Title: Roasted: A Steamy Romance from Samhain to Yule
Author: B.E. Wolf
Publication Date: December 25, 2023
Genres: Erotica
Protagonist Gender: Male/Female
Roasted is a story about secrets, success, caring, and kink. It's dark and intense, full of emotion, and sometimes unsettling in a very good way. B.E. Wolf has a style that fans will recognize, favorite themes and tropes that they expect, but this book is a bit more forward about its traumas, and that is something that I think makes it more immediately accessible.
Joseph (never just Joe) is a melancholy man who wanders into the start of the book like a silent shadow on a cold autumn morning. We don't know much about him to start, but there's a heaviness to him that tugs at you. Holly is a fierce goth barista (and business owner) who doesn't so much clash with Joseph as crashes through his reserve. Their first meeting is one of emotional, physical, and sexual tension, but it's clear that this is not going to be an easy sort of courtship.
I loved the way Benson intertwined the past and present of two storylines, the very different journeys of two people who never crossed paths, but whom we learn have a common connection. It's a history that takes time to be revealed, and for every secret that is exposed, another is teased. By the time we understand that connection and all of its consequences, we're fully invested in claiming that well-deserved happily-ever-after.
Part of what makes this such a fun departure from the usual tropes is the fact that the relationship is deliberately set to simmer until after the holidays, pushing the romantic and sexual aspects deeper into the book. That makes the BDSM-themed explorations a bit sharper, a bit more dubcon and dangerous, because there's so much simmering tension beneath them.
I hesitate to call either Joseph or Holly damaged, but those traumas I mentioned are important to the story-they don't define the characters, but rather refine them. Holly especially has a darkness to her past, one that still looms over her in many ways, and it's powerful to see how violence can be so cathartic. Roasted is like the drink Holly makes for this tall, dark stranger, sweet and bold, with a hint of bitterness, but sprinkled with spice.
Rating: ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀
My sincere thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Comments
Post a Comment