Dear Author, I don’t actually have any plot pre-reqs. (That’s not to say the plot isn’t important, though. I don’t want something that’s complete PWP or Excuse Plot. I’d like something that has a rather light tone overall, but still has depth and something meaningful to it. Elements of darkness are okay and, in fact, may even be encouraged, as my profile would attest to. I just don’t want it to turn out to be a darkfic.) I just want adorable cat-shifter-kitty-petting/cuddling. Maybe the shifter retains some cat-like characteristics even when human/in his human form. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a housecat. It could be a big cat of some sort. Just, you know, with petting and cuddling and adorableness (in human and cat forms if you can fit it). And maybe some playing with the tail (not tail sex. just playing with the tail).
Photo Description: Two men, both with short, dark hair, lie together on a striped sofa or daybed. The one on the bottom, acting as a pillow and a living mattress, embraces the other man with what seems to be easy affection. The man on top sprawls face down, his head tucked into the space between his lover’s neck and shoulder, hiding his face from view.
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love Has No Boundaries" 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.
J.J. Cassidy has worked for a riding stable, been a receptionist, an insurance clerk, and a freight forwarder. After that came the job at the steamship line, the Japanese Securities firm and the bank that doesn't exist anymore.
She's worked with animals -- dogs, primarily -- since 1994, and is much happier that way.
There was nothing about this that I didn't love. It reminded me a bit of Laurann Dohner's New Species series a couple generations down the line, only with hot man on man action. The world building was great, especially for a free read, and every single character was likable and left me wanting more. Even all the kids were lots of fun, interesting, and likable.
4.5 Through a lot of the story when the very divisive question of MC Trey being sent from NC to LA for the pack’s security business, and then MC Reiner being offered to go to LA to work in the pack’s IT office, when this was keeping them from communicating if they wanted to stay or go and generating some angsty scenes, I kept thinking, “Why don’t you both go together?” A simple solution. The last scene was their deciding, “Why don’t we go together?” Maddening! I stopped to look at the author book list to see if there is a full length of this novella. Because Aidan and Blais, the two alpha fathers and group leaders, so deserve their own story. Holy hotness, these two are so super attractive and cool with a volatility barely contained. They can even include their female partner, Emery, with whom they have both had six children and she is married to Aidan. I enjoyed any mention of the sexuality between Blais and Aidan in this story and a glimpse of a sex scene between them. Yeah, it was complicated, as Aidan said when he and Trey met pack newcomer, Reiner. Blais referred to their big family, who lead the pack, as a ‘telenova.’ Very apt, as there is drama and angst aplenty in these North Carolina woods, among these jaguar shifters. Trey’s family are the main characters in this story. The younger children, all jaguar shifters, were bright and unusual. All can read minds and hear all thoughts. What a plot point! MC Reiner had no ‘shields’ up when he joined the community and it was a free for all with his thoughts being heard and replied to with MC Trey in his head, too. This went on all through the story. It wasn’t badly intrusive, but that, along with more than one hot scene being interrupted by kids who wanted to go for fast food or just knowing that older fam might be listening telepathically, as there were smirks and comments afterward, was sort of weird. Funny, that the author saved the only real lighthearted scene for the very end. The writing is good and there are a lot of descriptive words for people and scenes. There was almost a thrumming of tension all throughout the story. Perhaps from the lack of communication between the two MCs, yet they were still very loving while holding back on what they wanted from each other. It didn’t detract too much from the relationship part of the story. This is a dual POV story. Trey and Reiner were fully fleshed out characters, both with a lot on their minds about their futures, and both with a deep lust almost from the moment that Trey saw Reiner at his broken down car on the way to live with the pack. Their sex scenes were 🔥🔥. The writing in the story gives off a carnal vibe as there are numerous sexual references about other characters, not just the MCs. Even in their shifted feline forms the MCs would constantly bite, tussle, and sexily chase each other through the woods. The other characters would shift and be roughhousing, too. If this was a series that continued, I would read it as the pack world was intriguing, as were their tenuous relationships with the outside world and their fear of an unwelcome involvement they have with some government entity nearby. There were a lot of elements to what is supposed to be a romance. I see reviews saying the story was like an info dump that didn’t go anywhere. There was a great deal of backstory offered for this being a short story with a gorgeous photo prompt. Instead, it was a long novella. Maybe it was meant to continue. I enjoyed it because of the compelling main characters and would have read more if it continued.
LHNB Story released 11th August 2013 3.5 stars rounded up This is a very nice cat shifter story, where both MC's are shifters, as are their families and members of the community in which they live. Reiner has just graduated from college, with degrees funded by Stone Mountain Security, with whom he is going to start work with. On his way there his car breaks down and their mechanics, Austin and his adopted adult son Trey, come out to assist. On reaching the community Reiner finds his hotel room isn't ready for him and Trey invites him to stay at his apartment over the garage.
There is an instant attraction between Reiner and Trey, but it's not a fated mates situation, it's two horny young werecats who are very attracted to each other and act on it. The society they live in is complicated, with females appearing dominant and preferring female offspring, but Trey's adopted mother is an exception and lives happily with Austin and Trey's real father - they also have a lot of younger children who Trey helps to look after, dragging Reiner with him.
These werecats can communicate telepathically, though mentally shield their thoughts from each other - something Reiner isn't particularly good at initially, which leads to some amusement. There are a couple of misunderstandings between the 2 MCs, some jealousy and an unexpected adopted dog.
I did enjoy this story, but was disappointed with the ending as I wasn't sure that it was a true HEA as it just seemed to trail out a bit rather than having a definite ending.
Interesting shifter story. I love feline shifters, and I enjoyed very much that we got to see them in their jaguar forms a few times.
The world-building here is good, and the characters were interesting. I suppose I just kept waiting for the story to happen and so I was let down when it never really did.
WAY too much explanation of a back story that went nowhere. I skimmed most of this book and began to only stop at sex scenes or when something seemed like it might be important. This just didn't make any connections with me other than the sex. Yes, I'm that shallow. I just don't want to read page after page of explanations of why the family is one way and what this is and that is. No hum.
A very cuddly jaguar shifter romance. A regular sexathon, but all in a good way! Loved all the scenes where the cat mannerisms where displayed. Again, very cuddly and sexy. The world created was great, and I’d love to read more. And a lot more questions need to be answered. The repercussions on the database, PAX in general, and more about Arrowhead. I foresee a major conflict coming up between the humans (PAX) and the shifters. This is a good premise for a series.
Hey, look. After much dithering, I finally read/finish and wrote something commentary-ish. 3.5 rounded up, because what the hell, it was a LHNB story.
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The presentation is odd. Not altogether displeasing, but still jarring nonetheless. I remember having just the hardest time trying to figure out what was going on the first...*ahem* few attempts at reading this, way back when. It got tabled, and then stuff happened, and my hiatus last August happened, and then school happened, and then Hannibal happened, and happened, and happened. I haven't been having luck with the past few things I've tried to read, and that somehow translated in my subconsiousness to, "Hey, why don't you try reading this thing you remember not being able to understand?"
But yeah, I'm certainly enjoying it more than I remember doing so in the past. Parts of it are rough, of course, but that's understandable. The overplot stuff seems a bit exposition-y, but that isn't a big issue, and it's quite amazing how deeply an issue the author wove. Like shit, man, that stuff is fucking depressing as hell.
Anyways, turns out this story was the answer to my renewed plea for ages ago. Once I got past the "this thing confuses me. how does it plot?" and got further into it, I was please to see OH, HEY, LOOK, THERE'S GROOMING *SQEEEEEE*
Also, YES, FERAL HOGS ARE DANGEROUS. HAVING READ OLD YELLER, I CAN ATTEST THAT PIGS ARE/CAN BE TERRIFYING.
But on a more serious note, I like the way the mating thing is portrayed. Unlike others, with the more imprinting-like Mating Bonds, this is the sort that seems actually realistic. Oh, fueled by hormones and pheromones, sure, but started from the inkling of something and built up from there.
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That's all the comments I wrote. I think the ending was a bit abrupt. As in very abrupt. Made it feel very truncated. I mean, I guess you gotta make allowances since it was a DRitC story, so *shrug.
This was an enjoyable read. It's a cat shifter book set in cat shifter territory so its more about the interaction of the cats than with humans. The two MCs are interesting and believable and I liked their story and the resolution. The main issue I had was it was a bit over-complicated and there seemed to be a few loose ends when the story finished. However if there was a sequel I'm sure I'd read it.
This was a sexy shifter story. I really liked the characters, Reiner and Trey, and also really enjoyed all of the interaction with Trey's family. I also liked that there was a lot with their animal sides. My one small complaint is that I just thought that some things were unfinished and not explained, but I really enjoyed the overall story and would love to read more with this family.
I really enjoyed this story, the characters, the world building and the romance. I would love to read more about these two and their world. Nice interpretation of the photo and the story letter. Thank you J.J. Cassidy for donating your story, your time and your talent.
For most of the book, I was hovering at around 2.5 stars so I rounded up to 3. I had a hard time really warming up to this. So much about the writing and plot was, well, complicated. There were too many things that didn’t make sense, such as why setting the year as 2023, what was the whole mystery behind Pax and Arrowhead, what was the whole gene pool database about? There was just too much going on around Trey and Reiner that it drew away from the budding romance. And quite frankly, the constant telepathic conversations was way too distracting. And while this was well edited in terms of spelling, there were quite a few sentences that, even after rereading several time, left me thinking Huh?
On the whole I liked this, would read a sequel if it existed. It does feel like the start of a series, or a sidestory of an existing verse. The world is complex but not fully explored or explained.
Relationships are indeed 'complicated'. Basically this is insta-insta for two boys in their early twenties. More sex than talking. More impression of Trey's father than him.
A real nice shifter story with a refreshing amount of animal behaviour in either form, and nice world building.
New guy in town meets his first love/lust and is dropped into a whole different concept of being a shifter. It's complicated.
The MCs are young and therefore their relationship is somewhat angsty and there are some misunderstandings. Not a big fan of that, but it worked quite well.
What I didn't like was everytime they wanted and could have talked about their issues, they had sex and no talk. Which happens, but they and the reader don't really get to know each other. You don't really get their different behaviour and there is not really a character development. Overall I though the MC were a bit flat. It feels like the author doesn't lack the skill more like the focus. Which is kind of sad since it could have been so much better.
There are a lot of hints on a bigger backstory but it's never really told. That would be fine for a start of a series but not for a stand alone. It left me with to many questions. Actually it would be great as a start for a series because I wanna know more about the other characters and the whole spooky governmental institution.
I'm sorry to say but I didn't really like this story. I know I should write some good things first before writing the bad things, that's what a good review should have, but the only thing I can come up with right now is that I enjoyed the barbells xD
I was pretty excited when I read that it'd be about cat shifters, but there were many things that just didn't work. 1) I can't read a shifters book without there being any kind of action involved. By action I mean blood everywhere, people getting hurt maybe even dying. Without this the story is basically just another contemporary romance that happens to involve someone who can shift into an animal. 2) Reiner kind of annoyed me during the story. I don't say this often but he seemed like a real pussy (no pun intended). He got scared of basically everyone he met and always had some sort of nasty taste in his mouth or something. I mean, he's a cat shifter, be strong! I mean, if he was a dog/wolf then I would understand that he would be scared since stronger ones are usually alphas and they dominate. Cats are different, which is why it annoyed me. 3) The MCs relationship just didn't do it for me. The sex was hot, but that was about it.
A great shifter story that met the prompt request and delivered a half marathon. Clever world building with even the small details covered (jaguars are forest cats, everyone has a 'wood' last name). Some may compare it to assorted het romances (government experimenting to make super shifter-soldiers) but I happen to know the author has been working on this world far longer than Laurann Dohner or Lora Leigh, not to mention she can actually write.
It's all well-thought out, logical (okay, they're shifters) and sexy. I really liked how the MCs' relationship develops, the exposition of the expectations of their culture, how the differences in their upbringing lead to misunderstandings that they eventually overcome.
You can't volunteer to beta the sequel because I'm on that list. Just read this one again, and again and be very patient.
3.5 stars. I really wanted to love this story, but it fell a bit short for me. The story reads like the second or third book in a series and the author writes and assumes people will understand this world she is unfolding. After reading the book, I went to the author's site and realized that she had written the world years and years ago, and she decided to get back to it with Reiner and Trey. When I read a book, I shouldn't feel like I'm missing something, a huge chunk of the world build-up was missing and it left me a bit... confused. I also disliked the constant POV flip-flopping. The author does a good job at first but then POVs change constantly without any notice and I had to reread to figure out who was saying what. And halfway through the book, the characters' personality changes??? blargh, NO.
Overall, it was a cute story and lengthy for free. I just wish I could have enjoyed it more
Didn't really know if it's a 3 or a 4 for me but finally decided it is better than a 3 because I connected with the guys, with their longing, their playful but serious way into their relationship. Could also believe that this is the way feline shifters act together and the sex was definately how it should be for a big cat.
Although it's not a short story nothing much is happening - just 2 guys getting together and finding their way and I like it just that way. Maybe the ending was just too cute but there's abig smile on my face thinking about it, though … have to check if there is more of that world, the story includes so many open lines, promises of dark secrets, a lot of interessting characters and the thing between Trey and Reiner is also not finally told, there just has to be more.
I really wanted to like this story, I tried but it was just all over the place for me. Everything felt over the top and unfinished and left me with a lot of unanswered questions. I didn't really feel a connection with the two MC's either. I really liked the prompt and the picture was great, I just wanted something different I guess.
I LOVED everything about this. Sometimes it was a bit vague but it was good enough to keep me interested. There were a few typos though. I loved the MCs and the secondary characters were entertaining as well. I would really like to hear more about this world the author created. There was a lot that was not explained but it wasn't necessary to the love story so it was ok.
OMGEEEEEEEE I loved this one. By far my favorite of the LHNB event. My only complaint is its over and I wish there was more story to read. :( LOVED the parents and the 2 mcs were so HOT I'm shocked my kindle didn't fry!!!!!
I liked it even though I think that if this weren't a short story but a normal length book it would be better. There are some questions not answered and some things not explained (the shields for one) that dimmed the reading enjoyment a bit for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I really enjoyed this, excellent world building. I never lost a sense of time and place. I understand the author's writing parameters, but with a little more back story for Trey and Reiner this would have rated 5 for me. Would love to read a series in this setting.
I really enjoyed it at the beginning, even with the info dump because there needed to be some world-building. However, the story and characters never really clicked with me.
Thanks to the author for participating in the Love Has No Boundaries event.