If you love dark romance with constant noncon that's claimed to be dub con when it really leaves no choice then this is for you. I didn't enjoy this, the abusers got away with so much and the power imbalance was overwhelming, the scenes with the abuse were so long and it just didn't sit well with me. I understand that the vamps are the highest of the food chain but at no point do you want to root for them or want the relationship to work because of how it plays out. Just a no for me unfortunately

I am NOT a fan of vampires and werewolves and I'm not sure if I knew initially that this was a vampire warewolf thing but I almost quit after the first chapter. Let me tell you... I got this book YESTERDAY. I am done with it. I did not expect to read that so fast it's crazy. It was good, it made me cry, it made my inner trauma sing. I don't even know. I hated it but I also loved it.

I know this book contains trigger warnings but there’s a difference between sensitive content and the relentless abuse of the female characters. I skipped large sections of this book hoping for a satisfying resolution but ultimately it ended on a cliffhanger where the main female character was likely getting attacked again. I only gave this book one star because it wouldn’t let me save the review without one.

Talk about spice. The kind that you don’t put down, and read in one night. I love a good paranormal romance. The lovers, that shouldn’t be. But… in this realm it’s less taboo for me. There are some for sure triggers. That made me want to jump in and rip throats out. Susie and Arkin, the love is sweet and genuine… the passion is hot. I love Susie, and she’s not your typical main character….. she honest, dark, and brave. Arkin, is gentle in all the right places. I can’t wait to see what happens next .

This is a limited review of the first four chapters I read of this book Plug and Drain, the first book in a duology. I did DNF (did not finish) the whole book, so I am not aware if some of these critiques change later in the book. There are many trigger warnings at the beginning of this book that I am not going to list in this review, but I will be talking about some of them. I don't think they are spoilers, but proceed at your own caution.

I did not enjoy reading the first four chapters of this book. I appreciate that the author is trying to open with some action, but the rest is just a lot of telling and very little showing. The book jumps right into the non-consent and dubious consent content immediately. The world building is haphazard. It is a very cruel and uneven world, where vampires are on top and shape shifting wolves are below them. It doesn't explain why though. What caused this dichotomy? Was there a war between the two that the shifters lost? Are the vampires just that much stronger? I don't mind a cruel world if we have the context for why this system exists, but the author doesn't give us any. The writing itself is very sophomoric and doesn't feel written for an adult audience. The content is very adult though. I did not enjoy this juxtaposition at all.

On the positive side, it reads very quickly due to the young adult level of writing. I did like the dialogue between the main characters when there was some.

I didn't like that the headmaster vampire character was being positioned as a "good" guy even when he is doing bad things, non-consent things. It felt very apologetic towards the abuser not the abused, that really turned me off for this story. I don't read a lot of dark romance, but I do read dubious consent romance. The part I read was non-consent being portrayed as dubious consent. I don't enjoy that type of story.

Interesting ideas, but the execution is not very palatable for me.

*I did receive this as an eARC from NetGalley*

This book is about Susie and Arken. Susie is a werewolf living in a wolf where vampires must feed off of them. They all live in Volmasque Academy, where Arken is the headmaster. One day, Arken is looking for blood and goes to the room across the hall from Susie. Werewolves are submissive to vampires and cannot say no. Even if they do, the vampires do not listen and take what they want anyway. The room across the hall is Molly, someone who Susie wants to protect from vampires and their urges. She begs Arken to take her instead and he obliges. They start to develop feelings for each other but the King and others keep getting in the way of their love.

Ok let's talk about the elephant in the room. When I first saw this book, I was looking at the cover and thinking surely that can't be.....it is. It is exactly what you think it is. I know the whole series is based off of the same title pattern, but as someone who has not read the other books, nor will read the other books, I can think of so many title options that would have been better. Like the idea the title is based off of is like the least influential part of the book. Another thing I did not like about this book was all the mentions of (Trigger Warning) rape. First off, it is an underlying theme throughout the ENTIRE book. It is mentioned in the list of trigger warnings inside the book, but I would also add it in the description somewhere so people who are just reading the description are aware. There was the one scene with the King that literally made me want to throw up because it just kept going. Like, I think the point was to show how helpless everyone is and the uncontrolled power that the King has, but I feel like there are other ways to show that. In the list of warnings at the beginning, it also says that it ends on a cliffhanger. I would not say that the end is a cliffhanger. Like there was no drama, it just felt like the author stopped writing. It was in the middle of a scene - I think if it is going to be a cliffhanger to just end it with Susie walking into the room and boom she sees what is happening and end it there.

Also this has nothing to do with the contents of the book, but reading it was very unpleasant visually. I downloaded it from Netgalley to my Kindle. I read on the Kindle app on my iPhone. In the app the book was formatted so that it was a grey box in the middle of the screen. It did not match any Kindle settings and so the entire time it was just a grey box with the green border (the setting I normally have). The words also seemed to be in italics which irritated my eyes. This could have just been because I was not reading it on a real Kindle, but this has never happened to me with any other book.

There is also a disconnect with this book between NetGalley and Goodreads. I cannot post my review directly to Goodreads because the book is not under the same ISBN.

Drain and Plug promised an enticing blend of romance and vampiric intrigue, yet fell short of expectations. While the author skillfully crafted a brooding atmosphere, the plot lacked depth and originality. The characters, though initially intriguing, failed to develop beyond superficial stereotypes, leaving readers longing for more complexity. Ultimately, while not entirely devoid of entertainment, Drain and Plug fails to leave a lasting impression in the crowded realm of vampire literature.

I really wanted to love this book. I was alright with the long list of trigger warnings but it felt like there was no true story line. I did not like the fact the wolves were in the school training to be pets and feeders for the vampires. However, I did love that Susie was trying to look out for her piers and change how that was. Overall, I liked some of the book but so much of it just felt like it was only based around the sex. I was hoping for some semblance of plot that had a story arc but I could not push myself to finish the book. I had to DNf it, the spice is great but it just did not keep my attention story wise.

ARC Review - 2.5/5

I thought the book had a lot of potential and was building to a big ending but it felt like it ended too early. I believe it was supposed to end on a cliffhanger but it more just felt like it ended mid chapter and didn't really close out the book. Also the trigger warnings were not explicit or strong enough. The warnings mentioned SA/nonconsensual activity but there was a full rape scene that went on for several pages and was really difficult to read. I don't think that I will read the second book or any of the other books in the series.

I have to say that this series is definitely my guilty pleasure. I read the Plug and Claim duology and absolutely loved it. I couldn’t wait to read Susie and Arken’s story. I really enjoyed the forbidden element and the spice was good but surprisingly not as steamy as Plug and Claim. I was disappointed with the ‘cliffhanger’ at the end, but I’m still eager to read more of Susie and Arken’s story.

Plug and Drain is a steamy, and intriguing, paranormal book. We are quickly introduced to Susie, and the main interest, Arken. Darcy Fayton skilfully writes hooking and exciting scenes, but maintains an interesting plot with the academy Susie is a member of. No character is one sided, where there are respectable attributes: Susie is caring and stands up for her peers, Arken is protective etc.

Plug and drain is a steamy story that expands Susie and Arken’s story which wil span a duology. It ends on a cliffhanger and it has a few trigger warnings so please make sure to check them first. Overall it was a nice reas, the smut was quite good and I loved the forbidden aspect between the characters. I can’t wait for the next book.

Plug and drain by Darcy Fayton.
Book 1 of Susie and Arken's story.
Vampires crave more than blood when they visit students’ beds. Refusing a vampire student is dangerous. But refusing the headmaster? Impossible.
A good read. I loved the cover. Slow to start of but it does get good. I did like Susie for how she was with Molly. I did like Molly too. Arken I wasn't sure about. He grew on me. I did like how Arken was with Susie. Very protective. I didn't like Henrikke or Nathaniel at all. Evil. I certainly didn't see that coming. Double twist there. Wow the ending. I can't wait for book 2. 5*.

Plug and Drain is a steamy paranormal romance involving wolves and vampires. When Susie (a wolf) invites the headmaster at their school to feed from her to save another student, she has no idea what she is in for. This book is full of little plot twists and also illustrates the corruption of their world under the vampire king.

Arken is surprisingly sweet, but seemed very naive to everything that occurs at the school and how things are for the wolves, who are seen as being lesser than vampires. Battling his own inner demons and trying to avoid inciting wrath from the king, this book definitely shows how he has and is currently struggling to survive and make things right. Overall, I loved seeing how the relationship between Susie and Arken developed despite everything they are challenged with.

This book does end on a cliffhanger, so be prepared for that! The 2nd book is set to release sometime later this year.

Additionally I found out after reading this book that it is the prequel series to the duology Plug and Claim and Plug and Tame!

Thank you to NetGalley, BooksGoSocial, and Darcy Fayton for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review

3.5/5 ⭐️

The great plot and character development kept me so engaged throughout the entire book that I had a very hard time putting this book down until the very last page was turned!

Its the prequal to the amazing duology and I freaking love it so much.
If you are looking for a quick spicy read with plot this is for you. Some dark themes to check TW but i loved every minute of it. If you love dark academia this book is for you. Forbidden student-teacher taboo romance.
I cannot wait to dive into this duology after reading this.