Review: Sweet Love Story
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 12 25, 2013
This is the first book in the Beauty series and is a very quick read – it’s novella length. This series is very different from Skye Warren’s usual Dark Erotica, such as Wanderlust (click here to read my review of Wanderlust). What I really admire about Skye Warren is that she has range as a writer. Just from the works I have sampled – Wanderlust (dark erotica, dubious consent), Trust in Me (dark erotica, suspense, dubious/non consent) and the Beauty series (erotic romance) – it is clear that each of those works are vastly different and that is impressive in this genre.The Beauty series is a sweet love story. There are some deeper issues that are touched upon as well – a wounded warrior, PTSD, poverty and perseverance. It is not a vapid love story with lots of sex and no plot. You don’t get all those elements in the first story (Beauty Touched the Beast), because it’s broken up into a series, so you get a sample of issues in each installment.In this first installment we meet Erin and Blake. Erin is a college student who cleans Blake’s house in order to meet her living expenses and supplement any costs not covered by her scholarship and student loans. She is beautiful, smart and ambitious. She is also in love with Blake, despite his reclusive ways and the scars from his days on the battlefield, both visible and internal. Blake struggles with his appearance and his nightmares that still haunt him, even in the waking hours due to his PTSD. Together, these issues put a serious damper on his self worth. When Erin and Blake come together they put all their frustration with their lot in life into the passion that is brewing between them. Their chemistry is almost tangible.I enjoyed this quick story, though, for me, I would have wished for more kink. But since this was just the first installment, I’m holding out hope that as the series progresses and Blake heals (I hope) from his trauma that he will assert himself more. Because of that, I gave it three stars (or three burning books, minor details) – I just wanted a little bit more from it, but since there’s more coming, I’m happy to read on! And having read Beneath the Beauty, I have to say it only gets better.