Book: Taste of Pain by Rawnie Sabor
Reviewed by plotdrunk
Rating: 4/5
This book was basically exactly what I thought it was - dark romance with fantasy elements sprinkled in. The worldbuilding is too light to call it an urban fantasy, but it has monsters so it's not just a dark romance either. But I knew what I wanted from it, which was a steamy good time, and it did deliver on that front.
The BDSM parts were some of my favorite parts, probably because they were handled with the most care and attention. The spice was hot and the darker elements actually committed. This isn't a book that's going to make you cry, but that's not why I grabbed it so it was okay. Sometimes you just want a spicy read with some hot vampires.
The only thing that lost a star for me was everything outside of that relationship. The worldbuilding was thin at best, with limited explanation while clearly trying to set up a larger world with lots of characters and plot points to explore. The main characters were also archetypal and pretty two dimensional, with the traumatized girl looking for protection and the grumpy leader who is softened by her. The FMC also spent a LOT of time in her head, which became a bit repetitive at times. But it was a good time with some great D/s dynamics!