Forbidden Frost (Elemental Alien Mates Book 2) by Riley Onyx

3 Stars

This novel was written and edited okay, with occasional typos in the ARC version of the manuscript. Hopefully those will be fixed in the retail version. The world building is okay, though not especially vivid. The characterization was sketched out, with the heroine especially being sympathetic if not especially complex or nuanced. The development of the romantic relationship did not move me. I did not really emotionally invest in these characters or their romance. The plot and pacing was exciting and quick, and I may go so far as to say it was the best part of this novel. There was little angst in this novel and high stakes, which is typically my preferred narrative structure for a romance novel. This novel used the Shotgun Wedding trope and the Mating Bond trope. This novel was a strange combo of sci-fi-fantasy-horror elements that did not really work well for me as a reader. The world building was three stars. The plot and pacing were three stars. The characterization was three stars and the development of the romantic relationship was two stars. I rounded up and gave this novel a combined rating of three stars. This novel had a Happy Ever After ending, so that was a plus. I do not really recommend this novel to other readers. There are much better sci-fi romances out there. I am uninterested in reading the next novel in this series or this author's other work. I do not plan to buy myself a keeper copy of this novel.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

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