to begin with???)
One of the things he did do well was be a complete smartass about the self-centered shitty queen. I especially loved this little comeback:
I liked Ivy quite a bit. While her story was sad, she was still determined and strong and doing her best in a really shit situation, both prior to meeting Ketahn and afterwards.
Ketahn. Man, I really wanted to like Ketahn more. In general he was alright and there were times I could really dig him but then he'd go and do something pretty dub-con-y with Ivy and I'd be very displeased with him again.
Although Ivy is ultimately always OK with whatever bullshit he pulls, it's clear it's not always immediately consensual or wanted. I was always hoping they'd at least address it afterwards or something but nope, they never do.
The closest they get is actually the worst offense when they first mate and she tries to talk about it. He reiterates that she's been claimed and when she tries to say "you can't just decide that!" he becomes threatening. Instead of it turning into sex (and only sex), I would have really loved a moment of them connecting on another level and communicating better. Why couldn't he just explain what a claiming is and how it works instead of insisting on his own way?
One of the things he did do well was be a complete smartass about the self-centered shitty queen. I especially loved this little comeback:
Telok straightened also, drumming his forelegs on the branch. “And you, Ketahn. I am glad she did not eat you alive.”
“Had she done so, I would have used my final breath to ensure she choked.”
Again, the worldbuilding was cool and I was very engrossed in the mystery of the story around Ivy's people.
That ending kinda sucked. It was very abrupt, no resolution.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Violence, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, and Gore
Moderate: War and Religious bigotry