Author: K. Loraine & Meg Anne

Series: The Mate Games: Death

First Published: 15 January 2024

“She was my mate. And I … I was her monster.”   

I will start by saying that I was given an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank so much Meg and Kim for sending a copy my way!

One heroic act damned me for eternity.

With a name like Tor, I should have been a hero, just like my father and twin. Turns out I’m not. Not even close.

Instead I’m the very thing we hunted. A depraved monster.

I thought there was no escaping the curse. No hope for a future.

And then I met my mate in the unlikeliest of places: Blackwood Asylum. A place for criminals. Power hungry madmen. Supernatural outcasts. And her, the curvaceous writer who sees ghosts.

I’m not the only one with a need to claim her though and I don’t know which of us she’ll choose.

The dragon
The pirate
The lost soul
or me… the beast.

Dahlia was my reason for holding on to the last shreds of my humanity, but with every passing day I lose more of myself. And I’m starting to think that’s for the best.

With threats closing in from all sides and a serial killer on the loose, maybe fate brought us together because she doesn’t need a hero.

Maybe what my beauty really needs is a villain.

The Mate Games Universe has become an obsession of mine in 2023, and I am thrilled to say that Haunting Beauty is the perfect addition to this world. That ending has just about killed me. Oh my god, I have no idea how Dahlia and Tor are going to escape. Just from this instalment, I have a sneaking feeling that this series will be my favourite. I just adore the setting and the fairytale vibes.

Dahlia is a paranormal romance author. Dahlia has a breakdown at her movie premier and is sent to Blackwood, a wellness retreat in the Scottish Highlands. She assumes it is just the stress and burnout of constant deadlines that are causing her to see ghosts. Once there, she quickly realises that maybe Blackwood is not a wellness treat but rather an asylum for the supernatural world’s most dangerous and insane. And maybe she actually can see ghosts. On the plus side, Dahlia has landed herself in a therapy group with a dragon, a pirate, a beast and a lost soul who has the cutest dog. Dahlia has to come to terms with her supernatural world really quickly, along with her budding attraction to the members of her therapy group.

I adored Dahlia! She survived the clutches of a dangerous cult and has made her career selling romance novels. Interestingly enough, while Dahlia is a romance author, she is a virgin heroine, but she is definitely not shy at all about sex, which is a refreshing take on this trope. We don’t know what type of supernatural creature Dahlia is, but I have a feeling she might be Fae. I adore the friendship she has with her agent. You can tell they have been friends for ages. I just love their dynamic.

The main hero of this book is Tor, who is Alec’s brother from the first Mate Games series. Tor has a curse placed on him, which brings out his berserker. It becomes harder for him to turn back each time he gives into his beastly side. Tor is actually the sweetest, despite his beastly side. He instantly knows Dahlia is his mate and does whatever he can to care for her – that period caretaking scene was pure perfection. I was obsessed. 

The other guys who I am assuming Dahlia will end up with are Caspian –our charming pirate who is giving all the Captain Hook vibes –, Kai – our broody Scottish dragon shifter who has a habit of pinching Dahlia’s panties to add to his horde – and Cain – who we do not know much about since he has lost his memories but has the cutest little dog familiar. I am looking forward to learning more about these guys in the next books.

I love how Blackwood Asylum and these characters expand the world we have already been introduced to. Both Caspian and Kai have ties to the Fae world, which we have not heard much about in this series. I am excited to see the authors’ take on it. The addition of the Fae is giving this series some fairy tale vibes, which I am all about.

I listened to Haunting Beauty on audiobook and, like I have come to expect from this series, the production is incredible. Each character has their own voice actor who has done a phenomenal job of giving life to this crazy cast. I love the additional touches they added in the production, such as distorting the audio for the sections that are transcripts of therapy sessions. All this adds so much to the reading experience. I cannot wait to re-listen this book before diving into the sequel, Hunted Beast.

K. Loraine and Meg Anne write my perfect brand of paranormal romance. We have all the drama and high stakes of the paranormal plot with the steamiest spice you will ever read. They have perfected the balance of getting to know all the characters, the steam and the plot. Honestly, I will read whatever they write. If you have not picked up this series, I highly recommend it!