Review:
*I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher. This has not influenced my review.*
This was a sweet, relaxed romance with a small paranormal element and great disability rep!
Contrary to what I expected when I picked this up, this wasn’t exactly a werewolf story. That aspect was a little more unique. I don’t think it’s a spoiler, but if you don’t want to know, just skip to the next paragraph because I’m about to explain. This wasn’t a werewolf story because the man and the wolf were separate beings with separate personalities/thoughts/emotions, but they shared one body that could shift forms and could communicate with each other in their mind. For that reason, the paranormal element was actually very minimal. But I still thought it was a neat idea and enjoyed it. And anyone who likes reading about dogs or animals will love this sweet, adorable wolf.
The blurb makes the book sound like it’s going to be ominous, but it was actually quite slow-paced and laid-back, focused on Joel hanging out in the woods, finally finding out the truth and healing from the trauma of his past experience, and starting a romance with Guy. The conflict was barely a blip in the book, to be honest. It didn’t come up until near the end, and it was resolved quickly and easily.
The book was fairly predictable with some typical paranormal romance aspects—like how perfect the love interest, Guy, was and how he had had feelings for Joel ever since he first saw him. But these things did add to the light feel of the book.
Joel’s ex, Keen, was an unexpected part of the story, but he, and the relationship between him and Joel, was well-written. He was the perfect portrayal of a manipulative person, someone who sometimes does nice things and seems like he cares but whose abusive and selfish behavior far outweighs that. The more I learned about him and how he treated Joel, the more I hated him.
For me, the best thing about this book was the fantastic disability rep for Joel’s amputated leg! Or at least, it seemed like it was great (I don’t have any missing limbs though). It wasn’t just a plot device or an afterthought; there was so much about what it was like for Joel having an amputated limb and using a prosthetic. Like how walking on a prosthetic is all about getting the right balance and pressure, so just having a few drinks could completely throw off your walking. And although part of Joel’s growth was about accepting his body (or rather, accepting the idea that other people could accept it), he was still more than just his disability. As for the erectile dysfunction caused by Joel’s trauma and his confusion over the memories, I have no idea whether that was done well or not.
Overall, this was a quick, light, enjoyable paranormal romance!
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes laid-back stories, sweet M/M romance, a small paranormal element, and disability rep.
Oh no, “first saw him”, is this book insta-love? I hate insta-love so much, if a book has it it’s done for in my opinion. Great review.
It wasn’t really instalove since they did spend time together, but it still felt a bit cliche, especially when he talked about having feelings ever since he saw him. Thanks 🙂
I’m thinking this book’s cover art doesn’t really do the story justice. I got completely different impressions from the imagery as I did from your review.
No, neither the blurb nor the cover really suits it.
I also recently read a werewolf story that was VERY light on the paranormal aspect and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. And a wolf and a man sharing a body is a really interesting take on it, so I’m kind of interested! And a big yes to the disability rep!
I have this weird thing where I just kind of refuse to read anything that isn’t SFF, but sometimes I end up with a book that only has a small paranormal element, and sometimes I do enjoy it. But yeah, the wolf and man sharing a body was different! And I always love good disability rep!
Book cover didn’t mesh with the story. Thought is would be about something else. Wish they use the cover to intrigue us. The blurb and the cover should strengthen each other.
Love the disability angle and the man and the wolf sharing a body much like Jane Yellowrock. Great review! ♥️
Yeah, the cover and blurb don’t quite fit with the story. I agree it’s best if they all work together! But I loved the disability too. I haven’t heard of Jane Yellowrock, but it is a fun idea! Thanks!
It’s always disappointing when you can predict what happens next. I’m happy this had great disability rep and you were still able to enjoy it.
Tori @ In Tori Lex
Romance books are usually pretty predictable though, and when life is stressful, sometimes it’s nice to know the book will have a happy ending. I think I was a little more put out by the overly perfect love interest. Still, I did love the disability rep and mostly enjoyed the story!
I do like slow paced, relaxed romance books. I think a romance is the only genre of book where I wouldn’t really mind a slow pace too much. It’s interesting that this one wasn’t what you expected it to be but you were still able to really enjoy reading it. It sounds like great representation as well, and I’m all here for that. Especially as we don’t get too much representation for missing/amputated limbs.
I think slow-paced can be great, if it’s done right and I’m in the right mood. It does work well in romance sometimes. I loved the rep so much!
Sounds like this book is quite thoughtful and considers aspects that a lot of books ignore (like ED after trauma! People don’t tend to mention that, but I’ve heard that it’s actually quite a common symptom of PTSD, and can be a symptom of other conditions.)
I agree, you rarely see ED in books, but it probably is a lot more common than books would make you think.