Savage Blooms by S.T. Gibson

TL;DR: More smut than plot, it definitely leaves you wanting more.
Source: NetGalley – Thank you to the publisher!!

Plot: We get about 40% plot, with a dark crumbling Scottish estate and 60% smut.
Characters: They were stood on their own, but it’s hard to tell if that’s due to a lack of other characters or strength in the ones we had.
Setting: Considering the story was about the estate and land this was the weakest part overall for me.
Fantasy: Very light with only the touch of Fae magic and mystery.

Summary:

Adam has been in love with his best friend Nicola since college, but the closest he can come to admitting his feelings is inviting her to travel with him to Scotland in search of a legendary cave from his grandfather’s bedtime stories. When a storm washes out the road, Adam and Nicola find themselves at the mercy of Eileen, an eccentric aristocrat, and Finley, her brooding groundskeeper. The Americans quickly get more than they bargained for as they become entangled in Eileen and Finley’s world of mind games, kink, and ancient enchantment.

Thoughts:

I heard S.T. Gibson and Fae and picked this up so fast it made my own head spin. Which could possibly be why I was a bit disappointed here. We have Adam and Nicola seeking more about Adam’s family history in Scotland. They meet Finley and Eileen who have some information that could help them but then we then watch them meet in a very biblical sense a lot… with a little bit of some threats of the Fae.

The best comparison I can give this is Katee Robert. If you like the amount of smut/plot ratio that a Katee Robert book has this is going to be right in your sweet spot. There is a 60/40 split here. This is not a bad thing if that’s what you’re looking for, I absolutely understand that’s something folks love. Yet for me I was hoping for more. I’ve been chasing the high of A Dowry of Blood from this author since it’s release and while I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read (including this), we just keep getting farther and farther from it.

The actual plot here moves very, very little. We learn quickly that there is a Scottish estate that’s crumbling with the Fae waiting to jump in as soon as it does and Adam can save it. We don’t know how till the last 10% and then we are left with a great big cliffhanger. Until that point there is a lot of dancing around topics, lots of sex, and a lot of angst. This leaves me very curious as to how the second book is going to go. The cliffhanger is an intense one and it could make for a plot heavy follow up, yet we could also see a book of primarily smut. I’ll definitely read it, but I’m don’t have any expectations.

Go in knowing you’re getting a lot of smut and a smattering of plot and I think you’ll have a good time.