Review: Love Bites by D. River

    Ryder has been friends with Tucker since they were in the first grade. They grew up together, they joined the Marines together and they moved to the vast metropolis of New York City together. Nothing could tear them apart.
    Or so they believed. When they get bitten by a mysterious creature, they find themselves drawn together in a whole new way that is both exciting and terrifying. Neither of them is prepared to face the feelings they now have or what that could mean for their future.
    This is the story of their quest for a cure, which takes them through such locales as Little Avalon, the Wild Wood and the haunted ruins of Old Syracuse. Together they must face down dangers and challenges even as they grapple with the life-shift of now being mated werewolves.
    Join Ryder and Tucker for a fun, romantic adventure set in an Earth much like our own, but where magic and magical creatures are as much a part of the world as science and technology.

Friends to lovers - tick

Shifters - tick

Bad v good - tick

Fabulously enjoyable story - tick

Sizzling hot sex - TICK

Tick, tick, tick. It's fair to say this book worked for me. It really worked for me. I have a confession, I'm a bit of a Teen Wolf fangirl, so most of my shifter reading has been of the TW fanverse variety, and this means sometimes I find it harder to get into other shifter fics. I know the rules and characters in TW world and want to apply them to other shifter fics. That was not the case here though.

In fact, I adored the world D. River created - the magical world alongside the human world. I loved the fact that humans knew about this world, although the two often only met in places. Little Avalon - it reminded me a bit of Diagon Alley and I would love to spend more time there.  Magical, mystical, never sure who or what was around the corner or behind the next door. The Wild Wood too, a place where humans don't venture, full of creatures not of the earthly realm.

Ryder and Tucker are best friends and have been since childhood. Tucker has had a difficult life and Ryder is the person who understands him best, the only one he lets close. He's a love 'em and leave 'em type; he lets the girls in only so far. Ryder is more serious in his relationships, but hasn't found the right girl for him yet.

When they are attacked one evening by a creature they can't properly identify (it couldn't be a werewolf because werewolves were extinct)... except, later that night, Ryder finds himself running through one of the city parks, shifted into a wolf form and doing his best to fight the killing instinct that has him in its thrall. Werewolves were created by Native Americans to protect the land from the intruding white men, but somehow things had gone wrong and instead of just  protecting Mother Earth they savaged those who were ruining her. 

Luckily for Ryder he caught whiff of his alpha, his mate, and the night became a chase between the two of them. The thrill of the dominant alpha hunting his submissive mate. Ryder wouldn't make it too easy for his alpha though, that would be disrespectful. What follows was so freaking hot my Kindle nearly flew a fire (as they say here on Norfolk).

Of course, the alpha mate was Tucker.

The story that followed was of their quest to try and rid themselves of the curse - of being werewolves. They would be hunted and unable to go back to their lives, were it known what had happened to them. At the same time though they had to learn to be more than friends. Their wolves recognised the love and attraction to each other, but as two men who had yet to consider a physical relationship - sex - with anyone of the same gender the fact they wanted to jump each others bones took some getting used to.

It was more than sex. It was protection and loving and friendship and dominant and submissive and leader and so, so much more than just sex. BUT the sex was so fucking hot. I mean, I can take or leave nooky in a book, but I adored it here. I really, really did. It was also pretty funny as well. 

"Strange as it was for sex not to be about the destination, he felt okay with not getting to come. The sensations he was experiencing were like a maelstrom of tiny climaxes and he was so content he didn't feel the need to shoot. At least, for now it was okay. In a moment he would probably masturbate like a teen boy with his first porn magazine." 

I don't always highlight when I read, but I did in this book and all of them were sex scenes. My notes were things like first time, hilarious. The rest of the story was good too though, promise.

The only reason I didn't give it five stars was - for me - it felt occasionally YA in tone, when it really isn't a YA story. A really enjoyable start to a series. Book 2 review soon.  

A copy of this book was given on exchange for an honest review.

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