Book Review: ‘Savage Blooms’ by ST Gibson (spicy Celtic-inspired

I’m a big fan of ST Gibson’s novels, ‘A Dowry of Blood’, ‘An Education in Malice’ and ‘Evocation’, so the summary of her latest novel was enough for it to be one of my most-anticipated novels of the year.

Wuthering Heights meets Sierra Simone in the first book in the Unearthly Delights trilogy, a Celtic-inspired erotic fantasy romance from Sunday Times bestseller S.T. Gibson, author of the cult phenomenon A Dowry of Blood.

For as long as Adam can remember, the legends passed down from his world-traveling grandfather have called him to a crumbling manor in the Highlands. His closest friend Nicola longs for the same adventure, as well as for Adam himself. She'll follow him just about anywhere -even to the remote wilds of Scotland-if it pushes the pair to surrender to their shared attraction.

But when a storm strikes and strands them unexpectedly, Adam and Nicola find themselves at the mercy of the eccentric owner of the infamous house, Eileen, as well as her brooding groundskeeper, Finley.

Trapped by the weather, and bound by ancient faery magic, Nicola and Adam get more than they bargained for as they become entangled in Eileen and Finley's world of mind games, deceit and forbidden desire. As ancestral sins are unearthed, Adam and Nicola will have to reckon with the spell Eileen and Finley have cast over them - and whether or not they even want to be free.

It’s not my favourite of Gibson’s novels, but it was such a fun read and I enjoyed myself.

Even though I’ve loved Gibson’s novels, there’s always something a little missing from the novels in terms of depth and I had the same with ‘Savage Blooms’. It’s a slow burn with the romance, and the characterisation and the fae mythology are a tad underdeveloped, but once they kick in and the pace picks up, it’s a lot of fun.

With the reference to Sierra Simone, I think I mistakenly expected everything to have the same complexity and weight in ‘Savage Blooms’ as it did in the ‘Thornchapel’ series. I couldn’t help but compare the two and it ended up causing a bit of a lacking.

I just wanted more. The smut was fun and I liked that it was part of the novel, but the lack of character growth and connection between the group made it less exciting than it could have been. It was one of the things that was the big sell for the novel, but it fell flat without the foundation underneath it. It was the same with the mythology. I love the traditional folklore around the fae, but it just scratched the surface.

I enjoyed ‘Savage Blooms’ for what it was, but I wanted more from it and as it’s book one in the ‘Unearthly Delights’ series, I’m hoping the sequel will deliver on a little more of everything.

You can listen to the full episode about ‘Savage Blooms’ on our Substack!