I love this book. Unequivocally. One sweet piece of perpetual, uninterrupted happiness.
I found it difficult to stop smiling while I was re2012 Review:
I love this book. Unequivocally. One sweet piece of perpetual, uninterrupted happiness.
I found it difficult to stop smiling while I was reading, because it’s so beautiful and disarmingly sweet and adorable. It also broke my heart even while it made me laugh. This is the kind of book you don't ever want to pause; it just flows so wonderfully and always keeps up the interest. And yet it's entirely unusual.
The narrator, Al, is huge, scary-looking, uneducated and has a low opinion of himself without pining over it. And he is anything but intelligent. He's slow, does not understand what people mean most of the time, but ultimately he's kind and generous and selfless. I found it incredibly sweet to watch how other people, most importantly his lover, react to him. As a reader one would understand what they mean even if they do not spell it out, but our narrator rarely ever does.
Differing levels of intelligence, especially such huge differences, always are tricky for relationships. How can a genuine connection happen when your partner does not get your jokes, nor even notices they are jokes in the first place? Somehow this book made it work and I had no doubt the happiness and love were real and complete. Even the sex (which was seamless part of the narrative and not structured in annoying scenes at all) stayed honest and direct and beautiful at the same time.
Despite the unusual constellation and narrative technique, this has to be one of the sweetest and most touching love stories I have read so far.
2014 Re-read:
<3 Loving this as much at the third re-read as I’ve done from the start.
Merged review:
2012 Review:
I love this book. Unequivocally. One sweet piece of perpetual, uninterrupted happiness.
I found it difficult to stop smiling while I was reading, because it’s so beautiful and disarmingly sweet and adorable. It also broke my heart even while it made me laugh. This is the kind of book you don't ever want to pause; it just flows so wonderfully and always keeps up the interest. And yet it's entirely unusual.
The narrator, Al, is huge, scary-looking, uneducated and has a low opinion of himself without pining over it. And he is anything but intelligent. He's slow, does not understand what people mean most of the time, but ultimately he's kind and generous and selfless. I found it incredibly sweet to watch how other people, most importantly his lover, react to him. As a reader one would understand what they mean even if they do not spell it out, but our narrator rarely ever does.
Differing levels of intelligence, especially such huge differences, always are tricky for relationships. How can a genuine connection happen when your partner does not get your jokes, nor even notices they are jokes in the first place? Somehow this book made it work and I had no doubt the happiness and love were real and complete. Even the sex (which was seamless part of the narrative and not structured in annoying scenes at all) stayed honest and direct and beautiful at the same time.
Despite the unusual constellation and narrative technique, this has to be one of the sweetest and most touching love stories I have read so far.
2014 Re-read:
<3 Loving this as much at the third re-read as I’ve done from the start....more
Did anyone proofread this? At all? I've seen a lot of bad editing over the years but this may be among the worst ever. Every few paragraphs we get a hoDid anyone proofread this? At all? I've seen a lot of bad editing over the years but this may be among the worst ever. Every few paragraphs we get a homophone error or a missing letter or an added one or some major grammatical mix-up. My guess is someone ran an automatic spell check to get rid of the squiggly lines and thought that would fix everything.
Sense isn't since. More deeper is as wrong as it gets. Nit is not the same as knit. Freighted certainly is not frighten. And against most definitely is different from between. (Seriously, the “war against good and evil”?)
Those issues made it difficult for me to take the narrative seriously. Simply because they cropped up everywhere. And don’t get me started on the broken phrases.
Aside from all that, the actual romance portion and overall story development were actually nice. For once people weren’t jerks to one another (or at least not for long) and some of the more obvious (yet appreciated) developments received confirmation in a rather big way.
Merged review:
Did anyone proofread this? At all? I've seen a lot of bad editing over the years but this may be among the worst ever. Every few paragraphs we get a homophone error or a missing letter or an added one or some major grammatical mix-up. My guess is someone ran an automatic spell check to get rid of the squiggly lines and thought that would fix everything.
Sense isn't since. More deeper is as wrong as it gets. Nit is not the same as knit. Freighted certainly is not frighten. And against most definitely is different from between. (Seriously, the “war against good and evil”?)
Those issues made it difficult for me to take the narrative seriously. Simply because they cropped up everywhere. And don’t get me started on the broken phrases.
Aside from all that, the actual romance portion and overall story development were actually nice. For once people weren’t jerks to one another (or at least not for long) and some of the more obvious (yet appreciated) developments received confirmation in a rather big way....more
Well, this is a step back again from the more recently published book by this author that I read before. Characters are monologuing at each other relenWell, this is a step back again from the more recently published book by this author that I read before. Characters are monologuing at each other relentlessly, and the time skips and transitions feel particularly jarring. It’s all just speechy exposition and info dumps. Any action (including the sex scenes) reads about as emotionally stimulating as a police report.
But, eh, despite toppy guy being a bit of a jerk initially, at least he is no wannabe dominant, drunk on his power. Even so, things turn kind of boring the moment the protagonists (with utter abruptness) go from buddies to life partners.
Not the most interesting read, to be honest....more
Ohmygod, ohmygod! It’s my old buddy “cow tow” again. I’m tickled pink. And this is not even the same author. Such fun. Admittedly it did not conjure uOhmygod, ohmygod! It’s my old buddy “cow tow” again. I’m tickled pink. And this is not even the same author. Such fun. Admittedly it did not conjure up quite as hilarious an image this time as when Charlie Richards used it. Pity.
Continuing in this vein for a moment, palate seems to be a word that confounds many authors. Usually they go for palette but this time around it’s pallet. I am forever fascinated by these accidents that seem so foreign to me. I wonder if English being a second language is of advantage here, or maybe learning word stems in Latin, or even in German where things tend to be sounded out matching the alphabet. Huh.
Completely unrelated to any of the above, I much prefer this volume to the first one. Mostly due to the prevalence of the well-meaning side characters, particularly those brothers. They’re fairly cool and clearly more perceptive than either protagonist. (At least in the first half, when they matter.)
It’s also nice to watch Rémy fail quite a lot in his official duties and to see him educated on this. Of course, it makes picking him for the position of second most important alpha seem like an unwise decision, but I suppose everyone needs to learn sometime. And at least his lack of acumen is supported by his relative youth.
In general it really helps to not question anything that is tossed out by way of explanation or exposition. That stuff will rot your brain if you give it any thought. For some reason I truly managed to stay on task with this here, which resulted in a much happier reading experience. I still like the first half best (i.e. what happens before Ian learns of the wolfy stuff), but even afterwards in this volume at least things do move forward and don’t just wallow in limbo like in book one. Definitely more entertaining on the whole.
I will complain about the ending though. Just a little. As much as I have been trying to ignore stuff that does not add up, I still can’t see how (view spoiler)[the bad guy is able to get that close to Ian while he is under such heavy and loving guard (hide spoiler)]. Eh.
Much worse is Sean, who turned into the usual alpha bottom brat here. I hate that the author feels the need to do that in this series as well. The bottoms (or alpha mates, in this case) banding together to be brats and cause mischief. (It turns all the established relationships into parent/child ones and I find that personally unappealing. I prefer adults.) Sean and Ian even put their plan to be brats together from now on into words. Very meh on that....more
Descriptions of actions are abysmal, as though the author attempted to breathe more life into her dialogue but still fails at making a scene come alivDescriptions of actions are abysmal, as though the author attempted to breathe more life into her dialogue but still fails at making a scene come alive.
I’ve lost count of how many times Sean “moves away again” during that introductory werewolf talk they have. In fact, that scene might be the worst in the entire book. Every few sentences someone moves away or stands up or lies over someone’s lap – with no rhyme or reason as to a natural flow of conversation and mood. It’s just weird and abrupt, very likely inserted afterwards to break up the big chunks of speech a little. Feels jangly.
The story is still mainly told via characters giving each other exposition in somewhat stilted, antiquated language. I also figured out one thing that’s always bothered me about this author’s toppy heroes: Most of them speak and behave in a way that is decidedly feudal in its arrogance.
At least in this series that attitude makes marginally more sense, since the werewolves pretty much do operate under a feudal system – but it still feels off in a modern time (demanding obeisance, really?). I suppose we could also suggest these outdated ways as the source of the rampant sexism present. I won’t even go into detail on that, but it’s painful, what with treating the females as breeding machines or household help, not worth mentioning when listing the wolves present (although they later claim she is human, not wolf, except before and after she is referred to as wolf so I don’t even know), and how little girls are of course to be spoiled. (As opposed to boys, I guess, who in contrast… would need to be toughened up? Maybe?) Huh, I went into a little bit of detail anyway. Go figure.
Words are used wrong, words such as ancestor (for descendant), consternation (when it does in no way make sense mood-wise), feral (for ruthlessly interested or something), discrete (instead of discreet), crevasse (those must be terrifyingly huge crevices on the poor guy’s body). Well, at least I am fairly sure these were all used incorrectly, since they’d make no sense in the given context. I stopped paying attention at about that point.
I mean, on the whole this is really silly – but amusing in that rather than infuriating. I suppose that’s a step up for me with this author. I am indeed grateful to not hate this book like I did a few others of hers. I can’t really like it either, but there you go.
Perhaps the most damning problem is that nothing ever really happens, except at the beginning and the end (and even then it’s resolved incredibly fast and easily). The bad guys spend most of the book waiting around for a chance to commit their dastardly deeds and when the moment finally arrives it is so forced that you have to wonder at just how stupid our protagonists have to be. There’s simply no tension in this story.
On to something more light-hearted. Teehee. So the first change into a wolf invariably occurs on the stroke of midnight of the person’s twenty-fifth birthday. I wonder if that mystical force (the gods, apparently) observes daylight savings time. Or leap years. And what about being in a different time zone from the one born in? To be honest this would make marginally more sense if it was precisely twenty-five years (however many seconds that adds up to) after birth. Even then, which would it be: When the head emerges from the womb? Or the first lungful of air? The cutting of the umbilical cord? I have so many questions.
Something I really don’t get is the procreation aspect. At all. Sean is supposed to be an omega, but then Armand tells him that since he (Sean) is an alpha he will only have female children. Uh. But later when mentioning something only alphas can do (I forget what it was) he says Sean can’t do it cause he is not an alpha.
Then there are Armand’s betas, who are all also gay – but isn’t that supposed to signify they are alphas? Supporting that theory they do seem to have only female offspring, and Dimitri at one point thinks how he could only have girls too, and we know he is a beta with aspirations to a higher rank. (And he also is into guys in his own twisted way.) But Bernard, also a beta, has a son. And is mated to a woman. I’m lost.
Also, why are female children so precious if most of the guys there can’t spawn anything but girls to begin with? Kids in general, yes; I get that pregnancies tend to end in tragedy. But why specifically girls? Is it because they’re to be raised for breeding? Well, someone actually does comment in a way that seems to confirm that supposition. This is a depressing society.
Finally, while I still think calling all females bitches is taking things too far, given the connotations (and even more so in a misogynistic culture), what maybe stuns me more is that they refer to the kids as pups all the time. Baby wolves would be cubs, I believe. I can’t imagine that calling your wolf child a dog is really much of a compliment/endearment....more
I am glad I finally read this. I’d been avoiding it because of the harrowing description of gang rape near the start of the story. It’s still horrifyiI am glad I finally read this. I’d been avoiding it because of the harrowing description of gang rape near the start of the story. It’s still horrifying. Reading on helps, though.
I am just not entirely sure this is a romance. It is a story about Leo and his awesomeness, apparently. Charlie is there for the start and the end of it, mostly. And he does not strike me as a particularly consistent character. Maybe his extreme shifts in personality are meant to be complexity; they simply confused me.
Still, much praise for ending it the way it does, i.e. forgoing a sex scene that would have not felt right at that moment anyway. Too much desperation and, most of all, tiredness.
Took my time with this one. It was… eh. In the end it was somewhat better than the beginning but, really, still not great. I still have no clue what TrTook my time with this one. It was… eh. In the end it was somewhat better than the beginning but, really, still not great. I still have no clue what Tracy sees in Cord, given that they treat each other like dirt for the first half of the book. I don’t get either of them.
Cord is way too brutal and unfriendly and also really bad at his job. (Never mind the pregnant woman’s unborn child; your only concern is your lover.) I don’t have a clue why he thought he could woo Tracy by being rude to him. And the constant manhandling just rubbed me the wrong way. Jerking the guy around physically. Plus the intensity of his focus on Tracy feels more than a little unhinged. He’d have made a much better nutcase villain for this story than the actual person.
And Tracy? What do all those people see in him? Yeah, occasionally he does the Mary-Calmes-trademarked empathic thing, but most of the time he’s simple one of the most passive protagonists I’ve ever read about. He simply goes along with anything anyone suggests – be it because he is just that gullible (seriously, every time he spoke of Brekin’s infidelities I wanted to smack him upside the head because he does not even once consider that the guy has likely been cheating all throughout their relationship), or because he wants to avoid an argument and so he just says okay for the time being, thus stringing people along rather cruelly.
Anyway, while the romance got a hundred times better once the main couple cleared the air between them and stopped being plain mean, the rest of the story never worked in the first place. Instead of something interesting we are eventually served a villain ex machina with a convoluted info-dumped motivation. And still no one catches on. Possibly because Tracy and Cord were way too busy feeling each other up in front of other people to pay attention to the whole death threat thing. Seriously, they had their hands all over each other non-stop, accompanied by soulful stares and heated kisses. While hanging out in other people’s living room’s or in public. Look, I don’t mind PDA – that stuff can be very touching in a romance – but there is a time and place for what exactly you can do and where and when. This just felt as though whenever they looked at each other, they completely forgot they were not alone. It was weird to read. Kept wondering if I missed some change of location…
Then there’s Tracy’s boss. Why was he in the story? He hardly is of any consequence whatsoever. He only appears once in person and has no influence on anything else. He seems like a stillborn plot idea.
Finally, the ending suddenly employs fast forward action, lots of it. Not sure why. It reads more like a summary of events in the following year or so. Not terribly engaging, to be honest.
Oh well. As I said, it wasn’t awful. I’m even giving it three stars instead of the two for only “okay”. But I’m not terribly satisfied either. ...more
It’s a cute story, not particularly intense on the emotional side, but solid.
Nevertheless, the ending disappointed me somewhat. It just wrapped up wayIt’s a cute story, not particularly intense on the emotional side, but solid.
Nevertheless, the ending disappointed me somewhat. It just wrapped up way too fast, too suddenly.
Not sure I really believe in Wes at all. It seems like soon enough something else will set him off and… Well, I don’t know. Just not really certain of the love there, or the commitment. In fact, as far as I am concerned that whole (view spoiler)[Eric (hide spoiler)] complication near the end there just felt weird and forced to me. Yeah, not thinking too well of Wes now.
Huh. I read this in one sitting, literally. Never got up from my chair even once. Or maybe I did during the first few pages.
Either way, this was prettHuh. I read this in one sitting, literally. Never got up from my chair even once. Or maybe I did during the first few pages.
Either way, this was pretty wonderful, in that over-the-top, no-holds-barred, shamelessly romantic way the author has.
A little odd, too, with the way Rand did not even appear during the entire middle section of the book. Of course that just made his reappearance (beginning with that phone call) that much better. It was all full throttle basic romance concepts then, unapologetic as always. Lovely stuff.
Also, this helped alleviate the sex issue. Because, to be perfectly honest, it seemed a bit too much at the beginning. Before Rand vanishes from the proceedings for a good, long while, the author apparently tried to stuff as many bouts of sex as she could manage into the pages – possibly to give certain readers what they want. For me the story definitely improved once that was done with.
So yeah. A pretty good continuation of the first book; all as it should be. Maybe the, uh, timing seems a little off for the death of Rand’s father and Rand’s marriage plans and how Charlotte was still in college then (and going to be there for several more years). But no matter. This is a lovely expansion and second conclusion to this insanely fluffy love-fest of a story.
I so adore it when an author does not give a damn about anything but the raw satisfaction they elicit in a reader....more
Jeremy’s extensive damage makes this such a sad story – but it is also a sweet one. I suppose I stumbled into the author’s dark and angsty side by accJeremy’s extensive damage makes this such a sad story – but it is also a sweet one. I suppose I stumbled into the author’s dark and angsty side by accident. I'm not running away, screaming… yet. This really is a lovely book.
The ending caught me by surprise a little. It just seemed to come up so fast after all the lengthy build-up.
Not that I particularly mind - especially since a second volume later on seems to be devoted to this pairing. Looking forward to that; I am just slightly unnerved by reviewers’ recommendations to pile up on tissues. Damn it, I want safe and cuddly. Is that so wrong?...more
True, the beginning is taken up by descriptions of both guys maturing without having any real interaction, so when the sex suddenlySweet, sweet story.
True, the beginning is taken up by descriptions of both guys maturing without having any real interaction, so when the sex suddenly starts it feels like the relationship itself had no real build-up. And generally the story seems to focus on sex (as an indicator of other things) more than anything. But the rest of the story makes up for that. And it just really works as a whole.
Of course, the bits about Chase made me sad and I am now in the uncomfortable situation where I almost want to read that other series – even though it already sounds angsty and the setting does not appeal to me either. We’ll see how I feel about this once I run out of other books by the author.
Either way, this made me happy. And knowing the little I do about the author (via her comments in dedications, introductions, and bios) I feel wonderfully reassured that, yes, in her universe first loves can be the big ones and don’t have to stop ever. No need for me to worry....more
Bwahahaha, laughing so hard about what I found after the ending.
Sweet, slow-building story with brilliantly fun moments. Also rather short, but that’sBwahahaha, laughing so hard about what I found after the ending.
Sweet, slow-building story with brilliantly fun moments. Also rather short, but that’s perfectly fine. The single viewpoint seems limiting in some ways (as it does to me most of the time), but I appreciate the discrepancy between how Crawford presents himself to the reader and how people eventually react to him. Great writing....more
Cute, if fast. In a way this was an ultra-compressed version of what could have just as well been a full book. Strangely enough it didn’t really feel rCute, if fast. In a way this was an ultra-compressed version of what could have just as well been a full book. Strangely enough it didn’t really feel rushed. Just… concise. And definitely super mushy....more
Overall, it was a solid story. Pretty much in line with the rest of them.
I liked Dan and his attitude to pretty much everything; didn’t really care thOverall, it was a solid story. Pretty much in line with the rest of them.
I liked Dan and his attitude to pretty much everything; didn’t really care that much for Hector, or for the final two sex scenes. Still, considering just how much this author sometimes goes overboard with the sex/story ratio, this was pretty nice....more
It was a decent effort but just did not work for me.
The first half was anything but a romance (yet failed as a thrilling rescue story due to the odd pIt was a decent effort but just did not work for me.
The first half was anything but a romance (yet failed as a thrilling rescue story due to the odd pacing and sightseeing and such), and the second half was exclusively romance and sex.
That brought to mind again what I consider this author’s biggest flaw: substituting sex for intimacy and romantic connection. Honestly, while they were not having sex things seemed fairly okay. But the sex itself was all technical and entirely devoid of emotional impact for me. Wasted words, unless someone is in the mood for generic porn. I had to rush through those bits. It just did not fit. (Not that I am ever enthusiastic about sex scenes that feel barely connected to what’s happening.) I mean the guy is too weak to go on a cushy eight-hour plane flight, but a day or two of almost non-stop sex is just peachy? Okay then....more
Huh. That felt as though the last sentence was missing. I doubt this is the case but that means Garrett was unknowingly talking to the reader, I suppoHuh. That felt as though the last sentence was missing. I doubt this is the case but that means Garrett was unknowingly talking to the reader, I suppose.
Well, this story was… something. I very much like the depiction of what it’s like to have been born deaf. The very scope of “different”, that so often is missed by authors, definitely unfolded here. In the best way. So that was a definite plus.
On the other hand I grew a little impatient with the protagonists and their emotional waffling – as understandable and maybe realistic as it may have been. It just didn’t really give me any warm fuzzies.
Not so bad. I mean, I could have easily gone for more plot instead of the final sex scene but if you’re into that, it was kinda cute. Yeah, more plot oNot so bad. I mean, I could have easily gone for more plot instead of the final sex scene but if you’re into that, it was kinda cute. Yeah, more plot overall would have been nice. However, that is true for every book in these series, so it’s not really worth commenting on. At the very least things seemed to flow a little more naturally in this volume, and I appreciate that.
So yes, not a bad instalment in this very long saga. It’s actually book sixty-nine by my count. Heh, it’s a pity the characters did not have a round of that in celebration....more
I hate this. Not the book but the fact that tacked on at the end is the beginning of the next one in the series. There’s zero connection to the proceeI hate this. Not the book but the fact that tacked on at the end is the beginning of the next one in the series. There’s zero connection to the proceedings in this volume; it makes no sense to have what seriously feels like an opening scene (more than that, in fact) pop up there. Grr.
So yes, this story. It was okay; that’s pretty much all I have to say. I can’t really like any single person in this series. Maybe Parker, or one of the other guys with zero personality yet. They’re all just annoying and jerks. Including our protagonists of this round.
I’m really not into all of that “manhandling while not explaining anything, yet getting angry if the other person’s not a mind reader” thing. Nor am I fond of either divas or people described as supposed divas. Whatever. The romance in consequence did not thrill me at all. Kinda silly.
However, there were moments of interest, moments that suggested more could have been made of this. Also, it took my mind off feeling poorly, so there’s that.
I just wonder. What were the odds of reading two books in a row wherein the bigger partner ends up (view spoiler)[tattooing the other guy’s name over his heart (hide spoiler)]? By such contrasting authors, at that. Huh....more
All of the books in this series are playing fast and loose with ages. Even within the same volume they are wont to jump a couple years ahead when it sAll of the books in this series are playing fast and loose with ages. Even within the same volume they are wont to jump a couple years ahead when it suits the plot. Very weird for someone like me who needs a time frame to sort things out. I am trying to just go with the flow, but really… If a main character is only seventeen at the start of a story it creates certain expectations. To suddenly be told he is nearly nineteen and it’s only been two weeks? Uh. In this case there’s an actual explanation for it but the whole thing still gave me whiplash.
That said, I’ve definitely encountered series that were considerably more temporally challenged.
The actual story is… Well, it would be okay. But it really, truly drags, not the least because of the way people have constantly express and repeat just about everything.
The author responds somewhere to those who tell her that “guys don’t talk like this”, that yes, they do. Which is fair enough. The issue I have with it is that everyone talks like that in her books. In fact, every couple in this series is mostly the same as soon as they start getting closer. They have largely the same conversations and explain the same sets of feelings to each other, enjoy more or less the same romantic and sexual things, go about them in mostly the same way, and everything just feels the same. All those protagonists seem to be at the same place wanting the same things – no matter who they initially seemed to be in the particular story.
I was trying so hard not to get bored but, god, it proved to be tough. I ended up putting this book aside in the middle to re-read one of my old favourites instead, just to revitalize my interest in reading. That actually helped with enjoying the rest of the story.
I strongly suspect that it’s utterly vital to not read more than maybe two books by this author in a row, or the sameness and slow repetition and perfection fantasy just get too much. As nice as the latter can feel with limited exposure.
Even now that I have recovered slightly thanks to my brief (and, alas, nausea-filled) extracurricular reading, I’ll probably need to take a break from these books and fill up on something, anything different. Variation!...more
Nice little Christmas story. The reminiscences were cute because they were new, not something we’d already seen. And luckily, just when I was beginning Nice little Christmas story. The reminiscences were cute because they were new, not something we’d already seen. And luckily, just when I was beginning to get bored with the sex, it skipped making it into a full scene and went on with the story instead. Excellent choice!...more
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