Bonded by Thorns by Elizabeth Helen

This series is a fantasy retelling of beauty and the beast with a twist. Although the main influence is beauty and the beast, we see touches of many other fairytales as well as The Wizard of Oz and even The Lord of the Rings.

The main story is fun but slightly predictable in book one due to the nature of retellings. However, the characters and their struggles throughout the series are the selling point.

This is a spicy reverse harem / why-choose, featuring MM romance, FM romance, and group romance throughout the series.

A few things I didn't like;

Please remember, these reviews are a reflection of my tastes as a reader, not the author or their work.

Although I liked the story, the writing style was a miss for me. It often felt heavy-handed and leaned toward telling instead of showing. My frustration with this eased by 20% through book one. Whether from Stockholm Syndrome or a shift in the writing, I couldn't tell you.

The naming conventions for the MMCs was also a bit of a miss. Though I'm a fan of unique names, some strayed a bit too far into the ridiculous category for my taste.

Overall, I am now in love with this series and definitely hooked on the story and characters.