Reading After Dark: A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor [Tempting Monsters Series #1]
*Disclaimer: Welcome to Reading After Dark, a series just for reads that are best enjoyed after dark. Books, ebooks, webcomics, and other reads featured in this series are NSFW (Not Safe For Work), contain adult content and explicit themes, and are not meant for those under the age of eighteen. All reviews are intended for mature readers only. All opinions are my own.
- Title: A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor
- Author: Kathryn Moon
- Published: March 23, 2021
- Genre(s): Reverse Harem, Polyamorous, Paranormal/Historical Romance, Erotica
- Read It: Amazon // Kindle Unlimited
- Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
On the brink of losing her position as a maid and with no prospects to go on, the offer of a place at Rooksgrave Manor—a house of ill and unusual repute—sounds like a perfect fit for a young woman with Esther’s inclinations. Even better, the invitation comes by the hand of the handsome Dr. Underwood, a delicate gentleman with a ferocious alter ego who knows exactly what he wants from Esther. Upon arrival, the men and the daily decadence of the manor feel too good to be true for a girl of Esther’s station. There are rules to be followed, expectations to meet, and Esther is afraid she might be too wicked even for a place like Rooksgrave.Temptations lurk around every shadowy corner and Esther has never been a girl able to resist. But the risk of disappointing her new gentlemen isn’t all that’s threatening Esther’s new position. Rooksgrave Manor’s protections for its unusual patrons are failing, the wards are crumbling, and Esther’s new and exquisitely pleasurable life may all come tumbling down. Good Reads
*This post contains affiliate & brand rep links; actions you take from the hyperlinks within this blog post may yield commissions for ageekygal.com which never add to your cost if you choose to make a purchase, but make it possible for me to maintain this site. ♥
A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor contains graphic sex, attempted drowning, threat of rape (by villain), attempted strangling, possession, arson, blood drinking, slut-shaming, gender essentialist language, and ableist language. Special thanks to Good Reads’ reviewers for helping me put these warnings together!
Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, a vampire, a sphinx, a golem, and an invisible man walk into a Victorian brothel… That’s it. No, I’m kidding! Well, not about the first bit. Our story opens with Esther, a maid of a fairly wealthy family, whose interests are anything but vanilla. Esther is offered a position at Rooksgrave Manor, a high class brothel with a monstrous clientele. Perfect for someone like Esther who is way more curious about what’s in someone’s pants than judgement of their appearance. Really, she’s the ideal girl for sex work catered to monsters.
I decided to pick up A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor after seeing someone on TikTok recommend it as a spicy monster reverse harem. I was warned it was mostly smut with no plot, but if you look hard enough, there’s a bit of plot there. It’s enough to keep you interested, and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. To be perfectly honest though, you wouldn’t be reading this book for the plot. You’re not even really reading this book for Esther. No, no, you’re here for her harem of monster lovers.
Esther’s harem quickly grows starting with Dr. Underwood and Mr. Tanner, a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde character, who initially invites Esther to give Rooksgrave Manor a chance as her new employer. Rooksgrave Manor, a Victorian brothel that is home to sex workers that service wealthy monsters and shape shifters, gives Esther everything she has ever wanted. She has a comfortable and safe place to rest, privacy, and there’s no danger of disease or getting pregnant. A contract with a consent clause is signed by both parties (because we love spoken and written consent around here). All of her needs are taken care of by the Manor and her clients. What more could a girl ask for?
At the Manor, she meets Auguste Thibodeau, a gorgeous vampire, and Amon, a shapeshifting Sphinx through the Manor’s Madame who handpicks the pairings between the girls and their clients. Booker, a marble golem who was created by the Madame herself, is a servant of the Manor, but Esther’s curiosity gets the better of her, and Booker becomes another member of her growing harem. Then we have the Irish, cursed, invisible man Ezra MacKenna who steals Esther’s heart. He’s one of the few who is not a member of the Manor in some way or another so it takes some convincing to allow Ezra to become apart of the harem as well. Along with Dr.Underwood/Mr. Tanner, this monster harem is complete!
I seriously could not believe how much depth and personality these characters have. Esther might leave a little more to be desired; she’s a lovable minx and basically fearless, but there’s not much else there for her character. I’m definitely not complaining though. Not every heroine needs to be complicated or needing to be saved in some way or another. She is really unashamed of having sex and being sensual. Her monsters continue to validate her in these feelings and love her for who she is.
Kathryn Moon expertly painted each of the monsters in a wonderful, life-like light despite their mythical origins. By far, some of my favorite non-spicy moments were Esther getting to know everyone and their secrets. Each one of them feels fully fleshed-out with their own personalities, insecurities, and strengths. Their dynamics play with and against each other in the best way with everyone always coming together to love, adore, and spoil Esther. Esther learns something from each of them, and I don’t mean just learning things in bed. This harem checks all the boxes.
When I say I loved this erotica, I mean LOVED it. The only thing hotter than the sex was the love these men have for Esther. They treat her like a literal queen. She has all of the power and all of the control in their relationships and in the bedroom while still receiving (or giving) new and thrilling experiences. It’s refreshing to read something that puts the feminine partner’s pleasure above all else.
Now, we’re jumping right into the spice, because there’s just not much left to say that doesn’t involve sex and the adoring relationships between Esther and her monsters.
Let’s talk about some of my favorite scenes with Esther and her monsters. At the top of my list is most definitely the trip to the theater with Dr. Underwood (Mr. Tanner) and Auguste. Esther is treated to some very naughty plays and eventually gets to play herself. Before she goes on stage though, Dr. Underwood and Auguste treat themselves to Esther who definitely enjoys getting all of the attention. Once she goes on stage though, Mr. Tanner makes his appearance and things get even spicier as the audience gets to watch everything Mr. Tanner does to Esther. And then the tables turn when Esther shows Mr. Tanner just how much she enjoys being with him while on stage. So good!
Then there’s the exhibitionist scene where she is shared between her monster lovers in front of some of the couples at the Manor. This was incredibly hot and written so tastefully. The men were so completely focused on Esther while she was getting the thrill of everyone else enjoying her little show. 10/10.
There’s so many more moments I could gush over, but I’ll wrap this up with my third favorite spicy scene: Esther spending the weekend with Dr. Underwood and Auguste. Our pastry chef vampire and our shy doctor are bisexual so we got some MMF/MFM action. So steamy and so romantic. That being said, Moon was able to make many of the sex scenes unique which can be hard with a book that’s 85% sex! I am amazed at how smutty the scenes are, but at the same time, are also so full of emotions. Definitely some of the best written scenes I’ve seen in a reverse harem romance so far.
Here I am gushing about my favorite scenes, and I haven’t even touched on the features and kinks in the book! And there’s a lot of them… There’s threesomes, voyeurism, exhibitionism, spanking, denial, biting, rough play, and more. There’s probably a kink or fetish for everyone in A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor. All were pretty well written too. I touch on a few of the kinks above with the trip to the theater, the “mixer” at the manor, and the night Esther spends with her vampire and doctor lovers!
At the end of the day, this book is a lot of erotica with some romance at its heart. The plot is good, but it’s definitely the last thing on your mind while you’re reading A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor. If a reverse harem with monster lovers interests you, I think this one should go at the top of your list!
As a special extra, I created a little Spotify playlist for A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor!
Check out Kathryn Moon’s Lady of Rooksgrave Manor here! Enjoy!
Follow A Geeky Gal!