Day: July 30, 2015

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Noah’s Reward (Withowe Forest Pack 4): Violet Joicey Cowen

Siren BookStrand 

Blurb: Lion-shifter Noah Anderson is a broken man when he meets his destined mate, wolf-shifter Astley Donovan. Astley himself is still young, so they have years to get to know each other and for Noah to heal before he will be able to claim his mate. Someone has been watching though, who mistakes Astley for their own mate. When he sees his chance, he kidnaps Astley, leaving a devastated Noah behind.

Astley wakes in a strange place where time moves differently and with no sign of the one who brought him there. He has no idea how he will get back to his family or to the man he is growing to love.

Will the mates ever be reunited? And if they are, what will happen? Because in the time Astley has been gone, everything has changed…

Review: This is book #4 of the Withowe Pack series and finally gives us the story of Noah, a lion shifter and his mate, Astley, a wolf shifter. Noah was introduced in the book one as one of the shifters rescued from a group of individuals who experimented and tortured paranormals. He meets Astley, his mate, at the alpha’s house.

At this time, Astley is a mere boy so of course, Noah waits until Astley’s of age for them to live their lives together as mates. Astley’s taken to another dimension by someone who thinks that Astley should be with him.  In this place, time moves a lot faster and Astley of age to finally be with Noah. 

This story took an unexpected but creative and acceptable turn to move Astley’s age along.   As usual, the author took great care in referencing events from previous books. This enables you to be able to keep up with what’s going on with each character from one book to the next. She also did a wonderful job of maintaining order when writing multiple POVs. You never once lose track of what is going on with either character.  What I also enjoy about this series is that this pack is made up different species and live together, love and respect each other as a family.

If you’re a fan of shifters and vampires with a touch of magic thrown in, this series is for you.

Buy Links:

Amazon

Siren BookStrand

Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️

  

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In the Middle of Somewhere by Roan Parrish

Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6622

InTheMiddleOfSomewhereBlurb

DANIEL MULLIGAN is tough, snarky, and tattooed, hiding his self-consciousness behind sarcasm. Daniel has never fit in—not at home with his auto mechanic father and brothers, and not at school where his Ivy League classmates look down on him. Now, Daniel’s relieved to have a job at a small college in Northern Michigan, but, a city boy through and through, when Daniel arrives in Holiday, Michigan, it’s clear that this small town is one more place he just won’t fit in.

REX VALE clings to routine to keep loneliness at bay: honing his large, muscular body until it can handle anything, perfecting his recipes, and making custom furniture. Rex has lived in Holiday for years, but his shyness and imposing size have kept him from connecting with people. Though he loves the quiet and solitude of his little cabin in the woods, Rex can’t help but want someone to share it with.

When Daniel arrives in Holiday, they are smitten with each other, but though the sex is intense and explosive, Rex fears that Daniel will be one more in a long line of people to leave him, and Daniel has learned that letting anyone in could be a fatal weakness. Just as they begin to break down the walls that have been keeping them apart, Daniel is called home to Philadelphia where a secret is revealed that changes the way he understands everything.

Can a scrappy professor, an intense carpenter, and a stray dog make a go of it in their cabin in the woods? Sometimes, you have to go to the middle of nowhere to end up exactly where you want to be.

Review

Daniel moves to rural Michigan from Philadelphia for his first job as an English Professor. There he meets Rex, a wood worker, who both inspires his lust and makes him incredibly nervouse.

Daniel has been a scrappy kid for most of his life – his dad and brothers are not supportive of him, his lifestyle, his education, his sexuality, etc, etc. He’s been burned in the past, but has also never really had a serious relationship.

Rex has loved and lost and is very guarded with his heart. Neither man is very good at speaking their feelings and yet they both feel deeply.

Most of the story is the two coming together only to be separated again by a misunderstanding of one or the other.

Eventually we get a solid HFN that looks very promising.

**

This is written in first person present tense and can be difficult for some authors/readers. I think it’s done very well and after a few pages I didn’t think it felt odd at all.

I really loved the characters. Daniel is hysterical and snarky and insecure and sexy and wonderful. Rex is a simple yet deep (still waters and all that) and the perfect foil for the kinetic energy that is Daniel.

I loved how they came together right away and started building from that. What I didn’t like was the continual waffling. A simple, sincere conversation could have easily eliminated half the angst of this long (maybe too long?) book.

I also didn’t love the ending. After all the torment I really wanted them to end up in a more decisive place. Perhaps this is leading to a book two, but if not, I really wanted more for them. It just felt so wishy washy – and we had put up with a lot of torment for us not to get that glorious satisfaction of a solid HEA.

The side story of Colin, Daniel’s closeted brother, didn’t really lend itself to the story and only served to muddy the waters. Perhaps this is another book to follow, but if not – I’m not sure it was necessary here and definitely distracted from the focus of the book.

All in all I mostly really enjoyed the book, wished it was a bit more tightly edited and wished for a slightly more robust ending.

4 of 5 hearts

4

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Must Love Dogs by K Lynn

Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6669

MustLoveDogsBlurb

Since a mugging a year ago, Ben’s lived with blindness. Despite an art career on hold and a deadbeat boyfriend who left him because of his disability, he’s finally getting his life back on track. Ben is gaining a new sense of independence thanks to his guide dog, Colt.

But Ben’s carefully balanced life is thrown into chaos when veterinarian Dr. Jay Connor hits Colt with his car. While Colt is on the mend and recovering nicely, Ben finds that Jay is not only fond of Colt, but also quite interested in Ben.

However, one overheard conversation might put a stop to their romance before it can grow into something more. Maybe Ben’s destined to go it alone in the dark. Or can Jay help him see there’s still a chance for happily ever after?

Review

Ben was attacked and made blind. His boyfriend left him when it was clear the blindness was permanent. Now he is a painter struggling to find a new outlet for his art. His newly acquired guide dog is bumped into (not really hurt) by Jay’s car when Ben is out one night.

Jay is a veterinarian who falls for Ben and his dog nearly upon first meeting them. He tries very hard to break down the walls Ben has built to protect himself from hurt and is almost “in” when a misunderstanding nearly ruins everything.

**

This is a short, relatively angst-free story of two men falling in love while learning to trust one another. It is fairly low steam, but sweet. The author could do a better job of showing over telling and the “misunderstanding” was a little silly, but overall it was enjoyable.

3.5 of 5 hearts

3.5

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