CONTENT WARNING: this review discusses sexual assault at length. Don't read this one if that makes you uncomfortable.

Title: Wicked Love

Author: WackyMinx

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Quick Summary: Something something rape.

Thoughts:

I got to chapter six before I dropped this book in a deep-seated rage. At first, I was just kinda bored. Then, I was angry.

The story itself starts off with a beginning that really... does not set itself apart from other fantasy novels, so nothing immediately compelled me to read more. Someone is dying and MC needs a magic item to stop it. Other people have failed to get it. MC will get it. There are less-used reasons for this - it's not a parent dying but the spouse of the parent, whom MC loathes. But still, I've seen this sort of plot before and nothing really new was offered here.

And then, chapter two.

I caught on quickly that this is supposed to be erotica. And that's fine. I read my fair share of erotica. I write my fair share as well. But really, writing quality in erotica matters less than getting people off. People tend to care less about the quality of their porn. Thus, asking for my opinion of it was already strange enough.

But here's the thing. This isn't good erotica. This is creepy and downright rapey. But it takes a couple of chapters to get that way.

To be honest, this sexual tension bored me. It's too convenient and convoluted and contrived. And whatever, it's erotica. Not my type, though. It's rife with porn tropes I dislike, such as the creepy wanna-be Dom and "wetness soaking through clothes". I saw this one a few times. If you're wet enough you dampen your clothes, you aren't horny. You peed yourself.

But I wanted to give this book more of a fair chance, so I kept reading.

There are some thing we absolutely never condone in real life but will allow in sexual scenarios because you have outlined rules before you actually do anything. But this is contingent on establishing pre-existing consent. Without this pre-existing consent, it's just disturbing and potentially assault.

Perhaps I should count myself thankful that the elf recognized his thinking was rapey and attempted not to pursue it. At least he had some semblance of awareness. But honestly? The fact he acts like he can barely control himself isn't sexy. It's fucking gross. And he's already violated her by kissing her while she's asleep. If they'd established rules first, it would be a different story. But they didn't. He's touching her without consent. It's hard to read erotica if one party is a disgusting almost-rapist.

Rape porn is one thing. Romanticing an actual sexual assaulter is a whole other thing. Don't give me that shit. It's downright disrespectful.

The fact people found this book sexy disturbs me. It's toxic while it tries to pretend it isn't. "Hey, he thought about how he could rape her and realized it was a bad idea" get the fuck out of here with that.

Give me less hypermasculine, rapist douchebags in erotica, please.