book cover |
The book starts out with Kase making his way in the world alone (in the human world, no less, without a pack). This is after his father sent him away from their pack and clan (individual packs can come together to make a clan) when Kase explained that not only is he gay, but he also will never take a female mate. It's not that his father has anything against gay wolves in general, but it's different when it's his oldest son.
After striking out on his own Kase is found by a new alpha who wants Kase to join his pack, but Kase is rather uncertain about the offer because this pack makes their living off of shady business deals, like running an underground boxing thing and "dog fighting" (of course, the "dogs" are werewolves), and maybe some moonshine. Kase isn't so sure that he wants to join up, but it's complicated by the fact that this new alpha has a gay son of his own, Jody, who Kase has taken a liking to.
The two quickly become mates, which is insane because of how quickly it happens, but I also like it because then the book isn't only about "boy meets boy, boy wants boy, can boy get boy?" It's about the two of them starting their lives together, and how that weaves with the lives of the people around them. Plus, Kase does question whether it's good for a couple to become mates so quickly even though it's the usual way of things for werewolves.
"You can't know it's your mate after just one day. You can't. Certainly some people did, but Kase didn't trust falling into the abyss of such longing and emotion. What if Jody was a fickle thing who didn't want him for long? Or what if Kase proved incapable of giving his heart -- if he had one -- to anyone, and just made Jody miserable? He didn't think he could bear either option, and really, weren't they both more likely than the one he and Jody clearly both wished for -- lifetime mates, devoted and precious to one another?"
I really enjoyed reading the book, and it's one I may revisit at some point. One thing that quickly grabbed me is how Kase thinks so much, some might say too much. I guess I relate. Despite that, he sometimes overlooks important things that Jody has to call him on. Plus, dynamics between the characters are great. You have Jody's parents, his sister who's just a little younger than him, and then the younger kids. You've got relatives. And then Kase's brother shows up and wants to hang around. And then things finally start to really get interesting.
The thing that seemed off about the book was that the writing seemed to change towards the end of the book. It was almost like the author was in a rush to wrap things up, so she didn't flesh out new characters that she introduced, which is kinda sad. Also, a jolting change is that while we certainly knew when sex was happening for much of the book, it was only at the end that the author started writing it out. And while you're probably not going to hear me complaining about sex in a romance novel, the sudden change didn't make sense to me.
Overall it's a good read, and one I liked. If you like werewolves and gay romance, you might like this.