Book Reviews

Book Blurb

As the landlord of The Dragon’s Lair and leader of The Black Dragons Motorcycle Club, Axel Carmichael has seen it all and done it all. He’s a respected and experienced dom. Nothing shocks him any more, and nobody catches him off guard.

When Bayden rides up to The Dragon’s Lair on a bike worth more than most men earn in a year, and immediately demonstrates that he has far more attitude than sense, it’s easy for Axel to write him off as a silly little rich boy who’s about to get himself killed.

But, there’s more to Bayden than meets the eye. He’s no silly little boy, rich or otherwise, and werewolves aren’t easy to kill.

 

Book Review

This is an amazing story that contains several elements I love in any novel. There is a creative shifter world with rules and behaviors all its own, mysteries to solve as the story unfolds, and, most fascinating to me, a world where humans are the bad guys, the ones who bring the darkness. There are also wonderful, multi-layered characters who struggle to understand their differences, and are determined to figure out how to overcome their cross-species issues—and there are a few. Each of the men’s point of view is well-developed and includes the way they see the world based on not only who they are as men, but who they are as a member of their species. In that respect, this book reminded me of ‘Duck!’ and ‘Magpie’, two novels about avian shifters where Kim Dare developed unique cultural perceptions in that world, and she has done the same thing in ‘Axel’s Pup’. And to top it all off, the slowly developing D/s relationship is imaginative and includes dealing with issues that would only happen between a human and a werewolf of this world. Oh, and there are bikers, and corrupt cops, and a hint of political intrigue within the bigger picture as well. Absolutely brilliant!

Axel is a Dom to the core. He owns a pub, runs a motorcycle club, and is as respected as he is protective of those under his wings. Axel believes he has it all figured out only to discover that life still has a few surprises for him. When Bayden comes into his pub for the first time, Axel doesn’t know what hit him. In typical “I know how the world works” fashion, he takes one look at Bayden and thinks he’s got him all figured out. Nothing could be further from the truth. Axel has only got about two things right: Bayden is a werewolf, and he is a submissive. But then, as Axel discovers more and more about what that means, one preconceived idea after the other flies out the window and he finds himself learning a whole new set of behaviors before he can even begin to interpret the signals Bayden gives. I was fascinated by the whole process, and admired Axel’s skill as a Dom more and more the deeper his relationship with Bayden became.

Bayden is a werewolf and that, in this world, means he has a life that is beyond tough, has never had a fair chance for something even approaching a fair chance, and is despised and suppressed by humans at every turn. The things humans have done to werewolves, and the laws they have passed, are beyond unfair, and I hope some of that will be taken up and dealt with in the next volume of this series. Bayden knows he is a sub to most wolves (none of the humans in the Dragons’ club though), and he thinks he knows what submission is. He does show amazing stamina in situations most humans wouldn’t even think about accepting as a scene. But. As he gets to know Axel and begins to trust him, he also begins to understand that werewolf subs and their signals will be misinterpreted by a human Dom. If Bayden is going to get along with Axel, he will have to teach him about werewolf Doms. Bayden also has to learn what real submission is—and it’s not about how many lashes he can take, or the fact he says he has no limits (which is a matter of pride for him), or the fact he refuses to have or use a safeword.

The story that unfolds had me fascinated and glued to the pages at every turn. The cross-species issues alone were superbly done. The BDSM-specifics in this relationships were so different, yet so logical within this world. And both Axel and Bayden are fascinating men who only slowly revealed who they really are, then grew right in front of my eyes as they became more familiar with each other and became more attuned t each other’s needs. I was riveted!

If you like stories about different species (who both look human most of the time) interacting with each other and needing to deal with their differences, if you want to understand two men who have unique needs and ideas, yet want to find a way to live together in a D/s context, and if you’re looking for a read that is as fascinating as it is different from most of what you will have read so far, then you should read this book. It is as fascinating as it is hot, and one of the best love stories I have read in a long time.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by the author for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novel, 378 pages/176000 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	11-March-2015
Price	$5.99 ebook, $20.99 paperback, $1.99 audiobook
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Axels-Pup-Werewolves-Dragons-Book-ebook/dp/B00U9P62PS