SAPPHIC MOSTER ROMANCE, SAPPHIC MONSTER ROMANCE!!!

This was so cute, the WWE-inspired world worked well as a backdrop for the romance and was written so that people with no real knowledge of that world would still be able to understand it easily. It was just super fun, our main couple had good chemistry and it was an enjoyable quick read! I suspect a little bit of Rhea Ripley's influence in this, which was fun!

I really hope to see more sapphic monster romances because there's not enough!

Thank you to Netgalley and Ylva Publishing for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

I don't typically read a lot of monster romance books and know next to nothing about wrestling, but I still really enjoyed this one! I thought the chemistry between the characters was very cute, and I appreciated that there was no third act breakup scene. I also found the wrestling aspect very fun and easy to get into despite having no previous knowledge, and the commercial breaks were an excellent addition. Overall, a very sweet book perfect for wrestling and romance fans alike, 4.3/5 stars.

Honest ARC Review: Wrestling fans will love this sapphic monster romance featuring enemy wrestlers that might feel more than just hate for each other. Lena and Iris are both professional wrestlers but have very different experiences in the industry. Lena grew up in the scene because of her famous wrestler dad. She is loved and cheered on by her fans and is a champion. Iris has always dreamed of being a wrestler and champion. While shes achieved her goal of being a wrestler she is a villain in the rink and booed by fans. Lena and Iris are set to wrestle in the championship match but they have never liked each other. They are ordered to spend time outside the ring so they can be friendly enough to work together. This monster romance was a nice slow burn that built over time of getting to know each other. I learned about wrestling which is pretty cool and the side characters were very endearing. This was a sweet enemies to lovers romance that had a happy and rewarding ending. Check this book out if you enjoy sapphic love, monster romance, secret relationship, a little exhibitionism, and funny commercial breaks.

Brilliant!

Iris and Lena are through and through rivals in Elite Monster Wrestling. Iris is the biggest villain in that world as her wrestling persona but in reality she is a more sensitive soul, as Lena soon discovers when they are forced to spend time together as orders to get along better come from the powers of the wrestling federation. Feelings develop between them that come with big consequences.

There is definitely something fun and fresh about this story! With monster wrestling, emotional connections, and fun commercials it really had a sense of the showmanship and eccentricness of pro wrestling. There were a whole cast of characters and perspectives but Iris and Lena were the main focus. When they stopped putting up a wall to one another they discovered connection and admiration for one another that led them to a path of happiness with one another but my heart broke for both of them in knowing because their wrestling personas and careers deemed that what was shared couldn’t be public.

It took such strength from them both to want their happiness and relationship more than their careers. They took risks and chances but I admired all of it because it broke the mold and ensured their freedom but also that of their colleagues in wrestling. It was amazing all they went through and how love could change that unfaltered dedication to a system of control, so they could regain their freedom.

This is a great read, lots of fun, and packed with action and emotion to keep you on the edge of your seat!

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

Pinned by Love was delightful to read. It’s very clearly a love letter to wrestling in a queer monster romance form. It’s camp in the best way (seriously, there are cheesy ‘commercial’ breaks for everything from stools to action figures sprinkled throughout the novella that had me grinning with the silliness of them.) As someone who wasn’t into wrestling, the lingo wasn’t too hard to get into and I think the author kept it simple enough to encourage newcomers while giving long time wrestling fans a wink-wink, nudge-nudge I would imagine they would appreciate.

Lena and Iris were a fun couple to read. The tension between the villain and the hero in wrestling is always sweet and it’s played up wonderfully here. Not to mention when the tension finally blows up and Lena and Iris admit their growing feelings for each other - their steamy scenes are incredibly hot.

If you want a campy good time with a nice dash of spice, you are in for some fun with Pinned by Love.

*I received an eARC from NetGalley & Ylva Publishing. All opinions are my own*

The story follows Iris and Lena - two rivals in the Elite Monster Wrestling world. Iris is the cursed villain - a Harpy who’s determined to finally win the championship. Lena is the wrestling worlds sweetheart - a Minotaur who’s dad is a famous wrestler. When they are forced to spend time together, they learn there’s more to their rival than meets the eye. Their chemistry is off the charts, but that’s just part of the act, right?

Let me start by saying this was such a FUN and flirty read. I know nothing about wrestling so I was little nervous on how I would like it, but this author made this such a unique ride! The characters and wrestling terms were easy to follow along with and I never felt confused. PLUS - this book has COMMERCIAL BREAKS! Probably one of my favorite parts of the book because I have never heard of that! Little PSA for my girls who like smut - one thing Elaine knows how to do is write a steamy scene. Oof. 🥵🌶️

Once again she knocked it out of the park. Elaine will forever be an instant buy author for me!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

“Nothing in the realms compares to being in love with Lena. Not even winning gold.”

First, I want to thank Netgalley and Ylva Publishing for allowing me to read this book ahead of release.

This was the first paranormal romance I have ever read and I loved it so much! But not even alternative universes are safe from the horrors of straight men 😔
This novel takes place in an alternative universe, where all kinds of monsters live like humans do in this world. Sometimes humans somehow end up in this alternative universe, and one of the humans started a wrestling entertainment company. The two main characters are both wrestlers, with one of them being a heel and the other being a babyface, so they are basically rivals.

I personally have never watched wrestling before (except for Rhea Ripley edits, if that counts) but the author did a great job of explaining all the terms and describing the matches.
The writing of the story felt really immersive and the emotions the characters felt were portrayed in a way that made the story feel real. The story is written from the main characters’ POV, alternating between Iris and Lena. Because of this, the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters were so obvious (in a good way) that I was screaming at my kindle for them to kiss by 20%.

The romance in this was so good, I was giggling and kicking my feet the entire time. And the spice???? Hot.
The only thing that I would criticise is that the relationship felt a bit rushed. I feel like this could have easily been 50 pages longer.

That is also the reason why this is not a five star read for me. I loved it so much, that I wish there would have been more of it! I think that the character development could have been dragged out a little more. Other than that, this was amazing and I will definitely be rereading this!

I will be posting about this book soon on my Instagram channel.

I know almost nothing about wrestling (and have little desire to watch) and still found this book incredibly captivating and enjoyable. The characters were well developed and their struggles and emotions were easily relatable, as were their respective groups of friends. I’m hoping for more books in this universe! Would definitely recommend to someone looking for an enemies-to-lovers type of read, with the monsters as a plus (and definitely not a reason to shy away from the book for those who are drawn more to realistic fiction).

This is an amazingly enjoyable story. If you are a fan of wrestling and sapphic romance, this is for you. I have been requesting wrestling romance books for ages; it a genre that has been overlooked. But no more! I thoroughly enjoyed narration of the matches, as well as the commercial breaks that added a touch of humor. I will definitely be recommending this and reading the author's other works.

Living up to your kick-butt image as an elite monster wrestler is hard when you (maybe) want to kiss your hated rival. A fun enemies-to-lovers lesbian romantasy.

To the whole world, Athena Rainstorm is the most hated villain in Elite Monster Wrestling. Away from the boos and jeers that slice deep, she’s just Iris, a sensitive harpy who’s only ever wanted one thing: to spread her wings and win an elusive championship title.

Her fiercest rival is Lena, the perfect minotaur who has it all. With her toned, muscular physique and devastating looks, “Helen Stronghorn” wins fights, fans, and adulation with the greatest of ease.

Their hatred for each other in and out of the ring is legend. But when the wrestlers are forced to spend time together prepping for the biggest event of the year, their masks begin to crack. They glimpse each other’s realities: the pressure of perfection crushing Lena and the childhood dream always just out of Iris’s reach.

Will their newfound understanding ruin their infamous rivalry in the ring? Because they still hate each other, right? Or…do they?

As a professional wrestling enthusiast, I welcome any opportunity to read about it. This story seamlessly blends monster romance with professional wrestling and touch of union rights to create an entirely enjoyable experience. It captures the rivals-to-lovers trope without necessitating understanding of the wrestling world—there is a glossary to any terminology. For me it was to imagine which wrestlers served as inspiration for the characters: I ultimately settled on Charlotte Flair and the legendary Chyna. All in all, if you are seeking an escape for an hour or two, this book provides an excellent means to do so.

This was a fun read. There’s an entire genre of people who need to have this haha. I don’t know too much about the wrestling industry but from what I’ve seen this is pretty spot on.

Everything about Iris and Lena is so damn hot. Especially when you picture them in your head as Rhea Ripley Megan the stallion (I know she’s not a wrestler but she dresses like one, okay?!)

Thank you netgally for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I looooved this book! A sapphic rivals to lovers in the wrestling scene. I don’t know much about wrestling but the book explained perfectly how everything worked so I understood everything. Iris and Lena started off hating each other but were forced together because they needed to work with each other. They slowly realized they actually liked each other and had good and honest conversations.

I loved iris and Lena as a couple and the spicy scenes were really good! I appreciated that the author put exactly where the spicy scenes were in the beginning of the book. Also really liked the explaining of the wrestling terms and the character appendix.

All in all I would really recommend this book if you’re looking for a sapphic monster romance!

Elaine ATE and left no crumbs.

First of all, the enemies to lovers dynamic was so good! So many EtL is watered down now, but this felt really real! I loved watching them work through their feelings for each other. The side characters, oh my gosh, so good; we love good secondary characters. I want to be friends with all of them. I adored the moment when Lena and her father finally talked to each other. Oh and the painting party that Iris planned melted my heart. Also, I love how accessible you made the sport for someone who knows nothing about wrestling. It was magical. 🥹

*im horrible at coherent reviews, so here are my initial thoughts word vomited for you all*

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for being given an e-arc in exhange for my honest review of this book.

I am a huge fan of monster romance but i know nothing about wrestling so going into this I was a little nervous as I’m also not the biggest fan of sports romances.
The explanation and trigger warnings at the beginning of the book was very helpful, I’m not the best at remembering names or species so it was helpful I was able to look back at.

Full of enemies-to-lovers, angst and want the best part had to be the commerical breaks they were brilliant.

Praise to the author it was well written and the characters and most importantly their relationship was well developed and didn’t feel rushed for the story to end in time.
I’ll defiantly be interested in more from this author or this world.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advance copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book is a perfect crossover of my niche interests in monster romance, Sapphics, and pro wrestling. Lena and Iris are fantasic and have wonderful as both lovers and opponents. I wish the back half of the book was more developed in their relationship and the dynamics of the other wrestlers.
Truly my only complaint is I think the book should have been a bit longer to build and develop the relationships.

Unique debut romance with monsters who wrestle and commercial breaks! (3.5 stars)
High praise to author Elaine J Daniels for the unconventional elements of this book: different kinds of 'monsters' who wrestle in a professional league, chapters that are commercial breaks from the action and drama, characters with multiple names and nicknames they go by, and at least one bold place for the mains to get it on, to name a few.
There is a content warning at the beginning of the book letting readers know which chapters contain steamy/explicit scenes in case they want to skip them; I read the entire book and suggest you don't skip anything unless that kind of content is an issue for you. A character appendix is also included but it only covers the names, species and roles the wrestlers play in and out of matches; those characters each have multiple names (given first and last names, a stage name, and a nickname in the ring) so mark that page to refer back to when you need it. I had to use it a few times while reading since the names used depend on where the character is and who's interacting with or referring to them in the story. There are a couple of human characters but the bulk of the cast are monsters of differing types. The story is set in the monster realm and information about the human realm is limited and not always accurate; the monster realm also lacks mobile phones so there's no texting between characters.
Chapters are told primarily from the POV's of main characters Iris and Lena, and are tagged accordingly; other chapters are either from the POV of a match commentator or are commercial breaks, the latter of which are reminiscent in places of classic North American TV ads from long ago and a great source of comic relief. There is humor elsewhere in the book along with a bit of angst and drama to break up the action in the match ring. I frequently forgot the characters were monsters until there's a mention of a tail, wings, or horns; ironically the monsters here are more 'human' (in the best sense of the word) than the actual human characters. There is a bit of terminology relating to wrestling moves that comes up but nothing too deep in the weeds so if you know nothing about wrestling it's easy to look up the words online for clarification or just gloss over them.
I read thru the book fairly quickly. It's an easy read with predictable moments in the plot and different kinds of grand gestures to provide feel good moments for the reader and story characters alike. I did question why some characters didn't get more time on the page (Lucy the Cerberus for one) and if some minor details relating to other secondary characters were brought up and then seemingly forgotten in order to wrap up the story in a particular way. The mains and their friends were presumably in their thirties yet their behavior often read as more juvenile so this may be a more appealing read for adults in the younger end of the age scale although older adults may enjoy the commercial breaks for the echoes of nostalgia; also the audience chants for one of the wrestlers were weird and a bit creepy to my ears. For a debut novel it shows promise given the creativity and imagination of the author displayed on the page so I'd be interested to see and read her future stories to see where it takes readers and to also note the growth and development in the writing.

This an amazingly fun story. If you are a fan wrestling and sapphic romance, this is for you..
I really enjoyed the narration of the matches too, as well as the commercial breaks for a bit of hilarity.
Will absolutely be reccomwnding this and reading the authors other works.

I love romantasy! Especially monster romantasy.
In this case, it challenged my imagination by imagining how a Harpy could love a Minotaur while reading this book.
I loved it!
It's definitely a fun enemies-to-lovers lesbian romance.
Full of prejudice, false impressions and misunderstandings at the beginning and then a tentative approach that turns into a hot and sizzling inferno!
These two feuding EMW wrestlers can't be in the same room without being hostile towards each other and now have to train together to put on a mega show.
Not only that, they are forced to spend time together in private to get their refinement out of the way and at least be civilized with each other.
Who could have guessed what they really think of each other and how they feel.
Of course, a lot of it revolves around wrestling, but in my opinion it is not overarching and the story is concentrated on Iris and Lena.
The explanation at the beginning of the book was very helpful. I'm not a wrestling expert, but I liked it now and then. I would have liked to watch these two ;)
Thanks so much to the Author and Ylva Publishing for this ARC! This is my honest opinion and review.