Free from Benoit, the man who made him a shifter, twenty-two-year old Jacks tries to get on his own two feet while crashing with Farzan, the only person who knows about his werecat nature. It will take a grueling schedule of off-the-books jobs and a steady mantra of self-control.
Then a raid on a bodega pushes Jacks to transform into his mountain lion self to fend off a group of gun-wielding gangbangers.
Jacks scrambles to disguise the truth, but the incident leaves a thundering wake of questions. The police want to know what really happened to a freaked-out young thug in custody. Farzan, who has been crushing hard on Jacks since they met, begins to doubt that it’s safe to have Jacks living with him. Jacks wants to know where he belongs: with the man who took him in when no one else would or among his own kind. As he searches for answers, Jacks is confronted by a secret shifter society The Glaring. They have come to avenge the death of Jacks’ maker and to claim a powerful item that Benoit left behind.
Jacks adjusts to the changes in his life in this installment of the series, made more difficult by juggling three jobs and dealing with the police who are suspicious of the big cat sightings. We also learn about the consequences of Jacks killing Benoit, with hunters from The Gathering planning to provide justice by killing Jacks. Side note: as a cat lover, I was a little creeped out by the role domestic cats played in this world.
After the introduction of the first book, I expected more character development in this one. The storyline still kept my interest, but I didn't like Jack as much in this book, and that made it difficult to connect with him. His character was stiff, awkward, and making some bad choices.
My problem was I wanted a romance, and this...wasn't. I wanted to see growing feelings and a developing relationship. I liked Farzan and I wanted to see him with someone who loved him without reservation. Jacks' feelings seemed more lukewarm.
There were a couple scenes with the two friends getting intimate, but even though we were told of Jacks' attraction, I didn't feel it, especially in the second scene, which fell flat for me and mostly happened off page. What we did get had too much telling and felt awkward. There were also some phrases in both scenes that made my face do weird things. And then...they were in love.
???? More weird things happening to my face.
I think it works best to read this as a non-romance story. The author has created an intriguing world, and if I focus on the shifter story, I'm much happier. It did feel like this book was mostly a bridge to the next one, though, and not a complete story on it's own. I almost didn't want to rate it on its own, but decided to give it 2.5 stars because I'm still fascinated by this world and I want to know more.
Note: A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
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