Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Cursed to be a Three Form, blessed to be a True Mate, Austin's life is a nightmare. He is hated and bullied by his pack because under his timid exterior lies the strength and savagery of a Hybrid werewolf. Only the thoughts of his True Mate, and his desperate desire to escape his pack, sustain him through the daily abuse.

When Cristiano finds Austin, things go from bad to worse. The True Mates must keep their connection a secret as Cris is inducted into a conspiracy for rebellion. The pack's trust in Cris grows even as their loathing for Austin spirals into escalated violence. Soon Cris and Austin are drawn into a battle for control over Austin’s pack. Both sides will gladly exploit Austin -- his strength, the venom in his claws and bite, and his inability to leave the pack.

However, though Austin is both gentle and savage, more than anything he is vulnerable. He and Cris have one last chance at getting away and finding a new pack to take them in. Because unless he and Cris can get out, neither of them is likely to survive the coming storm.

 

Book Review

I was interested to read this story as from the description it appeared the author had written a whole new take on werewolf lore. The length of the story was rather daunting, however, but as this was a new author to me, I thought it might be fun to take the chance. Not to mention that just the description of Austin made my heart hurt for him and the constant abuse he has suffered. The concept of True Mates being drawn to one another even across thousands of miles and hearing the Call was certainly a new idea in the shifter genre to me. I was familiar with the Three Form but in this author's world, that form is despised, feared and hated, which was a totally new change for me.

Austin is hated as a Three Form, but he's blessed to be a True Mate as they are rather rare, he's the Omega, and he's treated horribly by basically everyone in the pack except for the alpha and the matriarch. I was a little confused as to why neither of those two did anything about his abuse, but I believe that was to simply keep the drama ongoing. He has tried so hard to find another pack to take him in and all he gets are rejections. Council law states that Three Forms always have to be in a pack so Austin is stuck somewhere he despises and is miserable, suffering horribly from the beta, Tim, and his crew. Which, in an aside, Tim and his cronies are pretty much the embodiment of all redneck stereotypes.

Cristiano is a True Mate and because of that he is treated wonderfully by his pack from the moment of his birth which is how it's supposed to be. Cris has gotten to the point where he can no longer resist the Call, so he packs up and leaves his home and pack in Brazil and heads to find his True Mate. When Cris meets Austin he knows there's something he's hiding but until Austin has a nightmare and changes to his third form, Cris isn't sure what it is. Once he knows, Cris understands Austin's fear and even goes so far as to agree to meet the pack without telling them he is Austin's mate, trusting that Austin will explain the reasoning.

What unfolds is a hazy and convoluted drama that involves Cris, Austin, the alpha, the matriarch, and Tim and his bozos trying to use Austin to take over the pack and then kill Austin. It was a pretty intricate plot that was made somewhat confusing by quite a bit of back and forth in the writing and it took me a while to unravel all the knots so I could understand. While this is going on, Cris and Austin are subtly making friends and petitioning to join another pack so they can leave this insanity behind.

This was definitely a different view of the werewolf world. I liked Austin and Cris along with a number of the secondary characters. The ending was done really well with some unexpected sadness. There were a lot of repeats of the same information which grew a little stale. However, if you like long paranormal stories about greed and desperation along with the lore of the true mate and love, then this might be for you.

 

 

 

 

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

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 492 pages/145500
Heat Level
Publication Date	21-August-2013
Price	$6.99 ebook
Buy Link	http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=97&products_id=3966