What if the one thing you wanted most was forbidden?Alpha werewolf King Howler seems to have everything he could want: power, wealth, and his own club where he can act out his dominant fantasies. But the one thing he lacks is his fated mate. Shy loner Emerson has always craved submission, not to another human—to a shifter. Handing over control to anyone could be dangerous, but with a shifter, it … with a shifter, it might be deadly. Yet all his fantasies star a werewolf who can make him beg.
When King and Emerson meet, the bond between them is instinctive and undeniable. King can’t resist the pull he feels toward the younger man, even though giving Emerson what he longs for is risky. Emerson doesn’t care how vulnerable he is. He knows he belongs with King, and he’s willing to do anything to prove it. As longing turns to love, King knows he must find a way to keep Emerson safe, both from his enemies and from himself, because in the end, nothing can stop an alpha from claiming his mate.
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I love this author, and this book was very well written. The premise was good, leader of the wolf shifters finding his human mate and fighting to make life better for everyone while also having a very hot D/s relationship with his mate. I wanted to love this, and I am not really sure why I didn’t. I just never really connected with King, and so I never appreciated the love story the way I normally would. The story contains very hot and sexy moments, lots of action, mostly good versus truly evil, and a strong family dynamic. These are all things I would normally really appreciate, so I think it must have just been my state of mind as I read that caused the problem. I will try a reread in the future and hope that I like the story more. Until then, I still recommend just about anything this author creates. I love her imagination and her talent. This one just didn’t do it for me.
Not your average shifter love story, Emerson and King muddle through finding their path forward together amidst all the conflict and tension between them and between King and the shifter community. I can’t say this was truly effective because quite a few things were lacking, but there were some highlights here. Side characters are a great draw, as is the potential for the world the story is set in and I wish there were enough between King and Emerson to back it all up because there were some awesome bones to build on.
First is the less-than awesome points. The moment of connection between Emerson and King is great, but very soon after that it’s as if the mate connection becomes a burden and something to hide rather than come to grips with and to develop. It gets resolved later, but only after King does what he does and makes decisions on behalf of others. Which leads me to something else that bothered me. I totally get the power exchange and the inherent respect that should exist between D/s couplings and I just didn’t feel King’s commitment to true training. Instead it was more that he was domineering and kinky and more concerned with bending Emerson’s obedience to his will rather than delving into Emerson’s true needs.
That was something else that was a concern. From their first discussion about Emerson’s needs it was clear there was an underlying need in his restlessness and felt bigger than merely being drawn to a possible mate and should have been given its due. Either make it about the mate bond drawing them together so their sexual needs can be met, or resolve the why of why Emerson needs the domination beyond fantasies. There was also something incredibly lacking in the background of both men. We’re given a clear picture of King’s community and business motivations, but beyond that I have no idea who he really is. And even less about Emerson is given. Sure he had a dick of an ex, but that’s the sum total of his background. Because we get so little about these men their D/s dynamic feels more about lust than a lifestyle and their actual connection lacks depth.
On a high note was the world built around them. It was far more compelling than the MC’s unfortunately, but it’s a world that I was pretty drawn into and wonder if there’s a potential for a series to come from it, especially because there are a few characters and possible relationships we’re given a glimpse of and they’re definitely tantalizing. The steam is definitely there despite lacking the punch of a deep connection to ground it. With a great cast to support Emerson and King as well as the story there’s a well of interest to draw on and I do hope for more from this world. I wish the story were more effective, more powerful, but there are some things to enjoy, particularly if we get more in the future.
Excellent story told by a master wordsmith.
Silvia Violet has outdone herself with this awesome tale and I highly recommend it.
Wow!! Emerson and King are so hot!! Their chemistry is off the charts! I couldn’t stop reading this. Add some BDSM in and holy moly! It’s an incredible read. You will not be disappointed. I can’t wait for the next one.
I really enjoyed reading this fascinating MM shifter romance & sincerely hope this is the first book in a new series. I found the story-line & plot quite interesting with a different approach to the shifter/human relationship. The main characters are fairly well-developed with a variety of traits & different sides to their individual personalities. There is good support from the secondary characters.
There is: a dominant but rather solitary alpha werewolf (King) has everything he ever wanted but a submissive fated mate then he meets a bratty young human male (Emerson) & the attractions flare, a conniving lion shifter (Leon), various kinds of shifters, a council, some twists, intrigue, drama, danger, threats, enemies, abduction, conflict, violence, unexpected allies, alliances, heartache, defiance, ultimatums, apologies, domination/submission, BDSM, spanking, punishment, contentment, love, steamy scenes & a wonderful happy ending.