Cheryl's Book Nook

  Folds is a monstrously steamy multi-author anthology celebrating every curve, crease, and ripple. Aliens, death, hive minds, mermaids, nagas, tiny fairies, and wolf women, these creatures prove the best secrets—and pleasures—are tucked just out of sight. Cringe has never been so irresistible. Featuring short stories ASH RAVEN B.P. GILMORE EMILIA ABRAHAM JENIFER WOOD JILLIAN GRAVES LYONNE RILEY PETRA PALERNO It's Not the Size that Counts Trisha’s having a quiet night in, doing some self-care, when a fairy crashes through her window. Selvanar is the king of his hive, but after a run-in with an owl, his wing is injured and he can no longer return home. Trisha offers to let him stay in her dollhouse, but fairies are allergic to everything human, from electricity to food. Despite the trials of the human world, though, Selvanar finds himself drawn to Trisha. There’s something special about her. He wants a taste for himself—and he won’t let his size stop him from fulfilling all her need...

  An omega imprisoned for what she is. A kind man who rescues her, never suspecting the truth. Selene was kept in a locked, dark room for years, hidden by her father to keep her safe from dangerous alphas. Until the day she’s forced to find a way out, leaving her life of captivity behind. When Harry finds a woman running through the woods, lost and confused, he takes her home to nurse her back to health. Little does he know he’s found a rare, prized omega—one who will desperately need his help when she goes into heat. But there's nothing Harry can do to sate her needs, as much as he wishes he could. He's just a beta. Or is he? This is a soft, cozy omegaverse novella about a shy woman with a dark past and the big, cinnamon roll man who wants to help her return to a normal life. It's a quick and steamy read in a gaslamp fantasy setting, with a sprinkle of thrill and a well-earned happily ever after. My Review This is a sweet and steamy read. I like how kind Harold is with Sel...

  A delicious and steamy twist on a classic tale, where the monster stays a monster. Peony Austin has just left her emotionally abusive ex-boyfriend, seeking a new life for herself. But it’s hard to achieve independence when all she has is ten dollars to her name. Sleeping in her car, Peony takes a job as a housekeeper for the reclusive billionaire, Mr. Edgewood. Rupert Edgewood has good reasons for hiding. In exchange for his fortune, he lives as a monster, destined to never find true happiness. After driving away everyone with his temper and discerning taste for food, the winds of change come when Peony arrives and cooks him meals straight out of a fine dining restaurant. As Rupert starts to fall for his new housekeeper, they still have never met. Will Rupert at last reveal himself despite his curse? This is a full-length monster romance novel about a grumpy monster and the sunshine human who changes his whole world. It's sweet and cozy with a sprinkle of thrill. You can expect a...

  What's a girl to do when she's looking for true love but can't seem to find it on Earth? She applies for an alien husband, of course! But when Fiona receives two for the price of one, both of them decide she's their fated mate. Saddled with this "clerical error," the soft-spoken Fiona has to help her territorial alien husbands get along when all they want is to tear each other apart. Shathar left his grocery business behind to find a new life on Earth—and a bride he could love and call his own. But now he must compete for the title of Fiona's husband when all he wants is peace and happiness. Khesan came from a wealthy family and a strict military life. Knowing he's found his forever in Fiona, he’ll use all his drive and determination to show he’s better than Shathar and earn her love. But only one of them can stay, and it will be up to Fiona to decide who. How can she choose when sparks start to fly between all three of them? My Review Fiona sure got...

  He'll look, but won't cross the line—until he discovers his lovely assistant's sexy secret. Rosette Kristoff is impeccable at her job, but there’s just one she has a massive crush on her orc boss, Mr. Vincent Roth. Though he appreciates what she has on offer, he never touches, much to her indignation. That is, until Vincent discovers Rosette’s after-hours job working at a gentlemen’s sex club as “Velvet.” Then all his pent-up hunger for his beautiful assistant erupts, and he finally crosses the line. But a relationship between them is a recipe for Human Resources disaster, and Vincent knows it can’t be more than a tryst at a club. And the last thing he needs is to form a mate bond. Once he gets a taste of Velvet, though, can Vincent really stay away from Rosette? This is a short and steamy monster romance novella about a very unconventional relationship between an orc boss and his assistant. Please read the list of content warnings in the sample. My Review When you think ...

  This holiday season, the truth will finally come out. Valentina has always had a complicated relationship with Banon, the son of the minotaur woman her father married. He’s drop dead gorgeous, full of himself, and football runs in his blood. Even though he was instrumental in the misery and bullying that were her high school years, Val has always held a torch for him. Now in college, she thinks she’s finally moved on from her childhood crush. Though he tries to hide it, Banon has hungered after Valentina for too long. She’s consumed his every thought for years, even as he put distance between them. When the dam breaks over the holidays and the truth emerges, will Banon and Valentina’s burning cravings finally erupt into a fire? This is a short, steamy holiday-themed monster romance novella about one nerdy goth girl and a football-playing minotaur. Secrets will be spilled and even more secrets kept, leading to an adorable HEA. My Review I am a sucker for a minotaur romance. Despit...

  It’s Emelia’s twenty-sixth birthday, and she’s invited everyone to celebrate her new promotion at work. But when her boyfriend Jason doesn’t even show up, she discovers he’s cheating on her. Devastated, Emelia’s friends decide to give her a night out on the town—which includes Jason’s dad, Roscoe. Roscoe might be in his late forties, but he can have a few beers and dance with the best of them. Now, he has to make up for what a jackass Jason has been to his sweet girlfriend. After drying Emelia’s tears, the two find themselves drawn to each other. When they both agree to it being “just one night,” neither will anticipate just how deep that one night can go. But Roscoe has a secret—he’s a werewolf, and it led to his last divorce. How can he possibly be what Emelia needs? This is a short and steamy monster romance novella about a very unconventional relationship, with shifted sex and a large age gap. Please read the list of content warnings in the sample. My Review Emelia's life cha...

  What’s a girl to do when her cat dies and a plague wipes out most of the male population? Why, she marries an alien, of course! Amara is a party girl with a boring day job, on the search for meaning in her life. When she applies to the Galactic Matching Program looking for an alien husband of her own, she’s paired with Roth’kar, a four-armed Karthinian with adorable antennae. Four arms may present problems when it comes to buying new clothes, but Amara’s excited to find out what else her new husband can do with them. Roth’kar was raised in poverty on a ship in deep space, scrounging for enough to live. His plan to escape? The Matching Program, where all he has to do is please a human bride for thirty days to earn full residency on Earth, and then he’ll be free to do as he pleases. Though the planet is overrun with strange, dangerous animals—spiders, disgusting!—Roth’kar is thrilled to finally feel the sun on his face. But he didn’t expect his new wife to be sweet and thoughtful, ...

  Maddie is one of only one hundred humans remaining, living behind the high walls of the New Eden preserve in order to protect her from the monsters that rule the world. Though Maddie longs for love, all her attempts at trial marriages have failed—leaving her wondering if she's lovable enough to find her happily ever after. Egorr the ogre wants a companion in life. When he applies for Maddie through the Human Companion program, they hit it off right away. Egorr is a gentle giant who adores Maddie's good humor, and soon, they agree to a trial marriage. But Egorr is big in more ways than one. When their first attempt at intimacy doesn't go as planned, the two must figure out how to navigate love, sex, and marriage together. Can Maddie truly open her heart when she's afraid of being hurt again? This is a super steamy, low-angst, cozy monster romance (46k words) that features a plus-sized ogre MMC, a bubbly FMC, significant size difference, unintentional sexual injury, and...

  After making a big mistake at work, Maisie is told to take a mandatory vacation and get her head on straight. But when she chooses Hallow’s Cove as her retreat destination, she doesn’t realize it’s a town inhabited almost purely by monsters—including her grumpy new landlord, Barnaby. It’s no secret that Barnaby the bookstore owner is a vampire, but he’s long since tamed his urge to drink human blood. That is, until Maisie arrives in Hallow’s Cove. Her blood smells utterly wonderful, and Barnaby finds himself drawn to her scent just as much as he is to her genuine, curious personality. But Barnaby fears his attraction, too, because he carries a inside every vampire is a monster, one that’s never been seen or written about. The closer he gets to Maisie, the higher the risk that it could escape containment. When sparks fly between them, will the hidden creature emerge and ruin his chance at love? My Review I really enjoyed this newest book from Lyonne. I like that it was a slow burn...

  After the death of his parents at the hands of human villagers, young Cragnorr the ogre was orphaned. Mia, only a child herself, rescued him from certain death, and has kept him a secret since. Now the silent, gentle Cragnorr has made it his mission to protect Mia, at any cost. But when Cragnorr's presence is discovered by Mia's village, they're forced to run. While the two friends must try to survive in the wilderness, their bond evolves into something else... until they accidentally wander into bandit territory. Under orders from the bandit king, Cragnorr must fight in the gladiator pit for entertainment while Mia is forced to watch. Can they escape this terrible place, or will the peaceful giant become the vicious monster he is inside to save Mia? My Review OMG. I loved this story of Mia and Cragnorr so much. If you love monster romances, you are going to want to read this book. My heart ached for them both. They had to fight for their love bit it was so worth it.  ...

  Six months ago, Simka’s sister was stolen by wild orcs. When the neutral city of Morgenzan refuses to help, Simka goes on a rescue mission—but she can’t find the orc camp alone. Corporal Jar’kel, a grouchy old troll with a broken tusk, has been sent to the frigid Blue Crags to help defend a valuable mine against the wild orcs. When he catches Simka vandalizing the mine, he makes her a deal: if she helps him find the wild orcs, he’ll help save her sister, and he can at last return home. While Jar’kel and Simka work together to locate the camp, Jar’kel denies his growing attraction to the younger human woman. But to succeed in their mission, they must pretend to be a mated pair. Can they keep up the ruse when it feels much too real? My Review Every book I have read so far by Lyonne has been an instant hit with me. The books are fast reads, but this is mainly due to the factor that Lyonne writes her characters with such passion and emotions as if they were characters you have known ...

  Lela Talbot works on a long haul ore freighter, traveling between the Cloud and Earth. When someone aboard the ship tampers with the engines, Lela is called in to help—along with D-084, the cool, collected, kind android that Lela has been crushing on for weeks. While saving the day, it becomes clear that D returns Lela’s interest. But as things heat up between them, Lela fears exposing her feelings to an android who can’t possibly return them. When their saboteur returns, jeopardizing their trip home, D and Lela will have to work together to solve the mystery. Can she keep it casual, or will she give in to her love for an android who can’t love her back? My Review All I could picture is Data from Star Trek when it came to D. As a Trekkie, this is not a bad thing. So, it was easy to engage in this story and see it play out like a mini move in my head. I like the relationship that Lela and D formed together.  Yes, Lela may have come off a bit obsessed at first about D. Yet, wh...

  Esme will not be used again, certainly not as fodder in a war that has nothing to do with her. When she makes a mad dash from the field of battle, she becomes a deserter, with nowhere to go except deeper into trollkin territory. Drazak the orc and Han’zir the troll have lived a quiet, peaceful life together on their farm—until they find a human woman sleeping in their barn. When Esme convinces them to let her stay in exchange for work, Han’zir is excited about their new “pet” human. But Drazak is inexplicably drawn to her, and fears what his hunger could mean for them when Han’zir has already refused his life pledge once before. It isn't long before Esme begins to feel at home in this idyllic place. But she’ll soon find she can’t escape the war forever. This is a super steamy, M/M/F monster romance (45k words) that incorporates characters from previous novels but can be read as a standalone, and takes place during the events of Book 1 and Book 2. It features two MMCs in a relatio...