Risque Romance Vol. 1 comprises two paranormal romance novellas by Mandi Konesni. The first novella is Awakened; it follows Mia, who is perfectly content in her less-than-thrilling life until her best friend signs her up to be auctioned off as a date at an event and is quickly highly bid after by Erik. Erik is sinful and sensual bliss is consuming, and quickly Mia realises there might be more to life except she can’t keep Erik, even if they both desire exactly that. The second novella is Enthralled; it follows Dieri, who was cursed many centuries ago by the Romani, and he has hunted them ever since. In comes Mirela, a light in his ever-darkening existence, a little bird that he shouldn’t have, but they are drawn to each other, but the faire isn’t as quiet as it seems. Are all monsters monsters, or is that just what you’ve been told?
I’m going to jump into this review with the fact that I won’t be reviewing Awakened; it wasn’t something I enjoyed, and as I don’t review one-star reads, I won’t go into anything else on the topic. Now onto Enthralled, I felt sorry for Dieri immediately, thrown through a loop and sucked into a curse as an innocent man but now suffering through the centuries. Of course, he played the role of monster; why wouldn’t he? But that soon became boring, and now his vengeance has resulted in finding the end to his affliction just a tad bit difficult. He was resolute in what he needed that was until he came across his ‘Little Bird’ Mariela. The end to his suffering but also a craving he shouldn’t give into. He was stuck in the idea that he would darken her life, and I get the reasoning, but he needed the light just as much as she needed something more to add to her life. I loved how his body was fighting him at a stage, knowing he should leave her but showing up anyway, a moth to her flame.
This echoed in Mariela’s case as well; she was drawn to him just as much. Mariela never saw Dieri as a monster; she thought outside of what the majority of her family believed history to be, and while he was afflicted with a curse, her bloodline never got off scot-free. I loved that she was the one to initiate every sexual interaction between them, coaxing him into realising he could give in to this need; they both can, just for a little while, but I think that’s what made it so hard. She knew what he wanted, and she wasn’t going to step in his way, but that didn’t stop the feelings they both had. I also loved the ending to this—a trick to battle the curse written in her bloodline, and she was the first who could take part in breaking the mould. There is a twist in this book, so don’t think it’s all fated mates and longing; there is a touch more to the plot, but with how short the story is, I don’t want to reveal too much.
In all honesty, I was not a fan of the first novella in this volume, Awakened, and as I don’t review one-star reads, I will be focusing on the second novella in Risque Romance Vol. 1 instead. Enthralled was a Four out of Five stars read. I loved that Dieri and Mariela are quite similar. Her bloodline is so intertwined with his existence, her understanding what he wants and wanting to help him, him needing the help but not wanting to darken her world, and yet their meeting is kismet, drawn together by powers outside of their control, but also she awakened something in him he long thought was gone. It was beautiful. I loved the heat in this; I was fully absorbed, and as normal, I craved much more of it. As much as I loved this book and its ending, I feel like I had a few questions about what happens now—the curse on both sides? What’s happening with Lucas? The band of people after Dieri? Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed this fast read.
As with the rating, my recommendation will focus entirely on the second novella in Risque Romance Vol. 1 by Mandi Konesni. I’d recommend Enthralled to those who love a paranormal romance with a lost and forlorn MMC, an enticing and alluring FMC, curses galore, fate being a little minx, monster redemptions, a fast past romance, a fight for love, the war of desiring what you shouldn’t have but needing it anyway, and of course for those that love a happily ever after.
Favourite Quotes
“He tasted wild, untamed. Feral. He was the wolf, and she was entirely the panicked prey.”
– page 137
“The very one who held his life in her gypsy hands was the same one that he’d just kissed as if she were the very air he needed to breathe.”
– page 141
“He didn’t even know her. Yet he knew instinctively that she was everything good and pure in this world. The perfect opposite of his darkness. She was life, and he… he was death.”
– page 145
“Whatever this feeling was between them, for the moment they’d shared, it had been real and all consuming.”
– page 160
Finer Details:
Title: Risque Romance Vol. 1
Author: Mandi Konesni
Pages: 216
Publisher: Liliom Press
Publication: 2016
Language: English
Rating: 4/5 (Based on Enthralled not Awakened)