Courted By The Grumpy Dragon: A Cozy Monster Romance by Mary Auclair review

 

Courted By The Grumpy Dragon: A Cozy Monster Romance by Mary Auclair
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 stars
🌶️🌶️ spice

This is Book Two in the Monsters of Saltford Bay series. While I have read the first book and totally loved it 😍, I was hot on the heels of wanting to read Book Two. But don’t worry—you don’t need to have read Book One to know what’s going on here. That said... you are missing out if you skip it. Book One is so good! Now, onto my review

Thank you to the author and BookSirens for providing me with an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own and given honestly

The author writes in such a way that reading is super smooth and easy. Once I start reading, I don’t want to pause or take a break. I feel this deep need to just sit down and devour the book—it’s so easy to get lost in and wrapped up in the story.

I was devastated to see that this book was shorter than Book One 😭. Like, why do this to me?! The book could’ve been double the size and I’d have been over the moon. But that being said, I was shocked by how well-paced it was. It didn’t feel rushed, and the events were spaced out well, even with the smaller page count. I was honestly impressed! Still... I’m begging the author: more pages next time. I need them. I need them. Sobs dramatically. 🥹

The story is just amazing. It’s part fantasy, but wrapped in events that could happen in real life, which makes it all the more relatable. Yet, it still completely feeds your fantasy needs. I loved the entire storyline. And ugh... I wanted to slap Delilah. Her character made me so mad! But that just shows how well the story is written—it made me rage outside of the pages. I truly felt for the characters.

I wanted to wrap Nina in a big hug and tell her it’s going to be okay. I loved the details about the library and what it meant to her. When I was younger, I wanted to work in a library too—and I was so sad when that didn’t happen. So now? I’ve basically made my house a library. I totally related to her. She’s both strong and soft—just a fantastic lead.

And Kraxon... whew 😮‍💨. He had me reaching for ice water and blushing. Butterflies? Oh yes. I loved getting dual POVs. The author writes male characters SO WELL—they make you swoon and giggle and blush. It’s everything.

Now, for the spice:
Since the book is shorter, there’s really just one long spicy scene—but it’s so well done. I felt the secondhand heat. It made me blush, but didn’t overwhelm the book or take away from the story. The attraction and connection are felt, and the story carries you like you’ve grown wings . My only complaint is that the book was so short—but honestly, I can’t hold that against it. It was so well done that it still totally earned 5 stars.

Would I recommend it?
YES YES YES!!! Go get it! Join me in my happy little corner of joy.

Would I read it again?
Totally! I’d reread both books in less than 24 hours. No hesitation.

How would I sum it up?
A book full of feels from start to end. A story of community, love, support, and healing. Like a quick, warm hug with a little heat sprinkled in 💕🔥. A perfect mix of fantasy and relatable moments that’ll keep you hooked!

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