“What if I told you there really is something magical about Craigmar, this house, these lands? What if I told you there was something old out there, so old most people have forgotten the proper name for it?”

Thank you so much to netgalley for sending me an E-arc of Savage Blooms to review.

If this is not on your TBR for Autumn, then you need to add it immediately!

Savage Blooms is a hauntingly atmospheric and erotic novel about four people whose lives and histories intertwine as they are stormed in on an old estate in the Scottish Highlands.

S. T. Gibson did not disappoint. This is my new favorite of their books. This was a delightfully dark, playful novel and one I cannot wait to be out in the world. I was entirely wrapped up in the characters inner worlds and the mysteries of Craigmar.
I was constantly on the edge of my seat with all of the tension; this book is absolutely oozing with it. So atmospheric and extremely intense. You can really feel the isolation of the manor in the highlands and it makes everything that more dramatic, and the characters’ relationships that much more taut. Eileen, Finley , Nicola and Adam are complex and have their own very adamant flaws. But as you get to know them, they grow on you fondly.

I cannot wait for this to be in people’s hands this October! The perfect gothic for a dreary autumn day. I recommend savouring this one.

Previously I’ve only read An Education in Malice by S. T. Gibson, but it’s one of my favourite reads from this year so I had high hopes going into Savage Blooms, and it did not disappoint.

Savage Blooms is darkly atmospheric, gothic, mystic, moody and very much horny.

This book immediately drew me in. Both the unsettling vibes of the gothic Scottish manor and it’s ties to mystery, Fae magic and folklore, and the palpable sizzling lust between the characters had me hooked.

The story is told in multiple POVs. Four POVs from present day and one from the past. This made the story highly addicting as I slowly understood more of each characters wants, fears and motivations, and also the underlying mysteries and secrets.

The characters are flawed, messy, queer and easily aroused, but somehow it makes them more human and relatable, and I absolutely love them all in their own way. The romance between the characters was queer, poly, kinky and very well written. And I will be looking for this kind of romance again in other books.

The representation of chronic illness was a positive surprise. I’m used to reading inaccurate and tedious descriptions of endometriosis in books, but Gibson really made me feel seen and represented in a way other authors haven’t been able to do when mentioning endometriosis.

I can't remember the last time I was this utterly disappointed by a book. It promises to be so many things and doesn't manage to be any of them.

After Gibson's magnificent A Dowry of Blood, I was all but shaking out of my skin with excitement when my request for ARC of this book was approved. However, the excitement did not last long, and the problems began pretty much from the first chapter.

This book feels like it was written in a week. Not only did the whole faerie plot feel like an afterthought to what was just supposed to be a smutty novel, but the amount of typos, misspelt words, missing spaces in-between words and other technical mistakes is just appalling. I don't know if it's general practice to release the ARCs into the world without an editor looking at them first, but I couldn't help but feel like Savage Blooms was never even proofread after it was finished. Even Eileen's pet name "Ilsa" is misspelt as "Isla" in Chapter 33.

Additionally, there are so many inconsistencies. Just as an example, in Chapter 4 it's stated that Adam's laptop is charging in his room, but in Chapter 11 we are told that he never took it out of the car "just in case". The same happens with Nicola's birth control: we are first told that she is startled by an alarm reminder for her birth control (chapter 18) but it's later revealed that she's got an IUD (chapter 24), which obviously does not require any reminders.

But the problems don't end there. Give the book a good editor, and those can be dealt with. The problem that cannot be solved that easily is the story itself because it makes absolutely no sense. The whole premise it's build upon is contradicted in the final chapters. If Robert hated Craigmar with everything he had, why would he have told Adam stories like it was the best place in planet Earth?

However, the thing that really is the doom of this whole story is the pacing. It all happens over the course of approximately ten days. Ten days is usually the amouth of time people that meet each other for the first time need to start talking about what school subject was their favourite and who is theit current celebrity crush. In Savage Blooms, however, it seems like as much as four days is enough to act like it's actually been four years. The insta-lust comes quite literally out of nowhere, not no even mention the more complex feelings.
It's so unrealistic that it's honestly laughable. And this is probably the main reason why the whole actual plot feels so much like an afterthought - the point of the story was clearly to just write some BDSM-ish sex scenes, but for some reason, they were not enough on their own? Though in all honesty, those scenes were all very boring, at least to me.

Speaking of which, another thing that felt like an afterthought was the queer realtionships. Why bother at all if the grand total of pages actually dedicated to m/m and f/f romace is ten? For what it's advertised as, this book is so boringly heterosexual. And it would've been fine, honestly, if it didn't try to be something more. But then again, it's hard to demand queer relationships mean something when ever the heterosexual ones have zero ground beneath them.

Finally, for what is supposed to be a gothic novel, there are way too many references to pop culture that are completely unnecessary and that shatter the atmosphere. Bumble dates? Tesco? Podcasts? Starbucks? Weed gummies? You've got to be fucking kidding me.

Ultimately, the only person I did not hate was Finley. Both Eileen and Nicola are absolutely pathetic and one-dimensional, and I have no idea why a woman would write other women like that. Adam's only qualities are that he's blonde and tall. Oh, and good, you can't forget good. Because everyone else is evil. Or at least that's what we're told.

In all honestly the only good thing about this book is that Gibson spells "come" the way it's supposed to be spelled and not with a "u", which would've made me DNF it instantly.

P.S. At one point, we are told that Adam is wearing sweatpants without any underwear but somehow produces a condom out of his back pocket. Are you really meaning to tell me that he didn't bother to put on pants but slipped a condom into his pocket because he was feeling lucky? Comedy gold.

P.P.S. Adam is clearly a web designer and not a graphic designer, reasserting the difference literally would’ve taken taken one minute.

Thank you to NetGallery for provising me with a free copy of this book in exchange for a review, you're the best, as always ❤️


P.P.P.S. (SPOLIERS) I can look past incestious relationships in fiction because it's fiction but writing a romance scene and making a point of saying "his sister" when he's all but inside her is certanly a choice. If we're supposed to keep in mind that they're not related by blood and therefore it's "not really incest" then why draw attention to her being his sister? Was there really no other reason why Robert could've ran away other than being jealous? Not to mention that it came out of absolutely nowhere. This is honestly just lazy writing.

“Savage Blossom” by S.T. Gibson is an erotic gothic fantasy novel.
I’ve read several books by S.T. Gibson and while I loved some of her other works such as “An Education in Malice” and “ A Dowry of Blood”, “Savage Blossom” was, unfortunately, quite a letdown.
The beginning was interesting, but I quickly lost interest in the story, the characters, and their relationships.
Overall, it was nonetheless a relatively quick read, but I don’t think I’ll continue reading this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was such a fun book! After reading some of the reviews on NetGalley I was a little apprehensive but I guess this book just isn’t for everyone.
This book is moody and horny, I was promised porn with no (or very little) plot and that’s exactly what I got so color me happy! I liked all the different relationships between the characters and even though I’m not attached to them like I am to the characters from her other books I still had a lot of fun reading this book and after that ending I’m very much looking forward to the next one !

4 ⭐️ A seductive, gothic character study with a sprinkling of magic.

I was so excited to read this when I first read the blurb. It’s got everything I love - gothic intrigue, characters with bite, and faerie magic, all against the backdrop of the bracing Scottish countryside.

This is a piece of erotic literature foremost. The focus of the story is on how the four characters interact and ultimately intertwine. There’s a lot of attention paid to power dynamics and kinks.
I really enjoyed reading through the different relationships but one criticism is that Adam and Nicola fell very easily and willingly into the world set up by Eileen and Finley. There is an underlying thread being pulled throughout as to their motives. I’m not sure I expected or enjoyed the reveal but the ending certainly made up for it!

You might not enjoy this if you like a lot of plot with your fantasy. I was pleased to read that this is the first in a trilogy of works, because the story was heavily focused on the characters and less on the action. The biggest progression to the storyline happens in the last chapter and we are left on a huge cliffhanger. I feel like the next book is going to be amazing if it picks up where this one left off.

Thank you to NetGalley, Little Brown Group and ST Gibson for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a good read. S.T. Gibson once again solidifying why they are one of my favourite authors.

The story is unique and had me gripped. I love a good gothic mystery and this had mystery in abundance. There is a fantasy element but it's built into the story as we go along.

The story is set in the Scottish countryside and I just love the small town, isolated in a an old stately home, mystery vibe.

The characters are interesting and I enjoyed watching the complexities unfold. Adam and Nicola are American tourists on a trip to Scotland to uncover more about Adam's grandfather's time at Craigmar. Craigmar is an old stately home in Scotland and Adam's grandfather would tell him fairytale-style stories of Craigmar all his life. Eileen is the current "Lord" and Finley is the handsome groundskeeper. Their relationship is one that we learn is longstanding and complex.

I found the plot really well paced. There's things going on in the grounds of Craigmar and we see that develop in the background whilst the relationships of everyone under the roof is more at the forefront of the story.

We start to understand that things at Craigmar aren't what they seem and Eileen is a mystery herself, holding secrets and revelations close to her chest. Craigmar is old and full of mysteries that Adam struggles to believe.

I loved the descriptions of Craigmar and the grounds, the Scottish countryside and the beauty of it all. It really felt like somewhere special, and magical but also somewhere quite unnerving

There is a lot of spice in this book but I felt it complimented the story. Four people living under one roof, two of those people have been incredibly isolated from others for a long time, and just the enchantment that Craigmar has on the two new arrivals. Anything goes at Craigmar it seems and the attractions are electric.

Towards the end we see that things start to unravel for all of them and we reach the peak of the tensions and mysteries of Craigmar. Things come to light that throw spanner's into plans and turmoil ensues.

That ending??!! There's going to be another book right? I have to know more!

There's beautiful backdrops, gothic vibes, mystery, family tragedy / trauma, spice, queer representation, and fae. There was so much in this story to enjoy.

All in all I enjoyed this book very much and I can't wait to see if there is more to this story!

Thank you to NetGalley, the talented S.T. Gibson and Little, Brown Group U.K. for the arc. This is my own honest review of the book.

S.T. Gibson is usually a 5-star author for me, so I was really looking forward to Savage Blooms. There were definitely things I liked. The writing is as gorgeous as ever, and there are some intriguing hints about the fae that I hope get explored more in the sequel.

That said, this one didn’t fully land for me. I struggled to connect emotionally with the characters, and parts of the plot felt a little slow or underdeveloped. The focus was mostly on the spicier scenes, which I did enjoy, but I would’ve loved more depth around Craigmar itself, especially the eerie or uncanny elements happening in and around the house. It felt like it was missing some of that gothic flair that Gibson usually does so well.

That might be intentional, and perhaps there’s more to come in the next books. I’m still rating this 3.5 stars because Gibson’s voice remains compelling. I’m definitely curious to see where things go, particularly with the fae.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Angry Robot for this digital ARC.

Savage Blooms – S.T. Gibson

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book seeped right into my veins, corrupted my heart, set it on fire, and then relit every fibre of my being. This book is nothing short of a gothic masterpiece, with a side of smut, and boy, is that smut incredible. It’s just packed with incredible vibes that will leave you wanting more from the very first page to the last.

I loved the storyline, it kept me really immersed in the story, Savage blooms is about a man named Adam whose grandfather was his hero, he told him stories of his time as a boy, how he loved a place in the Scottish hills. When his grandfather passes, Adam finds the time to go and retrace his grandfathers footsteps, So he packs himself and his best friend Nicola up and travels across the ocean to Scotland, but what he finds is even more mysterious than the stories, more captivating. It makes him question his entire being. I absolutely adored Adam. He’s very inquisitive, and he’s ever so loveable. I found all of the characters in this book to be just that, loveable, queer, sexy hot messes... but my favourite of them all was the groundskeeper and his lessons in kink 🔥

What’s more to love than a crumbling manor, four very horny people and the fae?! I highly recommend you add this to your TBR!

Savage Blooms releases October 9th and is available to preorder now at all your favourite stores.

Thank you to S.T. Gibson, Little Brown Book Group UK, and Netgalley for this advanced ARC copy. I truly appreciate it. 🔥

#savageblooms #netgalley #gothichorror #horrorbooks #comingsoon #netgalley

My first S.T. Gibson book and it didn't disappoint.

I had a great time reading this book! It was very fun and very entertaining. I loved the atmosphere, the setting and the gothic aesthetic.
A haunted spooky house and ancient fae lands full of mysteries and secrets. It was just a perfect combination for an amazing book!

In my opinion, this book was erotica first and fantasy second. Which sometimes it’s just what you really need and want.
The plot was very mysterious and tense, it kept you guessing secrets and hidden motives until the reveal.

All of the four characters were so unique and different to each other. They were messy, toxic and troubled; full of mistakes and jealousy.
The romance was bisexual and poly, which I loved. With a lot of very well written kinky sex scenes.

Overall, I had so much fun reading this book and I can’t wait to read the next one in the series.

Savage Blooms is a sensual, gothic-tinged story that exists in a dreamy in-between. Both elegant and raw, romantic and strange. I went in with no expectations, and came out feeling a bit dazed.

There are truly beautiful moments in the prose and atmosphere. And it might be one of those books that’s easier to admire than to love.

That said, readers who enjoy literary-style romance, intense character dynamics, and morally grey relationships might find a lot to enjoy here.

Thank you to NetGalley & Little Brown Book Group UK for the ARC 🫶🏻✨

Savage Blooms is a thrilling gothic romance set in a crumbling Scottish manor with a set of complex and (at times toxic characters). This book explores kink, faeries and the supernatural in a way which unsettles you, but in a sensual way?

Despite featuring 4 main POV’s, there was an equal balance of narratives and backstory which builds on the various power dynamics within the group. I’ve never read a poly romance like this and it’s intriguing to see the fluidity between the group and how their hearts become entangled in such a complicated web. I’m especially excited to see more of the dynamic between Eileen and Nicola in the next book as this was only touched on briefly but was captivating netherthess. This whole book is heavy on character development over plot, which is something I personally enjoy but can see how others may find the lack of structure frustrating.

I had hoped to learn more about the fairies and their lore, however I’m hopeful this will be explored more in the next instalment.

As usual, Gibson has created an intoxicating and erotic atmosphere which is easy to fall headfirst into.

2.75☆
massive midsummer night's dream vibes.

All characters had a distinctive voice and personality and it was easy to know which pov we were in. The relationships were complicated and messy. However, the connection between all characters didn't seem rushed, maybe the lust between them helped to create a bond.
The story was alright, definitely was expecting more of a plot twist at the end. While the story was alright, I'd see the author focus more on the relationship, less on the atmosphere. It is being marketed as a ghotic novel, so I'd love for a more eerie vibe.

I thought this was a standalone, so the last 15% of the book had me on the edge has I could not piece how everything would end satisfyingly. The crashout was a bit unexpected, but I can understand where it came from.

Overall, the rating can be roundup to a 3 star. The writing isn't bad, it does need a bit cleaning as punctuation seems to be missing in certain parts. The characters are complex, however, rely too much on lust to develop relationships. The plot could improve if it didn't focus too much on the kink side. Might read the second book. as it peaked my curiosity.

Well I don't really know what to think about this

- Friendship
- Poly Romance (not healthy)
- Spice
- Fae
- Mysteries
- non blood family sexual acts

Firstly I'll address the obvious yes two people who are technically family but not blood related do have sex. Was it weird yes. Was it as weird as I thought with the warning of it beforehand, no.

I found this books atmosphere interesting and unfortunately the part I enjoyed the most of this book was the epilogue. Uncertain if I want to read the next book, maybe if it features more of the fae.

The Romance between the characters in this book did feel like a natural draw to each other and I do like the Poly aspect to this book that was a nice refreshing change to the books I've read recently.

For me it was an easy book to read but I did not love any of the characters whether this was intentional as they are all problematic in their own way or not I cannot be sure. But if at the end it say and they all died, I would have just said ok and moved on.

As this is my first S.T. Gibson book I have read it is too soon for me to say if this is me having an issue with the way they write characters or just this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Little Brown for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

4.25✨

This one started a bit slow for me, but I feel like the story found its rhythm after the first 20% and I was definitely hooked from then on!

In Savage Blooms, we get the POVs of all our central characters: Eileen, suffering under a family curse; Finley, devoted to her but carrying his own burdens; Adam, digging into his grandfather's mysterious family history; and Nicole, trying to figure out who she is, while following Adam. I especially liked that we got glimpses into Adam's grandfather's perspective, as his chapters gave added depth without spoiling anything for Adam too soon (we knew - we were GODS hahah).

I know spice levels are super subjective for everyone, but I feel like it was not too much. Rather, I'd say the intimate scenes served as a way to better understand each character - they felt more like an extension of how they connected and communicated - each situation added depth rather than just "the spice". All four main characters were quite frustrating at times and definitely flawed, but that made them feel more grounded and real. I appreciated that part, because as someone who lives in Scotland, there were definitely some moments that made me maybe raise an eyebrow or go "but who actually talks like that..." which pulled me out of the story a bit, but not enough to ruin the experience.

I really liked the use of darker, more traditional fae lore - the faeries were adding some real tension that kept building throughout the book, I would say that the final parts genuinely got scary. And! The ending was totally unexpected, I was pleasantly surprised how many threads were already tied up, while still leaving me quite excited to see where this series goes next. Definitely continuing with the next one!

Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for the arc!

Thank you to Little Bown Book Group/Orbit and NetGalley for the ARC!

What a fun little romp! Gibson is one of my favourite authors and I have been eagerly anticipating this book since 2022 and it did not let me down. First, this is a very character forward book, while plot and worldbuilding takes a bit more of a back seat. However, the worldbuilding that is there is interesting and I already need book 2 for more of it because the ending?!

The characters are queer, messy, and very complicated. This is not a slowburn book, it's more instalust, but Saint makes it work! It's atmospheric, erotic, and fun. The ending had me gasping and I've got so many theories about this book that I ALMOST decided to reread the book.

I also love that I can tell Saint did her research here. I'm Scottish. I've lived in Scotland all my life. My biggest pet peeve is when authors decide to write books set in Scotland but it's painfully obvious they did zero research on Scotland. But in this book, it genuinely feels like home. Saint did her research and I'm so grateful for that.

The fae bargain/magic in this was excellent. I won't go into too much detail here because of spoilers but it was interesting and it kept me hooked on the story, although I really, really hope we get more of this in book 2.

The only part that I feel maybe knocked a star off was how rushed the ending (before the epilogue) was. However, I still wholeheartedly love this book and now I need the second one.

Overall, highly recommend this book, but check the warnings and be aware this is character forward, instalust erotica. It's great.

I absolutely devoured this book in the best way possible- savagely, if you will

Firstly- this is absolutely not a romantasy! I’d say it’s not a fantasy at all. It’s a dark academic, gothic romance that may as well be an erotica (giving the plot through lots of steam) and on those accounts it does not disappoint whatsoever. I highly recommend reading the content warnings in full for this one, though despite that things still took me by surprise.

Truly, it’s incredible how Gibson is able to write a story surrounding just four people in the same setting day in day out without it being boring, or dragging, or unnecessary in any way- i got a feel for our setting immediately and it’s clear that Gibson has done her research of The Scottish Highlands all the way down to the weather and smells! The pacing was spectacular with all of the character development driven through interpersonal conflict and the erotic scenes that felt much more than just spice on a page. It’s as if I could feel the yearning off the page.

I could talk for pages about Finley and Eileen. This messy, highly complicated, loveable, painful relationship. When the cost of loving is high, but the cost of losing is higher, what do you do ultimately? Supposed star crossed lovers in a very strange power dynamic, both stuck in the same house their entire lives is SUCH a fun thing to explore- also hilariously done in the first few chapters as ‘Finley the Groundskeeper’. Couple all of this with how Nicola and Adam progress- largely separate arcs that weave together (thanks to the other pairing) to bloom into a gorgeously messy relationship.

Everyone in this book is messy, and I adore it. In terms of the queer representation in this, yes everyone is attar ted to each other in various ways, but for the majority of the book the relationships are M/F, only turning M/M and F/F for half of a chapter each toward the end, which was a little disappointing however I fully expect this to be explore more in the next book.

The spice in this is spicy, and it gets thrown at you with no warning at all. Everyone in this book is an ‘instant lust, slowburn romance’ kinda person, which has never been my thing at all, but something about Gibsons’ writing made me stick with the characters throughout

The ‘plot’ in this book is very minimal, but it’s there enough to continue the mystery and push our characters onwards yet is written greatly to stand on its own. Truthfully, I only wish this book was longer! I have so many ideas and thoughts and theories floating in my head about what could possibly happen next. That said, this could easily be read as a standalone as ‘another childish faery tale’ but i love that it’ll continue!!

Thanks so much for Orbit and NetGalley for giving me an early ARC!!

A ravishingly dark trilogy of gothic manors, faery magic, and forbidden desires set in the foreboding highlands. A world of mind games and deceit, forbidden desires and ancestral secrets become entangled in this dark fairytale where by the ending you won't wish to be free.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞, 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐔𝐊 | 𝐎𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐒. 𝐓. 𝐆𝐢𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐧

Savage Blooms weaves an intoxicating tale of family curses, tangled romances and the uncanny world of the fae folk. I found the story kept me turning the pages, pulling me deeper into the novel to discover the mystery at the core of the story. I do wish we got a little more information on the faeries but hope to see more the Unearthly Delights series and still felt that desire to know them deeper. Nicola holds a special place in my heart, she practically leaps of the page. The care to folklore and myths really adds to the over abundance of world building and lore. While some of the scenes almost fell into repetition, the plot would shift dramatically to keep you on your toes.

S.T. Gibson continues to craft beautifully dark and delicious stories that allow readers to sink into their own desires.

Thank you to NetGalley and S. T. Gibson for giving me this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

This book was fucking perfection!!! And I'm saying this as someone who fucking hates 3rd POV and barely tolerates it in high fantasy... but with Savage Blooms it just worked!!! Literal perfection.

This book is exactly what it's advertised... a gothic erotic romance and I loved every single word of it. The vibes are immaculate, the characters are so complicated but you actually can't stop loving them, the magic and faeries is sooo well done... and it's fucking spicy!!!

After that ending there is definitely more to this story and I can't wait to see what's next!