My Fair Monster by L. DuBois

LDuBois-My Fair MonsterAfter reading Lila DuBois’  first book in her Monsters in Hollywood series, Lights Camera…Monster, I was more prepared for the erotic paranormal romance when I picked up the second in the series, My Fair Monster.

Since the day three incredibly hot men in disguise walk into her office and proved Monsters are real, intrepid screenwriter Jane Darby is obsessed with one task: to give the creatures a mythical makeover by writing a revolutionary, blockbuster screenplay. Now if only she can get over her own fear—and get the closed-mouth Michael to talk about his people.

Michael is fascinated by the demur and docile Jane, whose efforts to hold him at arm’s length hide an untapped sexual passion—a beast within her waiting to be set free. There’s only one way to get under her lovely skin: strike a bargain.
For one week, she agrees to let him do anything, anything, he wants. But Jane’s got conditions. First, no actual sex. Second, she has to enjoy it.

Jane’s not really worried. What can happen if he sticks to the bargain? After all, she’s not really turned on by the idea of Michael tying her down. Or bending her over his knee. Or…

Gulp.

My warning: My Fair Monster has some BDSM components in the book…more D/s than actual bondage. So, if you’re not into that, I would suggest you not read it.  It isn’t anything bad and the D/s is presented as such a relationship should be, that is to say, Michael is respectful of Jane and treats her well.   However, I wouldn’t go so far as to say the D/s relationship goes further than the bedroom.  Though, once you get to the point where sex comes into play, there isn’t a *lot* of the plot that occurs outside the bedroom.  I guess that’s my hang up with this series. Too much sex and not enough plot.

I’ll give My Fair Monster a bit of credit, though. The sex didn’t start nearly as early in the plot as it did in Lights Camera…Monster.  However, once it did, the entire plot revolved around it.   You know Michael is hiding some, perceived dark, secret.  Jane uses Michael’s reluctance to show her his true monster form as a bargaining chip to play games Michael wishes to play.  The whole thing starts out as Michael finding Jane hot and sexy with this passionate lover waiting to be woken up…and he wants to be the one to do the waking.  Jane, naturally, is at first reluctant (for lack of a better word) to just jump into bed with Michael. You see, she has a secret of her own…one that makes her hesitate to sleep with Michael, even though at first neither wants a “relationship”.

My Fair Monster was another kind of let down for me. I didn’t feel there was really any kind of climatic story arc. No antagonist…just a bit of struggle of Michael not wanting to reveal his secret and Jane not wanting to admit to hers.  Really, that’s it?! Ugh! Frustrating is the best I can put that.  If you read my review of Lights Camera…Monster, you’ll remember me mentioning how I don’t like sex just for sex. That still holds true.  There is one book left in this series that I have and I’ll read and review it, but I don’t have much hope for anything beyond porn that is read rather than watched.   I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love me some steamy, smexy scenes. Sometimes, the more detailed and graphic, the better. But it has.to.fit.the overall plot.  I need tension, I need an antagonist.  Without that, there really isn’t a story. Period.  Look back on stories we grew up reading…fairy tales like Cinderella (no, I don’t mean how some wonderful and creative authors are taking those stories as outlines and re-creating them..which I do love btw). There were the evil stepsisters, a wench of a stepmother.  There was tension, there was going to be some sort of climatic scene.  I didn’t get any of that in My Fair Monster, IMHO.  Maybe, just maybe the third book will surprise me, but I’m not holding out too much hope.

Read Order:
Lights, Camera…Monsters
My Fair Monster
Gone with the Monster
Have Monster…Will Travel (release date TBA)

Other Reviews: Literary Nymph’s Reviews Only

 

About Nicole 146 Articles
Attorney by day, Publicist for Barclay Publicity and reviewer/LE (assistant) editor by night. I'm a huge book nerd and love to read. I have 2 dogs, both Labrador retriever mixed breeds, who are very rotten and think they run the house. Let's not lie, they totally do, I just can't them know it ha ha! My usual genre is romance or urban fantasy. I love all things having to do with paranormal, with the occasional good contemp/BDSM/erotica thrown in to spice it all up.