ONCE UPON A WOLF, gay romance novella with solid omega vibes

ONCE UPON A WOLF (Wayward Wolves #1)
RHYS FORD
Dreamspinner Press (non-affiliate Amazon link)
$4.99 ebook, available now

Rating: 3.75* of five

The Publisher Says: Once Upon A Time, There Was A Wolf….

Gibson Keller’s days are fairly routine: wake up early, get some work done, drink lots of coffee, and take care of Ellis, his older brother stuck in wolf form after coming home from the war. It’s a simple life made up of long runs on two legs—or four—and quiet evenings…. Until Ellis chases a handsome man off a cliff and into the frozen waters beside their cabin, changing Gibson’s life forever.

For Zach Thomas, buying an old B&B is a new start. Leaving behind his city life, he longs to find peace and quiet, and hiking the trails behind his property seems safe enough—right up to the moment an enormous black wolf chases him into a lake, nearly drowning him. Discovering werewolves are real astounds him, but not as much as the man who rescues him from the icy water then walks into Zach’s heart as if he owns it.

Loving a werewolf—loving Gibson with all his secrets—has its challenges but Zach believes their love is worth fighting for, especially since his heart knows the big bad wolf is really a prince in disguise.

I RECEIVED THIS BOOK FROM THE GOODREADS M/M GIFT EXCHANGE. THANKS!

My Review: A series-starting novella whose series never started. It kinda shows; there are details that don't always track. Like Zach seemingly both does and doesn't know what Gibson and Ellis are before they become neighbors.

Ellis as a werewolf with PTSD is really not a lovely, cheery fella, and younger brother Gibson works around it as best he can where Zach is concerned. Zach's newfound heart-family, Ruth and Martha, don't figure that much in the story, but seem to be primed for more...that never came. Speaking of coming, Zach and Gibson did Rhys Ford's insta-lust thing that works for you or really does not. Consummation is not as rapid to arrive. A slower burn is more appropriate here because Zach really has trouble believing he's in this relationship with a shapeshifter.

The usual werewolf strong possessiveness is mitigated in Ellis. He behaves more as a human would, feeling awkward about his powerful drive to own Zach. I found that made sense to me...he's brother to a man so psychically wounded as be stuck in his wolf form, it's going to make things about his own nature clearer for him.

The tender and loving care both men exhibit for Ellis, the careful way they coax healing into him, makes the book feel more like it's about Ellis than the lovers. Their first physical union is the only one in the story. It's a novella, maybe 45,000 words, so it's not like there's a lot of room to add more.

Low steam, relationship focus, strong emphasis on forming family...if that's for you, and it was for me, this is a good example of it. Available on Kindle Unlimited.

LORD MOUSE, gay male fantasy-quest protagonist

LORD MOUSE
MASON THOMAS (Lords of Davenia #1)
non-affiliate Amazon link
$4.99 Kindle/ebook, available now

Rating: 3.5* of five

The Publisher Says: Scoundrel by nature and master thief by trade, Mouse is the best there is. Sure, his methods may not make him many friends, but he works best alone anyway. And he has never failed a job.

But that could change.

When a stranger with a hefty bag of gold seduces him to take on a task, Mouse knows he’ll regret it. The job? Free Lord Garron, the son of a powerful duke arrested on trumped up charges in a rival duchy. Mouse doesn’t do rescue missions. He’s no altruistic hero, and something about the job reeks. But he cannot turn his back on that much coin—enough to buy a king’s pardon for the murder charge hanging over his head.

Getting Garron out of his tower prison is the easy part. Now, they must escape an army of guardsmen, a walled keep and a city on lockdown, and a ruthless mage using her power to track them. Making matters worse, Mouse is distracted by Garron’s charm and unyielding integrity. Falling for a client can lead to mistakes. Falling for a nobleman can lead to disaster. But Mouse is unprepared for the dangers behind the plot to make Lord Garron disappear.

My Review: I started keeping track of how many malapropisms I found in the book. I noted them on the Kindle. From when I started counting there are eight (8) notes. That's appalling. That's inexcusable. That's bad editing. It was like getting pinched or having someone pull on my beard. So annoying.

I was also a wee bit verschmeckeled by the modern-then-archaic-then-modern vocabulary:

“Worry it none,” he replied offhandedly. “I took no offense. This is what I do.” And later we can discuss ways for you to thank me, he added silently.

followed closely by

Garron threw him a look. “You sure know how to win people over.” “I can be charming,” Mouse retorted. “When need be.” And he wasn’t going to waste his time kowtowing to some entitled snob that he was going to ditch somewhere at the first opportunity. Garron pressed his lips together in a sardonic snarl. “Warn me when it’s about to happen so I know to keep an eye open for it.”

::whiplash::

But in the end I can say I enjoyed the read because I agree so heartily with the attitudes of the men in love. I am sure as sure can be that I fell for Garron as hard as Mouse did when I read this:

“I’ve seen men,” Garron continued, “who claim themselves to be good and honorable do wicked things with ink and parchment. A most cowardly act, because they never have to face the ones they’ve wronged or feel the consequences of their deed. I have seen those who rail on about their own compassion willfully ignore those in need or treat those beneath them with contempt. “We all justify our dark behavior in some way, mask it behind some twisted form of truth that gives us license to do what we will. In my experience, people can rationalize the most reprehensible acts and sleep soundly through the night as if no blame rests upon their shoulders. Take Delgan. He has certainly justified my imprisonment and death sentence as something for the betterment of his city and his people.”

*happy sigh* A super-built aristocratic muscle bottom with progressive political convictions. Yes lawd.