I wanted to love this book. The cover, the description it just sucked me right in. The female lead I absolutely LOVED but Hunter and the way he was written ruined it for me.

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity but I unfortunately DNF this book.

First of all I want to start by saying I absolutely adored the cover for this book!

The spice in Mistress of Souls is incredible but unfortunately for me the plot just fell flat. So if you're in the mood for all spice no plot then this might be the book for you!

I loved this! The characters, the plot, the conflict, the communication and miscommunication. Chef’s Kiss! Very spicy in oh so good ways! Each character was unique and had good and bad qualities. I loved how this book was written in 3 POV. I am obsessed with getting the story from each character. Going into this read I had no idea this was slated to be a trilogy series. I had 4% left thinking ummm this is going to end on a cliff hanger… But I’m excited to read the next two books. The mix of romance and fantasy was great. It allowed for a lot of depth in the story. Each character grew throughout this story and had a great growth arc. The writing style was easy to follow and was very detailed. I had to go back and re-read a couple parts but that was due to my own comprehension. Especially during spicy scenes to understand where everyone is at (if you know what I mean 😉) I haven’t read books before with some of the more gory kinks (bl*od play, kn*fe play, breath play) but I enjoyed how those fit into the story. I look forward to how their relationships progress and intertwine.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing me with a copy of this book. My opinions are all my own. I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have no issues with the triggers, the sex, the darkness, i enjoy a book with demons and shifters, I particularly liked the female owned and run BDSM club. It’s definitely full of heat and spice , it’s very fast paced, my main criticism is, although I like all these things actually want a plot too. There’s plenty of books out there that are shorter if I just want spice and sex and nothing else. However, I didn’t pick this book up for that. So unfortunately for me I won’t be reading the next however if all you’re looking for is steamy and spicy read this book is for you, alas, not for me.

Thank you to net galley and the publisher for a free e-book in exchange for an honest opinion

I’m sorry this book just wasn’t for me. I tried on multiple different occasions. This book is very graphic very strong right out of the gate. I would definitely recommend you check trigger warnings. And to read this book you need to have a strong love for BDSM.

I feel like this could have had a milder sexual content and probably held my attention more. But there are definitely people out there that will enjoy this book if that’s what they enjoy :)

DNF-I’m really sorry that I couldn’t get on with this one. I can read dark romances and smut, but this one was a bit much for me personally.
I think if you’re a fan of the dark and sexual themes in this you will love it, but I personally need something with a bit more plot.

***Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the giving me the chance to read this ***

“You are my nirvana. You. Are. Mine.
Whether realms, time, or existence separate us, you will always be mine. I laid claim to you the moment you became a presence in my life”

SWOON

Mistress of Souls is a beautifully delicious Paranormal Romance. If you like your books filthy, twisted, and filled with monsters this is your kind of book.

Mariax is a torture demon who has escaped from Him, her mysterious past lover, to Earth. Here she is the owner and mistress of a sex dungeon. Her past and present collide in a sexy and chaotic clash of skin teeth and tails. If you’re wanting something original and spicy this is the book for you.

I appreciate that the author didn’t shy away from really getting into detail with her scenes or the creativity… like Mariax’s tail? Like come on?! GENIUS. The characters by themselves are amazing. They authors is able to make you want them and want to get to know them more. There is good balance of mysteriousness when it comes to the plot but I felt like it dragged on at the beginning. I do feel as though there needs to be more chemistry between the characters though. I know they are suppose to love one another but I felt like I had to force myself to feel that love. I feel like there needs to be more intimacy that’s not just sexual. As for the spice. You get everything you ever wanted. M/M, Fem Dom, Sub, some tail action, etc….

If you’re wanting a good dose of smut and laughter this is the book for you

***Thank you CM Hutton and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This review is lower than my personal review and my Goodreads review. There was an excessive amount of technical and editorial errors in the ARC I received, to the point that it was distracting. I can look past 3 or 4 over a book, but there was significantly more than that. I am giving the benefit of the doubt that the errors were fixed before the final book was released and I did not deduct stars on other platforms.

There was so much of this book that was so enjoyable. Mistress of Souls managed to be gory and dark while still keeping a cozy and fun vibe. I really liked the urban fantasy setting, as well as the idea of different planes and a unique take on hell. Of course hell has a high school setting that lasts for decades, that sounds absolutely awful to me too. Everything about The Snuggle Pit was perfect. I love the idea of a female (demon) owned sex club.
Mariax was absolutely amazing as a character. She was strong and soft and cared so much about everyone around her deeply. I loved that she was a switch. Her tail alone was an amazing character with a big personality. Seriously, all of the artwork of her is amazing and captures her perfectly.
The Primeval was definitely my favorite of the MMCs. He's dark and mysterious. There is more to him that meets the eye. I really hope there is more background given on him in the next book, like how he ended up in the torture class to begin with.
Then there is the golden retriever, I mean lycan, Hunter. He is so sweet it'll make your teeth hurt. He is also painfully naive and a hypocrite. He does the exact same thing that he punishes someone else for, and it made zero sense to me. The way he acted toward the end of the book seemed out character compared to the way that he had been built up, which was disappointing.
This is truly a book that is all sex and no plot, which I am totally fine with. There's a little plot, but it's very loose in the majority of the book and mostly just driven by the relationships of the characters. I will say, the sex scenes are great. It explores pretty much everything you could think of under the sun. Seriously. Check TW.
As others have said, the pacing was a little strange. I liked that it wasn't an instalove but timelines didn't always seem to match up. It was also hard to feel for the characters when a lot of their relationship happened in between the time jumps and we're just being told about it. As things progressed toward the end things made less sense and seemed slightly forced.
Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I will be picking up the second book.

Mariax, a demon escaped from hell, is running a sex club and stumbles into a gorgeous shifter named Hunter. She can’t seem to get over her ex dom, but hopes that maybe she can use Hunter as a sub to quash some of her lingering feelings. Her ex dom has been hunting for her since she escaped hell to vanquish the threat she’s unknowingly facing. He’s never gotten over her, and has a growing interest in her new sub as well.

This was confusing. I’m all for erotica as long as the plot works and this one almost did. I think a lot of it could be that it’s a debut book, but it’s also a failing that the genre sometimes has as a whole. The main focus is definitely the romantic relationships between the characters but how does Lauren fit into the relationship? How is mariax different? Maybe those will be answered in book two but I feel like there were a lot of holes in the plot bc it was so focused on the sex.

Demons, shifters, obsession, and a BDSM club. Yep, the heat is way on as is the secrets, frustrations, longings, and a past that won't let go. Fast paced and engaging - lots of triggers so head the warning if you have any. Ends on a big cliff, I usually dock a star for that, but the book was too good so I let it go ...

First, thank you for allowing me to read the book. It was something I have never read before and I was interested to open my mind to new reading material.
Sadly this was a DNF. Don't get me wrong, the spice in the story was good but I felt the characters were boring and I really struggled to understand some elements. Saying that, if you like spice, then this is recommended 👌 as it's almost starts straight away.

Book review!

Mistress Mariax, a former torture demon turned dom mommy has opened her own sex club, The Snuggle Palace, in the human realm. But between sub appointments with supernatural clients something dark is lurking near her and threatening danger. Dealing with her hot new favorite sub, a lycan shifter, and grief stricken hate thoughts of her ex daddy djinn, the life she built in Philly has helped her find herself.

I thought this was a fun read! There was definitely way more room for world building that left me wishing the author dove a little deeper into a lot more details. If this book was twice as long I still would’ve enjoyed every page. I also thoroughly enjoyed the suggested playlist 😉 Would definitely recommend for a quick, fun read that doesn’t require a ton of thought or attention to detail. I give Mistress of Souls by C.M Hutton 3⭐️ and 4🌶️.

Thank you to Victory Editing and NetGally for providing the eARC. This is book 1 in a trilogy and ends in a cliffhanger! It also comes with a hefty list of trigger warnings. We love to see it 😏🚩
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#mistressofsouls #netgalley #triggerwarnings #morallygrey #bookreview #spicybooks

The best thing about this book is the smut and the heavy emphasis on consent and the importance of giving your partners a voice. The plot was nonexistent until the last 50 pages - so I struggled to not skim the events between the smut. I’m very interested to see where this story goes in this series.

Loving the spice in this one!! Some very hot fantasy spice, and why choose.

A start was made for a storyline (apart from just the spice), and I'm excited to read the rest of the story! I had only expected that more storyline would have been squeezed in this book.

I will absolutely be waiting for book 2 (and 3), and I recommend all spice lovers to read this and the next books as well!

thank you to netgalley and the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

i will also be posting this review on my instagram (@lunarbookshelves) on the 9th of july! link will be shared!

• Multi-first person POV
• Time jumps
• Writing style = telling 😒

That cover ✅ Not gonna lie, I got this book for the cover. I mean, that's some epic artwork right there. Yes 😍

The book; it is what it is. I was disappointed it was a lot more shallow than expected. It gives you smut, but by compromising all world and character building. The dialogue feels unnatural and the internal monologues drone on, telling you everything you need to know.

World building ❌

The world is just Earth, just as you know it, with some cloaked supernaturals walking around. They don't do anything or go anywhere different to humans. They go to book shops, bars, watch commercials and drink Earl Gray while listening to Disturbed.

And Inferuna is just an odd version of hell, again much like Earth, with a city, and a place where you can watch Friends reruns.

Characters ➖

The characters look like demons and other supernaturals on the outside, but are just like humans in every other way, feeding on their base desires and not much else.

*Mariax.. her demon form was immaculate ✅ As a character, she was okay. She at least tried to show some more emotion and depth than her male counterparts but would have liked a bit more from her.

*Hunter was.. boring! ❌ I'm sorry, but he's not much of an alpha lycan.. there really wasn't anything to him.. he was just there.

*Him.. A bit more exciting with his magic abilities.. but other than that.. he was weak.. and also boring.. Again, coming back to the internal monologues here ❌

Best part of the book = Mariax's shapeshifting tail.

The potential is clear and the creative vision is proven by the stunning cover, where Mariax is brought to life in vivid detail as described in the writing but as a whole, it just wasn't there.

This book is about one thing and that's where its strength lies. So, if that's the only thing you're looking for, by all means, have at it!

**This review contains minor spoilers**

I received this book as an ARC and unfortunately, I had to DNF it. I typically have no issues with erotica, dark romance, BDSM, polyamorous, or reverse harem novels, but this one fell flat for me personally.

Hunter, the MMC, had a thick Scottish accent when he spoke, but much of his internal monologue was written in a way that made me think he was American. Only when he spoke was I reminded that he was Scottish. It just felt disconnected. Not only that, if he is an alpha of his pack, shouldn't the entire pack also have Scottish accents? I needed more information/world building to explain more of their backstory.

Also, it felt as if the plot bounced around often and both the MMC the FMC were quite wishy washy.

However, I did appreciate the fact that this book included LGBTQ+ characters and I truly wish I had loved it more than I did.

I’d call him a pussy, but a pussy can handle pain - he wouldn’t deserve such a wonderful title.👹😈

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This book was unique to anything I have ever read in the past. I have read fantasy books. I have read spicy smut books. But have I ever read a fantasy book about demons and ghosts and werewolves who are doms and subs? Not before this😂 When I saw this new release on NetGalley I was intrigued and decided it was time to push the boat out a bit.

P.S. Thank you so much to NetGalley, Victory Editing, and CM Hutton for granting me the opportunity to read this ARC e-book!

I felt that the characters all complimented each other nicely, they all had their own individual quirks and attributes that made them interesting in their own ways. Mostly, I enjoyed seeing Mariax struggle with whether she was predominantly a submissive or a dominant in the bedroom. And her dildo tail. I feel like that could be fun. Also, Hunter and his knot. I cannot visualise the knot. Kind of upset he never let Mariax have the knot. I needed to know more about this mysterious appendage.

The book ended on such a cliffhanger! I now need to wait in suspense for the second instalment so I can find out what the hell happened to Ian. Dying over here.

If you like to read about dominatrix demons and confused knotted werewolves and daddy djinns then this is the book for you. Enjoy😈

My rating - 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Summary: Mariax is a demon who has built a new life in the human realm. She soon has her past love colliding with her present obsession.

Thoughts: The world-building & magic were outstanding. I am obsessed with Hunter's Scottish accent, it basically makes everything he says HOT! Deliciously dark, twisted, and loving while dripping with kinks.

Spice: 4/5

Read if you like:
- Love Triangles
- BDMS, Breath Play, Knife Play
- Strong Female Characters
- Demon/Monster Romance
- Lies/Secrets
- Dungeon settings
- Why Choose

Off the bat I could tell this was written by someone with little writing experience.
The dialogue is immature. The story is confusing and muddled which means I didn’t connect with the characters as I would have liked.
It felt (particularly in the beginning) as though the author was forcing the “enemies to lovers” trope a little much. Hunter was just an annoying character for me. I disliked his indecisiveness.
The plot jumps around and we miss periods of time. Which means the relationship between the characters isn’t fully shown to the reader, hence makes it a little unbelievable.
The world building is lacking and focus is too much on the smut. I love good smut but there needs to be a well rounded plot and if it’s fantasy(as this is), world building cannot be skipped over.
The cover is absolutely stunning but everything else fell short.

Thanks NetGalley and CM Hutton for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this was not the book for me. Mariax is a torture demon who escaped to Earth from Inferuno (hell) after her dominant betrayed her (on top of lots of torture, which I still don't know if she was mad at or not). She becomes a Dom and runs her own s e x dungeon, bar, private shows, you name it. She meets Hunter, an alpha-hole Lycan shifter and starts a dom-sub relationship with him, then He returns. And honestly I didn't get farther than that before I DNF at 85%.

Aside from knowing Mariax had serious trauma, I did not care at all about the characters or the outcome of the relationship between Mariax, Hunter, and Him. Lots of detailed spicy scenes (but surprisingly not a lot of actual s e x). There is an attempt at a dramatic sub plot, but for too much of the book it felt like nothing was happening. If you're into the world of dom-sub and BDSM, you may enjoy this. If you like a spicy, dark romance that has more in terms of plot like me, possibly not.

This also appears to end on a cliffhanger, so you have been warned!