BOOK TWO in a GAY WEREWOLF SHIFTER ROMANCE It was supposed to be his dream job, but Dr. Benjamin Connors is trapped: his psychopathic boss is performing nightmarish experiments on the man he loves. He begins to plan for their escape—free in a beautiful future together. But with surveillance everywhere, nothing is what it seems—and Ben doesn’t know whom he can trust. Can Ben battle the sadistic … sadistic guards, the cruel staff, and the harsh Alaskan wilderness to save the one man who has set his heart free? This is the second part in a gay werewolf shifter romance duet with mature themes. 1 – The Hunt2 – The Kill
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This was…difficult for me. With such a short book I generally hope the conflict is simple, the romance is well-founded, and the ending is wrapped up nicely as either an HEA or an HFN because it’s the start of a series. Sadly, this book just didn’t measure up in anything except the romantic conclusion. That’s honestly the only reason it’s a 3 star and not a 2 star book for me.
My biggest issue was the plot regarding Jake. Virtually nothing happened until just about the end of the story and the reveal was a huge letdown. I understand that the answer needed to be simple so it could end by the time the book was over, but I’ll be honest here and just say that it was an incredible disappointment. The movement and flow of the plot was virtually non-existent and what happened to Jake felt like a cop out because the author ran out of time. That whole thing needed a re-write. If this were turned into a novel it could have really grown into what it promised and I would have been much happier.
With Tristan and Lane I felt there was a bit of chemistry and a couple very sweet moments, but nothing that spelled out an intense romance. The PTSD thing was handled poorly, the unnecessary stuff with the separation and the team member and the concerns with the roommate was too much for such a short story, the chemistry was there but the actual romantic growth needed attention. There was really a lot of potential but suffered from no clear path for their relationship to move toward.
The premise was all kinds of interesting, but the carry-through was lacking and the characters were uninspiring. Lane was in his head for so much of the story and felt incredibly juvenile. The liberties taken with military procedures went a bit far, but I would have been willing to overlook that if there were actually some purpose served by the setting rather than it being a consequence of the premise. Overall this story needs a re-write and a critical (in a critique way, not criticism) beta reader to catch the many instances of the story not fulfilling its own brief. I loved the sentiments at the end of the story between Lane and Tristan, their kitchen moment of passion, the roommate, and Tristan’s line about tantrums and an audience. I wish there had been more of a solid story to give those things the support they needed and that the plot was more balanced. There is immense potential here and I’d be absolutely in for a reworked version of the story if it ever came around.
An action-packed paranormal M/M romantic suspense novel with werewolf shifters. You don’t get all the alpha-beta-omega stuff you often see in this genre, which adds to this book’s originality. It’s a great addition to The Hunt, but you don’t need to read the other book first. Lots of steamy M/M sex scenes, but they don’t overpower the plot. I really liked Ben as the main character and I wanted him to rescue his shifter soul mate! And I also really hated the crazy scientist who ran the lab. Recommended! —Misty