Spicy Monster Romance Books: My Top 3 Recommendations

An Intro to Monster Romance Books:

Monster romance books has taken booktok by storm. From Ice Planet Barbarians gaining mainstream popularity, to booktokers recommending many monster romance books, it’s safe to say the subgenre is here to stay.

I’m a bookstagrammer with a main focus on monster and alien romances. Therefore, I read a lot of them and can recommend so many. Today, I would love to recommend three monster romance books from my bookstagram post back in 2023.

A Soul to Heal: An Epic Monster Romance with Fantastic Depression Rep

The cover for A Soul to Heal, featuring the main characters Delora and Nameless. It is book 2 in the Duskwalker Brides series by Opal Reyne.

Rating: ★★★★★
Series: Duskwalker Brides
Author: Opal Reyne
Page count: 556
Age rating: 18+
Spice: 3/5
Tropes: Slow burn, friends-to-lovers, hurt/comfort, pregnancy
Trigger warnings: On the first page. It is recommended to skip triggers if you have none so you’re not be spoiled.

Firstly, I recommend A Soul to Heal, the second book of Opal Reyne’s Duskwalker Brides series. I highly suggest you read this series in order starting with A Soul to Keep. As of June 6th, 2025, Duskwalker Brides is complete with a prequel coming out soon.

A Soul to Heal follows Delora, a human woman thrown into the veil for the crimes she committed. She struggles with heavy depression when she meets Nameless. Nameless is a Mavka with a deer skull who hasn’t consumed enough humans to gain quite the intelligence as Orpheus has. Orpheus is a Mavka that appears in book one and is important in A Soul to Heal alongside his bride, Reia.

In all, this book has excellent mental health rep, depression in particular and I feel Delora’s experience is realistic and well done by the author.

Barbarian’s Mate: A Staple for Monster Romance Readers

The cover for booktok famous alien romance book, Barbarians Mate. It is part of the Ice Planet Barbarians series by Ruby Dixon. Featured on the special edition cover is Haeden, the blue alien, and Josie. The setting is not-hoth, the ice planet our protagonists land on.

Rating: ★★★★★
Series: Ice Planet Barbarians
Author: Ruby Dixon
Page count: 250
Age rating: 18+
Spice: 3/5
Tropes: Slow burn, enemies-to-lovers, fated mates,
Trigger warnings: Rape recounted off-page, Child sexual abuse recounted, Death of a partner off-page, Abuse in the foster care system recounted (via https://triggerwarningdatabase.com/)

Now, for my second recommendation, we have an absolute staple in the alien romance literary world. Barbarian’s Mate is in the Ice Planet Barbarians series by the iconic Ruby Dixon. Let me tell you about Ruby Dixon now, she is the queen of monster and alien romance books. From the well-known Ice Planet Barbarians to Risdaverse, Ruby Dixon always delivers spice and intriguing stories. The MMCs are all loveable like our protagonist, Haeden.

Generally, Haeden and Josie have always butted heads. When it’s discovered the pair are in resonance, fated mates in the Ice Planet Barbarian World, Josie high-tails it away, Haeden not-so-obviously following Josie to make sure she doesn’t get herself in trouble. Obviously, I’m a sucker for a good enemies-to-lovers. Although, they weren’t “true” enemies to lovers (they never really hated each other), it made for an excellent read.

Stolen by the Warlord: I Guarantee You’ll Read It In One Sitting

Rating: ★★★★
Series: Ash Planet Warriors
Author: V.K. Ludwig
Page count: 254
Age rating: 18+
Spice: 4/5
Tropes: Enemies-to-lovers, fated mates, forced proximity
Trigger warnings: to be updated

Lastly, I recommend Stolen by the Warlord by powerhouse V.K. Ludwig. This seasoned alien romance author always delivers on her dark alien romance books. Stolen By The Warlord follows the daughter of a couple in a previous book, Captured. These spicy books follow alien warlords, with the setting and story action-packed.

Particularly, these books are darker than others on this list, but the dark romance elements of V.K. Ludwig’s catalogue is what really had me hooked. In addition, the book is on the spicer side of this list as well and it certainly delivers. Stolen by the Warlord is what really sunk my hooks into monster romance books and I unashamedly read this in one sitting.

Looking for More Spicy Monster Romance and Alien Romances?

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Looking for a great monster romance book with orcs? Read my review of the Heiress and the Orc!

The Heiress and the Orc: A Spicy Monster Romance Review

Categories: Book Reviews, Monster Romance

The Heiress and the Orc: A Spicy Monster Romance Review

The Heiress and the Orc book review
Rating: ★★★★☆
Title: The Heiress and the Orc
Series: Orc Sworn Book 2
Author: Finley Fenn
Page count: 470
Genre: Monster Romance
Age rating: 18+
Spice: 3/5: Open door and plentiful with little kink
Published: March 4, 2020
Tropes: Friends-to-lovers, fated mates, groveling
Trigger warnings: May contain spoilers. Visit https://finleyfenn.com/books/the-heiress-and-the-orc/ for full list.

The Story So Far: What The Lady and the Orc accomplished in the world of Orc Sworn

Welcome to my review of The Heiress and the Orc, a spicy monster romance with orcs. In the last book, The Orcs and Humans build a successful peace treaty due to Jules’s bravery. In the second book in the Orc Sworn series, The Heiress and the Orc, we discover the world of Finley Fenn’s books now that this treaty has been laid out. Spoiler alert: nothing much has changed. Most humans still look at orcs with disdain, looking for ways to bypass the law to conjure up a war.

In The Heiress and the Orc, we meet Ella, the wealthiest heiress in the land. According to misogynistic laws, she must marry a lord within six months to keep her estate. Then, we find out the now ladylike woman had befriended an orc long ago. Now, during her engagement party, the orc has returned to honor their pledge they made 8 years ago.

“You shall never belong with them. You belong here, in these trees, under the sun. You belong with me.”

Plot & Spice: Natt and Ella’s Story

The plot was very engaging, only to lull during the cluster of smut scenes. This *is* a spicy book, and I cannot count this against it. The plot picks up only to go into maximum overdrive, and I was hooked until I finished the build-up to the climax in one sitting. The spice was plentiful, more than I usually read, with voyeurism, rim jobs, and excesses of come- the usual amount from an orc romance, of course.

Characters: Underground in Orc Mountain

Ella, the Heiress and Lady

I’ll admit, Ella irritated me through the first 50% of the book. Her flaky and unsure characterization wasn’t permanent. The buildup to Ella finding herself and what she wanted was so satisfying. In all, I wound up really liking her and her journey at the end.

In the first half of the book, I was somewhat irritated with Ella, as her character came off flaky and unsure. For instance, Ella would give into her feelings for Natt, immediately regret it, and run away. It got old fast. In all fairness, she had an impossible choice to make: enter a loveless marriage to keep her family’s estate and honor her father’s wishes or lose everything and stay with Natt.

I will say though, I wound up really liking Ella and her growth. Ella winds became a strong character and finally fought for what she wanted.

Natfar, the Speaker

Now, Natt was a passionate, fun character. He had a bit less depth than I would have liked, even though Finley Fenn made it work for the plot of The Heiress and the Orc. In my opinion, to tell this story, Nat had to have this sort of backstory. Lastly, I think Finley Finn did a fantastic job after spoiling us with Grimarr.

On that topic, I did not like him as much as Grimarr in the first book of the Orc Sworn series, The Lady and the Orc. Natt’s backstory explained why he hadn’t met with Ella in the past 8 years. In contrast, Grimarr’s seemed a lot more fleshed out. Besides that, the sacrifice Grimarr made was more justified than Natt’s in my opinion.

Now, the side characters were fantastic. I loved how supportive Jules, the only other human woman, was of Ella and I loved their interactions together. Out of all the side characters, John was my favorite. He seemed different from the other orcs, with a human name to boot. The next book is about him, so I’m excited to start it.

Overall Review:

Overall, this review of the book The Heiress and the Orc will sing its praises. The plot and world building had me obsessed. While with a little lull in the middle, I felt it was a little tedious. I was getting impatient with the slowness in the middle. However, looking back, I see that the author gave us clues to a bigger picture. In that discovery, I cannot fault the book at all.

*Minor Spoilers*
The betrayal plot twist came out of nowhere for me, but I did see the signs. Admittedly, I didn’t put it together at the time. The character redeemed himself in the end though, and I’m happy with the growth that character went through.

The characters were lively and likable. Lastly, the author’s plot twist was pretty clever, and Fenn built it up inconspicuously. I am very excited to continue with this series. Thank you for reading my The Heiress and the Orc review!

Overall:	4/5
World Building:	4/5
Characters:	3/5
Plot:	4/5
Spice Meter:	3/5
Ending:	5/5

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Categories: Alien Romance, Book Reviews

Accidentally Abducted for Deadly Alien “The Bachelor” — Strange Love Alien Romance Review

Rating: ★★★★1/2☆
Title: Strange Love
Series: Galatic Love #1
Author: Ann Aguirre
Page count: 306
Genre: Alien romance
Age rating: 18+
Spice: Open door with creative alien anatomy
Published: January 15, 2020
Tropes: Marriage of convenience, friends to lovers, animal companion (he talks!)
Trigger warnings: Space drugs, third party abuse

“He’d save her life first and sort the rest out later.”
― Ann Aguirre, Strange Love

Quick Glimpse

I was smiling ear to ear the whole time I read Strange Love. How could you not with a talking dog and a cinnamon roll alien? There’s minimal darkness which makes for a great palate cleanser.

However, there’s death of third party characters. They are basically background characters so bye-bye I guess. There’s also a scene of Zylar taking a fat rip on his bong. #VapeNaysh It’s part of the plan to take down the villain. But man, if taking a massive rip was how I had to contribute to taking out the big bad, I would be a natural hero.

Also, the plot is easy to follow and doesn’t take too much concentration. The plot reminds me of an Ice Planet Barbarians book except with higher stakes.

Characters and Plot

“If you had to be abducted by aliens, it was good to wind up with one who respected your boundaries and preferences.”
― Ann Aguirre, Strange Love

The Story

Firstly, on Zylar’s planet, due to previous overpopulation, couples have to compete for the right to get married and bow-chicka-wow-wow. He’s failed the trial four times due to not being chosen. Nice guys finish last, huh?

However, he is not a r/NiceGuy or owns a fedora. He gets back on his bike with training wheels and pedals his way to entering for the fifth and final time. If Zylar fails again, he’s sent to the alien equivalent of the mines.

Now, Zylar has the upper hand this time as he’s rizzed up a hot alien on space tinder. He isn’t anything special for his race. The insectoid alien’s color is doo-doo brown, while his pompous, successful brother is colorful and beautiful.

Naturally, his brother is high up on the social ladder and has side pieces for days. Zylar’s brother is a natural hater and always sabotages Zylar whenever he can. Man, throw this dog a bone. It’s shocking this man isn’t a Redditor. He’s just a good guy. *baby eyes*

Anyway, he goes to pick up the alien he’s been chatting with on space Tinder to compete with him. He’s a silly goofy guy and accidentally heads to earth and “saves” Beryl and her puppy, Snaps. Whoopsies!

At first, Zylar thinks Beryl is ugly with the stark differences between the insectoid alien and human. Zylar did technically kidnap a primitive species from his point of view. But he’s a respectful little dude and chugs that respect Beryl juice. and is overjoyed that she wants to enter in the trial with him in the other alien’s place.

“It was a deeply inhuman embrace, but something about the contact soothed her regardless, because it came from a friend.”
― Ann Aguirre, Strange Love

The FMC: Adaptable and Fierce.

Beryl is a sweetheart, but fierce and competent. I loved her as the FMC and would love to read more characters like her. After being accidentally abducted by Zylar, Beryl and Snaps are ready for the adventure and really flourish.

The MMC: The Sweet Cinnamon Roll of an Alien

Firstly, Zylar doesn’t think he’s anything special and has taken being rejected four times during the trials to heart. There’s a lot riding on him and Beryl passing, his status, his AI companion, and being removed from Beryl forever to work as a drone. There’s a lot at stake.

However, he always gives Beryl a choice. She is never forced to enter the trials or do anything above her comfort zone. Beryl changes him for the better, too. As someone who kept his head down and noncontradictory, he finds himself sticking up for Beryl like it’s natural. It was such a cool experience to see Zylar gain confidence throughout the book.

Relationship and chemistry

As for their relationship, it progressed at the perfect pace and was realistic for an alien couple. Zylar falls for Beryl first for her loyalty and kindness towards him. But then, Beryl falls harder. Their chemistry was one of the best I’ve ever read between a couple.

Climax and Ending (spoiler free)

First of all, the small twist of how Zylar wound up on earth was kind of pointless. Truly, the story wouldn’t have changed if it wasn’t included. I understand that it was leading up to the second book with the AI, but it was unnecessary in my opinion.

The climax of Strange Love was the weakest part of this alien romance. However, the book in all made up for the lackluster climax.

Then, we get a HEA, albeit the characters are somewhat misfortunate. I think a second book would have really strengthened the first, but these books in this alien romance trilogy are stand alone. It’s in the same universe and follows different characters.

Closing Thoughts

In all, I cannot express how much I loved reading Strange Love. If you like alien romance and want a book with little to no darkness, you CANNOT skip this! My skin is clear and my depression is cured. I rate this four and a half stars easily. Strange Love is definitely a palate cleanser.

Strange Love, a highly recommended alien romance book

Categories: Alien Romance, Book Reviews

Chef Ramsey Wants a Word – I Married a Lizardman Review

I know I’ve been a bit MIA for a bit. Due to mental health struggles, I haven’t even been reading. However, now that I’m feeling all right again, expect lots of reviews!

I Married a Lizardman by Regine Abel was the first read after my big bout. It’s part of the Prime Mating Agency Series, but each book can be read as a standalone. I wasn’t vibing with the whole Lizardman love interest at first. Reading many books with unconventional love interests such as The Spider’s Mate, I’m not sure why I felt this way.

After reading the raving reviews, I was ready to jump into it. Will this be one of my new favorite alien romance books?

ABOUT THE BOOK

The book starts with Susan, a woman in her mid-twenties with pretty much nothing to lose. Her planet has a matriarchal society with an abundance of farmers. Farming is precisely what Susan loves to do.

However, Susan’s SOL because she’s a third daughter. In families, the first two daughters get the land and the other siblings basically get to pound sand. Our girl, Susan, wants to farm and make a difference. Whatever could her options be? Matchmaking time!

Susan finds an intergalactic matchmaker to find a husband off planet who has land coming out of the wazoo and will let her farm to her heart’s content. She doesn’t want any of the humans on her home planet and honestly, who could blame her? If I were in a sci-fi novel, I’d jump feet-first into a Darth Maul type. Who wants a human such as Luke Skywalker?

Anyway, luckily for Susan, her matchmaker found her the perfect match. Big, scaley, and green lizardman, Olix! An inhabitant of his planet said a prophecy woman will come from stars away and save their planet. Saving them from the colonizers currently sucking the planet and the clans dry. We can’t even escape megacorps in fiction.

What’s more, Olix will take whoever will marry him! What a dreamboat!

MY REVIEW

I know I went a little hard on Olix, but once he and Susan are wedded in holy matrimony (and her undies!), he’s a sweet guy. He truly wants the best for his struggling clan. Olix and the other clan leaders are being hounded by a megacorp to sell their land. Not today, Satan!

Susan is settling into her new home and her new in-laws where she discovers the most fertile lands she’s seen! Our girl asks her mother-in-law why not farm? There’s an obvious food shortage but copious amounts of land to farm their own food. Her mother-in-law gets enraged at Susan for even suggesting that they farm!

*Susan, having the audacity to ask about farming*

Even though we find out why everyone is vehemently against farming, I can’t say it’s such a reason to not let Susan farm for them.

Susan and Olix’s relationship was very healthy and realistic for an arranged marriage. Although, Olix is so bland! I was more interested in Susan girl bossing the megacorp away. I was getting so bored with Olix, I was hoping Susan would go for his much more interesting sister.

The plot is interesting and it’s a great palate cleanser!

Final thoughts

The plot was interesting but the mmc was blander than a saltine cracker. The fmc and plot carry this book far so I would rate I Married a Lizardman 2.5 stars.

Check out my Ice Planet Barbarians review here!

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