I don't know what happened here. I read [b:Slow Bloom|7844441|Slow Bloom (Slow Bloom #1)|Anah Crow|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1306957073s/7844441.jpg|10947088] and [b:Uneven|6467115|Uneven|Anah Crow|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1355852864s/6467115.jpg|6657621] and this, in comparison, is a complete and utter chaos.

It has all of the elements of a potentially good story, but at the same time there are lot of things missing (like first two chapters, for example) and there are a lot of things that do not need to be in the book at all.

Some of the "WTH" moments, clumsy sentences aside:

Flight from Germany to NY - 10 hours. Via what, North Pole on Harry's broomstick?

Powerful ancient spell that Ezqel cast on Jonas lasted the whole day and a half. Powerful and terrible indeed.

Dane kept carrying Lindsay around. Was there something wrong with the boy's legs?

I love Anah Crow's books and I was looking forward to this one. Many things in this book appealed to me: a big bad alpha male with a gentle side, a poor little mansel in distress, shifters, ancient magic and even demented nurse Mildred Ratched ...er ...Dr. Moore (lo-o-oved the evilness!). But somehow I feel cheated and disappointed. 3 stars. ( )

3.75 stars.

It takes a lot of imagination to create a fantasy world. It takes even more to make our existing world fantastical but still believable. That is what these authors have done. It's not wholly original - in fact, it reminded me a great deal of the movie "Push", only with magic taking the place of psychic gifts - but it is done very well. I enjoyed that movie, and this book. Magic exists and the government tries to control those who can wield it - for the good of all, of course. The story opens with Lindsay, locked in an asylum of sorts, about to undergo another painful experiment to remove his magic. The opening sucks a reader in immediately. Lindsay's power breaks loose and he manages to escape. Cyrus, who hears and speaks through the wind, sends Dane to rescue Lindsay.

This is an M/M romance, so naturally Dane and Lindsay will become a couple; and, there will be some steamy hot sex scenes of the explicit variety to fulfill our carnal appetites. But, what I liked was how Lindsay began as a damaged, naïve boy who actually grows with the story. He starts out needing and wanting Dane as the only person who has ever sheltered and protected him. So very realistic. The authors move him past that, allow him to see himself objectively, and choose Dane. Dane has some healing and growing of his own to do as well. The underlying plot/mystery isn't very deep because the romance is the driving story. Suffice it to say, those that held Lindsay want him back.

Overall, I really enjoyed this new world. The authors give just enough information to entice, without succumbing to info dumping. I was left intrigued, with a desire to know more about this world. This is obviously set up as the first of a series, and I will be back for more. ( )

This is a luscious urban fantasy story that reminded me one of my favorite tv fiction, the one with a leo man living in an underground New York City. And I think the authors wanted also to play a bit with old legends and modern romance: the two main characters are a shapeshifter leo (even if until the end the reader and the other man is not understanding exactly what type of leo and how magical he is), Dane, who is gentle and caring, and as the hero of my youth favorite tv show, even if he has a royal presence and attitude, he is indead almost a servant of other characters; the other man, boy, is fragile and delicate in body and name, Lindsay, and he is the one Dane has to protect and cherish.

To play along with the imaginery, and to a point that reminded me almost a Fedro or Esopo’s fable, Dane is a leo and he calls Lindsay little bunny; moreover Cyrus, the man who seems to have power on Dane’s actions, asks Dane to take care of Lindsay, basically he is asking to a leo to take care of a bunny, it’s like a mythical temptation, exactly like in those fables of above. The animal metaphor is subdetly used again when Dane and Lindsay, for most part of the book, instead of having sex, are mostly cuddling: better Lindsay is searching for Dane’s big body like a shelter, a comfort blanket, a source of warm and protection; and Lindsay is like the little bunny who, unaware of the hazard of being near a leo, awakes the sleeping leo.

I think this novel was mostly concentrated around Lindsay: not only he is younger, and still in a developing phase, but he is the one who has to learn about his power and gain enough self-esteem to be a right companion to the big leo. Dane is a little of a mystery, but the mystery is right with his character: a leo has that aurea around him, of royal power, but indead, what exactly a leo does, if not protect his relatives, only if strictly necessary, lazly sleep and make love to his partner? It’s not the leo who has to do most of the work, basically his task is to protect and being strong for his dear ones.

As often in the urban fantasy with a New York setting, the story has a “gothic” feeling, that is strengthened by the habitat where Dane is living and Lindsay is brought; a big mansion with multiple floors, strange inhabitants; even when Dane and Lindsay go out, in the daylight, the feeling was always of a gloomy day and the idea was confirmed by the revelation of Dane “true” nature. The authors managed to mix different sources, mythological, fairy, gothic, and created a good melting pot that has plently of cues for other adventures.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1609280822/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

The story started out well, poor Lindsey being tortured and then escaping, I was interested in his story. Then Dane was introduced and I liked him too. So what went wrong? The continuous use of words like; petting, snuggle, and cuddle. Dane kept referring to Lindsey as 'little bunny' and then they have hot sex. Hetero romances aren't this fluffy. The author crafted a dark interesting world and all the fluff ruined it. ( )