NetGalley Review: Savage Blooms by S.T. Gibson
Hey all, Sam here.
Hello, and a happy book birthday to S.T. Gibson for the release of the book I am reviewing today. I got a bit of a late start reading this one…as in I started and finished it in the last few days, but hey, I’m getting the review up in a fairly timely manner. I’ll take it as a win. Actually, I’m really trying to be more on top of my October reads and the reviews that go along with them.
Currently I’m reading two different books that come out next week, and hopefully I’ll have the reviews for those up this weekend, just in time for their release day. Yay! With any luck I’ll be able to continue doing this for the other October Releases I’ve been looking forward to.
I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep it up, but at the moment I am aiming for a post on the blog every other day, so 3-4 posts a week. Between what I’m reading now as well as all the reviews I owe from the past several months, I’m thinking I should be able to maintain a consistent blogging schedule for a little while. Ideally I’d like to build up a bank of drafted posts to keep the blog active Nov-Jan so I can focus on PaWriCo, but we’ll see what happens.
Anyway, let’s just go ahead and dive on into today’s book release review.
My Thoughts
S. T. Gibson, the queen of erotic fantasy romance, returns with this ravishingly dark trilogy of gothic manors, faery magic, and forbidden desires set in the foreboding Highlands of Scotland.
For as long as Adam can remember, the legends passed down from his world-traveling grandfather have called him to a crumbling manor in the Highlands. His closest friend Nicola longs for the same adventure, as well as for Adam himself. She’ll follow him just about anywhere – even to the remote wilds of Scotland – if it pushes the pair to surrender to their shared attraction.
But when a storm strikes and strands them unexpectedly, Adam and Nicola find themselves at the mercy of the eccentric owner of the infamous house, Eileen, as well as her brooding groundskeeper, Finley.
Trapped by the weather, and bound by ancient faery magic, Nicola and Adam get more than they bargained for as they become entangled in Eileen and Finley’s world of mind games, deceit and forbidden desire. As ancestral sins are unearthed, Adam and Nicola will have to reckon with the spell Eileen and Finley have cast over them – and whether or not they even want to be free.
Rating: 3.75 stars
What do y’all think of the cover? It definitely evokes a certain lush, evocative, somewhat magical story. I think it is pretty and eye-catching. For me at least it does make me want to pick up the book and see what it’s about.
This is not my first S.T. Gibson book. I read Evocation last year (although I don’t think I reviewed it? Oops. I did give it 4.5 stars), and I’ve been meaning to read A Dowry of Blood for a couple years now but just keep reading other things instead (darn mood reading).
While I did read this book rather quickly, and was swept up in the tangled web of long-standing and developing relationships between the main quartet, I feel like for me at least, this was extremely light on plot. I wanted more…and perhaps more will be delivered in the second book as this is the first installment of a trilogy, but the focus definitely seemed to be on the romantic/sexual development between Adam, Nicola, Finley, and Eileen.
Adding in ancient family bargains with the faeries seemed more of an afterthought, and that’s okay if that’s what you want for reading this. Not everything has to have a lush plot or an evocative setting and set-up.
It was a fun escape for a few hours of reading. There was a little bit of a mystery going on, a dash of magic with faery dealings, and a whole lot of exploration of desire and sex and kink. All the characters are adults, and they are all big on respecting boundaries and clear communication.
The story did end on a bit of an action and plot beat, which did make me very curious about what will happen next. I may not rush out to read the next installment…but you never know. Depending on my book release schedule around that time, I might pick it up as soon as I can.
All right, well that is all from me. Thank you so much for stopping by, and I’ll be back soon with more geeky content.
