About the Book
-
Author:
- Rosie Danan
- Genres:
- Adult Romance
- Man-Woman Romance
Sub-Genres: Paranormal, Rom-Com
What’s Your Type?: Former Fangirl Helps Former Celebrity Crush, Age Gap, Opposites Attract, Forced Proximity, Grumpy/Sunshine, Second Chance, Smidge of Fake Relationship, Childhood Trauma, Small Town, “Lessons”
Welcome to the final book review for this year’s Grown-Up Guide to Romance! Come back on Friday when we’ll be finishing up this year’s Romance Guide with our round-up of romance trope faves and fails.
Fan Service by Rosie Danan
Fancy Dress to Fabio: Comic Con Collectible Merch
Even though I’m a bit over the illustrated covers, when the characters are detailed and fun and the vibe conveys this book is going to be quirky and a little bit silly, then I’m all in.
The Leading Woman: Black Cat
Alex Lawson used to be the Mod, the creator and moderator of Werewolf Support Group, a popular fan forum for The Arcane Files, a long-running werewolf detective show on a basic cable network. But then she grew up. After leaving college when her dad got sick, Alex has been stuck in her rural Florida town where she’s always been the weird vegan outcast. She leans into it hard with her septum piercing, tattoos, and bad attitude. After her mom left when she was a kid, she doesn’t really let anyone get close besides her dad, the teenager she mentors, and her longtime online fandom friends. Alex works for a vet clinic, volunteers at the crumbling town community center and is just trying to stay on top of her dad’s medical bills.
The Leading Man: Golden Retriever
Devin Ashwood used to be Colby Southerland, the chosen one, the once-in-a-generation werewolf he played on The Arcane Files. At 42, he suspects he’s washed up but isn’t ready to admit it. He’s lobbying hard for a revival of the show that made him a star, not just for the paycheck, but because it’s the only thing that ever gave his life meaning.
Meet Cute: x2
The first time they meet, Alex is in full niche character cosplay in his convention meet & greet line on her 17th birthday. The meeting is very sweet and cements Alex’s undying love until she happens to overhear him say something awful about her when she thinks she’s gone. After that, she spends the next 17 years ridiculing him in the group chat.
The second time they meet is because Devin wakes up bare ass naked in his backyard covered in mud and scratches with no memory of how he got there when a viral video shows him either having a psychotic break or partially transforming into a werewolf on the Santa Monica boardwalk. When he Googles to figure out if he really is turning into a werewolf (as one does) he stumbles upon Werewolf Support Group, Alex’s long-dormant fan forum. In a fit of desperation, he emails the Mod in an effort to locate a werewolf expert.
Alex shows up for the meeting at Dunkin’ Donuts assuming it’s an elaborate prank orchestrated by her fandom friends and certainly isn’t interested in helping her despised former crush. But when Devin displays signs of barely keeping his werewolf side under wraps and dangles plenty of money for her to pay off her dad’s medical bills as an incentive, Alex agrees to devise some trials to help him learn to control the shift in time for the next full moon so that he can go back to his glamorous L.A. life.
Risque Rating: 8
Two of Rosie Danan’s previous books featured main characters who are current or former sex workers, so she’s great at writing sex-positive characters and scenes free of any cringey old-school sex euphemisms.
Ms. Perky’s Prize for Purplest Prose
“You wanna hear that it’s all I can do right now not to flip you over in the dirt and ride you until your knees buckle?” Devin closed his eyes like the words cost him. “That I’ve never wanted anything in my entire goddamn life more than I wanna shove aside those goofy little shorts you’ve got on and eat you out until you’re writhing, whimpering, because the only word you can remember is my name?”
Whew! Is it hot in here or is it just this book? While Danan isn’t stingy with the descriptive scenes I was a little disappointed she didn’t get to the really good stuff until 70% of the way through the book.
But Alex did what he asked, let her legs splay open even though it felt outrageous while holding his gaze. Devin was so close, kneeling less than a foot from her feet, concentrating his caresses on the head of his cock, his abs clenching, throat bobbing with each ragged breath. He groaned at the sight of her, which was so mortifying it felt like an electric shock down her spine. She could feel how damp she was just from looking at him, from having him want her. “You’re embarrassed,” he panted, not a question, and oh right, he could smell her feelings. “Don’t be.” He looked unabashedly at the place between her legs as he got himself off. “Alex, I’ve come from the scent of you lingering on my shirt.”
Was it Good For You?
The Arcane Files reads like a mash-up between Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Teen Wolf, and Supernatural. I absolutely would have watched this show and probably would have gleefully recapped it for this very website. And it’s clear from the descriptions of all the various dramas around queer-baiting, hated showrunners, and divisive ships that the author has logged her share of time in the TV fandom trenches. It’s always nice when you can tell an author actually has personal insight and affection for their subject.
While the last third of the book did feature the dreaded miscommunication trope (more on that in Friday’s post), I felt like Danan did a good job of establishing the characters’ backstories well enough that it’s not that hard for the reader to buy why these two dummies would genuinely be bad at communication.
For the most part, I found Fan Service to be a fun and sexy ode to fandom and romance tropes (two of my favorite things).
FTC Full Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group. I received neither money nor queso in exchange for this review. Fan Service is available March 11.
Shop Our Romance Themed Merch
I loved this review!! And I am totally with you on THE ARCANE FILES, 100% would watch. Also jealous that you got legit smokin’ sexy times in your book. Because apparently SOME PEOPLE do research!
😂😂
I loved Danan’s first two books but I DNF’d her fake ghost hunter one, so I was concerned with what I’d think about this new book, but this sounds cute! And yes, that fake show sounds gooood!!