The Worst Free Kindle Unlimited Books
Hello everyone! A few weeks ago I wrote a blog post about the Best Free Kindle Unlimited Books. It had such a wonderful reception that was more than anything I could have imagined. So thank you to everyone who read it.
Since publishing my initial blog post about Kindle Unlimited recs, I've read many more kindle unlimited books, some good and some bad. It got me thinking about making another post on the topic of kindle unlimited, but I'd, unfortunately, hit a patch of misses. Then I decided that it would be the perfect time to talk about some not-so-great kindle unlimited books that I recommend people stay far away from.
For some background, Kindle Unlimited can be a great program as a whole. It includes a wide range of ebooks for a flat rate of $9.99 a month - an awesome deal if you read multiple ebooks a month. I find it to be perfect for my romance binges and when I'm looking for indie titles - of which there are many great ones. There are just also some bad apples in the mix as with any platform.
Disclaimer: This blog post will contain affiliate and referral links. I may earn a small commission to feed my book hoarding tendencies if you use these links to make a purchase. This in no way impacts my opinions of the books listed - they are all my own.
1. Beauty's Beast by Lee Savino and Stasia Black
I have talked about Beauty's Beast a bit in a mini-review post, here. The book is a retelling of the beloved classic Beauty and The Beast with none of the redeeming qualities. It quickly became one of the worst Kindle Unlimited books I've ever read - no exaggeration.
While I've sporadically loved books by both Lee Savino and Stasia Black, both together and separate, Beauty's Beast missed the mark. I do appreciate a dark romance but Beauty's Beast felt downright abusive and objectifying in the way the controlling man approaches his "love" interest. There were no qualities about the relationship that saved it for me.
Not only is the main relationship you're supposed to somehow be excited about abusive, but it's also full of plenty of triggering elements. The most prominent ones to me were rape and abuse, as mentioned above. The emphasis on the purity of the heroine was downright creepy and I won't even discuss the lengths the author goes to prove this to the controlling man.
To sum it up, it's a no from me.
(Trigger Warnings: Rape, Abuse, Controlling Men, Sexism)
Description: “I’m going to teach you, sweetness. How to give yourself fully to me.”
Her chest rises and falls rapidly. But her gaze doesn’t leave mine. “I don’t know if I can do that.”
“You don’t have to do a thing.” I can’t stop myself from reaching out and touching her hair. My hand is huge by her face. I grip one of her damp locks, swallowing it in my fist. “Just let go and be mine.”
She'll pay her family's debt one way or another...
Years ago Daphne's father stole from me and it’s time for my revenge.
I’ll steal her away to my modern castle. Lock her in my tower.
Make her mine in every way.
She's Beauty, and I'm the Beast.
2. Becoming His by Albany Walker
When I started Becoming His by Albany Walker I was hesitantly optimistic. It fell into the werewolf mate category which as a genre is very hit or miss, but this one sounded good enough. I mean how bad could it be? The answer: very bad.
Becoming His had a promising premise but the execution left something to be desired. It masqueraded the foul behavior of the male love interest as a rose, and we as the reader are meant to accept it and then proceed to fawn over his mediocreness. There were plenty of sexist undertones, a baffling amount even for a genre filled with this behavior.
The werewolf element was also just really weird. There was quite a bit of downright strange pack dynamics. I get it's a different world but it was a little much even for me. This is where the triggers come in with one I mentioned in my original review: Unusual Sexual Scenes (idk how to classify this one)
(Trigger Warnings: Stalking, Unusual Sexual Scenes (idk how to classify this one), Murder)
Description: Sophia Briar is a lone wolf. On her own since her parents died at age fourteen, Sophia isn’t used to being around other shifters. In fact, the one time she did run into a pack, she met her mate – and he rebuffed her. Sophia’s fended for herself all these years, and now, in Michigan, she’s desperate to create a new life for herself. The only problem? It seems her mate has found her, and this time, he isn’t letting her go.
Mason Black is the Alpha wolf of the Northern Territories. As an Alpha, he’s accustomed to getting everything he wants – until Sophia. Walking away from his mate when she was just a teenager nearly destroyed him. Now that she’s back, he’ll do everything in his power to possess her. To own her. To make her his Luna.
The one thing Mason doesn’t count on - Sophia is an Alpha in her own right. A unique species all her own, she’s never bowed down to anyone – and doesn’t intend on starting. Not when Mason left her heartbroken. Not when he doesn’t quite know how to treat her as his mate, and not one of his pack. And especially not when he refuses to see the truth behind the conniving, lint-licking, wanna-be Luna, Roxanne.
Can Sophia and Mason work through their issues, or will they be the first mates on record to give up on each other?
3. Down & Dirty: Zak (Dirty Angels Book 1) by Jeanne St. James
Down & Dirty by Jeanne St. James was so bad, I dnfd it partway through and couldn't justify writing an actual review for the mess. I'm sure the intention behind this book was fine but it missed on practically every level. The premise seemed innocent enough and the reviews were overwhelmingly good, so maybe I was the problem, but this book didn't work for me.
The book was excessively lewd which I don't mind to an extent in romance but it got to the point of cringe in my opinion. The storyline was stilted and awkward in practically all of the encounters. The characters' thought processes give you whiplash when they go from complete fear of each other to lust then back again. I couldn't wrap my head around it.
The description was interesting but that was the best thing about the book. It all went downhill from there. The writing is as unappealing as it is juvenile. I found no redeeming qualities about it even by my somewhat relaxed standards for romances.
Description: Welcome to Shadow Valley where the Dirty Angels MC rule. Get ready to get Down & Dirty because this is Zak’s story…
After spending the last ten years in prison, Zak, former DAMC president, has a few priorities: to reconnect with his “brothers,” to get drunk, and to get laid. Not necessarily in that order. When he spots a stunning woman in the clubhouse and mistakes her for one of the club’s strippers, those priorities get a bit skewed.
Sophie has no idea what happened to her life. One minute she’s totally focused on building her bakery business, and the next? She’s delivering a cake to the Dirty Angels motorcycle club’s “homecoming” celebration for a member who just got out of prison. Little does she know baking that cake will change the rest of her life, not to mention, make her a target for a rival MC. Normally, Sophie wouldn’t be caught dead with a man like Zak, a tattooed, ex-con, badassed biker.
When a decades old territory war threatens to rip them apart, Zak will do anything to keep Sophie, his club, and the town safe. But being from two different worlds, the threat they’re under may not be worth the risk.
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