Sam C. Leonhard

1.5 stars

Tho entertaining (to a degree), this book can stand some serious editing. The characters are unhinged, the writing is ...well, just let me warn you, the author is not a native speaker and it shows. There are plenty of people out there willing to proof-read, if only asked. That authors and publishers let it slide baffles me every single time.

I liked the idea of sifters-mating-humans being - literally - a deadly affair, however, it was not the real focus of this book. This is a cinderfella story, in which the future king of the land lures a poor young starving shifter, Ari, into his castle to marry him, the shifter/human conundrum a purrr-fect excuse for the jolly event. The pair, no surprise there, turns out to be a purrr-fect match.

Ari disappointed me great greatly at the end of the book, bragging about sleeping around with pretty much every available male since he was 14. That revelation comes out of his mouth on his wedding night, while talking to his brand-new husband. What a turn on ...um, not! :/ Oh, and then there was that episode where Ari seduced his husband by turning into a cat. What the heck? O.o

The author left no incentive to read the second installment. Everything smoothed out perfectly towards the end, with a perfect neon HEA flashing gaily all over the last pages.… (meer)

4.5 Stars

What a great story - I was hooked from page 1! Dr. Tennant (yes, I had a giggle right away) and Gabriel meet on a cold Christmas Eve when Gabriel sees Tennant jump from an apartment window. Rather than leaving a horrible mess on the pavement like Gabriel had envisioned, he sees Tennant gently float to the ground, then must shake off the sleeping/forgetting rune that Tennant uses on him. Very slowly Aleksei Tennant and Gabriel Jordan forge a cautious friendship while at the same time trying to discover who is murdering beings from magical hidden worlds.

I really liked Tennant and Gabriel. The characters were not one-dimensional; I liked them because of their flaws rather than in spite of them. The story was well paced - I certainly didn't notice any parts that dragged - and the mystery kept me interested. The romance between the MCs built slowly and really isn't realized until near the end of the books. And yet you don't feel cheated because it is so obvious that they care, even love each, other long before they admit it to each other (even though I did want to grab them, shake them and make them talk to each other!!!

I'm so glad to read that there is a sequel in the works! I'll be waiting for it!… (meer)

Second chances are a fascinating concept, and the stories that make them happen hold a special place in my heart. The type where time is ‘rewound’ or just completely restructured to adjust for past mistakes are even more special to me. Maybe because in our ‘reality’ they can never happen, or maybe because, deep down, my inner romantic prefers those. 1989 is a great example of a story with a few surprises and a very elegant solution for a devastatingly heartbreaking problem.

Theo is a man who was afraid of his own shadow, and now has to deal with the consequences of his own cowardice. He lives a life he hates, has more regrets than should be legal, and is totally helpless to change a single thing. The man he loved, and ran from is dead, and nothing Theo does will change that. His emotions were so clear, I felt for him from the very start. When the change comes, I wasn’t sure what was going on. As it becomes clearer to Theo, and me by extension, I became fascinated by the idea of what was happening, even if the ‘how’ remains shrouded in mystery. Which doesn’t matter in the least, because the focus was, rightfully so, on the impact it had on Theo. Very, very well done!

For such a short story, there is a lot of emotion between the characters. Theo, the narrator, is someone I immediately cared for and his predicament of having made a major mistake in his past is one I was able to relate to. If you like stories with a twist, want an unconventional look at time and how we relate to it, and if you like stories where second chances lead to a happy ending, this one is for you.



NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.… (meer)