David is an omega hare shifter. He's an introvert and does not like change. He has a lot of worries and anxiety issues, and suffers from low self esteem. He was adopted as a child, and even though he was happy and loved by his family, he felt he didn't quite fit in. Hunter is an alpha wolf shifter and good friends with David's brother. He and David share a night together at David's brother's wedding and remained friends ever since.
When David moves away to a small apartment to escape a stalker, he and Hunter grow closer and they decide to start a fake relationship. It would hopefully give David's stalker a hint that they were not getting together, and give Hunter a little relief from his mother setting him up on dates. Soon their fake relationship begins to turn real. Can David believe in himself as worthy of love and find the courage to move forward with Hunter? And how can he handle his stalker when the alpha just won't take a hint?
This was a really good book. It was really nice to have a very imperfect protagonist dealing with his own insecurities and anxieties. Seeing David grow more confident and push past his comfort zone was nice to read. Hunter has made some mistakes in the past, but he's more confident in how he handles himself. He's very patient and caring with David and encourages him and supports him.
I really liked all the supporting characters. Their personalities were distinctive and refreshing. There was only one character that I was interested in that I didn't get to see at all- David's brother, Noel. David and his brother Manny were very close, but his relationship with Noel was a little more strained. I kept waiting for him to show up at family barbeques or at certain times in the book where family should- and would- be there for each other, but he never did. He was only mentioned a few times in conversation but never introduced. His absence was also never pointed out or discussed by anyone, so it almost felt like this character didn't exist. I found that odd. Especially since he was the cause of some of David's insecurities from when they were younger.
There are some grammatical errors and wrong words here and there, but nothing major. A few little details were weird or flubbed in the story. For instance, David receives a package from his stalker with colorful greeting cards, and the first one he sees has his stalker's hair taped to it. When Hunter is thinking about it later, he notes that the other cards had "a couple more of his hairs and other body parts on the other cards." Body parts? Like parts of his own body that he cut off and taped to the cards, or from other people? It was a weird detail that left more questions about the mindset- and possible murderous tendencies of the stalker, who readers will always keep in the back of their mind expecting him to pop up, but don't actually see much of.
Other examples of a weird details- when Hunter confronts a private investigator, he mentions having read Hunter's military files. Hunter was surprised because they were sealed. And yet could tell the PI was "hurting for cash" by his tattered clothes and the state of his car. He was easily able to bribe him and he didn't seem like a very capable PI. So how was he able to get classified military information?
Another example is after they are mated (not a spoiler since there's a guaranteed HEA in the synopsis), the following day at a family BBQ they announce it to their families. (FYI- This book has mating bites, no wedding rings or changing scents or anything.) When they drive home afterward, Hunter thinks "Patrick [stalker] knew David and I were mated." How? It just happened, they didn't announce it online or did anything public that would give that information away, so how could he know? And if he somehow discovered that information, how did Hunter know that he knows? Wouldn't that make them more cautious and take extra precautions? It didn't and it just made the threat feel very lax.
Throughout the book, it was mentioned by the protagonists several times that David did not like change and had to take everything slow. The day after an intimate night, David asks Hunter where they stand and they decide to make their fake relationship real. This felt realistic because we've seen their emotions so far, and though it's a change, David admits to wanting it. Later that day after something happens to bring Hunter back to David's apartment. They are intimate again and Hunter feels the desire to give him the mating bite. He doesn't even need to discuss it with David, because David tells him to do it without being prompted. And then boom- mated. It felt very jarring because it's a sudden huge, life-altering step and given David's personality, shouldn't have taken place so suddenly after David finally relented and admitted to wanting to be in a real relationship just hours before. It just felt like a big inconsistency in character.
Overall, I did enjoy this book in spite of the few inconsistencies. I liked the growing relationship between them, and the insecurities David suffers felt very realistic and easy to sympathize with. The threat of the stalker added a level of background tension for readers expecting him to show up or make his presence known, but it could have been utilized a little more. It felt very much secondary to the budding romance and just a steeping stone to have brought them together in the first place. A good read with likable characters. I recommend giving it a read. 4 stars.