A review by lifeisbetterwithbooks_
Alien Minotaur's Prize by Hattie Jacks

3.0

Today is my wedding day, and all I can think about is just how annoying Asteron is. At night he can't get enough of me--the aching burn in my thighs and stomach confirms this. But during the day? I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of conversations we've had. It's as if I don't exist.

3 stars

I chose this quote on purpose as I really did not understand or feel the 'fated mates' connection between Asteron and Ginny. Asteron did not act like a king who was in love with his mate; he repeatedly avoided telling her things that were important to know as his queen and others around him continually asked him WHY HAVE YOU NOT TOLD HER THIS YET? I agree with Ginny here; I feel like they never really had meaningful interactions other than hot smutty sex, which is fine, but I prefer more storyline and substance to a fated mates plot.

Another big hang-up for me was how non-monstrous Asteron felt. Other than his horns and hooves (which were only brought up when he and Ginny were having sex), the fact that he was a minotaur never seemed to be addressed. Like was his nose wet? Did his muzzle have soft peach fuzz? Was his tongue rough? Was his fur soft? What about his ears? And how the hell did Asteron and Ginny kiss?? I've read other minotaur books which I felt addressed this better, so to me it felt like the author picked a minotaur just for fun and then promptly forgot what Asteron was supposed to be...unless they were having sex. This was my first story by Hattie Jacks, and overall I was left disappointed.

Tropes: mail order bride, monster/alien romance, aloof hero, down-on-her-luck heroine, arranged marriage, breeding kink, knotting, lactating kink (new one for me tbh), smutty smut