#MonsterRomance #Romance #SciFi #Fantasy
Blurb
He’s spent years as a hunter, but now he’s the one ensnared in a creature’s trap.
Ketahn did not want a mate. Fate has a different plan for him. When the queen he despises declares her intention to claim him, he retreats into the jungle.
What he finds there changes his world.
Small, delicate, and pale skinned, Ivy Foster is nothing like the females Ketahn has known. She’s not of his kind at all. Yet the moment he sees her, he knows the truth in his soul—she is his heartsthread.
And now that he has her, he won’t let anything take her away. Not the jungle, not the gods, not the queen.
Whether Ivy agrees or not, their webs are entangled. No one will ever sever those threads.
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Book 1 of 3 in The Spider’s Mate Trilogy.
Warning: Contains darker themes and S/A. There is also a cliffhanger.
My Review – 5 stars
Original, Sexy and Fun!
When I started to read this book, it was not without some trepidation as I am a HUMONGOUS arachnophobe. Yet, whilst the male lead is well and truly spider-like, the author writes in such a way that by the end of the story it mattered not as his character and his relationship with Ivy transcended any physical attributes and differences between them.
We learn a lot about Ketahn at the beginning of the story and how he lives alone in the jungle, away from his own kind to avoid the machinations of the court of the evil queen, a female who has her sights well and truly set on him. I loved how the circumstances of how Ketahn and Ivy meet set the scene for events which play out later in the novel. Ketahn is immediately fascinated by Ivy. He takes it upon himself to protect her as she is so vulnerable and unlike the fearsome females he knows. He keeps her close to him and hidden from his kind.
Overall their romance is a slow burn, with some truly sweet moments and also some humourous ones. Ivy’s initial, and very understandable, terror of Ketahn turns at first to friendship and then to something more, something they both try and deny to themselves, but which cannot be denied – cue some HOT scenes, where Ketahn’s spider-like attributes come into their own…
This is an inspired read by the author in SO many ways – if you had told me a few weeks ago I would be lapping up a romance with a human female and an alien spider-like creature, I would not have believed you! However, their romance is one to savour as shared respect and understanding grows between them as Ketahn teaches Ivy to survive – I particularly loved how they learned to communicate with each other and learn each others’ language and about their many differences. As Ivy learns about the world she finds herself in and Ketahn learns about Ivy they become ever closer.
The worldbuilding and plotting is excellent, the author painting a detailed and credible picture of Ketahn’s society and home world. We are introduced to a number of key characters who play an important role in the evolving plot and from the outset Ketahn is a sympathetic character who is protective of those he cares for and there is nothing he cares more about than Ivy. Yet will she agree to bond with him and what of the queen, who will stop at nothing to make him bond with her. There are some heart stopping moments in the book, which ends on a cliffhanger, and I am looking forward to the next instalment.
Recommended for lovers of sci-fi and fantasy romance.
Reviewed by Tina Williams
areadersreviewblog 