The Neurospicy After dark archive

A Yeti for Summer by C.L. Mari

Cozy Monster Romance / Paranormal Romance

Publication Date: June 21^st 2026

Tropes:

• Best friend’s brother (but supportive 👀)
• Cinnamon roll monster MMC
• Hurt/comfort & emotional healing
• Forced proximity (cabin + resort vibes)
• Hot spring flirting 🔥
• “He’s big… everywhere” energy

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️

Spice Level: 3/5🌶️ (sweet + spicy, more cozy buildup than nonstop smut)

Content Warnings: past relationship trauma, emotional wounds, mild angst

Quick Summary:

Summer finally accepts a long-delayed invitation to a magical mountain resort, where she meets Borealis, who is her university best friend’s yeti brother. Borealis or “Bor” for short, is massive, guarded, and carrying emotional scars from a past relationship. It starts as awkward proximity, and tension eventually turns into soft touches, hot spring romance, and undeniable chemistry. Their connection deepens; they must decide if love is worth the risk of getting hurt again.

What worked for me:

Borealis is a cinnamon roll MMC, he is peak “growly but gentle.” Massive, hairy, scary exterior but emotionally soft? Yes. Always yes. I wanted to hug him the entire book.

All characters were in their 30’s. Hallelujah and amen to that. It was refreshing to read about and more readily relate too. The emotional depth is more intentional and believable as a result.

I loved John, Summer’s university best friend and Borealis’ brother, he was supportive of the relationship between the two main characters. It was so refreshing to experience maturity and understanding not cliché jealousy and drama that often gets written into this trope.

What didn’t work for me:

The plotline was a bit predictable in the cozy, romance genre and the spice was moderate. I usually read a bit more spice but was content.

I wanted more Lev, maybe there will be a second book? *hint hint*

Why you should read this book:

• Monster romance plus emotional healing equals excellent combination when written like this and by this author, puts you in the feel good vibes
• Borealis is basically a weighted blanket that moves

Final Verdict: Read it, you won’t regret it (unless you want super spicy yeti erotica, that is a different read), its insanely cute and cozy. It will give you that feel good feeling we all desperately need.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review—no sugarcoating, no holding back, questionable grammar and dialogue all mine. All thoughts entirely my own.

***I’ll post a review to Amazon on the day of publication***

Publication Date: June 21^st 2026