Tag Archives: Gemma Cates

A Touch of Wild by Gemma Cates

Book Review, , , ,
Overview

Title: A Touch of Wild
Author: Gemma Cates
Series: Van Helsing Sisters Adventures #1
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Monsters, Paranormal romance
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Novella
Year: 2021

Thoughts

For some reason, I was expecting this to be a much longer story. This was incredibly short, sharp and shiny. Which was kind of surprising. Honestly, I really wanted this story to be far more fleshed out. There was so much room for character development, it happened a little bit too quickly to really get into it!

I did love that Mariah Van Helsing is forced to face her prejudices and assumptions. I mean, to be a monster hunter, you kind of have to assume that the those she hunts are monsters… I love that she then finds herself smitten with a werewolf. Plus, he’s kind of sweet and gives her just the right amount of space.

Honestly, like this review, this tale was a little bit too short and sweet for my liking. I seriously enjoyed the story though and look forward to reading more tales of the Van Helsing Sisters!

<- More Gemma CatesA Touch of Crazy ->

Image source: Amazon

Dating for Monster Hunters by Gemma Cates

Book Review, , , ,
Overview

Title: Dating for Monster Hunters
Author: Gemma Cates
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Monsters, Paranormal fantasy, Paranormal romance, Urban fantasy
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2023

Thoughts

This is one of those books that I downloaded because it’s on Kobo Plus, and someone in a Facebook group suggested it. Thus, I had absolutely no idea what to expect, and started reading this with absolutely no expectations. And you know what? I kind of loved it. It was funny, quirky and a little off kilter. Plus, it’s adjacently related to a series by Cates that I’m looking forward to diving into… much like the very many, many, many books that are sitting in my TBR.

As someone who has never had to date (I met my SO young and we never actually dated), I have a bit of a fascination with the whole idea and practice of dating. Which meant that, reading about this monster hunter who is just trying to go on a few dates was particularly intriguing. I liked imagining anything and everything that could go wrong (because that was kind of the theme her if I’m being honest). Alright, everything that went wrong here was actually of a paranormal nature, but I can see how some of this would translate to real life situations and difficulties of dating.

From fairly on in the story, it was pretty obvious that Griffin was going to be the male love interest / perfect match up. And the fact that he feels it to, and accidentally sends her on disaster after disaster? Kind of hilarious. Yet, even with being able to predict just who the ultimate love interest is going to be, it was fun reading about how the couple ultimately got there. Plus, there’s a whole heap of interaction with the boss, and the mother… both of whom are also brilliant.

Even though this is a standalone novel, Dating for Monster Hunters does open up a whole new urban fantasy world to explore. I like that it’s got a Van Helsing / monster hunter spin. And that there are all sorts of monsters just introduced within this story – ones that you’ve heard of, some that you haven’t.

<- More Gemma CatesMore urban fantasy ->

Image source: Goodreads