Cardeno C.

I think this is going to be my snarkiest review ever.

I want to preface this first with the fact that I overall liked this book. When I think about it, it has everything I could want in a shifter romance. It's got angsty desire and doubt, uncontrollable mate urges and bonding, and over the top love sprinkled with some fluff and very hot claiming sex.

But....the main character Vy was ridiculous. He had some valid concerns and complaints and there were several times my heart went out to him. However that really didn't negate his tendency to go drama queen. We get it, you're the freakin kuar!!! Sheesh. It's a wonder his dad ceded power to him at the ripe age of 28 cuz I felt he had the biggest chip on his shoulder and plenty of growing up to do.

The redeeming gem of this story is Robert. He is absolutely one of the best gentle giants ever. A freakin saint is what he was because every crazy quirk and tantrum Vy threw only further endeared him to Robert. Thank fuck for mate connections and pheromones right?? (Sorry - scuse my language). Vy could do no wrong in Robert's eyes. He literally found his vitriol cute!!

So the overall theme of this is control. The need to be in it, to have it, to exert this over every aspect of one's life. This was a constant struggle for both MC's. Of course they ultimately learn from each other when that very control is warranted and when it's ok to let go. Cardeno and Calmes are go-to authors for fluff and there were many, many parts that I enjoyed (please see first paragraph) - just be forewarned of eye roll inducing moments of cray cray.

Robert 4 stars Vy 2 stars = 3 stars… (more)

Reviewed on Hearts On Fire... http://heartsonfirereviews.com/

Josh and Maccabe have been best friends since birth although they really did not have that much in common. Josh was fairly bookish and in the high school band while Maccabe was a dumb jock. Their two families always celebrate Hanukkah together. Josh has always had a thing for Maccabe but Maccabe freaks out when he finds himself lusting for Josh. The two guys have a long, secret affair until Josh wants to come out of the closet and Maccabe is afraid to ruin his baseball career. It finally dawns on the not overly bright Maccabe that he is indeed in love with Josh seven years later. I found all of the characters in this story to be totally enjoyable from the sweet Josh to the off the wall sisters. The closeness of the two families gave this wonderful short story depth and made it believable. Maccabe wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer but once he realized something, he pursued it relentlessly. I found the way the story was cut into the eight days to be extremely creative and let the author play with the time line. This playing with the time line that I enjoyed throughout most of the story totally confused me and ruined the HEA ending for me. I feel like too much time had been jumped between day seven and eight. I still recommend this wonderful, quirky short story but think that it would have made a much better novella.… (more)