Kate Steele

I really enjoyed Steel’s novel “Male of the Species,” so I was excited when I saw she had another gay werewolf romance out. This story was a bit darker though, and consequently more reserved. In Species, the alpha male protagonist starts forming his own pack and the hot sex gets going almost immediately and never really stops. Altered Hearts opens with a sex scene, but it is far from romantic and ends with terror – Rio is a hustler who picks up the wrong man one night. A sadistic show more alpha werewolf viciously turns him. There is no other sex until near the end when the romance is consummated. However, I found the waiting enhanced the romance.

Steel walked a fine line with this story. It would have been very easy for the sadness and depression to overwhelm the romance. The story opens with the attack and then (thankfully) jumps immediately to the rescue. So, readers are spared too many details of Rio’s torment. And while Rio was badly abused, he wasn’t broken. After Mick saves him, Rio flatly refuses to go with him! In addition to revealing Rio’s resilience, this also sets the stage for the angst that keeps the couple at odds. Mick sees Rio as a victim that should not be taken advantage of, and Rio sees Mick as the mate he truly is. The scene with Mick’s brother, where Mick finally understands this, is particularly touching. The sex between Mick and Rio wasn’t as frequent as other romances, but it was very well done. Rio has been abused, and he must work through repressed fears with Mick. The subplot with Rio’s father and running away was excellent, and really added a lot to the novel.

I did enjoy this novel a great deal and would have given it five stars, but for one thing. The world-building was lacking somewhat. When Rio transforms before his father, he's shocked but not in a "OMG that's not real" way. The scene led me to believe that werewolves are "out" in the world, but Steele never really says for certain. Also, Mick is part of a paranormal law enforcement-type agency but we never learn anything more. If this were clearly the first in a series, then this would not be a problem. But, there is no indication there will be a sequel, though I would certainly buy it and hope there will be. However, I will add that Steele hasn't simply written a normal romance and thrown some paranormal in it to ride the craze. Though the world-building could be richer, the werewolf aspect is developed. Shapeshifting is integral to the plot, and presents additional issues for Rio and Mick to resolve.

Overall, this was a very good romance and well worth reading - especially if you enjoy paranormal romance/werewolves. Highly recommended. show less

The characters and their interaction were very interesting, there's nothing like some good bickering to bring up the sexual tension. The realization that his idol is actually not like in the movies was a nice trait, since this is usually the reality of things. It was intriguing to see this story exploit that aspect of fame.

I really loved it but it was cut much, much too short. The story ended just when it felt like it was starting. We get some time skip as an epilogue to keep us from whining show more too much I guess but it's like baking a cake and coming back to see it was eaten without you and you're left with the cleaning up... show less

A very well done western romance! Dean is the new vet in a small town. Eight years ago he suffered a horrible betrayal by his first lover. Since then he has refused to let anyone into his heart again. Scott is a handsome rancher who is tired of casual dating and wants a deeper relationship. He has his eye on Dean, and is determined to bring the man out of his shell.

Steele has written a simple, but very elegant romance. Though there is a minor plot revolving around a "watcher" who is obsessed show more with Dean, the main focus is Scott's attempt to woo Dean. The story has some excellent sex scenes, with special care taken of the fact that Dean is much less experienced than Scott. Those scenes are tender and quite touching. However, the men spend as much time together out of the bedroom as in, actually learning about one another and building trust. The characters are likeable, realistic and hot (this is romance, after all). Highly recommended. show less

This is a slight variation on the werewolf theme. Set in a world of otherwordly beings, we don't get to really see any of them, but knowing they exist makes a difference. It made the story more 'real' for me, more consistent. The characters being werewolves wasn't an 'add-on', like it is in some stories, they were somehow more fundamentally different.

I liked Rio a lot. He has been through absolute hell, but his inner strength has helped him to survive. While it isn't surprising that he falls show more for his rescuer, his thoughts about what was going on convinced me that it was more than an 'automatic' reaction. That would have made everything just too convenient.

Mick is the typical growly loner in one sense, but he is also a very caring being who has suffered a lot himself. While he tries to do the right thing (stay away from Rio because he sees him as too young), that actually made me angry at him in this case. I guess it was because Rio's need for him was so clear and convincing.

Overall, this is a great love story about two characters who look very different from the outside, but are both wounded and need each other to be happy. Oh, and the fact that, while they were mates, this wasn't overemphasized, was a nice difference versus some other werewolf stories as well. I really liked this book. show less