The Daedalus Engine by Ash Greer | Book Review & Discussion

In this chaotic, unfiltered episode, we review Ash Greer's self-published sci-fi erotica novel The Daedalus Engine. If you love science fiction, survival romance, or gloriously bad book club discussions, this book club discussion is for you!

📚 BOOK DETAILS: Title: The Daedalus Engine Author: Ash Greer Genre: Sci-Fi Erotica Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ Our Rating: 0/5 - 1.5/5 Stars Available: Previously on Kindle Unlimited — currently unavailable

🎧 WHAT WE COVER: ✅ Full spoiler review of The Daedalus Engine ✅ Male gaze vs. female gaze in erotica — and how to spot the difference ✅ Why the Daedalus Engine itself is the biggest plot hole in the book ✅ Craft critique: world-building, pacing, and underdeveloped characters ✅ What this book could have been (and our honest advice for the author) ✅ June Book announcement: Bitter Burn by Sierra Simone

⚡ TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 - Technical Difficulties & Take Two Intro 3:43 - How We Found This Book & Reddit Origins 6:07 - Plot Summary: Crash, Survive, Sex, Repeat 16:30 - Meet the Characters: Victus, Sarah, Evan & Vayne 19:10 - Male Gaze vs. Female Gaze Breakdown 27:00 - Plot Holes & World-Building Failures 35:48 - The Group Dynamic & Where Things Go 42:25 - Ratings & Honest Feedback for the Author 54:55 - New Shows Announced & Season 3 Preview 58:00 - June Book Announcement: Bitter Burn by Sierra Simone

🔥 ROMANCE TROPES IN THIS BOOK: Alien/new world setting Forced proximity Dom/sub dynamics Size difference Reverse harem/polyamorous group Impregnation Enemies to allies to lovers

💬 OUR HONEST THOUGHTS: The Daedalus Engine had the bones of an interesting sci-fi concept buried under underdeveloped characters, rushed pacing, and smut scenes that read more like a script than a novel. The hosts gave credit where it was due — it's a first book, it was finished, and the author had the guts to put it out there — but agreed that spell check, character outlines, and a clearer narrative focus would go a long way. If Ash Greer is out there listening, the door is open and the feedback is genuine.

📖 MENTIONED BOOKS & AUTHORS: Salt Kiss by Sierra Simone Bitter Burn by Sierra Simone Not Enough (previously reviewed) The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty The Story of O Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien Tusk Love (Critical Role) Butcher and Blackbird

In this chaotic episode of Pretty Little Death, we review Lexi C. Foss's dark monster romance novel Dark Obsessions (Monsters of Darkness Series). If you love monster romance, dark fantasy, paranormal romance, or spicy book reviews, this book club discussion is for you! Pretty Little Death is a dark romance and paranormal romance book club podcast where we read so you don't have to.

📚 BOOK DETAILS: Title: Dark Obsessions (Monsters of Darkness) Author: Lexi C. Foss Genre: Dark Monster Romance / Paranormal Romance Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Our Rating: 1/5 Stars Available: Kindle Unlimited (KU)

🎧 WHAT WE COVER: ✅ Whether the Strigoi lore actually delivers on its promise ✅ The wildly questionable consent arc and safe word reveal ✅ Why the trials are basically participation trophies ✅ A thousand-year-old virgin king and why that's a problem ✅ The infamous dinner scene and the tail situation ✅ Plot holes, mind reading before the blood bridge, and a British accent in Transylvania

🔥 ROMANCE TROPES IN THIS BOOK: Fated Mates Monster Romance Dark Romance Virgin Hero Captive/Forced Proximity Tail Play Immortal x Human Dual POV First Person Safe Word / Consent Negotiation Insta-Love

💬 OUR HONEST THOUGHTS: Dark Obsessions had a genuinely promising premise — a folklore researcher stumbling into the realm of the Strigoi King — but the execution fell completely flat. The book leans heavily on explicit content at the expense of world building, character development, and any meaningful plot, and the titular "dark" elements never really materialize. Between the consent issues, the recycled tropes, and a thousand-year-old virgin king who somehow can't pick a lane on whether he wants a mate, this one earns a hard one star and a recommendation to read literally anything else.

📖 MENTIONED BOOKS & AUTHORS:

Dark Obsessions by Lexi C. Foss (Monsters of Darkness Series)

Brutal Prince (referenced as previous episode's read)

The Bride of Brutal Hearts by Kate Stevens (current giveaway)

Salt Kiss (referenced for fated mate trope comparison)

Lioness Trilogy — Book 3 (June Book of the Month)

The Daedalus Engine by Ash Greer (May Book of the Month)

Omegaverse genre (briefly referenced) Not Enough (referenced, title not confirmed)

💀 If you made it this far, drop your most hated book trope in the comments. We read the trash so you don't have to — but if you did read this one, you already know. Like and subscribe so you never miss a Pretty Little Death episode, and join our Discord community for book of the month picks, giveaways, and all the chaos in between.

In this chaotic, laugh-until-you-cry episode, we review Sophie Lark's 2022 mafia romance novel Brutal Prince. If you love enemies to lovers, arranged marriage, or forced proximity stories, this book club discussion is for you!

📚 BOOK DETAILS: Title: Brutal Prince Author: Sophie Lark Genre: Mafia Romance / Enemies to Lovers Spice Level: 🌶️ Our Rating: 1/5 Stars Available: Amazon, Kindle, Audible, Apple Books

🎧 WHAT WE COVER: ✅ Whether this actually qualifies as a mafia romance — and why all three of us think the answer is a hard no ✅ Ada and Callum's rushed enemies to lovers arc, the pacing problems, and a shower scene that had us questioning everything ✅ Major plot holes, dropped characters, and what we would have done differently to make this story actually work

🔥 ROMANCE TROPES IN THIS BOOK: Enemies to lovers Arranged marriage Forced proximity Forced marriage Mafia families Class difference Obsessive ex

💬 OUR HONEST THOUGHTS: Brutal Prince had all the ingredients for a compelling mafia romance — rival Irish and Italian families, a forced marriage between two people who despise each other, and an enemies to lovers slow burn that should have had us hooked. Instead, the mafia elements feel like window dressing on what is essentially a poorly paced love story, Ada's entire personality is sass with nothing underneath it, and Callum reads like a teenage boy's fantasy rather than a seasoned playboy. The hosts collectively gave it a 0.83 average rating, and the only reason it scraped above zero is because Nigel was in a good mood.

📖 MENTIONED BOOKS & AUTHORS: Bride of Brutal Hearts — Sophie Lark Salt Kiss Series — Sophie Lark Most Forgettable Girl Not Enough Sugar Rush