K. Piet

With roots firmly in Tarzan and Jungle Book land, this is a fascinating story about a leopard shifter, Kaanan, and a human, Deshi, who couldn’t have more different backgrounds if they tried. Their common outlook and willingness to learn makes them more compatible than I initially believed, and gives this story a flavor all its own. I really liked the way the authors helped us see the world from Kanaan's point of view, how some things were suddenly very simple when looked at with so-called show more "uncivilized" eyes.

Kaanan is a creature of the jungle, and lives by its laws. Harsh, but true, and his observations, the smells and sounds he perceives, give us a very interesting picture of his world. It is entirely non-human most of the time, when he is in his leopard form, and becomes more human-like when he is a man, but remains totally untamed. Initially, Kaanan is very unforgiving in his thoughts. The human poachers encroaching on his territory deserve no less than his anger (in my opinion), but the young man who is their prisoner is a different matter. A difference that Kanaan refuses to see, until he meets Deshi.

Deshi is very young, has not had an easy life, and suddenly finds himself face-to-face with a leopard. Or so he thinks. I loved how Kaanan was sensitive to Deshi's fear, but the young man isn't to be deterred. Despite the language barrier, he manages to learn how to survive, and gets to know Kaanan extremely well. His progress is halting at first, but he is learning how to deal with a world that is entirely unknown to him. The descriptions of how he deals with it were wonderful, as was the growing emotions between him and Kaanan.

If you like stories that take you "out of this world" into a different realm, if a wild man and a "civilized" man meeting and struggling to understand each other fascinate you, and if some hot action in the jungle sounds good to you, then you will probably like this book as much as I did. show less

Well, GUH. Very, very hot!

That said, this book is also a journey through addiction, desire, and love, and the author handles these issues spectacularly.

I would have liked to see a return to Logan's blood addiction. While the story started out with it, Kasper's addiction took over and the story never really resolved Logan's past or current therapy, unless the author meant for Dr. Kerill's therapy to work for Logan in the background. He certainly did resist blood in the end of the book. It's show more a very minor detail though.

The stumbles and successes of the characters felt so real and believable to me. The author didn't make the characters' desires just a "I'm different and therefore special, so there!" theme. The story is much more raw and honest and, of course, shows the consequences of over-the-top limits. I really liked this book and I would recommend it to anyone who's ever felt like an outsider for their desires. And to everyone else, of course. show less

This is going to be a short review, simply because I don’t want to spoil the plot (which, when you get right down to it, hinges on a single, interesting, controversial twist to the Christian faith). If you’re deeply religious, and don’t like to have your theology questioned, this is so very definitely not the book for you. Please turn around, walk away, and forget you ever heard of it. Trust me.

If you’re a little bit homophobic, and can’t appreciate the beauty of two men in love; show more if you’re at all uneasy at the thought of mixing a little horror with your eroticism; if you’re squeamish as the thought of mixing and consuming bodily fluids; once again, this is not the book for you. Put it back on the shelf and resist the temptation to peek inside.

If, however, you enjoy an intelligent story with a slow-burning romance; if you feel all warm and gooey at the thought of two men sharing their emotions; if you enjoy some creativity in your sexual encounters; this may just be the book you’ve been looking for. Grab yourself a copy, settle in somewhere comfortable, draw the blinds, close the door, and get reading.

Personally, I picked this one up specifically for the heretical twist, but was quite delighted to find it a strong enough read to keep me interested once the shock value wore off. There were a few unanswered questions at the end, and I’ll admit I got a little exasperated with all of the crying, but I also liked the fact that this was a story that was about more than just sex. show less

~~~

3.5 Stars -- With great potential
A serial release.

"Tea and sugar and pure sex."

Some of my Goodreads friends have noticed that I actually read a classic novel this week and must have wondered why. Especially when they know how much fun I have reading "the good stuff".

I did read [b:The Picture of Dorian Gray|5297|The Picture of Dorian Gray|Oscar Wilde|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320467562s/5297.jpg|1858012] to prep for my read of this series, just like the good, little student that I am show more O_o I even looked into Oscar Wilde's 'fabulous' life. The classic was everything a classic should be; controversial, illicit, critically persecuted and prosecuted...all the good stuff. It also opens the reader up to ideas of immorality and depravity not often seen in the literature world. Well, the literature world of 1890.

Fortunately we live in the 21st century where all depravity is celebrated and out from the shadows. Yeah. Well anyway, luckily we have authors willing to carry us forward with an intriguing spin-off.



THE CHARACTERS

Dorian Gray - Dare I say the baddest bad boy of them all???

"Because I am sin incarnate,..."

Gabriel Lawrence - Young, cheeky - Alive -

Gabriel liked looking at the bright side of every situation.

Michael Lawrence - Gabriel's dead twin brother. He seems more steady, practical. Even if he's only apparent to Gabriel.

Michael groaned. You'll never see him again.
"Keep out of my head." Gabriel sighed.

THE STORY

Being instantly "thrust" into the erotic world that Dorian Gray so desired to prolong we, literally, see his depravity hasn't been subdued.

"Enough' doesn't exist, pet. You don't want 'enough'. You want more."

Gabriel and Michael are paranormal investigators living abroad and living by the seat of their pants. Well, Gabriel's pants anyway. Michael's spirit lives within Gabe. When Gabe and Michael investigate a "metaphysical tar", it feels like a scene from an early Indiana Jones movie as things seem to go from bad to worse. But we learn that this is what they do best, sort of.

When Gabriel 'bumps' into Dorian during a second chance encounter they hook up and it's hot, sexy and quite unholy. Dorian invites Gabriel for an extended stay in Scotland knowing that Gabe won't be able to resist him.

A mere gesture, and the boy could be his, but Dorian relished the conquest, the slow, erotic disintegration of those walls modern young men built around themselves.

THE WRITING

A general understanding of the concepts within A Picture of Dorian Gray would be helpful, but the authors do a fine job of making clear what happened to Dorian, allowing for artistic license to let this version work. To be clear, this is erotica, not fine literature. So to compare the works would be entirely unfair.

The authors then set off to explore and toy with the modern day version of sex, vanity and power. I don't think we're going to have to "worry" about too much morality showing up before some true fun is to be had by all.

I could have used a stronger connection between Dorian and Gabriel, but I'm sure that's still to come. In this first episode some of the relationships were rushed or even completely undeveloped. I got the feeling that we were just getting an overview of the situation rather than delving into the emotional connections. Presumably that is the nature of this type of serial release.

This is fast, quick, decadent, sinful and excessive. Everything Oscar Wilde warned us against. That was his message, I'm sure.

RECOMMENDED

~ ~ ~

My thanks to Storm Moon Press, S.L. Armstrong and K. Piet for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

~ ~ ~

Take a look at my Male/Male Romance Book Blog:


http://www.attentionisarbitrary.blogspot.com show less