Well, this is an entirely different kind of bad BDSM etiquette than I'm used to coming across by surprise in romances; I suppose that can count for something?

I am actually quite a fan of applying animal behaviour to human interactions in fiction, but rarely have I seen it done so powerfully badly. Jordan came off as a pretty thoughtless and unwise vet in some of his interactions with animals as well as people, and also rather obsessive - on absolutely no invitation or encouragement from Cal, who seemed to have no particular interest on display for Jordan initially, much less inviting his (continued, persistent) attention, which left me feeling like Jordan was being stalkery and creepy with his insistence - and such phrases as 'wearing him down' did not help.

The casual dropping into conversation of Cal being a sub, from Jordan, again on no particular encouragement other than 'I can see it in you' was jarring and uncomfortable; the later comment from Cal about what Jordan should have done in that conversation was worse.

The promised plot with the matchmaking was . . . weird and didn't quite mesh with the rest, and the calls to Jordan that had him running all over town at any time just to get a dog out of weird spots or to back off of someone felt incredibly strange and unrealistic. ( )

I think I would have liked this story much more with just a little bit more meat into the character's backgrounds. I loved Jordan as a character and felt connected to him but Calvin was an ass at times because he had some kind of issues, but we were never told what those issues are. Liked the ending and how they worked through it but I felt this had more of a HFN ending because I don't know if I believe Cal will not get spooked again (by who knows what). ( )

Wonderful short story.

This was an easy read, heartwarming and fun. I think almost all of us could use a Winston in our lives. ( )

Great characters, each and every one, right down to the office staff! And a for-gay-boys matchmaking bulldog was a stroke of genius! Had there been more of a back story for Cal, in particular, this could very well have been 5 Stars for me. As it is now there are just a few too many gaps. ( )

'Animal Instincts' is an interesting look at a budding relationship that goes from hilariously funny to whoa-what-just-happened to very hot and sweet. Jordan, a dedicated vet, and Cal, a carpenter who just moved into town, meet and sparks fly. But nothing is as easy as it seems, and I definitely didn't see the twist coming until I was knee-deep in the story. The secondary characters include cute teenagers, a delightfully weird old lady, and her dog, who not only has excellent gaydar, but seems to be into matchmaking. Yes, you read that correctly. It made me laugh too. Animals and humans alike operate on pure instinct and, for once, the results are satisfactory for all concerned.

Jordan is a vet who takes his job seriously. He is professional, or tries to be, even in the face of Cal's amazing hotness. Jordan wants to get to know Cal better, and as he patiently approaches the man and figures out how to talk to him, he discovers Cal's deeper needs. They match his own perfectly, so he thinks it will all be fine. Unfortunately, it isn’t as easy as it seems.

Cal is extremely withdrawn and skittish, but he does warm to Jordan's attentions to some degree. When I did find out what was going on I really felt for him, and loved the way Jordan, once he recovered from his shock, dealt with the situation. There is definitely more of a story here, and I really hope Kim Alan will write a looong sequel.

If you like shot stories that will make you laugh about the characters' antics (both people and dogs!), if you enjoy reading about men who have to struggle a little when figuring out if and how they might fit together, and if you're looking for a read that is very hot as well as sweet, you will probably like this free short story.
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