Wow. Where to even start with this one? I saw this novel suggested in a book lovers group I am a member of, with mixed reviews from those who had read it. I sent it to CY as a joke at first, however the general consensus seemed that it was worth a read, so I decided to give it a shot. I’m not sure what I was expecting when I chose a book called Morning Glory Milking Farm, but I wasn't quite prepared for what lay inside.
What it is about:
The book follows the story of Violet who gets a job at a minotaur milking farm, and yes that does mean what you think it means! Whilst she massages these minotaurs to collect their sperm, she falls in love with Rourke after admiring his particularly impressive girth. What then ensues is your average steamy romance, with the addition of hooves, an extra wide tongue and impossibly large genitalia.
What I liked:
I have to say, from the very first pages the author managed to make me giggle with her descriptions and witty narrating. It was the first time reading a monster bait romance for both of us, and it was better than I expected. The author did a great job of blending fantasy into the everyday world, with some interesting descriptions of the town in which the non-humans lived and a look into what their lives would be like. The reader could become immersed in the world and forget that this wasn’t true to life. So kudos for her world building and use of humour.
The novel manages to delve into issues surrounding the discrimination and commodification of the non-humans that gives it added depth whilst at the same time maintaining a light-hearted tone. I also appreciated the way in which the author crafted the sex scenes between Violet and Rourke. Whilst some of them were a bit much, for the most part they were well-executed to give the reader a sense of Violet's anticipation and the intricacies of sex with a minotaur as opposed to a human.
What I didn't like:
I really struggled to get past the fact that the love interest was a minotaur. From the description of his horns, his bull-like nose and the fact he has hooves, I just couldn’t see him in a romantic way. It seemed quite strange and almost perverse to me. I know, I know, the genre is monster bait so maybe this is more of a me-problem than an issue with the book itself. I have to admit that the descriptions of his cough "member" (Spoiler alert: it’s big!) were rather intriguing, although they were sometimes a bit ridiculous (I mean, does it really need to be called a "fat bull c*ck). There were also some quite weird sexual interactions that were supposed to be sexy, but to me just made me cringe. Again, maybe just not my cup of tea, but I couldn’t get on board with all the daddy talk, like "I'll take care of this pretty little p*ssy anytime you want, Sweetheart".
In addition to that, the storyline in my opinion wasn’t overly interesting. It started off well, making me invested in the journey of the main character, but I felt that the story failed to progress. Around mid-way through I began to become bored of Violet’s lamentations about her minotaur love interest, and her fantasies seemed like those of an adolescent, albeit they were far raunchier. Once the spark had ignited between Violet and Rourke, the story became quite bland and lacked any real conflict or development. The ending was also quite anticlimactic, and I felt the author missed a chance to explore the difficulty a human and non-human would have dating in greater depth. For instance, it was hinted at that the Violet's family would potentially not accept the match, but this conflict was never actually played out in the story which was disappointing.
Rating:
Kay - I give this one a 2.5/5. I’m glad that we dipped our toes into this genre, but this one fell a little flat for me. It was an amusing read and contains some pretty steamy scenes, and I’d recommend it for that reason alone.
CY - Despite the lack of plot and the sometimes ridiculous choice of words to describe genitalia, it was a funny read. Not a book I would recommend, though. 2/5.
If you do read it, please let us know your thoughts!
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