Review: Werecat: The Fugitive by Andrew J. Peters

On the run after killing a Hunter from The Glaring, Jacks travels to the Bahamas with his only clue to what the secret society’s assassin was after: his maker’s key to a safety deposit box at an offshore bank. A thirty-day legal procedure holds Jacks up from uncovering what could be a hidden treasure.

Meanwhile, Jacks meets an alluring ex-pat named Maarten who hosts a nonstop pleasure cruise for disaffected werecats who have no interest in the politics of their kind. With his nerves scratched raw from living on the run, it’s too tempting of an escape for Jacks to turn away. But while he’s cruising the Caribbean and spending his nights in an orgiastic cuddle pile, The Glaring lays siege to New York City in a night of terror. Jacks’ boyfriend Farzan fights for his life and tries to reach Jacks overseas.

 Jacks needs to emerge from a binge of drugs and flesh to defend his boyfriend. But can he give up the chance to be with his own kind for the first time in his life? When the secret in the safety deposit box is revealed, Jacks realizes that it’s up to him to get it before The Glaring uses an arcane magic that could destroy humankind.

Jacks is in Barbados, waiting to get access to Benoit's accounts and safety deposit box. Worried about his lack of funds, missing Farzan, he wanders around, looking for something to do. Meeting up with Maarten, another werecat, leads to an extended party cruise with a group of spoiled werecats while Farzan deals with wild cat attacks back in New York.

Not a good storyline for me, and I was concerned how it would play out, especially when the story sometimes felt manipulated to go a certain way, where the events didn't feel natural, didn't always make sense. Worse for me, though, was how Jacks made up excuses to justify his poor choices. I was irritated with his implausible rationalizations, and angry at how inconsiderate he was being to Farzan, the man he supposedly loved, but who he now questioned if he "liked" him. WTH? Wasn't he worried about Farzan? Didn't he miss him, want to hear his voice? What were his declarations of love all about? Yeah, I was angry. His priorities were messed up and he was being self absorbed and immature.

So why was I still so caught up in this story?!

Because I wanted to know what was going to happen, how things would get resolved. Luckily, we got some action, and progress in the storyline as Jacks and Farzan were reunited. Jacks seemed to finally be getting it and I appreciated his remorse even as I winced at the angst of it.  Unfortunately, even though this story was longer than the first two, it still read as an installment in a series, and not a complete story by itself.  So, good things were happening, but the main problem with The Glaring was still unresolved.  I'm a little frustrated, but also curious how this will all turn out.



Side note:
A few odd word choices were jarring at times, especially when I was caught up in the story. I kept checking the dictionary to see if my understanding of a word was incorrect.

Note: A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Werecat: The Glaring by Andrew J. Peters

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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Review: Werecat: The Rearing by Andrew J. Peters

For Jacks Dowd, a college senior who feels ungrounded from his family and life in general, an alcohol and sex-infused weekend in Montréal sounds like a pretty good escape. His Spring Break binge takes a detour when he meets Benoit, an admiring drifter with startling green eyes. A hook-up turns into a day, two days, and then a full week in Benoit's hostel, making love and scarfing down take-out food. But at the end of the week, Benoit demands that Jacks make an impossible choice: stay with him forever, or go back to college and never see him again. Great set up for a werecat series. Not a romance so far, but an interesting story about a unique world of shifters.
 

An enjoyable introduction to a werecat series. Not a romance so far, but an interesting story about a unique world of shifters.

I liked the writing style, it was wonderfully descriptive without burying the reader in adjectives or unending metaphors. There was also a strong sense of place, sometimes making me feel almost uncomfortable, it felt so real, so dark, but I appreciated that the story wasn't prettied up.

The characters weren't prettied up, either. Benoit embraced the traits that came from his panther, lacking remorse for his actions. Jacks felt the pull of similar traits from his mountain lion, and his reactions added a nice layer to his characterization.

There was an interesting dichotomy of Benoit not being good for Jacks, but Jacks still liking it, that created some nice tension. That dynamic also led to more uncomfortable feelings on my part, with me wanting to yell at Jacks, "Run! Get out!"

His possessiveness confused Jacks. It was sometimes terrifying, but he had never felt so important to anyone.

He felt hollow and small from Benoit's forceful and fleeting affection, but he couldn't deny that he wanted more.

Definitely a complex relationship between Jacks and the man who turned him. Not a romance, but plenty of emotions. And no HEA here, although the ending left open the possibility of something happening with a friend. I'm looking forward to reading more.

Side notes:
I'm not a fan of using more than one or two flashbacks...it's disorienting to keep going back and forth in time. I'd be all caught up in what was happening and I'd get yanked out to visit the past, or back to present day. I did like getting the back story, though.

The story ended up not being as dark as I expected. It was more a feeling underlying the story, with some violence, but nothing overwhelming for this wimpy reader.

The two on page sex scenes were brief and not particularly steamy. Although I would have liked sexier bits, the plot kept my interest from beginning to end.  

Note: A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

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