5 out of 5 stars
E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 222 pages. Published February 8th 2018
Blurb:
Five years ago, Jesse dropped out of college and came home to Rowan Harbor to find safety with his pack. A broken man, he’s been living as though the world is ending—allergic to responsibility and spending most of his nights at the local bar.
But he can’t avoid growing up forever. On the night of his thirtieth birthday party, he finds his childhood friend Isla unconscious, attacked in the middle of their peaceful hometown. The wolf inside him wants to protect its people from the slick-haired, smooth-talking vampire who’s brought trouble to town, and Jesse can’t run from his instincts any longer.
Now that his inner wolf is out of its cage, it’s picked the most inconvenient moment to find its mate. Sean Anderson—recently back from college and much changed from the skinny preteen Jesse once knew—is just what he never knew he needed.
Likes:
- Both Jesse and Sean.
- Jesse is sympathetic.
- The mention of alpha wolves being a product of a faulty scientific study.
- Instant attraction between Sean and Jesse, but not insta-love.
- How everyone in town implicitly trusts Jesse to be able to step up when needed.
- The friendship.
- The non-romantic plot.
- That Sean was happy to take things slow.
Dislikes:
- Sean doesn’t show up until 31%.
- Not much smut, and the romance doesn’t get far.
I am loving this series so far. I am glad that, at the end of this book, the author described how the entire series would be laid out. Three trilogies, with each couple getting one book in each trilogy. It made me feel better about the slowness of the romance both in this book and in Blackbird in the Reeds.
It is a little strange to read a romance book that is light on the romance. I understand that there will be more about Jesse and Sean in future books, but Sean didn’t show up until 31% of the way in. They didn’t even go on a date, though there was a little bit of smut. I did love that Jesse was not ready to move in with Sean, though people expected him to. I also appreciated that Sean understood and respected Jesse’s need to take things slow.
Jesse is a great character. He’s incredibly sympathetic, and it was easy to feel for him. The guy has low self-esteem, and feels like he’s never measured up to the responsibilities other people have placed upon him. He severely undervalues himself, and watching him come to realize that he is worthy and that people were right to believe in him was heartwarming.
Like Devon, Jesse is a little damaged. In a way, that makes him better. He’s able to understand others who are also damaged. He doesn’t want to push Cassidy about her past, and when he realized how lonely Fletcher was, he made sure to include him in the friend group.
The reason Jesse never finished college was basically what I expected. What I didn’t expect was that Jesse had stopped touching most people because he didn’t want to experience the spark. He didn’t want anyone to be stuck with him because he didn’t think he was worthy.
The non-romantic plot was the main focus of this book. It had a little bit of everything. There was drama, mystery, fighting, worry about friends and family. It hooked me and kept me on the edge of my seat. Like Blackbird in the Reeds, I finished this book in a single day.
In addition to the big things I liked about this book, there were tons of little things as well. The mention that a faulty scientific study was responsible for the idea of alpha wolves, and that real wolf packs are a family group. The friendship between Jesse, Devon, Isla, and Fletcher. The way the townsfolk look after each other. The gossip. The squirrels.
Jesse isn’t perfect by the end of the book. He’s only just started his journey. But I am looking forward to seeing more of him, both in the books where he’s the main character and as a side character in the other books. And I’m incredibly excited to get started on Fletcher’s book next.
Check out my rave reviews for the rest of the series Blackbird in the Reeds (The Rowan Harbor Cycle #1), Fox and Birch (The Rowan Harbor Cycle #3), Hawk in the Rowan (The Rowan Harbor Cycle #4), Succubus and the City (The Rowan Harbor Cycle #4.5), Stag and the Ash (The Rowan Harbor Cycle #5), Adder and Willow (The Rowan Harbor Cycle #6), Eagle in the Hawthorn (The Rowan Harbor Cycle #7), as well as Sam Burns’s collaboration with W.M. Fawkes on Poisonwood (Poisonwood & Lyric #1).
Love is Love Reviews 