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Jungle Law
Official Description: There is a rainforest in India that the wise poachers avoid. Few who venture in ever return, and those that do rarely come back all the way. The leopards in this forest have a protector who walks the worlds between leopard and man, but who calls the leopard kin and the human only enemy. When a frightened boy escapes from the latest hunting party to feel the protector's wrath, he tracks the boy down, determined to leave no survivors. But when he comes fact-to-face with the exotic, defenseless boy, he cannot bring himself to end that life. Instead, what he has reviled for years becomes his constant companion. That is, until the humans dare to set foot in his forest once more.
Original Prompt:
Dear Author,
Hmmm, I can almost taste him on the wind now. He's so close. I've been tracking him for days, his scent is driving me wild for the last few miles. He's good, damn good – but I'm better.
Photo Description: A leopard walking alongside a body of water with a jungle/forest surrounding it.
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is Always Write" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
Also read the story here or find it in Love Is Always Write: Volume 5.
Original Prompt:
Dear Author,
Hmmm, I can almost taste him on the wind now. He's so close. I've been tracking him for days, his scent is driving me wild for the last few miles. He's good, damn good – but I'm better.
Photo Description: A leopard walking alongside a body of water with a jungle/forest surrounding it.
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is Always Write" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
Also read the story here or find it in Love Is Always Write: Volume 5.
37 pages, ebook
First published June 18, 2012
41 people are currently reading
1329 people want to read
About the author
S.L. Armstrong
56 books132 followersSupport S.L. Armstrong & K. Piet on Patreon!
S.L. Armstrong has been writing for as long as she can remember. Art and reading have played a large part in her life since young childhood, but around fourteen, writing became her passion. Voraciously consuming every book in front of her opened up hundreds of worlds in her head, and she soon wanted to create worlds for other people as well. She has a particular fondness for gothic horror, horror, high fantasy, urban fantasy, and romance novels. The authors she turns to time and again are Stephen King, L.J. Smith, V.C. Andrews, R.L. Stine, and Anne Rice, among others. She has no shame in picking up the young adult novels she loved as a child, and she will talk your ear off about grammar and punctuation.
After she married her husband over seventeen years ago, she began to truly delve into the world of writing for public consumption. It was sheer chance that she stumbled on M/M fanfiction, and she's not looked back. Though fanfiction will always have a fond place in her heart, she soon grew tired of playing in other people's sandboxes. When she discovered M/M romance, and how it was now a legitimate branch of romance writing, she knew her course. S.L. plans to release F/F, M/M, M/F, and multiple partner books as she continues her writing career. M/M romance is where her heart lies, no matter what else she may write or read, and it's where she keeps returning to. There is something about two men passionately in love that just makes her heart melt, and she has no intention of giving that up anytime soon.
S.L. Armstrong lives in Florida with her husband, partner, two dogs, and twelve cats. She hates the heat and longs for a northern, snowy climate. She writes with K. Piet on a number of projects, but she also writes her own solitary titles as well.
S.L. Armstrong has been writing for as long as she can remember. Art and reading have played a large part in her life since young childhood, but around fourteen, writing became her passion. Voraciously consuming every book in front of her opened up hundreds of worlds in her head, and she soon wanted to create worlds for other people as well. She has a particular fondness for gothic horror, horror, high fantasy, urban fantasy, and romance novels. The authors she turns to time and again are Stephen King, L.J. Smith, V.C. Andrews, R.L. Stine, and Anne Rice, among others. She has no shame in picking up the young adult novels she loved as a child, and she will talk your ear off about grammar and punctuation.
After she married her husband over seventeen years ago, she began to truly delve into the world of writing for public consumption. It was sheer chance that she stumbled on M/M fanfiction, and she's not looked back. Though fanfiction will always have a fond place in her heart, she soon grew tired of playing in other people's sandboxes. When she discovered M/M romance, and how it was now a legitimate branch of romance writing, she knew her course. S.L. plans to release F/F, M/M, M/F, and multiple partner books as she continues her writing career. M/M romance is where her heart lies, no matter what else she may write or read, and it's where she keeps returning to. There is something about two men passionately in love that just makes her heart melt, and she has no intention of giving that up anytime soon.
S.L. Armstrong lives in Florida with her husband, partner, two dogs, and twelve cats. She hates the heat and longs for a northern, snowy climate. She writes with K. Piet on a number of projects, but she also writes her own solitary titles as well.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
June 18, 2012
I actually find this story to be quite fascinating. There is this 'mystery' surrounding the story as readers don't really get to know in what part of the world the story takes place (the blurb says India, but the story never really says so) -- only that it is in jungle.
It is written in third person, with Kaanan as the main narrator. Kaanan is a shifter-leader who takes care of his leopards, and unlike others shifter stories, he doesn't communicate with human language easily. So, the story also offers a sense of rawness ... from when Kaanan stalks the boy, finding him, taking care of him, and then falling in love with him. I love the staccato "Me Tarzan, You Jane" conversation. It stays true to the idea of Kaanan being wild and animalistic shifter -- even if he can shift into human form.
Personally, it feels refreshing and so unlike one of those "you're-my-mate-let's-have-sex" themes. Definitely one of the gems coming from the LiaW event.
It is written in third person, with Kaanan as the main narrator. Kaanan is a shifter-leader who takes care of his leopards, and unlike others shifter stories, he doesn't communicate with human language easily. So, the story also offers a sense of rawness ... from when Kaanan stalks the boy, finding him, taking care of him, and then falling in love with him. I love the staccato "Me Tarzan, You Jane" conversation. It stays true to the idea of Kaanan being wild and animalistic shifter -- even if he can shift into human form.
Personally, it feels refreshing and so unlike one of those "you're-my-mate-let's-have-sex" themes. Definitely one of the gems coming from the LiaW event.
June 15, 2013
If the MCs had stuck to the primitive vocabulary of "want" and "mine" instead of choosing to use the dreaded ILYs, this would have left me feeling much more satisfied. As it is, the second half of the story just felt contrived and saccharine - as much as a story with this premise can be saccharine.
Basically, what should have been a violent, lush, dangerous tale of protection and possession was turned into a sugary romance for the sake of LIAW. I saw no leopards other than the shifter himself, one of the MCs, but I did see two people who don't speak the same language and have only known each other for a month in pretty unconventional conditions profess undying lurve to each other.
That said, the story was well-written and very pleasant, and... well, the sex was hot. Let's not kid each other, that's always a pretty important element.
Basically, what should have been a violent, lush, dangerous tale of protection and possession was turned into a sugary romance for the sake of LIAW. I saw no leopards other than the shifter himself, one of the MCs, but I did see two people who don't speak the same language and have only known each other for a month in pretty unconventional conditions profess undying lurve to each other.
That said, the story was well-written and very pleasant, and... well, the sex was hot. Let's not kid each other, that's always a pretty important element.
April 12, 2017
Offered for FREE from the M/M Romance Group, Love Is Always Write: Volume Five.
This is a great twist on a shifter story where Kaanan is really more cat than man. I loved their interactions. I loved the Tarzan-esque feel to it. It was sweet and perfect.
June 19, 2012
An interesting story reminds me a lot of Tarzan if Tarzan was a cheetah.
It's sweet but a little slow and lacking in the world building. And how old is the cheetah? He sired cubs? With what a cheetah or shifter? Where are these cubs now? How many? What time period is this? It had an old time feel to it but not sure if that's because it was set in the jungle and cheetah just not used to the ways of man or if it is an old time setting
Says he was mated to females before, again shifte or cheetah? What happened? How does multiple mates work?
So lots of little things in this one just left me with lots of questions
It's sweet but a little slow and lacking in the world building. And how old is the cheetah? He sired cubs? With what a cheetah or shifter? Where are these cubs now? How many? What time period is this? It had an old time feel to it but not sure if that's because it was set in the jungle and cheetah just not used to the ways of man or if it is an old time setting
Says he was mated to females before, again shifte or cheetah? What happened? How does multiple mates work?
So lots of little things in this one just left me with lots of questions
September 18, 2012
As other reviewers have noted, a sweet little "me Tarzan, you John" sort of story arc. Decently written, but I kept getting caught on details that gave me pause (neither humans nor leopards have the necessary vocal cords to purr, so why does Kaanan? if he's so ignorant of human culture, why would he think of pleasure as "almost sinful"? why would he have had occasion to raise his cubs?). The sex scenes are also very much in the yaoi mold, with naturalized top/bottom roles, focus on anal sex, and the "it always hurts the first time but you'll still like it" trope. Not really my speed, though I know that dynamic works for a lot of readers.
September 30, 2014
A fascinatingly different vision of the shapeshifter trope. I really liked this one a lot! It put me in mind of all the Tarzan flicks I loved in my youth... but with a welcomed M/M twist!
August 14, 2018
I liked the premise of a shifter guarding his animal species, loved the slow eroticism and the sweet nature of the boy. A simple, clean and sensual tale with a hint of D/s.
July 20, 2012
With roots firmly in Tarzan and Jungle Book land, this is a fascinating story about a leopard shifter, Kaanan, and a human, Deshi, who couldn’t have more different backgrounds if they tried. Their common outlook and willingness to learn makes them more compatible than I initially believed, and gives this story a flavor all its own. I really liked the way the authors helped us see the world from Kanaan's point of view, how some things were suddenly very simple when looked at with so-called "uncivilized" eyes.
Kaanan is a creature of the jungle, and lives by its laws. Harsh, but true, and his observations, the smells and sounds he perceives, give us a very interesting picture of his world. It is entirely non-human most of the time, when he is in his leopard form, and becomes more human-like when he is a man, but remains totally untamed. Initially, Kaanan is very unforgiving in his thoughts. The human poachers encroaching on his territory deserve no less than his anger (in my opinion), but the young man who is their prisoner is a different matter. A difference that Kanaan refuses to see, until he meets Deshi.
Deshi is very young, has not had an easy life, and suddenly finds himself face-to-face with a leopard. Or so he thinks. I loved how Kaanan was sensitive to Deshi's fear, but the young man isn't to be deterred. Despite the language barrier, he manages to learn how to survive, and gets to know Kaanan extremely well. His progress is halting at first, but he is learning how to deal with a world that is entirely unknown to him. The descriptions of how he deals with it were wonderful, as was the growing emotions between him and Kaanan.
If you like stories that take you "out of this world" into a different realm, if a wild man and a "civilized" man meeting and struggling to understand each other fascinate you, and if some hot action in the jungle sounds good to you, then you will probably like this book as much as I did.
Kaanan is a creature of the jungle, and lives by its laws. Harsh, but true, and his observations, the smells and sounds he perceives, give us a very interesting picture of his world. It is entirely non-human most of the time, when he is in his leopard form, and becomes more human-like when he is a man, but remains totally untamed. Initially, Kaanan is very unforgiving in his thoughts. The human poachers encroaching on his territory deserve no less than his anger (in my opinion), but the young man who is their prisoner is a different matter. A difference that Kanaan refuses to see, until he meets Deshi.
Deshi is very young, has not had an easy life, and suddenly finds himself face-to-face with a leopard. Or so he thinks. I loved how Kaanan was sensitive to Deshi's fear, but the young man isn't to be deterred. Despite the language barrier, he manages to learn how to survive, and gets to know Kaanan extremely well. His progress is halting at first, but he is learning how to deal with a world that is entirely unknown to him. The descriptions of how he deals with it were wonderful, as was the growing emotions between him and Kaanan.
If you like stories that take you "out of this world" into a different realm, if a wild man and a "civilized" man meeting and struggling to understand each other fascinate you, and if some hot action in the jungle sounds good to you, then you will probably like this book as much as I did.
December 5, 2015
Jungle Law tells us the story of Kaanan - a strong and proud leopard protecting his kind from poachers. He is unforgiving and makes sure that his forest is safe. However, one day he finds a young human and immediately feels that he is different from the poachers coming into the forest to kill. He smells the fear and the desperation of the boy, who poisened himself with mushrooms and needs Kaanan's help in order to survive.
I'm not always a fan of shifter stories and their mating, but this story was really interessting. I loved the whole atmosphere of the story and the mystery sourounding the jungle. The interaction between Daeshi and Kaanan was very interessting; they weren't able to communicate in a common language, but still manage to understand each other. Their interaction was very intense and the sex was really hot! Their was a certain rawness to this story, that made it feel very credible. I would love to read more about these two.
A very well-written and entertaining short story. Amazing cover by the way! 4 stars!
I'm not always a fan of shifter stories and their mating, but this story was really interessting. I loved the whole atmosphere of the story and the mystery sourounding the jungle. The interaction between Daeshi and Kaanan was very interessting; they weren't able to communicate in a common language, but still manage to understand each other. Their interaction was very intense and the sex was really hot! Their was a certain rawness to this story, that made it feel very credible. I would love to read more about these two.
A very well-written and entertaining short story. Amazing cover by the way! 4 stars!
June 25, 2012
Some of you are killing me with wanting more details from a short story! That's like asking for chocolate drizzle and some sprinkles from your dollar menu ice-cream, good luck with that!
I personally LOVED this story, it did have a bit of old school The Jungle Book feel to it. There was just enough detail that I got the story and was easly sucked in, though there were some details left out there was never a feeling of ugh I don't get it. Really the author did an amazing job of pulling everything together and having a solid yet mysteries read in a short story. Had we understood everything than I have no doubts that this would be a book and not a story. Of course I would love for the author to expand on this plot simply because I really loved it but I thought this was AMAZINGLY well done for a short.
I personally LOVED this story, it did have a bit of old school The Jungle Book feel to it. There was just enough detail that I got the story and was easly sucked in, though there were some details left out there was never a feeling of ugh I don't get it. Really the author did an amazing job of pulling everything together and having a solid yet mysteries read in a short story. Had we understood everything than I have no doubts that this would be a book and not a story. Of course I would love for the author to expand on this plot simply because I really loved it but I thought this was AMAZINGLY well done for a short.
June 24, 2012
Great short! Enjoyed the different spin both authors had on a shifter romance. I hated that it was so short!
July 2, 2022
Would've been a lot better if it was a lot longer.
Because the concept is great and the story was decent actually I'm just having trouble understanding how Kaanan learns the language so easily also it would've better if they come up with choices but I'm just Glad this wasn't following any cliche shifter or even Tarzan plot
Because the concept is great and the story was decent actually I'm just having trouble understanding how Kaanan learns the language so easily also it would've better if they come up with choices but I'm just Glad this wasn't following any cliche shifter or even Tarzan plot
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 24, 2012
This review can be found at Brief Encounters Reviews
As a reader, I do adore shifter stories and this was significantly different. I found it fascinating and sweet. Kaanan is a leopard shifter who spends most of his time in his natural leopard form protecting the jungle and the other animals. This means mostly taking care of poachers. However this time there was a young man with them who escaped, he tracks him down to find him ill from eating poisonous mushrooms, and much as he thinks he should just let the guy die, or at least put him out of his misery, he helps him. Before long they are trying to communicate, both speaking different language, and even after he reveals his true form to the boy Deshi (young man I suppose), he is accepted and Deshi instigates a more intimate relationship.
What is different is that even while Kaanan is in human form, he’s still more animal than human. His disdain for humans was rather humourous. He considers them stupid, beneath him and a thorn in his side. He’s a little confused as to why he allows Deshi to stay, but can’t help liking the boy and enjoying his time with him teaching him to survive. Even when humans come presumably searching for either the dead poachers or Deshi, and Kaanan tries to do the right thing, he doesn’t want to let Deshi go.
The story is told from Kaanan’s point of view, so sometimes his confusion at Deshi’s human behaviour was quite amusing to watch. When Deshi is angry with him and thinks he wanted to send him away, he doesn’t understand that if Deshi wants to stay, why is he pushing him away. Very much that animalistic brain that sees things in black and white and doesn’t get pouting or anger. The speech patterns and even the thoughts are pretty simplistic. He is there to protect the jungle and Deshi and eat and hunt and be a leopard. That’s his life, simple, no confusion.
So while he is a shifter who can change at will, he’s not the suave shifter of most m/m romance who’s a lawyer by day and runs in the woods once in a while. This is a whole other species that keeps the animal quite close to the surface. It was a nice change and his growing love of Deshi was kind of sweet and adorable as he accepts the human as his mate in the jungle, and his need to protect him as he does the leopards was very cute. Once in a while I thought Kaanan’s thoughts kind of seemed a bit “modern” for someone who has rarely seen human civilization (Would he know Deshi weighed 100 pounds, or what a pound was?), but I just put that aside and enjoyed it. It was a nice change of pace from the usual shifter fare.
As a reader, I do adore shifter stories and this was significantly different. I found it fascinating and sweet. Kaanan is a leopard shifter who spends most of his time in his natural leopard form protecting the jungle and the other animals. This means mostly taking care of poachers. However this time there was a young man with them who escaped, he tracks him down to find him ill from eating poisonous mushrooms, and much as he thinks he should just let the guy die, or at least put him out of his misery, he helps him. Before long they are trying to communicate, both speaking different language, and even after he reveals his true form to the boy Deshi (young man I suppose), he is accepted and Deshi instigates a more intimate relationship.
What is different is that even while Kaanan is in human form, he’s still more animal than human. His disdain for humans was rather humourous. He considers them stupid, beneath him and a thorn in his side. He’s a little confused as to why he allows Deshi to stay, but can’t help liking the boy and enjoying his time with him teaching him to survive. Even when humans come presumably searching for either the dead poachers or Deshi, and Kaanan tries to do the right thing, he doesn’t want to let Deshi go.
The story is told from Kaanan’s point of view, so sometimes his confusion at Deshi’s human behaviour was quite amusing to watch. When Deshi is angry with him and thinks he wanted to send him away, he doesn’t understand that if Deshi wants to stay, why is he pushing him away. Very much that animalistic brain that sees things in black and white and doesn’t get pouting or anger. The speech patterns and even the thoughts are pretty simplistic. He is there to protect the jungle and Deshi and eat and hunt and be a leopard. That’s his life, simple, no confusion.
So while he is a shifter who can change at will, he’s not the suave shifter of most m/m romance who’s a lawyer by day and runs in the woods once in a while. This is a whole other species that keeps the animal quite close to the surface. It was a nice change and his growing love of Deshi was kind of sweet and adorable as he accepts the human as his mate in the jungle, and his need to protect him as he does the leopards was very cute. Once in a while I thought Kaanan’s thoughts kind of seemed a bit “modern” for someone who has rarely seen human civilization (Would he know Deshi weighed 100 pounds, or what a pound was?), but I just put that aside and enjoyed it. It was a nice change of pace from the usual shifter fare.
July 3, 2012
Overall
First off, I was sold when a few pages in the authors used "female peafowl." True they could have gone with peahen, but maybe they didn't want to confuse readers. Anyway, that was a giant bonus in my big book of geek.
The writing felt a little stiff to me, but this is probably an attempt to capture the narrator's voice. Not that he's dumb, but he's more concrete in his thoughts, being as he's more in touch with his animal side. This bothered me a little, but not enough to disrupt my enjoyment of the story, which felt a little like The Jungle Book meets Beauty and the Beast. A nice combo. It's interesting that we never see from Deshi's perspective, since he may be the easier to relate to, and probably the more sympathetic character (not that Kaanan isn't a nice guy). Instead we are left to see things from Kaanan's perspective as he stumbles through understanding his little human.
A bit too much sex for me, but I know I'm biased. Still, everything was well done, and while shifters are a very popular (maybe too popular) choice, we get a slightly different feel with this shifter who lives in the wild and thus doesn't confront many of the "issues" that normal shifter story's deal with.
Be sure to check out my other reviews on my blog.
First off, I was sold when a few pages in the authors used "female peafowl." True they could have gone with peahen, but maybe they didn't want to confuse readers. Anyway, that was a giant bonus in my big book of geek.
The writing felt a little stiff to me, but this is probably an attempt to capture the narrator's voice. Not that he's dumb, but he's more concrete in his thoughts, being as he's more in touch with his animal side. This bothered me a little, but not enough to disrupt my enjoyment of the story, which felt a little like The Jungle Book meets Beauty and the Beast. A nice combo. It's interesting that we never see from Deshi's perspective, since he may be the easier to relate to, and probably the more sympathetic character (not that Kaanan isn't a nice guy). Instead we are left to see things from Kaanan's perspective as he stumbles through understanding his little human.
A bit too much sex for me, but I know I'm biased. Still, everything was well done, and while shifters are a very popular (maybe too popular) choice, we get a slightly different feel with this shifter who lives in the wild and thus doesn't confront many of the "issues" that normal shifter story's deal with.
Be sure to check out my other reviews on my blog.
September 30, 2012
This was a very different kind of shifter story. I loved that things were not automatically easy between Kaanan (a leopard shifter) and Deshi (a human). For example, the communication between them was a challenge due to two different languages and this was portrayed beautifully in the story.
They were essentially enemies to start, but Kaanan developed a bit of a soft spot for the boy and came to realize Deshi was a victim of his own people. Deshi learns quickly once Kaanan decides to spare him and the two grow to become lovers.
While not so much a huge cat person in real life, I love the feline species as shifters with their sensual sounds and movements. Wonderful story and wonderful contribution to the LiAW event!!!
They were essentially enemies to start, but Kaanan developed a bit of a soft spot for the boy and came to realize Deshi was a victim of his own people. Deshi learns quickly once Kaanan decides to spare him and the two grow to become lovers.
While not so much a huge cat person in real life, I love the feline species as shifters with their sensual sounds and movements. Wonderful story and wonderful contribution to the LiAW event!!!
June 18, 2012
2.5 stars
Interesting story about a leopard shifter who takes a young man under his wing, teaching him the ways of the jungle and falling in love in the process.
Interesting story about a leopard shifter who takes a young man under his wing, teaching him the ways of the jungle and falling in love in the process.
August 30, 2014
This was really good. I love her style of writing and the topic was interesting. Good stuff
March 2, 2016
3.5 stars.
As usual with the short stories - too short.
As usual with the short stories - too short.
January 16, 2023
A different type plot line, nicely written. I enjoyed it. I see that the blurb here says ‘India’. I was wondering while reading where the leopard lived. The set in the jungle stories have an otherworldly feel, like this one.
March 26, 2024
Warning, this is a spicy novella. It's quite romantic and informative. We get a shapeshifter and a young boy who was sold in exchange for food for his village. Then again, most LGBTQ+ books are quite steamy.
September 22, 2018
A wonderful that shows that love does not need many words. I would like to read more of the characters and hope that there is a sequel.
April 29, 2023
3.75 Stars for novella
July 7, 2012
I am a shameless fan of K. Piet and S.L. Armstrong. They are one of my favorite writing teams and I always look forward to reading more books written by them. When I saw this short story up for review, I immediately grabbed it because I know whatever these two authors write, I will most likely love. Sure enough, Jungle Law was a creative and interesting story about a leopard shape-shifter and the young man he saves.
Kaanan is a leopard shape-shifter who does what he can to protect his fellow peers from the horror of human destruction. Because he’s watched many of his kind hunted down and murdered again and again, he’s not a fan of the human race and prefers to live as a leopard than his human counterpart. When he spots a helpless, young man fleeing from a hunting party he surprisingly feels compelled to help man. Soon, he rescues the man, Deshi, and for the life of him, Kaanan can’t understand why he’s so drawn to him. As they start to communicate, there is a burning attraction and emotional connection that sizzles between them. But, Kaanan doesn’t believe that the sweetly innocent Deshi can survive in his harsh world and vows to return him safely home. Will Deshi be able to convince Kaanan to stay together?
I loved this short story! My only gripe is that it is so short and just when I really began to get into it the story was over. I really appreciated the fresh spin these authors gave on the typical shape-shifter story and loved the way the relationship developed between the two characters. For such a short story, it reads as a longer one and is very fast-paced and uniquely told. I hated to see this story come to an end and pray that one day the authors will one day continue writing about these likeable, noble characters.
Since this book is a free read under the ‘Love is Always Write’ series the awesome M/M Romance Group is hosting at the Goodreads site.
Kaanan is a leopard shape-shifter who does what he can to protect his fellow peers from the horror of human destruction. Because he’s watched many of his kind hunted down and murdered again and again, he’s not a fan of the human race and prefers to live as a leopard than his human counterpart. When he spots a helpless, young man fleeing from a hunting party he surprisingly feels compelled to help man. Soon, he rescues the man, Deshi, and for the life of him, Kaanan can’t understand why he’s so drawn to him. As they start to communicate, there is a burning attraction and emotional connection that sizzles between them. But, Kaanan doesn’t believe that the sweetly innocent Deshi can survive in his harsh world and vows to return him safely home. Will Deshi be able to convince Kaanan to stay together?
I loved this short story! My only gripe is that it is so short and just when I really began to get into it the story was over. I really appreciated the fresh spin these authors gave on the typical shape-shifter story and loved the way the relationship developed between the two characters. For such a short story, it reads as a longer one and is very fast-paced and uniquely told. I hated to see this story come to an end and pray that one day the authors will one day continue writing about these likeable, noble characters.
Since this book is a free read under the ‘Love is Always Write’ series the awesome M/M Romance Group is hosting at the Goodreads site.
August 10, 2013
While this M/M short story with shifter is qualitatively far superior to much of the available fiction in this genre, it still left me entirely cold.
Writing is fairly good and the authors know how to build a consistent, reasonable plot.
What they do not manage is to make their characters, forced by the lack of a common language to communicate mostly with gestures, alive and likeable. The POV belongs to the shifter and, after a while, his simple reasoning "jungle is home, leopards are kin, I protect home and kin" becomes a little stale. His growing attraction for the formerly pesky human is neatly described but fails to move.
The usual rigidly codified sexual roles and the alpha-macho man VS sweet-cub attitude are old, stale and irritating as they always are but, next to the a.m. problem, they become the lesser evil.
Writing is fairly good and the authors know how to build a consistent, reasonable plot.
What they do not manage is to make their characters, forced by the lack of a common language to communicate mostly with gestures, alive and likeable. The POV belongs to the shifter and, after a while, his simple reasoning "jungle is home, leopards are kin, I protect home and kin" becomes a little stale. His growing attraction for the formerly pesky human is neatly described but fails to move.
The usual rigidly codified sexual roles and the alpha-macho man VS sweet-cub attitude are old, stale and irritating as they always are but, next to the a.m. problem, they become the lesser evil.
July 3, 2012
2.5 stars, rounded up for being free.
Like other reviewers said, this story reminded me a lot of Tarzan, if Tarzan were a leopard shifter. That was fun, but also frustrating. Because Kaanan and Deshi can't communicate very well, especially at first, it came across to me that their only connection was physical.
The story was still fun to read. Not to mention that apparently one of the benefits of the characters seeming to only share a physical connection is that they're HOT together! :P
Like other reviewers said, this story reminded me a lot of Tarzan, if Tarzan were a leopard shifter. That was fun, but also frustrating. Because Kaanan and Deshi can't communicate very well, especially at first, it came across to me that their only connection was physical.
The story was still fun to read. Not to mention that apparently one of the benefits of the characters seeming to only share a physical connection is that they're HOT together! :P
July 17, 2012
Tarzan meets Mowgli. The savages make their home in the jungle. Disney didn't survive the first bout of food poisoning.
Kaanan the leopard shifter lives a solitary life, mostly on four paws. He knows humans as hunters and enemies and knows little of culture or even language. When he hunts down and kills a group of poachers, he decides to spare Deshi, a young man from a poor village. Kaanan nurses Deshi to strength. It takes some time but they build a common vocabulary. Sometimes that requires drawing a picture with a stick in the dirt, like when they talked about sex...
Kaanan the leopard shifter lives a solitary life, mostly on four paws. He knows humans as hunters and enemies and knows little of culture or even language. When he hunts down and kills a group of poachers, he decides to spare Deshi, a young man from a poor village. Kaanan nurses Deshi to strength. It takes some time but they build a common vocabulary. Sometimes that requires drawing a picture with a stick in the dirt, like when they talked about sex...
December 25, 2013
Not your normal shifter story. It is from Kaanan's point of view. A true jungle gaurdian, he has no words to communicate with Deshi. But that does not stop himfrom taking him in and caring for the young man when he is abandoned. Still you get the sense of everything that is going on. The writing allows you to lose yourself in this tale of survival, companionship, and eventual love. I would almost wish this to be longer. But why add to a tale that is already complete? Loved It!
May 7, 2015
This was really strange for me to read. I'm not turned on by shifter erotic romance. I'm not judging anyone else. It's just not for me. Vampires & Zombies I get, because they essentially keep the general appearance and anatomy as a human. Now, a man in the form of a cat or dog? Interesting, yes. Sexy, no. At least for me...
That said, there WAS something a little sexy about this story...I'm not sure what, but the appeal was there...hmmmm....
That said, there WAS something a little sexy about this story...I'm not sure what, but the appeal was there...hmmmm....
February 18, 2013
I really enjoyed this well-written shifter story. I loved the jungle setting and that it wasn't the old run of the mill insta-love mate story. Instead the MCs first have to learn to communicate with each other and then as time goes by they slowly develop feelings for each other. Wonderful story just wish it had been longer.
October 10, 2014
Kaanan, a man who can become a leopard - or a leopard who can become a man, hates man - he knows of them as the man who come poaching. Deshi is not a ordinary man, and while Kaanan might have killed him at the beginning, by the end of the short story he's learned the meaning of the word home.
Like Mowgli, only different.
Like Mowgli, only different.
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