Stray

by Kari Gregg

With a lycan father, a human mother, and the human side of his genetic makeup dominant, Luke left his birth pack to try living among humans, but he felt awkward and uncomfortable isolated from the culture that raised him. He’s still searching for where he fits in.

After losing his family in a vicious attack, Dean rebuilt his pack by accepting loners, rejects, other survivors, and even ferals. He and his ragtag group of strays made a warm and welcoming home.

Luke believes he’s finally found where he belongs. Meddling parents and a neighbor who isn’t as human as he seems won’t sway him. Luke wants Dean to take in one last stray...him.

Content Warning: Shifter knotting/tying, mating heats (yes, plural), and jerky!

A 40,643 word short novel

Genres: M M Romance, Shapeshifters, Paranormal, Romance, Werewolves, M M Shapeshifters, Paranormal Romance

120 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 3, 2016

About the author

Kari Gregg lives in the mountains of Wild and Wonderful West Virginia with her Wonderful husband and three very Wild children. When Kari’s not writing, she enjoys reading, coffee, zombie flicks, coffee, naked mud-wrestling (not really), and . . . coffee!

If you would like to catch up with Kari, caffeinate yourself and head to http://www.KariGregg.com

Reviews

[SheReadsALot · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Hearts--

"The human," Dean said, rubbing his cum into Luke's ass cheeks, "is mine."

I have now returned to The Gregg's Planet Fuckatron. All unicorn bot systems engaged.

If you're not familiar with The Gregg, know she writes erotica really, really well. And if non-con & dub-con are your kind of kink, she really excels in writing those kinks.

But...there is none of that in her latest, Stray. Triggers: past abuse (off page)

If I had to describe Stray in few words: softer erotica in an alternate universe/paranormal world where werewolves are known.

And KNOTTING.

Ahem, KNOTTING with lycan penis that is always hard. Did I just hear simultaneous grunts through the screen?

Set in Maryland, Luke is a thirty-six year old human/lycan hybrid accountant who is short, a little paunchy in the middle area and tired of fitting in the human world. He checked out a local pack known for taking in strays and he wants to be their latest one. Luke has hangups but he bravely enters on territory he might get run off since the pack's leader has a horrific past with humans. But nature doesn't care about potential problems. You see the blurb. *leers*

Stray has good characters, the most developed were Luke and Jeremy, Luke's neighbor. The story explains a lot about werewolf society and how they survive in modern day USA. While helpful, the story came across as info dumpy in parts. And The Gregg can set up suspense and great thrillers. Stray is more about explaining the world and the other parts include a mating couple who possibly have crosses to bear.

I think the problem with this story was the plot was underdeveloped. It had potential - pack-born human who was getting over past abuse, touch starved and human enough to live in human society meets lycan who doesn't trust humans and had some of the worse crimes committed against his family and land. It could have been mega angst central. But not so. This was closer to romantic, definitely softer. It was more about courting and mating. It didn't really expand on either men getting over their baggage, or striving how to learn one another. It was more like - move in, sex, mating, done.

Strongest parts? 

The dialogue when it did finally happen in between the explanation was good, at some parts really great. The entire dialogue between Luke, his mother, and Jeremy about their sex lives? Comedic gold. I felt for Luke especially when his mother started to discuss her vagina and lube. Just...yeah. Moving on!

The world created was super interesting. Werewolves live in modern America where prejudice is heavy. There are rights on paper for anti-discrimination but it depends on the part of the country you live in to expect it actually followed. And even if it is, their rights are still tentative in a human dominated world. While on one hand the story is heavy handed with explaining just about all the history of werewolves, it also was a great idea. As usual, the world Gregg created would be a place I'd love to revisit, maybe with one of those ferals? (I won't hold my breath)

The smut was hot as hell.

"You're a skittish little thing for a pack-born human."
"Nervous."
"You should be nervous. Undress."

It hit my kinks: exhibitionist sex (lycans don't care where they fuck or who is there) and KNOTTING. Lots of semen, swollen holes and growling. Hot. So while the story isn't in my Gregg favorites *coughs* I, Omega, Pretty Poison, that really long title with space cats*coughs*, the erotica is worth a gander. Dean was a considerate patriarch (alpha) of his pack. And it also applied to his mate. He fucked Luke thoroughly. Put that permaboner to great use but never let his wolf behavior dictate how he treated Luke.

The ending was kinda expected, so it didn't really surprise. Usually, I'm left with wanting more at a Gregg story ending. This one it wasn't as urgent.

Still hot though.

Because KNOTTING.

And since the strongest parts were favorable, I'll go with the higher end of my 3-3.5 Hearts rating range.



A copy provided for an honest review.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was all tell and no show.
I think there were maybe 3 conversations in the entire book.

I have to admit I was quite intrigued by the lycan’s uuuhh.. bones in strange places.

Shadows danced, but the darkness wasn’t so deep Luke wouldn’t be able to make out the curve of the pack leader’s ass or the length and girth of his cock, permanently erect thanks to a bone in lycan penises that was absent in human dicks.



How do these guys wear pants??

But I got so tired with Luke constantly telling how mating was nothing like in romance novels.

Humans generated absurd stories based on this first stage of the mating cycle.

It included a few of the fated mate romance novels Luke and his mother shared a fondness for, though they both knew the fantasy was a bunch of hooey.

Why do you think I read these books?? Could it be because I love that bunch of hooey? I really didn’t like the pragmatic way the author described the mating bond. It was so incredibly unromantic.

And this is a HEA? They only talk about staying together in literally the last sentence.

A lot of things were unresolved at the end of this book. I can’t find if this is part of a series, but if this is a stand-alone, it was confusing to have so many things going on but nothing followed through (what about the ferals on the land, or the relationship between Nate and Jeremy?)

I was glad to be finished with it.

[Lilia Ford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kari Gregg's novels all share a weird, immersive quality that makes them unlike anything else out there, even in a genre as formulaic as shifter romance. And then you get to these gonzo scenes of knotting and sloppy holes and overstuffed asses and trickling cum, and seriously, crazy shit is crazy. No one writes sex like this. That being said, I can't really identify much in the way of a plot here. Like someone breaks a dish, and then the hero gets sent a package, there's some discussion of raising rabbits.... It's like everything you'd usually identify as plot happens off-stage, before the story starts, so we get the results but not the events themselves. It's not PWP, and it definitely doesn't read like the usual shifter romance--thank you Odin--but I was left wishing for either more sex or more story. On the other hand--knotting. So I guess the bottom line is: YES!!!!

[Smutty Sully · Rating 3 out of 5]

He felt like he’d been fucked in the ass by the wide end of a bowling pin, and damn it, his shoes were still on.


That is all.

[Seeilin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, well :)
Shifter, knotting, heat, mating - what's not to love?
Let's just get one thing out of the way: this is a shifter story! No human standards and god, that's refreshing!
Luke is half lycan, half human - human side dominant
Dean is all lycan
I loved reading about lycan habits, their way of life, the obstacles, the fear, the kinship...
In many ways Stray was an introduction! We get to know the characters and even though the main pairing will get the HEA in the future - the ending left me wanting for more!
There was so much building, so many scenes with Jeremy and Luke as well as Nate, I wanted to learn more about Dean! So much potential! There weren't even enougi interactions between Luke an Dean in my opinion.
Stray is written from Luke's point of view and along with him, miss the details. We don't see Dean the way he deserves to be seen. He's too 2D. I want to know more, his past. I want to see the raw side of him telling Luke why he matters and why he's different (more than he did anyway) I want to see them happy, Luke with the kids with Dean wrapped around him watching Supernatural.
That's missing and the reason why I'm "only" giving 4Stars. I'm a sucker for the feelz!

- great worldbuilding
- the secondary charas
- Luke's MOTHER!
- Jeremy and Nate: hello? More? Now? Please?
- Dean.

Just give me more, an epilogue with a glimpse of the future a year later? 5years later? A second book?
A great book that had the potential to be double the lenght and has the potential of a series!

Welcome back Mrs. Gregg ♥

[Josy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The sweet Elf is Not My Real Name is spreading the love and gifted me with this book. Thank you!! ~hugs~

[Ro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Luke is a human dominant lycan, meaning he is unable to shift. He’s left his birth pack and tried living as a human but as he still has the lycan side it isn’t working well. He doesn’t really fit in anywhere. So now he’s attempting to be accepted into Dean’s pack. They are all strays and they don’t trust humans much but he is going to make a big effort to get them to let him make a home here. He had previously tried to fit into a pack with disastrous results (and I admit, I thought for sure something was going to come to haunt Luke now) so he’s being careful. He’s spent two years studying them to make sure it’s where he wants to be and he’s going to give it his all.
In this world, lycans are incredibly clumsy/careless (they can’t handle having regular dishes, they use camp equipment) and they consider everyone beautiful. They aren’t allowed in human schools and for some reason they don’t have their own schools, so many are illiterate. They are also hunted by humans, which is how Dean lost his entire family. The prejudice by humans against anyone deemed different rang unfortunately true. Even those who accepted lycans didn’t always accept gay. There is always something to be a bigot about.
It is a coworker, Nate, who introduces Luke to the pack leader, Dean. There is an interesting concept here of the fallacy of Alpha, Beta and Omega, but one that I’m not sure I buy. The fosterlings, what humans call omegas, eat last, have the worst housing, given the stingiest of material resources, are forced to have sex with pretty much anyone who wants them, are abused and often driven off. That is the human view. In this view, the fostered pack members do have all those things going on but there is an excuse for it, such as they aren’t fed at communal meals so unmated lycans can show off hunting skills, the bad accommodations show toughness, the gangbangs are to make the fosterling feel “more secure in the pack”, “…made a motionless receptacle of Dean’s lust…” etc. Again, can’t say I bought it. When Luke himself thinks “to belong. By whatever means necessary”, it smacked of that “less than”.
Dean is the leader and what he says goes. When he refuses to allow anyone else to screw Luke, something was odd. They don’t do that, right? Luke is immediately fearful he is being rejected from the pack, since he wasn’t offered out. Nope, it’s a mating heat triggered by Luke and Dean wants to keep him all to himself. You get to see the lycan version of romance, which was seriously adorable. They are trying so hard to make this human feel welcome. Luke is the one now who seems to be prejudiced against himself, mostly.
Let’s talk about Luke’s mom, a human mated to a lycan, who is amazing, awesome and so embarrassing for Luke. I loved her. She is unrepentant and wants to share her experience with her mortified son. Come on, he’s dealing with a lycan lover with a bone in his penis, a constant state of arousal and the need to show everyone Luke is his.
Luke has a history of past abuse, but other than that the story is pretty angst free. I found the concepts interesting, I loved the world building even as I had questions about it (how can they be so “unhuman-like” while being close to humans, for example), and I particularly loved seeing the big bad not-an-alpha winning his obtuse mate.

[Lasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

What's not to love about Kari Gregg's new shifter book? We have a hot Alpha, great world building, knotting and I-need-a-sequel-right-now for the secondary characters.

First off, the world building is strong in this book. They aren't just shifters, they are lycans, with their own unique culture and pack rules. I loved that Dean's pack was filled with strays - hence the title - and Luke's desire to be one of them and how that morphed into a mating bond with Dean.

Second, I want Nate and Jeremy's story today. Jeremy is my new favorite beta and I see the potential for their own story as their interactions in this book were flirty and fun. (Hopefully readers will get a sequel.)

Recently I've been burned out on all the A/B/O books I've ben reading which seem to spew out the same tropes over and over again, and "Stray" was a change of pace. A very welcome change of pace.

*received a ARC in return for an honest review

[Ang -PNR Book Lover Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stray
By Kair Gregg

Stray is the perfect amount of short shifter Mm romance that I needed!

I really enjoyed this story, Kari has a special ability that makes you get lost in her words of writing.

Dean and Luke’s story was great balance of chemistry and plot in such a short span. I really love the characters and the world that has been created.

Things do get Hot and heavy fast, but it was worth it. For these men that have so much in common they are also separate in the own ways, both with their own issues to work on.

I am hoping to see more to this series.

Arc was given to me by the author for an honest review and I am so sincerely grateful.

Ang, PNR Book Lover Reviews

[~RMG · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was pretty disappointed with this book. I was expecting a lot more than I got. The story started off interesting enough, but eventually went downhill, and the characters lacked any real depth. I didn't feel any connection with them, and ended up not really caring much about them or their plight.

[S.J. Himes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adore it!

Kari Gregg never disappoints. Sexy, nuanced, and highly original, this short novel hit all my shifter buttons. I need more books set in this specific 'verse and with these characters. Glad to see Ms Gregg is back in business and in fine form.

[•° Whimsy Fairy °• · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
Not my favorite but also not bad.

[Serena Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are quite a few different “shifter worlds” out there, but, as far as I can see, they fall into two basic groups. One is full of what I call “fluffy cuddly” shifters – basically they are humans who can/have to change into some type of animal and may or may not keep a few of the animal characteristics when they are human. There are lots of these around, and I have read and really enjoyed many of them. ‘Stray’, however, is not part of that universe. This book is part of the second group of what I call “rough & gruff” shifters. They are beings who can take human form, but they are much closer to their animal nature than their human part, they have different and separate cultures and behaviors, and often remind me more of aliens in the way I need to approach them – not making any assumptions, but instead learning based on their behavior is essential for understanding them.

Kari Gregg has created a world in this book where lycans have been persecuted, are still mostly segregated and discriminated against, and despite some movement toward equal rights, are still a hunted minority. They live in groups, need touch, and privacy is a foreign concept for them. There are lots of other little details in this story that confirm their different way of living and thinking, and I loved discovering each one. There is mating and bonding, but it is not a “fated” thing, it is as much a matter of choice as it is for humans, albeit driven, initially, by strong lust flaring up into mating heat.

The main character in this story makes things even more interesting. Luke is half human, half lycan, but what is called “human dominant” in this world. It means he presents as a human, mostly, but he is stuck between two worlds: not lycan enough to seamlessly fit into a pack, not human enough to be accepted by any but the most tolerant humans. He has tried living as a human, but the constant need to hide his lycan traits are driving him mad. His attempts to join other packs have been unsuccessful, and he doesn’t want to return to his birth pack. Discovering Dean and his “pack of strays” makes Luke hope that he can fit in with the other “misfits” – who are all lycan – better than somewhere else.

His journey to acceptance, not just by the pack and Dean, but of himself, is fascinating. Luke has learned to see himself as so human that he misses a lot of the hints his lycan half is giving him. Dean’s interest baffles him, but he doesn’t get (or trust) that Dean might be interested in more than a few weeks of lust-driven fun. It takes Luke a while, and his friends’ help, to realize what is actually going on, and I loved sharing that journey of discovery with him.

If you like unusual shifter stories that focus more on the cross-cultural aspect of a relationship than major plot twists and turns, if you want to know more about a half human lycan who tries to figure out where he belongs in a new pack, and if you’re looking for a read that is character-driven and contains more than one scene of lusty bedplay (and knotting!), then you will probably like this novella.


NOTE: This book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.

[Debra ~~ seriously slacking on her reviews ~~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm between stars on this one. Probably more of a 2.5 for me.

There was a lot of world building, almost like an info dump at times, yet I still had questions. I also found quite a few places where there were passages that just didn't flow smoothly for me and I had to go back and re-read them. The MC's spent little time together other than having sloppy sex and I never really connected with them as a couple. With all the issues that were brought up, nothing really happened. I felt like time was passing in the story, but I think the whole story only took one week to play out. This felt like the start of a series, but there is no indication that it was, so ultimately the end left me unsatisfied.

[Katharina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writing-wise this is actually more of a three star story - the writing itself isn't bad, but it just... tells too much. Everything is explained in detail. And then it's explained again. And again.

Too bad really, because otherwise this was a fine story! It was original and felt interesting which isn't a small feat given the multitude of shifter stories out there.
So, I decided to give one star for originality here. Because you just have to reward an author when she manages to give a new spin on something that was already overdone about 500 books ago. Without turning to the ridiculous. Kudos!

[Ada · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got bored. And if a giant comet would kill all the characters I would be like 'eh'.

[Saskie- · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably the most romantic novel Gregg wrote.
I waited for everything to go apeshit but nothing happened :I
but then...no, nope, still nothing... ._.

[Caroline Brand · Rating 4 out of 5]

REVIEWED FOR PRISM BOOK ALLIANCE

4.5 Stars

Stray by Kari Gregg is an interesting and often fresh look at the wold of shifters. They are lycans and a lot of them are pretty much removed from human society.

Dean is a full lycan and the leader of a group of strays. He has suffered immense pain at the hands of humans which has led him to where he is today. He is tolerant of people but wants little to do with them but he is fiercely protective of his ‘put together’ family.

Luke’s father is a lycan but his mother is human and up until now he has not really settled well within either group. He is human dominant so doesn’t shift and can pass for a human when required. He left his pack years ago in order to figure himself out but living with humans hasn’t seen him settled so he petitions Dean for entrance into his pack in the hopes of finding what is missing from his life.

Things get hot and heavy quickly with the two men going into a mating heat and they can’t keep their hands off each other – there is also knotting and for fans of this it happens more than once! For a short book the world building is intense and I hope this is the start of a series as the author introduced some great secondary characters.

For two men who have so much in common yet are so different it takes a bit of time for them to work things out. They are both vulnerable and blind to each other’s fears and neither are the quickest when it comes to opening up and being honest!

I will keep my fingers crossed that we see more of these guys and get to see how Jeremy and Nate are getting on very soon. Also, I need to know where the feral group went!

[Jaycee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review by Jaycee for BOOKS 'N COZY SPOTS BOOK REVIEWS, www.Talon-ps.com
purchased on amazon.com

I was thrilled to see Ms. Gregg is back with this new offering, one, because I am glad she is well and writing again. But also selfishly, because I enjoy her intense stories that seem to pull you in to what are very tangible reading experiences.

While novella in length, Stray is long in feel and emotion and world. Dean and Luke bring two very different backgrounds and life-experiences together despite their similar culture, as they struggle to traverse the fine line between instinct and emotion on the road to a life-bond. Strong secondary characters add depth and I must say, a very welcome, well-placed if unaccustomed humour to the story. It can be hoped we have not heard the last of them.

I have long been a fan of Ms. Gregg’s stories, both contemporary and paranormal, for their strong relationship components. There is always a simple beauty in the D/s core of her partnerships; in the opposing individual strengths making a genuine whole, and while there is always a process, the journey is, in some way, a recognizable one for each/all audience members. And again I marvel when an author can completely yet succinctly create a full-bodied story in a novella length. This doesn't mean I wouldn’t have liked to read longer, escape more. But I got my cookie, and I will savour the indulgence

[⚣Michaelle⚣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7 Stars

Let's be honest - there's only one reason I read wolf-shifter books and it's not 'cause I'm a fan of canines. So, yeah. This had a BUNCH of references to knotting. (Hot, sizzling stuff.) That said...I didn't expect all the feelz.

To grow up mostly human in non-human family, wanting to strike out on your own to fit into society...only to find out you don't because you yearn to be part of something bigger? That's some meta shit right there. Words I don't have to explain how that kind of feeling is universal (etc.)...

I'm kind of hoping there's another one for the other mostly human character (Jeremy) 'cause that's not fitting in on a whole different level.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
There were some good concepts in this story - particularly the idea of human dominant lycans from mixed lycan/human parents and the idea of a stray pack... but.. overall the story felt underdeveloped and didn't really go anywhere. In fact the main pairing were barely on page together unless mating. There were some fun quirks but overall that wasn't enough to make this one work for me.

[Geraldine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, not as much bdsm as usual in Kari Gregg's books and a little more humour, but I enjoyed her take on human/shifter relations, liked both the main and secondary characters. It's fairly short so didn't have a lot of time for either world building or really developing the relationship but I enjoyed the read.

[coflo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish I can read more sequels based on this setting :)

[Tiferet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pleasantly tropey with some fresh elements of worldbuilding, nicely written, with likeable characters.

[Amanda Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick and easy read. A lot of telling and introspect. I feel like the MCs didn't even really talk to each other. Not a bad story, just not amazing.

[Randomportion]

Drinking Game Alert

You could play a drinking game with how many times "thinner but more voluminous cum" is mentioned.
Entertaining but too much reflecting mid-conversations.

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

For someone who wanted to join Dean's pack so bad I thought Luke acted like a brat!! I wasn't impressed with the book.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd love to read a sequel, with Jeremy and Nate's story next and I'm curious about the ferals too.

[Kelly Ries · Rating 4 out of 5]

An awesome read

There's no getting away from the over abundance of M/M shifter fiction. As a gay man not my go to, but the more I read the more I see the appeal to many str8 female readers, and while I don't draw the same connection to the trope I am however very drawn to the encompassing emotional psychological and physical levels between the men; even more so when the story is so well written.

[Chloe K · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good read and I mostly enjoyed it but i had one glaring issue which was the tone of the book. The first half has a completely different tone to the second and its as if it was written by two different authors. It was quite Jarring and the MC didn’t feel like the same MC we were introduced and even Dean was different. God knows why thats the case but it started out great with heavy potential and it ended up as a basic mm wolf romance