Feral

California Obscura #1

by Alexa Land

He was watching me.

I sensed his presence weeks before I saw him. Day after day, I peered out into the woods beside the lake house, unable to shake the feeling that someone was out there. But I never caught a glimpse of him. Eventually I convinced myself it had to be my imagination, that spending so much time by myself was starting to mess with my mind.

I was so wrong.

So begins Nathaniel Logan’s story. Nate is a twenty two year old college student, reeling after a recent breakup while struggling to find his way in the world. He’s spending the summer at his stepdad’s lake house in Northern California, where he’s supposed to be “finding himself.” But what finds him instead will alter the course of Nate’s life forever.

Genres: M M Romance, Vampires, Paranormal, Romance, Fantasy, Contemporary, Erotica

162 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 24, 2013

About the author

Independent MM romance author. For more information, please visit Alexa's blog: http://alexalandwrites.blogspot.com/

Please note: the author does not check messages on this site. The best way to contact them is through Facebook.

Reviews

[Jennifer☠Pher☠ · Rating 3 out of 5]

What? How can a vampy book end like that? I don't know if I think that is a HEA. Bella made sense on this issue guys, she really did!

Anyway, I liked it but I didn't love it. I think the first half was better than the second. It kind of got away from itself a bit and I needed something more to happen.

I think I am used to big strong vamps.

Not bad though.

[Jewel · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I decided to read Feral after reading The Tinder Chronicles and really liking the characters Nate and Nicky. They were just so damn happy, it was almost disgusting. But I really loved them and Feral is the story about how they met and became a couple.

Nikolai has been a vampire for centuries, but he doesn't know how long, exactly. But he never had the support system that the other vamps we met in the Tinder series, either. He is very unsure of himself and afraid he is going to kill Nate. The beginnings of their relationship, once there is a relationship is fraught with much uncertainty on Nicky's part. He makes Nate chain him up during sex, so he can relax enough to not worry about hurting or killing Nate.

And Nate has his own insecurities. After being dumped, unceremoniously, by a douchenozzle of a boyfriend, Nate's stepfather suggests he take some time to figure out what he wants to do with his life by staying at a family lake house. And, at first, Nate is miserable and lonely. But as he gets more comfortable with his introspection, he decided to try writing and then drawing. He stumbles upon a very old picture of the most beautiful man he's ever seen, and that starts him down the path of obsession. He starts dreaming about this man, not knowing that Nikolai is real.

I enjoyed getting to know both characters and seeing their beginnings and where they really fit into the Tinder series. And though I liked the Tinder series a bit better, Feral is well worth the read.

[☆ Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone who has read Alexa's "The Tinder Chronicles," this is the story of Tinder's unlikely best friend, Nate, from the Tinder vampire series, which I absolutely loved.

This book actually came out before Tinder's books, but after reading both, I'm actually very glad that I read this book last, allowing me to have no prior knowledge of Nate and Nikolai until later on, looking back, if you will.

One thing that I really enjoyed about Nikolai in the Tinder books was not knowing if Nate was truly safe with Nikolai, which would have been taken away, if I'd read this book first. I got more of Tinder's take on their dangerous relationship by not yet knowing, which I loved.

In this book, Nate is 22 and floundering in life, as his asshole ex of 3 years has recently broken up with him and his collegiate trajectory has all but flat-lined.

Fortunately for Nate, his (truly awesome) step-dad, Irv, provides Nate with a much-needed time out from life, in the form of a summer at his isolated cabin on a lake in Northern California. At the cabin, Nate begins to pull himself back together and heal.

However, something is watching Nate and we're not quite sure of that 'something's' intentions, plus, Nate has developed a rather unhealthy obsession with the portraits of a man who lived nearly 100 years ago, so he just might be going a wee bit crazy.

This story was so much fun and I immediately adored seeing the relationship develop between the somewhat-naive Nate and the extremely dangerous Nikolai.

And I'm no fan of ropes and chains, but somehow the fact that the sexy scenes actually 'required' them to keep Nate safe was kind of hot. Well, way hot, actually. (Now that's something I never expected myself to be saying, but there it is.)

The progression of the story was well-paced and kept me intrigued and on the edge of my seat, much like "The Tinder Chronicles," which I enjoyed.

The book wraps up nicely with an epilogue, cementing their HEA, and setting up their characters for inclusion in the Tinder books.

This was a solid 4-star read for me and I'd recommend it to everyone who has read "The Tinder Chronicles" or anyone just looking for a good, slightly-creepy standalone paranormal read.

------------------------------------------------

This was my own copy of the book and was not provided by the publisher.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had no idea this book existed when I was reading The Tinder Chronicles: Complete 3-Volume Series and had already met the MC's. I am glad I met them this way and know how the end up though so I could come back and see how their relationship started.

Like I said, I met the MC's already and the way I met them was hilarious. I loved their relationship where it was so I was curious to see how it began.

Though not as fun as Tinder and Bane, this is a sweet and sexy story of boy meets vamp and falls hard. Par for the course with the author, it's insta love with not much explanation other than I love you and trust you with my life. And I love that formula. I have no problem admitting that.

But again, knowing these two further into their relationship, I am okay with all of it. Because I know how they end up so, yup. I am okay.

OH and this book is the last one I needed to read to have read all the Alexa Land books. Woo Hoo!

[Riley · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars.

I love vampires. Always have. Vampires and m/m romance? Yep, I was all over it. Didn't even get the sample (which I always do.) Three pages in and I already wanted to strangle the main character who was a 23 year old college boy who, upon getting dumped by his boyfriend, dropped to the floor of his college class and sobbed hysterically until his stepfather came and literally carried him out of the class. Seriously? Not a good sign, but I persevered. Twenty or so more pages and I thought maybe the author had a bad start and just might pull it off. Not so much. After the beginning, the characterization did improve slightly, but both male leads were still too effeminate. There was just too much about it that just didn't work for me.

I think this author has promise as the writing style itself was decent. I was just not happy with this one despite how much I wanted to be.

[Karrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

***I'm a terrible reviewer and only do it when I absolutely love a book...so here we go***

I loved this book so much!! So many authors try to put a new spin on vampires but Nikolai is an absolutely traditional vampire in every way. He has the classic self-loathing at what he has become and thinks he's unworthy of love but is infinitely capable of giving love.

Nathaniel is just slogging through life trying not to the rock the boat until he sees a photograph of a breathtakingly beautiful man that he is sure is long since dead and it reignites a passion for art that he had forgotten.

I loved the dynamic between these two characters. The sweetness mixed with the hot sex was perfect!



This really reminded me of what a vampire romance should be. ❤️

[Arch Bala · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half was really promising but the story went downhill upon their proper meeting.
I couldn't help but roll my eyes every time Nikolai uses third person pronoun when referring to his "vampire" side - I mean, he's already a vampire yeah? Don't even give me that "humanity" side and all... it's just..ugh, frustrating and yeah, eye-rolling.

"I don't know why I talk about the vampire like he's a separate entity..." - Hmmm. Ditto Nikolai.

This couple is far more interesting in the author's succeeding novels [Tinder Chronicles.]

2.5 out of 5 stars

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Technically I quit reading at about 90%. I kept thinking the story would redeem itself. But no. I couldn’t take it anymore. Pardon my next crass and crude comment but if you, the reader, desire an urban fantasy fuck fest then by all means this is your book. If you want a great story, look elsewhere.

[Debra ~~ seriously slacking on her reviews ~~]

3.5 stars

I absolutely loved The Tinder Chronicles: Complete 3-Volume Series and it was good to get Nate and Nik's origin story here. I'm glad I read this afterwards, as a prequel, and would suggest that Tinder be read first. It was a bit lighter than I expected with Nate recovering from being dumped and Nik unable to stay away and creeping on Nate without him knowing. Sweet, sexy, insta-love ensues, which Alexa Land does well. An entertaining story that I read it pretty much straight through and made me want to jump in for a Tinder re-read.

~~~~~~
Thank you Operation Stealth Elf ~ whoever you may be!

[Anthea · Rating 4 out of 5]

After being dumped by his boyfriend, Nate takes some time out at his step-fathers cottage in the middle of nowhere to sort his head out. While there, he feels he's being watched and he becomes obsessed with a man in a photo he finds that was taken in 1927. There are no surprises in the direction of the story but this didn't ruin it. My only issue with the story is that it ends with an HFN rather than an HEA especially when you know that it can't be an HEA if the two MCs carry on as they are. A good read though.

[Viki Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was supposed to be doing housework at 94% of this book but I ditched it because I could hear my kindle screaming at me to finish and quite frankly who could leave a book at 94% in favour of house work???. Anyway I read the Tinder chronicles before I read this not knowing about this book and honestly I'm glad I read them the other way round it made this book more enjoyable so if you're gonna read this,read the tinder chronicles first then feral,you won't be disappointed x☺house work time now lol

[Viv Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teasing, curiosity-inducing synopsis? Check! Heartless break-up to open the story? Check. Remote cabin in the woods and a creepy sensation of being watched? Double-check!

I absolutely love the surprise and the mystery woven throughout the story. I would go into some detail about what exactly I love but I don't like having spoilers in my review, so just trust me when I say that if you love paranormal romance and M/M then you will LOVE this book!

[Rayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was just okay. I felt like I didn't really get the connection between Nate and Nicky and the storyline didn't flow very well. It took forever to introduce Nicolai and then their relationship was sort of rushed to get to their HEA.

[Bronwyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

May 2024: This was my second time reading this and I had absolutely no recollection of any of it. According to Amazon, this is 162 pages. Honestly, it felt like it was 500 pages long. It took me 3 days to read it! I was so bored. 🥱

I won’t bore anyone and make this a rant review. A lot of my complaints will show up in my “notes and highlights” section. What I will say is that I found it odd that Nate suddenly became this power top after being solely a bottom for years. I didn’t like it that Nikolai came across as a needy vampire. 🧛🏻‍♂️ Personally, I like it better when they’re powerful and have alpha tendencies. What was up with Nate calling him Nicky?? 🤮 I also forgot (or blocked out) the BDSM-lite part of this story. That did nothing for me. Their connection felt completely sexual.

This read gets 1.5 stars from me. Add that to the 3.5 initial stars and we get an average of 2.5 stars. I’ll round it up to 3 (even though I’m not really feeling it).


September 2019: 3.5 stars rounded up to 4

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow. This book doesn't have much substance and is incredibly cheesy, but it's still a fun read. There's a stupid amount of sex fyi and a confusing ending, but whatever. Let people enjoy gay vampire stories in peace.

[Lelyana's Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** 4 STARS !***

This is an almost 'real close to life' vampire story and I loved it.
Real? Huh? Really.
Let me explain it to you.
In vampire story, when a human hero met a vampire, he need to get bitten by a vampire to be together and forever always, right?
But in this story, Nikolai refused to bite Nate to make him vampire and chose an old wrinkle Nate in the future instead of dragging Nate to his painful demon life.
That's a true love, IMO, and not selfish. Seeing how much Nikolai loved and adored Nate, I can understand why.



And what they had been through was somewhat real. Despite of the 'sweetness' , this sweet vampire - human story , for me is really enjoyable.
Low of angst and I loved how the old vampire in Nikolai always wanted to protect & serve Nathaniel.
And that low self esteem and twinky like Nathaniel, has a natural dominant when he's with Nikolai.
Loved this. Recommended for MM reader who's in search for sweet vampire story!

[Shelba · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really slow build up, and once you finally get there, it's a bit of a let down.

[the kevin (vaguely alive) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is Twilight fanfic and no one can convince me otherwise. There’s the complete lack of self-preservation (aka New Moon), where Nate falls in a ravine while drunkenly running around the woods at night. Moron. This also takes the creepy-nightwatcher stalker to a new level, with dubcon sexual assault since Nikolai compels Nate to forget it. Can’t consent to actual physical acts when you think it’s a dream.

This had a decent, slightly creepy start, though tension was erased for me when Nikolai stole his jizz shirt. There was a lot of play by play of Nate doing boring things. Ultimately, it felt like there was too much time spent on inconsequential details and not enough on the actual relationship. Which was absent.

The obsession Nate develops after seeing a single picture of Nikolai confused me. Why did he get obsessed? How? What a weirdo.

Why on earth does Nikolai like that twerp? Nate is TSTL. (can anyone say bella) The mates thing came out of nowhere - it sounds like its a significant bond, but it formed only because they fucked. Surely Nikolai should have mentioned that before they fucked? Not like it would have stopped Nate, since he’s a dumbass.

After about 50%, the book devolved into 90% sex, and no relationship development. It didn’t make it past the obsession stage for either character. A lot of plot points or interesting details were glossed over in favor of bland sex.

It could have been an interesting trope flip to have the self-loathing, fragile vampire as opposed to super strong immortal…but it didn’t work. It especially didn’t work because it tried to put Nate in the strong supporting role, and this is a dude who started the book by having a hysterical breakdown during a class following a breakup. The dreadful “I’m not good enough for you!” “No, I’m not good enough for you!” made me want to stab both of them.

The ending was weird. Instalust to instalove, to a marriage after like months. There was never a real connection between them. It was a very bizarre ending, since apparently they’re just not gonna deal with the Big Issues, like a guy who doesn’t age. It just doesn’t work for me, especially not in a vampire novel. Overall...nah.

[**KAYCEE** · Rating 4 out of 5]

**3.5 stars**

I had read the blurb, but not any of the reviews, so I read this book first, before the The Tinder Chronicles.

I loved the premise of this story.

The sex was pretty hot...love the chains.

“I need you to throw me over the hood of this car and fuck me raw, fuck me so goddamn hard that I feel it for a week. I need you to claim my body, mark me, own me.”

However, after all Nicolai's: "we can't do this; this won't work; it's too dangerous"..... things worked out without much todo.
Not much angst... I liked the characters, but needed more excitement.
In addition, the relationship just ended up quite neatly, quite quickly. I don't see it working out that fast for two HUMANs, much less for these two.

Worth the read..just could have been a bit more climatic :)

[Bookwatcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Love doesn't make the world go 'round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.”

The story, before the story
Sorry I think it's the first time I will bore you, dear reader of my reviews, but I must tell you how I found out this book.
It's rare, but finally an automatic recommendation tool worked! I got this "if you liked this book, you may like this..." sort of email from a seller. Usually I bin the email so fast you can literally hear the 010101010101 being burn to dead, but this time something made me check.. and this thing is my vampire slut personality. Oh yeah... it's a rare disorder, it compels the sick to read (or watch, in cases of movies and Tv series) ANYTHING that has a vampire.
It's not an easy disorder to live with... but I have to do go on, doing my best... and the ONLY thing that can make me slow down my vampire slut disorder is $$$. Yeah.. I wish, but I can't buy and read ANYTHING with vampire. I try to search more info... but... yeah, my vampire slut disorder made me shut up my fears, and try it. Because it's soooooo (infinite "o") CHEAP! So I got it, thinking in the worst case I was just losing few bucks.

Ok, NOW is the review
Nathaniel is desperate to find himself. When the story begin you can't love him immediately... he will be pictured as an immature spoiled young man, throwing a tantrum after the end of a relationship.
Humm yeah, sorry I didn't saw it was a nervous breakdown, for example, just a tantrum from someone too young to see it was it should be: a normal thing. How many times someone discover the relationship he/she invest so much was just a waste of time? Yeah, Nate is not the first, or even the last, so have to deal with such unpleasant situation. The end of a 3 years relationship will be hard to Nate, and the reason he will go out, alone, to stay at his stepfather's lake house, in northernmost California.

It's a story that will be 90% in a same environment so YEAH, don't read it if you want a lot of adventure and ton of background scenes. This story is very colloquial, and THAT'S the best side of it! Nate will be your BFF, telling his fears and insecurities to you! The reader! You will be so entrained and sympathetic! You will want him to be happy, find happiness! And that's when our next character will enter in the story.... Nikolai.

Ok, I know you are are maybe thinking...
"Oh come oh, bitch! Pleeeeease. You are a vampire slut, how can I trust your opinion about this book?"
(yeah, random people call me bitch, don't worry... I don't take offense. You can do it) :D
Anyway... what can I say... YEAH, I admit my addiction to vampire, and my judgment is subjective but which one is not? We all have our personal loves and hates in paranormal stories... well, but you must know I'm a vampire slut and a bitch. Yeah, I don't fear to say when a vampire story sucks, (ha,ha... lame joke I know).

This story works for me even if:
*Evidence A: "oh I'm dangerous, you may die in my arms" talks were there... I HATE when a vampire book have it, and this one have it A LOT, almost tiring me for the repetition.
*Evidence B: a noncom scene (yeah I'm talking about RAPE!) happened in this story and there absolutely NO warning about it anywhere... I didn't know I would read it and I HATE when there is a rape scene without a warning. I don't have problems reading it, WHEN it's justified not just to fill pages. In this story it is not that the reason, and it's VERY important to make the vampire get a grip and stop to be a douchebag and try to get closer to Nate. And also to show us, readers, how vulnerable and self destructive is Nate! P.S.:Sometimes I want to scream on the top of my lungs "YEAH A FORCED BJ IS RAPE! MAN CAN GET RAPE TOO" when I see it passing as a minor fact in a story. Rape is RAPE, and a SERIOUS thing!
*Evidence C: there is a LOT of sex scenes. I like erotic books, but some have so many I get bored and start to skip pages. This book had A LOT of sex (but A LOT I mean A REEEEEEEEAL LOT of it. Anywhere, everywhere, and.. ok, you get it... better stop it. Maybe some minor is reading this review too :D

YES evidence B is a REAL problem to me (rape scenes added in a story without a proper warning about it), and EVEN with evidences A, B and C I STILL love this book and HOPE SOMEDAY this story will have a sequel!

No, I will not spoil talking about the end or how it could have a sequel... I just want to tell you, yes, it's a happy end and YES, I don't think it was a waste of time and money read/buy this book! Nate and Nikolai were a great couple, and loved all their scenes and... loved to read how Nate could grown up so much, in just a few months. Love can't make miracles, but it can certainly make us be brave, make us feel better about ourselves, and, yeah... make live worth to be lived. If it's the love of family (BTW I loooooove Nate youngest brother.. the 6 old kid is SO CUTE!) or the love of our beloved one, love is what gave Nate the courage to do the bravest thing he possible do: look at himself, and see his true inner beautiful soul.

5 stars (and thanks for the patience for reading this long review... as a vampire slut I usually lost track of time talking about vampire books... yeah... better never start a discussion about a vampire with me if you don't have at least 12 hours free)

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rate this more as a 2 1/2 stars. It wasn’t even close to being a favorite of mine. I think it has potential but it wasn’t brought to fruition. Not going to recommend it to anyone else.

[Melissa Polk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was this book perfect? No. Did I love it anyway? Absolutely! The ending wraps up a little too easily and I'm not entirely satisfied with parts but that's totally a me thing and not a book thing. I'm very excited to read more in this series and hope we at least get glimpses of Nikolai and Nathaniel in later books.

[Sue bowdley · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I started this book I posted a question on fb....Have you ever read the first page of a book and knew you were going to love it?.....My answer to this is yes....this one......From the first page I knew this book was going to be perfect and it was.....Nathaniel/Nate is not taking his break-up from his boyfriend well so his step-father sends him to his remote cabin for the summer to get himself together.....find out what he wants and needs from his life and it's while he's there that he feels he's being watched...things happen that he can't quite remember......dreams or are they dreams....when he comes across a photo of Nikolai from 1927...gorgeous...sexy that's when his life changes..but is it for the better.......Nate is a charming character.....he doesn't like himself too much at first....he thinks he's no good and who can blame him when he gets treated like he does...esp when he takes a trip away from the cabin and encounters a stranger in a bathroom.......A lot of weird things happen and until he meets Nikolai he doesn't understand.....This book just keeps you turning the pages...you will fall in love with Nate but you will fall in lust with Nikolai.....When they finally get together they are awesomely hot together but Nikolai is afraid of hurting Nate so we get a chained up Vampire..something that was decidedly hot....the sex scenes were just sizzling..I mean i can't go into detail without spoiling them but you will need cold showers a lot through this book......This is the first book of this author that i've read but i will definitely be reading more......next on my list is Tinder Chronicles......I loved this so much that I ordered it in paperback the day I finished reading it x

[Morgan Skye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nathanial goes to a cabin in Northern California to recover from his most recent heartbreak and to figure out what he wants to do when he “grows up”. While there he drinks a lot, ponders his navel, and finds a portrait of a man from 1927 who captivates him.

He finds himself dreaming of this man and creating an entire dreamworld around him. He also finds himself being “watched” or at least that’s how it feels.

One day, in a drunken rush, he injures himself and realizes that his dream guy, the man in the picture and the feeling of being watched are all the same being – Nikolai.

At first he can’t reconcile all these until Nikolai finally admits to being a vampire – a true monster – something inside him he can’t control and so evil he insists upon being chained up lest he hurt Nathanial unwittingly in times of severe emotion.

Of course, there’s more to the story – but that’s the compelling drama that makes up the bulk of this fascinating book.

**

Quite unlike so many vampire stories, Nikolai doesn’t love being a vampire, he doesn’t want to convert Nathanial to “save him”, he hates who he is when the vampire takes over. He’s centuries old but in some ways quite naïve as well.

Both Nathanial and Nikolai have so much to learn from each other as they learn more about themselves and one another.

The love between them is deep and affirming. The sex is very hot and the quandary they find themselves feels very authentic and is handled as realistically as a fantasy can be.

I loved the ending – but I’ll always wonder just what will happen in the years to come since Vampires never die…

This was quite a difference from the other Alexa Land stories I’ve read, but just as good if not better.

I highly recommend this with 5 of 5 stars.

[ᗰ.ᑕ. ❄️ O͎L͎D͎E͎R͎ ͎&͎ ͎W͎I͎S͎E͎R͎ · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Read October 2020)

❦ 𝙈𝙈 𝙑𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙍𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 ❦

I enjoyed the beginning, before Nikolai (vampire) and Nate (college student) got together. Once they became a couple and Nikolai's beta personality became apparent, I quickly lost interest in the story. I had to skim to finish.

I prefer vampires to be strong alphas, not hiding and afraid of their own vampire natures.
Nate initially seems to be the weaker of the two, but Nikolai is the one who needs constant consolation and reassurance. His biggest fear is losing control of his vampire side.
(It's repeated a lot.)

Both MCs have some issues, but Nate's are minor compared to Nikolai's (his past and present). Nate helps him find his courage and confidence.

✘ Men who don't talk/act like men.
♥ "You'd take my heart and soul with you..."
♥ "I'd love to spend the rest of your life making sure you feel cherished."

✘ Unsexy sex scenes. Spit and precum as lube.

✘ What Nikolai thinks of being a vampire:
"Why would I condemn the love of my life to an eternity of darkness and misery? So that you, too, can live with the horror and the torment of being a monster?" 👹

✘ An unsatisfying ending.
Nikolai will live forever, while Nate grows old and dies.

All in all an okay read, but not one I'd recommend.

[Sue Milkovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so wonderfully written and refreshingly different I was impressed. My hats off to you Alexa Land for giving us Nathaniel and Nikolai. At first I thought Nate was kinda lost but then learned he only needed direction the way artsy people do. Nikolai seemed way too nice until you learned what he truly was and met his other side,then you understood why he wanted to be so kind and caring of Nate. This was told like no other story I've ever read before and I really enjoyed it. Everyone of their moments together were insta-wet moments, some of them so HOT it almost short circuited my Kindle. But it was really a romantic love story where they both became stronger the more they trusted and fell in love with each other. I recommend this to my friends. It was a fast moving great story with a good ending.

[Candice · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

Eh. For some reason this didn't do much for me. Maybe because Nate accepted it too easily? Maybe because Nicky did the whole "I'm dangerous, tell me to go away" thing? Maybe because the ending blew goats, in my opinion? Maybe because Nicky's sexual desires didn't quite fit his personality and it rubbed me the wrong way?

Oh well. Personally I thought Nate was a whiny brat and I have NO idea why Nicky wanted him.

[Hill *Romance Newbie* · Rating 2 out of 5]

The similarity with Twilight is uncanny. Scares me.

[Qin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Your average vampire-meets-his-human-mate story with nary an original or fresh idea, if you detract as hackneyed the use of chains in some of the sexy times between both protagonists so as to protect the non-paranormal hero from fang-boy. As in Tinder's Chronicles, by the same writer, the beginning is strong, the middle has an over the top feel to it that decreases its appeal, and the last third or so huffs and puffs in harried fashion to produce the mandatory HEA. Here too the world building suffers so that the pacing could remain suitably brisk, Mrs Lang not belonging to that class of writers who indulge in slow burn exposition and in careful foreshadowing (had she paid more attention to these sides of her job, her story would have been less vapid and bland). Nikolai is not a bad character at all, and I was entertained by his struggle to become a good, safe mate to his human, token though it felt in too many moments (ever heard about introspection writ deep, lady ?); on the other hand, Nate falls as flat as an Energizer bunny which would have depleted its battery. Unlike Tinder, whose psychology remains cogent for most of his story, the student whose path crosses that of Nikolai comes across as a plot utility rather than a fleshed out character.

[DTM · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, I have had this entire series on my Kindle and I recently blew through the whole series in a weekend..All 5 star reads for me. OK so WOW..This is Dana being a knucklehead! LOL I started Alexa Land's More Than This which is a standalone Warlock/Human? story (I think..I didn't get too far yet) and was loving it then I and realized OMG there is more with these characters so I stopped and started the Tinder Chronicles (Vamp Hunter and Vamp) and said oh wait there has got to be more with these fabulous characters so after a little research today I downloaded and just DEVOURED Feral and OMG...this is a GORGEOUS, swoony, sexy as shit human/vamp story!! Now I can go back and finish Tinder (a box set on KU BTW) and then back to More Than This!! LOL Don't follow my lead..start from the beginning because DAYUM YEAH..LOL I'll post the links below...As a relative Vamp newbie, these books have EVERYTHING I love in an MM book with a little extra extra!!