In this chaotic episode of Pretty Little Death, we review Lexi C. Foss's dark monster romance novel Dark Obsessions (Monsters of Darkness Series). If you love monster romance, dark fantasy, paranormal romance, or spicy book reviews, this book club discussion is for you! Pretty Little Death is a dark romance and paranormal romance book club podcast where we read so you don't have to.

📚 BOOK DETAILS: Title: Dark Obsessions (Monsters of Darkness) Author: Lexi C. Foss Genre: Dark Monster Romance / Paranormal Romance Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Our Rating: 1/5 Stars Available: Kindle Unlimited (KU)

🎧 WHAT WE COVER: ✅ Whether the Strigoi lore actually delivers on its promise ✅ The wildly questionable consent arc and safe word reveal ✅ Why the trials are basically participation trophies ✅ A thousand-year-old virgin king and why that's a problem ✅ The infamous dinner scene and the tail situation ✅ Plot holes, mind reading before the blood bridge, and a British accent in Transylvania

🔥 ROMANCE TROPES IN THIS BOOK: Fated Mates Monster Romance Dark Romance Virgin Hero Captive/Forced Proximity Tail Play Immortal x Human Dual POV First Person Safe Word / Consent Negotiation Insta-Love

💬 OUR HONEST THOUGHTS: Dark Obsessions had a genuinely promising premise — a folklore researcher stumbling into the realm of the Strigoi King — but the execution fell completely flat. The book leans heavily on explicit content at the expense of world building, character development, and any meaningful plot, and the titular "dark" elements never really materialize. Between the consent issues, the recycled tropes, and a thousand-year-old virgin king who somehow can't pick a lane on whether he wants a mate, this one earns a hard one star and a recommendation to read literally anything else.

📖 MENTIONED BOOKS & AUTHORS:

Dark Obsessions by Lexi C. Foss (Monsters of Darkness Series)

Brutal Prince (referenced as previous episode's read)

The Bride of Brutal Hearts by Kate Stevens (current giveaway)

Salt Kiss (referenced for fated mate trope comparison)

Lioness Trilogy — Book 3 (June Book of the Month)

The Daedalus Engine by Ash Greer (May Book of the Month)

Omegaverse genre (briefly referenced) Not Enough (referenced, title not confirmed)

💀 If you made it this far, drop your most hated book trope in the comments. We read the trash so you don't have to — but if you did read this one, you already know. Like and subscribe so you never miss a Pretty Little Death episode, and join our Discord community for book of the month picks, giveaways, and all the chaos in between.

In this chaotic, laugh-until-you-cry episode, we review Sophie Lark's 2022 mafia romance novel Brutal Prince. If you love enemies to lovers, arranged marriage, or forced proximity stories, this book club discussion is for you!

📚 BOOK DETAILS: Title: Brutal Prince Author: Sophie Lark Genre: Mafia Romance / Enemies to Lovers Spice Level: 🌶️ Our Rating: 1/5 Stars Available: Amazon, Kindle, Audible, Apple Books

🎧 WHAT WE COVER: ✅ Whether this actually qualifies as a mafia romance — and why all three of us think the answer is a hard no ✅ Ada and Callum's rushed enemies to lovers arc, the pacing problems, and a shower scene that had us questioning everything ✅ Major plot holes, dropped characters, and what we would have done differently to make this story actually work

🔥 ROMANCE TROPES IN THIS BOOK: Enemies to lovers Arranged marriage Forced proximity Forced marriage Mafia families Class difference Obsessive ex

💬 OUR HONEST THOUGHTS: Brutal Prince had all the ingredients for a compelling mafia romance — rival Irish and Italian families, a forced marriage between two people who despise each other, and an enemies to lovers slow burn that should have had us hooked. Instead, the mafia elements feel like window dressing on what is essentially a poorly paced love story, Ada's entire personality is sass with nothing underneath it, and Callum reads like a teenage boy's fantasy rather than a seasoned playboy. The hosts collectively gave it a 0.83 average rating, and the only reason it scraped above zero is because Nigel was in a good mood.

📖 MENTIONED BOOKS & AUTHORS: Bride of Brutal Hearts — Sophie Lark Salt Kiss Series — Sophie Lark Most Forgettable Girl Not Enough Sugar Rush

The Doctor by E.L. Todd | Book Review & Discussion

In this special extended episode, we review E.L. Todd's forbidden romance novel The Doctor, the first book in her four-book series — and we've included our full Post-Show as a bonus for our listeners! If you love slow burn romance, forbidden romance books, or grumpy sunshine stories with unexpected depth, this book club discussion is for you!

📚 BOOK DETAILS:

Title: The Doctor

Author: E.L. Todd

Genre: Forbidden Romance, Contemporary Romance

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️

Our Rating: 3.5/5 - 4/5 Stars

Available: Kindle, Audible, Kindle Unlimited (Books 2-4)

🎧 WHAT WE COVER:

✅ Full spoiler book review of The Doctor

✅ Forbidden romance tropes: brother's ex-wife, slow burn, grumpy sunshine

✅ Why flat characters can still be completely compelling

✅ The toxic love interest red flags Pepper keeps ignoring

✅ Audiobook narrator discussion (valley girl vocal fry warning)

✅ The biggest plot hole nobody talks about

✅ Romance vs Smut vs Erotica classification

✅ March Book of the Month announcement: Brutal Prince by Sophie Lark

🔥 ROMANCE TROPES IN THIS BOOK:

Brother's ex-wife forbidden romance

Slow burn romance

Grumpy sunshine dynamic

Friends to lovers (adjacent)

Military hero romance

No strings attached gone wrong

Divorce recovery & self discovery

💬 OUR HONEST THOUGHTS:

We discuss why this unexpected Stuff Your Kindle Day find became one of our best reads of 2026, why flat characters can still carry a series, and how a knockoff Fifty Shades cover almost stopped us from reading one of our new favorite series. This episode is longer than usual as we have included the full Post-Show as a bonus!

📖 MENTIONED BOOKS & AUTHORS:

Brutal Prince by Sophie Lark

Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher

A Fate Inked in Blood

Saved by the Caladrius by Mary E. Jung

Fifty Shades of Grey

Salt Kiss Series