Review: How to Run with the Wolves (Howl at the Moon #5) by Eli Easton

Zeus loves his job on the new Mad Creek Search & Rescue team, and his inner Saint Bernard is finally being used to his full potential. When he sees a mysterious and wild-looking quickened—a dog shifter—at an earthquake site in Alaska, Zeus is compelled to investigate. Zeus falls hard for the primal beauty of Timo and of Alaska itself. Both call to his deep canine soul. But the Quimmiq pack’s laws are as harsh as the Alaskan winters, and Timo is out of his reach.

Timo’s pack of dog shifters left their Inuit village generations ago and have lived wild ever since. Not trusting the “one-skinned,” and with their numbers dwindling, the Quimmiq are on the verge of extinction. Timo is shocked to discover a whole group of “two-skinned” working as a rescue team, and he is particularly fascinated by Zeus, a gentle giant. He senses what Zeus feels for him… but it’s forbidden.

Can Mad Creek save this lost quickened clan? Perhaps—if they can learn how to run with the wolves.

PUPDORABLE!

I love this series so much but this one holds a special place in my heart.

Why, you ask?

Zeus!


Zeus is the classic gentle giant which appeals on multiple levels for me but what pulled on my heartstrings was how displaced he feels. He wants more than anything to be useful, but he oftentimes doesn't really get people and their vernacular which feeds into his feelings of being "different".

The underdogs always get to me and Zeus got to me.

But Timo is totes adorbz in his own rite. His mindset is VASTLY different from Zeus'. He's part of a pack that's been isolated in the wilds of Alaska for generations.

He's so mischievous and playful not just in his dog form either. His vivaciousness is infectious and he makes it difficult not to fall for him.

What I liked best about their relationship was how blind they both are to the way it's evolving. They're both independent and self-reliant so watching them slowly realize that they want to spend more time with each other warmed the cockles of my heart.

This is a prototypical slow burn romance with minimal sexy times which was fine by me! To have rushed would have rang of inauthenticity and I probably wouldn't have enjoyed watching them fall in love as much I did.

The voices of all the dogs/shifters in this series have been fantastic but the uniqueness of Zeus and Timo's voices was phenomenal. Never did I question whose head I was in and they both had me smiling throughout this read. Of course, I loved touching base with some of the previous Mad Creek couples. Milo is still sixteen different kinds of adorable.

Clearly, I loved this book to pieces and if you want a read that will make you want to hug it out with your kindle then you should give it a try. I hope we've not seen the last of Mad Creek but my heartfelt thanks to Ms. Easton for all the smiles these puppers have put on my face if it is. However, I'm excited as all get out about the spinoff series! Recommended!

An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Review: In the Pines (A Charlie Schiffer Mystery #1) by Laura Lascarso

A Charlie Schiffer Mystery

When your high school crush is also your number one suspect, what’s a boy to do?

After the disappearance of Eastview High’s homecoming king, seventeen-year-old Charlie Schiffer must put his detective skills to work to help class heartthrob Dare Chalmers find his missing twin brother. From the gator-filled swamps of Paynes Prairie to the truck-stop strip club Café Risqué, there’s no situation too dicey for this amateur sleuth when he’s on the prowl for clues to this mystery.

Meanwhile, Dare is everything Charlie could want in a boyfriend—charismatic, handsome, polite—but as Charlie’s mother always says, the unlikeliest people can turn out to be criminals. When evidence surfaces revealing his suspects’ hidden motives, Charlie must dig deep to suss out who among them is innocent and who is guilty, even if it means betraying the man he cares for most.

Great start to a series.

Don't worry I'm not going to give anything away as far as the plot goes but I will talk about my experience with this book.

This being my first experience with Lascarso after her books filling up my GR feed I maybe had some lofty expectations, some of which were met. Where I think she sets herself apart is creating an atmosphere from the high school cliques to Boots (AWWWW!!! GET INTO MY POCKET!) to his relationship with his mother. She brought this small Florida town and its inhabitants to life by making the details of life in this community part of the narrative without weighing it down with info dumps.

This is a mystery first and foremost with Charlie Schiffer at the center of it, without him and Lascarso's deft touch in making him likable and relateable, the whole thing would've fallen apart. I connected with Charlie quickly-kind of an outcast after an kerfuffle with some classmates, a bit on the nerdy side, extremely intelligent, has some familial baggage and is the son of a police officer. Naturally inclined to be investigative and inquisitive leads him to the heart of this mystery.

The high school backdrop and all the inherent intricacies of navigating adolescence along with trying to solve this mystery I found fun; it added some levity to the story. Charlie comes across as genuine as do the rest of his classmates and even though he is highly intelligent he still reads as a teen who takes some stupid risks and makes ill-conceived choices.

I'm not sold on Dare just yet, though. There were times when I felt sympathetic towards him but others when I side-eyed the bejesus out of him. So I'm reserving judgment on him until later. Tameka, though, I like her muchly! She was big fun and I hope she'll continue to make appearances as the series progresses.

Dare and Charlie's relationship fits into the narrative well and I actually liked the 'what if' factor, but In the Pines isn't heavy on the romance, if that's what you're after. They do have a sexy rendez-vous but it's by no means explicit.

My only real complaint per se is that the mystery wasn't more convoluted. I was expecting something far more sinister and far-reaching than what it turned out to be which disappointed me, but that's a me thing and I would in no way dissuade others from reading it. I also found the ending sequence a bit over the top.

But Charlie and the general atmosphere created won me over and I'm looking forward to the next one in this series. I would caution anyone who doesn't like procedurals, this is probably not the book for you, but if you enjoy YA and mystery then give In the Pines a go.

An ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Whitecott Manor by Emma Jane

Alistair Ellis is the proud gardener for beautiful fifteenth-century Whitecott Manor, in England's West Country. His life changes forever following a gas explosion at the manor, in which his boss—and love of his life—dies. However, his boss hasn't exactly gone for good and Alistair still finds himself involved in conversations with the deceased.

Circumstances improve when he meets Noah, the handsome dog groomer for the manor's new owners. Although there are some issues: Noah is already engaged and Alistair suffers from cynophobia—an acute fear of dogs!

This story has a quirky British flavour that I love. with a manor house, a ghost and dogs, quite frankly, what's not to love? Ammiright?

This story really was a joy to read. Alistair, the gardener of Whitecott Manor is gutted when his boss - and lover - is killed in a gas explosion... until he realises that Emmett (and that name, my British friends of a certain age, has to be heard only in Hyacinth Bucket's voice!) is still hanging around, seen only by Alistair. Despite him being a ghost and only a secondary character I really liked Emmett and his mother-henning of Alistair. Especially when he refuses to go when Alistair bonks his nephew in a bid to matchmake Alistair with someone better (Noah). I have to admit a small part of me wanted this to end up being an Alistair/Emmett love story. The other part of me though was more than happy with  the Noah relationship because Noah is lovely. He loved dogs, 'nuff said. Goodhearted, he was far too good for his wanker of a boyfriend and I'm glad he met Alistair. 

Written with a wit that I appreciated, and a cast of characters to love and hate, this book was great and I'm really looking forward to more by this author!

And just for those Brits of a certain age...

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

Review: A Matter of Priorities by Jon Keys

After being disowned by his family, Cooper judged his self-worth by his latest hookup. But circumstances change as he learns about true love.

Cooper Diaz is a better-than-average college student with a major in architecture and a love of dogs. But while he plays the role of campus playboy, in reality, he believes no one would care enough to worry about him—except his best friend, Liam. His expectations are simple—searching for the latest hookup. His newest obsession is his professor, Lucas Nyman, who has asked Cooper to work as part of the team for an out-of-class project, which he eagerly accepts.

At a celebratory evening at Professor Nyman's home, Cooper is invited to fulfill his latest fantasy--a ménage à trois with the professor and his husband. But the fun turns into something much weightier when pillow talk turns into friendly advice from the pair whose bed Cooper has shared. After a close call that leaves Cooper shaken and a confession from Liam, Cooper begins to realize that life is not as he envisioned.

Reader Advisory: This book contains a ménage-à-trois scene.

For an erotic short, this was mostly sexy. I enjoyed the ‘celebratory evening’ with the professor a lot. It was hot and dirty, and definitely the fantasy I expected from the blurb.

I honestly didn’t really connect with the main character. Maybe because I’ve never been a college student? I don’t know about that life. While I have had my fair share of flings, and enjoyed my single life, I’m not sure I completely understand Cooper’s self destructive streak. Also, Cooper is a size queen, which I don't think is necessarily a bad thing, but because of his obsession with dick size he missed a lot of the emotional subtlety around him.

Cooper appears to be on the warpath when it comes to fucking anyone and everyone. We are told this anyway. He doesn’t seem to be particularly safe about it either, and this is where the drama in the story lies.

Suddenly he is confronted by feelings with his roommate/fuck buddy and it sort of evolved (devolved?) from there.

I don’t think the character development was quite deep enough for me. I would have loved Cooper if I had more of his honesty. I did enjoy the dog-shelter stuff and I thought that Cooper and Liam were great together. This wasn’t the smutty professor/student fantasy story I was expecting, so surprise!

It was still a sweet story, and I think if it hadn’t been going in two different directions, I would have enjoyed it a bit more.

For a sexy short, this is definitely worthy. And if you’re into reading menagé erotica then this will definitely get you flushing.

A review copy was provided for an honest review

Blog Tour: Two Cowboys and a Baby by BA Tortuga

BA Tortuga's here today talking jobs to celebrate the release of Two Cowboys and a Baby. Happy Release Day, BA! See out tag team review here!

Border Collies Need Jobs

Hey, y’all! I’m BA Tortuga, resident redneck and lover of all things cowboy.

I want to tell you a story.

I know, but this is a true one.

Once upon a time there was this rancher that hit hard times and had to move from his land to a little apartment on the Western Slope in Colorado.

He got him a job doing construction, leaving the pup alone in the apartment.

Now, border collies? They need jobs.

Seriously.

They herd cattle. They herd babies. They watch the sheep and the horses and the chickens.

It’s inside them.

One day, the rancher got home from work and found that all the houseplants he had – ALL OF THEM – had been moved to the center of the front room floor and the pup was watching them.

That’s when they started doing flyball competitively.

Joanie, the cattle dog in Two Cowboys and a Baby? She has a job. She cowboys with her dad. She guards the house.

Now? She has a baby to deal with. ;-)

Much love, y’all.

Blurb:

A little bundle of joy means big changes.

Hoss McMasters has a working ranch, a bull riding career, a nosy momma, and a best friend he’s been in love with since he can remember. He’s a busy, happy cowboy, living the good life.

Then one morning he discovers a baby on his doorstep.

Well, Hoss does what any reasonable man would do—he calls his momma and his buddy, Sheriff Pooter, and they head to the clinic to see if Doc knows of any suddenly not-so-pregnant girls.

In the meantime, Hoss and his best friend, Bradley, have their hands full trying to care for an infant, run a ranch, and deal with the sudden confession that Bradley doesn’t hate Hoss for coming out to him in high school. In fact, Bradley’s been trying to catch Hoss’s attention for damn near a decade.

Buy Links:

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About BA Tortuga

Texan to the bone and an unrepentant Daddy's Girl, BA Tortuga spends her days with her basset hounds and her beloved wife, texting her sisters, and eating Mexican food. When she's not doing that, she's writing. She spends her days off watching rodeo, knitting and surfing Pinterest in the name of research. BA's personal saviors include her wife, Julia Talbot, her best friend, Sean Michael, and coffee. Lots of coffee. Really good coffee.

Having written everything from fist-fighting rednecks to hard-core cowboys to werewolves, BA does her damnedest to tell the stories of her heart, which was raised in Northeast Texas, but has heard the call of the  high desert and lives in the Sandias. With books ranging from hard-hitting GLBT romance, to fiery menages, to the most traditional of love stories, BA refuses to be pigeon-holed by anyone but the voices in her head. Find her on the web at www.batortuga.com