Promises and Pomegranates
Monsters & Muses #1
By Sav R. Miller
*Can be read as a standalone*
TheStory
Kal Anderson works for a mafia don as a hit man but when he becomes entangled with the daughter, Elena, everything shifts. After quietly admiring Kal from afar, Elena propositions him to take her virginity.
Now, Kal has an obsession with Elena and will do anything to keep her - including taking her to his secluded island far from her home.
But Kal has secrets, lies, and enemies to contend with and he just dragged Elena into his dangerous life.
TheReview
Kal and Elena’s past is given right up front. Although it is the first in the Monsters & Muses series, there is a prequel, Sweet Sin, that can be read first, which details their tryst before this book starts. I didn’t read that one, but honestly, I wish I had. So I would recommend reading Sweet Sin first, since I think it would add a good element to this story.
So, after immediately revealing their past, the story goes straight into Kal’s plan to keep her. If you’ve already read this, did you also have a guess for whom the blackmailer was? If you haven’t read it, come up with a guess. Because I had a guess and it was a shock to see who and what actually happened with the blackmailing once it was revealed.
There was a little mystery into Kal’s motives for forcing the marriage so it’s a bit of a guessing game. There is also a mystery about Kal’s past with Elena’s mother. So you can read the whole thing with a bit of guessing and not being exactly sure what is going to happen, which is nice, because you can be surprised.
That’s the story part, which was decent. However…
The book as a whole felt really disconnected. It was just lacking heart and depth that could have easily been put into the story. It felt like each scene was its own short story but then each piece had to be forced to connect together somehow. There were a few good scenes, but it felt like that was all the book had and everything else was just filled in without much effort.
Also, the blackmail… It was the original reason for the entire relationship to go the way it did. It was Kal’s motivation for everything. But it was hardly brought up at all. And Elena didn’t question it at all? Didn’t want to know what was going on? It should have remained at least a somewhat central issue since it was the catalyst for the entire story.
Even when everything blew up, it felt so simple. Easy. There wasn’t enough passion in the explosion. It was more like a bubble burst, but not the bomb explosion that it should have been. With everything that was working against the MCs?! I would have fully expected a full blown explosion, not a bubble popping.
And the ending to all that?! Blech. It just left such an unsatisfying taste in my mouth. There was so much potential in this book and I was so excited to finally read it but that potential was just not fulfilled for me at all. I just wanted to find another book to read. I don’t even think I’ll continue the series because the writing is just not for me.
FavoriteQuotes
“If Elena is even half as divine as the fruit in the Garden of Eden, I absolutely understand Eve’s surrender.” - Kal
“I’ve seen many works of art in my lifetime, all different variants of the term, but I’ve never seen any as breathtaking as her.” - Kal
“… I wanted someone there to balance me out, to peel back the curtains and shed a little light, so long as I also got to paint her in shadows.” - Kal
TheRating
Storyline: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
World Building: N/A
Writing: 2/5
Overall: 📘📘📘
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Monsters & Muses Series
Sweet Sin
Monsters & Muses #0.5
Arrows and Apologies
Monsters & Muses #4
Promises and Pomegranates
Monsters & Muses #1
Souls and Sorrows
Monsters & Muses #5
Vipers and Virtuosos
Monsters & Muses #2
Liara and Liaisons
Monsters & Muses #6
Oaths and Omissions
Monsters & Muses #3