A beautiful monster, that’s what I am. My packaging is just a little nicer than the creatures you hear about dwelling in your closet.
With three baddies for my mates, things are definitely getting interesting. I think I’ve even convinced them not to kill each other.
But I have a new purpose, someone is hurting our kind. Stealing Charmed magic in arcane rituals that leave my friends drained and dead, and I won’t allow it.
It’s time for them to find out why even the Monsters fear me.
I am the bad guy
Companion novel to Friends with the Monster. RH story with adult themes not recommend for those under 18
Albany lives in Michigan where she's happily married to her high school sweetheart. She spends most of her time juggling her four children's extracurricular activities, with her nose stuck in a book. When not reading you can find her writing her very own book boyfriends. Albany's passion is writing romance with real characters that are far from perfect, but always seem to find their own happily ever afters.
Well I was really disappointed in this. I mean I was bored through out and each time the author had an idea which could improve the story it was downplayed. The villain wasn't a villain at all and we never did find out why he was after her. The characters just seemed to have sex and not a lot else. We find out she's the daughter of Lilith but even that was downplayed. If it wasn't for the fact that i was buddy reading this I would have dnf.
Okay, so, I liked Some Kind of Monster because it did have it's funny moments. I did the whole giggle snort kind of thing several times. The thing is, though, I have no idea what this book is actually about. It was nothing like the previous book, which I devoured and loved. While I devoured this one as well, I just didn't see a point to anything happening in it.
The villain was anti-climactic and very disappointing. I totally called what happened to her from the first few chapters. The guys and Dami were still enjoyable and I loved all of their loving with one another. It was also a bit adorable with them feeding her even if I would've broken someone's fingers if they did that to me.
Other than the villain, what the heck was with Dami's parents? I'm a bit annoyed that nothing really happened with them either. They definitely need to be dealt with and if there's ever a third book - I'm hoping something does.
In the end, it was okay but I liked the first one a bit more.
We continue into book 2 with the bad guy still on the run, the search continues and takes us to a pack of wolves where the h makes a new friend.
We see more of the h's J/P craziness which I loved It takes almost to the bitter end to find the bad guy which I didn't really like because it makes the group of badasses seem ineffective. But I'll tolerate because we got a baby! Awesome All in all I enjoyed these characters and the "voice" of the fmc. I hope this author has something similar soon
RH
At the end of these two books I'm still not sure exactly what the h is?
The plot for this series had soooo much potential. I was really excited about the monster aspect of the story, but they literally played no part other than playing cards. The author could have done so many different things to make the book so much better. Because as it is now, there is no plot. Absolutely none. It’s all hard ons and sex. Two freaking books of it. What little half assed plot there was was just in the background. They even gave up looking for Antonio! Here’s the big villain of the series, and they just sit on their asses saying oh well. It’s not like he’s killing people 🙄 Don’t get me started on how it the villain plot ended either.
Nothing in the book was ever taken seriously. Dami literally never asked questions about anything. Anything bad or serious that would happened would just be covered up by sex, which is just sooo much more important to them.
This second book was ok I enjoyed some parts more than others. It kind of jumped in with them all cohabiting as a family but seemed to skip a lot of the growth at how we got there. There were also big leaps of time which wasn't my favourite and seemed to go off on a tangent which seemed pointless.
The humour was still abundant and the sexy times were amped up. I'm still feeling that these men were portrayed as overgrown boys though and they all had such a strange dynamic. As for the whole plot arc and villain well that was a bit of a letdown. The antagonist was rather lacklustre and such a caricature and the whole resolution in regards to defeating them was super easy and a bit anticlimactic.
Overall this duet has been just ok for me. Probably more a case of it's not you it's me ambience. The writing was for the most part good just lacked deeper world-building and also a solid destination. This will probably appeal more to those who like a more humourous quirky paranormal romance especially those that are partial to some found family vibes as that definitely had this.
I'm kind of just let down by this series. There's so much unmet potential here, it's rather disappointing. I'm still not sure what the point of it all. This time around the heroine gets preggers which wasn't all that shocking. They make friends with a pack Alpha while on a road trip to kind of, sorta, maybe search for the bad witch who is stealing powers of supernaturals without repercussion. Honestly they really didn't put too much emphasis on caring about the baddie so I'm not sure why it's even included in the story really. The ending was so anticlimactic and far too easy. The villain is actually one of her old monster friends and really I was just underwhelmed. My biggest question and maybe my dense ass just missed it, but I'm sort of disappointed the monster on the cover never dropped in, or did he/she.? There were quite a few monster baddies that I really wish were given more page time. One thing I thought was a nice dynamic was the heroine finding out she's the daughter of Lilith. but wouldn't you know after maybe a few paragraphs that's a tidbit that's not brought up again and really is taken nowhere as far as adding to the story-line. Lots of potential but left with questions and underdeveloped possibilites.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Nope, nope, and more NOPE! This 2nd book was SO disappointing. I feel like the characters got lost somehow. Where did Dami's fire go? Where did all the humor from the previous book go? Why was Torrin thrown in the mix? I feel like their trip to Savannah was pointless. It was like the author was just trying to find some fillers to get the story over with. Most of the book was slow paced and boring yet, all of the important parts were rushed. When they finally found the bad guy, it honestly didnt make any sense to me. The explanation of why he was killing seemed pretty weak and his death was too quick. Yet, they go into vast details about her giving birth.... sigh.
Firstly for the many souls out there who felt the need to write a review for book 1 and 2 that sounded somewhere along the line of, "Great cover art not so great read" All I can do is shake my head and remind you of the old adage 'Don't judge a book by its cover'. I however decided to read this series because I love paranormal reverse harmen romance novels. Sadly though the masses are right in saying this book is not as creative as its cover art.
Book one left a lot unanswered simply because our main character didn't ask the right questions but there was still a lot of room for the potential that never came to fruition in book two. I felt like the author got bored with this book and rushed through it so she could finish up and move on to new work. There was not nearly as much imagination put into the second and I'm greatly disappointed.
This is the last book in the Friends with the Monsters duology. We see the conclusion of the Antonio storyline and further Dami's relationship with her men. I thought this was okay, but I didn't like it as much as the first book. It had little plot and mainly focused on the romance. While I enjoyed seeing Dami, Grim, Calix, and Gunnar together, I wanted more of a story to go along with it. This seemed to just skim the surface of everything and could have just been a bonus novella instead of another installment.
The Antonio storyline concluded in a disappointing way for me. The reason behind what he was doing seemed strange and there was a lot of buildup to a very short fight scene and then it was over. I think there could have been more details and battles.
There's another storyline involving Dami and the guys, but I don't want to spoil it. Let's say I liked it but it was sort of skimmed over with a huge time jump. It did have a sweet ending to it at least.
i basically read this in one sitting and it was soo good !!! i love all these characters so much and i can definitely see myself rereading and coming back to them in the future <333 i loved that this duology wasn’t super plot heavy and allowed us time to just enjoy the characters and their interactions whilst still being interesting !!! i loved how everything wrapped up and i was not expecting the ending :00 also i still love Grim and i want him for myself thanks
Enjoyed Dami and her guys (especially Grim), and the continuing hunt for the power stealing witch from book one. Things get a little off track and a certain situation Dami finds herself in came completely out of left field, but I loved where the author took it. Looks like this is the end for our characters. The story wraps up nicely and my only negative was that Dami’s parents weren’t confronted and dealt with, plus after finding out who/what she is, it was just left there and it didn’t really have any further baring on the story.
Still, loved this and I may have to buy the book (read this on KU).
4 Stars Disclaimer: Please remember that these are my opinions and if you feel differently, that’s okay. Thanks!
Notes: POV = 1st person, FMC Main Characters: None of the characters have changed. They’ve all stayed true to form. Dami is patient and confident, Grim is obsessed with her, Calix has no shame, and Gunnar is kind of a dick. The only change is that Gunnar is absolutely blood-thirsty and I’m here for it. He really wants Dami to go on a murder spree.
Plot/Story:WWe are sticking with the same ‘kill the witches’ main plotline as last book, but this one we have two side plots. We have to save Torin, the opposite of killing the witches.
Romance: It’s not that the romance is bad, but Grim is everything. He carries the team on his back. I fully believe that he is completely in love with her.
General: Lots of missing quotation marks.
Special Mentions Torin is a new side character in this one, and I love him. I would love a spin-off of that man. His nicknames for Dami are super cute and he’s funny.
Quotes I Really Like:
Overall: I still really enjoyed this despite the mistakes and the, in my opinion, low-stakes.
4.6 stars. This was fun. I did miss the others’ POVs, I always do, but being in Dami’s head was interesting enough that it didn’t make me as frustrated as if usually does, so I was able to enjoy the story.
The plot was a tiny bit anticlimactic, but it fit with the lightness that I felt throughout the book even with all the violence and monsters.
There wasn’t any group scenes sadly. Just one short ménage, but I should’ve probably seen that coming with the way some of the guys feel about sharing. It was still hot and fun and super passionate and loving.
The characters were fun and interesting and I loved seeing their relationship evolve. The magic and paranormaly things were all super cool and added a fun little flare to everything. Loved seeing more of the monsters from the first book.
I just had a really good time reading this duet. I feel like a couple things were sort of glossed over or a little too easy, her origins, and the resolution to be specific. But I was enjoying the read and even though I was expecting those things to maybe matter a bit more, it didn’t lesson my experience, so meh.
I’ll definitely be looking into reading more from this author. I like her style.
So the last book was toeing the line between annoying and fun. Some Kind of Monster took a big running leap over into exasperated-ville. What decided it for me was when Dami met a shifter and because she was a woman and pretty she was instantly disliked. Not only that Dami treated her like shit which got the boys to treat her like trash too. Then she had the nerve to say "We could have been friends if the shifter didn't act the way she was." ??????
Which brings me to my next point. Dami is desperate for friendship yet if they have boobs, a pretty face and are tall enough to be a threat (aka not the brownie) she shuns them. I guess with all the fun banter in the last book I didn't realize how shallow, spoiled, and all out unreasonable Dami is.
Oh another horrible thing she even did in the last book. Dami seems to always forget the badies are dying while she is pouting or making out. Her best friend has been missing for days and they find out where she might be but she is all up in one of the boys face having a conversation and eyef**king him. The brownie could have literally been dying.
Honestly couldn't get far enough in this book to find something I liked about it. I am bummed because I did like the variety of characters. Though didn't notice till now how their all so op (over powered). So not only are all the protagonist unbelievably perfect they all can destroy anyone they come in contact with. *yawn*
I guess I'm always more harsh on female characters. They should do better and us girls need to stick together. And we don't need to act like those popular high-school teenage bitches you see in movies. That crap ain't real and if it is your going to live a sad lonely life with a few fake friends.
Damiana and her three special monsters are hot on the trail of Antonio (the witch that caused so much havoc in book 1) when they are diverted to take care of an issue with a wolf pack. While there, Dami makes a startling revelation about herself, one that could affect the guys. Once things are worked out, it's back on Antonio's trail.
Yeah, ok. Definitely did not like this one as much as the first book. I remember being so excited for the 2nd one to come out which makes me think that even if I read this one immediately afterward, I would have still been disappointed. I feel like the trip to pack lands was a huge detour in the story that didn't accomplish much. It was page filler. I also felt like the character's personalities changed a bunch from book 1, specifically the guys; Dami was mostly the same. It's not that they grew or were developed more. It was more like the author changed her mind about what their characters should be like and just tweaked their personalities between books instead of writing about their change in personality through the plot. Now maybe I feel this way due to the time between reading books 1 & 2. It is a possibility, but I don't think so.
Ugh, I'm so angry with this book. Based on the first book what I thought I was getting was a mostly amoral, fiercely loyal, monster girl and her 3 sexy boys tracking down a witch who's killing off all her monster friends.
What I actually got was dealing with a werewolf's depression for half the book, wrapping up the evil witch story line in about 5 pages with a huge info dump and no actual tension or stakes all so the author could spend the last quarter of the book on a fucking pregnancy, let's all settle down with a white picket fence HEA. WTF is this? That is not what I signed up for with the first book and I'm pissed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I love this series. So many great characters, and of course, an amazing MC. The overall theme of the things that go bump in the night are actually the good guys, makes this book perfection. Steamy, hilarious, and absolutely fantastic!
The story has so much potential and it breaks my heart to say but I have to: It's written so boring I had to force me to finish it... And yes, I had to because I always have to finish books 😩
I love a good monster story. Dami and her men definitely live up to the monster title. The quirky main character is unintentionally funny. Loved her interaction with the new character Torin. I enjoyed the ending.
Cute. I wish it had expanded and the series continued on to other creatures and their stories. That would be fun. Maybe it’s going to, and I just don’t know it.
I really enjoyed the first book, Friends with the Monsters, but I'd wished that there was a tiny bit more sexy time in it. This book gave me that and then some. However, I feel like there may have too much sexy time in this book because it completely plowed over the plot that had carried over from the previous book. Dami, Grim, Calix, and Gunnar are looking for Antonio only to find out that he's been dead a long time. Why? Boogey killed him? This scene took all of .02 seconds and then that was it. They killed him. Case solved, no more charmed being killed. I really didn't enjoy the pregnancy subplot because it quickly took over (as in the last few chapters were purely about that and the birth). This book tried to be impartial to all three males stating that they're all her mates, and she loves them all, but there is definitely favoritism. In the first book it felt like Gunnar got the short end of the stick, and in this one it was Calix. They briefly talked about threesomes between Grim, Calix, and Dami, but we never saw it except once I believe. My point is, Grim is clearly the front runner out of the three, and based on the line about the color of the baby's eyes, I'm pretty sure that he's the biological father. Dami reads like she's much younger than she is, which is also a tad frustrating. She's 30-ish years old, but reads like she's in her early 20s or younger. Hmm after writing this review, I may have to change my rating from 4-stars to 3.5 or 3.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2020. I’m sad to say that this book started with such premise abs then went downhill. No1 was one of my favourite books, so I was really looking forward to this! The first half of it was still epic.... and then it suddenly started getting SO rushed, skipped so many opportunities and then rushed to finish in an ending.
The villain was unexplained and anti climatic... we never found out so many things and really, it could have been written as an epic mystery with great explanations
So many questions were unanswered, so many holes in the plot that could have been explored. With a little creativity this could easily have been turned into a trilogy or more, but it sadly felt rushed to be finished. I know the author has been really busy, so perhaps it was a rush to get this one finished and done and work on more projects, but the second half of the book til ending just felt a bit of a let down. ☹️ still adore Albany’s work- recommend reading Havenfall Harbour next!
The good thing was there were still some GREAT funny moments that made me giggle, some beautiful quotes I loved and the first half was really great!
It’s August... NOT LONG TO GO NOW!!!!
I absolutely NEED to get my hands on this book, can someone get me a copy?!
I hesitated to rate or review after reading because I just felt so let down and thought maybe it was just me but I guess this one was kind of like marmite. I loved the first book but this one was all over the place. Grim who was fascinating in the first book, seemed really juvenile in this. I love a good steamy book as much as the next person, but not in the place of the plot. So much was skipped over - what she really was revealed and dismissed in the same paragraph, the villain forgotten about as soon as he wasn't active, the responsibilities of the guys... Quite honestly I got bored of all the sex and skim read it 🤷🏼♀️
Unsure how to rate this one 🤷♀️ it made me laugh for sure & I did enjoy it but... I wanted it to be more along the lines of the 1st book. I would’ve happily read more about the monsters from the 1st book instead of the whole wolf section. I’m kinda baffled how that became more important than learning about her Mum & Dad 🤔 the ending was also over too quickly in my opinion. An enjoyable read nonetheless. 3 ⭐️ maybe 3.5 ⭐️
Dani is such an awesome kickass FMC! I love how alpha and protective the guys are with a little bit of psycho tendencies. Hehe. Definitely a must read :-)
I have no idea what's going on now. No m\m, a couple threesomes even though there are four of them and even then everything is very tame and vanilla. No heat.