Earlier this month I jumped at the chance to receive a book box from Mills & Boon. When I started reading romance I had seen ad olds for Harlequin and how they used to send out a collection so I have always been intrigued by this concept. The subscription has several different subgenres you can choose from, but I went for the Dare line. I have seen several of the titles but just haven’t had the chance to read any. Y’all know the reader struggle is very real.
You can see my unboxing on my Instagram account if you haven’t already. Books included in the box were:
Australian Affairs Seduced with books by Carol Marinelli, Emily Forbes, Lindsay Armstrong
The covers for the print books have a darker subdued look to them than the e-book versions. In case you are someone like me who recognizes covers better than titles.
I am slowly working my way through the books. The first one I read was Unleashed by Caitlin Crews. I choose this because I have never read Crews. Crews is also the pen name for Megan Crane. The set up for this is an American professor goes to Iceland to research sex. She goes to a “sex hotel” to meet the owner because she is curious about the hotel. Naturally, they meet and it gets super sexy. Like way sexier than I thought it would be. I didn’t mind it at all.
Margot, our heroine, is kind of uptight and even though she is researching sex she is very reserved about it. Along comes Thor, hero, and proprietor of above-mentioned sex hotel. He has an incredibly liberal attitude toward sex. It definitely had a little bit of a FSoG feel to it, a heroine that is not as experienced, a hero that is just looking for sex. BUT it doesn’t have the issues with the hero being a stalker, lack of consent, and other problematic elements from FSoG.
It was a quick read. It’s just over 200 pages. The bulk of it is the hero and heroine having lots of sex; in case that is something you are interested in. The plot isn’t super strong, other than using sex for them to change their attitudes about sex and relationships. There is definitely some emotional depth to it, so it’s not just sex. The conflict was pretty standard for a book based on sex. I was invested in them figuring it out though.
Grade: C
I plan to start the Cara Lockwood book soon. I read paper books a lot slower than e-books. But the Dare books are all small enough that they fit well in a purse and won’t weigh you down.
Overall the box is a fun idea. Lots of similar style books. Some extra fun goodies. The excitement of getting a box of books and not know exactly what books was the best part of it.
Mills & Boon was kind enough to give Smexy readers a 30% code that is good through the end of this month. Use Smexy30 to receive your discount.
Coincidentally, I just discovered Caitlin Crews and her enormous backlist of Harlequin Presents—and have enjoyed them immensely, although some of the heroes are a little too controlling for my liking, but then again, these are Harlequin Presents, the smoldering, brooding hero is their stock in trade. I had no idea Crews is also Megan Crane. I’ve read a couple of Crane’s MC romances and would never have made the connection—the subject matter and style are so different.
mills and boons the vampires kiss by vivi anna , is cringe