The Sleet Kitten is a Fun, Well Written Romance with Just Enough Heat to Get Your Blood Pumping
The Story:
Sleet Kitten is a straight-up sweet-as-pie romance with just a touch of heat.
This was my first story by S.J. Tilly, and above everything else, the strength of Sleet Kitten is the chemistry between the main characters. Katelyn, in particular, jumps off the page with her funny banter with Jackson, the main male character (MMC).
Their relationship advances with several delightful interactions between the couple, where the heat gradually gets turned up. These interactions are helped by a supporting cast of strong and delightful women who are pulling for Katelyn and Jackson to make it as a couple.
Across the story, I had several “ahh, isn’t that sweet” moments as the author did a nice job of placing the couple in situations where their interest in one another could be pushed forward in ways that weren’t overdone. The one exception was the final scene at the end, which I found more than a bit cringe.
There were a couple of things about the story that prevented me from loving it. First, there was something I didn’t like about the MMC calling the FMC “Kitten” all of the time. I’m not sure if it was a misapplied alpha thing or just a sappy nickname, but by the fiftieth time it was used, I was like, “Enough already – she has a fucking name!” The MMC also suffers from a bit too much mom-worship. I understand that was done to build up his sweetness with the readers, but for me, it was another turn-off.
And then there was the late entry of the Other Woman. This time, it was an old flame, and my sense is that the author was going for a Fatal Attraction kind of thing (just less psycho), but because it was late and overplayed, it does a disservice to the story.
The Hotness:
Amount of Sex: 2/10. There are two, maybe three sex scenes, and these come well into the second half of the book. In this respect, Sleet Kitten is very much a romance novel with some erotica thrown in, not the other way around.
Spiciness Factor: 3/10. In the few sex scenes that take place, there’s a decent amount of detail, and in no way does the author try to get away from the fact the characters are doing the deed. IMHO, their first encounter, which takes place in a semi-public place where there’s no full-on fucking is the hottest moment of the book by far. But on the whole, the heat in this story is few and far between, and when it does happen, it’s of the vanilla variety. Meaning: no c-words, dirty talk is minimal, everything is wrapped and clean, and whatever dominance there is, is superficial.
Kink Factor: 0/10. Kink isn’t what Sleet Kitten is about, so while I give it a zero, it doesn’t impact my overall hotness rating. Only if a story brings a particular kink factor into play does this score get incorporated.
Overall Hotness: Sleet Kitten has just enough heat to make it worth the time of erotic story readers who are as interested in story and relationships as much as they are about what happens when the characters get hot and bothered.
As a final score, I give Sleet Kitten a 3 (Toasty) out of 10 on my Scale of Erotic Hotness.
Final Thoughts:
Sleet Kitten is a fun romance story that has just enough heat to make it worth the time of most erotica enthusiasts. The strength of the story is the main female character, Katelyn. She is charming, and by the end of the first chapter, you’re rooting for her to find love.
But if you enjoy a romance with a good amount of heat, chances are that you’ll find Sleet Kitten falls well short. Beyond being a vanilla romp, the story also suffers from an MMC who was too much of a momma’s boy and a late-entry villain who seemed contrived.
As an erotic first reader, I give Sleet Kitten a 3 out of 5 stars.
