Harris has been keeping a big secret for years—his unrequited mate bond with his best friend, Jackson. He’s convinced himself that having Jackson in his life is enough. That, and his work at Camp H.O.W.L., keeps him going.
Things get complicated when Jackson applies for a high-ranking Tribunal job in New York City—far from Camp H.O.W.L. The position requires he relinquish all Pack bonds… and that’s when his wolf decides to choose a mate. Suddenly Jackson sees his best friend in a sizzling new light.
Their chemistry is through the roof, but they're setting themselves up for broken hearts—and broken bonds—if Jackson can't figure out a way to balance his career and the love that’s just been waiting for him to take notice.
From my review of Under a Blue Moon: “I am really hoping there is another book because there are strong hints throughout with Harris and Jackson that need to be explored long after that flirting at the hospital. I mean, right? There’s more???? Please?”
*fist pump*
I have been waiting for Harris to get his mate and this book did not disappoint. We’ve met both Harris and Jackson from previous books in this series. Harris was Tate’s friend and fellow counselor at Camp Howl in the first book and we meet Jackson in book two as Drew’s stepbrother. What we also learn about Jackson and Harris in book two is there is way more than bro feeling’s between them. Harris acknowledges the crush he has on Jackson and Jackson just doesn’t know Harris is more than his best friend yet. It will take a literally getting some sense knocked into Jackson for him to figure it all out but it’s worth it.
His mate had been hiding in plain sight for all of their adult lives…I love romances where our couple has known one another and been friends for years. There is a different intimacy of between friends that lends to a romance and Harris and Jackson’s history give this romance a bittersweet feels all while including some angst and serious UST.
As in the previous books, we get dual POV’s with this one and it’s always something I am thankful for. We already know that Harris knows Jackson is his mate and that he will stay in the friend zone forever if it means keeping Jackson around. What was great was to learn this isn’t all one sided and Jackson has been crushing on his best friend for years too, he just hasn’t felt the mating call, or at least he never checked the caller ID for identification. Even in Drew’s book, Harris and Jackson couldn’t stop being affections and flirty with one another…
Besides, someday his stepbrother Jackson was going to get his head out of his ass and realize he had feelings for Harris, […]Oh, this book. There is a decent amount of angst happening with both Harris and Jackson. I can’t begin to tell you how much I hurt for Harris when we would deny himself everything he wanted as a man and wolf with Jackson. That sort of unrequited love kills me and yet I eat it with a spoon. When Jackson finally gets that Harris is his mate, a whole new level of angst arrives and these two just made me want to lock them in a room until they figure it out. Talk about self-control and denial, these two have it in spades and all that UST they were building was blinding. I was sitting on my hands waiting for them to give in and yet I was scared for both of them being hurt by doing so.
You see, Jackson is on a career path of moving up the ranks from a district enforcer to tribunal enforcer that will lead to him following in his father’s footsteps to be the second of a pack. It’s all he’s ever wanted but the pull of a mate is more than he bargained for and with that mate being Harris, Jackson becomes one hell of a mess. He can’t work, people around him notice his mood swings and it hurt to read how much his wolf was pining and crying for Harris. But, I do get why he hesitated for so long, why he denied what fate had determined with Harris. Following your heart and not your head isn’t always easy but it could leave you to everything you’ve always wanted.
“Everybody knows you two are one smoldering look away from boning. The UST was actually painful while he was here a few weeks ago.”Harris just about broke my heart at least a dozen times reading this. You can feel how much he wants Jackson as his mate but the self-denial was intense as self-flagellation. When Jackson offers Harris a “deal”…ugh. I know Harris will always take what he can when it comes to Jackson, but I was worried for them both. I am just happy they decided to give it a shot and even though Harris acted hastily before Jackson had a chance to tell him what’s up, it gave us some great scenes with them.
I loved getting bits of Tate and Adrian again and of course being set in Camp H.O.W.L and Jackson being brothers with Drew, we get more of Drew and Nick. While Jordan didn’t sit well with me in Drew’s book, he grew on me here and I hope he will finally settle down. Also, the introduction of new supernatural beings to this world was welcomed and I am curious if the author will continue on with that storyline?
I loved every bit of this book. Of course being a hopeless romantic the romance comes first but I loved how Harris and Jackson are friends and lovers. How they can talk about what they want even if they dance around the issue at first and what their first argument was about. I love that these men understand how important career is to both of them but how they can’t deny the mating bond that is happening.
Looking back, it was kind of an odd thing to love about a friend. Maybe he’d known Harris was his mate all along, but his brain hadn’t been ready to process it.I’m sad that this is the last in the Camp H.O.W.L series but it’s ending on a positive note. I like where the book left Harris and Jackson; what they are both doing with their mate and their careers. The authors note at the end made me excited and I can’t wait for the new series and more shifters!
An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.
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