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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Orbit Books for this eARC.
I enjoyed the general premise and did find myself invested, but I didn't necessarily enjoy the writing style of this particular S.T. Gibson (I loved A Dowry in Blood and have had An Education in Malice and The Summoner's Circle series on my TBR for a while).
The setup of a Gothic castle in the Scottish countryside, the dark and violent faery presence threaded throughout the story, and the mystery of what Eileen and Finley were hiding held my interest enough to push past the repetitive sentence structure of the first 60% of the book. There also wasn't much differentiation in the tone or vocal personalities of the characters until that point, either - it was like they were all the same person. After that first 60%, though, the characters developed solid, strong, and unique personalities and tone. That, alongside an escalation in the interpersonal dynamics of the characters and a rapid progression of the plot kept me absolutely eating up the last part of the book.
I'm sad that I didn't love this the way I anticipated, but I'm excited by the potential of the two books to follow in the Unearthly Delights trilogy and am invested enough in the characters and story to want to keep reading!!
Also, it's easy to become so entangled in the dynamic between our 4 friends that you forget that this is in fact dark fantasy, and I was reminded over and over again to be wary of the sense of comfort I found myself settling into. Love.
Overall, it requires a little bit of patience and grace but is worth the read if you're comfortable with sexually explicit content and into dark fantasy elements.
I enjoyed the general premise and did find myself invested, but I didn't necessarily enjoy the writing style of this particular S.T. Gibson (I loved A Dowry in Blood and have had An Education in Malice and The Summoner's Circle series on my TBR for a while).
The setup of a Gothic castle in the Scottish countryside, the dark and violent faery presence threaded throughout the story, and the mystery of what Eileen and Finley were hiding held my interest enough to push past the repetitive sentence structure of the first 60% of the book. There also wasn't much differentiation in the tone or vocal personalities of the characters until that point, either - it was like they were all the same person. After that first 60%, though, the characters developed solid, strong, and unique personalities and tone. That, alongside an escalation in the interpersonal dynamics of the characters and a rapid progression of the plot kept me absolutely eating up the last part of the book.
I'm sad that I didn't love this the way I anticipated, but I'm excited by the potential of the two books to follow in the Unearthly Delights trilogy and am invested enough in the characters and story to want to keep reading!!
Also, it's easy to become so entangled in the dynamic between our 4 friends that you forget that this is in fact dark fantasy, and I was reminded over and over again to be wary of the sense of comfort I found myself settling into. Love.
Overall, it requires a little bit of patience and grace but is worth the read if you're comfortable with sexually explicit content and into dark fantasy elements.
medium-paced
I enjoyed it and it sets up the trilogy well! I think book 2 will be excellent!
This book was some kind of strange gothic fever dream. The writing was fun and the premise of the mystery hooked me from the start.
We follow best friends Adam & Nikki on their journey to discover more about Adam’s late grandfather who told stories about a magical estate called Cragmir. Upon Adam’s discovery that the estate was real, he and Nikki made the trek overseas to help Adam find closure.
Once they arrive, they are unable to leave due to weather and decide to stay anyways after the event passes. We meet Eileen and Finley, the estate’s only two residents.
Strange happenings occur, we learn more about Adam’s grandfather’s ties to Cragmir. Things get heated and very spicy. And then we land on a wtf just happened ending.
I’m honestly still unsure about how I feel about this book, but I’ll definitely be picking up a copy and eagerly awaiting the next one.
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
ARC Review – Savage Blooms by S.T. Gibson
I went in blind, stumbled through the dark halls of this Gothic fantasy, and came out blinking in shock—with so many deliciously unanswered questions.
This standalone (but please, S.T., make it a series) reads like a fever dream soaked in candlelight and sensual tension. Told through the POVs of Adam and Nicola—two Americans chasing the thread of a grandfather’s childhood fairytales to the wilds of Scotland—you’re swept into a story that’s equal parts atmospheric, eerie, and erotically charged.
The setting? A moody castle with secrets etched into its stones. The vibes? Peak Halloween read. The smut? Oh, it’s here. And it’s bold. If you like your fantasy served with a side of spice—and then the whole damn spice rack—welcome home.
Enter Finley and Eileen, the enigmatic pair who reside at the castle. Let’s just say everyone gets very well acquainted. There’s mystery, myth, magic, and ménage.
I had an absolute blast, but I must warn you: this book pretends to be a standalone and then has the audacity to drop a cliffhanger that made me yell at the page. (Not cool, Gibson. Not cool.)
Final thoughts: Seductive, strange, and spellbinding. Read it with the lights dimmed and a glass of wine.
I went in blind, stumbled through the dark halls of this Gothic fantasy, and came out blinking in shock—with so many deliciously unanswered questions.
This standalone (but please, S.T., make it a series) reads like a fever dream soaked in candlelight and sensual tension. Told through the POVs of Adam and Nicola—two Americans chasing the thread of a grandfather’s childhood fairytales to the wilds of Scotland—you’re swept into a story that’s equal parts atmospheric, eerie, and erotically charged.
The setting? A moody castle with secrets etched into its stones. The vibes? Peak Halloween read. The smut? Oh, it’s here. And it’s bold. If you like your fantasy served with a side of spice—and then the whole damn spice rack—welcome home.
Enter Finley and Eileen, the enigmatic pair who reside at the castle. Let’s just say everyone gets very well acquainted. There’s mystery, myth, magic, and ménage.
I had an absolute blast, but I must warn you: this book pretends to be a standalone and then has the audacity to drop a cliffhanger that made me yell at the page. (Not cool, Gibson. Not cool.)
Final thoughts: Seductive, strange, and spellbinding. Read it with the lights dimmed and a glass of wine.
dark
mysterious
S.T. Gibson is a goddess of prose. Her luscious world building and enticingly toxic characters are oh so delicious to consume. She also knows how to make an atmosphere that is so vivid and fleshed out that it sucks you right in and doesn’t let you up for air till the book is finished.
I am a sucker for a book with polyamorous representation and Saint delivered with this book that she wrapped up in a pretty k*nky bow for us. (Disclaimer: This is a book about toxic people doing somewhat toxic things, don’t come to this expecting heathy relationships and then being upset that you don’t get it).
Some elements that deliver excellent vibes: A crumbling estate, a moody ‘lord of the manor’, a brooding groundskeeper, friends who definitely wish they were lovers, Celtic inspired fantasy, ancient fae magic, and so much more.
This is the first in a trilogy and I am so ready to see how the rest of this story plays out. I’ll be waiting with bated breath.
Please note that this is a Dark Gothic Erotica novel. Please check trigger warnings before reading.
I am a sucker for a book with polyamorous representation and Saint delivered with this book that she wrapped up in a pretty k*nky bow for us. (Disclaimer: This is a book about toxic people doing somewhat toxic things, don’t come to this expecting heathy relationships and then being upset that you don’t get it).
Some elements that deliver excellent vibes: A crumbling estate, a moody ‘lord of the manor’, a brooding groundskeeper, friends who definitely wish they were lovers, Celtic inspired fantasy, ancient fae magic, and so much more.
This is the first in a trilogy and I am so ready to see how the rest of this story plays out. I’ll be waiting with bated breath.
Please note that this is a Dark Gothic Erotica novel. Please check trigger warnings before reading.
This is a spoiler free review, assuming you have a basic understanding on what this book is about based on the summary or the author’s Instagram. If you want to be completely blind going into this, don’t read ahead.
Two American best friends travel to Scotland to uncover a mystery. They do try and investigate but mostly they just have a lot of sex with the two people they meet in a mysterious old manor house.
Adam’s grandfather told him spooky stories growing up and now he’s looking for answers. Adam spends the book with a constant boner over everything and anything.
Nicola is his best friend, and is probably the only person in this book with any sense of logic or reason. She is suspicious of everything that’s going on but ignores most of the warning signs because she wants to fuck everyone so badly.
Eileen is aloof and very erotic and loves being pinned down and hurt during sex. Even though she’s a sub, she spends most of this book controlling everyone around her.
Finley is a brooding Scottish man who spends a lot of his time being cranky and sexy and making everyone around him very horny.
This book has very heavy kink themes. It’s handled in a very consensual and respectful way, with negotiated safe words and careful communication.
They all want to fuck each other all the time while being very jealous of the other people who want to fuck each other all the time which leads to some pretty toxic situations. But there are also sweet moments of being happy for each other so that’s nice.
Between the riding crops, group sex, role play games, and lots of drinking, there is an actual plot in this book and it’s BRILLIANT. I was so intrigued the whole time I was reading this and couldn’t wait to get to the next little clue that was fed to me along the way. Honestly I’d happily read a book just about this plot without all the smut. However, it was pretty good smut too.
I would have liked more gay sex, as they are all clearly bisexual. Though in the authors defence, I can’t imagine how hard and time consuming it is to write each character with THREE different romances while also trying to progress the plot. Trying to give every character time with each other, and also in various combinations and groups, so that everyone has sex with each other in fairly equal amounts, would be very difficult to balance. I’m hoping in the sequel there will be more gay sex scenes!
Overall, I adored this book. The cliffhanger at the end had me ready to throw it at a wall because I can’t believe the book isn’t even out yet so it will likely be YEARS until I find out what happens next.
TLDR: if you’re into lots of polyamorous sex and kink, with a sprinkling of mystery and supernatural intrigue, this is the book for you.
TRIGGER WARNINGS BELOW CONTAIN MILD SPOILERS:
The CNC scene between Nicola and Finley might be a bit triggering for some people as there are a lot of descriptions of Nicola running away and trying to fight him off, which can feel very real and off putting. But her inner monologue assures you that she’s very into this so keep that in mind if you find it distressing.
I’ll also give a trigger warning for kind of incest. They’re not blood related, but it might still be confronting so tread carefully if incest is a trigger for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Alcohol
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Neither gothic or erotic. Also, please authors, learn to write the Scots without relying on worn out stereotypes...
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
From my perspective, I would say to all those going in to not see this so much as a fantasy, but more of an in-depth character study. Yes, there are fantasy elements (faeries are indeed alive and well here), but this story really explores relationships fantastically. There are so many deep feelings here; some that won’t even really be uncovered until the next instalment, and my heart ached tremendously.
Adam is in love with his best friend, Nicola, but isn’t going to say anything and so instead invites her to Scotland with him to figure out his grandfather’s past. In doing so, they find themselves in the home of an eccentric aristocrat, Eileen, and her groundskeeper, Finley. Things quickly become more than they appear the longer they stay with them; quick looks turn to hunger, brief touches turn to longing, and I end up throwing my kindle across the room.
This was so fucking erotic. I knew going into it would be erotic, but I still wasn’t quite prepared. I would advise readers to see the list of content warnings, as there is some CNC that might be a bit much for some, and maybe.. incest? I didn’t really see it that way, but just putting it out there in case. Every relationship was explored, we got m/f, f/f, m/m, m/m/f, f/m/f/m, etc etc. I could have read SO MUCH MORE. The way Saint went about it was so good though; so much communication and consent and just made me feel gooey. If you want a lot of exploration of kink, sexual desires, and polyamory, this was beautiful.
The characters all felt very fleshed out with their own goals and reasons for doing things, as well as how they react to each relationship; Finley being a big one here. I absolutely want to crush him to my chest— even though I don’t know all the details, I know that he will make me sob in this trilogy, I just know it. Nicola was the voice of reason in this book, I think, especially with her suspicions of the scenario and the manor owners, but she was also so interesting in that she knew who she was, what she wanted, and what she would do to get it. Eileen had me feeling so sorry for her, but also made me so angry, and I just wanted her to be happy but also I kind of hate her but in a good way? And Adam….. yearning is so intense.
This story is so hot. It has so many twists. I’m so excited to read more and find out more of the fantasy fae elements, especially with THAT ending.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Orbit for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
This is the third S.T. Gibson novel I have read and it’s also my least favorite. What drew me in her other novels was her lush, rich prose. I felt drawn in and totally absorbed in Gibson’s other books. The prose in Savage Blooms didn’t work quite as well for me.
Most of the book involves two men and two women in a gothic mansion on a sprawling estate involved in sex games with one another. The characters in the book are extremely horny. I think the exploration of kink and sexual tension would work for a lot of people but it’s not something I find that interesting. I was waiting patiently for the faeries to come along and waiting and waiting but there was little interaction with them throughout.
I think if you want a book with a lot of sexual tension this will work for you. If you want a book with more magic or fantasy elements this won’t work.
Most of the book involves two men and two women in a gothic mansion on a sprawling estate involved in sex games with one another. The characters in the book are extremely horny. I think the exploration of kink and sexual tension would work for a lot of people but it’s not something I find that interesting. I was waiting patiently for the faeries to come along and waiting and waiting but there was little interaction with them throughout.
I think if you want a book with a lot of sexual tension this will work for you. If you want a book with more magic or fantasy elements this won’t work.