Alec Ashcroft is afraid. Afraid of himself, the black outs, the hunger, and of what he might be capable of doing. See, Alec is a shifter, a wolf and he doesn’t know how to control his extraordinary power. Refusing to put his boyfriend Matt or his family at risk, Alec runs away from everything. He must protect others from his dark side and hopefully find the answers he’s been seeking all of his life.
The town of Redfern seemed the perfect escape, lots of forest land and animals to hunt, until Alec met Luca. Dark, seductive, sexy, Luca is like Alec and the scent of him drives Alec wild. He shows Alec how to control and use his power to his advantage and soon Luca exerts his allure over him. The two become entwined in a passionate and wild relationship with Luca even inviting him to join his pack high up in the mountains above town. Is this enigmatic new stranger to be trusted or is there something more sinister going on? All Alec wants to believe is that he’s finally found someone to calm the Beast Within.
J. Ashburn is your source for exciting, sensual gay paranormal fiction featuring unique stories, magical characters and wild settings. Werewolves, witches, polymorphs, psychic warriors, phantoms, creatures of the night and more dominate the worlds of J. Ashburn. Follow the paths of romance and the supernatural entwined with hearts and minds of men who love men.
Meh. Not wholly bad, but clumsy and uninspiring. Nothing is particularly well fleshed out. For example, the book starts with Alec in a longterm, committed relationship. He has lived with his boyfriend for years and loves him. However, he leaves when he fears he'll hurt him. He is attracted to the first man he sees in his new town, then immediately falls in lust with the first other werewolf he meets and then when he discovers he is evil, he immediately falls in love with another (and I mean IMMEDIATELY). They have sex once and suddenly it's 'baby' this and "I love you" and "I'm coming with you forever." The original love of his life was long forgotten. So, as you can imagine, even though these emotions are supposed to be important, they don't feel very deep. Correction, they're not deep. Nothing in the book is.
There also isn't any character development or worldbuilding. I have no idea what the details of the werewolves' physique, society, etc are. Heck, I'm not even sure if these are supposed to have always been wolfmen or four-legged wolves. There is some mention of 'pure bloods,' which presumably are more powerful than the standard wolf, maybe higher in a hierarchy but I don't know for sure.
The writing itself was OK. There was a slight tendency to use names and titles in dialogue too often and the editing started to fall apart toward the end. But it was perfectly readable. It's just that the story was shallow and pretty predictable.
DNF - didn't realize it ended in a cliffhanger until I read some of the reviews. I do not read cliffhangers and don't really care for those who write them.
This book was hard to finish...and it desperately needed editing.
I couldn't connect with Alec. He just up and leaves his lover and never looks back. Then falls in lust with his co-worker but pushes him away at first. The whole Luca situation was very unrealistic with a whole lot of unprotected sex.
The entire concept was hard to believe and the characters didn't feel real.
No. Just no. In fact, HELL no. This book was just horrible. I was intrigued in the beginning but it was a quick downward spiral from there and now that I've finished it, I feel dirty. And not in the fun lets do it again kind of way; I kind of want to scrape my insides with something. I could list all the things wrong with this book but then my fingers would probably fall off from all of the typing. I'll give you an example though, shall I? Maybe you're okay with that, maybe you're like me and just think NO, BAD BOOK, BAD. I don't have problems with books being dark and killing people but this is more like an example of things you shouldn't do in a book just for the sake of sex. I'm going to stop now before I majorly start ranting. Seriously, I want the time I spent reading this back and I need some brain bleach to purge the rest of it.["br"]>["br"]>
What a ridiculous book. First of all, this needs an editor. Badly. Too many typos and grammar and spelling errors to count. The story itself didn't make all that much sense. We start off with Alec in a long-term relationship, apparently happy. But then he realizes he's a werewolf and he wants to eat his boyfriend. So he disappears. In the new town, he immediately falls for the hot barkeeper and realizes he wasn't happy anyway. Then he meets a guy in the forest, falls in immediate lust, and they fuck then and there. No lube, no condoms, no nothing. Lots of sex ensues. Plus the occasional guilt trip. The boyfriend from the beginning of the book is long forgotten. Then suddenly the sister gets her own pov and everything starts making even less sense. The idea of the werewolves was somewhat interesting, but it lacked depth. The sex wasn't hot because I just couldn't connect to Alec at all. The ending was cheesy beyond words. Throw in a little gore, and you have a pretty lousy story. I'm glad this was short.
M/M wolf shifter romance with a very confused Alec who runs from his pretty great life so he doesn't eat them. So not your usual shifter romance where the guy is going towards a better life, Alec is already in love with a good job, friends and a loving sister. Alec gets lucky and finds some new friends and a job in the mountains at Max's restaurant and bar with the cute bartender, Phillip. There are lots of violence and misunderstandings about what werewolves are supposed to do (and eat) which makes Alec even more confused. This was just ok. I prefer Old Loyalty, New Love and Without Reservations with shifter M/M romance themes which creates a whole world hidden in the 'real' world. 200ish pages and kindle freebie 2 stars
Wow! This book was amazingly written, the plot was totally unique and so intriguing. I couldn't put it down once I started reading, the characters were amazing. Alec such a sweet and loving guy, he's a wolf shifter but unique in every way, he's sexy too. Luca at first I loved, thought he was sexy and helpful and wanted what was best for Alec but the story changes into this amazing, fast paced, action packed, full of WTF moments. A few obvious parts But what stood out most was Max and Phillip two more amazing characters that are just too good and Nan. Loved Will too, I felt for him and wanted to hug him, I was so sad for his part. He'll amaze you though. Surprising cliff hanger...can't wait to read the next book, and more by this author ....Truly amazing story and characters....5 stars review by Nanee at upallnightreadallday.blogspot.com
This book took a different route form the norm. While the new route was refreshing it also lead the book straight to its death.
I enjoyed the idea of werewolves as bloodthirsty ruthless beasts. The book wanted to create a emotional drama by making showing Alec through 3 different relationship. Unfortunate, it was rushed and badly executed, making Alec appeared Slutty instead. The book biggest failure is probably in Alec personality. He was a complete push-over who seem to have no real emotional attachment, judging from how fast he cast of his old life then jumped from on relationship to another.
The book was a miss-opportunity on the author part. It has great potential but fail to shine.
This was a great shifter book. It had a mix of everything to keep the story interesting. The emotions pored through the story and I felt the confusion, the pain, the lust the betrayal as it all unfolded. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
WARNING: Graphic Horror Scene included NOPE.. I almost gave this up at the start..I should have stopped then. At 67% Did Not Finish. An unexpected horror scene of humans being eaten made me SICK. Nope enough for me. I DON'T recommended this at all.
So the start of this book, great. We are right there with Alec and his sudden transformation, the confusion and fear that comes with it. And he does what he thinks is right, protecting the ones he loves. He is drawn to this new place, not knowing why and that's where things just goes off the rails.
I was sure this would sort of return to his long time boyfriend at some point but nope, he was just out of the picture quickly.
I can buy the whole werewolf lust thing but not the total lack of lube or the quantity over quality sex scenes. It was very much going through the motions when it was written about, and if so much of your book is going to be sex, at least put effort in to it. Even half as much as the effort in writing about people being torn apart.
I liked Max but that's about it, didn't get the connection with Phillip who was as bland as anyone could be.
Not sure how Alec's sister could smell like him when they hadn't been near each other for a very long time, unless it's a sort of family blood smell thing.
I get that it's the set up for a series, but it didn't make me want to continue to the rest of the books.
This is the first book in : The Beast Within Trilogy Book Series
This was a good read I like this Authors take on the shifter mythos it was somewhat different than the usual which is a good thing considering there are A Lot of M.M shifter book's out there . The characters in this book where well thought out in my opinion with a lot of surprises in the mix plus although there were some very serious parts there was also humor too . Despite the kind of person Luca was I did like his character and poor Will man I'm hoping that he survives some how anyway looking forward to the next book in this series .
Got this book as a freebie in exchange for an honest review. The book is a harsh storyline with some very un savoury characters in the plot. Starts off either what seems to be two committed lovers but soon poor matt, with Alec terrified of hurting him. He runs off and encounters Phillip and then Luca. A story of evil vs good. Some harsh scenes which are unsettling but in the end a HEA and what we know is a respite to the next gory episode. Will read the remainder in series and as a whole may revise my rating. ??!!??!!
This had so much potential to be a regular full-length book. So much story, plot, and lore could have been expanded upon. Alec annoyed me. He's like a fickle teenager falling in love with the first dude who shows him some attention, then off to the next he's in love with instantly. Seriously, wtf? It's not all complaints, though. What was written was actually written well. I feel most of the issues I had would disappear if the author took the time to expand this into a real book. Could be truly a great story and not a rushed weekend endeavor.
When Alec Ashcroft begins having vivid dreams and blackouts, he's afraid. Those dreams involve him attacking people--most notably his boyfriend. It's not even that they're just dreams. They manifest as desires. Unsure if he can control himself, Alec decides his only option is to run away. The pain of leaving people behind is less than having to live with the knowledge that he harmed them should it come to that.
Alec winds up in Redfern, a quiet little town that seems like the perfect place to disappear. He's lucky enough to find a job and a place to stay without much effort. And his boss's attempts to fix him up with the bartender at least reassure him that he may not have to hide being gay in his new home. But he's still wary of relationships until he can get whatever his urges are under control. When the mysterious Luca shows up, Alec thinks he may have an answer. Luca is like him. And he lives with a group of guys who are the same. The two quickly fall into an intense and passionate relationship. But there's a dark side to Luca that Alec isn't sure he can live with. And he's not sure he can fit the image Luca has of what they need to do with their "gift". But when Alec doesn't know where to turn, he's surprised once again by the little town of Redfern and everything it has to offer.
This is a little different take on the shifter story than I've read before. There are some interesting layers to the mythology here that I really liked. And the character relationships are interesting. And Max--you have to just love Max. I didn't really like the way Alec's boyfriend at the beginning of the story was just sort of dropped, but I understand that's part of how Alec gets to where he needs to be. It just would have been nice to see some closure there. Maybe it will come in one of the later books?
Definitely give this a recommend for a quick and fun read. It's not deep or heavy--it's almost more of an action book. There is some violence, so take note of that before you read.
I’m glad I stumbled on this book on Amazon and asked the author if I could review their series!
Alec Ashcroft has a problem. He has been dreaming of blood, and having blackouts, and waking up outside and covered in blood. His sight, hearing and smell have all increased overnight exponentially. But what can he do when starts feeling the hunger and dreaming of his boyfriend Matt torn apart in their bed with blood and body parts everywhere.
Alec runs away. He can’t put Matt or his own sister Rachelle at risk from the beast he is becoming. Alec realizes he is a werewolf, but has no idea how or why.
Alec runs until he get to the small town of Redfern, far up in the mountains. He settles in, getting a job as a waiter at a local restaurant and living in a room upstairs, and flirting with Philip the hot gay bartender. But when Alec almost loses control with Philip, he backs off and decides to have nothing further to do with him. He will just have to survive and figure out how to combat his wolf side.
But something is pulling him to the woods. One day on his daily run he stumbles on a beautiful dark and sexy man named Luca. Shockingly, Luca is like him. Another werewolf, and there are others. All sexy gay men. Luca says Alec is his mate, but Luca and the others are hiding a dark secret. What will happen when Alec discovers the truth?
This book is full of action, well written and it holds onto you until the very last page….when you have to run and grab book two.
A very entertaining read with an excellent plot. I loved the rawness of emotions and I loved the way the author showed this feral side of the shifters. This was not a cute, fluffy tale, which is why I found it refreshing and unique compared to most shifters stories out there.
The only downsides to it were the huge amount of angst (could have used a little less, though I agree it fit the plot well) and the fact that the romance needed a little work. I, for one, didn't see much chemistry between the Mc and his supposedly love interest, especially because the MC seemed to like philandering a bit too much and hardly settled on one person long enough to grasp what was going on. He didn't seem to prefer one man over the other and, in the end, it looked like he settled for one because the other one was a killer, not because he loved him more. The author should have slowed the action a bit to work on the romance. This is just my opinion.
Either way, I really think this books is 100% worth reading and I can't wait to see what happens next (I do need a little break from the angst for a while though LOL)
I love werewolves and this Story was just so intriguing i had to read it! One can say "old Story told again" but not with this book. Every character is unique and in no way an average role in a werewolf story. You will love them the moment they enter the Scene and fall for their charming sexy ways....like Alec does. Running away from his past and the ones he loves to avoid any harm, he ends up in the arms of seductive Luca, leader of the pack. Will Alec finally find his place he so long urged for to be all himself in Luca's pack ? Can he trust Luca? And what about sweet Philip? And don't let me mention that Little cliffhanger.. Well, read yourself! You won't regret it. And now I can't wait to read the second book of this trilogy!
What an absolutely incredible shifter story. I was glued to the pages and couldn't put it down. The relationship between all the characters were magnificently written. The relationship between Alec and Phillip turned out great. The relationship between Alec and Luca was painful. I loved the flow and pace of the story. It was just exciting all the way through. I can't wait to read the next book. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE THAT LOVES SHIFTERS!!!
So much that had me rolling my eyes, the easy dump of a long term lover, the quick jump into 2 men's beds soon after (not rebound sex, but professing love), and the careless regard of his sister and lover. The werewolves themselves were written interestingly, but I could not get into the story. Losing interest in the story and not caring about Alec anymore, I started skimming midway through the story. I don't think I'll be continuing the series. Nice to see that spurned/jilted Matt gets a story though.
I enjoyed this book. It had some interesting twists & turns. I felt bad for the boyfriend at the beginning of the novel, but I guess he can be a lose thread for future books. All the other main characters were written very well. To see the antagonists shifts were nice. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!
So...what to say about this book. First off, Alec is a bit of a whore. He literally hops from one bed to another. You meet a strange man in the woods and let him have sex with you WITHOUT a condom? Say what?!? I have read a lot of paranormal and I have to say this one was not my favorite. I don't think I'll be reading the rest of the series.
This wasnt too bad. A few confusing parts.. things that I'm still going.. what happened? And wow... he went from one guy to another to another.. and the fact that the first guy didn't care enough to try to find him kinda weirded me out.. This isn't a horrible story. I did enjoy the characters and I love what philip is to him. I am also interested in seeing what happens with the sister.
This book was a freebie and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. Although the book starts off slow it came into it's own. I normally hate serials but am looking forward to book two.
While the story was pretty simple it was really good. I felt so bad for Matt in the beginning, but the more I read, the more I realized Alec was just protecting him. Plus I really liked Phillip and wanted him to be with Alec.
It was an okay read, fast paced and interesting. The beast was described very well. I still couldn't believe the romance in it. It was still a good story and a good editor would have tightend it up a little.