Thank you netgally for the arc in exchange for my honest review. ♡

Pub date: 31st march 2024

Susanna is a 19 year old wolf who is unable to shift. She's stuck halfway, her being in human form but with claws, wolf ears, and a tail. This makes her time at Volmasque Academy much harder. Being a wolf means she's naturally dominated by the vampires. They come, and they go as they please to feed on wolves, among other things. Even her lessons revolve around wolves being submissive. Until the head master, Arken, stumbles across her room and has his way with her. Her time at the academy isn't quite the same after.

I really struggled with this. I did enjoy the story. I liked the plot and the point of it all. It was just unecessarily long. A lot of thoughts were reiterated, and one chapter would be her pov. Then the next was his pov, but the first half was what just happened but from his perspective. I was good seeing each other but just became monotonous reading the same thing twice. This seemed to stop about halfway through.

It ended on a cliffhanger, but I don't think I'll be reading the second. I may in time, but I won't be running for the next when it comes out.

This is a dom/sub, forced proximity, age gap, vamp/wolf, school romance. There are heavy scenes, but the main one is highlighted at the start to warn of its content, and it summarised at the end so you don't have to read it.

🖤

"May I correct you, professor, since it will be my demonstration... but I believe she is my Susanna."

"Play your cards right, and I do believe he would raze the Capital and watch it burn for you."

I recently decided to challenge myself to get out of my fiction reading slump and get inspired by all the bookstagram books that I keep getting recommended. So when I saw Plug and Drain was available to review I decided why not. Warning, this book contain very spicy material (and thus this review will as well). A full list of tropes and trigger warning is on the Goodreads page.

Plug and Drain is a very erotic paranormal fantasy book set in a place very different to our own. Vampires are the ruling class while wolf shifters (werwolves that are not reliant on the moon to shift) and treated basically as sex slaves for the vampires. We are set in Volmasque Academy where once these vampires and wolf shifters turn 18, go to learn to be good pets for the wolf shifters and honestly it was not really explained what the vampires went to this academy for. Here in lies a big problem that I found with this book. Things never felt fully explained.

First of all, we just jump right into this book, letting you know exactly what you are getting yourself in for. While I think I understand Fayton’s idea behind the start of this book being so sexual and nasty (it is because this world is very sexual and nasty. Vampires regularly have sex with the wolf shifters whenever, wherever and however they want), it is honestly just came across as forced. I supposed that is kind of the purpose though since all the wolf shifters are forced to be ‘of service’ to the vampires however they want.

I wish I could tell you more about what this book is about since I swear that every chapter has characters having sex or being forced to have sex in it. That literally is the main focus of this book. Whatever world building and character development happens whenever sex is happening. And the sex is very very descriptive. Now if that is the type of book that you want to read then great I image the other books set in this world would be perfect for you. Personally I like the sexy time to be a side course to story, not the only thing that matters, not that I would call half of what was happening remotely sexy.

The writing style was very good and drew me into wanting to keep reading, which is not something that I have felt from a book in a long time. Unfortunately, while a writing style that I enjoy does not make up for the lack of plot and background that I personally enjoy from my books. While this is a prequel to Fayton’s other Duology, Plug and Claim, it is advertised as a standalone story but I do feel like I would have understood this world better if I had read the other books. Several characters and references which I checked out afterwards were about the previous books but were not fitted into here very well for me who has no prior knowledge of this world.

While I enjoyed it while reading, I cannot say after the fact that I did enjoy it and am not interested in how the second book in this Duology will go.

Thank you NetGalley for gifting me this eArc in exchange for an open and honest review.

This wasn’t really the story for me. Very istalove, which is not my vibe. It wasn’t quite as dramatic as some others, because a lot happens in such a short amount of time, but it still happened fast.

It does get dark. Explicit on page TW so be sure to check authors TW list. I think it was handled well enough, given the circumstances. Does show symptoms of ptsd later in the story which gives it more believability for the character.

There is a lot of smut. A lot. I’m not opposed to smut but it was a lot.

The story was good. I liked the characters. It wasn’t a bad story by any means, just not one for me personally.

2ish stars?
I got this one off netgalley and it is something outside of my normal reads or usual comfort zone so take that into account from the review.
This is an erotica but there is a decent storyline underneath it as well. Susie is a wolf shifter student who cannot shift but who stands up for others and has a dominant streak. Arken is the headmaster of the school and a vampire who has been rather broken by the Vampire King. There's the whole taboo teacher student vibe but it helps that they are both adults.
I liked the idea of the world with the vampires in charge, the witches murdered and the wolves as "pets" but I would like more explanation to how it all got there. The way things were set up in the school, while terrible, for the wolves in particular, was still pretty well done.
The biggest issue I had was the rape scene somewhere over halfway into the book. It was way longer than necessary and more detailed and awful then I want to read about. I knew there were rape scenes and dubious consent but having that scene go on and on was just not for me and really took enjoyment away from the book. Prior to this I was sitting at closer to a 3.5 star rating. I get that it is there to show how helpless they all are but still. The book also stops in an odd and disjointed spot, kind of mid scene. If the author wanted a cliffhanger there was a better pausing point a page or two earlier.
There's some grammatical errors and spelling errors in the latter part of the book that didn't appear to be present in the first half. Not enough to be a huge issue but enough that it was noticeable.
Still if you are looking for an erotica with some good sex scenes and an interesting enough storyline this wasn't bad. Just beware of the triggers

DNF at 28%, I quite liked the world of the academy where werewolves are the bottom tier and being fed on by vampires, I thought that was interesting and didn't mind the darker nature of this book. However, I couldn't get into the heroine and her martyrdom, the woe is me mentality. While the writing style of the story didn't resonate with me, I can see some readers may appreciate the uniqueness of a heroine who is fierce despite her circumstances.

In a world ruled by a Tyrant Vampire King, the Wolf Shifters have been forced to become subservient to Vampires and treated as pets.

We meet our FMC Susie at the Volmasque Academy, where she is currently a second-year shifter who under the hierarchy of Vampires in the school has become used to the demands of Vampire when it comes to feedings. Nonetheless, Susie is still one to stand up for her fellow student and advocates for equality and better treat of the wolf shifters in the school.

One night she meets the Headmaster Arken , a sweet but vampire with his own trauma, who has come to her room for feeding and pleasure. This is her first experience of kindness from a vampire and finding her own pleasure, changing her views on this Vampire and what the school could be.

Their relationship progresses, and Susie really expands Arken views of all the evils at his school and he tries to make himself worthy of her. Sadly Arkens past being the Cruel Vampire King's unwilling puppet comes back to haunt them both.

This book is the first in a duology and ends on a cliffhanger. There are dark themes in this book and please read the trigger warnings before proceeding.

dark romance/fantasy,and very spicy , so if you love your romance books to have lots of spice init , as well as dark romance then this might just be up your alley.

This is just amazing. I could not put it down. The play on the taboo - the spice - it gives you everything you need and so much more. Yes check for trigger warnings but my goodness if you can look past them it is good.

Unfortunately this wasn't for me. I found it lacking in plot and the content was really not for me. It might be worth giving a go if you enjoy dark romance, but please do make sure to comprehensively review trigger warnings first.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

I have read from this author before so I knew I liked their style. This one had an interesting plot and I am curious to read further!

I think after reading this book I've decided that the subject matter is really not my cup of tea. There is a story, and the writing style works to draw the reader in, it just isn't for me. It will be for someone though and I'm sure they will really enjoy it.

Actual Rating: 3.5/5

Susie is a wolf, but not just any wolf, a wolf that can't shift. In a school where vampires are superior and use wolves as feed, life is dangerous as a female wolf. Where sexual dominance is an actual class, teaching how a vampire can 'break' or 'train' a wolf to be submissive, Susie knows exactly what to expect when feeding night comes. When the headmaster decides to visit Susie's friend who was abused recently by a pack of wolves, Susie steps in and invites him over to feed from her instead - little did she know what path that was about to set her on.

Susie is a very brash and often stupidly brave, but she is surprisingly likable. I can't wait to see more from her and how she grows in the next book. Seeing the relationship evolve between Arken and Susie was nice, and I really enjoyed the pack friends as well. I am hoping for more from the Witches, as they are the most interesting to me right now as this was actually fairly rushed for a read that took place over months. I did also learn that there is another duology in the series, but as this is a prequel series, I will be leaving that for now. Plug and Drain is incredibly heavy on the spice, making up quite a large chunk of the book. There is also detailed on page SA, so if this is concerning for you - you might want to give this one a miss.

Thank you to NetGalley, BooksGoSocial and Darcy Fayton for an advanced copy for review. Plug and Drain is available now.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC
This isn’t a book I would typically pick up! But I was so glad I got the opportunity to read this eARC! Definitely a dark romance/fantasy. Liked that there was an option to skip over the very dark part!
Spice level-🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Rating-⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a fun steamy ride! For lovers of Zodiac Academy, Ali Hazelwood's BRIDE, and omegaverse paranormal romances, this one is for you!

The book is heavy go in knowing that. With that being said the spice is good and knows what it is doing. This is the first book I read and I will definitely read more. With that being said I am excited to read more. I love the dark romance and headmaster and student relationship. Over all great book! If you LOVE spice and Dark romance...... READ THE BOOK

I am very grateful to have received an eARC for this through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My overall summary is that I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it is an entertaining and spicy exploration of a relationship between a vampire Headmaster and a wolf-shifter student who is trying to advocate for equality between vampire and wolf-shifter students. Now, it is VERY important that readers take caution when considering this book and check any trigger warnings. This book is a dark romance including violence and detailed description of complex topics that not all readers may be comfortable with.

4/5 ⭐️ Great introduction Susie and Arkens story, the very ending cliff hanger caught me off guard a little, but I will definitely be reading the next book to find out how it is handled.

4.5/5 🌶️ Very spicy, multiple dark scenes, make sure to check trigger warnings as author has noted noncon is a major theme explored through the book.

The overall plot focusses on Susie who is a wolf-shifter student at Volmasque Academy looking to make a difference to make life better for all, but especially the weaker wolf-shifters who are consistently abused. After a series of incidents, she grabs the attention of the Headmaster Arken, who not only is intrigued by her attempts to propose reform for the school, but also the truths that she drops on him. Her boldness forces him to look inward on himself and his actions, as he considers how to move forward with his mistakes.

Plug and Drain was an interesting first book in the duology focused on Susie and Arken, which is considered a prequel to the Plug and Claim duology. I read Plug and Claim first, which is the first of the duology focused on Nathaniel and Kira. I think I would read them in the order I did, as I think Plug and Claim gave a slower introduction and more context for some of the behaviors of the academy students and teachers, and other academy quirks. Whereas in contrast the beginning of Plug and Drain is more intense and immediately immersed in the complex environment of the Academy.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, it expanded on Susie’s character who I loved since reading about how she cared for Kira in Plug and Claim. But gave surprising depth with Arken’s character, who took the time to review his actions and navigate the difficult position he is in. This is a very spicy book, that focusses on the exploration of Susie’s goal of bringing more equality and choice to the lives of wolf-shifters and Arken’s exploration about himself and his inaction. If you liked Plug and Claim I think you will like this duology as well. My personal opinion is to read this after Plug and Claim, however the Plug and Drain duology is considered a prequel, so the choice is yours. Finally, a last reminder that it is VERY important that readers take caution when considering this book and check any trigger warnings.

So even though I have read dark romance before, this story was something that took be aback a little bit. It’s heavily doused with spicy scenes, right from the very beginning, and they were done well because they didn’t really feel rushed. I would have been okay with the one SA scene; since there is plenty of warning about it and a summary for those wanting to skip said chapter, however that was not the only time this was referenced. I felt like a plot was attempted to be introduced but failed to carry any weight in the story, it always just came back to a very similar non-consensual sex scenes and the characters were back to square one. The story revolves around Susie, were-wolf student, and Arken, the vampire headmaster of the academy. Vampires need to feed on werewolves and they aren’t supposed to refuse them. I think the noncon/dubcon aspect could have been done better than the pet element that was introduced, it just felt very contradictory to both main characters’ goals. The whole conflict with the King & the professor could have been developed better because it just felt it was kind of sprung on the reader. The world-building was barely there and I felt like that added to how uneven the story pace felt. All in all this is a good read if you like dark-romance and stronger spicy reads, but the plot was a miss for me, so you will be probably will be reading this for its themes. Thank you for NetGalley for my Advance Reader Copy in exchange for this review!

Tropes:
- Age gap
- Forbidden romance
- Spicy
- Morally Grey MMC
- Strong FMC
- Slow burn
- Paranormal
- Dark Romance
- New Adult
- Teacher/Student

Let me start of by saying that I would consider this a “dark romance” because of a lot of the content (PLEASE check trigger warnings!!!) and the book starts off immediately with the non-con and dub-con. It was jarring to say the least.

That being said…this book was basically just sex repeatedly throughout the book with VERY little plot. There was an attempt at a plot but truthfully it just did not pan out how I’d expect something like this to end.

If you are into non-con/dub-con, student/teacher, bdsm type romance books then you will most likely enjoy this! I really didn’t think it would be this heavy on those topics or I honestly don’t think I would’ve read it. It just was not for me.

Thank you NegGalley for the early copy!!

Okay I went into this thinking it wasn’t going to be good and I was pleasantly surprised! I’ve been in quite the reading slump and I saw this arc and was like sure why not. Read it and was INSTANTLY hooked! It held my attention and I couldn’t put this book down. Short chapters. Spice very early on. Delicious spicy scenes 🤭

My one critique would be the constant talk of the SA. That just isn’t my vibe.

Tropes:
paranormal romance
age gap
Student x headmaster
Good girl
Praise

Please check trigger warnings! It is a dark romance

Overal rating: 3.75 maybe 4
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️